Day 2: Stockholm's Old City & the Vasa
- The Day Distilled: Comfortable modern homes in the bones of ancient buildings, and an old warship looming in a modern museum… Sweden’s past is never far below its modern exterior.
- Women of the Day: The Vasa Museum profiled women who played leadership roles in the warship's construction. It included a discussion of a common bias: women feature frequently in many historical records, yet most historical narratives focus on men. Would you have guessed that some of the biggest timber and shipbuilding companies in 1628 Sweden were owned and managed by women? Kudos to the museum's curators for this call-out and mea culpa.
- Ship’s Log: The Vasa. Wow!
No, I mean really local.It was foggy and oh-so-cold, so one stop was especially welcome: Håkan invited us up to his small apartment in Gamla Stan! Somehow, we all managed to fit (sitting on every conceivable surface in the living room, with a few of us spilling into the dining nook). It was great to see how modern Swedes have renovated old, old buildings into comfortable homes. We also learned a lot talking with Håkan and his wife (ta-da! Ylva!) about Swedish family life, real estate, politics, etc. I love that Rick Steves tours include not only beautiful historical sites, but also insight into what life is like today. You get so many layers, which creates a rich learning experience.
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It's fika time!
Before leaving Gamla Stan, Ylva turned us loose for a lunch break. Mom and I teamed up with a few others from the group to find our first proper Swedish fika – a coffee break with a pastry – which we enjoyed in a toasty cafe located in the colorful Stortorget square.
Warmed and nourished, we then boarded a ferry for a short ride to Djurgården island and the Vasa Museum. |
Don't let kings design warships.
In 1628, Sweden launched the great warship Vasa. At the king's insistence, she was covered in elaborate carvings, painted in bright colors, bristling with two decks of cannons, and terribly, ridiculously top-heavy. The Vasa tipped over and sank less than an hour into her maiden voyage. She remained buried in – and astonishingly well preserved by – the muck of Stockholm’s harbor until 1961, when maritime archeologists raised her inch by careful inch from the harbor floor.
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Today the Vasa is displayed in an outstanding museum, essentially an enclosed, climate-controlled dry dock that welcomes over a million visitors a year. The Vasa absolutely dominates the large open space. There are balconies at various levels along the walls, offering close views from different angles. I had visited Stockholm briefly many years ago, and the Vasa was the highlight of my trip. I was eager to see it again, and to enjoy Mom’s reaction to the dramatic sight. It did not disappoint! The museum also has great side exhibits, such as artifacts and skeletons found with the wreck, explanations of how the ship was restored and preserved, a model showing how it was painted, and more. It is a fascinating, powerful place. For more photos from Day 2, see the slideshow below. |
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