The old town is encircled by a two-mile wall. Most of the defensive towers still stand, although the city was attacked many times in its history. Several sections of the wall are damaged.
Visby is somewhat touristy but has an authentic vibe. After all, this place was built to protect trade, not attract tourists on vacation. The town was a part of the Hanseatic trading league and some of the warehouses in town date back to the 1200's. The old buildings have been re-purposed from medieval goods storage to shops and cafes.
Even with all the Swedish and German tourists (Americans were definitely in the minority), we still found a few pretty and secluded alleyways. People do actually live here, although for some it's just a summer house and they pack up and leave when the weather turns cold.
Scattered around town are the ruins of ten medieval churches, each one towering over the the surrounding buildings. The ruins of Sankt Karin dominate the city's largest square.
We had lunch at the Sankt Hans Cafe. When we walked through the door to the courtyard to find a place to sit we were amazed to see all the tables scattered among the remains of not one but two churches -- Sankt Per (Peter) and Sankt Hans (John).
I mentioned that coming here is like visiting a Renaissance festival, and in fact next week is Medieval Week which is a huge event for Visby. Costumed medieval revelers will take over the whole town and spend the week jousting, drinking mead, trading, and whatever else medieval people did. Apparently back then they had pancake buffets.
It doesn't start until Sunday (the day after we leave -- poor planning on my part!) but an early bird was touring the park this morning.
We are sad to miss out on the fun, but I guess that's just another reason to come back here someday. That, and the beautiful sunsets.
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