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Ozbrecht 2019 - Iceland & The Baltics
Stockholm 1, Sweden
August 28-29
We are approached our final stop on the cruise - Stockholm. The captain suggested that we should get up at sunrise, as our ship will navigate Sweden's immense archipelago, thousands of small islands we pass on our way to Stockholm.
What a glorious sight!
As we approached Stockholm, the islands became more populated with small communities - only accessible by boat, ferry or seaplane
Some very tight squeezes. Keep the green buoy on your starboard, and red on your port (video)
Fredriksborgs fästning - old fortress
This company is a builder of props and other items for television, film and theater
Ferry
Commuter?
Täcka Udden - historical landmark
Waldemarsuddes oljekvarn - old mill
Stockholm! (video)
In the distance: Gamla Stan, Stockholm's Old Town
We will spend a few days in Stockholm on our own after departing the ship. So our Viking excursion was the bus tour overview of the town
Stockholm City Hall
In front of City Hall
The Royal Dramatic Theatre
Hotel Diplomat
Djurgårdsbrunnsviken Canal
Nordiska museet - Nordic Museum
Kungsträdgården city park - a popular perch
St. Jacob's Church - next to Kungsträdgården
Swedish meatballs at this restaurant in Kungsträdgården
Kungsträdgården fountain
Drottninggatan, a popular Stockholm shopping area - a pedestrian-only street
At each port, we sought out the local Pandora jewelry store
Meet Dharma, our housekeeper for the last two weeks. One of the nicest men you'll ever meet
The second day in Stockholm. We disembark the Viking Sea this morning. Our last meal - Swedish waffles
Off the ship, we have to deal with our luggage again. Bummer.
The next phase of our adventure: rent a car and spend the afternoon in Stockholm. In the evening, take the car ferry to Gotland Island to spend the next day there. The following day, return to Stockholm for the 3 final days of our trip.
This was fun - we took a van taxi to the rental car pickup. That was fine. But our rental car is a Volvo SUV. Getting 4 people and LOTS of luggage crammed into this car was not. Fortunately we all kept a smile on our faces!
The Stockholm Nobis Hotel (internet picture). This is where we will stay once we return from Gotland Island. It is located near Kungsträdgården city park in the heart of the city.
We drove from the rental car pickup - about 20 minutes - to the hotel, and dropped off our large luggage, which the hotel will hold until we return from Gotland. We only took the bare necessities with us for our overnight stay on the island.
Fortunately, we didn't have to cram everything in the car for long!!
Our ferry reservation is for early evening, so we spent the afternoon in Stockholm's museum district. This is Vasa Museum, where a lifesize Viking ship is displayed
In order to preserve the ship, the museum is rather dark. It is also a fairly small space. So, getting pictures which do the ship justice is difficult.
The story of this ship: the year is 1628. The Vikings have constructed the Vasa, and with great fanfare, it sails out of the Stockholm harbor. The contruction of the ship was done hastily, at the king's insistence.
About 1,400 yards out, it lists, founders, and sinks. It was topheavy; the hull was too narrow, as it turns out only by a few feet. Its large bronze cannon was immediately salvaged, but the rest of the ship lay in the bottom of the harbor.
In 1961, the largely intact hull was salvaged. The remains of 15 people were found. Artifacts found were a goldmine to archeologists.
Vasa spent years in a temporary warehouse for restoration. In 1988 it was moved into this museum and restoration was continued.
Since her recovery, the Vasa has become the iconic symbol of Sweden's "great power period."
A few pictures of the Vasa
Scale model of the shipyard
Vasa adornments
Vasa models
Views of the Museum District
Nordiska Museet
Skansen
The ferry to Gotland is at the port of Nynäshamn, a 45 minute drive from Stockholm.
Nynäshamns kyrka
We have some time before boarding the ferry, so asked the Visitor Center what we should do. "Take a drive south on Strandvägen road." Beautiful!
We walked a short trail through a lush forest - at the end we found this dead seal :(
View tower
Views from the top
South for the winter
Ferry time! 3.5 hours to Gotland
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