Lauren 3.0? Back to Europe

This is my 3rd trip back to Europe after moving back to the States in August of '09. I don't regret my decision to move back, but it's still nice to get to know new places. My last trip to Europe focused on business in the UK and a short jaunt in Paris over the weekend. I got to visit my friends and stuff myself with wine, bread and cheese.

This time, work brought me to Stockholm. The Swedes are an extremely friendly people and are very willing to speak in English to foreigners (as I understand, business is done in English as well). Stockholm rests on an archipelago, and is known as the "Venice of the north." Stockholm is on the same latitude as Anchorage, Alaska, so in the winter days are short and extremely cold. Now that it's March, the days are about the same length as they are in New York (minus 30 minutes) and it's not painfully cold.

I had 1.5 days of the weekend to go sight-seeing. So on Saturday morning, I made my way out. In typical form, I walked the wrong way towards the t-bana (subway), but as luck would have it, I walked on water... really. Lake Mälaren is frozen nearly all of the way across. On nice days, you can find people seated out there, cross country skiing and walking their dogs and children.



Once I finally found public transportation, I took it to the Vasa Museum. The Vasa was a warship built in the early 1600s. The king at the time was fighting in Poland against his cousin, the Polish king. He commissioned 4 ships to be built as soon as possible, so the Stockholm shipyard got started. The Vasa was built in about 2 years - and it took about 30 minutes to sink it. On it's maiden voyage, a slight wind kicked up and easily pushed the boat over and water came in through the gun doors. Approximately 30-50 people died; all were crew members since the 100+ soldiers hadn't yet boarded. Though no one was every punished for the complete failure of this ship, there were 3 that were at fault: 1) the king for pushing to get it built too quickly 2) the builder for a poor design (he died before the ship was completed) 3) the admiral who knew of the ship's faults, but did nothing.

Fast forward 300+ years and Anders Franzen got the king interested in finding and raising the Vasa from the Baltic Sea. He would find the ship in perfect condition since the cold, brackish water did not produce the wood worms that usually attack shipwrecks. It took 30 years to raise and preserve the ship, which is now displayed on the island of Djurgarden.

After visiting the Vasa, I strolled around the shopping districts in Norrmalm. Though it was cold walking, the March sun was very warming. The next stop was Gamla Stan, the old city. Here you will find the Royal Palace and the winding streets where Stockholm began. As I crossed the bridge, there were fisherman in the river fishing - between the fast current and the cold water, I thought they were crazy!


As the sun started to set, I decided I wanted to get some pictures of the sunset. I walked toward City Hall, then continued walking the rest of the way back to the hotel.









On Sunday, I wanted to stay close to the hotel since I had to leave early in the afternoon. I visited the Langholmen prison which has been closed for the past 50 years, but is open as a museum and a youth hostel for tourists. I also walked past the Högalidskyrkan Cathedral, which was built in the early 1900s and to rival the City Hall architecture. The bridge that I walked over offered a great vantage point for taking photos:









I think I saw most of the sights that can be seen in the winter. I believe that summer is the time when Stockholm really shines. The island where the Vasa museum is and where the prison is are both well known for their gardens. I can't wait to go back!