The photos I am linking to this letter were all taken by my new digital camera, a Kyocera (Yashica) FInecam S3. The major advantage of this camera is that as well as being smaller and lighter than any point and shoot 35mm film camera, it has selectable sensitivity. I could select ISO 100 for outdoor shots, which is the speed of the E100S Ektachrome that we use in our film cameras; or I could select ISO 400, which is fast enough for the low light levels in churches and museums.
One of the best sights of this trip was the Vasa, a warship that sank on its first outing in 1628. She was probably not designed correctly, with too many guns that made it top heavy and liable to list disastrously in even light winds, dipping her gun ports below the waterline. There are several photos here, but unfortunately they are fuzzy, due to misfocus in some cases and in others to a shaky hand during long exposures. However, it was such a good sight that I am including them in this letter. The ship has been impregnated with glycol over many years, which replaced the water in the old timbers and has hardened. The Vasa sits in a cradle in a museum built to house her, and is not floating. The entrance to the museum is a series of three doors, providing a double air lock to isolate the temperature and humidity controlled environment inside from the outdoors. In addition, there are 10-20 air conditioning units on the floor pumping air into the bilge of the ship.
View of the Vasa from its port bow This is how you first see her, on entering the museum.
Stern quarter of the Vasa, showing elaborate carving.
How it was raised, with cables passing under it from one pontoon to the other.Navy divers had to push the cables through the mud under the ship, which sat pretty much square on the bottom of Stockholm harbor.
Engelsbrektskyrka, built 1914 I wanted to see this example of national romantic style, but it was only open 11-3, times when we were elsewhere in the city.
Street near our inn Engelsbrekstskyrka in the background.
Mariana shopping in a handicrafts store on Sveavägan in Stockholm.
Österlånggatan, a street in Gamla Stan Gamla Stan is the island with most of the oldest buildings in Stockholm, including the cathedral and the Royal Palace
Mariana in a glass shop on Österlånggatan
View east from the Royal Palace of the National Museum
South entrance to the Royal Palace We were bummed out to find that the state apartments were closed, due to a state visit by someone.
Band concert in the Stortorget This is the square where in 1520 the Danish King Christian II executed over 80 leading churchmen and nobles just seven days after feasting to celebrate his acceptance by the Swedes as their king. Big mistake. Gustav Vasa came storming back from exile to throw the Danes out and make Sweden independent three years later.
View of Gamla Stan waterfront facing south The tower of the German Church (Tyska kyrkan) is on the right and the cathedral (Stor kyrkan) is on the left.
The brick building on the left with the tower and belfry is the city hall (Stadshus), built 1923 We didn't have the time to visit the Stadshus, unfortunately. It is definitely something to add to the Next Time list. The church with the openwork steeple is the Riddarholms kyrka.
Vadstena Slott This is the castle built by Gustav Vasa in 1545. It has a moat that now serves as a marina, and connects with Lake Vättern.
Nave of Vadstena klosterkyrka, destination of pilgrims in the 15c
Birgitta tryptych, in the apse of the church Made in Lubeck in 1459.
Closeup of damned soulsFrom the small panel at the lower left of the tryptych. The damned are being eaten by a huge monster.
Closeup of saved soulsOn the right bottom part of the tryptych.
Flight of locks at Motala Motala is just north of Vadstena on Lake Vättern, and is a town built as a port on the Göta Canal. A flight of five locks built about 1825 passes pleasure boats down from Lake Vättern to the next lake in the chain that constitutes the canal crossing Sweden from the North Sea to the Baltic.
The Rök rune stone Rök is just south of Vadstena, and has this stone mounted outside the church. All four sides of this slab of stone are covered with runes with an enigmatic inscription from the 9c, before Sweden converted to Christianity.
Rune stone and iron age cemetery We drove by this collection of small hills shortly after visiting Rök, not mentioned in any of our guide books or even marked on the map, such things being so common. Most of the graves were thought to have been obliterated by plowing, but this small set had not been disturbed.
The rune stone This rune stone has a cross, showing that the practice of erecting rune stones as memorials to people continued into the Christian era, which in Sweden started about the 12c.
View of Göteborg from the ferry On the far left is one of the large car ferries that leave Göteborg for Germany, Denmark, and other European destinations. The statue on the pillar at the right is of a woman waiting for a sailor to come home, and the yellow building behind her is the Maritime Museum. The white building in front, on the waterfront, is the terminal from which hundreds of thousands of Swedes departed for America. One fifth of the population emigrated.
The ship Viking and the Lilla Bommens Torg This four-masted ship and modern tower are at the downtown ferry stop.
Building fronts These buildings, with masonry ground floors and clapboard upper stories, were typical of some parts of Göteborg.
Bridge downstream of our hotel This was the view from our dinner table the last night in Göteborg.
Flight of four locks at Trollhättan This is the upper flight of locks built in 1844 to bypass the falls at Trollhättan. This is also part of the Göta canal.
Hällekis was a small town on Lake Vättern where we stopped one night on the east after Göteborg. The principal site in the area, Läckö Slott, was closed when we got there, a recurring theme of this trip. Like so many other places we saw in Sweden, Hällekis was an industrial town recovering from the closing of the local industry. That was a quarry in Hällekis, and we stayed in a former worker's cottage. Actually the cottage occupied by four worker families, with four doors. Several of the cottages are now occupied by artists' workshops, several other function as a youth hostel, and the night we were there a bus of men from Oslo who were part of a Mitsubishi racing team were also passing through.
Choir of Västerplana Church We were on our way from our Hällekis to our fifth stop, Fläckebo, when we came across this little church. Ordinary outside, we were surprised to find this wonderfully painted Baroque interior.
Skälvum Church Close to Västerlpana and on the way toFläckebo
Romfartuna Church Between FLäckbo and Västerås, the capital of the county.
Ship setting at Anundshög This is a Viking grave site, with stones arranged in the outline of a ship. They are next to the largest grave mound in Sweden, from 400-700 AD and not excavated.
Restaurang Pråmen We were very pleased to find this restaurant finally in the harbor in Västerås. At 6PM we were the first customers.
Albertus Pictor paintings at Kumla Church The church was built 1300, and Pictor painted the vaults in 1482. He decorated several churches in this area, which we visited while staying at Elisabeth Quasthoff's B&B in Fläckebo.
Pictor painting at Härnevi Church
Pictor painting at Härkeberga kyrka
