A ‘problem’ with taking lots and lots of photos on your summer holiday trip is that afterwards it gets so hard to choose which ones to blog, that you never get round to it…
On the other hand, it makes a nice change when you suddenly remember these photos in the dreariness of late winter.
On the non-existing third hand, however, you may then realize that you no longer have any idea what exactly you’re looking at!
But never mind… Let’s go back again to July 22, 2015…
Our last stop was the lock at Brinkebergskulle, Vänersborg.
We are now driving east from Vänersborg towards Lidköping.
The landscape south of Lake Vänern is mostly flat, but with some ‘table’ mountains/hills adding a bit of drama to the scenery:
Halleberg, with an average height of about 90 meters above Lake Vänern and the highest point 155 meters above sea level, is also Scandinavia's largest old hill fort, dating back to the 3rd and 4th centuries AD. It is now part of a large Ecopark area also including Hunneberg (another table mountain nearby).
In the Middle of Nowhere (apologies to Grästorp municipality), there is a lay-by displaying a Viggen aircraft.
A dilapidated old cottage (also in the middle of nowhere)
I don’t remember what church this is – we did not stop here. This is a typical countryside view in these parts, though – quite a few church towers sticking up which can be seen from miles around - and many of them white.
Here’s another church where we did stop to have a closer look - but I don’t remember where that was either…
I’ll be linking this post to Mersad’s Through My Lens meme.
In a comment to my previous post, Louise in Australia (Twenty Four Seven) asked about “old boots, old people and their boots, wheelchairs and icy paths, and whether these ice creepers are a version of a traditional footwear”…
If you mean what kind of boots were worn way back in the past - like hundreds or even thousands of years ago - I’m far from an expert on the topic; but I think the people who first inhabited the snowy parts of the world wore skins and fur etc tied around their feet and legs – their skills in making boots developing gradually along with everything else. Later on, in the agricultural society, poor people wore shoes carved in wood (clogs); and in winter there were also boots made from straw.
One must remember that our modern roads and pavements etc can’t be compared to the conditions before motor traffic was introduced. To get around in snow, people used skis and sledges. Wooden skis have been found in the north of Sweden that were dated to ca. 5200 BC (older than the pyramids of Egypt):
(image from www.svenskhistoria.se)
First to develop ice skates, about 5000 years ago, were the Finns. Originally, skates were sharpened, flattened bone strapped to the bottom of the foot.
Another alternative was snowshoes. The picture below from an old history book (mid 16th century) shows that snowshoes could even be worn by horses:
In my own childhood, back in the 1960’s, I lived in village outside town (not this town, another town; but that doesn’t really matter in this context). Back then, and there, we could still use a kicksled sometimes.
This must mean they did not strew out so much grit after plowing the roads back then. I know mum was able to use the kicksled to the grocery shop sometimes.
Up in northern Sweden I know there are villages where they still use these frequently in winter. Down here, I haven’t seen one in ages, as there are no roads where they can be used.
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As for modern day “old people”… First of all, the older I get myself, the harder I find it to define people by their age alone! There are older people who are both healthier and wealthier than I am, for example; but also younger people who are worse off in both respects.
However, generally speaking, old bones are said to break more easily than young ones… Which is why one general recommendation is to use ice-creepers like those I showed in my previous post. (It may be added though, that many young people would never consider wearing them. And for all I know, there may be many “old” people who wouldn’t either!)
As for those in need of walkers or wheelchairs, besides the weather etc I’d say their options depend on lots of factors, like their living arrangements, where they need to go, and what kind of help/ assistance they have (and/or need). Some inner city streets and pavements are kept ice-free by heating (if the winter is not too extreme). In other streets or areas the situation can be totally different. People who have a disability that makes it impossible or very difficult to use public transport are entitled to mobility service. That assessment (like need of for example home care services) is made from case to case. In Sweden we have a basic social insurance system not dependent on private insurances but financed by taxes. (There are still certain fees to be paid by the individual, but the costs are limited.)
Just now the streets here (where I live) are basically snow-free again, after several days of thaw. While up in the north of the country, they’re just now experiencing another really bad snowstorm (even hurricane).
Down here, in the southern parts, the winter weather varies a lot more than up in the north. Some winters we get more rain than snow. Another year it can stay cold and snowy for months. One never knows, so all one can do is just try to be reasonably prepared for “whatever”… according to one’s own circumstances.
4th October is Cinnamon Bun Day in Sweden.
Pretty good excuse for eating one…
(No, I did not bake it myself. That would have involved too much temptation to eat more than just one!)
I just have to post a link to fellow blogger Lady Fi’s post with some pictures from Stockholm’s Old Town. Haven’t been there myself since before my digital days. Thanks Fi, for sharing these excellent photos!
My brother was here for a couple of days and on Friday we took the ‘scenic route’ when driving from town out to our house.
I asked Per to stop so I could get photos of the horses in this beautiful meadow, but I failed to get any good close-ups, as besides the fence there was also a rather deep ditch between the meadow and the road.
The extra scenic route we took this day includes a dirt road some of the way.
We also made a short stop at this charming old mill (at Gingri near Fristad) – on my request, because it’s a very photogenic spot, and I love it when I can show you a bit of Swedish countryside besides my usual town views.
According to the weathervane on top it’s from 1906.
Me by the river at the back of the mill.
To the right of me the river runs calm and slow:
Then it takes a leap down a little waterfall at the mill:
… and continues on the other side of the bridge past an old textile factory. Between 1863 and 1971, lace was produced here.
To give you a bit of historical context, here are some photos I took a couple of years ago of a lacemaking machine at the Borås Textile Museum:
Click on the road mirror image to see it larger at my other blog
DawnTreader’s Picture Book
Some of you might also be interested in my Sepia Saturday post this week at my blog Greetings from the Past. I found a photo of my great-aunt Gerda in a nurse’s uniform, and I think it must be from WWI in France (knowing from family stories that she happened to be in France when the war broke out, and postcards confirm that she seems to still have been there in 1918).
The National Day of Sweden (Sveriges nationaldag) is a national holiday observed in Sweden on the 6th of June. Prior to 1983, the day was celebrated as Swedish flag day (Svenska flaggans dag).
The photos in this post are from today’s celebrations in our town park. We had the best possible weather for such outdoor festivities, except that there were such sharp contrasts between light and shadow that is was hard to get good pictures. (In my editing here I sort of chose the “if you can’t fix it, use it” approach...)
The Swedish National Anthem
”Du gamla, du fria’”– “Thou ancient, thou free…'’
