Sunday, March 3, 2013

The Vassar Museum: All great adventures begin with a …Hotdog!


Sunday. What can one do on a Sunday? 

Apparently in the space of 2 hours I managed to buy a new camera(fourth one in 6 months), consume a french hotdog(delicious!), tour the Vassar Museum, make new friends from India, and buy pate, lingonberry bread and strangely delicious French(?) cheese.

Now my friends, that is not too shabby for a Sunday in Stockholm! Especially considering everything closes at 5 pm and I didn't set out until 3 pm thanks to another fateful saturday night at Berns Bar…but thats a whole other story in itself, isn't it?

-Ran- Your Intrepid Stockholm Explorer


French Hotdog: The perfect combination of toasted bread, mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise and mystery meat :)


Thanks a helpful but aged(confused) Swedish woman...We ended up taking the scenic route to the Vassar Museum


Even though it was only her first day on the job, our guide was very informative and explained to us that the Vasa sank because it was too narrow and top heavy. A small gust of wind knocked the ship over to its side and water was able to flow in quickly through the gun ports, causing the ship to sink within minutes.

 Apparently the captain had reservations about the design of the ship but did not want to bring up this *small* issue with the Swedish King. At least 30 lives were lost in the sinking of the Vasa, not to mention thousands of "dalers" and a whole lot of Swedish pride.

A model of the original Vasa ship. Structurally flawed but breathtaking to look at...isn't this an universal truth about most things in life?

Modern replicas of statues that adorn the hull of the Vasa. 


The gang exhausted after a long (20min) inside the Vassar Museum.

My weekly groceries: *Note the lack of greens...


Final Thoughts:
At a reasonable 130SEK entrance fee, the Vasamusset is definitely a must-see in Stockholm. While the man at ticket-counter recommended an hour and half to see the entire museum, our group didn't enter until 4:40pm(20 minutes before closing).We were able to see the ship and take some touristy pictures, and given the time restraint, that was good enough by us. If you don't have time to read the exhibit in detail then my advice to wrangle yourself a guide and get a quick synopsis about the history of the Vasa and.. why it sank!

Good luck and happy traveling!




Vasamuseet
Galärvarvsvägen 14
11521 Stockholm
+46(0)8-519 548 00

Adults: SEK 130
Children(0-18 yrs): Free
Open everyday: 10am-5pm

Directions: 
Take the red line tube to Karlaplan stop and look for the bus stop in front of McDonalds. Take the number 44 bus towards Skansen and get off that the Vassar Museum stop. You will see a huge museum when you get off the bus, it is the Nordic Museum, walk behind it and to the right and you will see the entrance to the Vassar. 

OR you can do like I did and heed the questionable directions of an old Swedish woman, thus resulting in a scenic detour all the way around the Nordic Museum. There you will find a nice harbor and the Spirit Museum of Stockholm...which in retrospect might turn out to be not such a bad idea after all :)


Song of the Day:
Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra ft Nino Mochella - Kiss the Sky





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