HD8: Stockholm Take 2

10.11.12 Today, we started our trip in the direction of home. We returned to Sweden, where Shelley, Whitney, Ally, and I were the only Americans to opt to join the tour bus to Museum Island, which was home to the Swedish culture museum, the history museum, a fairytale museum, an open-sky museum, and the Vasa Museet (Vasa Museum). We chose to visit the Vasa Museet for its historical significance: it houses the Vasa, a gigantic warship of the 17th century that sank on its maiden voyage in 1628 and was salvaged from the mud in 1961. The Vasa, in its time, was built to be the most intimidating, monstrous warship on the seas: it was designed with over 900 sculptures and carvings and was originally painted with a bright, colourful palette. Truly, had it been able to stay afloat, it would have struck fear into any and all of Sweden’s foes. Unfortunately, however, the ship was built too narrow for its height and toppled over with a gust of wind thirty minutes after leaving port. Around 30 men, women, and children drowned, but most of the passengers survived only because it sunk so close to the harbour and those on shore were able to rescue them. The Vasa remained in its watery burial until it underwent a humongous salvaging and restoration project that took several decades to complete. The Vasa is now on display and is over 90% original; the giant museum is kept cool to slow the decaying process of the wood. Guests are not allowed to enter the actual ship, but the museum offers a simulation of the gun deck that guests can explore to get a feel of the size of the ship’s interior. After exploring Old Ironsides in Boston in 2010, I was able to compare it to the Vasa: the Vasa is much, much taller and much narrower: it made sense to me why the Vasa was disproportionate and sunk so quickly and why Old Ironsides survived for so long. Regardless of its unfortunate past, the Vasa today is still awe-inspiring with its hundreds of intricate carvings and sculptures and towering decks. The museum was well worth our time. Ally wanted to go to the Stockholm Ikea, but it turned out that all the buses that went to Ikea were closed on Saturdays. This was a bummer, but we spent the rest of our time in Stockholm exploring old town and the new pedestrian shopping district, where we got delicious Mexican burritos for lunch. Unlike our last visit to Stockholm, today was cold and wintry, but the city was still as stunning as ever. I will forever adore Stockholm.