Jonathan's Mad to go on this trip: Jonathan is one of my travel companions on this trip. He is the son of my co-worker, Amanda. Jon bought his first MAD magazine, and was enjoying it to the fullest during our 3 hour wait for the boarding call onto our plane.

Ready for Takeoff: The excitement is mounting as we ready for takeoff. Seat backs in upright position...Check! Neck pillows at the ready...Check! Gum to chew...Check! Well, let's go already!

Here you see my wonderful travel companion, Amanda, who graciously allowed me to sit in the window seat, on both flights, so I could see the sights and snap a few photos. Of course, you have already been introduced to goofy Jonathan.

Amanda and Jon meet the King and Queen of Sweden: Amanda is very patriotic about her country and was thrilled to get her photo taken with the King and Queen, even if they were only on a mural inside the airport upon our arrival into Sweden!

Jon and Amanda: Jon and Amanda were ready to go for a swim upon arrival at Vinon. It was a hot, hot day.

The first house Amanda lived in as a child: This house was initially owned by Amanda's grandfather, who also owned all the surrounding land. The house exhibits typical exterior coloration of houses throughout much of Sweden. I believe this house is in the village of Ingvaldstorp.

July 29, 2008...(Day 6)...Kvarntorp Mountain and Lake Vanern

400 Steps...Oh my...when will we reach the top of Kvarntorp Mountain? Today was a travel day to the west coast of Sweden. On the way we did a bit of sightseeing, and began with Kvarntorp Mountain, just a short distance from Odensbacken.

Amanda and Jonathan hiked up the steps to the mountaintop, while UllaBritt and I drove up in the air-conditioned car! Hmm...who was smarter? My excuse was that my head concussion was making me a bit dizzy, so I didn't think it wise to try to climb up all those steps. Thank you, UllaBritt, for planning interesting geological sightseeing tours for me.

Photo on the rocky island: I had to put this photo in to prove that I was really on Karingon. It was such a pretty island to hike around, and I wished we had a few more hours to sightsee.

Picturesque Family Photo: Photo on the rocks with Amanda, Jonathan, and UllaBritt.

Group Photo at the Hummerhielm House: We had an awesome visit and Jonathan got to meet, and spend an overnight with his Swedish pen pal, Robert. We are hoping that the Hummerhielm family can travel to Maine in the near future.

Jonathan (William Tell) Guy: Our guide instructed Jonathan in the art of archery. Jonathan showed prowess with a bow and arrow and hit the target! (Click on the photo to better see the arrow flying through the air!)

Master Axe Thrower: Jonathan actually hit the log, whereas Amanda and I fell somewhat short of the mark. (Click on the photo for a larger view.)

Viking Longhouse with Vikings: Here we are at the Viking longhouse. Even Jojo got in on the act. She is the official Viking Dog...

Longhouses had curved walls and roofs. They had several sections with a fireplace, tables with benches, work rooms and storage rooms. Vikings lived in collective or extended families. Children, parents, and grandparents all lived together. If the farmer kept workers, servants or slaves, they also usually lived in the family house. When the oldest son in the family took over the farm, he became the chief of the family and it became his duty to run the farm.

Fearsome Vikings Unite: Here we are for a lovely group photo! Thank you Agneta for outfitting us in traditional Viking garb.

Jonathan making leather pouch: We ended our visit with a bit of craft making. Par showed Jonathan how to make a leather pouch to keep an assortment of small items in.

Thank you, Par for being such a great tour guide. And, next we hopped into the car for a trip to Goteborg, aka Gothenburg.

Family Photo at the base of the mountain: Front row: Olle and Ulla Britt. Second Row (left to right): Ana, Anette, Paul, Kristina, Amanda. Third Row: Jonathan.

I thank all of you for taking me to this cute little town. Oh, we had such a fun day with our picnic and mountain views.

Cousins: Jonathan and Ana pose on a rock as we made our way up to the mountain.

Jonathan in the Bat Cave: We had to lean forward so as not to hit our heads on the ceiling of the cave in many places. 

This is an old limestone mine which was worked from the early 1100s until 1888. Limestone is rather rare in Sweden, and therefore valuable. The limestone was initially used primarily for stone house like churches.

Several people had the right to mine a certain amount of limestone, which was measured in tjyngar (somewhere between 200 and 300 liters). The limestone was sold in barrels. It was used as rock, and was also burnt to lime, and was a constituent in mortar and white color.

The mine was opened to the public in 1950 for bat tours. It is now a popular tourist attraction.

Walking up the path toward Ales Stenar: We are a happy group of people as this, at least for me, was probably the most memorable visit of the entire trip. I love rocks....and I was about to see a whole bunch of big boulders...In the foreground was Amanda , Jonathan, and Ulla Britt. Olle was in the middle, with Krister and Victoria in the rear.

Ales Stenar: Amanda and Jonathan posed for me as I approached this awesome megalith monument. During the Iron Age, the dead were often buried in stone settings such as this. (Click on photo for larger view)

In 2006, The Swedish National Heritage Board's archaeological prospection group surveyed the site with the aid of a geophysical magnetometer and georadar technology.

The magnetometer is used to measure local deviations in the Earth's magnetic field, which can be caused by archaeological structures in the ground such as the remains of iron objects, fired clay, ovens or hearths, pits, or ditches.

The georadar technology acts as a ground penetrating echo sounder. Reflections are recorded at close intervals from underground structures down to several meters depth.

The survey revealed that the ground in and around the ship has been heavily marked by military activities during World War II. Analysis also showed traces of an approximately 50 meter diameter circular structure north east of the stone ship which you see here above ground. One hypothesis is that this above ground structure may have been related to an older stone construction, such as a megalithic grave. This means that the rocks you see here may have been recycled from an older monument that is now buried.

Ales Stenar Hosts for the day: Front Row: Krister, Amanda, Jonathan, Victoria. Back Row: Olle, Ulla Britt.