SWEDISH SOJOURN, Day 5, June 24

This morning, after breakfast, we traveled south from Karlstad in the province of Vaermland to the province of Vastergotland, in the SW part of Sweden. It borders several provinces, among them Vaermland. It is also bounded by the two largest Swedish lakes, Vanern and Vattern. There are many ancient remains in Vastergotland. Most prominent are the dolmens. it received much early influence from the British Isles and is generally considered to be the bridgehead of Christianity's advance in Sweden. Recent excavations in Varnhem suggest that at least its central parts were Christian in the 9th c. Around 1000, King Olaf Skoetkonung is held to have received baptism. However, Christianization was met with heavy opposition in the rest of the kingdom, and so Olof had to restrict Christian activities to Vastergotland. The Christian faith spread, however, and by the time the provincial law Vastgoetalagan was written in the 13th c., Vastergotland had 517 churches. Our first stop was the locks at Sjoetorp, where the Goeta Canal meets Lake Vanern. The giant waterway that is the Goeta Canal leads from the mouth of the Goeta River on the W seaboard to Vanern, Sweden's largest lake via the Trollhattan Canal. Then it links up with another lake, Vattern, before running right through SE Sweden to the Baltic Sea. Centuries ago, it was a continuous waterway across the country from Goeteborg to the Baltic. This would not only make inland transport easier, but also provide a vital trade route--a means of shipping both iron and timber out of central Sweden, and of avoiding Danish custom charges levied on traffic. It was not until 1810 that Baron Von Platen's plans to carve out a route from Goeteborg to Stockholm were put into practice by the Goeta Canal Co. 60,000 soldiers took 22 years to complete the task, and the canal opened in 1832, shortly after Von Platen's death. This is a very popular tourist destination, and we saw several boats make their way through the locks. We toured the museum as well. On and off it rained, and by the time we reached our next destination, we were getting our umbrellas out and donning warmer jackets. As I had packed mainly warm-weather clothes, I was wearing one of Jenny's fleece tops, and it felt very good. Our next stop was just outside the town of Falkoeping, to visit Asle Ta, the incredibly well preserved peasant village from the 19th and 20th c. It is Sweden's largest collection of crofter's cottages. The cottages remain on their original plots, along the winding road Tagatan and the river Kolaforsen. Here, we walked around the cottages and enjoyed the old-fashioned environment; stepped inside and experienced the authentic interiors; visited the old smithy, the waterwheel and the barn. Also, we read the short, interesting tales about the personalities who once lived here and about their hard lives. After visiting Asle Ta, we had a buffet at the Asle Ta Cafe. The salmon, once again, was superb, paired with salad and boiled potatoes. I bought some black currant juice while in the gift shop, before all of us climbed aboard the bus to take off for out next destination, the Habo Church, famous for the interior biblical paintings on walls and ceilings of the church. It is a unique wooden church building, and received its present appearance in 1723. What is unique about this church is its architecture, which in its appearance reminds one of a cathedral, but is built entirely of wood. It is in the form of a basilica, with a high nave and two lower side aisles. The interior of the church was painted from 1741-1743 by two artists from Joenkoeping. The paintings illustrate Martin Luther's catechism summary of Christian doctrine. From there it was about a two-hour drive to Goeteborg or Gothenburg, as it is variously spelled. It is the second largest city in Sweden, and we will explore it tomorrow. It was still raining when we arrived, and we checked into our rooms. I left immediately afterwards, as there was a mall next to the hotel and I wanted to see if I could find a light jacket for myself. I succeeded in finding both a jacket for myself and another gift for Alexandra's BD. Minutes later we left for a very nice restaurant in the vicinity, where I once again had grilled salmon and grilled vegetables, followed by a mousse for dessert. Delectable meal. As it continues to rain, we are scrapping our plans for a nighttime walk, and will instead call it a day. Good night, all! Fondly, Sylvia