The Vasa was a massive ship that the Swedes built hundreds of years ago: truly an amazing sight: elaborately decorated, fully loaded with cannons and sails - designed to impress. This ship was the culmination of all the world's knowledge of shipbuilding put into one vessel. The expectations where high and all of Stockholm rolled out to see her off. The cannons were one of the most impressive aspects- 72 cannons in all on board. They wanted to show this off and set sail with the cannon ports open...Just a few minutes after launching a gust of wind caught the sails, the ship leaned a little and the sheets were cast off to allow the ship to right itself as the gust past. Shortly afterwards another gust caught the ship and she leaned even further to port. The lower cannon ports drank up the ocean and she sank straight to the bottom of the ocean like a rock - 120 meters from shore.
Years later, sometime during the 60's the ship was recovered by the King and put up as a monument of Swedish construction... and embarrassment.
This museum is pretty impressive and definitely worth a visit if you are ever in Sweden.
We also checked out Skansen: Sweden's biggest outdoor museum, but I got the feeling it totally sucks outside of summer and is generally targeted at kids anyway.
That night we met up with some friends from work to watch the rugby and drink a few beers. A few beers turned into a barrage of cocktails and champagne and two generations of Thorpe's showing their dance moves one after the other. The next day Quintin remarked that "James has the craziest father in the world". I think it was intended as a compliment.
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