Dear Friends,
I will tell you all about Visby. Sounds like a wonderful and very interesting place. However, we never got to go on shore there. It was to be a tender port. When the captain arrived at the designated anchorage, it was quite rough. And the prediction for afternoon was increasing winds and waves that would make it really bad for getting on and off the tenders. Therefore, the captain decided to cancel the stop at Visby. I took a few photos from the ship as soon as I realized we had turned around and were leaving but we were already kind of far away. And as you can see, it was a cloudy, kind of rainy day. Oh well, next time.
The town of Visby is located on the northwest coast of Gotland island. Hoards of coins and other treasures found on the island indicate its importance in maritime trade as far back as the Bronze Age. The Vikings were both a warrior and farming society from this region now known as Scandinavia. In the middle ages, Visby had many splendid churches and elaborate fortified walls. It was a rich and important member of the Hanseatic League, a commercial federation of European cities. The Vikings also displayed an ability to mobilize economic resources and to dominate a hostile landscape. These abilities can bve seen in their great fortified camps, like that at Visby, where hundreds of soldiers and traders lived.
A living historical showcase, Visby's magnificent St. Mary's Cathedral dates from the 12th century when the port was the center of the Hanseatic League. In 1470, it was expelled, however and a bitter feud between Visby and Lubeck merchants ensued. Security only really returned when Sweden assumed control of Gotland in the 18th century.
An excellent example of a fortified medieval commercial city, Visby retains many historic buildings. Age and fine architecture have elevated the old city to be inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage site.
So, I think it would have been a very nice city to walk around.
Jan and Dick
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