Day Two Part Two
The crossing to the next harbor, was peaceful and without events worth mentioning. The eastern wind still accompanied me, the sun came out occasionally as if to make sure that I was still safe and sound. After only five hours, I reached the harbor of Mariefred. The little village was truly beautiful, humbly lying there so close to the great castle of Gripsholm. I think it's worth mentioning now, that wherever I went, I had the smallest boat of all, a twenty feet Hydra. In Mariefred, thirty-two feet was considered small. Now, this also said something about the standard cost of living there. I am by no means, poor, or from a poor family. But being young, without a job and with a desire to live as cheap as possible to save money for the future, Mariefred was a bit too expensive for me. The dock due was thrice as high as it was on Björkö. But when I had paid it, and eaten a royal dinner consisting of mushroom flavored noodles, a carrot and a glass of simple and cold water I felt like a queen sitting there gazing at the castle on the other side of the bay. Restrengthened and in high spirits, I set out for a walk again. I went through the city to the library, the bookshop, the market, the grocery store (to buy some plastic bags), round the church, then walked by the pier to make my way to the castle. When I stood by the foot of its' walls looking up, the only thought that came to me was "oh my, I would't have wanted to be the one to build this", thinking of the house under construction I had left at home. Tearing down the roof of that house took thirty hours of work to finish. Thirty hours of work with blood, sweat and many sighs of monotony boredom. Hell, building a castle like the one before me must have felt like a never-ending task.
I kept walking. Behind a school, on the other side of a high fence, I found a forest of old oaks. Many times had I dreamt of sitting down under an oak, leaning my back against its' majestic stem, but I had never done it. So I simply hurled myself over the fence to the other side and did just that. I don't know for how long I stayed there, blinded by the setting sun and the dazzling beauty of green hills, white meadows, golden grass...
The crossing to the next harbor, was peaceful and without events worth mentioning. The eastern wind still accompanied me, the sun came out occasionally as if to make sure that I was still safe and sound. After only five hours, I reached the harbor of Mariefred. The little village was truly beautiful, humbly lying there so close to the great castle of Gripsholm. I think it's worth mentioning now, that wherever I went, I had the smallest boat of all, a twenty feet Hydra. In Mariefred, thirty-two feet was considered small. Now, this also said something about the standard cost of living there. I am by no means, poor, or from a poor family. But being young, without a job and with a desire to live as cheap as possible to save money for the future, Mariefred was a bit too expensive for me. The dock due was thrice as high as it was on Björkö. But when I had paid it, and eaten a royal dinner consisting of mushroom flavored noodles, a carrot and a glass of simple and cold water I felt like a queen sitting there gazing at the castle on the other side of the bay. Restrengthened and in high spirits, I set out for a walk again. I went through the city to the library, the bookshop, the market, the grocery store (to buy some plastic bags), round the church, then walked by the pier to make my way to the castle. When I stood by the foot of its' walls looking up, the only thought that came to me was "oh my, I would't have wanted to be the one to build this", thinking of the house under construction I had left at home. Tearing down the roof of that house took thirty hours of work to finish. Thirty hours of work with blood, sweat and many sighs of monotony boredom. Hell, building a castle like the one before me must have felt like a never-ending task.
I kept walking. Behind a school, on the other side of a high fence, I found a forest of old oaks. Many times had I dreamt of sitting down under an oak, leaning my back against its' majestic stem, but I had never done it. So I simply hurled myself over the fence to the other side and did just that. I don't know for how long I stayed there, blinded by the setting sun and the dazzling beauty of green hills, white meadows, golden grass...
I walked further into the forest, and found a steep hill of rock. I could not resist climbing it. Death was my little sister, I was mocking her playfully, balancing on the edge of all I knew. One day, she'll want her revenge, all little sisters do. But this day, I triumphed. This day, I had magic.
Suddenly I had strayed off to the edge of the forest. A wide yellow meadow swayed in front of me. In the middle of it, three shimmering crab apples grew. A bit further out I saw a rock as wide and high as I am tall. Curiosity grabbed hold of me once more. I walked there, with the grass stroking my cheeks as I made my way. I stood in front of it,but could only just make out a few letters, a few words. I had to touch it and feel the letters in order to understand the full message. The stone told me the forest, the meadow, everything I had just walked through and seen, had long ago been a garden for a now long dead king. He used to hunt deer within the area, which explained the surrounding fence.
Anyone can discover these magic places. The only thing needed is a good pair of shoes, a will to walk out the door and then just keep going. Walk to places you haven't been before. Allow the world to toss you around. Get a little bit lost.
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