We find Karlskrona to be so charming that we will stay here a second night. We want to visit the Marin Naval Museum, do some more sightseeing and also give our sore backs a day off. Luckily our hotel has room for us to stay. We like it here. Breakfast was very good. Being a block from the sea and about the same from the centre of town, we feel well located to explore.
What a great introduction to the importance of the Navy to this country and its history. A great facility.
The Marin Museum is free, which surprised us as it is a world class facility. The explanation is that since it is government funded, it should be free. Wouldn’t it be nice if British Columbia had a similar approach?
Neptune is in the Museum and we were able to tour both levels of this large sub very thoroughly. Fascinating.
We enjoyed learning about Sweden’s history in the development of submarines. We got to climb into 2 submarines and explore all of their nooks and crannies. It is like a living Museum so you get the sense of what it feels like to live and work in such close and dangerous quarters.
Hajen is on the left and the imposing larger, black Neptun is on the right.
We marvel at the technology and engineering that goes into the design of these huge vessels. This imposing yet sleek black Neptun has a commanding presence up close.
There are many dangers in being confined under the sea. But one of the biggest dangers to your safety is noise which can give away your position. Every sailor wore these special rubber soled boots which were very quiet. We read an account of a sailor who accidentally bumped his wedding ring on some metal, and was warned that this ping could be detected 35 km away. Stealth is the key word in remaining safe.
There is an extraordinary display of figureheads from ships. There is an interesting exhibit featuring a history of Sweden from a Naval perspective within the context of world events
Seeing this display of figureheads up close was incredible.
The Marin Museum is extraordinary, both in what it offers and in its setting. The building is built on the water’s edge and over the water with docks to walk out on for walking tours of old sailing ships
Now, this was a lucky find. The Museum offers a buffet of traditional Swedish foods, including hot and cold beverages for a reasonable cost. Since we arrived at the buffet in the afternoon, they discounted it further. It seems that the philosophy of the museum is to share their culture and history in a wa6 that is affordable for all. We liked that.
Sweden has strict laws protecting their cultural heritage. In 1998, this cannon was discovered on private property. It had been salvaged from a shipwreck in Stockholm Bay. The accused was sentenced to jail time.
There are so many islands and places on shore where these ferries will take you. They offer a hop on hop off fare which as Islanders we think is a great idea. What a great idea for BC Ferries to consider!
What a delight to find this wee statue celebrating the beloved book, The Wonderful Adventure of Nils by Selma Lagerlof.
In the story, Nils was shrunk to the size of a thumb and travelled across Sweden on the back of a goose. The author interspersed much of the provinces history and geography in the story. Nils does return to his original size and gets to return home
Another exciting part of the day was doing a laundry at the hotel of everything we have. It is the first real laundry of the trip as we have been relying on hand washing. After a few months, that is not enough.We had a great day in Karlskrona and what a pleasant surprise it has been. Originally we thought of Karlskrona as a means to an end as part of our ferry route to Sweden. We didn’t realize that it was a destination to be explored. Glad we stayed
