…. From here indeed

Shall we strike terror in the Swede;

And here a city, by our labor

Founded, shall gall our haughty neighbor;

Thus declared Pushkin’s character in The Bronze Horseman, written in 1833 about the founding of the city of St. Petersburg by Peter the Great in 1703. The quote is indicative of the degree of suspicion and hostility that had plagued the Baltic since the 11th century.

By the end of the 12th century the Swedes were building a string of fortresses along their Baltic coast. Among these was the great round keep or “kastal” which became the nucleus of Kalmar Castle.

The castle was built on a promontory or holm (in Swedish “kalm”) and a similar tower was built on the island of Oland across the strait. Oland is now connected to the mainland by a six-kilometer (3.7 miles) long bridge – the longest in Europe.

The towers did not make the settlements in the area impervious to attack. The Icelandic bard Snorre Sturlason (1178-1241) who visited Sweden in 1219 tells of the Norwegian king Sigurd Jorsalfare who ravaged the “merchant town of Kalmar” in 1123, forcibly converting the inhabitants to Christianity and levying heavy taxes.

By the 16th century the castle was dilapidated and its defensive arrangements obsolete. Gustav Vasa (1496-1560) who became King of Sweden in 1523 immediately set about importing skilled craftsmen who equipped the castle with a strong outer system of ramparts with bastions at the corners.

The moat was widened, a new drawbridge was built and the buildings around the inner courtyard were strengthened. Gustav Vasa’s two elder sons, Erik (king 1560-69) and Johan 111 (king 1569-92) continued the rehabilitation of the castle. During their reigns the emphasis was placed on the adornment of the interior and Kalmar Castle became a Renaissance palace with costly decorations in the spirit of the age.

In August 1611 during the Kalmar War the town was razed to the ground and the castle surrendered to the Danes.

In March 1613 the Swedes regained possession of the castle and in 1629, following a visit to Kalmar, King Gustavus Adolphus began restoring the castle to its former glory. In 1647 the town was again razed – this time by fire – and it was decided to move the whole settlement away from the vicinity of the castle.

By the 18th century Swedish territory had expanded considerably to the south and Kalmar and its castle lost its pivotal importance as “the key to the kingdom”. This once splendid palace of imperial Sweden became successively a government warehouse, the country jail and  in the reign of Gustav 111 – a Crown distillery. The state apartments were used as granaries and most of the glorious decorations were destroyed.

In 1810 a local Bishop proposed the demolition of Kalmar Castle, but luckily there was a growing realization that this ancient monument was of great value and should be saved from destruction.

Restoration began in the 1850s, but due to lack of funds a fullblown renovation had to wait until 1919. When the work was completed in 1939 the castle was once again surrounded by its water-filled moat with drawbridge and the courtyard was painted with imitation freestone blocks as it had been at the end of the 16th century. Where possible the apartments were restored to their former Renaissance glory.

During the latest refurbishments, which were completed in 1980, a few new features were added including a 17th-century altarpiece replicated after the Flemish painter Cornelis de Vos (1584-1651) on loan from the National Gallery in Stockholm.

When in Kalmar, a visit to the Kalmar County Museum is essential, for here you’ll find a permanent exhibition of artifacts from the Royal Ship Kronan.

Built in Stockholm between 1665 and 1672 the Kronan was 60 meters (197ft) in length with a main mast measuring 50 meters (164ft) above the water line. Her estimated displacement was 2,140 metric tons. The armament consisted of 126 cannons on three decks. Almost twice as big as the Royal Ship Wasa, which sank in Stockholm harbor in 1628, the Kronan was then the third largest ship afloat.

On May 30th, 1676, the Kronan turned sharply in a strong gale to face her enemy the Danish-Dutch fleet in the waters between the mainland and the island of Oland. None of her sails had been taken in and when she was heaved over by the wind the sea gushed through the open gun ports on the lower deck. What was probably a broken lantern ignited the powder magazine and a tremendous explosion blew away the entire starboard side and part of the stern. The Kronan sank very quickly. Of the 842 on board only 42 survived.

Unlike the Wasa, the Kronan lay too deep – 26 meters (85ft) – for salvage at the time. The artifacts have been well preserved by the less corrosive brackish waters of the Baltic and furnish us with a remarkably accurate picture of life for the 17thcentury mariner. History indeed runs deep in Kalmar.

Bruce Burnett, has won four Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Gold awards for travel journalism. Read more of Bruce Burnett’s writing on his websites:

1. globalramble.com/ globalramble.com/

2. bruceburnett.ca/ bruceburnett.ca/

3. herbalcuisine.com/ herbalcuisine.com/

The Grand Canyon Skywalk, a massive glass walkway that perches almost a mile over the Colorado River, recently opened in Arizona. The unique horseshoe-shaped Glass Bridge reaches 70 feet from the Grand Canyon’s edge and provides the vertical view down from the canyon rim. Located 120 miles east of Las Vegas, Nevada, the Grand Canyon Skywalk Glass Bridge was built by the Hualapai Tribe to provide a one-of-a-kind Grand Canyon experience and to make money from the tourists who will flock to this attraction. The grand opening was March 20, 2007, a week earlier than planned. Several special guests including Buzz Aldrin and elders of the Hualapai Tribe took the first steps on the new structure.

Is the Skywalk Safe?

Over three times higher than the Empire State Building, the Glass Bridge was constructed with over one million pounds of steel and is built to withstand the weight of 71 fully-loaded Boeing 747 planes (over 71 million pounds). The Skywalk was engineered to withstand winds of over 100 miles per hour from eight directions.

Engineers also took earthquakes into consideration when designing the Grand Canyon Skywalk. The structure was built to last through an earthquake of up to 8.0 on the Richter scale within the surrounding 50 miles of the Grand Canyon.

Grand Canyon Controversy

The opening of the Grand Canyon Skywalk has reignited the controversy surrounding the commercialism of the Grand Canyon, one of nature’s greatest wonders.

The primary arguments against the new attraction are:

Some people believe it to be an eye-sore
Conservationists believe that the Skywalk is turning one of the world’s greatest natural wonders into a commercial tourist attraction
Others feel that the Skywalk devalues the cultural and historical values of the Grand Canyon and the Hualapai Tribe
Critics question how the Tribe will support these resorts and attractions with the currently limited infrastructure (there’s currently no sustainable water, sewer, trash, telephone, or electrical service in the area)

Supporters of the Grand Canyon Skywalk say that the new attraction is simply a novel way for tourists to experience the Grand Canyon like never before and an effective way for the Huapalai Tribe to earn more on the land. They believe that the new Grand Canyon West development will be good for the local economy.

Grand Canyon West

The Glass Bridge is only one piece of a 6,000 square-foot development called Grand Canyon West that includes a visitors’ center, gift shop, and a restaurant. It’ll cost you $25 to see the Grand Canyon from this unusual perspective.

The Huapalai Tribe is a steward of the lands of the Grand Canyon. They have plans to build hotels, additional shopping, and a golf course near the Glass Bridge in the future. Part of their master plan includes adding cable cars to transport tourists from canyon rim to the Colorado River (inside the Grand Canyon). Pontoon boat tours, raft rides, and low-flying airplane and helicopter tours are also in their plans.

Sheri Keyser is the Founder and CEO of gosightsee.com” target=”new GoSightsee.com, a travel website that provides you with insider travel tips on sightseeing destinations, vacation planning resources, and travel deals.

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Planning a vacation can be a fun but stressful event. Booking a complete travel package can not only reduce your stress, but also save you a lot of money. Here are some useful tips as you consider whether booking a vacation package is your best option for your next getaway.

1. Plan early. Plan and book your vacation as soon as possible to avoid any sudden bookings of groups and other travelers at the same time and to ensure that your travel preferences are still available.

2. Customize your travel package. Most travel packages have plenty of options and are customizable. So see which features are attractive to you and try get the best deal for your buck.

3. Select your travel agent wisely. Not all travel agents are the same. And some can package better than others due to enhanced computers and software, more experience, more creativity, company expense budgets, etc. So shop around and compare rates and package features. Get references from friends and family members.

4. Confirm availabilty. Be certain your package dates and locations are available before running off with the beautiful brochure to show everyone. Because before you buy your new travel clothes, the trip may have already been cancelled. So check first. Plan later.

5. Reserve direct flights when possible. Look for non-stop flights and alternate land-travel route. Plus and carry along maps and extra travel goodies (snacks, change of clothes, medications, batteries, extra funds…) for unexpected layovers and detours.

6. Evaluate other options. Check for possible combinations like staying an extra day, traveling with a rental car for half the time only, ditching it when you reach your hotel, etc.

7. Look for ways to save money. (Vacations always cost more than you expect.) Always, always, always ask for discounts. See if there are coupon books, travel guides with possible coupons, two-for-one deals…anything and everything.

8. Share the costs. If you find a great package that’s a bit costly for you, see if you can find a couple of relatives or friends who may want to go along, too, and split the costs. Or ask your travel agent to help you locate travelers to share the package with, splitting the costs. You may be able to place a classified ad or post of forums, too. Check into your options.

9. Find your niche. Some travel companies specialize in packages targeted at certain niche groups like seniors, women, singles, etc. And you get extra goodies like a travel pack with samples, snacks, coupons, gaming tokens and more. So check around and get on their mailing lists for upcoming specials.

10. And of course, have fun and go with the flow! Vacations don’t always go as planned, but if there is a mix-up, do your best to enjoy it anyway. Remember, a bad day on vacation is ALWAYS better than a good day at work!

Dawn Orbeck is a former technical professional who now enjoys more time with her family as a home-based entrepreneur. As a member of Coastal Vacations, Dawn and her family enjoy vacationing all over the world at significant cost savings.

Learn more about the 3 Travel Membership Packages offered through one of the leaders in the travel industry at CoastalVacations-Blog.com CoastalVacations-Blog.com or call the Coastal Vacations Sales Center at 1-800-378-1169 ID# 5802DO for more information.

Tanzania culture and adventure need not be found in the Tanzania safari, it can be found in everyday Tanzanian life.

Joshua with the enigmatic smile; Joshua sad sad Joshua. I met him in Northern Tanzania as several Pastors bickered at his fathers graveside as to who would actually conduct the service. Joshua’s father was a nice man, he loved life and drink and women. He died very quickly from the HIV/Aids in a Tanzanian State Hospital. He was not particularly a religious man but occasionally visited several churches over the years. He was not big on commitment. Each Church now claimed this lifeless carcass as theirs to bury in the fertile Tanzania ground.

The one Pastor who could lay claim to this family’s welfare kept quiet not wanting to shame himself nor the Tanzania church. It was the career pastors who bickered and whined. Life is hard in Tanzania and this was a chance for them to give a good sermon to a large audience.

I paid little attention, it was Tanzania’s dry season. I looked for my friend from Southern Tanzania on the border of Zambia – Mama Lumuli – someone to speak to in English. All the Tanzania women were covered in their colorful Kangas; pulled up over their heads. The women were anonymous, a sea of colorful printed cotton. Maybe two hundred women – I would never find her.

So, my attention was drawn to the little boy, whose fathers body was now a point of depute. His mother was still young but poor. She was uneducated, had never held a job and was unemployable. She had six boys to worry about. The women grieved and mourned for the loss of the breadwinner. There is no social state in Tanzania. The father of Joshua maybe he was not a good father, but now he was gone; six boys to feed and school, the women wailed their grief.

Joshua looked up at me. He did not have an easy future ahead of him. His mother is resourceful though and she will have to be in order that her family survive.

There is a white teacher that comes sometimes from England. Usually around Easter he comes for a week maybe two. But he never notices this family and is more interested in the building rather than the community. Everyone posing for photographs and pretending always pretending.

The white uses his magic tricks, trickery, to entertain and to teach. The children love it the adults like it too. Although some think this is evil and believe the magic to be real. This man stays in my house. I speak English and have lived for some time in U.K. I also have two bathrooms with one of them having a sit down toilet. Usually we have the squat toilets, the Americans and the British do not like to squat they like to sit.

Once a white man brought some of his family. My house was very overcrowded. One night his daughter slept in the same room as her father. It was innocent, I made sure of that. But it shocked everyone in the community; shocked them to the very marrow of their bones. A grown man to sleep with his daughter is such a big shame. So very scandalous.

I am tired. I am more interested on how do I keep young Joshua fed and alive. No more children to die, this is what I want. My very good friend, his baby died last year because he didn’t have US$50 to treat his daughter. When the white man from England found out he said he was very sorry. He was too. He liked my friends family.

I don’t want this to happen again – a child to die for the want of a few dollars. I plan to leave this small town and move to the city. I have been offered a job in another place, away from my home but the money is good. So maybe I will be forced to move my lazy bones to this strange city. Don’t get me wrong – I like the city – so it won’t be a sacrifice – but I will miss the community.

Tanzania information and Tanzania safaris and travel – for more information on the culture and travel in Tanzania see thejumapage.co.uk thejumapage.co.uk these interactive pages are for communal use. Free advise and information available from this site.