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August 2018
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Stockholm
syndrome
strikes again
I wasn't captive in Stockholm–
but it was captivating! |
Fourteen islands make up the city.
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So it's water...water everywhere....
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Don’t ask why my first outing in Stockholm was its Old Town – it had been around for seven and a half centuries and probably would be by the end of the week I spent there.
But that's where the Nobel Museum is, the thing Stockholm is known for.
(I was not able to uncover anything about my pending nomination, but hey…) |
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Another top draw is a boat that sank a half mile into her maiden voyage, spent the next 330 years underwater and was brought up in 1961 to star in a museum.
Why did the Vasa warship sink? Design.
It was too narrow, and the mast was too high – not to mention burdened with the weight of 64 bronze cannons that weighed 72 tons.
A bit of wind caused it to list to the side. The gun portals were open, so it took water and sank in water only 90 feet deep. |
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It's au naturel as exhibited, but was originally brightly painted with elaborate carvings as shown in this replica.
I wondered why this is such a source of pride – after all, it sunk about a half hour after it was launched, rather embarrassing when you think about it.
Evidently it harks back to Sweden's "power period." |
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The Vasa museum as well as many others is on the island of Djurgården in central Stockholm. As Copenhagen has its Tivoli Gardens, Stockholm has its Grüna Lund amusement park. |
Djurgården is a royal park with its share of tony houses
and meandering critters like this. |
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Then there is the "world's longest art exhibit" in Stockholm's subway. Ninety-four of its 100 stations are decorated with sculptures, mosaics, paintings, engravings, and reliefs. My tour visited three stations on the blue line.
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Noticeable were the number of fathers out with their children, either pushing carriages or hand-in-hand with a youngster. At a bus stop I was sitting next to one, so asked him about it. He said for one thing, that day kindergarten was closed for a holiday, but it is not unusual for fathers to be equal care givers. Up to when a child turns eight there is financial aid for parents so they can divide care-giving responsibilities.
A Parliament tour revealed that Sweden's VAT (value-added) tax is 25% except for food 12% or literature 6%. Finland's is 25% on every thing. France is only 20%. This and income tax pay for all the services people receive, which are considerable – free university, subsidies for parents, health care, a lot of free museums and cultural experiences, etc. etc.…
Also couldn't help but notice rampant body tatoo's, extremely mascara'd (or fake) eye lashes and, compared to France, a rather homogeneous population. Another dichotomy is how tan these super blond, white people are. One explained: We are so happy the long winter is over that we take every chance to bask in the sun. |
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My main complaint was that, unlike France, you can't buy wine in supermarkets or local outlets. You have to go to a special government-regulated store allowed to sell alcoholic beverages with more than 3.5% alcohol by volume. The reason is to deter alcohol consumption (which works Monday to Thursday, but Swedes make up for it on weekends).
My venture to buy wine entailed a subway ride of three stops to a store that was neatly laid out in sections for wine, hard liquor, beer and somewhat contradictorily, an alcohol-free section.
EU citizens can buy unlimited amounts, other nationalities, no. Not only are prices clearly marked (shockingly high to a French resident), but also the sweetness/dryness, body and acidity rated.
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All in all, it was a great week. This perspective is from Monteliusvägen,
a scenic path on the north side of an island facing Old Town.
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Last outing was a three-hour boat trip of the Stockholm archipelago. It covered the lower end of 30,000 islands, wooded islets and rocks - mostly vacation sites.
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Back to Linda's trips
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