The temperatures have been hovering between 45°F and 55°F for the last several days. The rain has been seldom enough that it did not drive us inside but often enough that we caught in it several times a day. Dressed appropriately, we enjoyed some more sights of the city. Today it was going to be Djurgården (pronounced dyer-ga-or-deh-n) Island. The official name is Kungliga Djurgården. Interpreting this from Swedish means "The Kings Game Park" or the "Royal Game Park". Which is exactly what it was after King John III (Sweden) declared it to be stocked with deer, reindeer and elk for his hunting parties. Now the island is the backyard playground for the city of Stockholm. Well used by residents, travelers and tourists. The island is full of open space, an amusement park and tons of museums.
Today Sandy and I used our SL Card (actually an app on our phones) to hop the buses and trams to and from Djurgården. We visited three of the museums, starting at the Vasamuseet (Vasa Museum). The Vasa is a ship named after the original powerful royal dynasty of Sweden. The warship itself was built between 1626 and 1628 and was to be the pride and the flagship of the Swedish navy. When she was set afloat she was the unquestioned master of the Baltic Sea. By far the largest, best armed (an extra deck of cannons) and thickest armored. When she simply showed up it was expected that opposing ships would lower their flags. Forty minutes after being launched she sat on the bottom of the sea. Turned out she was not seaworthy, her sails caught a little breeze and listed. The ship was so top-heavy, remember those extra cannons, she simply could not correct herself. Amazingly, no one was blamed, (it was the king that demanded the extra deck of guns). Even more amazingly, if the ship had been more seaworthy it would have deteriorated over the years. Instead, she sat at the bottom of the sea, preserved in that cold water and is now the best preserved ship of this period in the world. Ironic.
Following the Vasa Museum we visited the small but worthwhile Viking Museum. It held good artifacts, well explained and displayed. But, the highlight of the museum was the half-hour presentation of a Erik the Viking (Guy). It was informative and entertaining.
Our last museum was the Nordiska Museet. It is a museum in a magnificent building. Sandy and I enjoyed an exhibition on Scandinavian travel posters, far more interesting that it sounds. Another exhibit featured changes taking place in the arctic.
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