Sweden - Gotland Visby, Isle of ChurchesAug 19, 2002
|
|
Ruins of St Peter & Hans Church, Visby
Visby Town Walls
| Day 19 Monday 19 August " The Isle of Churches" Sweden - Visby Town Walk. Quiet and non touristy this place is. Not like how I expected it to be. Very few facilities - almost as bad as Svalbard. Theres one or 2 cashpoints a small tourist info centre. Theres no official walking tour of town, or excursions. So I tool my camera and just went for a walk. The surrounding town walls are impressive, complete with drawbridges and info panels describing each tower or gate. Theres also models here and there of what it wouldve looked like in the 13th Century. Ruined churches. Theres loads in the town - so this morning I followed a route that would take me past each. I soon found many were locked. St Nicholas - very large St Gertrude - tiny, behind a drawbridge (hospital?) St Helgh And - octagonal St Lars - Lawrence St Drotten - Open - wow St Katherine, very big, the biggest lots of arches St Peter & Hans - restaurant inside it St Clements - visited at end of day closed. Other rems I found were of course the wall, a chapter house and a seafront area where the harbour was. TIC Tourist info, they were very busy and understaffed and I couldnt find a book about viking sites in Gotland. There is no books!! so I was disappointed. The stuff on offer in the TIC was crap too. You'd hardly realise you were in Viking central here. Museum. Glam museum with picture stones from 500-600 AD thats their era. Lots of spirals, sea serpents and long boat images. It was no photography but I did some regardless until I did a really unsubtle bit and got told off. I hate rules anyway. Its so I have to buy postcards. Fuck 21st Century commerciality, the Vikings wanted us to see them. Hotel & Evening walk. I got money out went back to hotel and paid. Had a shower then came back out at 7pm. Wandered about watched sunset went to the hotel by the ferry port - asked about booking tomorrow night. Had a burger on the way back. Had a nice shrimp baguette earlier. Back to hotel and watched films. Tomorrow Im going to try and go by bus to a viking area! So I need to suss out timetables and lift my heavy bag to another hotel. |
Advertisement 
|
