Copenhagen

 

Our final day began with a bus tour of Copenhagen. Denmark is the oldest kingdom in the world. The 83-year-old Queen abdicated this year in favor of her son. He is well loved with four children being educated in public schools. He has become “Denmark’s best marketing department”. We stopped first at Churchill Park with the Gefion Fountain, Gefion was a Norse Goddess who turned her 4 sons into bulls. She was promised whatever land that she could plow in a day as belonging to Denmark.

Little Mermaid

We went on to see the Little Mermaid in the harbor and the Rosenborg Castle Gardens. We took in one of the markets, where we saw the Danish special: open-face sandwiches.

Rosenburg Castle Gardens

Then we were given free time in the town center. Many went souvenir shopping, it was our last day. After lunch at an Irish Pub, I took in the 17^th century King’s New Square and New Harbor, the 18^th Century Marble Church, and Amalienborg Palace, the residence of the Royal family.

New Harbor

This was a great trip:  seven interesting countries, great lectures on local topics, unbelievable weather for September (60s and 70s. only one day of rain), friendly and helpful crew members (many of us needed help to our cabins on the one stormy night heavy waves). The highlights were the Vasa Museum in Stockholm and the documentary film about the “Singing Revolution” followed by touring the sites in Tallin, Estonia. Our guide, Julia, was a great representative of Finland, the happiest country in the world. And we bonded with quite a few of our fellow travelers.

Mary with our guide Julia

 

Day in the life on Bornholm

 

Citizen Committees

We started our day in one of the nearby towns. Jurgen, our speaker, has a background in public transportation systems. He was quite proud of working with both the public bus and school bus systems on the island. By changing school starting times, he managed coordinate these two systems, so that he increased the ridership by 70% and the bus system became profitable.

Historically. Bornholm’s economy was primarily fishing. But fishing has declined with overfishing combined with more pollution from fertilizer. Meanwhile world trade has flourished with large container ships reducing the cost of transporting goods. Thus producers need to efficiently produce large quantities of high quality goods, usually requiring the producer to be in a large city. But large cities also have a high cost of living. What do you do in a rural area like Bornholm?

Today, it only takes about 100 farmers to produce the same crops that use to take 5000 farmers on this island.  Our citizen committee decided to concentrate on local food and handicrafts to support tourism with the initial funding coming from the EU. We are seeing success. The island has recently won a Michelin star restaurant and a world prize in crafts.

Nelson, Miya, and Fred at the organic farm

Organic Farm

We then went to Hammersley organic farm. Our hosts, Nelson, Miya, and Fred all had advanced degrees in agronomy. This is their third season running the farm. They rent the land from a firm whose purpose is to encourage organic farming. Many of the 150 shareholders also volunteer at the farm. The farm operates as a CSA, community supported agriculture, with 65 customers who pay up front for a share of the crop. Currently, the farm produces about 50 varieties of vegetables (including 7 types of tomatoes) on their 20 acres. They are growing new unfamiliar vegetables, so they give their customers recipes for them. They are also selling to 10 local restaurants.  In addition, they are renting part of the land for wine grapes and an orchard. Next year, they will be growing mushrooms. 

Vegetable rows 

We had lunch of salad and an open face sandwich of breaded fish. We spent the afternoon in the village of Gudhjem.

The Village of Gudhjem

Bornholm, Denmark

 

Smokehouse

The Denmark flag is the oldest national flag in the world. The legend is that the Archbishop of Denmark prayed in 1222 for God’s blessing against the Swedes and a red flag with a white cross floated down from heaven. Bornholm is a 30 x 40 km. island only 30 km off the Swedish coast. It has 14K people living here. Fishing was the primary industry, but now agriculture and tourism predominant.

Hammershus Castle

We visited a former smoke house. Here the women smoked the fish and then hung them on racks to dry. The island is primarily made of granite in the north and we saw several quarries. Our most interesting stop was Hammershus Castle. Built in 1250, this was once the largest castle in Scandinavia. It was deserted in 1525 when the Germans took the island. We explored St Olaf’s Church, a Nordic Round Church built in 1115.

St. Olaf's Church

In the afternoon, we took a hike from Gudhjem along the coast from the seashore to the cliffs and through the forest. We made good time, so the bus driver suggested another short walk to his favorite spot on the island.

Hike along the coast

That evening, Krishna, our restaurant manager, MCed the Crew Show.

Gdańsk, Poland

 Gdańsk is a heavy industry port of 450,000 people. It became part of Poland in 970 AD. Poland was one of the first countries to elect their king and allow for religious freedom. It was absorbed Prussia in 1793, and was a free city under the protection of the League of Nations after the First World War. Germany and Russia invaded Poland in September 1939 to start World War II. Six million Poles died during the war, half of them were Jews. Ninety percent of the Old Town was destroyed. At the end of the war, the Russian army ‘saved’ Poland. Three million tons of debris had to be removed before the rebuilding the Old Town.

Neptune Fountain and Artus Court

We started our tour at the Green Gate, named for the green windows. Designed as a Royal Palace, it was never used by royalty. What look like separate buildings along Long Street are long flats that are decorated to match their former look during the Hanseatic times. Near the Neptune fountain is the Artus Court, the name derived from King Arthur’s Court. The town hall was home to the Teutonic Order, we listened to the carillon play the hour. Saint Mary is a Gothic church built with bricks between 1343 and 1502. Inside is an astronomical clock from 1467 and Last Judgement from 1472. The 1517 altar depicts the crowning of Mary.

Clock and Last Judgement

After a local lunch of pierogi, a polish dumpling, we went to the Solidarity Museum. During Soviet times in Poland, people would wait in lines for hours to buy groceries. Our guide remembered his mother waiting 3 days to buy furniture, you took whatever chair that came next off the truck. In 1970, the government raised the prices by 30% while wages were stagnant. In December 1970 shipyard workers went on strike in protest and people died in the streets.

Marital Law declared during protests

In August 1980, Anna, a crane operator, was fired for participating in a labor union, five months before her retirement. She and others turned this into a strike on bread-and-butter issues in sympathy with strikes elsewhere in Poland and issued a list of 21 demands. The shipyard workers rather than taking to the streets, stayed in the shipyard, making it harder to break up. On August 31^st the Communists recognized the union. A month later other factory organizations joined together to form Solidarity. But in December, martial law was declared. Talks between Solidarity and the government led to semi-free elections in 1989, which resulted in a Solidarity led government and in December 1990, Lech Wałęsa was elected President of Poland. Unfortunately, Poland experienced a time of anarchy and unemployment of 27%. The Communists went from ruling to owning most of the now privatized companies.

Lech Walsea addressing the crowds

Our day ended with very rough seas, only about half of us made it to dinner. I was about to order when seasickness hit me. With help from the crew, I made it to our room, but I was unable to even sit up without getting dizzy. Mary continued on at dinner, but a big wave hit and she fell to the floor, but protected her head. Meanwhile the waiters tried to save the plates from crashing in the kitchen. We went to bed early and slept soundly. The waves calmed down about 10:30.

 

Topic: The effects of the Ukrainian War in the region

Economic effects: The West thought that trade with Russia would prevent war. Russia is rich in energy resources, especially oil and gas. In Finland during the first winter of the war, people were asked to not use their saunas until alternative energy sources could be found. Many of the coal plants and nuclear plants were re-opened and the move to green sources was accelerated. Many companies ceased operation in Russia, but they sold their facilities at deep discount. Europe shut their borders to Russian tourists, though Hungary and Slovakia want to reopen the borders. European Union cities are pairing with Ukrainian cities to helping with reconstruction after the war.

Security concerns: Russia is jamming GPS signals, and hacking computer systems in many countries. NATO exercises have been intensified, recently Baltic Sea exercises and Winter exercises above the Artic Circle have been held. Many have volunteered to get military training including Darias, one our guides who is studying at the Lithuanian military academy. Many countries are worried about the loyalty of Russian minorities, especially if they only speak Russian and get their news from Russia.

People: Many countries have absorbed a lot of Ukrainian refugees. This has strained local resources, especially school resources. Most have jobs and are receiving health, and welfare benefits. Some of the refugees have returned to Ukraine even with the war, some are avoiding military service, even though other men have been on the front lines for two years.

Klaipėda, Lithuania

 Kaipėda is the major port for Lithuania, 60,000 of the 160,000 residents are supported by the port. This was a heavily fortified Nazi port during WW II. After a 100-day siege by the Russians in January 1945, the Germans retreated. Only 28 Lithuanians were found still living in the city.  

Gate of Hell on Hill of Witches

Rather than visit this industrial city, our tour focused on the national park that is a 10-minute ferry ride away on the Curonian Spit across the lagoon. It gets over 500,000 visitors each year. In the 17^th and 18th centuries, this long peninsula was stripped of its trees, sand took over and made this a desert island, 14 villages disappeared among the sand dunes. During the 19^th century a 100-year process of reforestation was begun including a 9 km long protective dune. They discovered amber in the lagoon, and the village of Juodkrante was created to house of the workers. Today, it is a resort town. Just outside the town, we walked the Hill of Witches. This sculpture trail built between 1979 and 1982 has eighty oak sculptures that depict various fairytale and legends. Witches used to gather here on the summer solstice. The trail takes on the journey of that night guided by Neringa through the land of witches and demons until dawn arrives, when you can dance for joy with your companions.

Carol and Lorna celebrate after our walk

Later we saw a strip of forest where over 2000 pairs of cormorants gather; their feces poison the forest trees.

Border with Russia along tree line

After lunch, we climbed Avinas hill, the tallest dune on the island to see the border with the Kaliningrad enclave of Russia. We were advised to keep our phones in airplane mode, since the cell towers in Kaliningrad would be happy to steal our information. Then on to Nida, a village where we saw a sailing competition in the lagoon. Here we saw Curonian pennants, ornate carved flags, unique to the family on the Spit.

Pennant for Nida

Rundale Palace, Latvia

 

Rundale Palace

We visited the 138-room Rundale Palace. It was built in the 1700s by Duke Ernst Johann von Biron. Numerous portraits of the Duke, his wife and generations of children were in the public rooms of the Palace. During Soviet times, the Palace was used for both a school and a grain storehouse, but it has been beautifully restored.

White Hall

Topic: Soviet Monument Removal

August, a local journalist, talked to us about the controversy around removal of Soviet monuments in Latvia. Latvia means the Land of God, and everyone wants it. This land has been invaded by German Crusaders (to turn the pagans to Christians), the Polish-Lithuanians, Swedes, and in the 19^th century the Russian Empire. The Latvian language has been the unifying element throughout history. Latvia gained independence in 1918. In 1939 the Soviets invaded the country without a shot fired. The occupiers built many monuments, usually statues of Lenin or tributes to the soldiers who won WW II, throughout the country. Beginning in the 1990s, many of these monuments have been removed, some of which are in the Occupation Museum. Streets named for Russian poets, scientists, etc. have been renamed. But there is a large Russian speaking population who objects to this “erasure of our history”, the counter argument is that “we are removing the unpleasant memories of occupation”. More info here.

Removal of Soviet Monument, August 2022

Topic: The Vikings

A Viking is best described as a Scandinavian seafarer whose was exploring, trading, and making war. The Viking period was from 750 to 1100 AD. The Viking ships were quite advanced for the age. The large ships were 100 or 120 feet long with a square sail holding 40 to 80 men. During favorable weather, they could sail from Denmark to England in 3 days.  The Vikings occupied almost a third of England and the Normandy region of France at one time. They settled Iceland, Greenland, and Newfoundland and sailed through the European rivers to as far south as Constantinople. Married women oversaw the household and farm, some also practiced various skills, like sail making. There were also powerful wise women, Volver, who advised the Viking leaders. Women had the right to divorce for unfaithfulness, violence or desertion. The Vikings left many Runestones, memorials to the deeds of various men. Over 6000 Viking Rune Stones have been found, mostly in Sweden. Why did the Vikings disappear? Because they became Christians when the Danish King Bluetooth united most of the Vikings under one King. One additional note: their helmets didn’t have horns.

11th Century Runestone, Sweden

Riga, Latvia

 

Art Nouveau Building in Riga

Riga has 700K of Latvia’s 2 million people. About 50% of the population is of Russian heritage in the city, while the country is 30% Russian.  Originally, a Livonian settlement, the Germans came in 1201, the historic founding date of the city. Today it has a large industrial port and was a Hanseatic city. Our tour began viewing some of the 800 Art Nouveau buildings built from 1890 to 1910. Most of these buildings have been beautifully restored in recent years after having been divided up into small apartments during Soviet times. Next was the marketplace inside five buildings from the 1930s in the basement are freezers and storage. We passed a Stalinist skyscraper (wedding cake) built in the 50s like what you see in Moscow.

Organ in Pulpit in Dome Cathedral

The 1935 Freedom Monument has three stars for the 3 regions of Latvia. During Soviet times the meaning was changed to the 3 Baltic states under Mother Russia. We walked to Livonian Square, with the 17^th century merchant guild building, Dome square with the Dome Cathedral, and Town Hall Square with the Town Hall on one side, and the symbol of the city, Blackhead House on the other. Dome Cathedral has a 6718 pipe, 124 stop organ built in 1884. Some of our group returned the next day for a concert. The Blackhead House was a society with St. Maurice as it’s patron saint, who was a Moor, hence the black head. Established in 1413, the first House was built in 1518. The building was destroyed in WW II, then rebuilt with donations from the Riga community in 1999.

Blackhead House

In the afternoon, we were entertained by the “smallest folklore show in the world”, so claimed because the danced on a platform about the size of a piano bench. They invited Jane, one of the passengers, to try it. Later they played a string instrument called a kokle.

That evening we had dinner with a local family: Klinta, Edgar, and their 4 year old daughter, Lela. They had both been journalists, but Klinta is now studying to become a clinical psychologist.

Tallin, The Singing Revolution tour

 

Today we covered the modern history of Estonia. Estonia became independent in 1918 after World War I. We visited Forest Cemetery the burial ground for Estonia’s writers, artist, actors, athletes, and public figures Here is the grave of Konstantin Päts, who had a mixed past. He was one of the drafters of the 1918 Estonian constitution but he was also a dictator of the country from 1934 to 1937.

The Journey 

After the 1939 treaty between Hitler and Stalin, Russia invaded the Baltic states in June, 1940. By January 1941, the Soviets deported 10,000 government officials to Russia. The Nazis then occupied the Baltics from 1941 to 1944, sending many to concentration camps, finally the Soviets defeated the Nazis regained the Baltics. In 1949, they sent another 20,000 to camps, those who refused to give up their farmland. The Memorial built in 2018 honors the victims of communism from 1940 to 1991. It begins with the journey through the names of all those who perished. Then you reach the Home Garden of fruit trees to which are added stones, marking the camps where the people were sent.

Singing Revolution, September 1988

The story of the Singing Revolution starts when Gorbachev was head of Russia and he introduced glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring), hoping to stimulate the Soviet economy. In 1987 in Estonia, there were successful protests against new phosphorite mines on environmental grounds. On August 23^rd, thousands protested against the Soviet system in Hirvepark without being arrested. The Heritage Society reminded people about Estonian culture and history. While 92% of the population had been Estonian in 1944, because of the Soviet program to Russianize the USSR republics, only 60% were Estonian in 1987. In September 1988, 300,000 people showed up for a Song Festival in Tallin, where they sang patriotic songs. One third of the population showed up, singing together was a demonstration of power. (The stage can hold 25,000 and the grounds comfortably hold 100,000.) The preoccupation Estonian flag of blue, black, and white began to appear. On the 50^th anniversary of the occupation of the Baltics by Russia, August 23, 1989, a human chain of two million people stretched 600 miles across all three Baltic countries in protest. An Estonian Congress was elected which brought back the flag and the Estonian language. They established an Estonian citizenship for those with Estonian ancestry over 860K registered. But those with Russian ancestry protested in front of the parliament in 1990, they were soon surrounded by counter protestors, would this lead to violence? No, the Estonians opened a corridor through the crowd to let the protestors out. In January 1991 there was violence in Lithuania which resulted in 14 dead and many injuries. In Russia, there was a coup by Soviet hard liners and Gorbachev was arrested. Russian tanks appear in the streets of Tallin. The Estonians surround the broadcast tower with people hand in hand to keep their radio alive. Congress gathers and votes unanimously for independence. The Soviet army surrounds them, but they don’t attack, there is confusion. Meanwhile in Russia, Yeltsin declares an independent Russia, separate from the USSR, ending the coup. Each of the republics declare their independence. “We achieved freedom through song”.

Tallin Radio Tower

In the afternoon, we walked Kadriorg Park. This park was built by Peter the Great for his second wife, Catherine. On the park grounds is a baroque palace with beautiful gardens. We ended our day with vodka tasting.

Palace in Kadriorg Park

Topic: Estonia Past and Present

Estonians can get most of their services: voting, Healthcare, banking, etc. online with the use of their national ID card. The exception is getting married or divorced. In 1991, the Estonian economy plummeted after independence, the Russia Ruble had a 1000% inflation in a year. Crime rates went up. They stabilized the currency by introducing the Estonian Crown. But people each started with 100 Crowns in their bank accounts, no matter what their previous balance. A new constitution was created, and over time property was privatized as many people became entrepreneurs. The state encouraged several industries: computers, the internet and technology. The constitution separated the status of people by their heritage, full citizenship to Estonians, but an alien passport to Russians, who could vote in local but not national elections. There were Russian and Estonian schools through high school. The hope was that the Russia students would learn the Estonian language and history and become citizens. Estonia joined NATO and the EU in 2004. With the Ukrainian War, after 33 years of a dual system, this year all schools now teach in Estonian. Teachers were tested for Estonian fluency only 200 of 800 Russian teachers passed. People here are buying second homes in Western Europe concerned about Russian aggression.

Topic: Controversies of the Baltic Sea

There are several controversies shared by the nations along the Baltic, mostly dealing with Russia.

First is the fishing industry, which is very important for many coastal towns. Overfishing has made Baltic herring and cod endangered so the EU enforces regulations on what can be caught, while Russian fisherman don’t.

Kalingrad is a Russian enclave separate from Russia between Lithuania and Poland. It was a part of Germany before WW II but taken over by the USSR after the war. Over 2 million Germans evacuated the area, and Stalin resettled the area with Russian citizens. It remains a Russian military enclave in Western Europe.

There are 40,000 tons of WW II chemical weapons disposed of in the Baltic Sea in concrete containers. Will these poison the sea when they deteriorate?

There are two Nordstrom pipelines from Russia to Germany under the sea. Nordstrom 2 was sabotaged in 2022, but not clear by who.

Finally, Russia periodically jams GPS signals in the sea.

Tallin, Estonia the old town

 

Alexandria Cathedral

Our day started with a documentary on the Singing Revolution, the story of how Estonia separated from the Soviet Union over the course of 1987 to 1991. Most of us were brought to tears. I’ll leave the description for tomorrow, since we had the chance to see many of the sites in the film.

View of Tallin from upper town

Estonia has a population of 1.3 million, Tallin has 1/3 of that population. The name means "Danish Town".  It has the same latitude as Anchorage, Alaska. 80% of families own their home. We toured the old town beginning at the upper town with the Russian Orthodox Alexandria Cathedral, and Parliament. The town walls and gates are visible everywhere as we descend to the lower town and the Town Hall, next to the central square. The nobility would reside in the upper town, while citizens, city dwellers, lived within the walls. 

St. Catherine's Passage

In the afternoon, we explored the craft shops along St. Catherine’s passage, a street from medieval times. I went on to see the coastal gate and climb 250 steps to the viewing platform of St. Olaf’s Church.

The Coastal Gate

Helsinki, Finland

 

Sailing into Helsinki

After Ukraine was invaded, within a month, 90% of Finns favored joining NATO. They have an 800-mile-long border with Russia. Finland has a population of 5.6 million and has an army of 600K in a country the size of Germany. It also has 3.2 million saunas. Finns seldom smile and the joke is that they found that covid distance requirements were too close. Finland the land of 180,000 lakes was part of Sweden for over 500 years, Swedish is still the second language of the country. They were ruled by Russia from 1809 until 1917.

Musical Instruments at Oodi Library

We had an afternoon tour of Helsinki. First stop, the Oodi Library, built in 2018 to provide not only books, but workshops for learning musical instruments, a kitchen area for cooking, 3D printers, large plotters, video games, chess, a cafeteria, chess boards filled with players of all ages, etc. Outside we encountered a environmental demonstration. We went on to the Sibelius Monument, a famous Finnish composer, including the song Finlandia. It consists of 500 tubes, which could be organ pipes or birch trees. We ended the day at Senate Square where our ship is docked. In Senate Square was a demonstration supporting Gaza. I visited the Lutheran Cathedral and the City museum which gave insights into the history of the city for the last 100 years. We sailed out of the city with its 300 islands.

Sibelius Monument

Topic: Happiness and the Nordic Model

Finland has rated the happiest country in the world for six years running. Denmark is 2^nd, Iceland 3^rd and Sweden fourth. Why are they so happy? Partly because of the Law of Jante, taken from his satirical novel written in 1933. “You are not to think of yourself as anyone special, smarter, or more important. Know your place in our egalitarian society, help others.” This is often expressed by the Swedish word lagom or the Finnish word sisu: “not too much, or too little, just the right amount”. This attitude is paired with perseverance and determination and linked to honor and integrity, creating a high trust, low corruption society. The Nordic Model is also a high tax, welfare society: unemployment payments, free health care and education through university, up to 2 years of parental leave. Finland even gives a baby box filled with diapers, clothes and baby supplies when a baby is born. Welfare is typically only used if needed, people are happy with a sustainable life. When you know you have enough you are happy. The Finns were surprised that they are now the happiest country after the depression that occurred when  the USSR broke up in 1991, their largest trading partner no longer could buy their goods. Nokia cell phones and telecommunications helped end the economic crisis.

Helsinki 100 years ago

Old Town Stockholm

 

Grand Square

The entire tour group joined us today and together we visited more of Old Town. The Grand Square is the site of the bloodbath of 1520. The Danes had laid siege to the old town and the people were starving. After the Swedes surrendered, the Swedish nobles were invited to a banquet for the coronation of the Danish King as King of Sweden. Three days later, the nobles were again assembled by the archbishop, but this time eighty two of them were executed in the square. Two years later, King Vasa of Sweden recaptured Stockholm.

Golden Hall

We then visited the City Hall, site of the banquet each year for the Nobel Prize winners. The prize was created by Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, the year before he died. Blue hall is where the banquet is held. After the banquet, dancing is held in the Golden Hall covered in 18.6 million tiles. The council room was unusual for the time, it has one gallery for the citizens, another for the press to listen to the council deliberations. With 14 political parties in Sweden, everything is a compromise.

St. George and the Dragon

With our free time, we decided to explore the Stockholm Cathedral. It has been used as the coronation church for centuries.  The wooden statue (dedicated in 1489) of St. George and the dragon symbolizes the Swedish relations with the Danes: they have fought throughout the 14^th to 17^th centuries. That afternoon, we left the Stockholm Archipelagos of 20,000 islands.

Sailing out the Stockholm Archipelago

Subways and Parks

 

Lady in pink with children's art in the subway

This morning, we did a tour of the Blue Line of the Stockholm subway. This is the newest line of their system, and several stops have artwork based on different themes. The Central stop has a theme around the workers who built the metro. The King’s Garden stop has a theme around Roman ruins (even though the Romans were never here). Our third stop had a children’s theme. The artist took drawings that children had made, complete with misspellings, and enlarged them for the tunnels. Here we also talked to a local woman, who was dressed in pink, magically matching the theme. Our last stop had an environmental theme: men maintaining and destroying nature. 

Environmental theme in the subway

In the afternoon, several of us joined Stephen on Jourgarden Island, to walk through the parkland along the shore. We saw sculptures, gardens, swans, and even a deer.

Museum garden on our walk

Skansen and Vasa

 

1830 Farmer

This morning, we explored the Skansen open air museum. Established in 1891, over 150 structures from throughout Sweden were moved here to celebrate Swedish culture and tradition. First up was a 11^th century Rune stone. Next was an 1830 farmhouse. The farmer explained that the cows, pigs, and chickens spent 7 months of the year in the barns, but all their feed for the winter must be grown in 3 months. They grow primarily barley and potatoes. The women take care of the animals, while the men do everything else. We continued to a 19^th century town, Several different other farms, windmills, churches, schools, and tradesman. Further on were the typical farm animals of Sweden, and then a zoo of Nordic animals like moose, caribou, and brown bears.

14th Century Storehouse

The Vasa is a unique find, a 17th-century century ship where 98% of the ship is original. This warship was designed to be the most powerful ship in existence: 64 cannon arranged on two decks. 

Two decks of cannon

At the time, Sweden was at war with Denmark, Poland, and Russia. King Gustavus Adolphus wanted a new flagship for his navy. The ship set sail on August 10, 1628, sailed 1300 meters, a gust of wind came up, the ship was top-heavy, foundered on its side, took on water through the cannon ports, and sank. The ship was 53 meters high, 69 meters long and only 11 meters wide. In the museum the masts are only half the original height, the full height extends outside the building. The ballast of the ship was too light compared to what was above the waterline. During testing for stability, they learned that the ship was unstable, but who was going to tell the king that he couldn’t have a second deck of guns? This ship was meant to impress with over 600 carvings, originally in very bright colors. 

Model of ship in original colors

Stockholm, the Royal Palace

 

Old Town of Stockholm 

Sweden is the size of California, but with only 10 million people. 900,000 live in Stockholm on 14 islands connected by 57 bridges. Our day started with a walking tour of the Old Town, just across the bridge from the Hotel Sheraton Stockholm. Our primary visit was the Royal Palace with 1430 rooms, the official residence of the King. Next door is the much more ornate Parliament Building. The treasury stored the Royal Crowns and other regalia. Above are the Royal rooms. At first the rooms, were under inspiring until we reached the third floor where the wall, ceilings, painting, and furnishing were more typical of a Palace. 

Victoria Drawing Room

We had lunch of perch in old town. Then quite a few of us took a boat tour around Djurgården island. At first there were numerous monumental buildings, many of them hotels or museums, but as we went along more of the sights were parks, a third of Stockholm is park land. 

Start of Djurgården Cruise

In the evening, a few of us joined Stephen, our program director, for a Thai restaurant in a ship anchored on the lake. Afterwards, we took an adventurous path up the cliff face to catch the views of the Old Town and a scene from "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo".

Scene from "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"