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A Country Tour
Oland Travel Tale
by Lorry Patton ...
We zigzagged a piece of southern Sweden this spring from Stockholm to Soderkoping to Granna to Vazjo to Kalmar
and to the Island of Oland. Bits of land reminded me of Canada; but mostly, it was unfamiliar. The black-roofed
cities, brick towns, rural red farmhouses and pools of clear blue waters, created a unique piece of embroidery.
The landscape is soft, almost fragile, in southern Sweden's countryside -- slightly rolling hills, golden with rape seed
in mid-May. Somehow, even the woods show an atmosphere of gentleness. How incongruous to the massive stone
castles, the fortresses, the rock-faced churches and the dungeons . . . incongruous to the stories of fighting Vikings,
to the bigger than life battles lost and won.
The people we met were reserved yet friendly. Nearly all spoke English. They were amazed --a bit envious -- of the
relaxed openness of us North Americans. I envied their civilized manner, their obvious rapture with their families,
their ability to savor holidays, their cleanliness and their historical pride.
Even in the tiniest towns a glorious event prevails. Granna for example, a simple town of no pretense has an
elaborate museum dedicated to keeping the story of the famed Polar Expedition alive. Lest we don't remember and
why would we: it was back in 1897 when three men, Andree, Strindberg and Fraenkell, set out in an air balloon to
explore the North Pole. They never returned.
Then there's the House of Immigration. A gallery where North Americans of Swedish decent can find out who their
ancestors were by searching through the thousands of stored documents. The museum is incredibly accurate of the
events that took place when one thousand people left Sweden for the New World in the 1600's. The building is
located in Vaxjo, another visually arresting town that just happens to be along Sweden's modern highways.
The world's most famous exhibition is in Kalmar: The Kronan Exhibition. The Royal Ship went down in 1676 and
was discovered at the bottom of the Baltic Sea on August 9, 1980. It was the biggest warship ever built ( then ).
Sixty meters long. The wreck is still lying on the bottom of the sea; however, over twelve thousand objects have been
salvaged -- seamen's boots, buttons, plates, pewter, clay pipes, gold coins and cannons.
Kalmar also has the Kalmar Castle. A stroll on the grounds and across the moats is spine-tingling. Built on the
water's edge, it was a protector of the people, standing grand and imposing to any enemy that might appear. The
Kronan and the castle are physical proof -- a testimony -- that wars were fought, despite the peace and tranquillity of
today.
Roughly half of Sweden is surrounded by water and there are thousands of islands along the jagged coast. One
special island is the island of Oland. There are thirty-two species of orchid and 24,000 residents on Oland and a one
of a kind exhibit.
Through careful excavation, parts of communities from three different time eras ( 300 A.D., 400-650 A.D.,
1000-1200 A.D. ) have been uncovered. The Eketorp Fort Museum has been partially reconstructed so that the visitor
can gain firsthand knowledge of what it was like for the inhabitants that lived in these unearthed grass and stone
shacks so very long ago.
Oland can be reached by crossing a 6070-meter bridge -- the longest bridge in Europe. A bridge that the people of
Oland objected to, believing their beautiful and peaceful island would be bombarded with developers. But, said our
learned guide, the people of Sweden didn't come to build. They came and continue coming, to picnic, to hike, to bike
and to paint the landscape. Oland is said to have the light of France -- which is supposed to be the best light to paint
by.
Two other facts about Sweden, although not historical as such, are worthy of mention: Stockholm is the birth place of
Mr. Alfred Nobel of the important and coveted world-famous Nobel Prize and Granna the birthplace of the
unimportant but popular barber pole rock candy we know as candy cane.
Parts of Sweden's terrain may remind you of Canada; nevertheless, it is the everyday drama of history, the everyday
cherished traditions and the everyday Swedish people that create that special flavor that is Sweden's alone.
Footnote:
If you're thinking of motoring through Europe, Sweden is the perfect "Old Country" introduction, a fascinating look at
time standing still. It is clean and safe and everybody drives on the right side of the road.
| Travel Tales in Related Destinations |
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| Gota Canal |
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| Odense |
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| Stockholm |
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