Stockholm was our last port. It was early in the morning when we passed through this channel with numerous islands and meandering water ways. At first we saw a couple cabins along the shore, but the closer we came to the city, the more populated it became. Our dock was at Vartahamnen, as far away from the city that cruise ships can be. We had been spoiled too much in other ports before.

I show this composite photo for a couple reasons. Anyone who comes here by ship will recognize the tall apartment buildings. Our original plan had been to walk to the metro station, located quite some distance from here, because there had been a bus strike in town. Luckily the bus strike was now over. As it turned out the main bus stop is just below the apartment buildings. But I didn't know that and we walked up the street shown to the left. Just underneath the white building to the far left, we found another bus stop sign, but no machine to buy tickets. So here is what happened:

I knew we had to have a few Swedish crones and had exchanged leftover Danish money aboard the ship. We were ready, right? So we all happily left the ship (along with our dear friends Jerry and Lorraine) and walked to our bus stop. To take a bus in Stockholm you have to have a pass or buy a ticket before you board. But here we are and no machine!!! A bus pulls up shortly. Standing in the open door, I explain to the driver that we have no tickets, no machine. "Sorry, no ticket, no ride," he says. "Can you take us to the next bus stop where we can buy tickets?" I ask. He smiles and waives all six of us onto the bus. However, when we came to the next stop (I saw a ticket machine there), he simply continued on. We were the only passengers on the bus and when I tried to give him a tip, he smiled some more and, of course, refused. As a first encounter, this gentleman was a lot better representative for Sweden than we had experienced in Germany and Russia. We got a free ride into Stockholm!

We arrived at the place where we would catch the tour bus; it is right in front of the Opera House. This bus tour is a combination bus and boat tour which takes about 3.5 hours total. The bus makes a loop around most of Stockholm's scenic areas and the subsequent boat tour gives you an idea what the extensive water system around the city is all about. I found this tour on the Internet at http://www.stromma.se/en/Sightseeing/Stockholm/Combination-tours/Stockholm-Grand-Tour3/.
But we were about half an hour early, so we bought the tickets and decided to walk toward the Palace, across the water way. The 31/2 hour tour was very good, relaxing and well worth the time and money. It was good to be off our feet for a while and listen about the places we passed on the bus and then later on the sightseeing boat. However, that was not a good time to take pictures.

After the boat tour (which included a light lunch in the form of a reindeer sandwich and juice) we walked to Gamla Stan, or Old Town. The main square is rather small, has some restaurants that were packed with tourists. From there we continued along one of the shopping street towards the southern end. That is also where we saw the narrowest street in Stockholm. A few more short blocks and we were at the ferry that would take us to the Vasa Museum.

The ferry was crowded with mostly locals who were interested in going to the amusement park on the island of Djurgarden. Our interest was the museum.

The story of the ill fated man-of-war, the Vasa, is really unique. In 1625 the Swedish king, Gustavus Adolphus, ordered new warships for his wars against Russia. An experienced Dutch ship builder, Henrik Hybertsson, designed and was responsible for the Vasa's construction. It was to be the mightiest warship in the world, armed with 64 guns on two gun decks. It was completed in 1628.
On August 10 of that year, the Vasa set sail and fired a salute. But only after a few minutes of sailing the ship began to heel over. Solid water started to pour in through the open gun ports. And, to the disbelief of all ashore who witnessed this spectacle, the glorious and mighty warship suddenly sank! Of the 150 people on board, 30-50 died in the disaster. When Vasa had been salvaged in 1961, archaeologists found the remains of 25 skeletons.

When you enter the building, you are immediately faced with the bow of the recovered vessel. The size is enormous!! Notice the people in the far right corner. The gun ports are open, as they probably were when the Vasa sank. After years under cold water, the timbers are dark, but well preserved. The balcony takes you around the ship, but you can also go below and to the galleries above to get an overall view. In addition, there are numerous displays showing the original sails, for instance, and explanations about the various features, such as the paint used, and the recovery efforts in the 1960's. It is really a remarkable museum.

Then it was a city bus back to the ship and pack our dirty linens. We spent one more night on the ship before departing for the airport and our last 'delicious' meal on Delta.
This certainly had been a great two weeks. We were worn, but very satisfied and happy.