Our last port of call on the Baltic cruise was Stockholm, Sweden. Actually, it was Nynäshamn, Sweden, about 60 Kilometers from Stockholm. We had signed on for a third party excursion, so our transportation there and back was taken care of. This day was a sunny day, but much cooler (maybe even colder) than our other ports of call had been. We had a comfortable bus ride into Stockholm, arriving at our first stop, the Stockholm City Hall. We went into the courtyard, but didn't go inside the building. From there we visited the Vasa Museum that houses the 64-gun warship Vasa that sank on her maiden voyage in 1628. This proved to be a highlight of the excursion. After the museum, we drove over to Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm. After a short walking tour, we had a bit of free time to wander the old pedestrian streets and get a bite to eat before heading back for the second part of our walking tour. And soon enough, it was time to head back to the bus, and the hour-long drive back to the ship. Once we got back, we had enough time to walk over to a Swedish Dollar Store, called "Dollarstore" (that's how we figured it out). Bought a few unique finds, then headed onboard.
The courtyard of the Stockholm City Hall. It stands on the eastern tip of Kungsholmen island and houses offices and conference rooms as well as ceremonial halls, and a luxury restaurant. It is also the venue of the Nobel Prize banquet each year.
"The Vasa Museum displays the only almost fully intact 17th century ship (the Vasa) that has ever been salvaged. According to the official web site, it is the most visited museum in Scandinavia." Standing so close to the ship, the first thing that impresses you, is the size of it. And that's without having the full height of the masts intact. Looking at the model (below), what's on display is at most, half the height of the original masts.
Looking down on the topside of the ship. The museum is kept very dark and cool to protect the wood. Luckily the camera compensates for the lack of light. "Vasa was dangerously unstable and top-heavy with too much weight in the upper structure of the hull. Despite this lack of stability she was ordered to sea and floundered only a few minutes after encountering a wind stronger than a breeze."
"Richly decorated as a symbol of the king's ambitions for Sweden and himself, upon completion she was one of the most powerfully armed vessels in the world."
On the left is what restorers believe the ornamentation once looked like. "Residues of paint have been found on many sculptures and on other parts of the ship. The entire ornamentation was once painted in vivid colors. As was the custom with warships at the time, Vasa was decorated with sculptures intended to glorify the authority, wisdom and martial prowess of the monarch and also to deride, taunt and intimidate the enemy." I guess that never happened. On the right is how the recovered ship looks with the paint washed away after spending 300 years underwater.
A model of what the interior of the ship would have looked like. The hold was only 3-4 feet high. The hull was altogether too shallow for proper stability.
This scale model shows how the Vasa would have looked in all it's glory...for the few minutes that it sailed. The two gun decks placed too much weight above the water, and the tall masts caused the ship to capsize shortly after it was launched.
Looking over the water to the old town of Gamla stan - our next location.
Walking the narrow, quaint streets of the residential neighbourhoods in Gamla stan.
The iconic buildings found in the town square of the old town.
"Järnpojke or "Iron Boy" which is only 5.9 inches high and therefore is the smallest public monument of Stockholm, is located behind the Finnish Church. In winter, the little boy can be found wearing a winter hat and scarf. The sculpture is described in few tourist guides and is therefore considered a "secret" tourist attraction." Luckily, we had a guide, so we did find the little guy.
A traditional pedestrian street with it's many shops, restaurants...and a 7-Eleven. I'm guessing the 7-Eleven and The Body Shop are more recent additions.
The steeple of the "German Church, also called St. Gertrude's Church belonging to the German Saint Gertrude Parish of the Church of Sweden. It is named for standing in the centre of a neighbourhood that in the Middle Ages was dominated by Germans."
"Mårten Trotzigs grand is an alley in Gamla stan. The width of its 36 steps tapers down to a mere 90 centimetres (35 in), making the alley the narrowest street in Stockholm."
NEXT: (Day 12) At Sea - Our Last Day
PREV: (Day 10) Helsinki, Finland
Baltic Cruise - May-June 2018