By the numbers
2 ferries
3 museums
15047 steps
11.13 kms
I wanted to get up early so that I could visit the Vasa
museum by around 830am since that is the time it opens and that happened since
June the first, which makes me incredibly lucky. I grabbed breakfast on the run
from the 7/11 store and it was two sandwiches, but no coffee. I would get that
when I found my way to the museum. I knew there was a Tunnelbana nearby, which
is the subway. That I was going to take a short distance so I could catch a
ferry to the terminal near the museum. I went looking with directions from my
phone that seems to be dodgy at times to Radhuset station and that took me
right to the door of the city archives, although I did not know that at the
time. I was having trouble trying to find the entrance to the station apart
from some lifts that I came across. Too many things to look for.
I knew where I wanted to go luckily and that was to a
station called Kungstradgarden. It had all the pretty artworks in the station
as it was one of those stations on the list of public art that is hanging
around. The escalators felt like they came from the very depths of hell, but
mood in the platform was dark as the lighting wasn’t turned all the way up
unless that was because it was a Sunday. They even had a water feature within
the station on the platform level. I made my way out and popped up at an exit
that I have no idea how I got to as I just took a random one. My map tells me
where to go so it is alright. I should have followed the path my phone gave me,
but I looked to my left and seen something that I wanted to see. I ended up
finding a royal palace called Arvfurstens with a huge monument to one of the
kings that was the first equestrian statue of its kind in Sweden. Across the
road was an opera house and I walked onto another building that had one hell of
an entrance that was a museum on life in the middle ages. I thought that was
pretty cool and happy once more, I wandered off into the direction of the
museum I wanted. I learnt that you are allowed to fish for salmon and other
fish for free as the water is apparently very clean.
Wandering on I could see the various ferries running to
other destinations and I did follow my map correctly. It can sometimes be a
pain when it thinks you are facing a direction and you walk that way to find
you are wrong. I had to wait for the ferry to come and in the mean time some
horses with riders in the middle of the street ride by, they even stop at the
traffic lights before moving on, which was interesting to watch. I seen the
ferry arrive right on time and it was just after 9am. Jumping on with the full
intention of heading to the museum, it went straight on by and I just shrugged
and waiting. The crew on the ferry asked where I was going and I told him. He
told me to get off at the next stop as there was another ferry pulling in too
that would take me there. I did thank him and told him it was a great cruise
regardless. He seemed happy with the compliment. It might have made my trip a
little longer, but the other ferry got me to the amusement park wharf. I then
walked the short distance to the museum.
The Vasa museum took me through three doors to get into the
climate controlled museum. The Vasa was a warship that sank in Stockholm
harbour in 1628 and was found in 1961 97% fully intact and they learnt new
techniques in preserving the ship. You could walk all around the ship on the
outside, but you could not walk on board. The people working on the ship have
found several people who died on board and there was plenty of them preserved
including a brain and shoes. You could see what was found in many of the
displays from canons, shoes and the well preserved panels that went on the
stern of the ship. I had to stop at the cafe for a coffee, which I required. I
had my bag in a locker that worked. I did notice the museum filling up with
people pretty quickly and there were people everywhere by the time I had my
coffee. I did sit down for a short video about the recovery and what they had
found. The ship is still slowly degrading, but they are learning new things at
the time including having to rethink the humidifiers especially after one wet
spell where there was a lot of moisture. I was glad to have visited the museum
and I was interested in how they preserved the vessel, although I probably
should have read the material before I left home about all that, but thats for
another time. The displays were pretty good too as there was information about
the stories behind the carvings, how they had to replace the temporary bolts
that were rusting with stainless steel specially made ones. I did leave after
several hours there and really had a good time looking at a beautiful ship and
museum. In some way this outshines what happened with the Mary Rose, although
they would have given them advice about it.
I couldn’t figure out where to go next, but I wanted to
visit another museum, so ended up deciding between the ABBA museum and the
Swedish History museum. I found that it was free when I arrived, which turned
out to be really good. I was also able to put my bag into a locker without a
problem and took the key with me. One good thing about museums is you know
there is a toilet nearby. I did the follow the dates thing as the museum seemed
to be one floor, but a very large floor space ranging from the 1100s to the
1900s, which included a Prime Minister assassinated in 1986. There was a
display about 1800 farmers who were killed in a battle in Gothburg or some
similar location and involved an experienced military against farmers. There wasn’t
much about the Vikings at all and I was hurrying through the museum a touch
even though it was interesting. The hall was being held for a private function,
which was actually a school concert with classical type of music and sounded
really nice from several parts of the museum. I had to walk through all the
other displays again to get to the entrance again due to the concert thing that
was going.
Deciding since ABBA didn’t close until late, I would visit
and go from there. I still had a cemetery visit in mind. I walked to the museum
while checking out some older style trams that were heading down the museum
alley area. I call it museum alley as there are heaps of museums in that one
area. I enter the ABBA museum and they are playing the music at the entrance
and explore the beginnings of the band, which I never knew about. All four were
known for the musical talents as they were involved with other bands or singing
at folk halls or concerts. They randomly met up and ended up in two Eurovision
events where they won one of them with Waterloo. They all got married too,
which I didn’t realise and I wasn’t that big a fan at all. Each area looked at
another part of their life and one of the videos said they got nagged by
Australians to have a concert there. It rained and then there was a beetle
invasion of sorts. I thought that was funny. They even had the puppets from one
of their music videos that the real people appeared in at the end with others
like Cher appearing in different shots. You could make your own music or even
be the fifth member of ABBA. What I did not realise was that the two ABBA
movies in the last few years happened to have been directed by the two male
ABBA band members. They all did their own thing once they went their own way. I
thought one of them was a recluse since the band finished, but that wasn’t the
case. On display were their many costumes and albums that got awards including
some cassettes. I was happy that I went to this museum even though it wasn’t covered
with my Stockholm Card, it was still well worth the visit.
By this time it was getting a bit late and I jumped onto the
tram, not the Subway this time and headed back to the railway station, which I
realised that instead of doing my aimless wanderings and getting lost on a
boat, I could have gone the easy way. I never seem to do things the easy way at
all and I think that is what everyone likes about me. Totally random, but get
to see as mch as I can. I think I know what to do with my last day
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