I’m at Medeltidsveckan in Visby, Gotland. It’s week 32. Every year since 1984, for one week all of Visby with its scenic city walls transforms into a gigantic playground for adults and kids who dress out and have fun immersing themselves in all things vaguely medieval.
This year I’m bringing the entire family. Plus my childhood friend with whom I explored the festival with for the first time last year. People have fun, people enjoy themselves, and people come back for more.
There are concerts, events, and a medieval market place to explore. Besides just hanging out with new and old friends at the seafront, in a medieval themed camp or in one of the many places that serve food and drink.
At the concert with medieval rockband Koenix from Switzerland we jump, shout, and dance together with a crowd of all ages. Pillars of fire light up the ruins and chase away a few pigeons made homeless for one night.
I treat the wife and kids to the tournament spectacle and enjoy the cheering crowd from a cosy grass knoll overlooking the sea.
Captured in the hull of The Red Herring we look behind every painting, lift every trinket and pull out every drawer to find clues that will help us identify the real murderer before we are hanged for a murder we didn’t commit.
We stay somewhere northeast of town and drive to the festival daily. On the way we explore a little bit more of the amazing island of Gotland. At the dramatic coastline where wind and water tear away at the limestone cliff we discover rauks, free standing pillars twisted into fairytale creatures.
We stop at scenic harbours and imagine them as Viking age settlements. Remnants of fortifications and burial sites lay dotted along the coastline. Impressive stone churches in each and every small village witness of former glory and riches.
We buy locally produced smoked fish and potatoes and enjoy a tasty meal on the porch with a view of open sky over ripe yellow fields and patches of trees.
I’ve brought my latest games, Gotlandia, Holmgang, and Draw, stranger! and we play them here and there. I test them out on people I meet to practice my pitch and to have fun. We have fun.
My youngest brought her costume and takes to the event as a fish in water. Dressed as a humanoid fox creature she sweeps up friends as the rest of us can only dream of. You don’t need to dress out. But clearly people who do have more fun.
The weather throws the occasional showers and strong winds at the festival this year but nothing that stops this tsunami of a party.
We are here for a few days more. Enjoy the pictures or come join us in Visby.
Lovely!