AUGUST 13, 2008...(DAY 21)...MAKING OUR WAY TO STOCKHOLM

On our way to Stockholm, we stopped at Gamla Uppsala to tour the Royal Burial Mounds. These mounds belonged to the royal demesne of Gamla Uppsala. This was land held by the Swedish king which he was not allowed to sell. The mounds are graves from the 6th century A.D.

Pagan temples and sacrificial graves, mounds bearing the names of Odin, Thor, and Frey, an assembly site, royal graves...Few places in Scandinavia are mentioned in early sources as often as Gamla Uppsala. The oldest records go as far back as the 8th century.

Royal Burial Mounds: These burial mounds have been here for 1500 years. This is one of the most important historic settings in Sweden. This area was the chief cult site of the Svear and the seat of their kings. There used to be 2,000-3,000 prehistoric graves in the area, and today about 250 are visible above ground. The three biggest mounds are graves from the 6th century (500s). A Norwegian poem Ynglingatal from the 10th century says that three kings were "howed" (buried in mounds) here during the Migration Period (375-550 A.D.).

In 1874, a large shaft was dug into the side of one of the mounds. A cairn was found, containing a grave with bones, ashes, and molten objects. Parts of combs, ivory, gold threads, a small stylized animal head, a sword hilt of gold with inlaid garnets, and three cameos of onyx from the Near East (present-day Iraq), among other things. These objects suggest that the mound was the grave of a man, perhaps a chieftain.

Gamla Uppsala Church: This Christian church was erected early in the 12th century when it was the seat of the diocese for a short period of time. I love the stone work.

Gamla Uppsala Church Ceiling: I am continually awed by the beauty of the painting on the walls and ceilings of the ancient churches we visited.

Gamla Uppsala Bell Tower: This design is certainly reminiscent of Viking architecture. This area was a center for worshiping the Norse gods back in the 11th century (1000s).

Strängnäs Waterfront: We made an ice cream stop at the town of Strängnäs on our way to Stockholm. They had one of the best ice cream shops we visited on our trip. I wish we had had more time to spend here because there is an island called Selaön that has a large number of rune stones indicating that it was once an important cultural center, way back in time.

Strängnäs town homes: I really enjoyed the different designs of the homes all jam packed together near the waterfront.

Let it not be said that I don't offer variety on my travelblog. Below is a series of phtos detailing what you might see in a typical Swedish bathroom.

Upon reaching Stockholm, I realised that I had not taken any photos of the differences in homes between the U.S. and Sweden.

Door Knob Unlocked: In Sweden, you have to look at the color of the circle under the door knob to see if someone is in the bathroom or not. The white color denotes that the door is unlocked.

Door Knob Locked: In Sweden, you have to look at the color of the circle under the door knob to see if someone is in the bathroom or not. The red color denotes that the door is locked.

Tub Bath & Shower: All the tubs I came upon were free-standing (and located away from the wall). They all have a shower hose, no shower head plumbed into the wall, so you hold the shower hose to rinse off with. My first experience with these was confusing. I tried bending over and hugging the outer rim of the tub, next to the shower curtain, so as not to splash water over the rim at the back.

Tub Plumbing: Ah...there's the plumbing under the tub, again externally located. This bathroom was on the second floor of an apartment building, and also had a vent pipe coming out of the floor opposite the tub.

Sink Plumbing: Sink plumbing tends to be external as well, whereas in the U.S. we tend to have a cabinet present to hide the plumbing.

Swedish Toilets: You've got to love those Swedish toilets. Sweden really goes all out in conservation of water. With these toilets, you can hold the top button down for as long as you need to flush the waste down. Unfortunately, you have to have the lid of the toilet open to see what is happening, and water tends to splash out as it is a very energetic flush.