#47 Maritime Museum Stockholm

The best thing about the Maritime Museum in Stockholm is that it is totally FREE for everyone, all the time. Most of the other museums in Stockholm will set you back at least 100kr, which really adds up if you're planning to go to more than one.

 Anyway, back to the Museum. Considering its totally free price, it was excellent. It is suitable for both adults and children and the exhibits were interesting, even if you have no knowledge or interest in anything nautical. The highlight for is the end part of a ship once owned by the King of Sweden years and years ago. (It's like a mini-Vasa for free!). From there, you enter a room full of model ships, as well as costumes, weapons, sailing equipment etc. For children, there is a great modern exhibit about shipping and where different goods come from. There is also an interesting tattoo exhibit about sailors tattoos that will be running for the next few months. The museum has good English information signposted on everything - except for the tattoo exhibit, which was a little disappointing.

 Part of the boat

The thing that goes on the front of a ship. . .it's pretty big

This was on a ship

Lots and lots of detailed model boats

Costumes

The shipping exhibit

This was the floor

The temporary tattoo exhibit

The Maritime Museum is located on the no.69 bus route a short distance from the city, near a TV tower with a viewing point of Stockholm. It is also located beside other unusual museums , such as the Ethnography museum and the Police Museum. These other ones aren't free, but they are cheaper than the usual 100kr. Finally, it's called 'Sjöhistoriska' in Swedish.

#46 Riga, Latvia

And now for the final edition of Sue's Nautical Adventures (or is it...?).

So I'm just back from a cruise to Riga, which is the capital city of Latvia. Once again we only had a few hours in Riga, and once again the highlight was the old town! Here are some pictures:

Lido food!

Close up of the cat house

The freedom monument

This is outside a souvenir shop

The food in Riga was really cheap, we got a big meal at a place called Lido in the old town for about €10! We also found a really nice pancake place in the old town too, it was super cheap and although I don't know the name, it has a chef statue with a pancake outside so it can't be that difficult to find!

The old town seemed a little run down in parts (paint peeling on boarded up houses) and I found it wasn't as charming as Tallinn in Estonia.

#45 Skansen

One of the top attractions in Stockholm, Skansen is an outdoor folk museum located in the city. It features real Swedish houses and buildings from different places in Sweden and different times in history that have been taken down and moved to the park in Stockholm. It also features a large children's play area (including pony rides!) and some Nordic animals like a bear and wolves (- but not so many as to call it a zoo).

One of the many buildings

There's a great view all around the park

You can sit on a giant Dala horse!

The reindeer (they were pretty far away)

Lynx

Fox

Feeding time for the grey seal

The interior of one of the houses

There are many buildings to see, they all have a little placard with information in both English and Swedish on them. Some of the buildings are open, and some of them have guides inside. These people are dressed in the clothes of the time and give you some background information, and answer your questions. They speak English too!

The park is popular around Christmas due to its Christmas markets and activities, but it really thrives in the summer when it is bright and sunny. Also in the summer more of the houses are open, as well as more of the restaurants and souvenir shops. It costs about 100kr for entrance which is about the same price for most museums etc in Stockholm.

There is an "aquarium" with some exotic animals like alligators, but beware that this costs an extra 100kr (the same price as entrance to the park!).

#44 Tallinn, Estonia

Last weekend I took some time out from my studies (haha!) to visit Tallinn, the capital of Estonia.

This was on one of the famous cheap cruises from Stockholm, so again I spent about twice as much time on the boat as opposed to seeing any of Estonia. However, in the few hours I was there, I really enjoyed it!

View from the ferry terminal

Like Stockholm, the highlight of Tallinn is the Old Town. There's lots of old winding streets and churches, and of course tourist shops! Across the road from the old town is also a big shopping centre, for those of you who crave the more modern! I think it would be a great place to explore some more, and I am disappointed I didn't have more time there.

Here are my picture highlights of Tallinn:

Church in the old town (there are many!)

Church

Another church

Winding street

I think this was a souvenir shop!

The main square in the old town

The main square

View of Tallinn

This cruise was almost identical to the one I got a few weeks ago to Helsinki. The price was cheap (320kr for a 4 person cabin) and while the boat was nice the cabin was tiny and without a window. We didn't get to see so much of Estonia, so again if you are really interested in going you probably should pick a different trip. But, if you just want to buy a fridge magnet and take some pictures to say you were there, it's great value!

Silhouette of Tallinn from the boat

#43 Woodland Cemetery Skogskyrkogården

This week I visited the Woodland Cemetery (Skogskyrkogården), a UNESCO World Heritage Site here in Stockholm. Some of the main features include a large wooden cross, a crematorium and of course all the large trees and thousands of graves.

The Cemetery is a really pretty, special place to visit. While some would think it strange to visit a graveyard, I found it very peaceful to walk around, and it is a popular tourist destination. The trees and the snow make it a beautiful and moving location in the winter, but I am looking forward to going back in the Spring when it will be bright and green.

It's situated right beside a metro station, only about 15 mins from the centre of the city. It's open all the time and free, but funerals are held there regularly. Here's the website: http://www.skogskyrkogarden.se/en/index.php

#42 Helsinki, Finland

So, for a change of scenery from Stockholm, this week I went on a cruise to Helsinki, which is the capital of Finland.

If you choose this kind of cruise you have limited time and resources in Helsinki, so if you are really interested in the city you should pick another cruise or flight that allows you more time. Some of the central tourist locations are very close to the boat (you can get a tram or walk for 10mins), but we didn't have time to see anything outside that small central area.

We found a really cheap cabin with Tallink Silja for only 320kr, which is 80kr for each of the four people in the cabin. The cruise gives you just under 6 hours to explore Helsinki before you get back on the boat and return home. The cruise ship had a large duty free shop, several restaurants (although none are cheap),  a clothes shop, perfume and make up shop, souvenir shop, pub, nightclub and casino. There was also kids entertainment if you wanted (obviously we didn't). Our cabin, as expected, was very small, but there are plenty of places to sit around the boat so it's not a problem. So it was a nice boat and an enjoyable experience.

View leaving Stockholm

The cruise ship

There were lots of shops, restaurants and a casino on board

The cabin (without a window!)

Helsinki bridge of love

Russian Lutheran Cathedral

Helsinki Buildings

Upenski Cathedral

Frozen sea that you could walk on!