(Law librarians [or if you prefer to call them information managers] use the word taxonomy now because so many collections are catalogued online and although this is basically the same as classifying books it has become a buzz word - maybe something computer boffins could understand more than the word classification!).
The drive to Hammarby was interesting passing through the rolling countryside all golden in the sunlight and harvesting well under way and we passed through tunnels when necessary; we circumvented the university town of Uppsala - more about that later - until we came upon the manor and estate now a well preserved museum and piece of living history.
Jan insisted on paying for us to have a guided tour of the manor which was interesting and very entertaining. The young tour guide, a young woman dressed in period clothing, took a group of us from room to room explaining the important features and artifacts. She was a good tour guide but did not measure up to the enormous knowledge Jan has and as the tour progressed the girl kept taking glances at Jan to see if he had more to add or a point to correct! Poor girl, Jan must have been quite an unnerving experience for her!
If you are reading the links along with this you will by now be quite well informed about the greatness of the man Linnaeus, however there is a very touching little story that I know you will enjoy if you own or like dogs. It is said that Linnaeus visited church every Sunday and his dog accompanied him. They would stay for an hour whether the preacher was finished sermonising or not and leave. The dog continued this habit even when Linnaeus had died, sitting in the usual position and with a woof after an hour would leave again. It illustrates a touching insight into the personal life of a great man.
We had a little walk on the estate after lunch and I particularly liked the barn...many of you will know that I really wanted to put a turf roof on my new shed and here is a very large barn with a turf roof! How attractive and how ecologically and environmentally sound it it is. We had a look around the gardens too but I didn't take photos - I should have, it was interesting, many species he grew I grow today in the garden. The bees were very busy.
I did photograph a little of the estate activities as they were celebrating harvest day as it would have been long ago. I like the look of the chap in his tricorn, and have a look at the long supported haystack, now they bale the hay and encase it in plastic as they do here in Britain. I've included a photo of the livestock too as I thought them rather endearing.
Haystack below.
Man in the Tricorn and animals below
Well, Jan deemed it essential to visit the cathedral in Uppsala where Linnaeus is buried and to have a look at Uppsala. I encourage you to have a look at the links as they really do give you a much better idea of the edifices and the reason for their greatness.
The organ in the cathedral is simply wonderful, very much as awe inspiring as the one in Salisbury Cathedral but I don't know how they compare in sound or age. It was an interesting visit and certainly Linnaeus was buried with most illustrious people - kings, dignitaries and saints among them. One statue of three saints puzzled me as one of the statues had no head. Jan was at a loss to explain that but suggested that to become a saint one usually has to lose something - your life or your head! Amongst all the pomp and glory there was dedicated a little space for today's children who may have found the visit to the cathedral rather tedious. In an ornate and charming alcove was a table and little chairs, some modern toys and books - including one on the history of dinosaurs!
And so we rounded the day off with an ice cream...and a parking ticket! Both Jan and Agnes believed there to be free parking and since Doug and I can hardly read Swedish we couldn't correct them - there is indeed free parking...on a SUNDAY, and it was Saturday.
