Adventures in and around Stockholm

Djurgarden vs. Malmo

My friend Kris generously bought us tickets to his favorite soccer club, Djugarden, currently in the top flight in Sweden. The season had recently started and they were hosting Malmo, the previous season’s champion. Djurgarden plays its home games at the stadium that held the 1912 Olympics, so the setting was very cool. The game was hard fought, and a crucial twist came near the end of the first half when the Djurgarden keeper was red carded after a mental blunder (a hand ball outside the box). The home team valiantly fought in the second half, and seemed destined to earn a point with a draw until this moment of brilliance by a Malmo player in the 90^th minute. By far the best part of the game was being in the crowd that was constantly chanting throughout and trading cheers back and forth with their fans on the other side of the stadium.

(Home supporters waving flags)

Vasamuseet

Hands down one of the best museums we visited on this trip, and I will say now the pictures we took will not do it any credit.

(Katie in front of the ill-fated ship)

The Vasa was built in the early 1600s to be the best ship of the Swedish fleet. However, on its maiden voyage it made it only 150 meters before it keeled over and sank. It turns out the ship was poorly designed and was too tall for the amount of ballast the ship contained.

The ship sat in Stockholm’s waters until its location was discovered in the late 1950s, and in 1961 it was raised from its watery grave. Amazingly the ship, as it sits today in the museum, is 95% complete! The mix of brackish Baltic Sea waters combined with fresh water remarkably preserved the ship. Not only did we marvel at this gigantic boat in front of us, but the museum was supremely interesting as it discussed the boat through many different lenses – it discussed its history, the engineering feat to raise it from the waters, it forensically discussed the remains they found to explain the background of the people who worked on the ship and even had facially reconstructed some of the crew members. It also looked at the scientific aspects and of the difficulties of preservation. The museum did a great job ensuring the almost everyone would be fascinated by some aspect of this ship and its remarkable story.

(Detail of craftsmanship of the stern - this and the entire boat was painted in bright dazzling colors.)

Easter Weekend

Katie had a four-day weekend so we used it to our advantage to explore the archipelago that surrounds Stockholm. Consisting of roughly 24,000 islands, it looks very similar to the Boundary Waters – calm bodies of water of varying size and rocky shorelines covered with birch trees and evergreens – and are largely accessible only by boat. On Saturday we took a day trip to Sandhamn, at the far eastern edge of the archipelago. We made sure to show up early so we could get a seat on the outside of the ferry so we could enjoy the view.

(Our ferry is on the left, prior to departure)

(View from ferry in Stockholm of Gamla Stan)

However, as the boat picked up speed the temperature dropped dramatically and by the time we arrived in Sandhamn, we were about the only ones left outside. We had toughed it out under small fleece blanket wearing hat and mittens while everyone else had sought the warmth of the interior of the boat.

Sandhamn is a cute little village on the Sandon island that consists of people’s summer homes/cabins and is a popular summertime hotspot for sailors and urbanites escaping the city.

(Typical archipelago cabin style and colors)

We had a great day: hiking around the forested island, eating a picnic lunch along the shore (and chilling our wine in the freezing cold water), and enjoying the sun while sipping on a cold beer bought from Sandhamns Vardhus - a bar and hotel that has been around since 1672.

On Sunday we were invited to Kris’s parent’s summer home on another island, Furusund, in the archipelago. This one could be accessed by a two hour bus ride but wasn’t a special long distance bus, but just your normal every day city bus. It was an odd feeling to be on a city bus in the middle of the woods but it got us there quite efficiently – the benefits of socialism! Much like our ferry ride to Sandhamn, the bus ride felt like we were in the north woods of Minnesota. (After spending time in the archipelago it is no wonder that the Swedes immigrated to Minnesota since it must have felt so much like home.) It was a vacation to be lazy, so we took their 6-month old Vilhelm for walks in his stroller, watched movies, read books, and ate delicious meals that Kris and Leila made for us.

(Where we spent most of our time relaxing and soaking in the sun)

We were truly pampered this weekend and spent as much time as possible outside as the weather was simply beautiful - so much so that Katie and I got a little sunburned! An endless fascination for Katie and I were the huge cruise ships that went by their house. The house is located on the route where the cruise ships to Scandinavia and the Baltic enter and leave Stockholm. I think we were caught up in the juxtaposition of feeling like we were back in Minnesota, only to have those illusions shattered by the huge cruise ships towering over the cottages as they passed by through the channel.

(Cruise ship returning from another Baltic Port)

It was a great way to see a different part of Sweden and spend our second to last weekend. However, our last weekend may be even more exciting as it is Walpurgis Eve & May Day!