{"id":2774,"date":"2015-07-02T10:57:03","date_gmt":"2015-07-02T17:57:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rayivey.com.php5-21.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com\/wordpress\/?p=2774"},"modified":"2015-07-12T21:22:45","modified_gmt":"2015-07-13T04:22:45","slug":"scandirayvia-12-bronze-butts-and-drowned-dreadnaughts-with-extra-photos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.rayivey.com\/wordpress\/scandirayvia-12-bronze-butts-and-drowned-dreadnaughts-with-extra-photos\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"rss\"<\/a>\"instagram\"<\/a>

The Famous\u00a0Borg Statue\"Bjorn\"<\/a><\/h1>\n

This heroic statue of Swedish national hero Bjorn Borg was created 137 years before he was born.\u00a0 He\u2019s depicted here at the precise moment he won his first Grand Slam\u00a0in 1974.<\/p>\n

When the statue was originally unveiled, Borg was holding a bronze tennis racquet in his right hand.\u00a0 However only three months after the unveiling, the racquet was stolen by vandals.\u00a0 They were not particularly intelligent vandals, and they were caught when they attempted to unload the racquet on eBay.<\/p>\n

The two thieves were sentenced to fourteen months of the dreaded ABBADABBA, <\/em>the harshest punishment the Swedish constitution allows.\u00a0 ABBADABBA consists of house arrest in very comfortable conditions in a secured apartment that has speakers in every room blasting ABBA\u2019s greatest hits twenty-four hours a day.\u00a0 After the 1, 539th<\/sup> time of hearing \u201cMoney, Money, Money, ” the prisoners officially requested death by lethal injection.<\/p>\n

\"Bjorn_Back\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Vasa Museet<\/h1>\n
\"vasa_exterior\"<\/a>
The outside of the museum is stunning as well.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This place is an absolute must-see if you\u2019re in Stockholm.\u00a0 It\u2019s the home of perhaps the worst warship ever built.\u00a0 Seriously.\u00a0 The Spruce Goose was a better airplane than the Vasa<\/em> was warship.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know how the German ship designer Henrik Hybertsson<\/a>, or \u201cMaster Henrik\u201d got the commission, because based on what happened to the Vasa<\/em>, he didn\u2019t know shit about designing sailing ships.\u00a0 Even a moron landlubber like me knows that a ship has to have enough ballast below the waterline to balance the weight above the waterline.\u00a0 But this clown apparently didn\u2019t know that.<\/p>\n

\"vasa_1\"<\/a>
Calling Laurie German. Calling Laurie German. We need an experienced conservator.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The ship was commissioned by King of Sweden\u00a0Gustavus Adolphus<\/a>, and in terms of looks at least, he got his money\u2019s worth. The ship was spectacularly beautiful and decorated within an inch of its life.<\/p>\n

With much pomp and celebration, the Vasa<\/em> began its maiden voyage on August 10, 1628.\u00a0 Since it was simply repositioning to a different spot in the harbor, it didn\u2019t have its full complement of sailors aboard.\u00a0 In fact, there were women and children on the vessel, also, as this was just a ceremonial portion of the ship\u2019s journey.<\/p>\n

At least it was supposed to be.\u00a0 The ship hadn\u2019t gone a thousand meters before it tipped over and sank to the bottom of the harbor.\u00a0 As many as fifty people drowned.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a pity that Master Henrik died before the Vasa<\/em> launched.\u00a0 He should have lived to suffer the consequences of designing such a lethally incompetent ship.<\/p>\n

The cannons were salvaged fairly quickly, but after that, even though the ship was just there, ninety feet below the surface, right there in Stockholm harbor, the ship was lost.\u00a0 It took modern technology to catch up in order for it to be found again, and that didn\u2019t happen until 1959.\u00a0 One of the many incredibly important things that happened that year.<\/p>\n

\"why_is_there_a_picture_of_conan\"<\/a>
Why is there a picture of Arnold as Conan in the Vasa Museet?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This began a decades-long saga of recovery.\u00a0 The ship was finally hoisted to the surface in 1961. \u00a0It looked pretty good for having been underwater for 333 years, but it needed lots of work.<\/p>\n

Two factors helped the Vasa<\/em> do so well at the bottom of the harbor.\u00a0 First, the Baltic waters were too cold for shipworms, which are the usual culprits for disappearing sunken wooden ships.\u00a0 Second, until recent years, the waters of the Baltic were VERY polluted, and this toxic brew kept away any other microorganisms that might have nibbled on the hull.\u00a0 (The waters around Stockholm are now remarkably clean.)<\/p>\n

The most important consideration was keeping the wood of the ship from drying out. To keep this from happening, the timbers of the ship were misted with \u00a0polyethylene glycol<\/a>\u00a0(PEG) for seventeen years<\/em>.\u00a0 These conservation experts were not kidding around.<\/p>\n

Eventually, this stunning museum was built to house the Vasa<\/em> . The museum opened in 1990 and is the most visited museum in Scandinavia.\u00a0 The Vasa <\/em>itself is the largest restored object in history, and the work on it is ongoing.<\/p>\n

\"Nuns<\/a>
Nuns on the Run<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Old<\/a>
Old Town Alley<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Average Rating: 4.7<\/span> out of 5<\/span> based on 160<\/span> user reviews.<\/span><\/div><\/p>

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