It’s my pleasure to introduce my friend Heather, who I guess is my first real guest blogger! I met Heather when we lived in Denmark, and she’s still happily ensconced there. She’s completely larger than life, incredibly creative, and so far has had the best most varied career in fashion, art and design I think I have ever heard of. On top of all that and dealing with busy family life, she’s somehow found time to write her first book recently – Rice Pudding in a Duvet– which combines great stories with food. In this beautifully written post she writes about an amazing discovery she recently made in Sweden…
Warm summer days beckoned us with a languid finger to southern Sweden. I’d noticed the blue hills of the Kullen peninsula many times, looking out across the Kattegat from the northern reaches of Sjælland. The idea was to forsake the flat lands of our home in Denmark for something hilly, mysterious, rugged… and cheap.
Great intentions, but sadly that lack of budget forced us to pack the aged family saloon with camping equipment. Also, to leave all trace of negativity, and the internet at home – all while wealthier friends posted golden Aegean sunsets on Facebook, slurped rosé wine from chilled glasses and toyed with the challenge of spearing another morsel of marinated squid.
But the hills of Kullen were a marvel; the sunlight was honeyed, the gradients were steep, the Swedish kroner gave us a good return and our three children writhed in social media withdrawal symptoms, and then meekly wandered into a new and sparkling internet-free world. We camped for a few nights, but the hard ground, our barking dog and mutual ratty moods soon forced us to forsake rustling canvas in search of a wooden stuga (hut). Nice idea, but not in peak holiday season. We drew a blank, declined more loathsome camping and opted to simply have a jolly day by the sea… then drive the 80 minutes rapidly home for the comfort of our soft Danish beds, and the internet.
Our hopeless stuga search brought us to a bleak looking campsite outside the fishing village of Torekov. We gathered our beach towels and headed past caravans with picket fences for the sea. Only to be met by a miserable stony beach, a scattering of fat campers and screaming blonde children. We walked onwards, sure that we didn’t need to settle for a pocketful of fluff and small change. The hunch paid-off, and we sighed with relief as the charming mediaeval village of Torekov filled our pockets with gold and my camera full of delight.
The treasure trove that ticked all the boxes for me was the Sjöfarts (sjö means maritime and farts translates as travel) museum. With my happy family devouring crisp pizza by the tinkling harbor, I wandered into a dark shed stuffed with shipwreck paraphernalia. All tragically driven and destroyed on the sharp rocks of Hallands Väderö, the rugged island that made this coastline so hazardous for shipping for thousands of years.
The faded information from the 1930s told of more than two hundred ships wrecked and countless souls lost from 1800 to 1910. A badly stuffed crocodile hung from the rafters whose story was hard to guess, and all around the shed the exquisite nameplates of Scandinavian, French, Dutch, Russian, English and American merchant ships bleakly stated their tragedy. A bosun’s chair, anchors and brass compasses were casually attached to the walls; silent now, but if you listened hard enough you could capture the screams, the sound of splintering wood and the fist of the sea slamming into the stricken vessels.
Amongst all these treasures, the figureheads glowed. Along the North sea coast they have long been seen as the holder of the spirit of the ship, in Friesland as the Kaboutermannekes. The spirit guarded the ship from storms, rocks, and sickness. If the ship sank, then the kaboutermannekes guided the sailors’ soul to the Land of the Dead. I peered into the figureheads luminous eyes and walked back into the bright day.
(Thank you very much for inviting me to be a guest blogger on your site Emma. And no, I never resented you for having a fabulous vacation in the Greek islands…honest!)
You can find Heather on her blog at http://heathergartside.wordpress.com/ Buy her first novel at: http://www.amazon.co.uk/RICE-PUDDING-DUVET-Heather-Gartside-ebook/dp/B00K8BMEV4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406964887&sr=8-1&keywords=rice+pudding+in+a+duvet and find out a little more about here here: http://www.rudlinghouse.com/authors/a-to-z-of-authors/ She’s also on facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/H-Gartside/190136241110188?ref=hl and is, in her own words (and mine!) completely addicted to Instagram: http://instagram.com/gartsideheather I absolutely insist that you pop over!
Wonderful post!! I think I want one of theses gentleman for my lounge.
Me too! I would stick it to the front of the house! :D Thanks Gemma (:
I love Heather’s writing style and, of course, I feel an affinity with her, having travelled round Sweden a couple of years ago. We might have only had a fortnight there but we managed to avoid camping… or huts for that matter.
Thanks Trish. Check out her book if you get the chance! :)
What a quirky little place. Love the figureheads!
Thanks Adelina! :)
What a wonderful post with wonderful writing. I really enjoyed reading this…. set my imagination off! X
Great isn’t it? Glad to introduce you to a fellow writer too! :) xx
We are hoping to visit Scandinavia next year. It does look so fascinating.
I have yet to visit all of Scandinavia, but the bits I have visited (and lived in!) I have mostly loved! Thanks Vaichin! :)
How fascinating, what a great find, you can’t beat beach finds, or camping.
I really miss living by the beach Penny! Heather makes me jealous with her sea pictures most days! :D
I would to visit Denmark as its so steeped in history – these photos make me want togo now!
Thanks Kara. Yes, that part of the world is so interesting! :)
Wow what a gorgeous and fascinating place <3 I would love to be able to explore more of the world one day. x
I hope you get to do that very thing Sarah! Thank you! :)
One of my best friends lives in Denmark and we have loved visiting them in Jutland….we keep talking about all travelling from denmark somewhere else together and Sweden definitely appeals. I love this post Heather, beautifully written and those ships heads are so beautiful and at the same time strangely melancholy…I love them and want to know each of their stories!
Thanks so much GM! Love Heather’s writing, she’s always been somewhere interesting! :D I would highly recommend Syld, Bornholm, all of Norway, and Sweden too! :)
2 hundred ship wrecks – crazy trying to imagine it. Wonderful post
Thanks Clare. Yes, think of all that treasure somewhere! Hopefully not just crocodiles! :D
Oh how lovely to be able to drive to Sweden. I want to visit so many places and time is so short
Seemed strange at the time just popping over the bridge to go to the supermarket! :D Thanks Jen…
What a delightful place, and so beautifully written! Thanks so much for sharing with us for #SundayTraveler
Thanks SJ! :)
Crickey! What a lot of great comments and enthusiasm from all you fabulous followers of ‘A Bavarian Sojourn.’ I began by wanting to thank you all individually, but you are so many!
The biggest thank goes to Emma – I really appreciate your generosity, and the experience of being involved in an extremely professional and well-managed blog :-)
And thank you for writing this Heather! :) Good luck with your writing ventures! Emma xx
How fascinating – I love reading posts like this so thanks for sharing x x
Thanks very much Cass! :) xx
Those are some really interesting boat figureheads. Enjoy your Greek Island trip!
Thanks Elizabeth! I have been and come back, and as I am disorganised as anything at the moment, I am still writing about it… :D
Beautifully written. I keep saying I need to go north more in the summer! I love those wooden figurines!
Gorgeous aren’t they? Thanks Corinne! :)
Great post! It sounds like a fascinating place and I love all of the photographs.
Thanks so much! (:
Lovely writing – and images Heather. As always Emma’s blog continues to inspire me to travel and explore!
Thanks Annie x
Oooh looks like an interesting place to visit.
I would love to go. Thanks Foz! :)
This sounds like the place I would visit most definitely!
Intriguing isn’t it? Thank you…
Sounds and looks like an amazing place x
I would love to go… Thank you! :)
So fascinating – I love learning about places I have not been to. Love all the detail and character in the figureheads.
They look like new don’t they? Thanks J… :)
I have always had a sick fascination with ship wrecks and this museum looks like somewhere I could have spent hours learning about the final moments of a ship before it was wrecked on the rocks.
Fantastic writing!
They must have found so many interesting things don’t you think? :) Thank you!
What a great find. We often have to come up with plan B, C or D when we are out and about.
Us too, oh us too! :D
Wow – what a fascinating place. First time I’ve ever heard of Sweden being referred to as cheap though!
Believe me, when you have lived in DK for any period of time, Sweden is considered much much cheaper! We used to drive across the bridge and do our weekly shop in Malmo and save a fortune! :D
This is the kind of place I could happily spend ages walking around, it looks so interesting x
Me too Rachel! Thank you :) x
Denmark is one of the countries on my “Must Visit” list. Great post – a real treasure trove.
I would highly recommend both Sweden and Denmark as great places to visit (and live!) :D
Gosh what an interesting place, I love going somewhere where you can find out the history and see the artefacts. A treasure trove indeed. Mich x
Thanks Michelle… Amazing isn’t it? :) x
Oh how marvellous Emma and Heather, beautifully destrcriptive.I love the ship’s heads, very noble but sad at the same time.
Lovely aren’t they? And yes, she’s a talented writer this one! Thank you Aly! :)
Oh if only you still lived in Denmark Emma we could have visited this wonderful place. Looking at their eyes, they seem to be staring into space, quite apt I guess for guiding sailors souls to the Land of the Dead. Thank you Heather, fascinating reading. x
I know. It was so nice being able to “pop” to Norway and Sweden. Much more my cup of tea! :D xx