Swedish Fish..

Yesterday was a rainy day in Stockholm. It's the end of the Baltic season and temps are getting colder and rainier. Ahh sounds familiar. It's just like Alaska. Everyone's getting the Baltic blues and looking for a change of scenery. It's funny how weather determines your main mood. Paris has been consistently in the 80s and we'll be there in a week!! Tres Bon!! Despite the port of Stockholm always being a show port (meaning we usually have a show that night), I still had a lovely time there. The Baltic seems to be more about the shopping and bustling cities rather than interesting places to see. Yes, there ARE interesting places, but it's been nice just walking around these foreign cities and experiencing the vibe. You know you're in a different atmosphere by the way people carry themselves. Also the abundance of tall, blond, and blue-eyed individuals. I did have one day a month or so back where ports got switched due to a conference in Russia. Because of this conference we had to arrive in Russia a day or two later so Stockholm landed on a non-show day. We were all excited (well those of us NOT in port manning) and the weather was gorgeous. My friend Trisha and I spent the day together just looking at all the nooks and crannies of the city. We started in old town (Gamla Stan), which is really just a small island of cobblestone streets and interesting buildings. There are a lot of islands here linked by bridges and it kind of has the same feel as Venice in a way. Of course Stockholm is much more metropolitan than Venice in character though. It's the home of the Nobel Museum and holds all the recipients of the well-known Nobel Peace Prize. I didn't get a chance to go inside so maybe on my next visit. Sweden is home to 2 of our popular brands in the U.S. (IKEA and H&M). They're known as cheap brands in the U.S. and they're also known for things that don't last too long, lol. Unfortunately I didn't find the IKEA store out here (you'd think it would be right out where you could find it), but there are H&Ms like there are Starbucks in NYC. Practically one on every block. I don't think they're as cheap out here as they are in the U.S., but the exchange could be throwing me. Also the stupid Scandinavian tax that seems to be attached at different rates in these countries. Oslo being the worst for the tax. As a U.S. citizen and a crew member I could get the tax back, but I never do any shopping that's significant enough to get all the paperwork to do so. So I think I got on a major tangent there. Anyway, we strolled through the old town of Gamla Stan that day and looked in all the wonderful enchanting stores holding Swedish glass, Dala Horses (an icon of Sweden), linens, and the usual staple of tourist related items. The buildings are always so fascinating in every port we come across. We stop for lunch in this one store where the aromas came up from underground and inside it looked like a dungeon. We thought the atmosphere was nice and unique so we stopped to eat. It turns out it DID used to be an old dungeon. A prison in fact. It was neat to eat down there and the food was good and cheap. We took in the sights of town including the Obelisk (built to honor the Stockholm Burghers for their support in the war with Russia), the Finnish Church, the Nobel Museum, which is also the Stock Exchange (erected in 1776), and the Royal Palace. On that day we even caught a glimpse of a marching band going through town after the changing of the guard at the Royal Palace. We then strolled through the shopping quarter where later on in future visits we discovered the candy store. Yum. It's choc full of Swedish delights including licorice, creamy chocolate goodies, and lollies. It was heaven for me. You could even get your Swedish fish here (those good gummy fish you find in any candy store around). We headed over to the other side of town and took in some fascinating scenery of the opera house and various decorated parks. Everything is so maintained here. The shuttle lets us off alongside the old town and right in the main drag there is a park that runs through the center. It's just a small park that has summer events like concerts and such. There's even a reflecting pool with fountains and surrounding the stairs that lead down to it are various urns filled with colorful arrangements. The city really takes care of its gardens around here. Any day in port is an exhaustive one. The shuttle ride back to the ship is always a sleepy one and with all there is to take in here in Stockholm, yesterday (despite the rain) and all the other times were no exception.