Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Day 7 – 8/27 – Stockholm, Sweden

Stockholm is the Baltic’s largest port with a population of 1.65 million.  It occupies 14 islands which are connected by over 50  bridges and is often called the  “Venice of the North.” Stockholm’s harbor opens into an archipelago of 24,000 islands and islets.  There are some 50,000 summer homes and chalets that are reached by some of the 250,000 private boats in the City and its suburbs.  It takes a cruise ship approximately 3 hours to make a journey through these islands and affords a visual feast of ever-changing scenery.

I was awake with camera in hand as the sun came up – a beautiful morning of about 60 degrees.  Entering the archipelago has got to be one of the most beautiful sights rivaled only, in our opinion, by the inside passage of Alaska.

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Our group of Bill and Liz and Carl and Ginny decided to hop on the HOHO boats this morning.  We traveled by water to the Vasa Museum.  The Vasa set sail on her maiden voyage in 1628 and sank in the Stockholm harbour.  The wreck was salvaged in 1961 after 333 years under the sea. 

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After a long walk in the city of Stockholm, we returned to the HOHO boat for a trip back to the Jewel of the Seas.

Tomorrow:  Helsinki, Finland

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