In any case, we've just travelled over from Gothenburg (site of a yet unblogged social event, otherwise known as Chad and Lisa's wedding) in the hire car (also unblogged, but referenced in passing), while hindered by a stomach disorder that I picked up at around the same time as the wedding (the stomach disorder will remain unblogged, but I will refer to it as "The Horrors", if I need to refer to it again. Which I hope I don't). We rolled into town at about 10 this morning, and returned the hire car without any scratches (meaning the money we effectively bet on not paying to reduce our excess paid off), and checked into a nearby backpackers without incident. After sitting around with numb expressions for a while, (an aftershock of "The Horrors" for me, hopefully the car trip for everyone else) Ro and I managed to get some site seeing in at the Vasa Museum.
The Vasa was firstly a boat, then a rather abrupt naval disaster, and is now a well preserved wreck. The brief story is that the King of Sweden at the time was involved in a war with his cousin (and as a result Poland), so he'd taken the step of taxing his country to the hilt to build a new warship (the Vasa). Said ship managed to sail a good 1300 metres or so before sinking due a wind gust in a calm harbour, in front of a large crowd assembled to witness the result of their taxes. Not a bad day's work for the captain, who managed to survive the sinking. However, the captain also managed to survive the inquest into the disaster with his head still attached to his neck, so he mustn't have been completely talentless.
In any case, the museum is big (it's got a whole man-o-war inside it), well done, and explains the story of the sinking, and subsequent un-sinking (maybe "salvaging"? ) well. Worth a visit if you get to Stockholm one day.
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