Welcome to A View of Estonian Life...

which began in Sweden for us!

Our trip began by picking up our wheels in Göteborg, Sweden! It was a long trip by car from Emporia to Wichita, Kansas; by airplane from Wichita to Chicago, Illinois, from Chicago to Stockholm, Sweden from Stockholm to Gothenburg or Göteborg; and by van from the airport to Volvo City. Is this the new family car we purchased?

Okay, this image to your left is our new car for real! After touring the Volvo museum and factory, we paid equal time to Saab by touring the Saab museum in Trollhätten. In addition to the Saab Museum, Trollhätten has a canal museum, innovation and waterfall-energy exhibit centers, and cable cars (linbanan) across the canal and provides a view of the waterfalls. The Trollhätten Canal opened in 1800 and allows boats to pass from Lake Vänern to the Baltic Sea via the Göta Älv River.

Kalmar, Sweden

	We made our way toward Stockholm via Kalmar, an important site in Swedish history. In the 14th century, the Kalmar Union was a signed treaty that united most of the region known today as Scandinavia. Historically, this castle has been used as a defensive facility, residence for royalty, a prison, and a distillary over the past 600 years.
	Kalmar has a county museum that houses artifacts from a sunken ship, the Kronan. The Kronan was built in Stockholm between 1665 and 1672. It was 53 meters by 14.5 meters, with three cannon decks. When Admiral Lorentz Creutz realized the Kronan was being closely pursued by Danish and Dutch fleets, he gave the order to turn the ships and engage in battle. Although Admiral Creutz was the commander-in-cheif of the Swedish fleet and a wealthy man, he had neither marine nor military experience.
	The combination of a strong wind and the abrupt turn without taking in any sails, caused the ship to heave over and allow water to enter through the open gunports. At this point, something caused a fire which ignited the explosives, which blew apart the stern and starboard side. The Kronan sank quickly, just southeast of Öland in 1676, with only 42 of the 840 to survive the accident. This effective display is only half of a reconstruction, that when placed next to a mirror looks complete!
	Anders Franzén located the wreck in 1980. There were trumpeters and drummers aboard ship and their duty was to play at morning and evening assembly, prayer, and to signal adverse weather such as fog. Two trumpeters were among the survivors of the catastrophe. In 1983 one brass trumpet was found and remnants of a drum and these drumsticks were salvaged in 1986. The drumsticks are for Aaron, a great drummer back home!
	Although the entire wreck was a "closed find," that is all the articles found in this area belong together, this particular display represents the contents of this "very senior member of the crew." The skeletal remains indicated a tall male, between 20 and 30 years old. There was a gold ring, gold and enamel cuff-links, pocket watch with a key, snuffbox, gilt buttons, and more.
	The museum also houses the Sweden's largest gold coin treasure, salvaged from the remains of a wooden chest with a value that was the equivalent of 40% of the Admiral's annual salary or 5-10 years worth of normal wages in the late 17th century! This diving bell seems primitive, compared with available technologies today, but this type of technology was used to retrieve 40-50 cannons of the 126 on board in the 17th century. The Kronan, although larger, was similar in looks to the Vasa, which sank at Stockholm in 1628. This ship was salvaged and rebuilt, on display in person if you happen to be in Stockholm or online at The Ship and an archaeological history is given at a University of Miami site The Swedish Ship Vasa's Revival.
	These amber game pieces are from a grave at Hagby. They were used to play "hneftafl," a Viking board game for two players. The larger piece is assumed to be a "king" and the most valuable game piece. To find out more about amber visit the World of Amber.

Öland, Sweden

	The island of Öland is accessible over a bridge from Kalmar. The bridge is 6070 meters long and completed in 1972. The island has 400 windmills, churches, fortifications, the highest lighthouse in Sweden, and Viking burial sites! This burial site, with stones in the shape of a Viking ship, is one of 250 graves from the Bronze and Iron Ages (1800 BC-1050AD).
	These are not small stones either! The island also has a model Iron Age farm and reconstructed Iron Age houses inside a rebuilt ringwall.
	Old stump type windmill among the viking graves.
	A rainbow framing modern wind turbines among the wheat fields.
	When life was boring the camera was a source of entertainment. Jay was hit by a car...well, maybe not.

Stockholm, Sweden

	We ate at the Stockholm Hard Rock Cafe (Jeremy's third Hard Rock cafe visit), although this Viking cruise and cafe would have been fun. You can find locations of all the Hard Rock cafes online.
	The harbor was alive with all sizes and types of marine vessels. Ferry and cruise ships were as evident as these moving cafes...
	and even a stationary cafe!
	The city view from the Old Town.
	Stockholm's Old Town. We are walking to the Royal Armoury Museum (the building on the right). This is the oldest museum in Sweden, visited by Hans Christian Andersen in the 1840s and the Abers and Wards (Susie's parents) in 2000!
	A fountain...what can I say. King Oskar II lived from 1829-1907 and was crowned in 1873.
	The Royal Armoury Museum houses royal apparel and decoration for both human and horse. One coronation dress had more than 2 kilograms (over 4 pounds) of silver! The coronation coaches were equally magnificent and drawn by white horses with gilded harness.
	Of course there were suits of armour, gem encrusted swords and guns, but also treasures such as this amber basin, circa 1640. The amber basin and pitcher belonged to Maria Elenora of Brandenburg, who married Gustavus Adolphus, the 17th century Swedish King who allowed for the University of Tartu to be built!

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