Thursday | June 23, 2016
We sailed into Visby this morning, and were pleased with this delightful town.
Visby is located on Gatlin Island in Sweden and is a walled medieval town filled with roses, ruins, cobblestone streets, and an interesting selection of cozy restaurants, pubs, and shops.
We decided to take the shuttle van into town where we strolled the streets for several hours. Without question, the highlight of the town, was Ringmuren, the City Wall, which is considered one of Scandinavia’s best preserved and strongest medieval defense walls.
Constructed between the 13th and 14th centuries, the wall was an essential element of Visby’s designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This particular tower, Jungfrutornet, or Maiden’s Tower, is the city wall’s oldest feature.
The wall has a depth of several feet.
We walked straight uphill, up cobblestone streets that wound around and around.
Once again, I was surprised by the number of bicycles that were merely lined up together, without being chained or locked in place. This could never happen in New York or they would all be stolen within hours!
Also fascinating was the architecture throughout the city. For example, there were many ancient wooden houses.
See this house, constructed in the 1300s, with its tiny windows above.
At first, we climbed all the way through the old city and found that there was a modern commercial market beyond the ancient tower.
Then, we retraced our steps, and wound our way back down into the old city so we could visit the Visby cathedral.
From the overlook just above the cathedral, we were treated to a beautiful vista of Visby and the sea beyond.
Also known as the Cathedral of St. Mary, this is the sole surviving medieval church in Visby that is still in use. It was constructed by German merchants in the 1200s. Following the Reformation, the church became the Parish for the town, with all other churches abandoned. Shortly thereafter Gotland was designated a diocese and the church named it a cathedral.
Below the pulpit was a curious fringe of carved faces.
And the church had four separate organs. Most interesting was this very simple, wooden organ in the middle of the church.
Outside once again, we walked the streets, looking for somewhere nice to have lunch. A cheese shop, perhaps?
Finally, we found this nice little place to sit outside and have lunch.
After lunch, we found a delightful coffee and candy shop. I bought a gorgeous brass miniature French roast coffee press, in addition to a white chocolate bar and a few pieces of fudge.
And because this is Sweden, I had to buy Swedish fish.
We walked around the town a bit more before deciding to head back to the ship.
But instead of taking the bus, we decided to walk entire distance because it was such a beautiful day and how can one resist a walk along the waterfront?
Back on board, I was informed that my training session had to be canceled because of a conflict, but more about that later. (I learned that the fitness instructors have been directed to attend classes given by two of the visiting fitness instructors, thus precluding them from engaging in many of their regular activities, including providing personal training. This is especially troubling right now, as the ship is experiencing heavier than normal occupancy. Not wanting to take no for an answer, I brought this issue to the attention of the general manager who, within 15 minutes, investigated it and reported back to me that he had countermanded that directive.)
I reported to Marina at 7:00 for dinner with friends on the open Marina flap (where the stern of the ships folds down). I enjoyed a lovely Scandinavian themed dinner, with herring and wild salmon, as well as an unusual cake with strawberries and marzipan frosting. Accompanying our dinner was an Australian riesling (Grossett Polish Hill 2013) and even a little aquavit. We continued eating, drinking and talking until we were the last table outside. Back in the apartment, as I went to bed, I took a quick look at the news to see the excitement and anticipation surrounding the voting in the United Kingdom on whether to exit the European Union.
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