Vasa Museet

Port side; the scale defies depiction, at least on my camera

Richly carved fantail

Carved gunports

Large scale model, depicting how the Vasa had been paitned (according to chemical analysis)

I had thought of the Swedes as rather severe people, yet there are all these instances to the contrary; this sign is right at the exit from the Vasa Museet, advertising the Nordic Museum next door

Vicki adds:

Stockholm—June 23, 2009

We have had a great visit here and the weather has been glorious—full sunshine but only about 70 with a light breeze. In a few minutes we will head for the cafe with its free wireless, post our blogs, back up TOM TOM and head out of town. I know Mark has talked about our “precious” Tom, but as the navigator of this adventure, I can't emphasize enough how wonderful he/it is. Having navigated 7 previous European trips, I know. If you are planning any trip to unfamiliar territory, get yourself a GPS.

We have walked over 20,000 steps everyday for several days (Mark adores his pedometer-he is on #3). City sightseeing requires lots of walking but the almost 12 hour day we put in on Sunday was definitely more than I want to do. We had a 24 hr Stockholm card which gives you free transportation and admission to all the museums, palaces, etc. Most cities in Europe have them but you really have to press yourself to get full value so this has been our first one. I don't think they are designed for the elderly! Admissions get to be terribly expensive though—averaging about $12 per person per site. In Ireland we got 20% off nearly everything for being over 60. However, there were no discounts in Germany or Denmark. Here in Sweden you have to be 65. It will be interesting to see what the different countries do—in New Zealand you had to be 60 but a resident of New Zealand. I guess they figured if you had the money to travel, you had the money to pay full price. Luckily, Sweden has been cheaper than Denmark so we are pretty much staying within our budget—especially when we can camp under the bridge (more about that in Mark's blog soon.)

Stockholm City Hall

City Hall from "our" island, Langholmen

Ceiling of city council chambers, Viking ship upside-down theme...

The gold room

Strindberg mosaic in gold room

The blue room, where the Nobel prize banquet is held; this is the view you'd get, as an honoree, walking toward the grand straircase, escorted by the Mayor, King and Queen, et al.

Of course, if your credentials are not quite up to it, there is always the back door to the blue room, which I carefully reconnoitered...

Older Stockholm

A shopping street on Gamla Stan

Said to be one of Stockholm's oldest buildings

Parliament

On Knights' Holmen, buildings once belonging to the noble estate, now public buildings; Sweden's nobility is now merely "private" (but they do have an association and meet every few years)

The Center for Free Democratic Eelections gets its own island

Changing of the Guard

Palace entrance, main guard station

Vicki stood right next to the main guard guy

The band arrives; every other day, we were told, they arrive on horseback

Procession of new guards

Team captains meet at mid-field, shake hands, toss coin

Opening kick-off

The new guard is installed; and the band played on

Gamla Stan, Royal Palace, City Hall, and Vasa

Sunday, after careful calculation, we bought a Stockholm Card, good for 24 hours of transportation, museum and other admissions, and headed to the Gamla Stan, the old city. Stockholm is comprised of 14 islands in a lake that opens to the sea. Gamla Stan is the oldest of these and the site of the Royal Palace, which is still used for state and royal events. We toured the palace, the royal apartments, the royal treasury, the royal armory, the royal gift shoppe, all interesting, if not overwhelming. The highlight of the palace tour was the changing of the guard, which took place at 1:15 (and for an hour or so more; the band played on...). 

From Gamla Stan and environs, and after walking some of the old streets, we headed to the Stockholm City Hall. City halls are important buildings in the Scandinavian and Germanic countries, and nothing beats Stockholm's. It is not nearly a century old, but is well known for its setting, its size, its tower, its Italian/piazza lay-out, and most of all, for hosting the Nobel Prize banquet every December 10th (Nobel's birthday). (Dyn-o-mite!) The English tour was very good. It is also a working city hall, with administrative offices all about, council chambers, and the rest. And, nearly unique among city halls of my experience, it even has a sizable gift store. 

From the City Hall, we crossed town to the Vasa Museet. Early in the 1600's, to conduct a war with Poland, the Swedes built a giant warship, the Vasa, largest of its day (think Elizabethan; more than 200 feet long). Unfortunately, it had design problems, so to speak. It was launched, provisioned, manned, and sailed exactly 1300 meters before catching a breeze, capsizing, and sinking in the harbor. There were various attempts at raising the Vasa, but eventually it was forgotten. 300 years passed. In the early 1960s, through the persistence of one man, the ship was found, and, with 20th century engineering, raised. The Baltic is really a very big lake, brackish at best, and sea worms do not devour the wood as in other places. So the Vasa that was raised was very largely intact (even the sails and rope and clothing). Much conservation, and a little restoration occurred, and the ship is now on display at the Vasa Museet. It is, simply, one of those things one has to see to believe. Its size alone is fairly staggering. The amount of wood carving all over the vessel is no less impressive. (It was designed to impress the enemy). No pictures can do justice to this sight. But I tried. 

From the Vasa we raced back across town to the vicinity of City Hall again to catch the last historical canal tour of the day, a one-hour narrated voyage that we were glad we did not have to pay for. Interestingly, it took us right by Langholmen, the island on which our “campground” is located. Also the national prison, now a youth hostel. (Bringing back memories of my 1982 Columbus Monthly article on potential uses for the Old Ohio Pen). The Swedes are so smart. Despite the boat ride, subway, buses and trams, we still logged 22,000 steps on the old pedometer.

Palace frontal view Entry to royal chapel Pix are not allowed in the Palace, but I could not resist this one, in the Treasury, of costumes the royal kids dressed up in back in the early 20th; from British Columbia King for a Day 

Skansen

Wednesday was part work, part sight-seeing. Early in the AM, we drove over to Viking Cruise Lines, looking into the over-nighter to Helsinki (farther than we want to drive). Vicki accomplished her usual feat: trip to Helsinki and back for two, cabin (not steerage) for two nights, $53. Total. Meals extra. After more camper maintenance, we took the subway and bus to Skansen, spending the rest of the day there.

Skansen is billed as the world's largest outdoor museum, and it must be that. Perhaps a square mile. It is part natural history, part Swedish/Scandinavian history, part zoo, part aquarium, part performances and re-enactments. We took in what we could in 8 hours, and enjoyed it thoroughly.



A Sami hut in the Lappland sector of Skansen; the whole thing is arranged to reflect Sweden's geogrpahy

Interior of a (wealthy) 19th century farm house

Peacocks were everywhere

Folk music performance on a hurdy-gurdy, an instrument I'd never seen before

Folk dancing

Kalmar to Stockholm; and the Ikea Mother Store

The next day we visited Kalmar and its castle, then drove on 240km to Stockholm. The terrain was gorgeous, bucolic, much of it reminiscent of the Wisconsin Dells. After visiting the Mother Ikea store, just south of Stockholm, we camped, more or less downtown, at Langholmens Husbilcamping, on the island of Langholmen. Stockholm is situated on dozens of islands, with canals, bridges, etc. A beautiful city we'll see more of this weekend.

In Kalmar, a land whale

Kalmar Slott (castle), moat, etc.

Very old cannon at the Slott

Stockholm: Ikea Mother Store

Five floors

The canal we are camped on in Langholmen