Well, how about that – we are STILL in Söderköping, waiting out bad winds and weather. You’d think that it was not really possible to be kept in harbour in a canal, but you’d be wrong. We woke up on Wednesday to rain and gale force westerly winds (and wouldn't you just know that we are heading WEST) that whipped up waves, making the thought of being out in the foul weather, plus negotiating 12 slippery locks totally unpalatable. We rang the canal company to cancel and they told us that the next convoy was due to head westwards on Friday, so we have an extra couple of days to wander around town. We have no rush and it is peaceful and enjoyable in the harbour anyway.

We were able to spend some time looking at another town church, Drothem yesterday. This is slightly smaller than the other church, but just as old and well preserved. The bell tower is a much later eighteenth century addition, but the church itself dates from the late 1200s, again built on the site of an older wooden church dating from 1000. The name Drothem is a corruption of the Old Swedish word “Drotin” which meant Lord or God.




The church has suffered over the years from damage caused by the wars of conquest that raged here in the sixteenth century and for several years it was even without a roof, having been burnt down by invading Danish forces. It can be difficult to take in the aggression of the time when you look on the pretty church in its water setting today.

Inside the church, the decorations are simple and reflect the coastal flavour of the town, with the nineteenth century votive ships hanging from the vaulted ceilings.




The altar backdrop is again more like an orthodox church piece of art, which is not so unusual when you consider how close we are to Russia. It is thought that it was constructed in the middle 1400s and contains a central figure representing the holy family, with fourteen saints on either side.




The pulpit is ornate as is the custom here and unlike the churches I am used to seeing in Australia, it is in the main body of the church, some distance away from the main altar. I also like the use of the votive ships - somwthing to remind one that this is a town that relies on shipping for its livelihood.





We later wandered around the medieval quarter which is built around this church. The old houses in this area (known as Drothemskvarteren) look quiet and peaceful today, but they had an important role in Sweden in medieval times.




In the 1200s and 1300s, this town was the political centre of Sweden. The simplest and safest route in Sweden followed the coastline and because of its strategic placement close to the castle at stegeborg, Söderköping weilded a great deal of power over the sea route and trade. These years were also those of a powerful alliance between the church and the monarchy. If you put it in today's perspective, it was equivalent to Stockholm or even Brussels! Church and royal officials were frequent visitors here.




Today it can be hard to understand just how vital this place was back then. When you look at these quiet, sleepy streets you can hardly believe that the powerbrokers of economy and the government elite held important meetings here.




Today, these tiny little, doll-like houses fetch a handsome price and are favoured by those who work in the big towns like Linköping or Norrköping, but who can afford a quiet and beautiful place to live.




When we arrived back at the boat, we noticed another of those gracious river steamers coming up the lock - This time "Diana". I hope they are not rainclouds she is bringing with her! This reminded me of when I went to Swedish classes and we were learning about the seasons. The teacher had pictures and we had to assign a season to them (yes, the classes are really like kindergarten, sometimes!). There was a picture of a couple sitting at a picnic table at a local park, dressed in jeans, runners and a thick jumper. They were huddled under an umbrella and you could see others walking through the green, wet grass under brollies or dressed in raincoats. I assigned "Winter" to that picture, but it turned out to be SUMMER! I said to the teacher "Please tell me that you are joking" - I had only been in Sweden for four months of winter at that stage and was rather hoping that summer meant sunshine! Silly me!





Today it is our 4th wedding anniversary! I'd tell you all how we intend to celebrate it, but this is a family site, so I'll leave it up to your imagination. I'm sure you'll do me proud. We are still as happy together as the day we walked down the aisle in Nynäshamn church. It's not all smooth sailing and we've put a couple of our vows to the test, notably the "in sickness and in health" part and the "for richer or poorer" bit. But, we've laughed and cried and giggled and compromised, and we've shared a million mundane moments that have brought us closer together than I ever imagined possible.

Every day we have had something new to learn, something interesting to talk about. Well, it's mostly me who does the talking, but you get the idea.....