Hässleholm's Military Museum

SWEDISH FACT-OF-THE-DAY:

The Vikings were seafaring traders and warriors who plundered and terrified Europe around the 11th century.

Ryan came over in the morning to join us for a day of being a "Tourist in Our Own Town." As you may recall, this is a concept that Jason Johnson relayed to me a couple of years ago from a book he had read.

The book's simple but true premise is that most of us don't take the time to explore the wonders of the places where we live our lives.

I have found that there is a lot of wonderful things to visit and people to meet in Skåne, if you just take the time to get out and explore a little bit.

We headed out to our local Hässleholm Heritage Park first. We have walked through this park at least four times a week on our way to and from practice but today our goal was to visit the Hässleholm Museum that displays artifacts from all facets of the city's history.

Heritage Park's Priest House

Meeting Place for the Ancients

Salmon Carving

I've alluded before that in this park, rather than cutting a dead tree down, an artist comes in and uses the tree as a canvas to create interesting images like this one.

It was 11:00 and to our disappointment the museum did not open until 1:00.

No problem, we just walked a little farther to another museun in town.

Hässleholms Transportation,

Technology and Military Museum

This splendid little museum also has lots of excellent exhibits.

The Old Swedish Army

T4 Regimental Ensignia

This regiment was housed in Hässleholm since the late 1800s.

Laurie badly wanted one of these

Swedish three crown buttons

That reminds me. . .

Our nephew, Tim Hicks, a University of California at San Diego graduate, leaves southern California on Sunday to start medical school at the University of Poznan in Poland.

Six years living and studying in Europe. . . hmm.

It's a shoe.

Is it on sale?

Laurie is interested

Or how about a new purse?

Ryan Bolland, Tank Commander

Batacas?

This vehicle brakes for squirrels?

These land mines aren't really operable

I think.

It's a Volvo!

Laurie's Love Tractor

Swedish Armored Fire Power

A Drill Press

A mechanized army also needs mobile work stations to make repairs. This work station vehicle had all sorts of tools relating to mettalic needs.

I think, help me here Bill Gardner.

Mobile Wood Shop Truck

Always return your tools to the right place.

The 619 Tank

Damn it!

Big Army, Big Appetites,

Big Cooking Utensils

No, not a Colts fan

The T4 Regiment was originall a cavalry regiment before the advent of the tank. Thus, you needed mobile blacksmiths who carried some of their basic tools in leather pouches like this one.

Everybody loves a fire engine!

The Original Wheel Chair

Emphasis on chair.

Dick Bellman's First Bicycle

Carl Michael Bellman may have written a drinking song about this very bicycle.

Hässleholm's Crest

As we walked back into town, Laurie, for some unknown reason, got Viking fever in her blood. She wanted to celebrate everything that we saw that was Viking related.

Like this Pizzeria Viking

She kind of looked cute in this helmet

What set her off into Viking mania today? Beats me.

Lunch. . . YUM!

After returning to Icelandia and planning some details for tomorrow's big game in Kristianstad, we joined Johan Persson for fika and a nature walk with Dexter the Dog.

Sheep grazing at Hovdala Castle

Although called a castle,

Hovdala is really more of a royal manor

Still, it is both pastoral and beautiful. This was only my second visit here, Johan brought me here with Dexter back in March when snow was on the ground and everything was closed for the winter.

Hovdala's old greenhouse

They grew oranges in here back in the day.

An apple tree

Entering Hovdala Castle

How old is this door?

This particular building was erected in 1641.

The old barn

It is now home to Hovdala's Fika Central!!!

Skåne has huge boulders everywhere,

might as well put them to good use!

The view from our fika eating table

Our fika options

It was all good, as usual.

Hovdala Castle's Barn up close

The fika is inside those widows. Horses were kept at ground level in days of yore. Those two doors at the second story level were the entrance for the hay that was to be stored, kind of like horse fika I guess.

Little Mats

Hovdala Castle belonged to a Swedish nobleman but in his day Skåne was constantly being fought over between Sweden, Denmark and the pro-Danish Snapphanar guerilla fighters that lived in Skåne.

Little Mats was a weapon found after a battle to capture the Castle that a Snapphanar left behind.

Little Mats' intricate toolwork

I just had to use my Nikon's nature setting

After fika, we drove back into Hässleholm to pick up Dexter. It was nature walk time.

We walked through a different part of the forest today and had a great conversation about our season and ideas to make the Hurricanes a better, stronger franchise in the future.

Dexter the Dog goes for a swim

I would have liked to have joined him.