Brädspel in Stockholm

That was yet another excuse to put another letter in my titles. 
Anyway, I went to Sweden on Wednesday, and after figuring out where my hostel was, I went to the Vasamuseet! 
Here's me in front of the ship:

What, it's blurry, you say?  Tough luck, it was cold and snowy outside, and this is what my camera decided to do.  Eventually, though, it unfogged:

It's BIG-especially when you first come in, when you're on a lower level.
The ship was commissioned by King Gustav II Adolf, the king of Sweden, in the 1600's in his fight against Poland in the 30 Year's War (ah, Western Civ., good times).  It was supposed to sail off and fight, like this:

But instead, it did this...

 ...on August 10, 1628.
Why?  Because of this:

There was not enough ballast, and the ship was designed with towering beautiful carvings and 2 gun decks that had to stay above water, so the ship tipped and sank in the harbor.  Approximately 30 people died.  The Vasa was forgotten for 333 years...
Until the 1960's, when researcher Anders Franzén rediscovered her, and it was brought to the surface again.
This was an awesome museum, with neat sections on the conservation process, how the Vasa was recovered, the symbolism of the carvings, and the people onboard.  Also, a section on daily life, which brings me to backgammon, or brädspel in Swedish.

Swedish, as far as I could tell, has three more letters than the English alphabet: å, ä (don't know how this is pronounced-like æ?), and ö (like ø).  Also, I saw é, but that wasn't used very often.

Anyway, next I to Free Tour Stockholm, for a tour of the Old Town.  This, by the way, is what the snow situation was:

This was a very fun tour, with all the blood and treachery inherent in history.  Also, some very pretty sights, including the narrowest alley in Old Town (they're waiting for the lamp in one building's wall to touch the other side):

Also, the tiniest public statue, called Järnpojken, or the Iron Boy.  You're supposed to rub his head for good luck.

Next, to the T-bane!  In Stockholm they're decorated, including the one at Rådhuset St., with fake archaeology:

I did more museums in Oslo this weekend, but this post is quite long already, so that will come later!