Snippets of Sweden

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.

Backroads America: Valatie, Columbia County, New York

The Hudson River Valley is home to many villages, hamlets, towns, and cities. Valatie is a village of about 1,900 that sits in the middle of the town of Kinderhook. It was settled by the Dutch in 1665 as part of New Netherlands. The original inhabitants of the area were Mohigan, an Algonqin Indian Tribe.

At the height of its prosperity, Valatie had 9 cotton mills and a number of grist mills. The mills were powered by two waterfalls on. Valatie means “little falls” in Dutch. This is the Beaver Mill Overlook; the mill no longer exists.

Valatie was an important regional center of commerce. It was home to the workers though it has a number of large houses. The John Morgan house dates to 1830.

The owners lived in Kinderhook, where large stately home can be found.

It has a lovely cemetery.

In 1946, it was the home of the first Santa Claus Club.

Agriculture is one of the economic drivers in the area. Bio fuel corn has replaced many grain crops. Fruit and vegetables are important and roadside markets are scattered throughout the area.

Locally grown strawberries are in season at the moment.

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