We have rung the canal company and will leave here in the morning to head to the next stop at Norsholm. It’s been a great few days here and we have walked around a great deal and learned as much as we could about the town. We feel ready to move on.

Today I had a rather strange encounter in the laundry. A boat came in earlier and tied up near “Fiona”. The owner came over to chat and told Lars-Göran that he and his family were headed over to Scotland and the British Isles and enquired if we were also headed that way (while looking at the Australian flag on the port stays!) I refuse to answer that question anymore.

Later in the afternoon, I decided to use the laundry to wash and dry a few clothes in readiness for the morning. When I went into the guest harbour facilities, I heard voices and realised that the family who had come in earlier were having showers in the bathrooms. I filled the machine in the laundry and was measuring out the detergent when the door opened and the husband was standing there, still damp and stark naked with a bag of laundry, while his wife called out washing instructions from the ladies’ showers.

Now, I am used to nudity living here in Sweden where they take a much more low key approach to it than we do in Australia. It was just that I was not expecting to see someone strutting about nude in a public place as though this was his own home. And I felt a little trapped as I was standing at the inner of the two machines, in a narrow, cell like room with no windows and no way to get out without squeezing between Mr Nudie and the wall. He had no clue how to use the machines either, so he peppered me with questions as though all of this was perfectly normal. I can tell you that I couldn’t get out of there fast enough! At least Lars-Göran was amused when I told him!

Apart from checking out streakers in the laundry, we walked to a different area of town where we saw an old mill.



This is more a Dutch style mill rather than the more common post mills that you see in Sweden and is a relic from the days when this was an important grain growing region. Nearby was an example of an old wooden barn and the unusual diagonal branched fences that one sees out on country roads here. It looks so much better than the barbed wire fences we use in Australia, but I also understand that lack of timber and the increased bush fire risk would make them impracticable in the outback. They do seem to be an integral part of the rural landscape here in Sweden.




Also in the same cluster of buildings at Korskullen, there was a weatherd, unpainted crofter cottage, with the traditional torv roof – something that always brings a smile to my face, though again I can see the practical applications of it.




On the way back from this area, we passed what used to be the main town hotel, which stands proudly in the sunshine on the banks of the river.




We also headed into the main town square to visit the other icecream shop - Konfekthörnan, which advertises that it makes proper Italian style gelati. This I have to try as I know from several trips to Italy over the years that Italians know how to make fabulous icecream. I came out with a generous double cone for each of us. Mine included the wonderful lemon gelato (a tangy, sorbet style) that I have not tasted since I left Adelaide. What wonderful memories that brought back.




We ate our cones by the herb garden, Örtagården If you’re interested in old herbs, spices or medicinal plants, a visit here to this little oasis is a must. Located on Skönbergagatan close to the centre of town, this beautiful, colourful and fragrant garden is perfect for peaceful strolls or a short meditation on one of the benches.




Then we went on to see the church of S:t Laurentii, a large structure built of red Baltic bricks in the gothic style and gradually extended over the centuries. Next to it is an intricate wooden bell tower, built in 1583.




The church was commemorated in 1296, though it is now believed that a wooden church was already on the site much earlier than that. The Franciscian order of monks had an abbey nearby and provided priests for the church until the winds of change in the form of the Reformation drove them out of Sweden in the sixteenth century. The vaulting that you can see in the next picture were probably built in the fifteenth century and they are impressive and very solid.




One of the most valuable pieces in the church is the pulpit you can see in the next picture. It was built by a master craftsman (Johan Belätesskärare, literally, John the Idol Carver) in 1671. The organ dates from the late nineteenth century and the medieval brass chandeliers, considered to be the oldest ones in Sweden are dated 1588 – a full two hundred years before European settlement in Australia! It certainly alters your perspective of history to see these historic churches and realise that what we consider old in Australia is relatively recent by Swedish standards.




The altar decorations owe a lot to the older, eastern style of art than the churches we see in southern Europe. The wall is dominated by a triptych dating from around 1500, the central, gilded section which shows Christ after his death, surrounded by his friends. On either side there are twenty four Old Testament figures. The enormous, dark painting you can see on the left has the motif of the bith of Jesus and was painted by Per Hömberg in 1802. It was intended to be used behind the altar, but was moved to its present position in 1886.




So much history here in just one building. I wish we had time to visit the other chuch in the older part of the town, but the weather has not co-operated and we are leaving early in the morning. Somehow I don’t think this will be the last time we are coming here.

Westward ho tomorrow!