Day 7 - Touring Stockholm (August 11)

In the Stockholm City Hall courtyard

Today was our one full day in Stockholm before heading up to Umeå, so we made the most of it and saw a few of the city’s famous sites.

We weren’t catching our bus until 10 a.m., so I had time to go for a run before Marshall was out of bed. Running is one of my favourite ways to explore new places. I can cover a fair amount of ground and in a short amount of time get a good feel for the place around me. The only trick is not to get lost, which has happened to me, but not today. 

This morning my run took me down to the Riddarfjärden river/canal, over the bridge past the Parliament House, then over another bridge to Gamla Stan (Old Town) and the Royal Palace, and along some piers where ferries and tour boats are docked. Then it was over another bridge, through the King’s Garden, up busy Stureplan (major collection of roads), down a few side streets, and back to our hostel. My only real difficulty was paying attention for cyclists. Almost every major street and pedestrian path in downtown Stockholm has a dedicated bike lane. I stepped into several of them forgetting they were not extensions of the sidewalk. Bad idea as most of them are busier than the actual street. (I didn’t do any better the next day—someone actually had to brrrng their bike bell at me.)

Overlooking Stockholm City Hall "Blue" Room

We started our day by getting on a Hop-On Hop-Off bus. For those of you like me who have never used one, these buses travel around cities with lots of tourist sites. You buy a one-day ticket and can get on and off the bus as many times as you want. While you ride along you can listen to a recorded guide telling you about different places in and facts about the city. Karen and her mom Diane really like and now having used one, I agree they are a good way to see a and get around a new city.

Our first stop was a tour of Stockholm City Hall which is located on the northish bank of the Riddarfjärden. This is architecturally a very interesting building. Construction was finished in 1923, but design-wise it feels much older (lots of Italian Renaissance inspiration). For people outside of Stockholm it is probably most well-known for housing the Nobel Prize banquet, which takes place in the Blue Room. (The architect originally wanted the brick walls of the Blue Room to be painted blue to make it feel like an open air Italian courtyard. He later changed his mind but by this time the description and name “Blue Room” had stuck).

Probably the most famous room in Stockholm City Hall is the Golden Hall. The walls are covered with close to 20 million tiles that make up a series of pictures/motifs describing the history of Sweden up to the 1920’s. Not knowing anything about Swedish history, the room was still fascinating. Marshall and I were boggled by the amount of work it would have taken to design and make all the motifs. Most interesting is a motif that takes up the entire end wall of the Hall. It shows a Swedish lake goddess (I forget her name) bringing the West and East together. Sweden was neutral in the First World War and the motif is supposed to depict the country as a bridge of peace.

Once we got back on the bus we learned a new truism, being that weather forecasts are wrong the world over (except for perhaps deserts). Sadly the warm sunny day had turned cool and windy with spits of rain. Perhaps I jinxed us by wearing shorts.

Some of the carvings on the Vasa (stern of the ship)

We then rode around Stockholm to the Vasa Museum (Vasamuseet). The Vasa is a ship that was built in 1628 by King Gustav II Adolf for his war with Poland (and his cousin the Polish king) over control of the Baltic. It was supposed to be a state of the art warship with two decks of cannons, speed and maneuverability. However, as these things often seem to go, the Vasa had design flaws and was too top heavy. 1300 metres into its maiden voyage away from then downtown Stockholm (Gamla Stan, population 10,000) it rocked back and forth, took on water through all its open gun ports and sank in about 15 minutes in 30 metres (100 feet) of water. Attempts were made to raise it but all that could be salvaged were the cannons (which were the most valuable part of the ship). (On a side note, the Vasa’s sister ship was built 1 metre wider and ballasted with iron versus stones. It sailed and fought for 30+ years.) 

Ahoy, two doofuses straight-ahead

The Vasa was rediscovered in 1956 and raised in 1961. It was then moved to a dry dock where all the mud/silt was cleaned off. After that they sprayed it with poly-ethaline glycol for 17 years to replace all the water in the wood with a preservative. The ship was then moved to the Vasa Museum, which opened in 1990.

Between 95 and 98% of the original wood remains, so it gives us and historians a really good idea of what ships during this time period were like. Also, the ship has about 500 carvings and statues on it. King Gustav II Adolf apparently had a bit of an ego and wanted history to compare him to the Caesars of Rome, so the ship was also a propaganda piece about the might of Sweden and himself and the puniness of Poland and its king. A lot of the statues are well preserved and reading about their symbolism was interesting. Other parts of the museum talked about living conditions in Stockholm in the 1620’s, life and conditions on the ship, how the ship was raised and preserved, etc.

The Vasa Museum is described as one of the world’s most popular museums and although Marshall may disagree, Karen and I thought it was really well done and very interesting. (Thanks for the recommendation Kelly.) 

After the Vasa Museum it was back on the bus and a return to our hostel for dinner and quiet time, followed by a short walk for some yummy gelato (a popular Swedish dish). Karen and I then walked back to the Gamla Stan area and took in a free 1 hour concert that was part of the Stockholm Culture Festival while Marshall stayed at the hostel and worked on a Youtube video. (Why are good family times with teens enhanced by a little time apart?)

One last thought on the day. The band was Swedish and called the Refreshments. They played rock-a-billy music of original songs and covers (they have been nominated for Grammy Awards). They sang in English but talked to the crowd in Swedish. They were fun to watch and listen to and there was a good crowd. What I have always found interesting about some European “rock” bands (and pop too) is their fascination with and reference to American culture. I just don’t know how their audiences understand what they are referring to. 

I just like this picture of me