The Vasa Museum

I really did not post all my Sweden pictures. Like not even half of them. So get ready for Sweden and spring! 

And don't worry. If it bothers you that these posts are all so out of order, it bothers me even more. but I MUST POST THEM. Otherwise it didn't really happen. 

Oh the hope and delight of spring!

As we were walking from the metro and bus, Lindsey realized she had lost her metro card. Which is a pain in the neck because you prepay and so she would need to buy it all over again. So we retraced our steps a little and found her card in the grass among some tiny blue flowers. Hooray! 

The Vasa. 

So a few centuries ago, Sweden was at war. The Swedish king decided he needed the battleship to end all battleships. One that would impress and overwhelm the enemy just by looking at it. 

So he commissioned the Vasa. Built to be tall and amazing, it took years to build and decorate. 

These minerals and ground stone were the paints they would have used to paint the Vasa. 

Aren't they gorgeous? 

Cobalt

Some reproductions of the Vasa decorations. 

As it is now, centuries later

As it would have been sailing out of harbor to meet the enemy. 

Impressive! Particularly since they didn't have air sprayers in those days. 

A 1:64 (I think) scale of the ship yards used to build the ship 

Tools of the trade

Smaller model of the Vasa, with full color paint and rigging

Ashley in among the anchors

The area where they work on the constant upkeep needed to keep the ship looking presentable.

The full color model. 

Lion head gun ports

One thing you notice about this ship, it is tall. Really tall. Ridiculously tall. As in, way too far out of the water. 

After loads of money, endless hours of demanding work, the Vasa sailed a grand total of 1.6 km before being blown over by a mild wind and sinking in the Stockholm harbor. No joke. 

Instead of terrifying the enemy, they terrified the families and countrymen watching the amazing ship setting out to take on the enemy. 

Surprisingly, only a few lives were lost of the thousands that were on board. 

For several centuries, the Vasa sat at the bottom of the frigid harbor. Then an intrepid Swede came along in the 1960's who wanted to try raising. First he had to pinpoint the location using centuries old information and the newly invented scuba gear. After pulling up a piece of wood with definite identification, they starting talking about how to raise it. It was an amazing process, but I will not go into it all because I do not remember it all and it is probably best explained by someone who knows what they are talking about. I bet Youtube has a good video about it. 

I love little miniature models. This one was a cross section of the inner workings of the Vasa. 

While people didn't have much time settling into the Vasa and getting jobs done, the museum gives you an idea of what nautical life would have been like. 

A typical Swedish sailor of the age. 

A huge visual of the number of people used to keep a warship of the Vasa's size working smoothly. It was a rather vast number. 

So despite the inglorious history of the Vasa, it is more intact than it could have been if it had not sank into the preserving mud of the Stockholm harbor. 

The artists had several renderings of what their enemies would do upon seeing the Vasa. This guy will clearly cower beneath the benches in the galley in fear. 

The above decks. 

It is hard to actually get good pictures of it, due to the lighting.

Trust me though, it was HUGE and AWESOME. 

And when you come out of the museum, there is Stockholm Harbor. With some of the same buildings that would have been there watching the Vasa sink. 

It is always amazing to me how much history there is in European cities. 

Gamla Stan

This is pretty much the typical Gamla Stan picture. Even before I had been to Sweden, I knew these buildings. 

They are THE buildings to photograph in Gamla Stan. Which means Old Town.

I love all the little streets

Walking across the square

The cafes all have blankets out for their customers to use while it is still cool outside

This is the Nobel Peace Prize Museum

It makes you wonder why American architecture is so non-colorful and non-detailed.

Although, maybe it is and I just haven't seen it. 

Swedes do details so well. 

They also do Dala horses so well

All of us in Gamla Stan. Lindsey had to stay at the airbnb to do some work, so she missed out on our day, but got a lot done. 

The terrific Heidi who spent several days walking through Stockholm to show us all the interesting places and interesting things. She is a nanny in Stockholm this year, but had a lighter week this week since the grandparents of her kids were in town and wanted to spend time with them.

A school on an outing. I love how all the kids wear those reflective vests.

Another cool door with a cool Ashley

Heidi said this may have been a guard box at some point.

See those lovely tulips?

A window that is at least two stories high

Cobble stone street 

Pigeon strutting around

A little Swedish yarn shop that makes me wish I knit.

A cool paper store with a cool window display

Windows open to the warm spring sunshine

Looking up

Little gnomes/trolls

Daffodils were everywhere. Heart eyes!

Another cafe with blankets out for customers

Curving narrow streets

Shutters to block out the endless summer sunshine

Daffodils and pussy willows 

I think this is the ship Heidi said was a hostel

The grand hotel that puts out flags for the countries of notable guests

We were all missing our kiddos and nieces and nephews, so we noticed ALL the cute Swedish babies and kids 

Clover decided someone needed to be photographed near the floppy eared bunny

All this green!! Squeal!

Livie with her weird Swedish hotdog--it is a really long skinny hotdog in a bun with two scoops of mashed potatoes. She said it was pretty good.

Heidi got her hotdog in a wrap with relish, ketchup, mustard, AND mashed potatoes

Trees just leafing out

Happy sigh!

Spring was just SO long in coming to Northern New York this year. I really needed to see green and sunshine. And Sweden isn't the first place you would think of to get sunshine and spring, but it served quite well. There is something so exultant about spring that we wouldn't have gotten to experience if we had gone to lay on a beach somewhere. 

A learning how to ride a bike school

People under the just-coming-out cherry blossoms. I wanted to see this more in bloom, but we didn't have time to go back

But this visit was enough to satisfy my soul for now

Cherry blossoms

Us girls

And now for a ridiculous number of cherry blossom pictures

Flower beds, freshly planted

This is where the Baltic Sea and Lake Mälaren meet, so there is a bit of turbulence as the two currents push against each other

I think this is city hall, which has it's own island to itself

Some chappy fishing

It was difficult to take pictures with a lot of people around. I had a picture of all of them looking at me, but a lady walked right in front of me as I took it, so this is the better picture

A cool cafe that lets you sign your name on their walls

We wanted to bring home all these Moomin mugs, but it didn't seem practical or affordable. Fortunately, our airbnb had them, so we could pretend we owned them for a few days. 

To be honest, they were rather small cups, so I wasn't as in love as I could have been. 

Cool window display

We ended the day with Sticki Nikki's, a super gelato place

We all needed gelato after walking for miles. 

Or so we told ourselves

Living in the back of beyond, it always makes me sad that I never get to walk by flower stalls. So whenever I saw a flower stall, I always ran over to take a picture. Very non-touristy of me. 

Did I ever mention I love flowers? And color?