When sailing in the Mälaren, Mariefred and Strängnäs are two of the most visited spots. But in between, there is an opening bridge at Stallarholmen that very few sailors would consider for a visit. Yet, Stallarholmen is the entry point for the Island of Selaön, the largest lake island in Sweden, and a real coup de coeur!
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| The Överselö medieval church on Selaön |
Judge by yourselves! Two decorated medieval churches, one of the largest viking grave field with plenty of rune stones and a stone ship, the Mälsåker castle, and a lot of nature and forest, full of mushroom at this time of the year.
I let you get a look...
So it starts at the Stallarholmen gas station, just before crossing the opening bridge when coming from the East (Stockholm or Södertälje). Not more than a handful of boat can fit, but it is deep.
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| The lilliput guest pier in Stallarholmen, August 2019 |
Åsa graveyard
Åsa graveyard is one of the largest burial site in Södermanland. The site comprises around 250 burial places, including 160 raised stones. The stone ship "Åsa judge seat" composed of 18 remaining raised stones is 33 metre long. Adjacent to the burial site is a rune stone from the 11th century.
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| Åsa stone ship called "Åsa judge seat" |
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| Åsa runestone |
See more on Åsa graveyard on Baltic Sailors...
Ytterselö church
Ytterselö church is a medieval church on Selaön island. The original church was built already in the XII century and expanded over the following centuries.
See more on Ytterselö church on Baltic Sailors...
Överselö church
Överselö church is a medieval church pon Selaön island. The church was built in the XIII century in the Romanesque style. The church is decorated with numerous pictures from the XV century made by various artists from the Mälaren. It hosts, among other, the cherished Överselö Madonna crafted in oak by a sculptor from Gotland.
The castle-like mansion was built in the 1660s'. During the second world war, it was bought by the Norwegian government in exile in London to be used as a training site for thousands infantry soldiers despite Sweden being neutral. Axel von Fersen the younger was the son of Axel von Fersen the older, who owned the castle even though his busy international life sent him away from the place. The castle remained in the Fersen family until they got bankrupt in 1867. The castle burnt in 1945 and lost its roof. In 1951, the Castle was given to the the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. A major restauration was conducted in the 1990s', still ongoing to date.
Edible Mälaren...
2019 will probably be a good year for mushroom picking following the disastrous 2018. With a very summers weather and temperatures over 23°C in past two weeks, the few thunderstorm showers that we had late afternoon resulted in an incredible blooming of mushrooms!
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| Boletus fresh from the last shower |
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| The harvest today, just staying on the side of the trail, picked from the bike! |
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| And the resulting risotto in the evening! |
I want you to write a book for all the chapels, with marvellous pictures!!I buy the first sample!
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