ON THE VIKING TRAIL (PART 1 of 2) - SCANDINAVIAN SITES Guest Post by Caroline Hatton

Model of Birka, Sweden, town and ramparts.

My friend Caroline Hatton, a children’s writer and frequent contributor to this blog, took the photos in this post in June and July 2025.

Lofotr (L), Norway (N). Birka (B), Stockholm (St), Sweden (S), Denmark (D).

My husband and I visited Scandinavia in 2025. Targeting natural wonders and the Viking Age of over a thousand years ago led us to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. We spent a month seeing and doing what we wanted most, to make the most out of our roundtrip flights overseas, because I try to minimize non-essential flying and its eco-damage.

I wrote earlier posts about the natural wonders we saw. About the Vikings, this post, Part 1, is about visiting two former Viking sites, Lofotr in Norway and Birka in Sweden. Part 2 will appear next week.

In Scandinavia, like in any land where earlier cultures once thrived, layers of dirt are layers of history. Modern farmers working in their fields have literally struck gold—in buried Viking treasures. In museums that display such artifacts, every single staff guide we met was a young, passionate archeologist.

LOFOTR, NORWAY

As described in an earlier blog post about Norway’s far north Lofoten Islands, the Lofotr Viking Museum is the archeological site where the longest Viking longhouse ever found once stood. A replica of it, a museum, and the historic harbor site form the Lofotr Viking Museum.  

Our costumed guide for a tour of the longhouse said that such a big farmstead would have been the seat of power of a mighty chieftain. His name might have been Ulv, also referred to as Olaf in different texts. Ulv and Olaf do sound similar to me, especially if I imagine speaking with my mouth full of hearty Viking porridge.

More importantly, I learned that he might have been the same man as in the Icelandic saga that begins with, “There was a man named Ulv…” No way! I had just read this saga, Egil’s Saga, in which Ulv was Egil’s grandfather. Was I standing where he once did, where the story started? Something shifted in the reality around me. Ulv, and therefore his son, and grandson Egil, were part Sami, the local native people. Ulv’s son left Norway for Iceland, where Egil was born.

Longhouse, diagram and model.

The above diagram of the enormous 83-meter (~270-feet) longhouse stone foundation and post holes shows five main rooms: from left to right, the living area, entrance room with the front door at the bottom and the back door at the top, banquet hall, storage room, and livestock barn. In the above model, the doors and cows give an idea of the scale.

The barn space in the longhouse replica.

In the above photo of the barn portion of the replica, the emergency exit door, added to meet modern safety requirements, helps to picture how imposingly tall the longhouse was. In the banquet room, costumed staff cooked stew on the central hearth fire and served it with mead to wash it down. In the living area, craftspersons made period shoes and wove cloth.

The inside of a longhouse might have smelled like food, such as simmering herbs and meat, and hearth fire smoke mixed with the body odor of numerous people and the scents emanating from horses, cows, and sheep.

Chieftain and wife.

In the museum building, mannequins were dressed like the chieftain and his wife might have been. Also on display were artifacts found in the excavation of the former longhouse foundation, its refuse heap outside the back wall, and nearby graves and other sites: for example, tools and weapons, glass and pottery shards, and jewelry, locally made or imported. Powerful, wealthy Vikings were buried with their possessions.

When done indoors, we started walking downhill toward the harbor to see Viking ship replicas and get a feel for the former farm. But we gave up because even though the hours-long lashing rain has stopped, the wind was so cold it felt like it was slicing my eyeballs, and so strong it nearly knocked me off my feet. Would a Viking woman have toughed it out?

BIRKA, SWEDEN

From a boat dock in Stockholm, a 2-hour boat ride into vast Lake Mälaren took us to Birka, the site of Sweden’s “first city” or town. Founded on a small island during the 750s, within 100 years it had become the most important Swedish Viking trading post for northern Europe and a base for raids to the east.

During our boat ride, a costumed archeologist told Viking history tales as we sailed past their setting.

With only three and a half hours on the island before boarding the boat back, we decided to catch the earliest guided, outdoor walking tour.

Reconstructed villagers' boat.

This gave us time before the tour to stroll through the reconstructed Viking village that existed at the same time as the town of Birka, chat with resident goats and chickens, and watch docents lead kids craft activities.  

On the hour-long guided tour in steady, light rain, we walked through some of the 1,600+ Viking Age burial mounds, past an ancient fortress and adjacent garrison site, and in sight of Black Earth, the black soil from the former town fireplaces.

Over 1,000 people lived in Birka, many of them craftspersons and traders, either freemen or slaves. The craftsmen—bronze casters, weavers, comb and shoe makers…—lived with their family in houses near the docks. Many were immigrants from other parts of Europe, based on the materials and designs they used. The traders got rich, importing Arabic silver, beads from India, Yemen, Byzantium, and the Caucasus, ceramics, silk, spices, glass… in exchange for iron, horns, fur, skins, cloth, birds of prey, and slaves.

Comb.

The above comb is intact, which is rare. It was made from different antlers.

Smoothing stone and board.

To “iron” their clothes, the Vikings rubbed the above green glass “smoothing stone” over fabric laid on the whalebone “smoothing board.” The resulting heat would make the fabric shiny and smooth. The above stone, board, and comb, found at Birka, are now displayed in the Viking World exhibition in Stockholm.

 In the Birka museum rooms, we saw portraits in images and words of two men and two women who were buried at Birka in the 8^th, 9^th and 10^th century, some artifacts found during grave or Black Earth excavations, and some replicas.

Birka was part of a northern European trade network. Traveling was easier on water than land, so people, goods, and ideas came together in harbors. Many different languages would have been spoken on the docks. Different cultures and religions were represented in Birka, a cosmopolitan Viking town.

Note: Part 2  of On the Viking Trail will post next week.

 

 

A PEEK AT THE GILDED AGE: History Museum in Saratoga Springs, NY

Inside the Saratoga Springs History Museum. 

In the 1870s and 1880s, people came to Saratoga Springs in upstate New York for the sparkling water that gives the city its name, and for the horse races, gambling, and thriving social life in the elegant hotels that lined the main street. Today the grand hotels of Saratoga Springs' Gilded Age are gone, but the city is still a popular vacation center known for its racetrack and beautiful surrounding countryside. 

John Morrisey built the racetrack that made the area famous.

Depictions of horses and horse racing can be seen throughout the town.

Entrance to the Saratoga Springs History Museum.

What was once a gambling casino for the rich and famous now houses the Saratoga Springs History Museum where you can see mementos from the past and learn more about some of the people who are part of the city’s history.

Skidmore College building in downtown Saratoga Springs. (The main campus is just outside of town.)

In mid-May when we were in Saratoga Springs for our grandson’s graduation from Skidmore College, we visited the History Museum, located in Congress Park near the center of town.

Our tour of the ballroom, bar, and reception areas of the Casino.

At the entrance to the museum we purchased tickets to see the exhibits. As it happened, we were just in time for a tour of the ballroom area adjacent to the casino. Our guide was an extremely knowledgeable museum volunteer.

Stained glass decorations in the ballroom.

Ballroom ceiling.

The ballroom is not always open for public view because it is a popular wedding and party venue. We were lucky that we happened to be there between events. The rooms are truly impressive and it is easy to imagine ladies in long elegant dresses and gentlemen in formal suits dancing and conversing with one another.

Exhibits on the main floor of the museum.

When the tour of the ballroom ended we were free to visit the rest of the museum on our own. This included a room on the main floor next to the gift shop, plus two floors of exhibits upstairs. Here are a just few of the items I found most intriguing.

Bicycles like this one were popular in the 1890s.

An elegant way to travel was in a personal hand carried sedan chair like this one.

Roulette wheel in the card room. At the Casino, men came to make business deals, gamble, and socialize with their peers.

Hand-cut silhouette artwork was popular in the 19th century.

Steep stairs lead to the upper floors of the museum.

When we finished our visit to the history museum, we went for a walk in Congress Park on our way to lunch at one of the many local restaurants. A few weeks later, when the summer racing season began, crowds of horse enthusiasts would pour into town, just as they did every summer more than one hundred years ago. Our visit to the museum helped us imagine what it might have been like back then.

Models like these display the elegant clothing of the Gilded Age.

THE LIBERTY BELL, BEN FRANKLIN, and More: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Liberty Bell, cast in 1753 by John Pass and John Stow for the Pennsylvania State House

In honor of our country's 250th birthday, I am republishing this post from 2014 about my visit to Philadelphia, home of the Declaration of Independence.

The Liberty Bell, with its famous crack, has long been a symbol of the American Revolution. But contrary to popular belief, there is no evidence that the Liberty Bell rang on July 4, 1776, to proclaim independence. However, it did ring on many other occasions and was used to summon members of the Pennsylvania Assembly and to announce noteworthy events. It last rang in 1846 to celebrate the birthday of George Washington.

Independence Hall

In June 2014 Art and I spent the weekend in Philadelphia at a family celebration and had the opportunity to visit the Liberty Bell and other sites around Independence Mall. The wealth of historic sites reminded me how central Philadelphia was to the early history of the United States. A map inside the Liberty Bell Center shows dozens of important sites–Independence Hall, the Benjamin Franklin Museum, Betsy Ross’ House, Christ Church and the Christ Church Burial Ground, Mikvah Israel Congregation (the oldest continuous synagogue in the United States), the Franklin Mint, the new National Constitution Center, to name a few.  We visited the historic area on a Sunday morning, which had the advantage of being cooler and less crowded.

Part of historic Philadelphia

My last visit to Philadelphia was fifteen years ago and I remember going inside Independence Hall and seeing where the Continental Congress first met.  Now, in order to go inside, one has to get a ticket (which is free) and stand in line for a tour (which we didn’t do because of our limited time, although we did walk through the grounds.) On my last visit, the Liberty Bell was housed in a small building by itself.  Now it is part of a large visitor center filled with exhibits about the bell and the concept of freedom, focusing on the fight to end slavery and for equal rights for all citizens of the United States.

Exhibits in the Liberty Bell visitor center about the Pennsylvania Abolition Society.=

If you go to Philadelphia, it’s hard to avoid Benjamin Franklin. You can see where he lived, where he worked, and where he is buried.  His name is everywhere from the Franklin Mint to Franklin Court behind the Ben Franklin Museum.  Even the chairs in the lobby at the Westin Hotel where we stayed were decorated with his image.

Coins for good luck are strewn across Benjamin Franklin's Grave

Born in 1706 in Boston, Benjamin Franklin moved to Philadelphia as a young man, where he lived until is death in 1790 at the age of 84. Among his many accomplishments are that he founded the Philadelphia Library, invented the Franklin stove, was the first to utilize electricity, was the postmaster of Philadelphia, and a delegate to the Continental Congress. At his grave site in the Christ Church Cemetery there are two plaques.  One lists important dates in his long life.  The other has three quotes about him.  My favorite is by French writer Anne-Robert-Jacques Turgot who wrote: “He tore from the skies the lightning and from tyrants the scepter.” (1779)

This trip made me realize that I need to go back to Philadelphia when I have more time so I can do justice to all the fascinating history in the city.  

Plaque at Christ Church Cemetery with famous quotes about Benjamin Franklin

This article was first published 7/7/14

All text and photographs copyright Caroline Arnold.

TANG MUSEUM OF ART, SKIDMORE COLLEGE, Saratoga Springs, NY

Ceramic piece by Kathy Butterly, Assume Yes Exhibit at the Tang Museum, Skidmore, College.

On the campus of Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, stands a large angular building, the Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery. Its stated purpose is to “awaken the community to the richness and diversity of the human experience through the medium of art.” The museum mounts twelve exhibitions each year and students are often involved in the curatorial process. It is an impressive resource for the students at Skidmore as well as for the wider community.

A long walkway leads to the entrance of the Tang Museum.

Tang Museum of Art

Fringe, by Oliver Frontini. Senior Thesis Exhibit.

I visited the Tang Museum in May, on graduation weekend when the senior thesis exhibition featuring works by graduating art majors occupied one of the main floor galleries. A large sculptural piece by Oliver Frontini, dominated the lobby. It was the Outstanding Senior Thesis award winner.

Student work spanned a wide range of media--painting, photography, textiles, sculpture, metalwork and more.

Metalwork. Senior Thesis Exhibit.

Woven textiles. Senior Thesis Exhibit.

In the other main floor gallery Kathy Butterly's inventive ceramic pieces were scattered across large table-height platforms, each piece glowing like a large jewel. None of them are more than a foot tall, but by giving each of them their own space they didn't feel overwhelmed by the large room. Each one had its own personality.

Ceramics by Kathy Butterly.

  

Ceramics by Kathy Butterly.

Ceramics by Kathy Butterly.

More exhibits were in the upstairs galleries. Here is a sample of some of the pieces that caught my eye.

All These Growing Things exhibit.

Alewife, 2014. By Alexis Rockman. The Alewife is one of a few species of fish that can live in both fresh and saltwater.

View of second floor galleries.

"Rug"

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM, LONDON: A Few of Our Favorites

Diplodocus dinosaur skeleton in front of the Natural History Museum, London.

On our recent trip to London, the Natural History Museum was our first stop. The museum is enormous and you can’t possibly see it all in one visit. And even if you do have time, it is best to decide which things to focus on. Our main goal was to see the exhibit of the winners of the yearly photography competition—100 photos selected from more than 4000 entries. We also wanted to revisit some of our favorite parts of the museum.

Blue whale skeleton in Hintze Hall.

We walked to the museum from our hotel near the South Kensington tube stop and entered at the East Gate, where we followed a path through the Evolution Garden to get to the Central Entrance. The museum is free, but we had to line up to go through security. Once inside, the giant skylit space of Hintze Hall loomed before us, with a huge whale skeleton hanging overhead and a grand staircase leading up to a statue of Charles Darwin.

Art with Statue of Charles Darwin.

After paying our respects to Darwin, we stopped at the information booth to pick up a map and get directions to the photo exhibit. The map divides the museum into four color coded zones. We focused on the Green Zone which includes birds, the wildlife photographer of the year gallery, fossil marine reptiles, and treasures of the museum, where we saw the fossil skeleton of Archaeopteryx, the first bird.

Caroline with fossil of giant sea reptile collected by Mary Anning.

On our way to the photo exhibit we passed by the amazing display of fossil skeletons of giant marine reptiles, many of them collected by Mary Anning in the nineteenth century. During the Dinosaur Age the oceans teemed with these huge reptiles.

Wild Photographer of the Year Gallery.

The Wildlife Photographer of the Year photo exhibit requires a ticket, which we purchased at the entrance. Each photo in the exhibit was backlighted so that it glowed in the partially darkened room and was accompanied by a label with the title, photographer’s name and other pertinent information. What surprised me was not only the diversity of the subjects and locations where they were shot, but the variety of cameras—ranging from specially designed equipment to a simple iPhone.

Photo of moth camouflaged against tree bark--taken with an iPhone.

Having worked with photographers on many of my books, I know how hard it is to get just the right shot. I appreciated a quote mounted on one wall of the exhibit: It is vital to be patient and wait for the moment that completes the story you are trying to tell, even if it takes hours or days or weeks, or sometimes even years. (Akansha Sood Singh, natural history filmmaker)

Models of two dodos. Extinct since 1681 due to overhunting, habitat loss and predation by other animals.

The exit from the photo exhibit was through the museum gift shop where it was possible to buy postcards and books of the images in the exhibit. We then visited the bird room in search of the Archaeopteryx fossil but got sidetracked by a case full of birds that have gone extinct, including the dodo, which once lived on a remote island in the Indian Ocean. Although we found a cast of Archaeopteryx in the bird room, we learned that the actual fossil, one of the most valuable items in the museum’s collection, was upstairs in the room of treasures. So we trudged up the stairs to find it.\

Fossil of Archaeopteryx embedded in limestone. You can see impressions of feathers attached to the wings.

After viewing Archaeopteryx and the other museum treasures it was time to sit down and have some refreshments, which we did in the Central Café behind the stairwell on the main floor. We had seen many of our favorites and been inspired by the photo exhibit. We’ll come back another day to see more.

Main entrance to the Natural History Museum, London.