South Sweden Tour - Day 18

South Sweden Tour - Day 18

Before heading towards our final destination, Stockholm, today, we first drove 28 km in the opposite direction with the camper, as we wanted to see the rock carvings of Himmelstalund (Swedish Himmelstalunds Hällristningar).

They date back to the Swedish Bronze Age (1500–500 BC).

The diverse rock carvings show a concentration along the Motala ström and depict motifs such as moose, deer, horses, and wild boars. There are many images of ships, as well as symbols like footprints, concentric circles, wheels, spirals, and net-like shapes typical of Östergötland.

Axe and sword representations are also characteristic, playing a role in determining the age of the Nordic rock carvings.

With around 50 larger and smaller, flat lying Hällristningar slabs, the area of Himmelstalund is one of the most interesting sites in Scandinavia.

Among other things, one can see a double circle from which twelve horn-like arcs emerge, and a wild boar hunt featuring two men with long spears and two dogs (one of which is obviously killed) approaching a mighty wild boar.

Also depicted are ships with suggested painting on their sides. Some of the depicted ships have broad double prows similar to the Hjortspring boat. Some ships from Himmelstalund suggest crews of over 50 people.

After the visit, we made our way to Stockholm. On the way, we passed large fields of yellow rapeseed. The yellow added at least a bit of color, as the sky was grey and dull today.

In between, we did some shopping and arrived in Bredäng, a suburb of Stockholm, around 4:00 PM. We will stay here for 3 nights and travel into Stockholm on Sunday and Monday. We will see a lot, but of course, everything won't be possible in the short time we have.