Orland

Entering Öland:

We took a bus from Stockholm's central station to Kalmar on the mainland and then rejoined our hosts Lotta and Bo for a visit to the island of Öland, where they have a holiday house. Access to the island is via the bridge shown in the photo to the left. The Öland Bridge (Ölandsbron) connects Kalmar to Färjestaden on the island of Öland to its east. At 6,072 meters (19,921 ft) long, it is one of the longest in Europe. It is supported by 156 pillars, and has a characteristic hump at its western end which was created to provide a vertical clearance of 36 m for shipping. An impressive sight and a stylish way to enter Färjestaden.

Färjestaden Hamn:

Färjestaden Hamn is the harbor on Öland that is directly across from Kalmar, and those not wishing to take the bridge across may do so from the mainland to this harbor. On weekends it is the site of a large market, which we visited with our hosts on the last day of our stay. The photo to the left shows a map of the harbor area, while the photo to the right offers a glimpse of the harbor. Visible in the photo is the ferry from Kalmar to Färjestaden.

Our Trip Through South Öland:
Given the constraints of time and logistics, our visit was focused on Södra Öland or the southern portion of the island. It is a summer holiday spot and the population dwindles drastically in the winter months. Bo and Dale took a day trip across the south, beginning at the southernmost tip.

Långe Jan:

Långe Jan ("Tall John") is a Swedish lighthouse located at the south cape of Öland in the Baltic Sea. It is a companion lighthouse to Erik, located at the northern end of the island. The lighthouse was built in 1785, by Russian prisoners of war. The tower was built of stone from an old chapel. Originally the light was an open fire, and the tower was unpainted. It was painted white in 1845, and the same year the tower's lantern was installed, a colza oil lamp. A couple of years later a black band was added to the tower. The lighthouse remains in use and is remote-controlled by the Swedish Maritime Administration in Norrköping. During the summer season it is possible to climb the tower, for a small fee. The buildings surrounding the tower form the Ottenby birding station.Worth visiting is the Naturum, a small building containing dioramas and information about the birds that can be seen here. Just below the lighthouse is a Vindskyddet or lean-to, a shelter from which you may watch the birds or the seals sunning themselves (when possible) on the rocky beach. These are shown in the panorama below.

Långe Jan and Ottenby Birding Center

Långe Jan EntranceSnap Content

Virtual Reality Tour for VR Headsets:

QR Code There is also a version of this tour designed specifically for VR headsets such as Google Cardboard, and it works with both iPhone and Android devices. It may be access by scanning on the QR code to the left. If you are viewing this on a mobile phone, you may access the VR tour by following this link.

For iOS devices: scan QR code with your device's camera app, tap on the prompt to open Safari. Select "Allow Device Motion" and the next prompt, "Allow Access to Motion Orientation." Turn the device to landscape mode and a split screen will appear. When the screen turns white, swipe up for fullscreen mode, and place in headset. Here is a video of how to do this--it is simpler than it sounds! [The video opens in a new window--close when done to return to this page]

For Android devices: Open the camera app and use the built-in scanner to scan the QR code above. Confirm that you want to open the website, and wait for it to load--it should load in stereo view. Select the fullscreen ("X" option) from the menu at the bottom. Turn the device to landscape mode and you are ready to go. Here is a video of how to do this--it is simpler than it sounds! [The video opens in a new window--close when done to return to this page]

A Virtual Tour of Ektorps Borg

Medieval GateSnap Content

Virtual Reality Tour for VR Headsets:

Gräsgård Harbor:

Following our visit to Eketorps Borg, it was time for a bit of lunch. Bo drove to Gräsgård Harbor, where we dined on open-faced sandwiches of fish (I believe they are called smørrebrød, although I do not know the variety of fish used) and admired the view of the harbor. Our repast is shown in the photo to the left, while the views of the harbor may be seen in the panorama below. A fitting end to our afternoon of sightseeing.

Panorama of Gräsgård Harbor

Gräsgård Harbor View Looking EastSnap Content

Resmo Kyrkan:
Resmo Progression

Resmo Kyrkan is Sweden's oldest preserved church in continous existence, dating from the first millenium. The panel above shows its progression from a humble church around 1000 C.E. to its present form, shown in the photo at the upper left. The church itself is surrounded on two sides by gravesites, but the burial site itself dates from Pre-christian times (photo at the upper right). The Resmo Church was the creation of a Viking chief, Sveinu, who most likely encountered Christianity and converted during his travels, bringing the faith to Resmo. He replaced the existing wooden church with one fashioned from stone. Given its atypical construction, it is likely that Sveinu brought Danish or Northern German craftsmen with him, as the architecture of the original church was not native to Sweden. The church is entered through the porch at the ground floor of the tower; access originally required three locks for access—one from each warden and the resident priest. The interior of the church is open, although originally it was only dimly lit

owing to the small windows (photo, middle

left). To the left of the entrance is the Harvest Altar, donated in 2006 by the artist's family as an expression of thanks for God's bountiful gifts (photo, middle right). Moving toward the front, there is a pulpit to the left, in the the place of the medieval altar (photo bottom left). On the opposite side, where the baptismal font stands, was yet another altar. The dove above the font is a reminder of the promise of baptism. A triumphal crucifix stands in between the nave and the quire. On the walls are paintings including Jesus being arrested and brought before Pilate. Passing the transept and entering the quire leads to the altar, which is as old as the church itself. It is usually decorated with communion silver from the 18th and 18th centuries. The apse features Christ in

Glory. In his right hand, Christ

holds a book and in his left hand a spire with a cross; the mural is from the early 12th century and was influenced by Eastern Christian icon tradition. The cruxifix, altar and apse are shown in the table of photos below


Triumphal Cruxifix	Resmo Kyrkan Altar	Christ in Glory

The Cappellagarden School:

The town of Vickleby is the site of a private crafts college founded in the late 1950s by Carl Malmsten, who had a great vision: he bought a number of decaying farmhouses on the island and replanted them here. He transformed these buildings into a living community with student houses, workshops, and studios. He wanted to design furniture and utensils that paid tribute to old Swedish traditions and the "forms of nature." Today the college is a training school for cabinet making, woodworking, ceramics, textiles, design, and horticulture. It also has one of Sweden's largest herb gardens, containing a wide variety of unusual plants. During the summer, the college stages exhibitions and

sales in the old Vickleby school. We toured the portions of the Capella school that were operating in midsummer, taking a look at their handicrafts. Entering through the garden, there was a profusing of flowering plants as well as a well-laid out garden explaining the design and the flora it contained. This is shown in the photo at the upper right. From there we went to the kitchen and dining room area and met the director of the school (photo, middle left). In an adjacent wing of the same building we were able to observe the woodworking and furniture design school, shown in the photo at the middle right. Moving across the courtard outside this main building, we found the outdoor kiln used

by the ceramics school (pictured in the photo at the bottom left). From there we wandered back through the gardens to visit the shop where the handicrafts were on display (photo at bottom right). Below is a video which provides a more extensive overview of the Capella School.

Capellagarden

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