Birka

Here are some photos of Birka. The one bad thing about the trip to Birka was that we only had the Viking sights pointed out to us near the end of our stay. We climbed the hill with the cross and saw a church which looked very picturesque. So we assumed those were the only sights to see. Fast forward to our tour and our guide points everything cool we didn't get to see. Thanks. Oh well. It was sunny and we got to make boat jokes.

This was a church honouring a monk who had come to the island to convert everyone. The door had scenes from the Bible.

Close-up of the church door.


Sign on the path that leads to the church. I like the dragon.

A cross honouring that same monk. Guess he was a big deal.

These are obviously Viking boats since they are boats on a Viking island.


Every summer archaeology students come to Birka to do some house building Viking style. I guess they discover how the Vikings built houses using tools and materials from that era. Looked pretty good for construction done by BAs. Thatching on the roof


I guess the students slept in the buildings? And had to have this because they ran fires?


DarNic


Bad bad pony. The museum had dioramas of what the town looked like back in its heyday.


This was a sleepy table on the way back.


Technically, this is not from Birka. This is a photo of aquavit. You eat it with the traditional Swedish appetizer of herring and bread. They keep it in the ice to keep it cool and pour a little bit into the glass. It's a bit licorice-cy.