Wednesday, 21 May 2014

15th May - Stockholm


So Colin and I have a bit of a confusion about the time as we think it is 5.30am but when I went up on deck the clocks around the ship are saying 4.30am??  So we check the daily Compass which is a 4 page booklet which tells you when all the different activities are on, opening hours of the services and shops, need to know information, sunrise, sunset, weather forecast for the next day etc etc but the previous nights there was a section to tell us to put our clocks forward and back but not last nights one???   Mmmmm we are not sure what the time is now but boy we are so glad we got the time wrong as we would have missed this sensational show if we got up an hour later, enjoy the next few photos as no need for commentary from me at all just nature at its best……..

 

 

 
 
 
 

 


 
 
 



 
 
Colin’s turn now up for his walk!









 
Colin says this is his house he would like to own!!!!  In your dreams matey as you don’t even have a job!!!!


 

 I had to download the photos as soon as Colin came back from his walk as he was really excited about this photo as the sun has made the lamp look like it is on, well done Colly you have been doing a good job with the photographs.


 

In our guide to Sweden we read the journey that we are photographing takes approximately 3 hours to go through an Archipelago of 24,000 islands and islets with over 50,000 summer homes and chalets that are reached by some of the 250,000 private boats registered in the city and suburbs.  AMAZINGINLGY beautiful!!!

 
Because we have spent quite a bit of time photographing the amazing sites around us and Amy is still sleepy in the room after all her dancing last night!! Amy and I have breakfast in the room and Colin goes upstairs to the restaurant for his breakfast

 
Aye Aye Captain!  We disembarked from the ship just after 7.30am

 
View from the port


Yeehah now to get through Passport Control again!!

 

Amy on front seat for the Hop On Hop Off tour as we are about a 20-30minute walk from the port into main city


The same guy who designed Paris designed Stockholm this road reminds me of the Champs Elysee

 
These buildings have no relevance I don’t think they just looked nice!
  

 
The fountain at Karlaplan Park roundabout

 
A tree lined Avenue

 
One of the main streets

 

Beautiful building on the corner of this street

 
One of the shopping streets

 
It is 9am and we are in the middle of Stockholm!!

 
Amy knows all the flags on this building, no prizes to be won today though ha ha!!

 
Beautiful buildings in the distance a bit of culture and then you see McDonald’s on the left!!

 
Our first glance of the river just near the Old Town!

 
Looking across the river to the Palace

 
Looking across the river to the small island which holds the Parliament House

 
Another bridge to go across to the Old Town

 

Wow the current looks really strong under the bridge we are going to take to get to the Old Town

 
The Opera House just as we get off the bus to go for a wander

 
Looking across the river and bridge watching the men fish on the strong current.  Amy got up early and had a shower for me to put her hair into plaits for her hair to go curly for formal night tonight!

 
Statue of someone!!

 
View from the bridge just beside the guys fishing, they haven’t caught anything yet!  But will they with the current being so strong?!

 
Looking the other way across the bridge, the overground train in the distance

 
Oh yeah they must be local and know that they can get fish from this river with the strong current I am surprised!

Here is one that didn’t get away!!
 
 
One of the canals

 
Why would you graffiti ‘I don’t regret a thing’ on a lightpost?!

 
Waterfall on the side of the palace showing that the Palace was built 1754 on the grounds of the castle which burnt down in 1697

 
We were surrounded by it felt like a bus load of Japanese so thought we would capture the moment and get a photograph of the three of us in front of the palace, next to the guard on left but she cut off the guard!

 
Amy with the guard behind her!

 
Across the river is National Museum and a beautiful building and setting

 
One of the many streets through the Old Town

 
The other side of the Palace.  The Palace is one of the largest in Europe with 608 rooms and is official residence of HM the King.  The Palace is a combination of residence and royal workplace. I’m not sure what the front is but there are guards at each entrance.  This dude is pacing!!
 

 
He’s back on his perch I obviously don’t look that conspicuous as he has his eyes on something else!!
 

 
The Cathedral where all the Royal baptisms, coronations and weddings take place built in the 1700’s right next to the Palace
 
So we wondered what this painted dome was it looked similar to where the guard’s normally stand so I was looking around it and then realised that it was the men’s toilet!!

 
Colin in the stinky hole for a men’s toilet, ewh!

The square in the Old Town
 

 
The Museum which holds the history of Nobel Prize winners

 
Pretty buildings around the square!
 
Cute little side streets off the square

 
One of the shopping quant side streets

 
The old town is on an island in the middle of Stockholm so never far away from water
 
Wouldn’t fancy driving down this street

 
Statue of King Gustaf III

 
One of the parks in the city with a statue of not sure?!

 
Through the street to Riddarholms Church with its open-work metal spire, beautiful founded in the 13th century.  First time we have seen a windscreen wiper on the top deck of a hop on hop off tour bus, woops managed to capture that in the photo too!!
 
 
The Riddarholms Church

 
Temperature showing 12 degrees C, jackets on but atleast the sun is shining!

 
Drink anyone think we are in the right place!!
 
Across the river to Tivola Grona Lund with the amusement park

 
A view across the city I was surprised at the amount of black roofs on the skyline

 
Beautiful architecture around this city that is for sure

 
Across the river a giraffe oh no it’s not it is a crane I’m not sure blending into the background is the right phrase but certainly less ugly than a plain old crane!!

 
View across the river

 
Yet another non-specific building but it is really nice

 
Here they are trying to preserve their land as you can see the buildings on this road are tilting and subsiding like Venice with them being built on marsh ground!  The houses were certainly sitting on an angle!!
 
The Opera House from the bridge

 
At this point Amy and I’s headphones were not working so not sure who this is either must have been some dude in his prime!

 
Across the traffic is City Hall

 
City Hall is where the Nobel Prize banquet is held in December each year built in 1923 with 8 million bricks
 
Tulips in the middle of the carriageway, beautiful colours

 
Woop woop one of the things I have been soooo looking forward is the Ice Bar just to experience it!!  Amy is getting excited too :O)))

 
So you pay to get in about £45ish, eeek but that is the hire of the warm gear and a drink when you get in!!  Think we will be over budget today!!!  Expensive but we’ve just got to experience it!  Amy is looking cute in her little shawl and gloves, exciting!! 

 
So the guy is telling us that we will go through several doors to get into the bar and then it will be minus 7 degrees in the bar, brrrrr at that point Amy started to become unsure about going in.   AAARRRGGGHHH we have just paid a silly amount of money and Amy’s not sure!!!!!!!

 
So as soon as we walk in Amy decides she doesn’t like it and wants to leave!!  But we have had to come through a couple of dark hallways, the music is loud and inside is pretty dark too so I suppose the tooty doesn’t like the dark and doesn’t like things loud and doesn’t like feeling cold so all in all we ask her why she was excited about coming to the Ice Bar and she said she felt it was going to be like living in the Isle of Man like that cold!!!!  Eh no LLLLLLL

 
So here are our drinks in an ice cube glass, WOW what an experience just a real shame that Amy isn’t enjoying it with us!!
 
 
Here is Colly with his drink and his shawl and gloves on!

 
The barman took a photo of all 3 of us!!  Amy still looks like she’s not enjoying it, poor thing!

The three drinks on the ice table!!  So everything is made of ice, the sculptures, seats and tables!!
 
Me in my outfit!

 
Mmmmm my cocktail or should I say my VERY expensive cocktail!!!

 
Poor Amy she just wants to go, so the drink is thrown down us and then a few photos and OUT!!!

 
The photoframe
 
 


 
Standing at the bar, oh yeah made of ice
 
Yippee no smile yet from Amy but we are out of the ice bar just let her smile thaw out and then we are back being happy again!!
 
 
One of the shopping streets heading towards Hard Rock Café next!!

 
 Lunch stop first pretty gardens next to the University

 

 
It is ‘wear your wellie day’ or we think that is what the sign says so there are lots of kiddies around playing different games, singing and dancing, cute with the line of wellies on the wall!

 
Public Library, nice building

 
Yeah we have made it to Hard Rock Stockholm
 
Amy has had her eye on a t-shirt but they have never had her size in Barcelona, Berlin and Copenhagen but eventually we have found her size, yippee a smile on her face :o))))))
 
 
The pair of them are at it now looking for funny words!!!!
 
 
We have jumped back on the bus to head back to the cruise ship as we have seen everything we want to see

 
Very pretty above the trees are all the spires of the houses along this road

 
Beautiful building think it was a museum maybe but not sure as Amy and I’s headphones weren’t working!!


 
Weird looking thing!!
 

 
Pretty roundabout

 
Bridge across to the Vasa Museum and this must be some of the boats that go to the islands around Stockholm
 
 
 
Vasa Museum where the home of the Flagship Wasa the ship that sunk after 20 minutes on its maiden voyage in 1628.  It was raised and restored in the 1960’s we didn’t go in but other people said it was cool to see!

 
ABBA Museum but we didn’t go in

 
Here we are back at the port and that is a real random sculpture or piece of art!!
 
Stockholm port where we berthed

 
Not the prettiest of ports but it was the city we came to see not  the ports!

 
Beautiful blue skies another ship coming into the port

 
What a weird looking boat carrying some cars across the water!
 
Just leaving Stockholm and going to be heading back along the islands and islets that we saw this morning!

 
It is formal night for the last time on the cruise and it is Family Bingo on at kid’s club so we all head up in our nice outfits!  LouLou is taking the Bingo who is going to win!!  Back to the bargain dress again!
 
Yippee we were all winners!  Amy won a watch, Daddy won a water bottle and I won a keyring clip!

 
And the funny pose!!
 
 
Here we are for dinner and watching the beautiful scenery go by it is better than watching the TV as the scenery is forever changing as we are going through the 3 hour cruise through the islands and islets
 
 

 
Here is Iputu who has made a beautiful rose for Amy tonight with a paper napkin

 
Amy’s rose xx

 
Arvind delivering Amy’s cookies

 
Ganess and Eva who are serving us this week in the Romeo and Juliet dining room!!

 
Here are all the kitchen crew coming out dancing and showing us their moves!

 
Aaahhh a swan with Amy’s shades on!!

 
We then went to see the show which was Motown Soul City, we all loved it and the show was amazing!

 
We didn’t notice the bat too in our room

 
Sweden sticker tick
Day at sea tomorrow for packing and then ready for our next part of our adventure heading to Moscow!!!!  Can’t wait to see the sights around Moscow!!! JJJJJJJJ

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