One weekday morning in March after dropping off the kids for school, I went for a photo hike. The weather forecast promised sun and with freezing temperatures in the night, I wanted to capture the fight between the ice frostings and the morning sun.
First stop was Salem Kyrka, a scenic 12th century church next to a frozen lake. As I scouted out the grounds, loud shots from ice breaking up overwhelmed the background noise of cars commuting on the freeway in the distance.
The shape of the bell tower reminds me of Gargamel’s house from the Smurfs.
Salem Church was the burial place of Saint Botvid, a Viking who converted to Christianity but was slain by his slave with his own axe.
Next stop I returned to a nearby burial mound. Perched on top of a hill and with a toppled over but still living tree, I hoped for some scenic shots with long shadows and ice rimmed rocks. I was not disappointed.
As my final stop this morning, I chose an 11th century rune stone. Previous visits had the front of the stone in shadow so I wanted to come back earlier in the day. Naked branches from a nearby tree cast their shadow on the face of the stone, adding a layer of ornaments to the early Christian snake motive. The footpath disappearing into the distance and a slice of blue sky complete the shot with depth and mystery.
A pleasant morning exploring the traces of the past in the early spring at Salem near Stockholm.