Day 12 - Stockholm, Sweden. As our boat pulls away from Stockholm, I find that I really don't want to leave. After getting the speedy, one day tour of the capital, I want to go deeper into Sweden and visit the islands and forest that we heard about. I woke up early today (about 3:50am) to a sunny sky and our ship navigating beautiful islands. It took about four hours to fully wind our way through the thousands of islands and reach port.
If you are traveling with Royal Caribbean, a breakfast tip I can give you is go with the room service on early tour days. Many days we do the free continental breakfast of pastries, coffee, and juice. Today, we were a bit tired of the donuts and such, so we sprang for the $7.95 hot breakfast. I have heard complaints about this because some think it should be free. However ours was completely delicious, hot, and on time. We had made to order eggs, bacon, sausage, and hashbrowns. The fee is set no matter how much you order. It was just what we needed to start our day. Our tour with Alla started at a super early for a Sunday 7:30 in the morning. For the first hour, we were literally the only vehicle on the road. Our tour guide was amazing. He looked like he had just got out of bed with crazy hair and a salty take on everything. He was just the humor I needed. We drove around Stockholm (very easily I might add) looking at the main buildings and panoramic views of the city.
After our drive, we arrived at the Vasa Museum. The Vasa was a ship built in 1628 for the king of Sweden. When it first sailed, it was the mightiest warship of the seas. Unfortunately that first sail only lasted 20 minutes. Due to poor engineering, it sank. It stayed on the bottom of the ocean for 300 years until it was lifted and put on display. Today, it is the only existing 17th century ship.
We then drove to Gamla Stan, the old town of Stockholm that was founded in 1252. The area is a wonderful old pedestrian town with cobblestone streets and traditional buildings. There are many tourist trap areas, but you can wander until you find places with a more local vibe. We hung out with our new Canadian friends Carolyn and Ella as we wandered for a few hours. After a bit of walking, we found a burger place with Swedish grown beef and Swedish beer. It was a great place where we soaked up the beautiful weather and good food. Afterwards, we found a neat little shop from Gotland (and island off the coast of Sweden). It had delicious pastries, sweets, and very strong coffee.
By then, it was time to walk back to the ship. We had a lovely day with beautiful weather and made great memories. We are now cruising back through the thousands of islands out to the Baltic and I am finally drinking my birthday champagne that my cabin attendant has been faithfully icing for me each day. I can't imagine a better trip and I am thankful we still have so much of it in front of us. Tomorrow is a sea day and I am looking forward to sleeping in a bit and resting my weary legs.
If you are traveling with Royal Caribbean, a breakfast tip I can give you is go with the room service on early tour days. Many days we do the free continental breakfast of pastries, coffee, and juice. Today, we were a bit tired of the donuts and such, so we sprang for the $7.95 hot breakfast. I have heard complaints about this because some think it should be free. However ours was completely delicious, hot, and on time. We had made to order eggs, bacon, sausage, and hashbrowns. The fee is set no matter how much you order. It was just what we needed to start our day. Our tour with Alla started at a super early for a Sunday 7:30 in the morning. For the first hour, we were literally the only vehicle on the road. Our tour guide was amazing. He looked like he had just got out of bed with crazy hair and a salty take on everything. He was just the humor I needed. We drove around Stockholm (very easily I might add) looking at the main buildings and panoramic views of the city.
After our drive, we arrived at the Vasa Museum. The Vasa was a ship built in 1628 for the king of Sweden. When it first sailed, it was the mightiest warship of the seas. Unfortunately that first sail only lasted 20 minutes. Due to poor engineering, it sank. It stayed on the bottom of the ocean for 300 years until it was lifted and put on display. Today, it is the only existing 17th century ship.
We then drove to Gamla Stan, the old town of Stockholm that was founded in 1252. The area is a wonderful old pedestrian town with cobblestone streets and traditional buildings. There are many tourist trap areas, but you can wander until you find places with a more local vibe. We hung out with our new Canadian friends Carolyn and Ella as we wandered for a few hours. After a bit of walking, we found a burger place with Swedish grown beef and Swedish beer. It was a great place where we soaked up the beautiful weather and good food. Afterwards, we found a neat little shop from Gotland (and island off the coast of Sweden). It had delicious pastries, sweets, and very strong coffee.
By then, it was time to walk back to the ship. We had a lovely day with beautiful weather and made great memories. We are now cruising back through the thousands of islands out to the Baltic and I am finally drinking my birthday champagne that my cabin attendant has been faithfully icing for me each day. I can't imagine a better trip and I am thankful we still have so much of it in front of us. Tomorrow is a sea day and I am looking forward to sleeping in a bit and resting my weary legs.
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