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After a few days in Stockholm, we were off in the direction of Finland and Russia. The plan was to sail the Viking Line to Helsinki, see around there for a day or so, and then take a train eastwards to St. Petersburg. But before any of that we’d have the remarkable experience of an overnight voyage across the Gulf of Bothnia, the Baltic Sea and through the land of the midnight sun.
Outside Stockholm sits the rousing Palace of Drottningholm – the official residence of the Swedish Royal family. The grounds are expansive, and contain many beautiful gardens, but it’s also possible to see sections of the interior (particularly useful if it’s pouring down with rain as it was when we visited). The overall complex is a UN World Heritage site and well worthy of a visit.
We walk out from our suburban hotel. It’s hot and sunny. I quickly discover that footpaths in Sweden are also cycle lanes and are hence rather dangerous if you aren’t paying attention. We pass strange looking flats and neighbourhoods that appear almost shabby, if not distinctly nordic in style. The residents are all smartly dressed and have expensive cars parked out front.
My journey to Scandinavia takes an abstract form. Due to Lufthansa’s odd route network, we must connect through both Frankfurt and Munich, before jetting onwards to Stockholm. It’s a full day travelling, and I could have flown to Asia in the equivalent time, but I’ve never been one to complain about the gift of flight, especially when it’s taking me somewhere I haven’t been before.
