Gone Viking

The Viking Cruise Ship, Mariella, is the largest boat I've ever sailed upon. Having a room on board and seeing all the gambling, play areas, shopping, clubs, dining, spa and theatre brought it all together - I'm on my FIRST cruise!! Hmmmm, a virgin sailing with Viking... 

 What has made it most spectacular is going through the archipelago again. But this time the entire length. Nearly 5 hours we sailed through these large and small islands. The further out we came, the less likely they were to be inhabited, but not less beautiful. 

After a gorgeous sunset, I made my way inside and watched the people do all those things people do on cruises. Many were dressed up for clubbing, lots of families were playing in the game rooms and others were shopping. I have never seen so many people carrying large quantities of alcohol from a store, apparently it is forbidden to drink this on board. Sure... Did they not count the Russians on board?? 

I actually had a man sit at my table in the cafe and after asking me where I came from said, "You can find my name in the book of Who's Who". "Oh, where are you from?" I ask politely. "Russia, I'm a Russian artist". And that was the end of any further interesting conversation... Finnish artist? Swedish artist? Lithuanian artist? ANY OTHER artist? Now that would be cool. I must have seen too many Anti-Russian movies as a child... 

After people watching and catching up on my Internet connections, I made my way to my bunk. And now I know why it was so cheap!! I'm directly under the club!!! If only I had my clubbing clothes, then the vibrations and noise would all be fun and fabulous!! But eventually they stopped and I got a few hours of rest. Waking to my alarm, I readied for breakfast. I had the Food Garden at 7 am time slot. Wow! A great dining location facing out towards the Baltic as we entered the Finnish archipelago. And the choices were amazing, lots of salmon and herring, eggs dishes of all varieties, cheeses, breads, yogurts, fruits, and even Princess Cake!! I enjoyed a glass of champagne along with everything else that looked good. I had to fill up for the venture into Helsinki. 

Arriving in port, there is such a mixture of architecture. I am ashamed to admit, I didn't look up anything about this city before I entered it. I made up for it by boarding the Hop On Hop Off Bus with listening guide and hearing all about their 13 major sights. 

Senate Square with its beautiful white Cathederal from 1852 and memorial to the 1917 independence after the Russian Revolution. 

 The Uspenski Cathederal is the largest Orthodox Church in Western Europe from 1868. 

Anyone else noticing all the Russian influence? And I was informed about how close it is to Russia with its Baltic neighbors of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. An interesting city. I had great weather, so after my lessons, I walked along the beautiful shoreline and enjoyed the better side of Helsinki. (I know that's not 13 sights, but the others were not all that interesting.)

Interesting side point I learned along my tour: this area is used for rug cleaning. Citizens come out and use "natural" soaps to clean their household rugs and hang them to dry. There was actually someone doing it as I passed! Strange custom. 

After paying 60 Euros for a "definitely not the pilgrim" menu, I was ready to head back to the boat. Stockholm was looking more reasonably priced! And now we know who is "plundering" who here!!

I really enjoy sitting outside as the boat sails past all this amazing scenery. I don't  understand how other people would rather be shopping or playing games inside. 

Boat was passing too quickly, but these mounds are dwellings of some sort with large doors on the opposite ends. Looked a lot like Hobbitville. 

Bye Finland...

Stockholm Part 2

Began a new day in Stockholm wandering Old Town again. This part of the city keeps drawing me back with its history and charm. I finally went into a cafe that I passed a few times before for breakfast. Unfortunately all they had was cake... Or fortunately, it was all that appealed to me... And it seemed appropriate before visiting the Royal Palace to enjoy a piece of Princess cake. 

Waiting for the church and palace to open, I found new spots in the narrow streets. Sweden's St. George slaying the dragon is a frequent subject in art. 

Storkyrkan is the Royal Cathederal and portions of it date back to the 13th century. A very interesting painting hangs here, called the Parhelion. It depicts six sparkling luminous rings of light seen over Stockholm in 1535. They were interpreted to be a revelation of impending collapse of worldly power. 

It also has a massive statue to St. George from 1489, carved from oak, with details made of horsehair and elks antlers. 

A candelabra made of bronze from 15th century Germany has been in the cathederal for over 600 years. 

And a modern Peace Globe, where one can light a candle for prayer. 

The strangest part of visiting these "old" churches in Europe is walking on top of all the burial chambers. Some are so worn, you have no idea who is there or how long it has been there. 

Off to the palace where I toured the treasury, state rooms, apartments, chapel, armory, and carriage house. 

The beautiful ceilings and chandeliers were my favorite in the apartments. 

The oldest shield and armor, from the 15th century. 

With more interest in kings and queens, I went to find Riddarholmskyrkan, the burial site for Swedish monarchs since the 13th century. 

A rather interesting floor burial cover from 1618. 

Complete family burial chapels and chambers are all around the church, all from nobility and Knights. The church is now is a dedicated museum and no longer holds mass. The last king to be buried here was in 1950. 

A historical canal tour brought me around the fresh water side of Stockholm on Lake Mälaren. Along the route we passed by the house of the distiller of Absolut Vodka and ABBA's recording studio.  And we were reminded of all the other wonderful Swedish products we enjoy around the globe such as Ericsson, IKEA, H&M, and Volvo. 

Finally, the last tour of the day and my Stockholm City Card - Globe SkyView.   A unique experience riding a glass gondola up along the spherical Globe about 130 meters. Amazing 360 degree views of Stockholm. 

And my Royal day ended at a ball...

 

My 4th morning in Stockholm and I needed to do laundry and pack. I also spent the time updating my blog and hanging about my hostel. One of the girls in my room, just out of high school in Canada was touring Scandinavia, but she was spending too much time in bed. I attempted some words of wisdom about enjoying it now and who knows what comes next, blah, blah... Youth is wasted on the young! In one of my museum tours, there was a quote that went something like...

An 80 year old has been every age that came before - 8, 18, 38, 68 etc and knows them all. An 8 year old or an 18 year old knows only this one age. 

And then taking my own advice, I checked out and took advantage of the few hours before my cruise to Helsinki. Climbing one last tower, I took in the views of the city. 

And way out at the end is "my" ship!!

Enjoyed a salmon filet for lunch and took a walk down Sodermalm's shopping street. Here you can see the Globe from afar. 

And had to stop at StikkiNikkis for organic ice cream. Yum!!

Took the long walk down the harbor to Viking Cruise Line and checked in. Nice big boat and comfy cabin!!

Time to check out the ship! 

Amsterdam

From Germany, Melissa and I headed to Amsterdam for a couple days before her flight towards home. We arrived late afternoon and headed to our hostel. The Intersail Christina is a boat docked in the east harbor during the summer season. I thought it'd be fun to live on the water, if just for a day, while in Amsterdam. 

Checking in and unloading luggage we headed straight back out and into the city. Lots of people, bikes and buses filled the streets. We managed to find a suggested place for dinner and enjoyed some Thai food before exploring some more. We wandered along the canals, checked out the Red Light District, and got contact highs from all the Coffee Shops. But sitting at a little canal side cafe enjoying drinks and Murder By Chocolate was by far my favorite moment! 

The next day Melissa left early for a tour of the Anne Frank House and I took my time getting back to the city in general.  Tired of people and asphalt, I headed for the green of the parks. 

Feeling better, I returned to SinCity and stumbled upon the most amazing pancake house. It was the smallest restaurant I'd ever seen with narrow stairs that were so vertical they should require climbing gear! An older gentleman was in the "kitchen" cooking up each order as placed. I decided on the special, while peach and rhubarb with home made cream. I never thought I liked rhubarb, but I LOVED this pancake. It was by far the most delicious pfannekuchen EVER!

 The highlight of my Amsterdam trip!!

I do think the houses are more crooked than my last visit some years ago!!

And it'll be a few more before I return...

Stockholm Part 1

After trudging through crowds and clouds of smoke in Amsterdam, Melissa and I headed out to Stockholm, Sweden. Arriving late in the evening and checking into the airport hotel provided few clues to this new city. But the next morning we rose early and headed out. After a quick express train brought us to Central Station, we walked around a bit looking for breakfast. The business area had nothing open on an early Saturday. Finally, The Bacpackers' Cafe was open and welcoming. We received a delicious meal and some information to begin our adventures. Heading through downtown shopping streets we made it to "Old Town" and the city gate. 

The weather was mild, and the streets were clean and open. I was liking Stockholm already. The scallop shell on the gate wall gave me some Camino  peace. The buildings are bright and architecturally interesting. 

We ventured around until ultimately arriving at City Hall. The tall tower has tours and unfortunately timing did not work out for Melissa. I bought my ticket for later and we walked back towards one of the many harbors where I also purchased an archipelago tour. Still no text announcing a delay in Melissa's flight, and her short layover in Stockholm was over...

And now I was alone on my adventures. I decided to dump my backpack at my hostel before the afternoon tours began and headed to Sodermalm island to find Zinkersdamm. An hour and tired feet later, in a park like area, my hotel/hostel is located. 

I made my way back to City Hall along the shoreline and had a picnic lunch in the beautiful park. 

At 1:15, my tour up the 300 some steps began. An amazing view of the city. 

Inside the tower there are also displays of the city's various shields beginning in 1255 when the city became official. 

Back down and out I had to quickly make my way across town past three bays before finding the boat for my archipelago tour. Stockholm is made up of 14 islands connected by 57 bridges and waterways are everywhere! My boat tour started the same time as the rain, but I sat outside under a partial awning and took in the beautiful Baltic islands.   They were green and heavily forested, some tiny with just one house, others large enough to be considered a suburb. There are over 30,000 islands, but three hours was just a taste of those closest. 

After returning, I headed back to Old Town where I found a restaurant in an old cellar. I decided to try the traditional herring sampler and was surprised that I liked it. The salmon was delicious as well. 

A beautiful day of sightseeing and a long walk back to the hostel made for great sleeping. 

The next day I was up by 6am, a full itinerary of museums and Swedish cuisine awaited me. I purchased the Stockholm Card with its unlimited public transportation and museum use, got directions to Djurgarden island, and set off. The subway system is typical of others and once you figured out the end points and directions, it was very easy. And with the rainy conditions, it was good to be inside. I made it to the Vasa museum by 8:00 and wandered around looking for coffee. But unfortunately nothing was open... So much for the early bird... But I was one of the first 10 people in line and after seeing the line later, I was very happy I was early!! The Vasa museum is built around a war ship from 1628 that sunk on its maiden voyage in the Stockholm harbor. It lay on the Baltic seabed for 333 years before it was salvaged in 1961. It took 29 years to rebuild and conserve the ship for public display. The ship is a true treasure, it is 98 percent original and the ornately carved sculptures are in beautiful condition. There were even sails recovered from the storage area. Approximately 30 people of the 200 on board died, and some of their remains were so well preserved with shoes, clothes, and one still had a brain. The conditions in the museum need to be kept dark and cool, so my pictures don't do it justice. 

This museum alone is worth the trip to Stockholm! And the kilometer line outside the door at 11 when I left attested to its popularity. Directly behind this museum is the Nordiska Museet, which had textiles and artifacts from Scandinavian history. 

It was interesting, but after Vasa, the only thing I found worthy of a picture was a sculpture of Tink. Heading back to the main area via street car, I also meandered through the History Museum with its "Viking" exhibit. I learned that "viking" is a verb and not a noun. The people who went to war for plunder and power, went viking, they were called Norsemen for the most part. Again, interesting, but by now my stomach was ready for food! 

I went back to Old Town with its plethora of cafes and restaurants. Now it was teeming with tourists and hard to navigate. I managed to locate an empty  table outside as the weather was looking good. The square called Stortorget was surrounded by restaurants and also the Nobel Museum. After lunch I decided to go in. Just in time for a guided tour, we learned of Nobel's history with dynamite and his desire to inspire and give back to humanity with his prizes. The museum also included the nearly 900 winners and a brief biography on a revolving track. There were inspirational quotes on hope from some that made me think of work and colleagues and my grandson. All good thoughts!! 

I need to remember to buy the book about Einstein as a child for Eli!! This was another worthy museum. Wandering Old Town again, I enjoyed some Swedish glass (ice cream) and people watching. The clouds were gathering again, just in time to walk "home".