Sweden

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The overnight ferry from Finland to Sweden was suppose to be a party boat. Well at night I had three options to choose from. The first was karaoke, but it was full of high school kids, and since I didn't have my permission slip signed I decided to leave. The next place was a sports bar, Russia vs Czech Rep. I don't like hockey so I left that place and found my home at the casino with idiots who hit 17 when the dealer is showing a 6, no joke, thankfully the dealer didn't allow him to do it. Some people. The rules are slightly different in that if you push you lose your money. I was not a big fan of that, but I walked away from the table up enough money to cover my expenses for the ferry.

When I made it into Stockholm, it took me about an hour to find my hostel. I don't know why I am continually surprised about the length of time it takes me to get to my hostel, but every day its awful. Thankfully this time it was more because it was far from the docks rather than me getting lost. I went out an saw the city and after about six hours I decided to go to the Vasa Museum. Its a boat that sunk on its first voyage and was preserved in the mud for a couple hundred years and then they pulled it out of the harbor and built a Museum around it so that the boat is actually inside. I get there at 4:30 and it closes at 5. The lady at the counter was surprised that I even wanted to still go in since there is no way I would be able to see it all and she suggest that I come back tomorrow. I briefly considered it, but it was a far walk so decided that there is no way I was coming back to this part of the city tomorrow and I purchased my ticket. What I really should have done was put my camera around the corner and taken a couple of pictures and walked away without paying. Unfortunately I wasn't thinking and I went inside to be amazed at the engineering failure. After about 20min I couldn't fake being interested any more and walked out. I really wanted to go to the lady at the counter and say I had seen it all, but decided that it wasn't worth it. When I got back to the hostel I started talking with people about what they did in the city since I had another full day ahead of me and I didn't want to be tricked into any more crappy museums. Well everyone in this hostel had gone to the Vasa Museum and loved it. Honestly I had to pick my jaw up from the ground. I decided not to voice my opinion of the place and just disregard any future locations they told me I had to go to and see. The city was ok really, I wouldn't go there just for Stockholm. I wanted to see the midnight sun or Lake Malaren, but the weather went from bright and sunny to raining and miserable.

On the ferry ride back to Helsinki it was still rather uneventful. I sat in my same seat at the casino from the first time. The dealer remembered me. I'm not sure if thats a good thing or not. But I walked away a winner again despite the other people at the table who I think were trying to make us all lose money. One guy was down 600 Euro and was saying how he was here just to have fun and that no one wins a gambling. Well I don't call losing 600 Euro fun, and I never walk in thinking I'm going to lose thats for sure.

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