{"id":9974,"date":"2014-08-29T04:32:32","date_gmt":"2014-08-29T04:32:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thesojournseries.com\/bavaria\/?p=9974"},"modified":"2016-01-16T15:16:39","modified_gmt":"2016-01-16T15:16:39","slug":"treasure-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.thesojournseries.com\/bavaria\/treasure-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Treasure – Sweden"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"1-The<\/a><\/p>\n

It’s my pleasure to introduce my friend Heather, who I guess is my first real guest blogger! \u00a0 I met Heather when we lived in Denmark, and she’s still happily\u00a0ensconced\u00a0there. \u00a0She’s completely larger than life, incredibly creative, and so far has had the best most varied\u00a0career in fashion, art and design I think I have ever heard of. \u00a0 On top of all that and dealing with busy family life, she’s somehow found time to write her first book recently –\u00a0Rice Pudding in a Duvet<\/a>–\u00a0which combines great stories with food. \u00a0 In this beautifully written post she writes about an amazing discovery she recently made in Sweden…<\/em><\/p>\n

Warm summer days beckoned us with a languid finger to southern Sweden. I\u2019d noticed the blue hills of the Kullen peninsula many times, looking out across the Kattegat from the northern reaches of Sj\u00e6lland. The idea was to forsake the flat lands of our home in Denmark for something hilly, mysterious, rugged\u2026 and cheap.<\/p>\n

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 \u2013 all while wealthier friends posted golden Aegean sunsets on Facebook, slurped ros\u00e9 wine from chilled glasses and toyed with the challenge of spearing another morsel of marinated squid.<\/p>\n

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 <\/em>(hut).<\/em> 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\u2026 then drive the 80 minutes rapidly home for the comfort of our soft Danish beds, and the internet.<\/p>\n

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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

\"1-Nameplates\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The treasure trove that ticked all the boxes for me was the Sj\u00f6farts <\/em>(sj\u00f6<\/em> means maritime and farts<\/em> 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 V\u00e4der\u00f6, the rugged island that made this coastline so hazardous for shipping for thousands of years.<\/p>\n

\"1-Once<\/a><\/p>\n

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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\"1-The<\/a><\/p>\n

\"1-Orlando<\/a><\/p>\n

\"1-Hans<\/a><\/p>\n

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<\/em>. The spirit guarded the ship from storms, rocks, and sickness. If the ship sank, then the kaboutermannekes guided the sailors\u2019 soul to the Land of the Dead. I peered into the figureheads luminous eyes and walked back into the bright day.<\/p>\n

(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\u2026honest!)<\/p>\n

You can find Heather on her blog at\u00a0http:\/\/heathergartside.wordpress.com\/<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0Buy her first novel at: \u00a0http:\/\/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<\/a>\u00a0 and find out a little more about here here: http:\/\/www.rudlinghouse.com\/authors\/a-to-z-of-authors\/<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0She’s also on facebook\u00a0https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/H-Gartside\/190136241110188?ref=hl<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 and is, in her own words (and mine!) completely addicted to Instagram: http:\/\/instagram.com\/gartsideheather<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0I absolutely insist that you pop over!\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Share me:<\/h3>