I have been under the weather the last few days. Thanks to my friends who have been looking out for me, I have managed to visit two lovely places not on the general tourist itinerary. Here’s one of them.

Sigtuna

The oldest continuously inhabited city in Sweden. Founded in 980, the current city buildings date to the 17th century or later.

Numerous rune stones are scattered through the city. Sven and Frödis erected this one in memory of Ulv. The museum provides a map of a rune stone walk.

The 11-century rune stone pictured below is from St. Peter’s Church. Sigtuna was an important Christian mission area, with 6 churches from the 11 century.

The small but informative museum is worth a visit. The bones are an early bishop; Sigtuna’s first bishop arrived in 1080.

The museum had a small exhibit old SAS uniforms outside an exhibit on immigration and emigration.

Old Sigtuna sat on the shore of a lake, which is now a bit of a walk.

The bricks mark the old shoreline.

Quaint cafes and shops line the main street and alleys.

My favorite photo from Sigtuna. A shed in a resident’s back yard.