Sweden July 26 - Aug 05 2012

First we went into the Swedish wood.

Beautiful Ekeby was full of things growing: mushrooms, berries, produce from the vegetable plots, flowers, ferns, pine trees, snakes, mosquitos.

And bees, lots of them, making what turned out to be lots of honey. More than 80 kilos from 3 hives over the season. The "novice" beekeeper should not be ashamed of herself, as they say in Sweden.

Also chickens, 4 total producing on average only 2 eggs per day (ok, one was male) but generating significant entertainment.

From Ekeby onto Swedish waters: Stockholm built on Lake Mälaren; Birka, site of the largest Viking-era settlement, further west into the lake; later east to Gällnö, into the archipelago watered by the Baltic Sea.

We heard a lot about Vikings (the warrior class of the day) and the Viking era, saw a restored 16th century Swedish warship that sank on its maiden voyage, spent a day on the archipelago, had wonderful food and wine. We enjoyed immensely.