Sunday - July 23 - Visby, Gotland Island, Sweden
On Gotland Island, the city of Visby has existed for more than 1,000 years, with its signature ringmur (ringwall) encircling the town since the 13th century. Gotland means Land of God.
The population of Gotland is 57,000. The size of the island is about the size of Rhode Island.
Pippi Longstocking was filmed here.
They are known for their truffles and saffron, and subside on agriculture and tourism.
Reachable only by boat or plane, and beloved as a holiday destination for Swedes, the City of Ruins and Roses is rich with historical artifacts, earning it a designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
And because the depth of the water by the port is not that deep, big cruise ships cannot come in, so we had the town pretty much to ourselves.
We had a panoramic tour of Visby, where we saw hundreds of warehouses and merchant homes which told the story of its heyday as a major port between Russia and Western Europe for the Hanseatic League.
We visited both the Gotland Museum to see the remains of a 9,000 year old woman, and we saw the Visby's Botanical Garden.
There is a women's cooperative, which is a delightful shop offering everything from lamb skin to tie-holders, also handcrafts of different kinds, including leather, wool, wood, artistic metalwork, textiles, and ceramics. It also contains a variety of food products from the island, such as jams, fruit drinks, and honey.
The city is a beautiful preserved Medieval town. Its two mile long ring wall is largely still intact, as are many of the towers built into it. City walls were very uncommon in Scandinavia and their presence shows how important Visby was as a trading center.
Visby Cathedral, which dates to the late 12th century, was originally constructed by and for visiting German traders on the island, as the locals were still pagan at the time. Today it is the only medieval church still being used in the town; the rest are in ruins.
The World Ecological Forum, a green organization, is headquartered here. The Forum puts on a yearly meeting of business, political and academic leaders from around the world, to address problems associated with environmental issues.
I learned that people may not dig any lower than one meter, as the government owns anything below that level. So, there are no metal detectors sold here!
We returned to the ship for lunch, then returned to Visby once again to make discoveries on our own, strolling leisurely along the cobblestone streets.
After dinner onboard, we will cruise toward Gdansk, Poland, where we will visit on Monday.
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