Stockholm

The day after Christmas, Matthew and I abandoned the girl with my parents (thanks for babysitting Mom and Dad!) and made the drive to Stockholm. Though short, we enjoyed our time in the archipelago visiting the Vasa Museum and walking around Gamla Stan. The Vasamuseet, a maritime museum on the island of Djurgården claims to be the most visited museum in Scandinavia and is home to the nearly intact, 64-gun, 17^th century warship Vasa. Obviously, it was Matthew’s idea to see the Vasa (my only goals for our trip to Stockholm were to eat good food and try to see the handsome Swedish prince) but I found myself fascinated with both the ship and the idea of a museum commemorating an epic naval failure.

On our guided tour of the museum, we learned that the Vasa sank on her maiden voyage in 1628 after sailing for less than one nautical mile. The Vasa was commissioned by Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus who spared no expense decorating and equipping the ship to be a tribute to the glory of Sweden. Adorned with brightly painted wooden sculptures imported from German and Dutch artists, the imagery of gods and goddesses, sea monsters and tritons, kings and wild men, served to glorify the authority of Sweden and deride their enemy, Poland.

Replicas of the carvings seen above as they would have been painted.

Pigments based on the chemical analysis of remaining paint.

The ship was also heavily armed with two gun decks and a total of 64 guns. Normally the top deck would house smaller, lighter weapons, but since this was the prize of the Swedish navy, the ship was ordered to have full sized guns on both decks, further increasing the instability of the already top-heavy ship. Interestingly, the weapons were recovered in the 1700s and sold to the Danish (who then used them in war against the Swedes) and only 3 of the original guns remain.

Built by two separate sets of craftsmen, we know now that the narrow hull of the ship was constructed with different techniques and was substantially heavier on one side than the other. Our tour guide explained that if the Vasa had been just one meter wider she most likely would have sailed successfully.

A perfect storm of calamity led to the quick demise of the unstable Vasa. On her maiden voyage, the ship sailed east with gun ports open and guns out to salute Stockholm. Wind filled the sails causing the ship to heel suddenly to port before slowly righting herself. Another gust of wind followed, this time pushing the lower gun decks under water. The incoming rush of the water quickly sank the vasa only 120 meters from the shore. Survivors clung to debris awaiting rescue from spectators (it was considered unlucky for sailors to know how to swim at the time) and 30-50 people perished with the ship.

Bummer.

Surprisingly, no one was punished for the fate of the Vasa. (Side note: I learned what keel hauling is... sounds awful. And deadly.) The crewmen and contractors set up two camps, each blaming the other, and the shipbuilders claimed that they had just followed orders. The sinking was explained as an act of God and, though the sinking of the Vasa was a major economic disaster, no one was punished. The ship was raised in the 1960s and has been housed in the museum since 1990.  All in all, worth a look if you're ever in Stockholm.

This one is me-sized!

This is for my cousin, a diver in the US Navy.

The remainder of our time in Stockholm was spent exploring the medieval alleyways, cobbled streets, and North German architecture of Gamla Stan, the old town of Stockholm. Gamla Stan is home to the Nobel Museum, the Stockholm Cathedral, and Royal Palace, as well as some of the narrowest passageways I’ve ever seen.

Back in the day this was the shipyard where the Vasa was built.

Not the most intimidating palace guard.

Phone booth!

Nobel Museum

Mårten Trotzigs Gränd, 90 cm wide, the narrowest alley in Stockholm.

Maintaining the reputation of American tourists.

Stopping for a hot chocolate break

Stockholm Cathedral

Where the Heart Is

When it comes to travel, Dorothy Gale had the right idea.  Unfortunately lacking in the ruby red slipper department, Gracie and I were required to utilize more conventional means of transportation for our return trip to Florida. Desperate to reacquaint myself with the comforts of home (family, friends, that bright thing in the sky called the sun) I boldly grasped the hand of my two-year-old, steeled my nerves, and went where few parents dare to go: the airport. For a nineteen hour trip.  While pregnant.

Our trip passed without incident.  Gracie was mature beyond her years (in all honesty, she was mature beyond *my* years) walking for what literally felt like miles through the Frankfurt airport, passing through multiple customs and security checkpoints, and suffering through 15 hours of flight time with only Larry Crowne and Mr. Popper’s Penguins as our digital entertainment options. 

We enjoyed two lovely weeks defrosting in Florida with our family and friends. I loved seeing my family, taking Gracie to Magic Kingdom for the first time, attending MOPs at First Baptist Oviedo, and our playdates at the park and Amaya Papaya. These outings, our routine, and support system have been greatly missed while we’ve been in Sweden. I am so appreciative of the friends that made efforts to see us and spend time with us during our abbreviated stay.  I know how hard it is to find time to visit during the busy Christmas season, especially if you’re working or taking care of small children. My fond memories of seeing our friends and family will help sustain me for the uncertain duration of our remaining time in Sweden.

She travels well.

I'm going to order the child's meal for myself next time!

It's not home if I don't cook!

A quick trip to Publix with her best buddy, James.

Our first trip to Disney!!

Sleeping Beauty

Gracie got to see our favorite princess, Belle!

Dumbo Ride with Grammy

We rode the teacups.  Twice.





Worn out from the all the magic.

I went to my first softball game!

At the park with the cousins

Our Trip to Copenhagen

This past weekend, to conclude our visa application saga, SAAB sent our family to Denmark.  It turns out that Denmark isn’t only home to Hamlet and Legos. Copenhagen can also claim the closest Swedish Embassy branch outside of Sweden. If there’s anything better than being able to take a weekend trip in Europe, it’s being able to take a weekend trip on the company dime and not having to use any vacation time! Technically a business trip for Matthew, we made our appointment with the Embassy, booked a hotel, and fueled up the car. After our obligatory hour at the Embassy where we presented our passports to prove to the Swedish Migration Services office that we had indeed left the country, the weekend was ours!

We arrived in Denmark via the impressive Øresund Bridge, the longest road and rail bridge in Europe which connects Copenhagen and Malmö.

Like good tourists we walked through the city, cameras in hand snapping pictures of every gargoyle and oxidized copper roof or statue we saw. Like Floridians, we pulled our coats closer and scarves tighter to brace against the blustery winds brutally cold from the inner harbor. Like shell-shocked Jönköping -ians, we ogled the size of the city, much larger than we’ve grown accustomed to over the past three months.

Stumbled upon Occupy Copenhagen

We saw the famous street in Legos and as the real deal.

Found a Lego that looks like me!  What are the odds?

We had a full agenda, starting with a boat tour of the canals and history of the city.

The Little Mermaid

Our tour boat went through lots of low bridges

We toured Copenhagen’s National Museum, Denmark's largest museum of Archaeology and cultural (both Danish and foreign) history. Sadly, we barely made a dent in the free attraction’s vast collection, but I was equally impressed with the curator’s imaginative displays of history and the interactive children’s museum. 

Taking her friends around the museum

Look! An elk!

1.8 kg of solid gold. I'd wear that.

Children's Museum!

In the ship's cabin

She actually wanted to take a nap in the ship's bunk!

Mummies!

Matthew managed to squeeze in not one, but two, trips to the Carlsberg brewery where he observed the largest collection of bottled beer and brought home a couple of souvenirs for himself.

Copenhagen has the two oldest amusement parks in the world. Our hotel was literally across the street from the world-famous Tivoli Gardens.  Tivoli Gardens opened in August of 1843 and claims the oldest operating roller coaster and the oldest Ferris wheel in the world. In addition to the carnival style food and thrilling rides, we also enjoyed the fabulous display of Christmas lights in the park, decorated in the theme of a Russian Christmas.

Matt wanted to ride the really scary swings!

On our way back to Sweden, we indulged my literary curiosity and stopped in Helsingør, more popularly known as Elsinore, the setting of William Shakespeare's Hamlet. Helsingør, as it currently stands, was founded in the 1420s by the Danish king Eric of Pomerania. He built the castle 'Krogen', which was expanded in the 1580s, renamed Kronborg and is now the main tourist attraction.

I don’t want to disagree with Marcellus, but as far as I could tell there is nothing rotten in the state of Denmark. We really had a wonderful time! Now back in Sweden, today marks our 90^th day in the European Union. Our visas were approved just in time to avoid deportation; we’re now halfway through our stay and preparing to introduce the Thanksgiving Holiday to SAAB.