Wednesday, September 10, was less energetic than previous, but we added two of Stockholm’s most unique sites to our itinerary, the Vasa Museum and the Stockholm City Hall.

The Vasa is unique.   I have been on tours of and even voyages of obsolete Maritime vessels but nothing that matches the scale of the vessel nor the grit of the Swedes to raise such a colossus from the depths. 

I won’t go into the sunken ship’s history, but what I find the most intriguing about naval ships of this period is the amount of artistic detail carved into these post-medieval galleons. 

To get a sense of the color schema of this vessel the exhibit provides recreated colored gargoyles, icons, etc., like this lion-shaped one.

As one can imagine, preserving a large wooden vessel, even with strong steel supports, is expensive and time-consuming.  It was mentioned in the exhibit that soon the supports structures will need to be replaced to ensure the exhibit continues.

We had planned to see the other exhibits if time, but after a consensus, we decided to return to Gamela Stan to ensure our slot for the English-speaking tour of the City Hall or Stadshus. 

So far, if I had to recommend one place or attraction in Sweden it is this building and particularly what’s inside.  Like an American State or The Capital building in DC, this architecture wonder even surpasses the vast quantities of artwork collected by the Swedish monarchies at Drottingham the day prior.  You are first treated to the Blue Room, a vast empty room to allow plenty of ambience for a nearby pipe organ which is played by select guests. 

There’s nothing blue about the building, but it was intended to be that color by the architect until the architect changed his mind apparently, but they still kept the name as it was on the contracts with the material providers which tried to be as locally in Sweden as possible. 

Going upstairs, one makes their way to the halls of municipal offices and the city council office, which was at the time unoccupied, but would host the various city leaders and its president.  

Finally, towards the end of the tour is perhaps the most eye-opening room I’ve been in:  The Golden Room. 

The lady in the center is the Lady of Lake Malmo with the city of Stockholm in her lap.  There is a variety of Sweden’s history depicted in a humanist-centric manner to recognize the achievements of its people as opposed to its rulers.

As the jet lag had only started to wear off and my internal clock was still out of sync, the next morning I awoke at 4 O’clock in the morning feeling like I couldn’t return to sleep without some exercise.  While my parents slept, I decided to explore Stockholm before dawn and explore more of the harbor.  I considered circumnavigating the entire island, but I decided to save my strength for the race in two days.  It was a pleasant evening run, thankfully without any rain, with hardly anyone on the streets, just an occasional cyclist or late-night street worker.  Along the way, I noticed several house- and hotel/restaurant-boats docked on the island.  Although my photo below is admittedly crude, the City Hall gives a unique green glow from its sole tower.

Going for a run proved a good way to get a better rest afterwards for the remaining two or three hours until my parents awoke.  On Thursday we returned to Skansen on the same ferry to where Stockholm’s main museum attractions, such as the Vasa, are located. 

We started at the National museum or Nordiska Museet (entrance pictured above).  This is essentially a historical museum to document the heritage of Sweden and its role in the world.  There are artifacts of the Sami, from the medieval period, the Great Northern War, Sweden’s relatively limited role in WWII, and modern times. 

Next, we went to the smaller, but more interactive and immersive Viking museum.  There was a guide who played the role of a Viking trader to give the impression of Viking life whom I picked his brain about some historical questions, particularly about the Vikings’ role in the formation of the Kievan Rus.

While not originally on our itinerary, we also decided to visit the photography museum which is located closer to our apartment rental.  The museum went above my initial expectation, though I confess I didn’t shoot any photos to show. 

For dinner I tried deer meatballs, made from reindeer I presume, which were expensive, but was on my list of musts in Sweden.

Tomorrow my family and I will get up early to catch a train to Oslo, as my 10-kilometer race is on Saturday and I need to pick up my bib in a new location and drop our belongings at our lodgings there.  King of Norway has recently passed away, so the original location to pick up the bib near the city’s central plaza has moved to accommodate the funeral.

Goodbye Sweden.