Day 43

Day 43 Stockholm to Helsinki
-Tuesday August 10th

Hang the expense!! Finally booked a cabin for an over night ferry trip. I'm sure Debbie missed her airseats as we made our way to Helsinki!
I had no idea that there were so many islands between Stockholm and the Baltic - apparently there are around 30,000! (see the Google image) The ferry slowly threaded its way through the wooded islands and rocks. It actually took over four hours to reach the sea. The islands became a patchwork wilderness after the serene waterside holiday shacks disappeared into the distance. The sunset was stunning.
Pleased to say we broke some international rules and successfully smuggled a bottle of red on board!! Check the newspapers tomorrow!

Debbie weighing up whether or not she would have preferred airseats.

Visited the Globe stadium with its crawling cable cars before we left.

Late the night before - view from the 'Gondolen Tower'.

Day 42

Day 42 Stockholm -Monday 9th August

The island of Galma Stan with its old town narrow cobblestone streets and Royal Place took up most of the morning. I am pleased to say that the royal guards were a tad scary this time with their stony cold expressions and rather sharp bayonetes.
The Alfred Nobel Museum was fantastic and we got lost in here for a couple of hours (no photos!). He was a sad case really and his contribution to humanity will always be shrouded in controversy. The displays and movies were excellent.

In the afternoon we walked around Skepps-Holmen then took a ferry ride around the many islands. Apparently we saw Bjorn Borg's house and the waterfront house of one of the members of ABBA -didn't say which one!

The Stockholm Tivoli (fun park).

Not sure what happened to this boat.

....Enjoyed this 'Titanium Brass Quintet' in the old town.

Days 40 & 41

Days 40 & 41 Stockholm - Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th August

The higher prices in Scaninavia equals a slight dip in the quality of accommodation. The room here os tiny but has its own bathroom. To get to our room you need a cut lumch - long corridors, 7 left hand turns, 6 right hand turns, down 1 lot of stairs and up 2!


The 5 hour trip from Copenhagen to Stockholm was through undulating countryside and was dotted with attractive lakes. We are enjoying Stockholm, its vibrant, modern city and picturesque islands.

A real highlight was the Vasa - an elegant 1628 sailing ship that overbalanced in its maiden voyage. Apparently there wasn't enough ballast! It was to be the pride of the fleet and was beautifully adorned with ornate carvings etc. Over 40 lives were lost. The story of its refloating in 1960 is just as fascinating as its sinking. Its good condition was due to the brackish waters in the area. The whole ship was dried and treated to prevent any deterioration.

On Sunday afternoon we walked a few ks around Djourgaten which is a large 'eco' island that used to be used for hunting by the royal family. It is a leafy, green and peaceful contrast to the city!!





















One of the corridors ....

Luxury rooftop and pool area?

Had to stay out at the airport (Arlanda) Saturday night - the city was booked out!

Another empty station!!!

Day 39

Day 39 Copenhagen - Friday 6th August

Have a look at this video of the changing of the guards at the Royal Palace.

Does it remind you of a Benny Hill Show perhaps?

Thought I might email the movie to Princess Mary with the message, "Is everything OK there at the palace?" How about the commander's skill at replacing the sword in its scabbard? At least he didn't stab himself in the groin!!

These guards weren't even the least bit scary! They were more like awkward, gangly, pimply faced Y10 kids. Their furry hats looked too big and seemed to wobble on their heads.

Just after we left, Mary came outside and announced to the world that she was having twins.

Visited Hans Christian Andersen's grave this afternoon. Ahhh ... brings back that Ugly Duckling story again!!!

The rest of today was taken up with another lengthy walk. The sights were:

Kings Garden
Round Tower
Yummy hot caramel almonds
Where the Little Mermaid Statue usually is (it's in China at the World Expo)
The castale
Some teenage pop star in the square


Told you Debbie would get a job as a guard!!

Day 38

Day 38 Copenhagen - Thursday 5th August
After 5 hours of train travel from Berlin to Copenhagen, we came to a halt on the northern tip of Germany. We took off again slowly and, believe it or not, the whole train rattled into the bowels of a huge ferry!! It felt all wrong 'choofing' along inside a train which was inside a boat!! I half expected to see a No. 16 double decker bus to take us up to the poop deck! I have added a short movie clip showing us rolling off the ferry.

Arrived in Copenhaven two and a half hours late. As usual, we got our hotel directions mixed up and walked off happily in exactly the opposite direction. We knew our budget accommodation was going to be small... but... I couldn't even stand back far enough to take a photo!! Couldn't get past Debbie without doing the chicken dance!

Almost got emotional walking down Hans Christian Andersen Boulevard at night. The Ugly Duckling was the first story to move me to tears when I was a kid.... don't know why that would be......

Day 37

Day 37 Berlin - Wednesday 4th August

Can't work out why this tummy of mine is not going away. We are getting pleny of exercise....we actually walk from one pastry/cake shop to the next!
Stood in a queue for an hour waiting to up the Berlin tower. Then we had to wait a further hour and a half for our ticket numbers to be called up. Took in the view from the top, had a beer and a pretzel then had to queue up for another half hour to come down!!
Decided to on a long walk to find more relics of the Berlin Wall to get the feel for its scale and its pathway through the middle of the city. Debbie was a little anxious about getting lost on this adventure, but I just asked her, "Have I ever led you up the garden path before?" She kept mumbling something - I'm not sure what it was. Had a map that showed where the wall used to be although very little remains. You can imagine my excitement when we came across a crumbling bit of wall or a stranded watchtower. Debbie was beside herself and still mumbling something.

The highlight of the day was the Jewish Monument. The myriad of concrete blocks represents the masses of Jews who perished in WW2. From a distance you are reminded of a field of bleak tombstones, but as you walk among them you sink 10-12 metres into a grey concrete maze. Each narrow passage undulates and sort of isolates you to reflect privately on the lives lost. The photos of the monument seem to take on a 'computer graphics' look. The cubes throw of every shade of grey in the spectrum.













Ironically, only 30 metres around the corner from the Jewish Monument is a very ordinary parking lot that was the site of Hitler's final moments. There is a solitary sign that acknowledges the event. It is amazing (but appropriate) that such a momentous piece of world history is so unheralded.

The final leg (pardon the pun) of our walk was through the expansive Berlin park that has the Victory statue as its centrepiece.

A deserted subway station??? Where was everybody??