Stockholm

Gamla Stan
Stockholm was founded around 1200 on a small island surrounded by a sea channel. It spread to 13 surrounding islands as it grew. Gamla Stan is the name of the original island, the oldest part of the city. The royal palace (still the official residence of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia) is on the north side of the island, nearest to the bridge connecting it to downtown. The remaining portion of the island, approximately 15 x15 blocks, is considered old town. Most of the buildings date from the 1600’s and 1700’s. There are a few churches, small squares, small museums; many small shops, artisans, restaurants.
Gamla Stan
Atmospheric restaurants and good food abounds in old town. There is also a craft brewing culture in Scandinavia similar to the fervor in Portland. The only downer was the punishing exchange rate for the American dollar.
af Chapman
Built in 1888, af Chapman was a merchant ship for a couple dozen years, then used as a training ship through WWII. It was restored and opened as a hostel in 1949. It has since become a distinctive Stockholm landmark.
Skeppsholem
Skeppsholem is a small island just east of old town. You could walk the perimeter in about 30 minutes. Along the north side are dozens of antique ships moored. Each has a plaque explaining the history of the boat. Nautical buff paradise.
Eriksdalslunden
South of old town is a much larger island. It would probably take a day to walk the perimeter. It is more commercial in the middle, with bedroom districts around the edges. I walked a park that wraps around the SW quarter of that island. There are many pleasure boats kept on the south side. It is a prosaic place on a sunny day.
Palsundsparken
There is a little beach on the west most side of the island. It was something of a little oasis in the middle of the city, with apartment buildings across the channel, freeways and train trestles running high overhead.
Tantolunden
On a bluff above the beach I found an area of what looked to me like tiny beach bungalows attached to large flower gardens. There were only just a few walking streets running between parcels. I couldn’t find any information on this special area, But they looked as if they must be weekend getaway summer residences. The few people I saw outside had their heads down engrossed in gardening.
Mattis Bar
This was the front fence of one of the cottages.
Kokosbollar
I have discovered a new goodness in the world. Kokosbollar are chocolate balls that pack a punch. The outer shell is dark chocolate rolled in coconut flakes. The inside is a mind-blowing coalescence of crushed oats, chocolate and coffee. It is light as pastry and crumbles in your mouth like flourless cake. Each loll of your tongue releases a fresh burst of impossibly dense, rich flavor. I casually bought one the size of a cue ball to round off lunch one day. It was a bigger undertaking than I expected. By the time I swallowed the last morsel, my head was swimming; the sunlight was brighter, the trees greener. Was it love, or just caffeine?
Strandvagen
NE of old town is a long wharf where more antique boats are moored – in every stage of disrepair.
Strandvagen
The unbaptized antique boat buyer pictures himself relaxing on the deck of his recently completed marvel of restoration; beer in hand, bantering with friends, steaks sizzling on the barbie. It’s a compelling picture but …
Wasa Museet
A stay in Stockholm would hardly be complete without paying a visit to Wasa. In 1628 this flagship set out on her maiden voyage and sank in the middle of the harbor after traveling less than a mile. Following decades of recovery, preservation and restoration, you can now gaze upon the magnificent craft from six different levels. At the base of the hull you can watch conservators continuing their work. On upper levels you can look at the many objects recovered and preserved.

Stockholm, Sweden, 8/6-8/2012

The shipboard hostel is still operating and popular as ever, but I found a better deal at the Lord Nelson, a unique little hotel in the middle of old town, dressed up by a husband & wife team starting in 1973. It is outfitted like a ship, complete with brass trim, portholes, dark wood paneling, curios and ship captain portraits. The several floors are named after decks of a ship and each room is named after a ship. On top is a small sundeck with a crow’s nest view of surrounding rooftops. My room had the look and feel (and size) of a ship’s cabin. My window opened onto the street and let in a riot of happy tourist noises. Three stories below, crowds swelled by the busload as the morning warmed. Around lunch time it got so packed I could hardly get out the front door. By dinner the torrent slowed again to a dribble. And later, I could walk beyond the candle-lit restaurants, through squares and alleys hearing only the wind blow and the rain fall.

Wasa Museet
A stay in Stockholm would hardly be complete without paying a visit to Wasa. In 1628 this flagship set out on her maiden voyage and sank in the middle of the harbor after traveling less than a mile. It is now believed that King Gustav’s request for an extra gun deck, combined with the extra weight of visitors aboard, made the ship top heavy, causing it to heel over with the first big gust of wind. With all cannon ports open from a salute just fired, the ship quickly filled with water.

There were immediate attempts to raise the ship to no avail. Thirty-Five years later most of the cannons were recovered. Then, after 300 years of sleep in 100 feet of water, salvage was resumed. Normally, ship worms would have completely erased wood wreck in that interval. But because the Baltic Sea is so low in salt, ship worms don’t thrive there. Minimal tidal action, low-temperature, low-oxygen and hydrogen sulfide pollution worked together for maximum preservation.

After a couple years of preparation, the ship was raised in 1961. For the next 17 years it was kept in a temporary enclosure where it was sprayed day and night with polyethylene glycol to fill the cells of the waterlogged wood with something solid. During that period they set it up so you could walk aboard and take a look between spritzes. I happened to visit it way back then on my family’s maiden voyage abroad. It smelled like a swamp and looked like wax was dripping from the wood. Weird but cool. Wasa has since gained notoriety for groundbreaking preservation techniques.

They opened the current museum in 1990. You can gaze upon the magnificent craft from six different levels. At the base of the hull you can watch conservators continuing their work. On upper levels you can look at the many objects recovered and preserved. Personally, I was fascinated they were able to restore the original sails from white mush found in the sail lockers. Another major display is the remains of 14 victims found aboard, accompanied by a forensic analysis of their ailments.