Page 10 - Hobe Sound Reflections - February '21
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travel
Visby, Gotland: Starting Its capital of Gotland, is a city
frozen in time. Very little
Fifth Millennium has changed since the 13
th
century when it was in
By Don Kiselewski, its heyday. To protect the
MCC, D.S., Palm Beach riches of the city, a two-
Gardens Travel Leaders mile, 30-foot-high wall
Perhaps you watched was built to surround the
TV, as I did, 20 years ago town. Included in the wall
on New Year ’s Eve, when were some 40 towers and
we celebrated the end of numerous gates. The wall
the second millennium was capped on the end
and beginning of the third. with the Powder Tower,
As the world turned, the which was the munitions
television presentations storage for the town.
from each of the most
prestigious cities in each time zone created an image Travel on page 11 Windmills dot the countryside in Gotland.
of the occasion that excited the imagination. It was
communications and technology at its best and it rightly
should be given credit for the spectacular event that we Choosing The Right
witnessed. But, it was the beauty of the cities themselves
that left the lasting impression of entering into the new
millennium. Man has truly built wonders on our earth. Wine For Your Perfect
As I watched, it became apparent that the majority
of the cities highlighted during the presentation weren’t
there a half millennium ago. And then, there are cities Or Imperfect Valentine!
like Visby, Gotland that preceded Christ by 2,000 years.
Names like Sydney, Paris, Washington, and New York
automatically paint pictures in our mind – but Visby? By Laura Berrio, If all of this seems overwhelming, try starting simple. Plan
I tried a little experiment last week and asked a few Freelance Writer/Blogger a dessert date! A beautiful bottle of rosé (hot category in wine
people whether they had ever heard of Gotland or Visby. There is so much currently) or champagne pair nicely with chocolates. The
As one might expect, the replies were about the same as pressure on couples to lighter the chocolate, the lighter the wine and the darker the
Jay Leno gets when he conducts his “person on the street” pick the perfect gift for chocolate, the darker, more full bodied the wine. If your love’s
interviews – lots of positive answers, but none were right. that special someone on favorite is in the middle with buttery, Belgian milk chocolates
Visby, Gotland got the same results. Valentine’s Day. Planning or white chocolate, a sweet wine such as a muscat pairs nicely.
The first thing you should know is that Gotland is a special evening and If you decide to forego the wine and have champagne, select a
an island. It’s actually the biggest island in the Baltic picking that perfect bottle sec or demi-sec so the sweetness complements the chocolate.
Sea, some 75 miles long by 35 miles wide. The island is of wine can seem daunting If this is not your first Valentine’s Day and you need to
located about 55 miles off the west coast of Sweden, with on this holiday of “love.” step it up a notch … pick a vintage from a special year (first
Latvia as its closest neighbor. Several bays interrupt the Let’s make picking date, wedding anniversary, birthday, etc.).
limestone coastline of Gotland, while the interior of the a perfect wine an easy part of the planning. Once you A couple of mid-priced favorites of mine would be a
island has numerous clay-covered bogs. The western side decide on what you are going to do and where you are 2016 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon or a Taittinger
has steep cliffs and is covered by conifers, while most of going to do it, the wine choice is narrowed down. A picnic Champagne. Although a little pricey, if you want that very
the island is used for farming. outside vs. a formal dinner call for a very different wine. special bottle, 2007 Louis Roederer Cristal Champagne and
Examples of the Bronze Age were found in coinage If you want to plan a sunset picnic on the beach, the 2002 Michael Magnien will not disappoint!
discovered on the island. Gotland’s inhabitants traded you need a wine that travels well or opt for a bottle of Just remember to stay true to your tastes and stick with
during this period with peoples on the eastern and champagne! If you are planning on cooking, then the wine what you know. Follow your heart and sip
southern shores of the Baltic. Later evidence pointed choice needs to pair with the featured entrée. If you are with the one you love!
toward the ties the island had with Rome and the Islamic channeling your inner Julia Childs and preparing Beef ~ Cheers
and Byzantine empires. The 12 century brought Gotland Bourguignon, a full bodied, deep red wine would be my ~ Keep the conversation going and
th
into prominence. Its traders – representing the peasant first choice. Valentines come in many shades of crimson the wine flowing!
society on the island – had trading houses to Novgorod … uncork the perfect red to complement your special Follow the Vine at: www.
and dominated the routes between Western Europe and cupid celebration. VineVibeUncorked.com.
Russia. The German trading class was quickly drawn to
Gotland activities and as a result, Visby was invited to
join the Hanseatic League. Trade flourished until the mid-
14 century, with most of the Novgorod (northwestern
th
Russia) trade passing through the island. The prosperity
of the time was reflected in the many fine churches and
cathedrals built during this period (97 in the countryside
and 17 in Visby).
Gotland became part of Sweden around 900 A.D.,
paying its taxes and looking only for protection.
Otherwise Gotland wished to remain an independent,
passive community. It remained fairly peaceful until
1361, when Danish King Valdemar IV Atterdag conquered
Gotland in a battle just outside the wall at Visby. The next
300 years brought shifts to the trade route and dominance
by Denmark, the Hanseatic League and other privateers,
as well as the Teutonic Knights. Sweden got it back in
1645, but by then the island had become impoverished
and had lost its importance in the Baltic.
Visby, “the city of ruins and roses” and administrative
An eye-catching alley of red roses in the medieval town
of Visby