Stockholm, Sweden Partly Cloudy 63F Sunrise: 3:42 am - Sunset 9:45 pm June 11, 2011
Aerial View Gamla Stan
The Norwegian sun arrived in Nynashamn, Sweden about 1 1/2 hours from Stockholm. This would be our only tender transfer.
Originally we had planned on touring this city on our own. We spent hours learning the various islands, streets and sights. As we got closer to our arrival we decided with three hours plus by train from Nynashamn alone and only ten hours in port, a guided tour would cause us less stress. Glad we made the change. Armed with plenty of knowledge we were on the first tender at 7:30am and one of the first tours to leave Nynashamn for Stockholm.
Our bus took a little over an hour to reach our first destination, a viewpoint at the corner of Katarinavägen and Fjällgatan on the island of Sodermalm.
The city of Stockholm was built on 14 islands, we will visit many of them before the day is over. From our view point we recognized The Vasa Museum on Djurgarden, the clipper ship turned youth hostel on Skeppsholmen, the Grand Hotel on the tip of Blasienholmen, the Storkyrkan Church on Gamla Stan and the Town Hall. This is a spectacular and beautiful city on the water.
Our driver crossed the Centralbron to the island of Gamla Stan (Old Town) and parked by the Royal Palace. Here we were given ninety minutes to explore this island on our own. Without the research we had done on Stockholm our precious little time on this quaint island might have been wasted. Instead we took off heading straight down Slottsbacken waving at the Royal Palace guards. They didn't wave back. The following is a short video of our walk.
Behind us with his back to the Stomkajen canal is the statue of Gustav III King of Sweden from 1771 to 1792. Ahead the Obelisk, a monument erected in 1977 and considered to be the very center of Stockholm. In front of the Obelisk is the back of the Storkyrkan (The Great Church) the oldest church in Gamla Stan. Originally a Catholic Church turned protestant in 1527. Historically, this is the cathedral where many of the kings of Sweden were crowned. The most famous piece inside the church is the wooden statue of St. George and the Dragon sculptured by Bernt Norke.
We made a quick left after the Storkyrkan, right on Källargränd and left on Trädgårdsgatan to the courtyard of the Finnish Church. Here is the smallest (about 12 inches) public statue in Stockholm, the Iron Boy. He is a favorite of the local residents; the nuns knit caps for him in the cold winter months.
Back to Källargränd turn left to the Stortorget (Big Square), Stockholm's oldest square. Colorful, gable topped buildings line the four sides of this square which was once the heart of medieval Stockholm.
The Stortorget was the sight of the Stockholm Bloodbath. After King Christian II of Denmark successfully invaded Sweden in 1520, approximately 80 people were dragged to this square between November 7 to the 9th of the same year and executed. Blood flowed in the streets, thus the name, Stockholm Bloodbath.
Still early, the square is quite empty. We watch as the storekeepers set out tables and umbrellas, and the band tunes their tubas. In a few hours crowds that will descend upon this square filling it to capacity.
Nobel Museum
At #2 Stortorget is the Nobelmuseet (Nobel Museum). Stockholm born Alfred Nobel used the money from his invention of dynamite to fund the Nobel Prize. Since 1901, the Nobel Prize has been awarded to men and women for achievements in physics, chemistry, medicine, and literature in the promotion of peace. Portraits of the winners hang in this museum.
From Stortorgate we head down Skomakargatan in search of Tyska Kyrkan (German Church). Just look up, the skyline ahead is dominated by its tall brick steeple with copper covered spire. As we get a bit closer we notice the rain spouts are gargoyles. This area of Gamla Stan was predominately German, thus the German Church.
The King's Gallery
The highlight of the very dark interior is the King's Gallery, designed by Nicodemus Tessin the Elder. This golden platform was used by many generations of Swedish royalty. It rests on pillars suspended over the church floor and is reached by a ornately carved flight of stairs.
Exit the back of the church yard and right on Svartmangatan take this to the end and turn right on Österlånggatan, past several narrow streets on our way to Oleary's where originally we had planned on having lunch. However plans changed and we are already 40 minutes into our 90 minute time limit on this island.
Slussplan
No time to waste, wave at Oleary's (isn't open yet anyway) and straight ahead to the Slussplan (Lock's Space). We have reached the southern end of Gamla Stan, across the Slussplan is Sodermalm where we stopped at the viewpoint earlier in the day.
Across the street is the statue of Charles XIV John King of Sweden and Norway from 1818 to 1844. Later in the day we will take a canal cruise that will navigate this lock.
We are now heading north back up the western side of Gamla Stan. We did miss finding the narrowest street, Mårten Trotzigs but there is no time to backtrack.
Walking north on Stora Nygatan we glance right at Stora Gramunkegarnd and see the clock on the Storkyrkan. It is already 60 minutes into our walking tour.
Ridderholmen Church
Cross the Riddarholmen broh (bridge) to the island of Riddarholmen, home of Ridderholmen Church and burial place of the Swedish monarchs. The building dates from 1290 when it was built as a Franciscan monastery. After the Protestant Reformation the monastery was closed and eventually transformed into a Protestant church.
The church is no longer used for services only burial and commemorative purposes. Inside the walls are lined with Coats of arms of the knights of the Order of the Seraphim.
Svea Court of Appeals
Across from the Riddarholmskyrkan is the Svea Court of Appeals, founded in 1614 this was the highest court in Sweden until 1789 when the Supreme Court of Sweden was established under King Gustov III.
Parliamentary debates are open to the public and many line the walls of the gallery when Parliament is in session. Our 90 minutes is over and we have arrived back to the bus in front of the Palace in time. This is a city that requires more than one day to explore. Our next stop will be the Vasa Museum which is about a 30 minute bus ride away.
The Vasa Museum
In 1625, King Gustav II Adolf of Sweden signed a contract for the construction of four new ships. The Vasa was the first to be built. Construction began in 1626 in the naval shipyard on the island of Skeppsgarden in Stockholm.
On August 10th 1628, the Vasa set out from the harbor by the Royal Palace. Upon reaching the Slussen between Gamla Stan and Sodermalm, sailors climbed the rigging to set four of the ten sails. Showing off her power and beauty, all of her gun ports both port and starboard were opened and the painted lion carving was visible to the townspeople who lined the shore from Gamla Stan to Skeppsholmen. A salute from one of her cannons was fired and she was off on her maiden voyage. Just on the other side of Sodermalm she began to "heel to port," which meant she was leaning left. Water poured into her hull through the open gun ports and barely 1300 meters from shore the Vasa sank.
An expensive lesson in life, time, and materials, it was determined that the ship lacked stability. The underwater part of the hull was too small and the ballast (rock weight) insufficient to relation to the rig and the cannons. Hindsight is 20/20.
Immediate attempts to raise the ship began in 1629 with no success. In 1665, most of her cannons are raised by divers using a diving bell. In 1956 the foremast was raised. In 1957, the Swedish Navy recovered sculptures from the ship. In 1959, heavy cables were drawn under the ship and Vasa was moved to shallower water in 18 separate stages.
Finally on April 24, 1961 after 333 years, she was brought above the surface. Preservation work began in 1962. Preserving objects from decay is not easy and it would take years to work out a system to preserve her. A museum built around her opened in 1990, but temperature and lighting took their toll on the wooden ship.
Maintaining a stable climate became the most important aspect in preserving the Vasa. In 2004 a climate system is installed to control temperature and humidity. The museum is deliberately kept dark because the organic materials in the ship can be broken down by high light levels.
The Vasa will not survive forever, but the Vasa Museum is ensuring that it is preserved as long as possible.
Inside Vasa Museum
At the entrance of the museum sits a 1:10 model of The Vasa. A few feet away in the background is the actual ship. After substantial research, the model was painted to what was considered to be the original color scheme, thus showing how she would have looked when she set out on her maiden and only voyage.
Model Vasa with original colors
It is believed that over 100 crewmen as well as women and children were on board this ship when it sank. Displayed in the Face to Face Exhibition, are 15 skeletons found during the excavations of The Vasa. The skeletons have each been given names according to the letter of the alphabet and a description of what can be determined for their remains. "Adam" was between 35 - 40 years old, 165 cm tall. "Filip," found in the steering cabin was probably an oarsman, about 30 years old, 163 cm tall, and he had all his teeth.
This museum if properly viewed would take half a day. Informative exhibitions are laid out around the ship with text in many languages. Besides the Face to Face there are displays on salvaging, recovery, and preservation, life on board as well as life in Sweden in the 1600's and exhibits of the sailing methods of the time. Our pictures did not come out well due to the lighting inside. I guess it is one of those museums that just has to be experienced.
The video below shows our visit inside the museum.
The last part of our day is a ferry boat canal cruise which left from The Vasa dock on Djurgarden.
Parked next to us are two vintage ships, the lightship Finngrundet built in 1903 and the black smoke stacked Sankt Erik icebreaker built in 1915.
Our ferry hugged the shore along the Strandvaden to view the Hotel Diplomat and then Radisson Blu Strand on the back of Blasiehomen.
Coming to the opening between Blasiehomen and the island of Skeppsholmen a glance right brought the Royla Palace and Storkyrkan on Gamla Stan into view.
Kastellholmen
We continued past wooden ships moored off Skeppsholmen and an old loading crane built in 1751. At the end of Kastellholmen a tiny, typical archipelago island with granite rocks and cliffs, sits a medieval castle where the Swedish flag is hoisted every morning.
Rounding the end of Kastellholmen the Gondolen Restaurant built 33 meters over the water comes into view on the Sodermalm.
Gondolen Restaurant
Next our ferry turns up into Stromkajen - to the right is the youth hostel off Skeppshomen, next the Skeppsholmen bron, then the National Museum and Grand Hotel.
Slussplan Lock
From this side of the Strombron, St. James Church and the Swedish Opera House can be seen in the distance. Our ferry turns back down the Stomkajen hugging the eastern edge of Gamla Stan we pass the Parliament, Royal Palace, and Storkyrkan before passing through the Slussplan Lock.
Stadshuset
On the other side of Slussplan the steeple of Riddarholmskyrkan on Riddar Holmen Island can be seen. Once clearing this island we can see the Stadshuset (Stockholm City Hall) on the south eastern tip of Kungsholmen Island.
From here we will pass the urban area of Stockholm. Numerous apartment buildings line the granite cliffs with sunbathers hanging off the edge of their personal boulder beach.
Our ferry will make a 180 in the Riddarfjarden a bay of the Lake Malaren, hug the edge of Sodermalm before navigating back through the Slussplan Lock. The following video is our Stockholm Canal Cruise in a nutshell.
After the canal tour, our bus picks us up to return us to Nynashamn and the Norwegian Sun. This whirlwind tour has come to an end. Stockholm is a beautiful city worth much more than an eight hour tour.
Tender back to ship
If time was not an issue a climb to the top of the Stadshuset, tour of the National Museum and a few hours at Skansen would have rounded out this visit.
Tomorrow we are back in Copenhagen for one last whirlwind day.
**** For an interactive map and guided walking tour covering many of our tours please be sure to download the GPSmyCity App from the iTunes store. The App covers an extensive library of articles and walking tours from over 470 cities worldwide, and now features articles from Adventures of a Home Town Tourist covering Carmel and Monterey (with more cities on the way). ___
Aerial View Gamla Stan 
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