Thursday, September 18th - Arrival in Stockholm

I arrived at Stockholm's central train station at 8pm after a full day of trains from Oslo, via Gothenburg. I Ubered to Hotel Reisen, located in the old town (Gamla Stan - first picture below). I had a suite with an in-room sauna using my Hyatt points. Using the sauna every night before bed was a pleasant, relaxing bit of assimilating further into Scandinavian culture. I unpacked and got organized for my next days of sightseeing.

Saturday, September 20th - Vasa Museum and "Under the Bridge" tour

Early morning, I walked to the Golden Bridge at the southern end of Gamla Stan and grabbed breakfast at a hole-in-the-wall bistro on Sodermalm island (first picture below). From there I walked northeast along the shoreline to Slussen dock and took a very crowded Boat 82 for the short hop to Djurgården island. It was 15 minute walk to the Vasa Museum from the dock. The Vasa is a 17th century ship that sank minutes into her maiden voyage because of an overly ambitious armament design. It was salvaged in remarkable shape from the harbor in 1961. The museum was built around it and opened in 1990. Armed properly with my full frame camera and trusty 16-35mm F4 lens, I captured the second and third shots below.

Rain threatened as I left the Vasa around noon, so I parked myself at a window table at the Vigneto Cafe on Djurgården. I enjoyed a leisurely lunch there watching the crowds come and go from the dock to the amusement park and museums. After lunch, I took Boat 82 back to Slussen dock and dropped off my big camera at my hotel. With rain still threatening mid-afternoon, I opted for a leisurely 2 hour "Under the Bridges" cruise, that turned out to be very nice (fourth picture above and first picture below). After the tour, I walked north through Stockholm's new city to the famous, 137 year old Östermalm’s Saluhall (food hall), where I bought provisions for a tapas-style dinner in my hotel room.

On Sunday morning I walked from my hotel across Norrbro Bridge (second picture above - bridge view toward the Opera House and Grand Hotel), to Helgeandsholmen Island, home of the Swedish Parliament. The parliament areas inside and out are all open to the public (third picture above). Crossing the Vasabron bridge, I walked along with morning joggers and strollers enjoying the crisp Sunday morning. On my way back to my hotel, I shot a harbor perspective of the Parliament building (large picture, top of page left). Mid-afternoon I packed up, checked out, and Ubered to Stadsgården cruise port.

Late afternoon along with 2500 of my best friends (it's a big ship - Viking Cinderella) we set sail from Stockholm to Helsinki, Finland. What began as a rainy overcast afternoon, turned into a brilliant sunset (large picture, top of page right and fourth picture above). There were a lot of die-hard photographers like me, bundled and windblown on the bow and the stern trying to capture their money shot. For Swedes and Finns, this overnight voyage is often an indulgence to gamble and buy cheap booze due to the quick stop at duty-free Åland island. For me it was a completely new experience. The spacious two room bow suite (first picture below) that I booked was inexpensive - the ship makes its money on gamblers, not travelers like me.

I had a late dinner at the Seaside Cafe restaurant onboard, opting for the chef's creation. I picked up a nice Châteauneuf-du-Pape wine and a 20 year old tawny Port at the duty free shop and packed them away for my evenings in Helsinki. The bow suite included a free mini-bar, a basket of sweets and snacks, and a bottle of DOCG level Prosecco. Practicing reasonable moderation, I ate and drank a bit of all that for dessert and retired for the evening. I woke Monday morning to the best alarm clock ever - sunrise over the Baltic sea (second picture above).