I became interested in rune stones on my first trip to Europe in 1973. A true understanding of why they were done and how we can read them came quite a bit later.
Rune stones are nothing more than a monument.
Generally, they were done to honor the dead, but, sometimes they were even done for a person while they were still alive. Over half of the rune stones in Sweden are located in Uppland. Uppland has been an important area for activity in Sweden since the Viking era. Depending on who you talk to, you will hear that there was two or three different styles of writing. All in all, it is interesting to see an old rune and read what it says.