Neil Hopcroft

A digital misfit

Memories

Tram cake

Every year there is a “Tram Day” celebration on the Stockholm vintage tram – the tram cafe serves a tram cake.

Walpurgis Night

Walpurgis Night is a big celebration in Sweden – with the celebrations being broadcast live from Skansen.

Ballingsta runestone

Upplands 855“inki-… [a]uk : iuker [:] þau : litu : raisa * stain : þina : a[t] * ais[t *] sun * sin : ernfastr * auk * þaiR * (b)ryþr * raist[u] * at * bru… …”“Inge-… och Jogard de läto resa denna sten efter Est, sin son. Ärnfast och bröderna reste (den) efter […]

Västeråker rune stones

Outside the church at Västeråker are a couple of rune stones. Then a few more across the countryside nearby. Upplands 847:“Åsger och Gislög lät resa denna sten efter sina två söner, Ådjärv och Slode. Åsmund högg rätta runor för den som skall tyda. Åsmund … ristade.” Upplands 846:“Jovurfast, …-fast, Vigunn, de lät [rista] dessa [runor] efter sin […]

Gamla Uppsala again

We took another trip to Gamla Uppsala. This time just before Walpurgis Night so there was a big bonfire being built – Uppsala is one of the main centres for the Walpurgis celebrations in Sweden.

Fasterna gravefield

Just down the road from Mörby borgruin is an ancient gravefield.“This cemetery consists of 125 graves and dates from the late Iron Age (500-1100AD). The people who buried their dead here lived at a settlement situated somewhere close to the cemetery”