Day One Hundred Forty Six May 31

Welcome to Visby and the rain from Finland is back.

Upon approaching the town, several Gotland Ferries are in port. On closer inspection as a Gotland Ferry passes our ship I notice they are powered by LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas). The way of the furture for all ships, maybe.

The town of Visby is located on the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

A long pier greets us as we approach the port early that day. By my estimates the shuttle bus provided for guests is at least 1,000 meters away. The security gate prevents the shuttle bus from being any closer.

The distance into town is approximately 1.4 kilometers but again with the rain it is best to take the bus into town. The surrounding town walls built in the 13th and 14th century are 3.4 kilometers long. The ground towers totaling twenty-seven and the hanging towers totaling nine are well preserved. You must continue to be aware of narrow cobblestone streets as lorries and cars still use them.

Our first stop is St. Mary's Cathedral dating back to the 12th century. A separate room inside the cathedral provides visitors with several impressive stain glass windows.

You can find the ruins of twelve churches inside the village many abandoned during the reformation in the 16th century.

The Gotland Museum was also on our list providing a respite to the rain. Here we were able to learn the history of the island as well as see items from archeological digs which included a 7,000-year-old stone axe.

The main square encompasses restaurants that must be crowded during summer days but not days like today.

The constant rain persists so it back to the ship before all aboard at 16:30.

We say hejda (goodbye) to Sweden and sail towards Ronne (Bornholm), Denmark 221 nautical miles away.