Stockholm

We arrived in Turku after an uneventful jaunt across Finland from Helsinki and found a parking lot near the terminal where we could spend the night. We had to be in line for the ferry at 7:20 a.m. for an 8:20 departure.

These ferries are very swanky compared to some we’ve traveled on. They have multiple bars, restaurants and shops, as well as a casino and disco. Those places, with just a few exceptions, are very, very expensive. So I made us peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and brought along some tortilla chips and hummus. Not very exciting, but it was good enough. The exception I mentioned was, oddly enough, in the make-up and perfume store. I found some Lancôme eye makeup remover at a fairly decent price. It happens to be my favorite and the only time I have come across it, so I snagged some!

Tickets at the ready waiting in line.
All aboard!!
The Galaxy was a classier vessel than we expected. Certainly a major step up from our 18-hour sailing to Ireland.
Still life with Lancôme 🙂 The view from our room was great.

We prepared Bijou for the 11-hour ferry ride from Turku to Stockholm by freezing water bottles and purchasing cool bags for our refrigerated items since we would be unable to leave our fridge running on propane during the voyage. We hoped that by using the bag and bottles that items would stay cold enough that we didn’t have to toss them. The freezer, we figured, would be fine, as it was fairly full. I got it all ready early on our departure morning, but after the process of lining up and driving onto the ferry, we walked right out of Bijou and forgot to turn off the propane. No one reminded us nor did we get one of those colorful tags to hang in our window that indicates it is off, so we just spaced it. As it turned out, everything stayed nice and cold.

We had booked a cabin for this crossing, having learned our lesson on the 18-hour overnight passage from France to Ireland. Never again would we travel any distance without a cabin! We had a wonderful view out our porthole. It seemed as though we were never very far from land as Finland’s coast boasts the world’s largest archipelago and we passed hundreds of small islands with old wooden houses and interesting structures we couldn’t quite figure out. A few islands had the more modern windmills installed on them and I can imagine it can get pretty windy out there. We had a perfect day for sailing, though. The same beautiful coastline is also found in Sweden, so we really enjoyed our trip and it went by much faster than we thought it would.

Our digs for the voyage from Turku to Stockholm. Not too shabby!
This picture was hanging in our cabin on our trip to Stockholm. It was the subject of a lot of conversation and analysis. Steven said it reminded him of a defiant kid in art class who just drew something to get a reaction from the teacher. I hated it so much I wanted to punch the artist in the face, but Steven said that would be rude. Either way, we are still talking about it so I guess the artist would say his work here is done. 

Once we arrived in Stockholm we had to drive about 20 minutes to get to our campsite. We knew this campsite was near town, but from the available photos we couldn’t quite make out what it was actually like. Turns out it is basically a large parking lot under a big bridge, with full services, and honestly, we loved it. It was busy and loud and there was always someone coming or going. It was also a parking lot for cars. We were parked right by the machine the drivers had to use to pay for their parking and it must have been a tough one to figure out, because every single person who tried to use it took forever to figure it out. We had our door open because it was fairly warm and we could hear all their frustrations.

We were greeted with rain when we rolled off the ferry into Stockholm but thankfully the weather was about to change for the better.
Our funky campground. It had lots of character and was super close to the city. We got lots of afternoon shade in our spot while other campers were roasting in the sunshine.

I know some of our readers are well aware of Steven’s many artistic talents, but some might not know that he is also a musician. In fact, he left Ireland in 1987 and moved to the U.S. as the keyboard player in a rock band looking to make it big. That didn’t quite pan out, but he had a good time banging around New York City playing in the clubs for a few years. But for all his rock and roll creds, he really is a closet disco guy. He can’t dance worth a damn, but he thinks with a few lessons he could nail that John Travolta strut. Along with his love of disco is an appreciation for ABBA and his longtime crush on Agnetha Fältskog, the blonde one, which brings us full circle. We visited Stockholm so he could go to the ABBA museum, which of course he enjoyed and so did I.

Steven taps into his inner dork. He is unapologetic about his ABBA fetish 🙂
Actual reenactment of the fabled fifth member of ABBA.
A few ideas for Steven’s new wardrobe.

We had intended to stay just three nights but so many people recommended that we visit the Vasa Museum we extended another day. Our campground was about nine kilometers from the island where many museums were located, but it was an easy ride. We rode into town a few times and really enjoyed the trip. Stockholm is a very scenic city!

The bike ride into the city was so easy with great views of the city.
We had fabulous weather for our few days in Stockholm. It’s a breathtakingly beautiful city.
Everywhere you look, there are ships of all shapes and sizes and gorgeous architecture.
This lovely canal ran along side our campground. Some of the wooden boats were really beautiful.
The Nordic Museum. We didn’t have a chance to visit this one but it’s recommended on many must-see lists for Stockholm.
One of the first cruise ships we’ve seen in a long, long time.
Beautiful light and architecture.
The buildings were multicolored and somehow were all unified in one of the squares. A young woman was playing violin when we passed through.
On our first day into town we took along a picnic and enjoyed it while resting on this bench. It was just such a perfect day.
All countries welcome in Sweden. We found it to be a very friendly and welcoming country in general. Nearly everyone speaks English.
Outside the Stockholm Palace with great views of the water.
“Fika” is a term used in Sweden that literally translates as “a coffee and cake break” but it means much more than that. It’s more of a state of mind, a time to slow down, contemplate, be with friends. Many Swedes consider it the most important part of their day. We have decided to incorporate Fika into our lifestyle, along with the Danish “Hygge”. We will be so chill you won’t even recognize us!
There were lots of narrow streets like this in town. Plenty of shopping opportunities which we largely skipped. This area is set up primarily for tourists.
We had a wonderful time just walking around and window shopping.
Store windows were chock full of knick-knacks. If you are looking for a souvenir, they’ve probably got it here.
The obligatory troll display 🙂

The Vasa Museum is amazing and we’re really glad we made the time to visit. There are lots of interesting displays, but the main feature is the Vasa warship itself, which sank on its maiden voyage in 1628. It literally sailed about 1400 meters before it sank.The wooden ship lay at the bottom of the Stockholm harbor for 330 years before being salvaged nearly intact. The ship, having been fully restored, is now about 98 percent original and on display for all to see.

A view of the Vasa Museum from the park where we had lunch.
Probably the first place we’ve had to get in a long line to enter since the pandemic happened. No masks worn anywhere inside or out in Sweden unless it’s your own choice.
It’s impossible to convey the scale of the ship but it it was very impressive. There were multiple floors you can go up to see different parts of the ship. You are not allowed to get on the ship directly for obvious reasons.
A backgammon set recovered from the ship.

After four wonderful days in Stockholm we set our sights on points north, specifically Nordkapp, Norway, the furthest north we can drive in Europe. From Stockholm the trip is just under 1,900 kilometers and would take us 11 days. In practical terms that is just a little over 100 miles per day, but along the way we would travel Sweden’s east coast, then cross the Arctic Circle to continue through Finland’s Lapland and into Norway all the way to the tippy top. Stay with us, it’ll be fun. 🙂

Oh, and before I go, here’s another one of Steven’s portrait drawings completed while we were in Stockholm. This one is of a young Dennis Hopper (back in his Apocalypse Now days). If you would like to keep up with Steven’s art, you can follow his Visual Art page on Facebook.


UP NEXT: Heading north.


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40 Comments

    1. 2chouters

      Yes, the Vasa ship is amazing and there is a lot of interesting history within the displays. Much of it having to do with women who were very involved in the daily life of the ship and it’s crew and the building of it, too! We really enjoyed Stockholm.

    2. A James

      Goodness,your blog & Steven’s talents are just enthralling- what a stunning journey & adventure you two have embarked on.Can’t wait for the next instalment- thanks so much for sharing this with all your followers .

    1. 2chouters

      Thank you, Maggie. We are so happy to finally be on the move again and being in Scandinavia is our dream. That bunny bollocks, though, right? 🙁

  5. Dave Bradford

    The Vassa museum in Stockholm is one of my personal favourites. We’re now going in opposite directions to you guys having been refused entry into Norway after a 3,500 mile journey to get there…. If you want any tips on places to see on your way north please feel free to PM us.
    PS We both love Steven’s drawings.

    1. 2chouters

      I am SO SORRY that you were turned away from the border with Norway. 26 kms in seems like such a long way and you must have felt as though you were safe. Which border did you cross? I feel like we must have crossed paths at some point!

        1. 2chouters

          We crossed in the far north of Finland, so you were a fair bit south of us! I’ve been thinking of you and Lesley, how disappointed you must be. Still, if you’re heading through the Baltics I hope you enjoy them as much as we did. Although, we did kind of blow through them, we were on a mission! 🙂 I found your blog so will sign up for updates!

    1. 2chouters

      Steven is currently washing dishes and he has his ear buds in guess what he is listening to? He can’t stand it when it’s on his mind, he has to play it! 🙂 Please put Stockholm on your bucket list! It’s wonderful!

    1. 2chouters

      Ballast. They apparently got it wrong. Of course, there are a ton of factors leading up to this design flaw, but that’s it in a nutshell. The center of gravity was off and she went down like a ton of bricks.

  9. Vernon Hauser

    Poor Steven for getting hammered for being an ABBA fan . I too fall under their spell but more so for the dark haired lass . Oh those dark haired lady’s , but wait that’s a story for another time. The country is stunning and the photos are wonderful . You do such a bang up job writing about them . I hope they appreciate how great of a job you do promoting they’re country . Safe travels . Vern in Boise ( Note I went to Joseph Oregon . I think you might have been there at one time )

    1. 2chouters

      Yes, those dark-haired gals can be heart-breakers, or so I’ve heard. 🙂 We’ve been to Joseph twice and we love it there! It’s not quite as beautiful as Norway, but almost. Plus, Joseph has better hot chocolate (we’ve found exactly ZERO in Norway!)

  10. Nickie

    Thanks for your terrific “report” on Stockholm. We tried to get there last year, but we all know how that went. Still want to spend some time there. Can’t wait to see your travels to the north countries.

  11. Maggie Barrett

    I do recommend Oslo if you can make it. And Norway in general is just so
    beautiful. I’ve been several times and loved travelling by train and boat, going to the glaciers. The light at this time of year is just stunning.

    1. 2chouters

      YAY! A vote in favor of Oslo! I’m ready to go, but Steven is still done with cities. Maybe we’ll mosey a bit and he’ll be ready. Thanks, Maggie!

  12. Jim and Barb

    I can just picture the fanfare when they sent the Vasa off on its maiden voyage. The entire village shows up, wives are weeping as their husbands sail off into the horizon…..oh wait, is it leaning a little to the left? On my, that does not look good…why is everyone jumping off? I guess they won’t be sailing off afterall…..

    I would love to see the ships, boats and architecture of that area but that is never to be so we will live vicariously through you two!

    1. 2chouters

      I know, right? I can’t help but think the naval architect was on shore kind of leaning the opposite direction, willing that ship to right itself! I can only imagine how many jobs (and maybe heads!) were lost after this debacle!

    1. 2chouters

      Well you didn’t miss much because the Vasa Museum didn’t even open until 1990. But it’s worth taking a trip back there to see it, and perhaps visit your old haunts in Lubeck? 🙂 And the Abba Museum is worth a peek, too!

    1. 2chouters

      Lots of interesting history around that ship and it was so fun to visit. Put Stockholm on your bucket list! So glad to hear you guys are okay from the fires, that looked a bit harrowing!

  15. Laurel

    That artwork in your ferry cabin was hideous! I have a deep appreciation for all kinds of artistic expression, but that is just awful, LOL. Anyway, Stockholm looks beautiful and interesting. Love the philosophy of fika…Eric is one-half Swedish and I’m going to encourage him to adopt more fika in his life. 🙂

    1. 2chouters

      I try to imagine the ferry employee who brought this piece of art into the boardroom and said, “I propose we hang this in all the cabins!” And then the execs go, “Yeah, we love it!” I’m like you with regard to art, but this one is just a hard no for me. And yeah, Fika! A little cake and coffee along with some good conversation always make my day better!

  16. Jana Plummer

    Stumbled on your blog from Kevin and Ruth. Love your narration and have enjoyed following you both. Beautiful country and such a talented husband. Love Abba and Mama Mia.

  17. Judi

    Yay Abba! Well done Steven! I love the ship and didn’t realize the size of it until I saw the tiny people at the bottom of the picture. Incredible! Love your travel blog

    1. 2chouters

      Thanks so much, Judi! That Vasa ship was hard to photograph because it was so huge! Definitely a highlight of our time in Stockholm, second only to ABBA. 🙂

  18. Jodee Gravel

    That ferry looks like you’re being sucked into an alien ship! The picture in your room is beyond disturbing, don’t think I could sleep with it looking at me. That violinist pic is incredible – the colors, light, subject, just so much wow!! I think this is the most other people I’ve seen in your travels in a long while. Looks like a beautiful city with lovely traditions and history. Stephen’s talent clearly know no bounds (choice in women at the top!), so I’m sure he could totally rock the ABBA costumes along with their vocals.

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