Distant church-steeples point out the
village of Norby, which sometimes peeps forth behind little forests,
and then vanishes again from the view of the traveller. When the
sun shines on the waters of this canal, it has a beautiful,
transparent, pea-green colour, like the purest chrysolite.
The view from the hill which rises immediately before the lake of
Roxen is exceedingly fine. It looks down upon an immense valley,
covered with the most beautiful woods and rocks, and upon the broad
lake, whose arm flows far in land. The evening sun shed its last
rays over a little town on the lake-shore, and its newly-painted
tiles shone brightly in its light beams.
While the ship descended through the many locks, we visited the
neighbouring church of the village of Vretakloster, which contains
the skeletons of several kings in beautifully-made metal coffins.
We then crossed the lake, which is from four to five miles broad,
and remained all night before the entrance of the canal leading into
a bay of the Baltic.
September 8th.
This canal is one of the longest; its environs are very pretty, and
the valley through which it runs is one of the largest we had
passed. The town of Soderkoping is situated at the foot of high,
picturesque groups of rocks, which extend to a considerable
distance.
