What I did remember to photograph is here. We very much enjoyed the Vasa museum, which showcases a 1640 warship for the king that sank only 20 minutes after launch and was buried in freshwater mud until 1961. The reasons for sinking were several, but they all boil down to the fact that nobody would tell the king 'that design won't float'. Narrow beam, top heavy design, loaded with heavy cannon, open cannon ports at launch, and a little breeze, all combined to sink the Vasa. Which is fortunate for us, because we now have a beautifully restored ship to look at. The museum is a stunner, and we wished we had more than an hour here.
Sandy and Ken had seen this ship at the beginning of the restoration 47 years ago and tell us back then the museum was open air (they actually built the building around the ship after they put the puzzle together) and the ship was only rebuilt from the bottom up to the waterline.
After the Vasa, we went to Old Town, Gamla Stan, where I people watched and the others continued with a walking tour. I got the better end of the deal as I got to see the same sights, without touch standing, and I was able to browse a few antique shops on the square.
Fountain which is still used to fill water bottles.
Lastly, we did see the former bank building where the phenomenon known as Stockholm Syndrome originated. We're told that one of the women hostages married one of the bank robbers while he was in prison, and after his release they went on to have four children and are still married after 40+ years.
That, my friends, gets us back to our rest day today, and our return to Copenhagen tomorrow.
We sadly say goodbye to Sandy and Ken tomorrow as they head off to Amsterdam and then back to California. They have been terrific cruising partners and I cannot believe we will not have them on our next two weeks of travel. 😱
Glenn's dad's family were from Sweden. So, naturally, we had to see the Vasa, changing of the guard, etc. His dad even belonged to a club entitled the Vasa Club in Youngstown, Ohio!!
ReplyDeleteI cant take my eyes off that ship. So many details and such a big mistake. I hope the men who built it did not lose their heads.
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