Racing trips

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As we drew out of the archipelago from Stockholm, our ship was overtaken by a cheeky ferry from the Viking line - which had it had wheels would have been on only two of them as he shot past us. This piece of impudence was like a red rag to our bull on the bridge, our good Captain, who I swear, took up the challenge and sailed to Helsinki as if the devil were after him. The waves were slaming against the sides of the boat all night and the sound of the wind was tremendous! Over and over again I got up and checked out of the port hole to make sure that there was not a mighty storm raging but the sea was barely ruffled. Our captain leveled with the Viking as we approached Helsinki and a draw was declared. This may all be nonsense but it was certainly how it seemed.

Having docked, George and I gathered our things and made our way down to the gangway. What we did not know was that a very large number of people had been queueing for ages to get off the ship (the ship holds 1200 passengers) and it just so happened that the lift which took us down to the gangway deck happened to deliver us out to the front of the queue. There followed a wonderful Mr Bean moment where George looked about him as if he had won the lottery and stood absolutely firm until we had been allowed off the boat.

Not overly impressed with Helsinki: not on my 'must-go-back-and-take-a-better -look' list at all. A mish mash of architecture and too much unimpressive modernism in the centre. But on every holiday there has to be a 'little trip' and ours happened in Helsinki. The properties of a typical little trip, as all Stastnys know only too well, is that one sets off somewhere thinking that it will be an interesting little interlude but it turns into a nightmare journey from which there is no escape. George decided to take a circle line tramride round the city in order to see the "sights"! There weren't any and it took an hour to circumnavigate the suburbs. Back on the quayside we bought fresh salmoncakes and raspberries for our lunch and watched the boats bobbing about on the water nearby.

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