Got an earlier start today as I had a 5:30 AM zoom call, I was the only one who had an early morning, everybody else was in the US so it was 8:30 at night for them. I was actually awake earlier, around 3:30, when Donnie needed to go out to pee. He had been so scared by the thunder last night that he wouldn’t go outside before bedtime. In the end, I was very happy to be up at that time because I got to experience a beautiful dawn. I have been planning on getting up around 4:30 one morning so that I could see the dawn, not realizing it actually started much earlier than that. So, mission accomplished without me even having to set an alarm. I did laundry, fed the animals, then headed out for the days exploration.
Everyday I pass lots of fields full of cows and baby calves. Dairy is the big industry here, in fact there’s a well known Swedish cheese maker, Falbygdens, right as you go into Falkoping, I’m going to stop there for lunch one of these days. On the side of their building they have a big sign that says 2,000,000 kg of cheese.
Today I had several destinations in mind, starting with the ruins of an old cloister, Gudhem Abbey, that was next to a church that was ‘only’ a couple hundred years old. Almost all of the foundation stone walls were still in place. There was a large wall with arches that was still standing and a circular area that had held a window. The holy water font was still there. The entire ruin was covered with grass and wildflowers, making it appear like a natural part of the landscape.
The church had two ancient rune stones in the foyer, and the floor was made up of old grave markers. There was a tables set up by the altar full of snacks and a variety of drinks, with a note telling people to help themselves. The church and cloister ruins are on the Pilgrims Trail, and I’ve noticed that quite a few of the churches on the trail put out snacks and drinks. I was thrilled to see that they had a toilet available, as I mentioned in my last post that is something I always keep my eye out for! I had to laugh at the sign above the toilet telling people (In Swedish, English and German) that there were only two things that can go in the toilet 1) stuff that comes out of your body and 2) toilet paper and yes, that’s all. 😝
My next stop was Ekornvallen, a place that has been used as a burial site for over 4000 years. There are several large gravemarkers, a passage grave and a huge cairn from the Bronze Age, all in a large grassy field where sheep graze down the grass.
I got back on the road and headed to Varnhem where I saw the beautiful Varnhem Abbey church and ruins. It had lots of windows on different levels, but they were just plain glass and the play of shadows from those windows was very intriguing. The altar was quite ornate, and on each side in front of the altar there were special pew boxes for the royal family. There is a special door where bodies were brought in for funerals, and it is still used only for that purpose to this day. I was intrigued by a large iron candelabra set up near the front of the church filled with lit candles. The base was covered in wax drippings. There were no warning signs or barriers around it to keep children away. There were several niches behind the altar that originally were contemplation rooms for the brothers who lived in the Abbey. Now one appears to be used as a chapel and the others have tombs in them.
The ruins outside were in similar shape to the Gudhem cloister ruins. There was a stone channel where water could flow from the nearby lake to the kitchen area. Neat to the ruins were some very old graves dating back to the 1600s. Up the hill is Kata Gard which house the remains of the one of oldest stone churches in Sweden, from 1040.
I stopped in at a little store/café next to the Abbey, it was a delightful mix of country decor, clothing, household items and food and drink. There was also coffee, tea and homemade treats for purchase, I noticed the same chocolate ball dessert I had the other night, except it cost about half the price of what I had paid in Borås! I bought a couple of cookies – one was like a baked macaroon with chocolate on top, the other a folded chocolate cookie with salt on the top. They were both delicious! I sat outside in the lovely garden area and enjoyed my treat. One of the items for sale in the store were alcohol gummies, I tried a sparkling rosé and a Pinot Noir. The sparkling rosé was quite good, I may have to see about picking up some of those!
My final stop for the day was at the Skara Cathedral, an ornate church that dominates the skyline in the city of Skara. The stained glass windows are absolutely stunning! They are so vibrant and when the light shines through it is just gorgeous. And the back of the cathedral there was a trolley of coffee, tea and snacks as well as a sitting are, and off to the side, a little children’s area with simple toys and crayons. near the entrance was a tree full of beautiful blue teardrop ornaments. Because the information was all in Swedish I didn’t know exactly what it was for, but I did see that there were people‘s names and dates on them so I thought it might have something to do with births. Later, when I looked at the translation of the information I found that each drop has the name and adoption date of children who have been adopted by members of the parish. What a wonderful way to recognize those children. The organ has a very art deco look which is much more modern than the church which was built in the 13th century, though it was built over the remains of the original church that was erected in 1060. There were stairs that go down below the church where you can see stone steps from the original church – incredible! As I headed back to my car, I noticed a labyrinth in one corner of the church yard, so of course I had to walk it in honor of my friend Michele!
I drove back home singing along to a variety of pop and rock music feeling very happy with my life right now. I’m really enjoying this pace where I have some time to myself in the mornings, do my animal care and cuddles, then head out to explore a new place for a few hours before heading back to have lunch, do some paid work and afternoon chores then have the evening free.
In my spare time, I’ve been doing a lot of reading. The last two books I finished were both by Paul Coelho, Veronica Decides to Die and The Valkyries. I find with his books that I’m really into them for the first half, then I start to lose interest and find it really hard to keep going, but then they get better and I enjoy the end of the book. That was the way it was with The Valkyries, but Veronica Decides to Die was interesting the whole way through. The theme of appreciating all the wonderful things you have in your life and the agency that you have to create a different life is really important to me. I’ve just found a set of three books by a Swedish author, Jonas Karlsson, a well known (in Sweden) actor who started writing novels and has become pretty successful. So I am looking forward to reading those. I haven’t watched any TV since I’ve been here, I don’t think that Pia tends to watch much anyway, and I haven’t been in the mood for it.