Pictures and Stories About Bicycle Tour Adventures

Above Left: GODSTERMINAL, Now you know.

Above Right: M/S Gotland (for us, boarding up the ramp on the forward-port bay entrance).

Above Left: Terry's reflected profile as she walks around the ship for exercise.

Above Right: Today's newspaper deals for Cykels (then about 7 SEK for 1 USD).

Above: Sleeping Lounge.

Above Left: Coming into port.

Above Right: Excited kids just drop-in to visit.

Eketorp, Viking Stronghold;
Öland Island, Sweden; Mid-Morning

Above: Eketorp, Viking Stronghold, with fortification work that dates as far back as 400 AD (CE). It is located on flat terrain consisting mainly of windblown grass, earth and rock. Rock was used to build a defensive ring and there are three identifiable looks as it progressed through time. The defensible circular/ring design probably evolved because an attack could come from any direction.

The interior fort is only partly reconstructed and there is clear evidence of additional structures that had existed in the past. The academics are quite aware of this situation and are leaving structural foundations as they are for now. Roman artifacts have been discovered at this site.

At first, I thought this layout may be some artist's exotic impression, but the hard evidence does support the reconstruction as accurate.

This is the only Historical Facility that we have visited where the Stewards locked up before closing time and departed. We had the run of the place, and having no Stewards around may have been a blessing in disguise for us. The good news was that we were completely alone. The bad news was that the Toilets were locked up and we had just made a mighty long drive to get there.

Above: The Entrance (southeast portal).

Above: Interior compound view from the Entrance area - Some abodes restored, some bodes with stone markers and/or foundations.

Above: Viking Roofing Styles and Methods.

Above: Northern entrance/exit, not explained; Northeast section of wall/ring in discovery state (on purpose).

Above: View of Eketorp as we depart.

Seby Gravfält (Grave Field): Viking Burial Ground
Late Day

Above: We're standing amidships in a Viking Stone Ship.

We had come across this site, Seby Gravfält, quite unintentionally, but we have seen enough American Indian mounds and depressions to immediately understand what we had discovered. We learned the name of the place, later, nothing is marked or posted, it is just a road side place.

Above: Viking burial mounds and depressions; depressions usually indicate something buried or set into the ground that has decomposed over time.

Above: Wide angel view of the Viking Burial Ground.

Poncho, we're Chasing Windmills. But Senior, this is Öland Island. Ja Ponhco!
Late Afternoon

Field Sol Kiln

Above: Brick Crop - Razing Blocks.

Our Lodging

Above Left: Vandrarhem Svanen: Our home for the night, quite pleasant lodging actually (dormitory style).

Above Right: Our room for the night.