Stockholm, Sweden
Last night it rained, but as those aboard National Geographic Explorer awaken the rain slows, then stops. It’s still gray out there, but the forecast is for much improvement by mid-day; let’s hope! Anyway, we won’t let a few cloudy skies dampen our enthusiasm for exploring the beautiful city of Stockholm.
Right after breakfast the buses arrive at the pier, and we’re off to have a guided tour of the city, and visit a couple of highlight points of interest. First a drive through “Old Town” and the city center, showing us the magnificent architecture from the past, and the more recent times. Then we head to the island of Djurgarden, where will make our first stop, Vasa museum.
Within a matter of a few minutes the buses are unloading in front of the building and the guests start funneling in through the layers of doors. The Explorer’s guests are fortunate, because we had special permission to start our tour 30 minutes before the museum opens to the general public. The Vasa was a warship that had been launched in 1628 from the shipyard in Stockholm, but met a quick fate as she sank and was lost within 20 minutes of it setting sail! The entire story of its demise, rediscovery and reconstruction was told in a wonderful 25-minute film. After that, our guides led us on a tour of the ship, which is reconstructed with 95% original material inside this large museum. The whole story is very interesting from start to finish.
Next, it was on to the city hall, and a guided tour through this magnificent building. The lobby is where the Nobel Prize Dinner is held on December tenth each year; this is the first stop. Then we were able to see most of the second floor, and enter different rooms, like the Council Chambers and the Golden Hall. Each room was very unique in both architecture and design, from the elaborate truss work in the ceiling of the Council Chambers, to the incredible tile mosaic walls of the Golden Hall.
Soon it was back to the ship for lunch, maybe a quick nap, and then on to the afternoon activities. There was a guided walk through Skansen, an outdoor museum of more than 100 old buildings from all over Sweden. Later, there were guided walking tours through Old Town, and of course you could explore on your own at any time.
The evening was left open to either stay aboard for dinner, or take the opportunity to explore more of the city, including some of the wonderful restaurants scattered throughout. All aboard was 2330, and we set sail soon after that for our next day’s destinations!
