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Ozbrecht 2019 - Iceland & The Baltics
Gotland, Sweden
August 30
We arrived in Visby, Gotland around midnight and checked into our hotel. When we awoke, this was our view from the room window
The Gotland Ferry, heading back to the mainland
Our hotel, the Clarion Hotel Wisby (anglecized, it's Visby)
Sheila had done some geneology research on the Osbrink family history, which was partly traced to Gotland Island. So in search of Osbrink roots we go!
We took Highway 143 southeast from Visby
First stop - take the next right!
Our first ancestral stop was Follingbo. (Interesting note on Gotland - town signs are not found when you enter a town, but directly adjacent to where the town church is located.)
Looking for relatives
Next stop: Alskog
Down a country road in southeastern Gotland
Stavgard, a reconstructed Middle Ages village. Legend has it that the great hero Beowulf lived here
Windmill near Hemse, in the southern part of the island
On Gotland's western shore, near Klintehamn
Near Västergarn & the Visby Golfklubb
Our third ancestral stop: Tofta, just south of Visby
Windmill in Visby
We spent the afternoon in Old Town Visby before catching the late afternoon ferry
The wall surrouding Visby, considered the best-preserved medieval-times village in Scandinavia. This is the southern portion of the wall
Old Town Visby
Hilltop views of the Visby coast
Stop for lunch & a Gotland brew
Of course a little shopping thrown in!
St. Nicolai Ruin. The church was constructed in the 13th century. In 1525, the town defenders burned the church when the Lübeckers attacked Visby, and it was never rebuilt
Today, the ruin is often used as a concert hall
Northern portion of the wall
Visby Cathedral
Eastern portion of the wall
Time to ferry back to Nynäshamn & Stockholm
Passenger capacity: 700; auto capacity: 150; plus many semi-truck containers (video)
Views of Visby from the ferry
Farväl to this magical island!
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