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Published: June 29th 2017
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Geo: 59.3327, 18.0645
Stockholm is absolutely huge. As the last port of call on our second cruise, it seemed by far the largest. We watched on deck as Vision of the Seas pulled into port at around 10am. We had one night left aboard the ship, before departing here tomorrow. Whispers had told of a hefty walk to the city, so with three nights of extra accommodation in Stockholm up our sleeve, we elected to use today as a casual scouting mission. To walk the city, and get a feel for our surroundings and the public transport system.
Walking from the port, we followed the hordes of tourists towards the city. It was some distance, over an hour to the city. We walked along the canals. Passing the Nordiska Museet, we walked along the Strandvagen by the water towards the city centre.
We were overwhelmed and amazed by the enormity of the city. Size wise, it feels as big and busy as London. The streets are wide, there are malls and layers of shops everywhere, and mass crowds of people. Strangely, it actually reminded me of Melbourne more than any other European city; the streets are wide and resemble a similar grid, there
are trams, little lounges, bars and cafes aplenty, the buildings are similar, ornate but not particularly different, the city is relatively clean and leafy/green, the lifestyle seems similar along with public transport which has a similar format to Melbourne. The price of living is similarly expensive, with slight Scandinavian weighting here.
We spent ages trying to find the tourist information centre marked on the map. Turned out you had to go underground and it was actually inside a mall. We gathered information here to determine whether purchasing a Stockholm Card would be worthwhile.
We headed north towards the suburb we would stay in for the next couple of days. We had a cheap lunch on the way, a sausage from a street stand. Eventually we found our hotel and got advice on the best way to get there from the port, tomorrow.
Then, eastbound, a walk through the suburbs back in the direction of the port. We walked by homes, cafes, fields and parks. The most impressive place we passed was the Stadium, built in 1912 for the Olympics. It looked medieval, and had a unique design and style.
We got back to the boat eventually in the late afternoon. Still battling sickness we
spent much of the next few hours in the room, packing our bags. The last dinner on the boat was the best of all we had enjoyed on board. We even opted to purchase a nice photo of us taken the previous night at our formal dinner.
With that, our second cruise came to a close. Overall, we agreed cruising is a very cheap way to travel. For less than 100$ per person per night, you get comfy accommodation, three good meals, all transportation and entertainment. Especially in expensive Scandinavian countries, its a great way to go. Also a great way to meet people, though not as much this cruise as the first. Whilst its true the majority of passengers are pensioners, or annoying, generally you are paired up with those your own age for dinners and activities. We would definitely look into doing future cruises, as there are cheap and safe ways to do many places.
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Dad
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Keep up the fascinating articles and photos. Ihave been following your adventures and agree that cruising is the way to go but there are many who go on the strenuous trips and winge, so just do your thing and enjoy. Whenever you went with u
s its go go go so you have the same traits. We saw a backpack that in Townsville the other day which should suit you nicely