Last Night in Stockholm

August 30, 2006- Twenty Minute Wonder
(photos:Vassa,
Skansen,
Yves)

The water level rose eight feet in Southern Norway and there’s a flood. Disaster still follows in our wake.

The candy man started our day by passing around a bag of sweets. A member of our group has taken on that job and we look forward to it. He doesn’t eat the stuff himself. Some of us have taken turns buying and distributing candy. It’s a great way to start the day.

Marie, our city guide, joined us at the Vasa Museum. It houses a ship that sank 300 years ago after a brief and tragic launch. It didn’t quite outdo the Korean missile that only lasted a few minutes but in 1628 the Vasa (the last name of the royal family at the time) capsized and gave up the ghost after struggling for less than twenty-minutes to stay afloat.

An excellent orientation movie told the sad tale of the thirty to fifty people who died and the four hundred who escaped. The wreck was found and raised in 1961 and the film showed the elaborate and ingenious contraption devised to make a sling going under the hull to hoist the monster to the surface. The ship was floated to dry dock for restoration. The technology used was as wondrous as that employed to set up the offshore oil platforms near Bergen but the salvaging of the Vasa stirred me more. It was on a more human scale. It was about history, people, and preservation.

The Vasa was remarkably intact. We watched as hoses using water under pressure removed the mud and muck and scientists unearthed artifacts and human remains by hand. In all, 14,000 pieces were put together like a giant jigsaw puzzle and the re-assembled ship was sealed by spraying it with polyethylene glycol. Ninety-five per cent of the ship is original. Replacement parts were made using methods available in the 1600’s. The entire thing is now housed in a museum along with many of the objects found on board. Human remains were studied and are on display with analyses of what the life of the person had been nutritionally and the status of their health at time of death. Officer’s families had been allowed on board for the first leg of the launch and bodies of women were found. In 1990 the finished product was towed to the museum.

After the catastrophe in 1628, an investigation was conducted to assess why the boat capsized and to assign blame. By then the shipbuilder was dead. The workers had followed a plan approved by the king but there was a catch. The admiral had approved the original plans but the king changed them. Denmark had just built a ship with two battery deck levels where cannon were placed. The Swedish king wasn’t to be outdone and ordered another level built on the Vasa. Unfortunately that made it top heavy and there was no room for sufficient ballast as a counterweight. Three days before it sailed there was a trial run. The ship listed badly. The admiral wanted to cancel the launch but the king was in Poland. The admiral didn’t want to send riders to notify the king and upset him about a delay so he went with what he had. In the end, the fault was probably the king’s but he couldn’t be blamed or punished.

The oak woodwork of the original ship had been elaborately carved and painted in bright colors. The restoration wasn’t. Men serving on board didn’t have good prospects even if the ship had not sunk so early. Sailors died from close quarters, poor nutrition, and poor ventilation. Their diets consisted of pea soup, bread, and a gallon of beer a day. Maybe they died happy. Dying in battle was almost the least of their worries.

Skansen

We literally took a walk in the park going to Skansen. It was lovely to be out in the sunshine (we’ve had it for the last three days) but Yves hadn’t told us we ‘d be trekking from one site to the other so several of us lugged backpacks. We’d expected to be able to leave them on the bus but after lunch we had a different bus taking us back to the hotel. A minor oversight on his part. We rode a funicular up to Skansen a model village of old days in Sweden. Yves insisted we could all get onto the funicular at once. When we arrived at the top he said he’d set a new record. The maximum he had on it in the past was forty-two. We were forty-six. Marie chose to walk up. Yves had asked the operator what would happen if it was overloaded and was told it just wouldn’t move. He figured that was safe enough.

Skansen is complete with a zoo featuring indigenous animals, or so we were told. When we went to find moose and reindeer we came upon huge bison. Hmmm! We think we got a photo of a sleeping reindeer but it may have been an elk. Hopefully we’ll see reindeer in Iceland. Marie took us on a walking tour of several of the one hundred fifty buildings that had been moved piece-by-piece from all over Sweden and reassembled at Skansen. It’s kind of like a larger Hale Farm but in a hilly wooded setting interspersed with ponds and overlooking the harbor.

The first set of buildings was a farmstead from Northern Sweden dating from the 1700’s. They had plenty of forests so buildings were made of logs and the roof was wood. The farmstead from Southern Sweden had a thatched roof and was decorated with original paintings the family probably bought at a market. That showed a bit of affluence. As we continued on we came upon a Viking rune stone from the 13th century. Vikings had a sixteen-letter alphabet and rune stones were memorials to those who’d died, not gravestones. They often had crosses on them even though Christianity came to the region late. Missionaries were about and would ask men on their deathbeds if they wanted to be baptized and go to heaven. The help of one more god sounded good so the dying agreed to the extra insurance. Crosses were part of the story of their lives that was retold on the stone.

We stepped into an 18th century wooden church that was freshly painted the traditional red on the outside. The stench was awful. Our eyes began to tear. They used the original formula for the paint, which was a mixture of paint and tar. The interior was charming with decorative painted beams and ceilings. The church warden (assistant to the minister) asked if anyone was Jewish. He pointed out the “Yahweh” on the ceiling and explained that people of that age began to realize the Bible wasn’t written in Swedish and wanted to study the original Hebrew text. They liked the idea of being able to write the name of God and incorporated it into their churches. In the old days men sat on the sunny side of the aisle and women on the colder side. The balcony was reserved for the poor. The church is still in use although the seating arrangement is more flexible. There’s also more flexibility in church attendance. Until the mid-1800’s attendance at church was compulsory.

Sweden was Catholic until the Middle Ages. The King of Sweden wanted the wealth of the Church to repay a debt owed to Germany. He supported the Reformation that established the Lutheran Church as Sweden’s state church then felt free to loot the treasures of the Catholic Church.

After lunch those of us who wanted to walked over to the Iris. It features gifts made by the blind. It was a lovely place with lots of pretty items none of which we wanted to buy. We hightailed it down to the Old City to buy just one more item we’d seen last night when stores were closed. We did find the store we wanted then realized it was available in at least fifty others. At least it gave David another shot at eating a lamb hot dog.

Farewelling Yves

Our farewell banquet took place in the public restaurant of City Hall. Yves was surprised that all three of his bosses turned out for the affair. He was further surprised when they honored him with toasts and accolades from a compilation of former travelers he’d guided. It was the occasion of his retirement. He hadn’t shared it with us but now the cat was out of the bag. He was so touched that he cried. They gave him a plaque that read, “Thank you for your passion.” He was philosopher and guide, shepherd and teacher. He went out in style. Champagne and wine flowed. The meal started with a seafood gratinee and for us they made reindeer mousse. At last we had a taste of Rudolph. He was yummy and seemed to be reminiscent of fish. Perhaps it was the smell of the gratinee? The main course was roast veal with a tomato base sauce accompanied by roasted potatoes. David benefited from my long time avoidance of veal. Dessert was a buffet of delectables including a divine chocolate concoction. I was in the ladies room when dessert was served and David nabbed a piece of it for me. I ate the whole thing.

The eight of us who are going to Iceland will be packing tonight and get to sleep late. There was a lot of teasing from the rest of the group since they have to wake up at 5:45AM. There were also threats of knocking on our doors as they left. Our flight doesn’t leave until 2:30pm. Yves is going to the airport with the earlier group and catching a flight to Nice to visit his mother. We’ll have separate transportation. It will be up to us to remember to start the day on the right foot. We’ll have to be sure to be aware and pay attention to everything we do. We'll know that the past is behind us and the future is yet to be. All we will have is the present. It will be the only day for us so it will be the best day.

Toby