Scandi adventure

OK, the next day or so in Stockholm. After our lovely breakfast at our bakery on the waterfront, we head off to the Viking Museum and Vasa Museum, by little ferry.

The Viking Museum is interesting (all about the Vikings and how they're not really that bad) and then to the Vasa Museum, which turns out very, very interesting. We spend a couple of hours there! It's about a huge wooden war ship ordered to be built by King Gustav in early 1600s. He wanted the ship built with about 32 cannons poking out on either side of the ship ie 64 altogether - to scare off the enemies. Ships were usually built with about 4 cannons on either side, so this one was extra special.

So once built, at the big send off for the Ship, the 64 or so cannons were let off (so to speak) and then the ship started to sail out of the harbour. It only got a few hundred metres and there was a big gust of wind - and oops, water gushes into the gun holes where the cannons poke out and the ship topples over. The ship then sank!

The ship lay at the bottom of the harbour in amongst all the mud and soil for well over 300 years - until one day in 1957, an explorer said I think we can get that old ship up out of the bottom of the harbour. So he raised enough money to do so - and after a mammoth effort involving several ships with long ropes either side of the old ship, it was finally hauled up and out of the harbour. It's another mammoth task to preserve and restore the ship - but they do so after many, many years and it is finally now a museum for everyone to enjoy. It's just fabulous and so interesting. We get to see all the old quarters where the workers, crew, captain etc were to sleep, eat, live and work in the old ship.

It's quite dark in the museum because they need to keep the lights low to protect the ship. But the size and detail of the ship is amazing!

Kerrie trying to fend off very tall Viking!

Kerrie consoling an abandoned diver

The next day, we go by train (a 2 hour journey) to a University town called Uppsala - its a lovely town filled with parks, rivers and character. We walk around and really enjoy the town.

And don't worry, we're not wearing ourselves out too much - we're still enjoying some lovely meals back in the old town where we're staying, plus a drink in our hotel.

Pizza for Bob and spag bog for Kerrie

Steak with fancy potato for Bob and shrimp risotto for Kerrie

Bob and Kerrie enjoying a drink back at hotel

Tonight we head off from Turku, Finland to Stockholm, Sweden - on a 11 hour long ferry trip. We have a cabin, thank goodness and it's surprisingly not too bad. We take a wander around the ferry (quite a big ferry, with lots and lots of passengers - everyone travels by ferry apparently), have a drink in one of the lounge areas and then head off to bed. We get a good night's sleep, thank goodness - because we have to depart the ferry at 6am in the morning (I know, holy moly!!).

It's just breaking daylight when we arrive in Stockholm and have to make our way from the airport to where we're staying in Gamla Stan ie the old town of Stockholm. Well, what a journey that was. They are upgrading the airport so we have to walk a million miles to find the train station into Stockholm Central (Bob suggests we walk and find the train station rather than catching the bus at the airport to the city (groan!!)). When we finally arrive at the train station, we find our way to the correct train to get us to the city centre. Hooray, we get to the city centre - but then we've got to find our way to the Old Town. Again, Bob insists we find our on way - by catching a subway to the Old Town and then we walk (with google leading us) up and down cobble stoned streets, in and out of laneways lugging bags - geez louise!!

We are absolutely exhausted by the time we find the hotel - and of course, arrive at about 7.30am so our room wont be ready for a while. Luckily, the helpful girl on reception recommended a bakery on the harbour, which is across the road and we head there for brekkie. Wow, fabulous brekkie of whatever you like - oats, yoghurt, cereal, juice, coffee, toast, eggs, jam - as much as you want PLUS a salad roll of your choosing. All for about $20.00 each - just fabulous. We end up eating at this bakery for the next 5 mornings - as do all the locals. A great find. We end up being able to get into our room at about 9.30am which is great and its a beautiful hotel. We really enjoy our stay there.


Our favourite bakery for breakfast - overlooking the bay

The bakery has little vans that deliver its delicious breads and pastries around town

Anyway, enough of that - and back to Stockholm. We wander around the Old Town of Gamla Stan which is just lovely - all cobble stoned streets and laneways, little shops, cafes and bars along the way with little town square and parks dotted along the way.


Lovely buildings along the way

We walk past the Royal Palace, which is just down the road - which has male and female guards parading at the entrances and around the Palace - very impressive. Oh and Bob rates the Swedish female guards at 9 out of 10!

Royal Palace

Guards around the Royal Palace

We enjoy walking around all the streets and laneways, along the waterfront and through the usual Cathedrals and Churches - just lovely.

See you in the next day or so

Hei Hei

The next day in Turku, we take a look at some ancient underground ruins that have been discovered in Turku. It's absolutely amazing what they've found underneath the town. It's very similar to the ruins in Pompei in that it is an old town quarter underneath the "new" town. Apparently they date back to the 14th and 15th centuries. There was the great fire of Turku in 1827 and the majority of the city had to be rebuilt and the ruins of the medieval city were buried underground.

Hmm, it was a bit dark underground so the photos aren't very good

Next we wander through the magnificent cathedral in town (sorry, "abc", another blo.....dy church!)

We also go across the river in an old chain or cable ferry that carries people from the east side of the river to the west side of the river and vice versa. The cable or chain runs under the river - interesting. It's free of charge and take about 2 minutes - a fun little ride.

Free cable ferry

And then we walk along the river to an old prison that they've converted to apartments. The apartments look very utilitarian - but good use of an old building. There is also an funicular running up from the river to the apartment area but it suggests you ride the funicular at your own risk because it often doesn't work! We decide not to take the risk.

Old prison building converted to apartments

And lastly (well almost), we wander around an old medieval castle built in the 13th century and stands along the river - it is surrounded by a beautiful park area.

And lastly, we go to a pizza restaurant near our hotel for dinner which comes recommended - plus has gelato! The lovely Finnish girl who served us with the gelato was just about to finish her shift, so she decided to give us a super-duper double scooper!!

See you next stop,

Next we head of to Turku which is a coastal town a couple of hours train ride from Helsinki. We so pleased with our choice of hotels, which is within walking distance of everywhere we want to go. The only issue is that's a raining when we arrive so we decide to catch a taxi from the train station to the hotel - which turns out another expensive ride to go only a few kilometres. Bob is "not happy, Jan" once again and refuses to ever ride in a taxi again - and is now considering a new career as a taxi driver in Scandinavia because the drivers must be paid a motza!!

Turku is situated on a winding river with lovely parks and walkways all the way along the river - its described as the Paris of Finland. We wander through three connected parks on small hills that overlook the river. The beautiful autumn trees are magnificent.

Beautiful autumn trees throughout the parks and along the river

Oh and of course, the necessary ladder and buoy to rescue anyone abandoned in the river. They have these ladders all along the river

Interesting sculptures along the way

Our hotel is across from the central square which has fresh food markets as well - we go for a wander through the markets

Fresh food markets in central square - and those are mushrooms on the right of which there are hundreds!

Oh, and lastly can I just have a whinge about the Scandinavians and their language, and in particular their spelling. Here is a typical word in Finnish "Graniittilinnankatu" which translates to "Granite Building Road". They like to join as many words and letters together to make the longest words possible - and it doesn't matter how many times you use the same letter and you can put it wherever you like. Damn impossible to understand!

Next day we take a 1.5 hour bus ride out of Helsinki to a little medieval town called Porvoo. It's a gorgeous little town with tiny burnt red coloured shops along the river - and behind the shops are about 4 or 5 small cobble stoned streets lined with old timber homes and shops. Unfortunately, the weather is not that good - rainy and wet, so we stop of at a corner bakery store (lovely little shop) and have a pastry treat and hot chocolate.

Tiny burnt red shops along river

Bob enjoying his pastry treat and hot chocolate

Cobble stoned streets with old timber homes and shops along

Also in the town is a very old church or cathedral (of course!)

Old Church/Cathedral - a must have in every town

The next day, we head off on a 2 hour ferry ride to another medieval town called Tallinn in Estonia which is a county across the Baltic Sea from Helsinki. And wow, what an interesting and historical old town it has. We spend the whole day and part of the evening there and catch the ferry home at 6.30pm.

We wander along the cobble stoned streets (and there are lots). We visit an old KGB prison - very interesting with tiny cells and equipment for interrogating! Then onto a museum dedicated to the new found freedom of Estonia but covering the past occupation by Russia over 100s of years (Russia just wouldn't give up - it wanted Estonia as its own over many, many wars and years). The torture and oppression suffered by the Estonians over the years and the stories of survival are very moving.

Cobble stoned streets of Tallinn

KGB prison

Bob inside one of the cupboards in the KGB Prison that prisoners were put into for days of end - if they were naughty

Then we have a walk around a very old fortress in Tallinn. It has a wall around the site which was constructed in 1265 by order of Margaret Sambiria and is called the "Margaret Wall". When you look at the structure of parts of the wall and also of the fortress, we can understand why
the old town of Tallinn is now a World Heritage Site. It's amazing how those structures were built of stone so long ago and are still standing. I think our engineers today should take a leaf out of the books of the old engineers of the 13th century.

Old Fortress - and the "Margaret Wall"

Our meal of bratwurst and sauerkraut in the old town square of Tallinn before heading back by ferry to Helsinki.