Day 8: Stockholm

The morning started with breakfast at the hostel . We rode the tram out to one of the many islands connect the city. Our first museum of the morning was the Vasa Museum. It was one of the most incredible things I have ever seen. The Vasa, a ship that sunk, is preserved in the museum. I don't mean parts of the ship, the whole ship. It's the only ship so big and well preserved. It sank in 1628, twenty five minutes into its maiden voyage. It was so  awe-inspiring and amazing. There were really great exhibits and a free tour that talked about the ship. I can't really put the experience into words you had to be there. We had lunch outside the museum at a stand. We had chorizo, here a glorified hotdog, and a soda.

After the Vasa, we went to the Scandinavia Museum that showcases swedish history. It was interesting and had some cool exhibits. There was one that showed dinnerware through the ages and what a dinner party would've looked like. A audio guide was included with the museum, which was really nice. It was really cool. It was a little silver tube that fit in your hand, instead of punching in numbers you just pointed it at a sensor and it starts. 

After a much shorter stop, we went to Skansen. Skansen is the first outdoor museum in Europe. Think Colonal Williamsburg or Walker Ranch on a massive scale. There were people dressed in period costumes. There was a traditional folk dancing stage. Buildings from all over Sweden made up the place. There was a bakery, a print shop, a glass blowing place, a cheese maker, a mill, a blacksmith.It was really cool to wander it was also huge! They had a Scandinavian animals section.Reindeer, brown bears, an eagle owl, a moose, and my personal favorite some lynx. There were three baby Lynx and I got some great pictures. We got a drink, beer for everyone else and a strawberry thing for me.

Since we were still in the park we decided to do the aquarium that is attached to Skansen. It wasn't just an aquarium, the first thing we went through was the lemur area. I do mean through the area, we could've reached out and pet them. We didn't pet them because the signs said they would bite. Then there were snakes, frogs, turtles, crocodiles, and the requisite fish. At the end there was a place to pet a tarantula and a snake. I pet the tarantula, not the snake. Mom also pet the tarantula and nobody pet the snake. After Skansen, we headed back and had a picnic in dining room at the hostel. Then Mom and Aunt Deb did laundry, while Dad, Uncle Chuck and I crashed.