We spend the weekend in Uppsala, hosted by one of Jill’s swimming friends from her school days. We had a fantastic time.
Uppsala is the 4th largest city in Sweden, with a population of about 140,000. It has a cathedral, and is well known as a university town. The University was founded in 1477, but the town is much older.
The initial site, now called Gamla Uppsala (old Uppsala) is a few km north, and has some prehistoric burial mounds. From the 3rd centrury AD it was a major religious, economic and political centre. There is the old cathedral, initially build in the 11th century. The museum there is very interesting, with a nice collection of artefacts and a timeline of events in the area.
Uppsala at its current location became dominant around 1274 when the cathedral at Gamla Uppsala burned down. The new cathedral, consecrated in 1435 is a gothic masterpiece and one of the largest in Europe, with spires reaching almost 120 m high.
On Sunday we had the pleasure of a walk in the forests outside Uppsala. We were taken to a popular venue for skating – the lake was frozen 10-15 cm deep and there were scores of people out on the lake taking the trails cleared of snow (1km, 4 km or 10 km options if I recall correctly). The ice was somewhat slippery to walk on so we elected to take a trail over the ridge to overlook another lake. All very scenic and a lovely way to spend a morning.
A gallery of Uppsala photos is at: https://goo.gl/photos/XuZS41tUoXn34oYL8
G’day Geoff
Firstly best wishes for a happy, healthy and rewarding year ahead.
I have just been reviewing your previous posts as well as enjoying your latest and musing on the wonderful journeys you have enjoyed in the course of your sojourn since first leaving Melbourne. I always look forward to your latest photography.
Lesley and I managed to get away together for a few days during our son in law Mike’s leave. We enjoyed some time at Margaret River and then Esperance. Our new Subaru Forester petrol CVT automatic was fabulous and achieved a fuel economy of 7.0l/100km with cruise control set on 105kmh.
Best wishes to you Jill and clan
-Greg, Lesley and clan