Tues April 29, 2025
Hi Gang! We’re docked in Stockholm, Sweden today and we’ll be here for the next few days. We sadly leave the ship tomorrow but since we’d never been to Stockholm and heard great things, we decided to extend our vacation for a few more days (you can do that when you’re retired!).
We were up early for both our in person immigration process as well as our excursion. The immigration process went fast and smooth and soon we were in our bus. The excursion was called “Stockholm and Vasa Museum”. Stockholm, founded as a fortress where Lake Malayan meets the Baltic Sea, began to grow in the mid-13th century. It ultimately became Sweden’s capital.
We left the pier for the scenic 30 minute drive thru the city center then on to the nearby island of Djurgarden, once the Royal family’s private hunting grounds. On the island of Djurgarden, regarded as Stockholm’s outdoor recreation center and Green Lung, we visited the Vasa Museum.
On display is the seventeenth century warship, which sank in Stockholm’s inner harbor, on the outset of its maiden voyage in 1628. The discovery of the ship in 1956 and its salvage in 1961 are some of the most important events in marine archaeology.
The ship was massive and so well preserved. It took 3 years to build but just 20 minutes to sink! They don’t really know the exact reason it sank but the guide said they think it was just too top heavy. Wouldn’t want to be the architect on that project! Ouch! But the funniest thing happened when we asked a woman to take our picture… she was from Winston Salem, NC! Small world!
Leaving the Vasa Museum we took a panoramic sightseeing drive thru Stockholm. Along the way we saw the Royal Dramatic Theater, the City Center, the Opera House, the Parliament building and the Royal Palace. We then drove back to the ship.
After boarding we grabbed lunch and started the awful task of packing. Yuk! But the good part was since we’re not boarding a plane right away, we didn’t have to worry about weight or liquids. YAY!
We then got ready for dinner. I’ll do another update tonight. Happy Tuesday to all!
The Wandering Italian 