My adventures in Finland and Sweden by ship and bus
Like
the trip to Prague, this travelling experience was also spontaneous,
I just had to choose the destination in a matter of a couple of minutes
and tell my travel agent. Among the cheapest variants for my area in
Europe, Finland and Sweden one was the most interesting, because it
included nights on a big ship. I was advised to go to Spain, but
summer in Russia is also very hot, so I didn’t see a reason to go
to a country like Spain, I prefer sightseeing when the temperature is
mild.
I’ve already been to Baltic Sea before, when I spent a couple of weeks in Sopot, Poland. But the cities near water always attract me more, special exception is Amsterdam, though I like its architecture, but I hate those big crowds of tourists. Back to my story, the trip started early in the morning in St. Petersburg, where we got on a bus and headed to Russian-Finnish boarder. Scandinavian nature is very picturesque, those monumental big rocks everywhere. They even have a church in a rock in Helsinki, where we went right after the boarder.
I’ve already been to Baltic Sea before, when I spent a couple of weeks in Sopot, Poland. But the cities near water always attract me more, special exception is Amsterdam, though I like its architecture, but I hate those big crowds of tourists. Back to my story, the trip started early in the morning in St. Petersburg, where we got on a bus and headed to Russian-Finnish boarder. Scandinavian nature is very picturesque, those monumental big rocks everywhere. They even have a church in a rock in Helsinki, where we went right after the boarder.
The
symbol of Finland is a deer. I liked this guy a lot.
Among
all of the popular sights I would recommend to visit Sibelius
Monument,
Oceanarium
Sea Life
and City
Hall
surroundings.
Like
always, I got “lucky” with weather. But for Scandinavian
countries rainy and chilly weather is pretty normal. Even in summer
they don’t get much sun, but when they have it, they wear shorts
and T-shirts even if it’s cold, that’s how much they love sun.
But I’m not complaining about rainy weather, I love it.
After
the tour around Helsinki we headed for our ferry (Viking
Line).
I’ve never been on board of a really big ship before except for the little ferries in Sopot and Amsterdam and I know that a lot
of people get seasick, but I honestly didn’t feel
anything different on board. The ferry was gliding smoothly along the
coast to the open sea and further to Stockholm. Review of the ship I might write in another post, but I assure you, it was an amazing
experience, especially, food.
Early
in the morning we left the ship and here we are in Stockholm.
My
personal favorite sightseeing spots are Old
Town,
The
Royal Palace,
Skansen
Open Air Museum
( will
be especially interesting for kids, since they have wild and domestic
animals here), The
City Hall
( There they usually organize the prestigious annual Nobel Banquets,
there also were filmed scenes of the detective drama called Nobel’s
Last Will/Nobels
testamente),
Vasa
Museum
(though it’s kind of one-ship-museum, so don’t expect anything
grand) and its roundabouts and marina.
A
few of my favorite shots of the city:
What
I like in Scandinavian countries is that you can find anything for
everyone and even kids won’t be bored, because
there are special museums and places for kids, and adults can enjoy
the beautiful architecture of old Europe. But bring sweaters, coats
and umbrellas.
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