Viking spirit
Do you remember when we went rowing with God a few weeks ago? And it turned out that the gods in questions were, in fact, two men dressed up as Vikings?
Although dressing up as Vikings is not really a good way of describing their way of life.
They breathe, act and live as Vikings! For the older man that you can see at the front of the boat, Viking is a way of life. He has built seven or eight copies of a thousand-year-old Viking boat that was found here some years ago. Some of his boats, like this one above, are used to take passengers around the lake. Others are made exactly to scale and are seaworthy.
Like this one, which I spotted half-hidden among the reeds. The young man (standing in the water in the first photo) has also inherited the adventurous Viking spirit. When I talked to him, they had just come back from sailing this boat to Finland. And their next adventure is sailing off to Russia.
Quite a long way when all you have is a sail and some oars. I believe the hull is made of fibre glass rather than wood, but it is still a long way to go – just sleeping out in the open or under a cover on the bottom of the boat.
Who said Vikings didn’t exist? Long live the Viking spirit!
For more adventurous spirits around the world, please visit: That’s My World!
That is so fabulous! I love it! Hooray for the adventurers and Vikings! Great shots!
Have a great week, My Lady Fi!
Sylvia
September 29, 2009 at 05:44
Long live the Vikings! That looks to be some swell in the bay, makes for rocky nights.
September 29, 2009 at 05:58
i love the first shot. the vividness and the composition is just great.
September 29, 2009 at 06:14
cheers to the adventurers!!
September 29, 2009 at 06:36
We have something like this in colonial New England in the US, but I would MUCH rather see Viking adventures, than some woman from the 1800s making cornmeal!
)
September 29, 2009 at 07:03
Maybe they should upgrade their boats a little for long journeys. Like a cabin would be nice. Things have improved somewhat since the Viking days. And in the old days, didn’t they have lots of Vikings on board, so they all rowed together and got to places faster?
September 29, 2009 at 09:56
I think the first photo looks just as if you were really back in time. I would never sail that boat across the ocean!
September 29, 2009 at 09:57
Golly- taking that boat to Russia? May they pick their season well is all I can say.
September 29, 2009 at 10:47
Believe it or not, they’re sailing there now – end of September.
September 29, 2009 at 10:58
Sailing the boat to Finnland!! Good heavens, WHY?
September 29, 2009 at 10:47
Brave or mad, can’t quite decide which….
September 29, 2009 at 11:03
WiFi: Wonderfully captured, what a fun thing to do. Everyone needs a hobby.
September 29, 2009 at 11:42
Eesh that is brave. Not sure I would be up to sailing to Russia in that, it doesn’t look thaaat sturdy.
September 29, 2009 at 12:46
Isn’t that incredible?
September 29, 2009 at 13:03
what an adventurous spirit!brave hearts and tenacity to sail the seas!
September 29, 2009 at 14:41
What an amazing hobby (I assume)! When I was in Stockholm I viewed the ship (forget the name) that was lifted from the seabed – but that ship dated from about the 1400s. Long live the Viking spirit – especially as Vikings now come in peace!
September 29, 2009 at 15:07
Great pictures and tale. I would like to see them sailing to Engalnd.
September 29, 2009 at 16:12
How great to see people not letting the old ways die out. More power to them and their ilk – or should it be elk?
September 29, 2009 at 16:59
Good to know they still survived today.
September 29, 2009 at 17:01
All the way to Russia!!? In that boot?! I think the guys crazy!
September 29, 2009 at 20:29
went to a party given by a viking now transplanted in New Zealand. He works with my husband and we talked a lot about vikings.
Re: My photo, no that is not reflection, but part of the fence.
We were lucky that we didn’t live in the concrete jungle of Singapore. We had monkeys come into our house.
September 30, 2009 at 02:35
How interesting ! I think I am half Viking too, lol !
September 30, 2009 at 07:09
That would be quite some adventure. Let the spirit of the vikings linger on for time immemorial.
September 30, 2009 at 07:16
Looks like quite an adventure, but a chilly one! I would have thought that summer would have been a better time to do this :-p
September 30, 2009 at 10:48
I am so confused! I thought Vikings were from Denmark??
Sailing in that open boat to Russia? Yikes. Are the Vikings a little crazy?
September 30, 2009 at 13:52
The Vikings came from Scandinavia: modern day Denmark, Sweden and Norway.
September 30, 2009 at 15:01
This is just fantastic. Your area seems so alive and adventuresome. I think I love that almost as much as the physical beauty.
September 30, 2009 at 15:42
Great spirit! English people always remind me of Lindisfarne, and I claim the Swedish vikings were just ordinary merchants trading with friendly people they encountered on their travels. They actually were very nice, weren’t they?
September 30, 2009 at 16:45
That sounds wonderful….sleeping under the stars the water lapping at the side of the boat….*sigh*
I’m guessing that the reality is probably very different!!
C x
September 30, 2009 at 16:58
Hi,
I have been looking around on your blog.
Do you know Swedish?
Have you been out with a boat like that?
/MB
September 30, 2009 at 22:09
Quite a hobby that fellow has!
October 1, 2009 at 00:05
I love the adventure! Have you ever read the book “Dove?” If not, I bet you’d love it. I told Bo she has to fit this one in somewhere soon. What a SAILING story!
October 1, 2009 at 03:10
I’m astonished that these people have maintained their legacy. It’s so cool.
October 1, 2009 at 06:10
It always amazes me when people live “outside” the norm! Long live the Vikings! (But not their more violent aspects!)
October 1, 2009 at 14:05
Sailing to Finland with that? They are crazy! Unless they are real vikings of the cold seas.
October 1, 2009 at 14:52
Wow! I thought I had an adventurous spirit. I love boats, but there is no way I would take that boat into the ocean for anything! Good luck to them for living their dream!
October 1, 2009 at 22:05
I admire these men. Long live the Viking spirt.
October 4, 2009 at 03:35
They are indeed full of spirit! We have a Football Team named after them..I do like your Vikings better tho..the boats are so minimal, what an adventure!
October 4, 2009 at 20:14
That’s ausome what there doing I’m going to make a toy boat out of wood
November 4, 2010 at 02:36