The days at Marie's were full of flax stories. That's why last week's itinerary included a family programme. Otherwise, my loved ones will probably never go "on tour" with me again. The destination of the three travel days 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 on wool, I started to decorate the hem of my linen skirt with meadow flowers. The slow stitching fits perfectly with the flow of these days and I never thought I could let myself drift so much. In the bus we swing past what feels like 1000 lakes, the typical red houses and sparse forests. A canoe tour allows us to experience the vastness of this country and above all the endless sky. The child romps around the campsites, I let the linen knowledge Marie has so generously fed me slowly seep in 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 assembled into a real small town. So you can stroll through the alleys of a small town at the end of the 19th century, past houses that are even partly still inhabited. As is so often the case in Sweden, you are not asked to pay. In no other country I have been to so far is it 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 contrast 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 us to explore, but I have to postpone that. First my daughter wants to explore the city and then I meet Josefin Waltin to go to Birka with her.
Birka - trading centre of the early Middle Ages
Birka was an important trading centre for the Vikings and a rich trove of early medieval textiles - lovingly recreated and described in detail in the small museum. Linen was already an important material in Birka, even if it was rather luxurious; wool was much more widespread. I found it fascinating how large the trading radius of the Vikings was - madder from the south, silk from China, gold coins from Africa. A wonderful walk into the past together with a wonderful woman. Josefin h.at Austrian roots (her father is from Vienna) and we have met before in Bad Ischl. She is an exceptionally good spinner as well as knitter and meanwhile a good friend. In bright sunshine we explored Birka 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 kid is asking for a round of mini-golf - we're on a bit of a holiday, after all.
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