Ta-Da!!! I made it to Stockholm

At crack of dawn, I was onboard IcelandAir Fl306 to Stockholm. Again with the "full flight" nonsense... I had a ROW to myself and grand plans to use most of the 2.5 hours to get my first sleep in more than 24 hours.

Plans change.

As the day crept over the horizon, it lit up Iceland. Pink sunlight hit peaks and rivers of a frozen landscape, two minutes ago appearing to be simply and unforgivingly white.  It was nothing short of magical. Worth staying up all night for.

And then my window froze over... and I fell asleep. LOL

Landing in Stockholm, my first thought was to just pay the price and taxi all the way to my city center hotel. But exiting the airport, the first thing I saw was the bus and all of a sudden, cheaper was also easier. Yeah, there was the simple matter of getting from the bus terminal to the hotel (about a mile) but I decided that a walk through the city would be good for me - from a fresh air stand point and a "getting the lay of the land" perspective. 

It's a squirrely city! Walking to the hotel was a tad on the brisk side and the cobblestones have probably shortened the life of my luggage, but I enjoyed passing by cafes, bakeries, souvenirs and galleries as I wound my way across rivers/channels and through old narrow streets. It was Sunday afternoon and Swedish folk filled streets. Mixing, mingling, eating and drinking. I didn't understand a word but it was nice to be here. :-)

A quick stop at the hotel and it was time to get back out there. This is my view... since I got upgraded to a room that has one.  <3

My ONE "must do" item for today was the Vasa Museum. How many people had recommended it to me? I have lost count.

Today was also the day I dove headlong into Uber-ing. The cold wind, lack of sleep and low blood sugar were starting to take their toll. I had about 3 hours to get a Vasa education and shove in some food before the inevitable crash was going to take place. 

For a summary of the Vasa warship see prior blogpost. Today all you need to know is it's a one-of-a-kind thing. Giant... captivating... sad and perhaps a good lesson from history that hasn't lost its value over time. 

The Vasa was commissioned by the King of Sweden. He was at war with his cousin, the King of Poland-Latvia area and ships needed to be replaced fairly regularly. This one was to be the flagship. Bigger, more guns etc, etc. 

The King was traveling but sent messages to the boat builders to tweak the plans. They did... because who argues with a King in the 17th Century without loss of life or limb?!

The result was a two-tiered gunship. Top heavy, too narrow at the base for enough ballast. It was 25 mins into its maiden voyage, filled with 250 family members of the workers (tradition), not yet having even picked up the sailors, when a slight breeze sent it listing.

It righted itself, kinda. But with every subsequent gust, not even under full sail, it leaned a bit more. Quickly water poured into the ship via the windows designed for guns (normally closed, but today they were showing off) and within 15-20 mins the whole thing was capsized and submerged. About 20+ people did die, but the death toll would have been so much higher had the ship not been so close land - still inside the harbor! Swedish folk from the shores, watched it all go down and raced to rescue passengers from the water. 

The ship was salvaged in the 1960's.. as intact as any could be. It is now the main attraction at the Vasa Museum in Stockholm. 

Enough said. Pics are not able to do this ship justice. It's just way to big to capture!

Then it was dinner time. A quaint Italian style cafe. Food eaten in what must have once been a wine cellar. And cake to go. I have 12 hours to rest and organize in my room. A taxi with my name on it will come a callin' around 5:45 am and I'll be on the final leg of the trip to Swedish Lapland.  

G'night everybody.