Week 26

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These are shots taken "walking around the block", but I don't live in the city. I live a couple of hundred meters south of the old border between Denmark and Sweden. Around this area there are border signs here and there, but most of them were highly disputed and were moved around throughout history. The border just north of where I live was not one of the disputed ones. It consists of a little creek. At one point there are two stone slabs placed across the creek. Negotiations were held between Denmark and Sweden on this bridge in 1591, 1601 and 1603. Not much came of them. In 1591 Sweden wanted Denmark as an ally in its war against Russia but did not succeed. Instead, the two countries decided to allow free access for the other side to its marketplaces, kind of like an economic union long before the EU. In the other negotiations Sweden was irritated at Denmark for using the "Three Crowns" on some of its weapon shields. They discussed all kinds of things, but nothing of local interest. They just happened to do it here.

All these shots were taken during one walk, with a Rolleicord V and Agfa APX 100 film. The lighting was really difficult at times.
In the woods you find various signs of life and dwellings that are no more.
This is the "old" road south, E6 (Europe road nr 6). I included it because further down we will see that there was an even older one. I find it interesting to see how the lines of communication remain the same throughout the centuries.
This is the view the Swedes would have found when they arrived at Flabäck for the negotiations.
This is from the Danish side looking north over to Sweden (I like the V sign).
This is looking from the Danish side again, but you can see the road that leads up to the bridge better.
This looks like a ditch but it is part of the same road that eventually crosses the bridge. This is in the forest about a kilometer away. There is a special name for these kinds of roads: hålväg (hole/hollow road). They can be so deep that only your shoulders reach over "ground level". They have been created by centuries of travellers. This particular road is about 2000 years old according to the archeologists. They can date it based on finds that coincide with the burial mound at the top of the hill: 500 - 0 BCE.
Travelling was dangerous and there were plenty of bandits and "highway robbers" hiding out in forests like this. This one is looking straight left from the previous shot.
It will take months before someone will finally tear this "May-pole" (midsommarstång) down. I might even be able to get a shot of it when the first snow falls (if it does, it doesn't snow much around here).