Orebro Slott: This castle (slott means castle), is right downtown in the city. It sits on the Svartan River, and is the current county governor's residence. The castle was built in the 13th century.

Next Stop: Glimmingehus Castle, on our way up the northeast coast of Sweden.

Glimmingehus Castle: This castle, near Norrekas, was built during the years of 1499-1505. It was used as a castle / manor until 1523. Then,  from 1523 to the 1800s it was used for grain storage. It is the best preserved medieval castle in Scandinavia. A wealthy Danish knight lived here, and many everyday comforts were built into the castle, including hot air channels in the walls, and bench seats in window recesses.

Castle exterior stonework: This castle is made of stone through and through. The lower part of the castle's stone walls are 94 inches thick and the upper part is 71 inches thick.

Artwork over the door: Above the door of the castle was artwork depicting the former owners of the castle and the foundation-laying year of 1499.

Stairwell: Even the stairwells were made of stone. This was a very dark castle, and we had to walk carefully up and down the stairs.  Some of the doorways were very low as well.

Small Rooms: There were tiny stone rooms off larger rooms throughout Glimmingehus. Some rooms were for praying, some for hiding, some for toilet privacy, and other uses.

Artwork in window recesses: There were many pieces of stone artwork carved into the walls of the castle, especially lining window seating areas.

Window Seats: This castle had many window seats built into the walls so inhabitants could catch some warmth from the sun.

Large Room: This was one of many large rooms. The wood ceiling was original to the castle.

Gun Slits: Many of the rooms had gun slits for defense. There were also openings in ceilings for boiling oil to be poured out. It would have been a dangerous place for intruders. 

Hot Air Channel: This castle had "central heating" of a sort. Hot air, from the many fire places, was channeled throughout many rooms of the castle through these openings in the stone walls.

Great Hall: I call this the Great Hall because it was one of the largest rooms of this castle.  It may have been used as a dining hall.

Next stop as we work our way north along the southeastern coast: Kivik.

August 6, 2008...(Day 14)...We spent two nights with Amanda's lovely Aunt Kerstin. She was a wonderful hostess and a great cook!

Welcome To Kalmar Slott: Kalmar Castle is the next stop on our Sweden tour. I had marked this castle in my travel guide as a place to see, and luckily Amanda's Aunt Kerstin lived within a few minutes drive of it. In fact, Amanda's father, and his siblings, grew up in the city of Kalmar. I think I might have turned into a history buff had I lived in a city like this when growing up. Can you imagine the dreams this castle would have created in your imagination? Ooh...this brings to mind my oldest, most recurrent childhood dream (from when I was about 7 years old) of riding with a prince on a magic carpet all over a great medieval kingdom. Awesome...

Kalmar Castle Signpost: This sign shows the modern day castle in all its glory. This castle guarded the city of Kalmar during many wars. It is a stunningly ornate castle. I oohhed and aahhed my way through it.

Kalmar Castle: This castle was founded in the 12th century. It lies on the edge of the eastern coast of Sweden, and was a flourishing trading post. A union was formed between Denmark, Norway, and Sweden at this location in 1397. This union lasted for 130 years, after which many battles were fought here.

Castle Reflection: I couldn't get enough of this castle. It was so beautiful, and the reflection was lovely.

Kalmar Castle view from outer grounds: Okay...I was getting really excited to view one of the best known, and possibly the most beautiful castle in all of Sweden.

Primary Wall: This was a primary wall (first line of defense) for the castle. We entered through this wall before walking across the moat to the castle proper.

Bridge over Moat: We walked on this bridge to cross a real moat! Whooppee...we are almost to my favorite castle of the trip!

Castle Moat: This photo was taken from the bridge crosses over the moat to the castle. I half expected to see some vicious crocodiles swimming around in there!