Posts Tagged ‘lake vattern’

Sailing Away To Lake Vattern

Sunday, June 21st, 2009

volvoraces

Saturday morning found us checking out the waterfront in Stockholm one last time before heading to Lake Vattern and our quaint pension in Huskvarna.

Volvo is sponsoring an around-the-world sailing race (ie Americas’ Cup size ship).  It started last October in Spain, then Boston, Rio, China, Singapore,.. etc…Stockholm!  All the ships raced in on Thursday- past ,and will take off on their brief, final leg to St.Petersburg in a few days. We got to see the ships, the sponsor tents, and many in-route videos. Amazing, and we were there!

Now we are in this little town, on a lovely lake (second biggest in sweden) in this little hotel run by this cute couple (early 30’s) who met in Australia, she is Korean, but both raised in sweden. They have converted this home on main street into a 20 room inn by themselves with lots of sweat equity and talent. Glad we could be here 2 nights and get to meet them.

They steered us to a great place to eat (they called several restaurants to see if they were open with the holiday)   TwinCities Restaurant“.  This restaurant has a story too.  Twin boys born in Minneapolis in 1981, one is kidnapped by the nurse but declared dead to the mom.  They run into each other 23 years later and the nurse is sent to jail, Mom goes into a mental hospital, and the boys start restaurants in cities that are twins.  Also Dallas/Fort Worth.etc they have 12 now. weird

Mid-Summer’s Night Dreaming

Sunday, June 21st, 2009

wassamuseum

We headed out to dinner (at the “Beefeater”) after our long drive and checking into our very minimalistic Scandia Hotel room.  A couple gents at the table next to us asked us where we were from.  I guess  quisically looking at a swedish menu in a british pub gave us away. We in turn asked them what we should see in Stockholm during our brief stay. They said “Vasa Museum, Skansen Park, and check out Lake Vattern on your way to Goteborg.”

skansenmaypole

We took all of their wonderful tips and found everything to our liking!

The Vasa Museum houses a 1600’s war ship that was elaborately made for King Adolphus II, who wanted to know how powerful and rich his kingdom was, so he had this magnificent sailing ship built, carved, gilded, rigged.  He then sent for it to pick him up in Poland, where he was trying to impress his cousin (who also wanted to take over Sweden).

So, with full sail, and all the cannon windows open, off she went.  A big wind tipped her, the balast shifted, and water came in the cannon holes and she SUNK a mere 27 minutes into her maiden voyage.     She was supsequently forgotten about until 1956, when she was re-discovered.  Because of polution in the harbor, and the Baltic is less salty than the other oceans(?), she was preserved intact!  (I was really captivated by this story, but i’m getting long)   It is a must-see!

Then on to Skansen Park, whick is a williamsburg-type of place, portraying Swedish life in earlier times. But the funnest part, was the Maypole and all the folk dancing. Today is the day when girls put halos of flowers in their hair and everyone gets into the great outdoors and does a jig about it. There was skansenmusicgreat music, awesome dancers, replica breitling and thousands of silly people.

This is a great place when the sun doesn’t go down!