Mid-Summer in Åland

I made it safely home last week (though my luggage took five days to find me!).  For those of you who may still be wondering, here's some more photos from my last few days in Sweden.

Sunrise at 3 am 

The Lord is my Shepherd
I shall not want.
He lays me down in green pastures,
He leads me beside quiet waters,
He restores my soul.

"Fri Halsning" (unbound neck shackles) ==> "Frelsning" (modern word for salvation).
 This photo taken at a prison museum

From the turn of the 19th century. Reminds me a little of Larsson paintings.  Carl Larsson is one of my favorite artists.

"Hey Macarena!"
Entertainment onboard the ferry from Åland to Stockholm.  Not for me though.  I badly needed sleep, and had a headache. Unfortunately I did not have a room.  That very night hoards of (very drunk) teenagers were returning from an orienteering contest in Helsinki. Drinking and orienteering--what a combination. 

A view from the ferry. Houses on the archipelago outside Stockholm.

An ancient chapel in the woods (12th c.?) 

Maypole.
Being prepared for Midsommar celebrations.
There are perhaps pagan roots to this celebration, much like Christmas and Christmas trees.