As the boat pulled out of the harbor, Erik was so excited that he nearly fell over the rail. Johan pulled him back by the coattails.
Next morning at daybreak the passengers were on deck to see the famous skyline of Visby (vēs´bü), Gotland's "City of Ruins and Roses." It is one of the oldest in western Europe.
"They call Visby 'the Lost City,'" said Johan, "because once it was supposed to be down at the bottom of the sea."
Later as they entered the dream-like town, with its roofless ruins and rose-covered cottages, Erik almost believed the strange legend to be true.
A STREET IN VISBY
But the truth is that, years ago, this tiny island town was the richest and most important trading center on the Baltic Sea.
Great walls surrounded it, with towers and gateways and moats. These walls are still there—a medieval memory of grandeur and strength.
The boys left Herr Banker, Fru Banker, and young Inga at an open-air cafe, sipping coffee, and started off to explore.
They stood in a market square before the ruins of a fine old cathedral, and they thought of the sacking of Visby. In 1361, the King of Denmark captured the town. He sat upon a throne in the market place, while the terrified people laid the wealth of their city at his feet.