After exploring Western & Central Europe took a step further, now was keen on exploring the Swedish Archipelago. Travelled in September as well as December, both the months had their own highlights & charm, the beauty of autumn & the fairy tale feel of Christmas.
Arrival was in Stockholm being the major city, very active & happy go lucky. Again found myself in a safe place, I must say comfortable for solo travellers too. Stockholm itself had many small islands & islets which could be visited either by bus, metro or boats. The Drottningaten street was the most highlighted street which connected to the Royal Palace & its old town – GAMLA STAN. I visited Djurgarden island a tranquil island known for its Vasa Museum, Nordic Museum, ABBA Museum & more. A walk in the park on the island was way too mesmerizing with its tranquil trails. After a brief walk chose to take a short ferry ride back to Gamla Stan, Ferries departed from a dock next to its amusement park – Grona Lund. Came another day & I paid a visit to Drottningholm Palace – a private residence of the Swedish Royal family. A route I took was a beautiful boat ride on Lake Malaran. I had a desire since long to see a light house so here was my chance to see one…found a small little island in the southernmost part of the Swedish Archipelago – LANDSORT – a village with a lighthouse on the island of Oja. A journey from Stockholm to Landsort itself was a journey worth remembering. Crossing towns by train, bus & a boat, a 4 kms long island with only 27 permanent residents was worth a visit. Followed the tranquil trail walking past the red little houses, apple trees, a small little church, a post office and the sea all around. Reached the base of the lighthouse, chose a rock close by & opted to seek solitude…Now that’s what I call a sheer ME TIME. An unforgettable journey ever.
There are many short cruises from Stockholm which one can opt from like a day in Riga cruise, day in Tallin Cruise, day in Helsinki cruise & more. So I opted for a day in Helsinki cruise, very cost effective with a lot of things to experience & explore on board as well as in Helsinki. Boarded in the evening from Stockholm which took me to Helsinki next morning. It was a very comfortable stay on board with a sea view cabin, a good entertaining nightlife, good food & on-board duty-free shopping. All this kept me occupied throughout. Enroute could see a lot of small islands of the Swedish Archipelago, a mesmerizing sight it was. A view of light houses on & off was a sheer beauty.
Arrived in Helsinki a lovely Finnish City in the morning – the capital city of Finland. Finland is said to be the happiest country in the world today, felt lovely to be there. So time was to explore the city & here I started with the market square, walked ahead & visited the 2 famous cathedrals – The Helsinki Cathedral & The Uppenski Cathedral. There was a lovely Christmas Market at the base of the Helsinki Cathedral, couldn’t stop trying the local Christmas Drink – Glogi. Further visited the Rock Church – Temppeliaukion Church built into a solid rock, continuing further to visit its Sibelius Monument Park. Thought of taking a break & having its famous Cinnamon Bun & Coffee so after a small walk through the park came across a lake where I could see a small place known as Café Regatta, This was a place where I wanted to be, the taste of the cinnamon bun & coffee by the lake side was ultimate & that view of the lake was an icing on the cake.
It was time to make my way back to the cruise so started heading backwards crossing the Parliament House back at the Cathedral Square. Visited the Cathedral & took a tram back to the dock which was not very far. One can visit the neighbouring Island Soumenlina, a beautiful small 18th century sea fortress. Further one can take a half day trip to a town called Porvoo, one of the medieval towns of Finland.
A Country must visit and for the winter lovers its LAPLAND to cover.