Stockholm Day 2 - June 30, 2013

Today we leave the ship and head over to our hotel, The Marriott Courtyard. In the terminal, a gentleman warned us that certain taxi's are not reputable and we should look for one of three particular taxi's. Did we listen to him? Of course not. We were concerned about finding a taxi that could fit all of our luggage! So - bottom line is that we paid about $110 US dollars for a 15 minute cab ride to the hotel. The hotel staff informed us that we had been "taken". Fare should have been half that amount! Note to self -- "pay attention"!

The hotel was mobbed. At least 7 busses out front and a large group of about 1000 Asians running around like chickens without their heads! :) We couldn't get into our room, so we stored our luggage and off we went to get the hop on hop off bus tour. It was a beautiful 25 minute walk from the hotel, in a park next to the river. We were in love!







We came across this little duck family - Mama and babies all snuggled together for a nap. Awe! Now we are really happy!



So far, our day is delightful. We're thinking about moving to Stockholm! Just look at this little floating cafe! What could be better? Maybe a house boat! Now you're talking!









We make it to the Town Hall, find a WC, and hop on the big red bus for a 3 day tour. :) The only problem is that we hopped on the wrong red bus. So - since we didn't pay yet, we "hopped off" and ran off at the first stop! :)









So - we find the right bus (the one we have a coupon for!) and off we go. Like little children on Christmas morning! Happy as hens. :) How could things get any better? Yay - a flea market and a sausage truck. Now we're trying to figure out if we can afford to live here. Maybe not.









We loved the apartment building pictured above. I wonder if they are pet friendly? Lula and the Weiner's would love it here!

So, now for the highlight of our day - THE ABBA MUSEUM! We are all huge ABBA fans, so this is the moment we've been waiting for! The museum only opened within the past month so we feel so lucky to be able to go.














                                                         


Jane and I actually went on stage with a simulated ABBA and sang Dancing Queen! If I ever figure out how to upload the video, you'll see how great we were! I'm sure we would have been competition for Freda and Agnetha. :) LOL

After the museum, of course we made an ice cream stop!




You can see how happy we still are! It's 3:15 and our bus tour ends at 4:00, so off we go to the bus stop. Giggling like school girls! And we wait, and we wait, and we watch a dozen other tour busses go by. Waited an hour. No CitySightseeing bus in sight. This called for desperate measures. We hop on a green bus and hope the driver doesn't ask to see our tickets. YES. We're on. Amen.

But - we don't go right back to the hotel. We hop off at the train station, go to the supermarket and pick up dinner for the hotel room. Cheese, salami, bread, wine and beer. We still have to figure out which train will take us closest to the hotel. After being on our feet all day, the long walk to the hotel was not appealing. Kos manages to find us the right train. Relieved, we try to look competent. Of course, we're not. The only competent one is Kos! :) LOL

The train stops, we stay seated because it's not our stop. We think. The lights go out. A nice young couple tells us we better get off the train since it's the end of the line! :) Oh crap!
What now. Kos - cool as a cucumber - leads us to another train which brought us closer to our hotel. Not close. But closer. So we walked and walked and walked some more before we made it back --- exhausted.



Maybe we're not ready to assume this lifestyle. Very expensive here. A tee shirt at the ABBA museum costs $53 USD. Nope - we're not moving here.

Location:Drottningholmsvägen,Stockholm,Sweden

Stockholm, Sweden - June 29, 2014

Today we arrived in Stockholm after a beautiful sail through the Fiords. We'll be spending an overnight here on the ship and tomorrow we will go to our hotel for 2 nights.








































At the mouth of Lake Malaren lie the 14 islands of Stockholm. And that's nothing ......the harbor opens up to 24,000 islands, making for a truly scenic arrival into the capital of Sweden. The Vikings passed through in 1252 when the fort was first built. A town grew around it and boomed when Sweden became a major Baltic power. Under Gustav III, the city began to flourish culturally...and has never stopped since. This is the city of opera, cutting edge crystal design, and of Nobel Peace Prize ceremonies. It's also one of the most visited Scandinavian destinations.

Named in this century as both Europe's Cultural Capital and also the continent's first Green Capital, Stockholm is the largest city in Scandinavia, with about 1.8 million residents in the metropolitan area -- about one-fifth of Sweden's total population. The city, founded in 1252, comprises 14 islands, and is a popular port of call and turnaround port on Northern Europe cruises.

Stockholm's premier tourist attraction is Gamla Stan (literally, Old Town), one of the largest neighborhoods of 16th-century buildings in Europe. Block after block of these four- and five-story structures are painted in vivid colors typical of Mediterranean villages and occasionally feature wrought-iron signs symbolizing ancient craftworkers' guilds or faces of religious figures. Cobblestone streets and arms-width alleys criss-cross Gamla Stan. There, you'll also find the 18th-century Royal Palace atop the crown of the hill upon which Gamla Stan is located. (Sweden is a constitutional monarchy and has a one-house parliament).

Boulevards defining Stockholm's busy waterfront are also lined with photogenic architecture -- turrets, spires, stucco patterns -- mostly dating from before the turn of the 20th century.

Offsetting the city's bustle and buildings are large swatches of green space. The Ekoparken, or eco-park, curves for six miles through a couple of the busiest islands and along one side of the downtown business district.

Today we decided not to go into town since I woke up with a nasty sore throat and head cold. Since we'd be here for a few days, we laid low today and packed up to disembark the ship tomorrow morning.




After 11 nights on the Vision of the Seas, Rich is still lost! :) LOL

Some things never change! :) LOL

Location:Stockholm, Sweden

Helsinki, Finland - June 28, 2013

Since we have been on the go from early until late, we agreed that we would have a slow start today. Finally, the temperature has dropped to a comfortable 68 degrees! Amen. The three days in St. Petersburg were in the high 80's.

In 1550, the king of Sweden had big dreams for newly founded Helsinki. Unfortunately, a series of disastrous fires, plague and war kept the town from growing....until another series of events changed its path forever. After Russia defeated Sweden and annexed Finland in 1809, Czar Alexander I moved the capital and the university from Turku to Helsinki. The city flourished, but Russian rule was short lived. The Finns declared their independence in 1917, endured a devastating Civil War, and emerged with a new Republican government. Helsinki has since been its capital.

Noted for its graceful architecture and elegant gardens, Helsinki is a fascinating place to explore.

We started our day by picking up a Hop-on Hop-off bus right outside our ship. $20 Eu each which we thought was great since the shuttle to town was $10 Eu each (no tour included).




So our first stop was the flea market. Interesting!


Since it was too early for lunch, we hopped back on the next bus and headed for the market, with a stop in town for lunch at a restaurant named Bakers. Svetlana recommended this restaurant and it was a good choice.



The architecture here in Helsinki was more modern than any of the other cities that we previously visited.












But there was also some beautiful historic buildings.












After lunch we walked to the market area for some shopping.
























                                                                          Of course we sampled some delicious ice cream! :)










Our bus ride back to the ship went through some very pretty areas.









It's common to see sunbathers in parks and along the beaches, which appear to be rocks, rather than white sand.










The geese pictured are called Barnacle Geese. This family was just on the side of the road.







The paths along the beach have designated biking and walking areas. If we had more time, it would have been nice to stop and take a walk along the marina area.

Back at the ship, we had another formal night.

The entertainment tonight was fantastic. Bruce Parker, (AKA The California Soul Man), sang songs from the 50's and 60's, with many of the Motown songs as well. He was so good, we bought his CD.

Location:Helsinki, Finland