Cruise day: 153/163
Ports days: 82
Sea days: 71
Countries: 28
Continents: 5
Ports: 61Stockholm day #2. This is disembarkation day for the Viking Homelands cruise and embarkation day for the Scenic Scandinavia cruise. That means that the 600ish passengers on the Viking Homelands cruise got off this morning and the 400ish passengers on the Scenic Scandinavia cruise got on. Except us. We're still here. We're not alone as some of the others on Viking Homelands that also contracted (or brought aboard) COVID and were quarantined have also extended. But as far as the World Cruisers go, we are the last World Cruisers standing.
Not just that - we've outlasted every single bridge and hospitality officer on the ship! We've gone through four Captains, three Chief Engineers, three General Managers, three Guest Services Managers, two Financial Officers, two Shore Excursion Managers, two Beverage Managers, two Restaurant managers, two Executive Housekeepers, three Executive Chefs, four Cruise Directors, and two Cruise Consultants. There are a bunch of other bridge officers that have come and gone as well. But we're still here. We are lobbying to get name tags and titles. 😆
As I mentioned, this is the start of Scenic Scandinavia. Here is the itinerary:
05/25/2021 Stockholm, Sweden
05/26/2021 Stockholm, Sweden
05/27/2021 Mariehamn, Åland
05/28/2021 At Sea
05/29/2021 Gdansk, Poland
05/30/2021 Karlskrona, Sweden
05/31/2021 Bornholm (Rønne), Denmark
06/01/2021 Berlin, Germany
06/02/2021 Århus, Denmark
06/03/2021 Copenhagen, Denmark
06/04/2021 Copenhagen, Denmark
These ports are almost all repeats from Viking Homelands except the two highlighted in red - those will be new ports for us. The nice part is that except for Aalborg, Denmark, and Oslo, Norway, Arlona will get to visit all the ports she missed while isolated. We're pretty excited about that.
Today, we had a free day in Stockholm. Since we also have tomorrow in Stockholm, we used the service I mentioned the other day, GetYourGuide, to purchase a Stockholm City pass for two days. It includes access to a ton of museums and boat tours as well as a hop-on / hop-off bus.
Today, we picked up the shuttle bus to the Opera House and walked to the departure point for the Under the Bridges of Stockholm boat tour. We enjoyed the two-hour tour around several of the islands as well as transiting the lock twice between the freshwater Lake Mälaren and the salty Baltic Sea. The lock manages the roughly 2.25-foot difference in elevation between the two bodies of water.
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| This is the type of ship we boarded - it is designed to sit low to fit under the bridges |
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| Unfortunately, there was no way to avoid some of the reflections in the window glass |
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| The Nordic Museum |
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| Kastellet - if the Swedish flag is flying, it means that Sweden is at peace - it has been flying continuously for more than 200 years |
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| Our Viking Star, looking lovely in Stockholm |
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| The wooden barriers of the lock |
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| Town Hall |
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| Interesting design - multiple smaller buildings are essentially joined together by a common stairway in the center |
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| A windmill just peeking through the trees |
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| Danviken Hospital - a historical Swedish hospital, insane asylum, and retirement home that was active from 1558 to 1861 |
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| We once again saw a ton of swans |
After our two-hour boat ride, we walked the 2km to the Vasa Museum.
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| This and the next photo show two of the four gods that guard the bridge near the Vasa and Nordic Museums |
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| The Blue Gate entrance to the Royal Gardens - across the street from the Nordic Museum and the Vasa Museum |
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| The Nordic Museum |
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| That's where we are - right by the Nordic and Vasa museums |
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| Vasa Museum |
Vasa was the ship to end all ships. With 64 cannons, and measuring 172 feet high with a width of only 38 feet, she was simply designed badly. The first good gust of wind she faced caused her to list and take in water through the canon door, sinking her minutes into her first voyage. Built between 1626 and 1628 Vasa sank after sailing roughly 1,300 meters or about 4,200 feet into her maiden voyage on August 10, 1628. She sank in about 105 feet of water and remained there for 333 years. Today, she resides in a dedicated museum. She is about 98% original - the only such preserved warship in the world, according to the movie at the museum.
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| The detailing and ornate baubles on the ship's exterior were amazing |
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| Even the cannon doors were bedazzled |
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| Recreations of what some of the embellishments would have looked like |
These next three photos are of a model that recreates what the Vasa would have looked like if she had ever sailed. Vasa was designed to create fear in anyone that opposed her.
After our time in the Vasa Museum, we grabbed the Hop-on / hop-off bus and headed for the Ice Bar.
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| The audio guide on the bus said that this blue building is where the Nobel Prizes are awarded |
The Ice Bar is the world's only full-time ice bar where the tables, seating, lighting, and glasses are made from ice. Lighting fixtures are inserted into the ice for lighting ambiance. The temperature is maintained at a constant 19.4F or -5C. At least that is what the door says. I'm no meteorologist, but -5C is 23F. Just sayin'.
They outfit you with gloves and a lined parka to help insulate you from the frigid temperature inside the bar. They helped. A bit. Looks like I picked a bad day to wear shorts.
All the furnishings are made from ice. The tables, chairs, glasses, lighting, decorations - everything is ice.
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| Behind the bar, you can see the stacks of ice glasses that are used to hold the concoctions |
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| The bottom line is that it is a gimmick to get you to pay $45 for two really small drinks - it didn't matter - we loved it! |
We walked down the pedestrian esplanade to the Opera House to catch the shuttle bus back to the ship.
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| The shopping area was quite vibrant with tons of folks out walking |
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| All of the pedestrian walkways have these cement lions to prevent vehicular traffic |
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| Sergel's Square |
As we waited for the bus, we enjoyed watching some of the locals.
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| Female goldeneye |
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| Male goldeneye |
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| Eurasian oystercatcher |
After a nice dinner in the World Cafe, we headed to the room. It was a big day for Arlona as she still tires easily. We're taking it easy and let her fully recover. Still, it was a terrific day with terrific weather in the 60s with plenty of sun.
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| As the sun set behind the ship and behind the city skyline to the left, we were treated to beautifully lit clouds behind Gröna Lund, an amusement park across the water from our ship |
Tomorrow is day #3 in Stockholm. So far, we're both pretty impressed with the city.
Oh I am soooo happy that you got to the Vasa museum. That was a highlight of our Viking Homelands cruise a few years ago. I thought it was interesting how they brought it up from the mud and basically built the museum around it. Good to let Arlona rest more and not get too tired. Enjoy the rest of your journey.
ReplyDeleteWe loved the Vasa (and our last name is Vasa!!). They got a kick out of that!
ReplyDeleteJust a bit of trivia. “Stockholmers” say the three crowns on the top of the Town Hall represent what was left in the treasury after the Town Hall was built. In the Golden Hall with the mosaics, if you look at the very top, it is unfinished! They ran out of room at the top!
ReplyDeleteI'm catching up on your blog and maybe you addressed this, but will you get any recompense from Viking for all the missed ports? We are future WC's and have been so impressed with Viking.
ReplyDeleteEvery situation is different, so I won't give specifics, but we are continuing on for ten additional days. Viking has been wonderful throughout and we are more than satisfied.
DeleteThe Vasa was our favorite sight in Stockholm when we lived there for 5 months in 2000. At the time, they were still continually bathing the recovered ship in a water-soluble wax, polyethylene glycol or PEG, which they did for 17 years to preserve it. Glad to see that it worked! Also delighted to know that Viking extended your cruise for 10 days. I'm not sure they'd do that for just anybody, but as World Cruisers, you'd more than paid for the privilege. Thanks for the great memories of Stockholm, my favorite city to date.
ReplyDelete