Swedish Paradise...

I was in a new place today in Visby on the Island of Gotland in Sweden. It was a tender port so I took the little boat into town later in the morning. I was off with one of my friends from the band and we had a blast exploring this charming Swedish town. It's a fortified city and Vikings were known to roam here during the Bronze Age and people were said to be on this island some 5,000 years ago. The wall is quite impressive and still standing circling the town. The ruins of churches left abandoned around here are also very impressive. This was described to me as the place of ruins and roses and after seeing it today I definitely agree. We started out walking through the modern park of the city and ended up in this huge open area called Amadalen. It was just a very beautiful and spacious park along the coast and near one of the entrances (Forsanal) into the walled city. We entered there and walked through the cobble stoned streets through this charming town. My eyes were going everywhere since every nook and cranny of this place was a picture worth taking. The way the light caught the houses or the flowers that donned them was just breathtaking. There were flowers and décor in each window. Some places had vines growing up the sides and some even had full bushes on the roof. There were gardens everywhere and flower boxes on some of the shops and restaurant. If I'd have known better I would think I was in a fairytale setting. We stumbled on a tea and coffee place called Kranku, but also found the sweet goodness that is Swedish chocolate inside. We told ourselves we'd come back near the end of the day to explore this shop a little more. We ventured into the bowels of the medieval town and came upon a square that was alongside a church in ruins called St. Katarina Cathedral. The buttresses were still in tact, but the roof was gone providing many a photo opportunity. We stuck around here for a while before going further into town and stumbling on the St. Mary's Cathedral. It was in true Viking style and there were stairs in the gardens surrounding it that took us up to a mesa where we got fabulous views of the rooftops and over into the harbor. We were overwhelmed with how beautiful this place was and how perfect the weather was for the day. We just walked along the wall area taking it all in, playing around, and enjoying the day. The wall surrounding this city must have been a sight to see when it was at its prime. There was a moat (or at least a ditch that used to be a moat) going around the city with various bridges that led up to the wall like a real castle. The entrances all had the speared gates that come down to ward off unwanted guests. We found our way to the coast and then to the botanical gardens. This place was immaculate and it was just great to explore and see all the things I was able to see today. I can't believe I'm getting paid. Eventually after about 100 or so photos of silly pictures, scenic pictures, and artistic shots we ended up at Café Ryska Garden. It was in the main square next to St. Katarina Cathedral. For just 80 Swedish Kroner you got a main dish, salad, bread and butter, coffee or tea, and a drink. Good deal considering the price of things in Scandinavia. I got a pasta dish with mushroom sauce and julienned turnips and carrots. My friend had the lamb hamburger with 2 large and almost baked potatoes sized new potatoes. It was all delicious and we of course ended it with dessert. I with a chocolate fudgy cake and he with a berry torte. The torte was made from the local berries and had quite the interesting flavor to it. Completely spent from the day we headed off into the shop area to check out the scene. We eventually ended up at the coffee and tea place again where I did indulge a little. It was back to the ship after this since we'd barely make it for some appointments we had to keep.

This was such an amazing day already and it hadn't ended yet. I decided that tonight I was going to take advantage of some of the amenities I get for being in a passenger cabin. I went to the gym and decided I was going to miss dinner and order in room dining from the dining room menu. I had a cider waiting for me in the fridge and the new Harry Potter movie sitting in my drawer I just got for $4 in Russia. It was delightful. Afterward I took a bath in the full sized bathtub I have available in the bathroom. No more tiny shower that I knock at least one bone a day on some metallic object jutting from the wall making it even smaller. No, this was VERY spacious and VERY relaxing. Ahh. The sweet things in life. I may have to do this one more time before I leave.