The Town of Roses and Ruins

Saturday, August 15, 2026

Gotland is a large island in the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Latvia, but closer to Sweden. It is pronounced as if it were spelled “goat-land,” though the name does not imply there are goats there. It is a province of Sweden. The population is around 61,000.

Gotland’s main town is Visby, with a population of about 23,600. The PBS series “Murder in Sweden” is about a group of police detectives based in Visby. Visby is a fairytale town boasting of an extensive, well preserved medieval walled city.

Gotland has been inhabited for 9,000 years. It is mainly rural, and agriculture is an important part of the economy. The island is a popular vacation destination for Swedes from the mainland. It has a milder climate and is accessible by air and by ferry. Various festivals during the summer draw large numbers of tourists.

We took a Princess tour called “A Taste of Gotland.” Our guide, Anne, was excellent. This tour gave us the chance to see Visby, as well as other parts of the island. I loved the drive through the fields and forests. It was so unspoiled.

Our first stop was Ansarve Farm, a sheep farm that produces wool, sheepskins, and yarn. Clothes and household furnishings, such as blankets, are also designed and produced at the farm.  Our experience here was different from our visits to sheep farms in New Zealand and Argentina. They did not demonstrate shearing or the skills of their dogs. They also had a course for Ultimate Frisbee and specialized UF equipment could be rented there. 

They had three kinds of sheep: Gotland sheep, Leicester sheep, and Merino sheep. (The Gotland sheepskins in the shop had deliciously soft, curly grey hair, which seemed very familiar to me.)

Merino

Leicester

Gotland

Tofta is a popular beach and resort area on the island of Gotland. It has a beautiful, long, sandy beach, but I imagine the water is too cold for anyone but Scandinavians. Our second stop was the Tofta Lodge & Beach Resort. It was a rustic family resort established in the 1930’s and nestled among pine trees. We met the owner, who had inherited the resort from her parents. It had a handful of long, low bunkhouse-type buildings and a cozy main building/dining hall. This type of accommodation is known as a pensionat in Swedish. It was located next to a forest where there were nature trails, and it was about a two-minute walk to the beach. It reminded me of the summer camps I used to go to when I was a kid. 

Tofta Church, dating from the mid-1300’s

After a little free time to explore the property, we sat down in the dining area to sample some local specialties. It really was just “a taste,” but everything was delicious.

Inside the main building of the Lodge

The entrance to the main lodge building is is behind the people

After our snack we headed back to Visby for a walking tour with Anne. Visby has the most extensive and best preserved medieval city wall in Scandinavia. The two-mile wall was built in the 13th century to protect against attack from the sea. The wall was impressive from the outside, but what lay inside was even more stunning.

Inside we found a small, charming medieval town, replete with houses, shops, restaurants, cobblestone streets, churches, roses, and ruins.

People still live in these houses

Visby Saint Mary’s cathedral

There has been a church here since at least the middle of the 13th century. Saint Mary’s Cathedral was originally the church of the German Hanseatic traders. Today it belongs to the Church of Sweden. When we arrived, a string quartet was playing Pachelbel’s Canon in D Major and it was quite lovely. These old churches often have outstanding acoustics.

We also visited the ruins of Sankta Karin, or Saint Catherine’s, which was also the site of a convent at one time. 

These ruins are now used for different summer events, such as a medieval festival

Some more photos from “inside the wall”:

Sheep have always been important here

Roses are everywhere

The Town Square

And outside the old walls, on the ocean side, on reclaimed land, a pleasant, well-used park.

I liked Visby and Gotland a lot. I can imagine spending a loong weekend at the Tofta Lodge (but don’t expect me to swim in the ocean) and then spending a couple of nights in Visby and hanging out in the Town Square in the evening. Lots of atmosphere. Maybe I would even help the Visby police solve one of their murders. 

Today’s fabric is knitted Gotland wool. A sweater knitted with Gotland wool feels substantial, weighty, and warm. The wool develops a fuzzy “halo” after washing and wearing, which seems to make it feel warmer.

These two photos are by Kim Goodling, whose blog, “Living with Gotlands,” can be found at livingwithgotlands.com

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Friday, August 14, 2026

This morning we docked at a small town called Nynäshamn. It is  a 65-minute train ride away from Stockholm. The Nynäshamn train station is about 30 or 35 minutes on foot from the cruise dock. There is a train every 30 minutes.

I know what you’re thinking. It sounds crazy to spend a minimum of 95 minutes go to Stockholm from Nynäshamn. Well, we were led to believe the train station would be only a 5- or 10- minute walk from the ship. The long walk was unexpected. We did expect that the fare would only be 43 SEK (or 26 SEK for seniors if you could figure out how to get it on the ticket machine). That’s only $4.50 US ($2.75 for seniors). 

There are other ways to get to Stockholm, but none of them are cheaper and they don’t necessarily save you time.

• You could take a taxi. Obviously quite expensive.
• You could take some the shuttle bus Princess offered. Expensive and inconvenient, although it does avoid the walk to the station.
• You could take one of the tours offered by Princess. Quite expensive, and you don’t get to wander around Stockholm on your own. You go where your tour goes.
• Not going to Stockholm is also an option. It doesn’t cost you anything extra and it doesn’t involve a long ride, but heck, you are SO CLOSE to Stockholm, why would you miss it?

The walk to the train station was brutal. It was hot, and it was all uphill, and we expected the walk to be short, and it wasn’t. When we got there, we had to buy our tickets from a machine - there was no ticket office. There was a train there that was going to leave in two minutes. I put my credit card in and no ticket came out. Panic! Finally, someone told me there is no ticket, per se. It is attached electronically to your credit card.

Church in Nynäshamn

I thought the train to Stockholm would be interesting, but it wasn’t. It was just a commuter line. At least we had seats.

After arriving in Stockholm, we strolled around Gamla Stan (the Old Town) and parts of downtown.

Klara Church - a church has been at this site since the 1280’s

In Gamla Stan, we ate lunch at a casual lunch place called Slingerbulten, where one of the standard menu items is Swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes, lingonberries, and pickled cucumbers. They included a salad bar with the lunch. It was better than IKEA - maybe not a very high bar, but it was a treat for us. A lot of people who seemed like they might be office workers, showed up for lunch. I couldn’t help noticing how tall many of the young Swedes were.

Stockholm City Hall -  built in the National Romantic style - the Nobel Prize award ceremony takes place here (but the award for the Nobel Peace Prize happens in Oslo)

The three crowns atop City Hall are the national emblem of Sweden

Central Railroad Station

Street in Gamla Stan

The House of Nobility

Riddarholm Church, where Swedish kings are buried, established 1270

Lunch

After lunch we took a ferry to Djurgården, a peninsula across the harbor from downtown Stockholm. It was the fastest way to get there, although there is a bus/tram route also. All of the transportation in Stockholm is part of the same system and costs the same 43 SEK regardless of distance. You can tap a credit card at the the turnstile and it will give you access. Easy peasy.

Our destination was the ABBA museum. I had been hearing it was good since our first visit to Copenhagen 15 years ago. Over the years we have seen a few ABBA tribute shows on various cruises and they have been quite enjoyable. I like ABBA, but I wouldn’t consider myself a big fan.

I am sorry to report that the museum was rather disappointing. (I’m looking at you, Claude and Rick.) Despite the timed-entry ticket system, the small museum was overcrowded. The exhibits looked a little shopworn and low-tech. Only one room had any music playing - not counting a room where visitors could sing along with animated outlines of the band members - a video karaoke, if you will. ABBA’s music has so much energy. It’s a shame that energy did not extend to this museum.

How do I look with blonde hair?

Entrance to the ABBA Museum

We thought this young version of Björn (second from left)
looked a lot like one of our neighbors back home

Wax figures

I am sitting in Meryl Streep’s chair from “Mamma Mia!”
(Okay, probably not her actual chair.)

After all that walking, we were ready for a long train ride, so we took a tram back to the station and got on a train with minimal waiting.

Royal Dramatic Theater

Nordic Museum

Knowing what I know now, if I could do it over, I would probably just take one of the tours from the ship (but obviously not the one that goes to the ABBA museum). They would pick us up at the dock and during the long ride into Stockholm we would have a guide talking to us about the history and culture of Sweden, and then we would see some interesting things in Stockholm and we would be returned to the dock. If I had to make a recommendation to someone else, I would most definitely recommend a tour that includes the fascinating Vasa Museum, which Ken and I visited (and totally loved) several years ago.

Today’s fabric is “Svenskt Tenn Est. 1924” by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn, a leading Swedish design company. Josef Frank (b. 1885) grew up in a Jewish family in Vienna. He was a prominent architect in Austria, and also designed furniture and textiles. In 1933, he was forced to flee Austria due to growing antisemitism, and he relocated to Stockholm. When the Nazis invaded Norway and Denmark in 1941, Frank and his wife left Sweden for New york, where they stayed until the end of the war. He then returned to Sweden where he continued to work as an important designer and proponent of functionalism. He died in Stockholm in 1967.

Shabbat Shalom!