Stockholm Tuesday 26th February

Good evening, and welcome to the second episode of An English Fool Abroad With His Sketchbook, Stockholm Edition.

If you’ve been with me for a while you may recall some of the comments I made about the breakfast in my hotel in Amsterdam in November. That was an extra that I paid for. Breakfast is all part of the deal in my hotel here, and I was quite looking forward to seeing what I could get away, sorry, I'll read that again, seeing what was on offer this morning. Pretty much what you would expect, although the bread rolls were at least fresh. I did consider trying to walk out with some bits and pieces for a packed lunch, but the moment I stood up to go back to the goodies after finishing my second helping of everything, I felt as if all eyes in the room were upon me. I looked around, and indeed they were. So, as the saying goes, I made my excuses and left.

Traditionally I usually try to cross off the number one thing on my list on the first full day I spend in a city, and absolute number 1 on this trip was a visit to the Vasa Museum. I’ve known about the Vasa for quite a long time, but only because I once read the blurb all about it in an Airfix model catalogue. If you weren’t lucky enough to have done the same yourself, well, basically, the Vasa was a warship constructed in Stockholm between 1626 and 1628 at the orders of King Gustvus Adolphus of Sweden, who was at war with Poland-Lithuania at the time. On the day of it’s maiden voyage it got almost a mile before it started listing to one side, and then sank. Basically, although it looked fantastic, it was too narrow in the beam, and too tall, and didn’t have enough ballast. All of which might make you think that the ship’s architect might not have exactly been looking forward to the inquiry following the sinking. Actually, according to the film in the museum, nobody was blamed for the sinking at all. We can’t be certain how many people died, although the thinking is that it would have been about 30, of whom remains of 15 have been found. I found it rather gruesome that some of the bones are on display next to the ship – the words ‘insult’ and ‘injury’ come irresistibly to mind. Still, none of them have complained about it yet, so there you are.

Not going to lie – it took AGES to make the sketch you can hopefully see with this post. This is partly because it is so intricate, and also partly because the ship is bathed in what I like to think of as museum twilight. Which is fine, if it helps us preserve the ship for as long as possible, although I can’t help feeling the amount of flash photography going on all around it can’t be helping.

The Vasa was actually found in the late 50s, and finally raised in 1961. It’s a remarkable achievement, especially considering that I would imagine that the team were probably having to invent techniques as they went along. The ship itself is in a really remarkable state of preservation – although parts have been replaced, the fact is that the ship I saw today in the museum is actually 90% original.

I was at the Museum this morning slightly before opening time at 10 am, and when you’ve paid your money, and if you are ever lucky enough to visit, I defy you to walk in without saying ‘wow’ when you first see the ship. It is absolutely breathtaking.

Well, you may recall that yesterday I went to the National Museum to find that it was shut on Mondays. So the next call on my list was to the same National Museum. Those of you who are saying to yourself – he was only so determined to see it because it’s free are being very harsh (but fair). This was a bit of a revelation. The National Museum has a superb collection of paintings, and I spent a couple of hours there, and could easily have spent longer.

It was a beautiful day again today. The weather here has taken a little getting used to. I’d better try to explain that. Firstly, although for a lot of yesterday, and all day today, the city has been bathed in brilliant sunlight, the fact is that the sun is quite a bit lower in the sky this time of year, even at midday, than it is at home. What with it being winter as well, the light is, well, I hesitate to use the word ‘sharp’ but somehow it seems the most appropriate word to describe it. Also, there’s a gentle wind which blows fairly continuously, which doesn’t feel at all vicious, until you stop moving. If you’re in the sunlight you’re okay. If you’re out of it, though, you suddenly start to realise that you’re cold. Walking through the Gamla Stan old town again today, I found that I had to wear my gloves and hat because the high buildings and narrow streets were in shadow, and as they say in these parts , nobblingkold.

Nonetheless, in the sunshine it was warm enough to sit in the open and sketch the Radhusset – the Civic Hall, and look across the water – er – ice – to the Ryddarholm Island, and make a sketch of that as well. The sketches either aren’t any good, or the Stockholmers just aren’t very demonstrative people. Several of them stopped for a look while I was sketching as they passed by, but none of them made a comment.

Speaking of comments, I have to say that I finally got round to checking the exchange rate between GBP and Swedish Kroner, all of which confirmed what I already suspected, that, compared to the other cities I’ve been to in the last few years, Stockholm is expensive. Such is life. It hasn’t spoiled my enjoyment at all yet.

Well, that’s just about it for day two