Travel: Scandinavia

     Last week I mentioned that we visited St. Petersburg, Russia while on a cruise of the North Sea.  Three amazing countries were also ports of call: Finland, Sweden and Denmark.  (I made a short video of photos taken in each. See the "Video" link.)
    Artic Circle??

 When we arrived to Finland the first thing we saw disembarking the ship was a sign indicating the lat/long of Helsinki and proximity to the Artic Circle...

     Fortunately for me, I was wearing layer upon layer upon layer of clothing to keep warm - enough so that I could barely get my arms into the jacket sleeves!  But, oh-so-well-worth-it!
It was a bright sunny Sunday and not much traffic so we did a very New York thing - "jay walked".  There wasn't a car in sight, so we crossed - to the aghast of the pedestrians waiting for the sign permitting the crossing.  And I don't mean elderly pedestrians...there was a guy with spike hair and facial studs who was standing alongside with the others waiting for permission to cross!  Wow...I loved this place - you could be wild or demure, but everybody obeyed the rules.  Loved it!  Mind you, we did not 'break the law' again.  Helsinki is a bright open city with broad avenues, turn of the century (uh, 20th century, that is) buildings, green spaces and a fantastic street market near the seafront.  There were huge pans cooking up rice dishes with seafood (Finnish paella??), others selling pelts, stalls with leather belts and handbags and freshly baked goods at others.  Helsinki was clean, it was beautiful, it was liberal, it was civilized - I loved it.  If not for the weather, I would seriously consider living there!

   The approach to Stockholm by cruise ship was magical!  [We'd been to Sweden once before to buy our Volvo under a great program. For that trip we arrived by plane to Gothenburg on SAS Airlines. See: http://www.volvocars.com/us/sales-services/sales/volvo_overseas_delivery/Pages/default.aspx] 
As if floating on air (as opposed to water!) you get a bird's eye view of tiny islands, reachable only by boat, with rustic log homes trimmed in gingerbread, others sprawling estates and so many between.  With flags raised indicating they were in residence, it was a calling card to neighbors to visit.  We finally arrived into Stockholm and walked immediately into town; quick, easy and bustling with activity.  Turning corners onto side streets gave way to winding ways and finally upon the royal palace.  Guards were on duty - handsome and living up to the reputation that all Swedes are exceptionally good looking.  Old town and new blended well, as if a mutual respect for each.  There was a pedestrian only shopping corridor that seemed to be endless.  Window displays were sometimes a bit "interesting"!  After a solid few hours of walking and photographing, it was back to the ship.

Arriving to Stockholm by ship was a new experience for us.
   

Denmark - think Copenhagen.  Hans Christian Andersen wrote some of the most memorable fairy tales (Little Mermaid, Thumbelina, The Emporer's New Clothes and more) and as a tribute to one his most famous, there is a statue of the Little Mermaid on the waterfront.  This was our second visit to Copenhagen and on our first trip we did not get to see Tivoli Gardens; it was #1 on our "must see/do" list for this visit.  We arrived in the evening and the park (half amusement park, half breweries/restaurants) was alive with music and lights, lights, and more lights!  It was fantastical!  We walked the park for hours and listened at different sections as live music played and watched as people go to dance to old favorites.  We peeked into windows of the breweries and gazed at the vats polished to perfection.  Another stage had a show going on and we stopped for a while to enjoy the performance before moving on to find as a carousel, filled with children, whirling round and round, and catching glimpses of their smiling faces.  A short bus ride back to ship; we'd have tomorrow to see the city by daylight.  And we did...this time we walked to the city center and got to see more of the "city" beyond it's buildings, old and modern, while strolling.  We walked through parks, down residential streets and slowly came upon the businesses that are Copenhagen.  Lunch in town and time to head back to board and depart.
     Scandinavia - the common thread seem to be the general well being and happiness of the people.  I found the cities were clean and the architecture, both old and new, seem to blend effortlessly.  Full of history and charm, and offered this tourist a very warm welcome - despite the chilly temps outside!