The days at Marie's were full of flax stories. That's why a family programme was on the itinerary last week. Otherwise my loved ones will probably never go "on tour" with me again. The destination of the three days of travelling was the Swedish capital Stockholm and a meeting with the fibre artist and good friend Josefin Waltin.
So the hours at the campsite, in the canoe and embroidering on the bus rippled by. Inspired by the beautiful traditional Swedish embroidery work on wool, I started decorating the hem of my linen skirt with meadow flowers. The slow stitching fits in perfectly with the flow of these days and I never thought I could let myself drift away like this. On the bus, we swing past what feels like 1000 lakes, the typical red houses and sparse forests. A canoe tour lets us experience the vastness of this country and, above all, the endless sky. The child romps around the campsites, I slowly let the canvas knowledge with which Marie has so generously fed me seep away and plan the next few days.
Linköping - a walk in the 19th century
Before we reach Stockholm, we stop in Gamla Linköping, a very special open-air museum. All of Linköping's old houses have been slowly put together to form a real small town. You can stroll through the alleyways of a small town from the end of the 19th century, past houses, some of which are still inhabited. As is so often the case in Sweden, you are not asked to pay. In no other country I have ever been to has it been so cheap to experience local culture.
Once we arrive in Stockholm, the peace and quiet is over for the time being. The campsite is packed and noisy - a contrasting programme to the lazy days. The city is also lively. Many exciting museums (National Museum with the Birka textiles and its own textile gallery, Museum of Silk Spinning, The royal wardrobe) would invite me to explore, but I have to postpone this. First my daughter wants to explore the town and then I meet Josefin Waltin to take her to Birka.
Birka - trading centre of the early Middle Ages
Birka was an important trading centre for the Vikings and a rich source of early medieval textiles - lovingly reproduced and described in detail in the small museum. Linen was also an important material in Birka, even if it was rather luxurious, wool was much more common. I found it fascinating how wide the trading radius of the Vikings was - madder from the south, silk from China, gold coins from Africa. A wonderful walk into the past with a wonderful woman. Josefin has Austrian roots (her father is from Vienna) and we have met before in Bad Ischl. She is an exceptionally good spinner and knitter and is now a good friend. We explored Birka in bright sunshine and chatted about the world. Having fibre friends, now all over the world, is so special and I will be eternally grateful to Berta for that!
Tomorrow we're off to Hälsingland - a traditional flax region in Sweden - but right now the child wants a round of mini golf - we're on holiday for a bit.
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