Of vikings, rune stones, and copper teapots

An ancient church ruin in Sigtuna

So cute!  I couldn't stop repeating this as we strolled through Sigtuna, the historical town located just south of Uppsala, only about a one hour bus ride away.

Linnea told me way back in September about this little gem, that I absolutely had to visit during my stay in Sweden.  She also described it as being "cute."  So finally, a few weekends ago, when the weather was feeling bit spring-y (as in no longer in the minuses), Sarka, Arnola, and a few other friends packed a lunch picnic, and headed to Sweden's very first town.  

According to its tourism site:

In AD 980, Swedish King Eric the Victorious stood here, pointed as to where he wanted his new city to be erected and built the first Christian city in the country.

Today, a thousand years later, Main Street (Stora Gatan) still remains intact – with its very same stretch and curvature. And, like King Eric the Victorious, our current king H.M. Carl XVI Gustaf, often graces the ancient stretch. In this way we are all similar. Once having set foot here, it is hard not to return. Again, and again – and again.

Viking rune stone!

Sigtuna is really special, as it hasn't changed much over its history, and so many of the Viking rune stones can easily be spotted when touring the area.  The town hall is apparently the smallest one in the country, and "maybe in all of Europe."  You can easily get through the entire town in just a couple of hours, and there are some cool church ruins and stone architecture that were built thousands of years ago.  You can even visit the old mint, where Sweden's first coins were minted back in the day.  

:)

Surrounding the town is Lake Mälaren, and when we came, the lake was still frozen enough to see kids and adults skiing, skating, or just taking a careful stroll in a loop.  There's a nice dock, and I bet it would be perfect to sit and stretch the legs with an ice cream in the summertime.  We found a nice area to enjoy our picnic lunch and people-watch near the lake.

A quiet Sunday afternoon in downtown Sigtuna

Pretty, no?

Like I said, it's just cute!  Maybe it's because of the families that dominate the population, or little Stora Gatan, with its little shops and cafes, or the small trail we found that led us to a beautiful view of the area.  

Tant Brun and Sarka

A special cafe is the one called Tant Brun, apparently named after a famous cartoon character.  This cafe is located in a really old house, that's so short and squat that I could even touch the roof!  It was nice little old copper teapots for serving tea and coffee, and famous "applemunk," apple doughnuts.  A perfect ending to a perfect day in Viking Land.