Stockholm. Day Two.

Day two started off slowly. I initially planned to go to Vasa at 10, then mosey over to Hell at 11, then move onto Skansen before everything shut down at 3. Well, I was having a hard time getting motivated in the morning, so I reversed everything.

I arrived at Skansen shortly before 11. At first, I thought that things were just shut down because they hadn't opened yet. Then I realized that this (the world's first open air museum) was actually just in off season. I hope I paid less than they do during the real season. It made me a bit cranky, so I determined that I would get the best out of the experience.

I ate a pastry from the building that resembled an old school bakery. I talked to the cute man in the old school dry goods store. I watched some girls in modern clothing blow glass. I explored the town.

Then I toured the rest of Skansen, seeing cute little Scandinavian critters like these. 

(Reindeer, also known as "dinner" in Swedish)

Skansen was OK. It was disappointing coming from a location with an amazing zoo. It was even more disappointing coming from someone who's been to Silver Dollar City more than once. I've already seen folks dressed up old school style trying to sell me things.

There were some old rune stones which were fairly cool. I definitely appreciated that aspect. I think those elements of culture were far more fascinating than just the old buildings that could've existed in America. There was one building in which two women talked about the different herbal/natural remedies for things. There was one called "Devil's Poo" that was well known for curing insanity...

Next, I ate a quick lunch while still reading Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. While the book interested me, I still found it disappointing. I can't wait to watch the (Swedish) movie adaptations. I'm boycotting the American versions for the time being. I don't get why some people just can't man up and read subtitles.

I then wandered over to this museum that had a special exhibit called "Hell." I would never normally go to this museum, but the exhibit was SO COOL. It had a bunch of Jenny Holzer work.

There were videos from Australia and China. The one from Australia was a montage of disaster footage both real and from classic movies. So it was really interesting. There was a huge set - as in the set of a play - as in the whole stage - from a play about the devil. Then they had the play itself on a TV in the corner. There was so much going on, and it was so cool. I almost bought the exhibit catalog.

Next, I wandered over the Vasa Museum to check out a really old Viking ship. I didn't think this would be very cool, but Aunt Beth and Aunt Barb convinced me that it was worth my time. I'm really glad they did. It was a surprisingly awesome museum. I watched the video about the sinking and salvaging of the ship. The boat itself is neat. The museum smells awesome, and I think it's the scent of the old wood.

My favorite part, in typical me fashion, was the reference to Poland (The museum refers to it as "the war with Poland." I prefer to think of it as "Sweden's aggressive attack on innocent Poland.") Did the ship sink because of Poland's malice?

Next I wandered over to the ice bar. This was way too much walking for one person, and my body was dying by the end of it. But I think it was totally worth it. I paid far too much for twenty minutes in a bar with one drink. However, the bar was made of ice. And I think it was the first ice bar in Europe or something like that. So it was legit.

Thus ended my second day. I got some dinner and finished the book until a headache overcame me, and I went to bed nice and early. When I woke up the next morning, the headache was still excruciating, so I didn't get to go to the Swedish Money Museum - which probably has a more appropriate name. But all in all, I think I did a pretty good job of seeing the best of Stockholm.