Stockholm, Sweden sits on fourteen islands. Legend has it that its settlers were from a city in the North. These inhabitants were tired of being plundered by pirates and needed a new location that they could effectively fortify. It is said they chopped down trees to be used in the infrastructure of the new settlement and floated them down the water. They decided wherever the logs stopped and hit land would be their new home. What a whimsical approach to selecting a new location!
The old town still maintains its old medieval charm with cobblestone streets and narrow winding alleys, dotted with many cafes. In the center sits the Stockholm Cathedral. Inside there is a sculpture of St. George slaying the dragon. It represents the myth of a dragon taking ransom not to burn down Stockholm. One day the dragon demanded the King’s daughter. St. George came along and promised to slay the dragon. In return, he made the city’s population convert to Christianity. I found the size and background story captivating. The cathedral also has what they called a Candleglobe, a large sphere with many lit candles inside. I think every church should be home to at least one of these.
As many of you may know, Abba is from Sweden. Stockholm has an entire museum dedicated to the group. The museum displays much of their memorabilia such as their outfits and awards. They also have many pieces from their original studio they had custom built, including the soundboard. You can also record yourself there singing to their tunes and download it later from the museum website, which many kids were taking advantage of. Don’t stress if Abba is not your cup of tea, there is also plenty of history here on display.
Arguably, the most popular museum in Stockholm is the Vasa Museum. The Vasa was a warship designed to be the flagship of the Swedish Navy over 300 years ago. It was the first in Sweden to be constructed as a “two decker,” meaning it has two decks of full of cannons as opposed to one. The Dutch had invented this style of warship and the Swedish King was determined to have one of his own. The problem was that no one knew how to appropriately proportion its design and structure. As it would turn out, the ship ended up being very top heavy. On its maiden voyage out of the harbor, after traveling about 3,000 feet, a light wind caused it to tip. It took in water through its gun barrels and minutes later sunk in front of 12,000 people.
Fortunately for history, the types of water organisms that feast on wood are not found in the cold waters here and the water was so polluted until the end of the 20th century that no organisms ate away at it. After 333 years in the water, it was raised with about 98% of its original material salvaged. It is considered of one of the largest conserved archeological pieces in the world and the best-preserved battleship from its era. The museum is centered around the ship and includes a replica of the top gun deck that you can walk through. My favorite part was looking at replicas of how it may have been painted. I could not believe the detail that went into the woodwork of the ship. Back then ships would get rather close to one another during their encounters, so looking grand and intimidating was an important function.
I leave for Finland on October 31st by ferry and I will spend about ten days there.
// Oliver – Day 47 – Sweden