Faro Island - The North Coast
 

	On the way to the northern coast of the island one passes Slite. The excavation site for the Slite Cement factory is enormous. This is one of the few remaining industries left on Gotland.. It claims to be one of Europe's largest and environmentally friendly cement plants. The conveyors are completely  encased to reduce noise and dust. The plant is designed to reduce emissions of the pollutants that are part of the making of cement.
We found The Bunge Museum as we drove north. It is a restoration of the farm of a wealthy landowner. The buildings and farmhouse had many details that would not have been found in poorer farms. This lock, for instance, was a very unusual device and kept the smoke house, where the meats were stored, safe from intruders. It is hard to believe that some of these artifacts date back to miieieval time
	When you learn what this contraption was for, you will be amazed. The common room in the farmhouse was filled with hazards for babies, the open fire, the sharp tools, boiling kettles, all in the same room. To keep the baby safe, he/she was put in this walker (and we thought spider walkers were innovative) and could walk around in about an eight foot circle.. sit or stand on the floor and play with his/her toys right in the middle of the activity.
Found on the Bunge Museum site are several of these picture stones which date from 800 AD.
	Our local guide was a delightful senior volunteer, Jacken Jacobsson. He is a well of knowledge about the area and the times and it was a pleasure to meet him and have him with us as we toured the museum. Mr. Jacobsson spoke English quite well but was not comfortable in using English for the tour so Gisela, quite capably as usual, translated.
The beaches along the northern coast of Faro island are spectacular. Being on the north of the island, the coast is quite wind beaten. One can go along for miles and miles without seeing a village, a house, not even a church steeple.
	The trees and shrubs on Faro island also have that windblown look about them. For hundreds... no thousands of years there have been sheep grazing among these scrubby trees. The birds, the flowers, the sea.. bring people here from all over the world to meditate, to paint, to write and be close to nature.
And after a blissful day on the island, we returned to Gotland by ferry at Farosund and back to reality.

Music: I Have a Dream
by ABBA (one of Sweden's most famous exports)