STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN DAY 1

Hello my dear readers, hope you had a good week.  Sydney weather has gone very nasty, it has been raining non-stop for the last three weeks and apparently there is more rain to come.

It is what it is and we just have to deal with it, right?  And what I've been doing for the last month - is trying to finish my Scandinavian adventure story.

So here we go.  Yesterday we ended our tour of Tallinn and boarded a ferry that would take us across the Gulf of Finland to Stockholm, the Swedish capital.  We had a lovely window cabin that was big enough to accommodate a double bed, a small table and a separate shower/toilet.  Once we stowed away our luggage, we went to the deck to watch Tallinn's skyline receding into the distance and then went down to one of the comfortable lounges to have a drink.  

Champagne sounded like a appropriate option but as my husband reached into this pocket to pay for our drinks, he realised that he had left his wallet in the cabin and asked if he could use mine.  I happily obliged, we finish our drinks, listened to the band for a while and then went back to our cabin to change for dinner.  It was at that moment that my husband discovered that he had lost his wallet 🗮.

If you read my previous post about our time in Tallinn, you might recall that when we just boarded a ferry to sail to Tallinn from Helsinki, he discovered that he had left his phone behind.  If you would like to read more about it, please follow this link.

It was rather too much for me to deal with because now not only we were waiting to hear from the courier company that I booked for the job of picking up his phone in Helsinki and delivering it to Stockholm, now I have to get on my phone to cancel all his credit cards.  I was so annoyed, I just handed him my phone to let him deal with it.

Few hours later, we went down to the restaurant for a smorgasbord style dinner.  It is a traditional Scandinavian buffet-style meal featuring a wide variety of hot and cold dishes. We have already experienced this style during our stay in Helsinki  and were looking forward to have it again.  And as before, it didn't disappoint.  Everything was fresh and taste delicious.  The flavours and the produce were different to what we are used to in Australia, naturally, but that is what travelling is all about, discovering the new things that you have never eaten or seen before.

After a while, we retired to our cabin and we woke up and went for breakfast, we were on approach.  Stockholm is surrounded by an archipelago of over 30,000 island and islets and we were watching from the deck how our ship was weaving though them on its way to the main port.

After disembarking, we made our own way to our Elite Hotel Adlon.  Once we dropped off our bags, we went outside to explore Sweden's chic capital.

We went for a stroll down Drottninggatan Street, of of Stockholm's most famous and one of the longest pedestrian thoroughfares offering charming shops, bustling cafes and mix of global retail chains.  It spans 1.5 kilometers and you need days to walk it up and down and see everything that it has to offer.  

A few times we abandoned our stroll along Drottinggatan Street by turning occasionally right or left thus exploring the surrounding streets.

Stockholm spans 14 islands all connected via waterways or canals which you can cross one of the many bridges that connect the islands.

In between our explorations, we stopped at one of the cafes to indulge in the Swedish tradition of "fika".  This term refers to the daily practice of taking a break to enjoy a hot drink and a sweet or savoury treat with friends and family.

Afterwards we took our time to walk back to our hotel to refresh ourselves and get ready to meet our tour guide and group for a welcome drink.  The tour guide's name was Zdenka, she was lovely, warm and professional.  Although the standard number of participants was meant to be sixteen, there were only 9 of us.  All from the US, except us Aussies and to our delight, all with the similar backgrounds and views on life.  We shared a couple of drinks that helped to melt the ice and break the awkwardness that is normal among strangers.

Before we went to bed, I checked the status of our package (my husband's phone that he left behind in Helsinki's hotel).  To my great concern, it was still in transit.  

Who knew what tomorrow would bring.  The anticipation was killing us but all we could do was just try to get some rest and hope for the best.

TALLINN IN 2 DAYS

Greetings, my dear readers.  Trust you are well.

Today we are in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, one of the Baltic republics of the former USSR.  We arrived in the early afternoon by catching a ferry from Helsinki.  

If you just joined us or just missed my previous posts about this Scandinavian Adventure, here is the link.

The ferry ride was very pleasant.  The boat that belongs to Tallink Silja Line flotilla was extremely comfortable, clean and very spacious.  It was divided into multiple sitting and entertaining areas with big comfortable chairs, tables, docks for your phones and laptops.  There was plenty room for everyone so you don't feel claustrophobic or squashed.  As we settled in into big comfortable chairs, my husband reached into his pocket to get his mobile phone to charge when he realised that he left behind it the hotel😰 and so it was left for me to bring it back.

For the next few hours, while other passengers were having a good time, enjoying their food, drinks and  a view of the coast sailing by, I was on the phone with hotel's reception.  I explained to them what had happened and asked them if they could go to our room and find it and I would call them back in 30 minutes.  When I called them back, they said that couldn't find it.  Turned out, he left it in the bathroom.  After another 30 agonising minutes I called again and this time they had it.  I then asked them to arrange a courier and send it to our next destination, ie Tallinn where we were going to stay for two days.  Unfortunately, the hotel does not deal with the couriers and it was up to me to arrange the pick up and the delivery with the courier company.  

By that time, we crossed the Gulf of Finland and were docking in Tallinn's harbour.  Once we disembarked, we got a cab that took us to our hotel.  The Nordic Visitor has booked us into Radisson Collection, a comfortable and very stylish hotel near Tallinn's charming Old Town.

HIGHLIGHTS OF SCANDINAVIA TOUR - HELSINKI, DAY 2

Hello my dear readers.  Hope you are well.

Apologies for breaking the flow of my Scandinavian adventure narrative but sometimes unexpected things take the priority and you have to put everything else on hold and deal with them.  That's life, I guess.

Anyway, back to my story 🙂. If for any reason you would like to go back to Day 1, you can catch it up here.

On the morning of our Day 2 we woke up feeling refreshed and eager to see more of this lovely city.  

The room that was booked for us by our tour provider, Nordic Visitor ,was very pleasant, we had a lovely view over the Bay of Finland, the bed was big and comfortable and the amenities were all top notch.  But first things first - the breakfast.  It was served in a buffet style or smorgasbord as they call it in this neck of the woods.

I am fairly familiar with some of Finnish dishes and the principals of smorgasbord due to the fact that Russia, or USSR as we used to call it back when I was living there, shares a border with Finland and over the years has been engaged in various war conflicts thus having a long history of war and peace between them.   

In my view, the most notable similarity between Russian and Finnish cousins would be the use of methods of food preservation of summer seasonal fresh produce that you can eat during the cold winter months.

HIGHLIGHTS OF SCANDINAVIA TOUR - HELSINKI DAY 1

Hello again, my dear readers.

If you are following my posts, you might recall that after spending a week in London, we said goodbye to this amazing city to finally embark on our Highlights of Scandinavia and Baltic Cruise tour with Finland being the first stop on our itinerary.

Not going into too much detail, I would just like to remind you that the tour operator was Nordic Visitor and if you would like to read more about it, you could find it here.

LONDON DAY 4, A VISIT TO ST PAUL'S CATHEDRAL AND A NIGHT AT BBS PROMS

Hello again, my dear readers.  Hope you are all well.

It is our fourth day in London and we are on the road again.  Our day started with the trip to St Paul's Cathedral.  Although it is our third trip to the UK capital, we have never been inside and only saw it from the top of a Hop-On Hop-Off bus😄.  It was the high time to see it as I don't think we will be coming back in a hurry.

St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral and the seat of the Bishop of London.   The Cathedral serves as the mother church of England of the Dioses of London in the Church of England.  It is one of the most recognisable sights of London and its world-famous dome is an iconic feature that has dominated the London skyline for the last 300 years. This present structure with its dome designed in English Baroque by Sir Christopher Wren, who spent 35 years working on the project, and when completed in 1710, was the tallest building in London until for 250 years till 1963.

There is no free admittance except for those who are The Friends of St Paul's Cathedral and infants from 0 to 5 years old.  However, they offer various discounts for different categories of visitors including for those who are over 65 which we both are.  Luckily for us, our Australian drivers licences were sufficient to prove our age and grant us a discount  for the tickets, so there is a plus side to old age after all 😉.

The moment we stepped inside, we were taken by the magnitude of the structure and the artistic and engineering genius of its architect.  

It took us a good couple of hours to walk around, slowly and carefully exploring the rich decor of the cathedral's interiors: its very tall coloured glass windows, richly decorated domes and the main altar, beautifully painted frescos depicting various biblical scenes, the tall columns supporting the main dome and the porticos all around the cathedral. 

There are over 500 monuments, with notable statues and sculptures honouring national figures such as Admiral Nelson, Florence Nightingale and other military and naval leaders.  It would probably taken us a few more hours in an attempt to see them all. 

Feeling tired and slightly overwhelmed, we left the cathedral and took a walk around the neighbourhood.  After a short 5 minutes walk we found ourselves on Paternoster Square and its iconic over 23 meters tall column topped with the golden flaming urn.  What caught me by surprise were the rows of pink canvas deck chairs placed in the centre of the square that were occupied by people enjoying the warm weather, having their lunches or just relaxing and watching the world go by. 

And just few meters away there were a bunch of men dressed in their corporate uniforms minus the jackets playing table tennis on their lunch break.  What a marvelous idea of the use of the public places for everyone to enjoy.

But that was not all.  At the other side of the square I saw a big bronze installation and walked towards it to have a closer look.  The moment I saw a dog and a rabbit, I knew immediately who the artists were.  Their names are Gilli and Mark and believe it or not, they live in Sydney and their kids went to the same school and the same time as my younger daughter Georgia.  Six degrees of separation, indeed.

These sculptures feature endangered animals alongside artist's signature hybrid characters, Rabbitwoman and Dogman.  Visitors are encouraged to interact with the sculptures which I did.  It was time for us to go back to our hotel to get some rest before dressing up and going out to Royal Albert Hall for BBC Proms.

The first time I attended the BBC Proms was on my first trip to Europe and the UK on our honeymoon and I enjoyed it immensely.  So when we planned our 2025 trip to London and Scandinavia we checked the Proms 2025 program and discovered that Beethoven's 9th Symphony would be performed at Royal Albert Hall during our London sojourn and the tickets were going on sale on Saturday 17 of May 2025 at 9am UK time which was around 7 pm Australian Time.  At 7 pm sharp I logged into the Tickets Sale site and immediately received a message that were 16,980 in the queue and there was nothing we could do but sit and watch how the numbers were going down.  Two hours later our position was 2295 with the estimated wait of 14 minutes.  After 30 minutes of watching the final countdown, we became the proud owners of two tickets for a night at the Proms.  Job well done!!!

We had an absolutely marvelous evening.  I can listen to Beethoven's 9th every day and never get tired of it.  And who doesn't love the most famous piece "Ode to Joy"?

Our London sojourn ended on such a high note, we couldn't wish for a better way to celebrate our last night in London.  And now it was time to same goodbye to this glorious city and embark on our Scandinavian adventure. 

If you missed any of the previous posts and would like to catch up, you can do it here:

London, Day 1, arrival

London Day 2, morning - Visiting Wallace Collection

London Day 2, evening - Dinner at Sketch

London Day 3, trip to Windsor Castle and night at the theatre

Until then,

Anna

xoxoxo

 

LONDON DAY 3, A MORNING TRIP TO WINDSOR CASTLE AND A NIGHT AT THE THEATRE

 Hello again my dear readers,

I am picking up the pace, trying my best to avoid long gaps between the postings of the narrative of our trip so you will not lose the plot😜.

For our third day in London we planned a visit to Windsor Castle in the morning and in the evening going to the theatre to see The Mousetrap.

The easiest way to get to Windsor Castle is to take a train.  As I mentioned earlier, our hotel in Aldgate was just two minutes away from the train station which was extremely convenient.  We alighted at Waterloo Station to change for the GWR train that took us directly to Windsor and Eaton riverside.  From there, it was just a 10 minutes walk to the gates of the castle.

Windsor Castle is one of the oldest and largest occupied castles in the world.  It was founded in the 11th century by William the Conqueror and has been a home for 40 monarchs ever since.

It's architecture is based on a medieval structure with Gothic features reinvented in the modern style.  As you walk towards it, you become aware of how big and imposing this castle is.  

There are a few rooms that are open to the public such as the State Apartments, Ceremonial and  Historic Rooms, Queen Mary's Dolls House, you can explore the Precincts or watch the Changing of the Guards.

Unfortunately the photography is not permitted inside the castle so I can't share with you any images but I can assure you that the interiors of the castle look as grand as its exterior.  You wouldn't expect anything less of the royal residence, naturally.

When it comes to food and drinks, there are a few small outdoor cafes where you can get coffee and sandwiches but if you really want to enhance your experience, have your lunch in the Undercroft Cafe at Windsor Castle.

Situated underneath St George's Hall, it dates back to 14th century and has a medieval interior that reflects the architecture style of the castle.  The cafe serves delicious set meals comprised of a hot soup, a main course and a delicious pud at a very reasonable price which for us, Australians, was an icing on the cake considering the weakness of our $ against the British £.

After lunch we took a walk around the grounds and then made our way to the train station to get back to the hotel to refresh ourselves for the evening.  I know that it sounds like a cliché but we were going to see the play, The Mousetrap.  You know the saying "When in Rome, do as the Romans do"?  Well, I have my own spin on it and whenever we are in a foreign city, I would always say "When in such and such, do as the tourists do" and so we did.

The play has an interesting history.  It was written by the master of mystery, Agatha Christie.  The play has a twisted ending which the audience are traditionally asked not to reveal after leaving the theatre.  It is not only the longest-running West End show but it also has by far the longest run of any play in the world reaching its 30,000 performances on the 19 of March 2025.  Christie herself didn't expect Mousetrap to run for such a long time.  When her impresario was going to give it fourteen months, she contradicted him giving the play only eight months.

The play was performed at Theatre Royal in Nottingham in October 1952 but moved to St Martin's Theatre in 1975 where it has been performed ever since.  

It might not be the most thrilling, nail-biting plot as I expected it to be but we thoroughly enjoy our evening.  When the show ended,  we stopped at the box office to get one of the theatre attendants to stamp our playbill showing that we had just watched performance number 30,197!!!

After the leaving the theater, we stopped at a local pub for a night cap and then took the train back to the hotel.  Day 3 was done and dusted.  

Have you seen this play and what is your opinion about it?  Please share your thoughts in the section below.  

Until then,

Anna

xoxox

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