#68 Stockholm - The Gateway to Scandinavia

Today marks my last week in Sweden. This got me thinking - not only am I leaving Stockholm - I'm leaving behind a great gateway to Europe, or Scandinavia at the very least.

For the 5 months I was in Sweden, I visited six other countries - Finland, Norway, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia and Poland. And not only did I visit these countries, I visited their capital cities and saw the famous landmarks of Helsinki, Oslo, Copenhagen, Tallin, Riga and Warsaw. And I visited Gothenburg and Malmo here in Sweden too.

I'm from Ireland, so these countries aren't very far away. But Ireland is an island to the far West of Europe, and it's not as cheap or easy to get to these places as some of you (especially Americans!) might think.

It cost me only €10 (or €40 for a cabin of 4 people) to get to Finland, Estonia and Latvia using the amazing cruise services from Stockholm. €45 for train tickets to Gothenburg, Oslo and Malmo/Copenhagen. €10 flights to Poland. Now if that isn't cheap, I can't tell you what is.

Some people were visiting places like Spain or Italy, but for me, I could go another time from Ireland and it wouldn't be so much in price difference. But there are plenty of countries you can get to from Sweden so cheaply!

So if you come to Stockholm, you're also getting the opportunity to travel to some great places. They say Stockholm is the Capital of Scandinavia, and although I'm still not sure if I agree, it is definitely the gateway to Scandinavia, and a stepping stone to Europe.

Happy travels my friends!

#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.

#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

#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!