Viking Age Scandinavia
Sweden, Denmark & Norway
August 6 – 22, 2012
17 Days
Led by Prof. Kenneth W. Harl, Tulane University

This distinctive tour places the Viking Age in the wider context of European history, and in Scandinavian history from the Bronze Age to today. Foremost are the fabulous ship museums of Roskilde and Oslo housing the dreaded, sleek longships, which enabled Vikings to dominate warfare and trade for three centuries, and the cargo vessels that allowed for the colonization of Iceland and voyages to Greenland and North America. The tour includes visits to the national museums of Stockholm, Copenhagen, and Oslo and celebrated archaeological sites as well as travel through Scandinavia’s spectacular and varied landscape that shaped life in the Viking Age. Other highlights are the market towns Birka and Sigtuna from whence Vikings trekked to Russia and Constantinople, rune stones celebrating legendary Sigurd and Brynhild who still live on in poetry, novels, and opera, the great mounds and sanctuary at Gamla Uppsala (where animals and humans were sacrificed to appease the gods Odin, Thor, and Frey), the Medieval town Visby, the burials of the first Danish kings at Jelling, the superbly constructed camps of Danish warriors at Fyrkat and Trelleborg and the hall excavated at Lejre that is the Hereot of Beowulf and the Hleidr of Norse legend. We shall stand where Beowulf wrestled with the monster Grendel, and where the heroes of Hrolf Kraki made their famed last stand against the hordes conjured up by the jealous god Odin. Through the archaeological sites, objects and landscape, Norse gods and Viking heroes will once again come alive on this tour.

Monday, August 6: Independent departures from our home cities.

Tuesday, August 7: STOCKHOLM: Our tour begins this evening with an introductory lecture by Professor Harl followed by dinner. Scandiv Grand Hotel.
Meals: Dinner

Wednesday, August 8: STOCKHOLM: Our touring today will begin at the Historiska Muséet (The Museum of National Antiquities), which has an excellent Viking gallery providing an introduction to our subject as well as a fabulous gold room. We then continue to the Vasamuséet home to the Vasa warship built in 1628 and sunk on its maiden voyage. We will walk through the old town known as Gamla Stan, which is comprised of the original site of Stockholm, its law courts, and the Swedish Parliament buildings. Strolling along cobblestone streets lined with uniquely shaped houses, we stop to visit the Great Church, used for royal weddings and coronations, the Great Square, scene of the “Stockholm Bloodbath,” and other historic buildings as well as the new Medeltidsmuseum, where the ruins of medieval Stockholm have been incorporated into an underground exhibition.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Thursday, August 9: STOCKHOLM: We will spend this full day out of Stockholm beginning with Gamla Uppsala where touring will include the three huge royal burial mounds which legend attributes to kings Aun, Egil and Adlis. The beautiful Gamla Uppsala kyrka stands over the site of a great temple, where it is believed that sacrifices to the Norse gods, Thor, Frey and Odin took place. Legend and history intertwine as we visit tinghög (parliament hill) and the Gamla Uppsala Historical Centre which displays the gorgeous artifacts from the excavated mounds. In the modern city of Uppsala we will visit Domkyrkan, Sweden’s largest cathedral and the manuscript room of the University Library. We will return to Stockholm via Sigtuna, an old town renowned for Sweden’s oldest street along which we shall visit the impressive ruins of two twelfth century churches and several rune stones.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Friday, August 10: STOCKHOLM: We will spend this full day on the island of Björkö visiting the Viking town of Birka, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Founded in 750 CE, Birka, benefiting from its strategic location, was an important Viking trading center until its gradual disappearance in 975 when the island of Gotland and Sigtuna took over the Russia-Byzantine trade.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Saturday, August 11: STOCKHOLM: This morning touring will include the Ramsund carvings depicting several sagas about Sigurd, and the Vasteras museum, which houses a female burial in the form of a Viking boat grave from nearby Tuna. The boat is beautifully preserved and her jewelry is also on display. Lastly, we visit Anundshög, the largest royal burial mound in Sweden and standing stones arranged to represent two ships and a rune stone. We return to Stockholm in time to enjoy a few hours at leisure, or to visit Stockholm’s art and history museums.
Meals: Breakfast

Sunday, August 12: VISBY: A morning flight brings us to the ancient Baltic island of Gotland. We will spend our day exploring Visby, its historic building and the fabulous Gotlands Fornsal Museum. Most notable among the museum’s displays is the Hall of Picture Stones, large keyhole-shaped stones richly decorated in runic inscriptions, people, animals and ships, and the Viking Treasury. This amazing collection includes a hoard of unique gold and silver treasures brought from as far away as Central Asia and Persia. This charming town will make a delightful place for an evening stroll. Best Western Strand Hotel Visby.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Monday, August 13: COPENHAGEN: An early ferry brings us back to the mainland coast and a scenic drive to Copenhagen. We will stop en route at Lund to see its magnificent Cathedral, considered to be a masterpiece of Romanesque architecture. We then cross into Denmark via the Öresund bridge which brings us directly into Copenhagen. Marriott Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Tuesday, August 14: COPENHAGEN: We will visit two museums this morning, beginning with the National Museum, which displays material covering Danish prehistory, most notably the Gundestrup cauldron, the Trundholm chariot and an amazing series of Bronze Age coffined burials as well as collections of Near Eastern and Classical antiquities and coins. Its ethnographical galleries of non-European cultures are among the most important in the world. The imposing building that houses the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek was designed by Dahlerup in 1897 and houses the largest collection of ancient art in Northern Europe, including a 5,000-year-old hippopotamus sculpture from Egypt. The afternoon is at leisure to explore this exciting city.
Meals: Breakfast

Wednesday, August 15: COPENHAGEN: Our first stop today will be the Karen Blixen Museum, in her family home. We then continue to Helsingør Castle made famous in Shakespeare’s Hamlet and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After visiting the Danish Maritime Museum, which displays material from Denmark’s colonies, we return to Copenhagen.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Thursday, August 16: AARHUS: Today we drive to Sjaellands Odde and take a ferry to Aarhus, a charming medieval city. We will visit the Moesgard Prehistoric Museum, which illustrates Denmark’s history from the Stone Age to the Vikings. Of particular note is the well-preserved Grauballe Man, dated to 80 BCE, and the Illerup Adal, military material dating from around 200 BCE. We will also visit the Viking Museum housed in the basement of a bank, the cathedral and the Fyrkat Viking fortress. Standing on a wind-swept promontory, the well-preserved fortress was built in 980 CE, possibly by Harald Bluetooth. Radisson Scandinavia Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Friday, August 17: COPENHAGEN: Our first stop today is Jelling, the 10th century royal seat chosen by Viking kings, Gorm the Old and his son Harald Bluetooth. Still visible are their burial mounds and two rune stones known as the Jelling stones. From here we travel to Slagelse via the Great Belt Bridge and visit the huge Trelleborg Fort which is larger than Fyrkat. In Roskilde, an ancient Danish capital we will visit the Viking Ship Museum, which houses five wonderfully-preserved ships excavated from the Roskilde fjord. Our last stop before returning to Copenhagen is the old village of Gammel Lejre, which has in its small Kongsgården Museum the remains of a Viking ship burial. Scandic Palace Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Saturday, August 18: FERRY: After a morning to relax and explore the city on our own we transfer to the pier and board an overnight ferry to Oslo.
Meals: Breakfast & dinner

Sunday, August 19: OSLO: Our touring today in Oslo will begin at the Kulturhistorisk Museum (cultural history museum), which houses amid its Viking and early medieval wing several magnificent stave-church portals decorated with dragons and fabulous beasts. We will spend the afternoon walking in the the city center noting several important landmarks including the cathedral, Stortinget (parliament) and the Rathaus which is decorated with scenes from Norse mythology. Thon Bristol Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Monday, August 20: OSLO: Today we will visit the Bygdøy peninsula, where five museums will occupy our day. We will begin at the Vikingskipshuset specially constructed to house three 9th-century Viking ships excavated from burial mounds. The clay soil of these mounds is responsible for their excellent state of preservation. At the Frammuseet we will see the Fram, the ship that carried the Norwegian explorers Fridtjof Nansen and Roald Amundsen for their expeditions to the South Pole, while at the Kon-Tiki Museet we will see Tho Heyerdahl’s famous ship, a particular treat for those of us who have visited Easter Island. There is a fine Stave Church in the Folk Museum and all things relating to the sea and ships at the Norsk Sjofartsmuseum (Maritime Museum).
Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Tuesday, August 21: OSLO: Our last day will be at leisure to explore Oslo on our own before our farewell dinner at one of the city’s fine restaurants.
Meals: Breakfast & dinner

Wednesday, August 22: We will depart for the airport for our flights home.
Meals: Breakfast