Tuesday | June 21, 2016
I decided to explore Stockholm on my own today. I met with the woman at the travel desk in the lobby and she help me map out a plan for the day. I took the tender to shore to begin my day of fun.
Then, we boarded a ferry that would take us around the main islands of Stockholm to visit our intended Ports of call, first stopping at the Vasa Museum.
The Vasa is an immense and ornate mahogany warship that set sail on August 10, 1628, but sank within the first 15 minutes.
When they hoisted the sails in order to leave the harbor, the ship listed to one side and water began to pouring into the cannon turrets that were only a few feet above the water line. The ship remained under the sea for 333 years and was salvaged in 1961. It is the world’s only preserved 17th century vessel. It measures 226 feet in length and 160 feet in height. Here are some of the ornate carvings.
This little model provided some sense of what life was intended to be like aboard the ship when it was launched.
We viewed some cannons and various artifacts from the wreck.
Then, I was off to my next stop – the world famous Abba museum.
Having grown up in a culture filled with their music, I was especially excited to see and experience the history of Abba.
I waited all of five minutes until we got to a photograph of the band before I posed.
We saw the actual studio where they recorded such famous hits as Waterloo, Take a Chance on Me, and Mamma Mia.
And I got to sit inside the actual helicopter used on their 1975 album cover.
Our next stop was a vodka museum, sponsored by the Absolut company. Instead of day drinking inside the museum, we sat outside and had lunch in the cool sunny weather.
Unfortunately, however, my soup contained some cream and I had an allergic reaction. Nevertheless, we had one more stop as we stumbled upon a small mariners museum.
This building housed several dozen stunning mahogany boats dating back to 1633. Several of them were made as gifts to the king.
His crowns were even on display.
Imagine sailing on the ocean currents in this tiny sailboat.
But how cool would it be to tool around today in this 1926 masterpiece?
After we walked back to the ship, I grabbed a quick shower and ran down to hear our internet consultant deliver another presentation on what has transpired on the ship in the last week or so he’s been aboard. I actually left that presentation a bit early to jump on the tender for a dinner at a restaurant called Wedholms Fisk, which had been recommended by another resident couple who live in Sweden. In fact, when we sat down at our table, a welcoming note was waiting for us and a bottle of Champagne ordered for us in advance. It was a lovely welcome, and the presentation of the meal (a bleek roe appetizer, followed by steamed turbot all around) was tasteful.
On the way back to the ship, I noticed a famous and impressive memorial built to celebrate the heroic efforts of Raoul Wallenberg, a Swede remembered for hiding and rescuing Jews during the Holocaust.
More Stockholm tomorrow!
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