Everyone knows that Sweden is the land that produced the Vikings. Being a nation of islands seafaring is a key skill. We decided to celebrate that in two very different ways.
Firstly an archipelago cruise that takes you out of urban Stockholm out to some of the many islands. While pleasant enough it is not scenically spectacular.
Lunch on our last day was in the highly related restaurant in the Viking museum. The food was spectacular utilising local produce but more interestingly we sampled a variety of meads. These are honey based alcoholic drinks dating back to Viking times.
After lunch it is off to the Vasa museum. In 1628 the warship Vasa, overloaded with canons capsized and sank on its maiden voyage. Around 250 of a crew of 430 died that day. The ship sank in the frigid waters around Stockholm which kept it perfectly preserved for 3 centuries. In 1961 the massive project to raise the ship started and it is now housed in a massive museum above ground. We walk in and are awestruck by the size of this behemoth! It is impossible to get a decent photo of the whole ship and the ornate wooden sculptures that adorn it are artistically beautiful.
