We had the morning to spend in Stockholm before boarding the ferry to Helsinki, so after breakfast and making a few necessary scheduling arrangements we headed back over our footsteps from the first day. A photo in the square, a wander through old town, and back to the palace for a run through the royal apartments, and treasury. It was pretty low key, with lunch at the train station and a rest in the lobby of our hotel, near the ice bar. We debated going in…but the cozy warm couches were a tough trade for the chilly -5 icey room whereby I would not be consuming vodka in an ice glass. Plus, you all know how much we enjoy being cold, so improperly clothed it wouldn’t last long enough to be worth the $23 admission cost.

We rode the metro to the ferry terminal without a hitch, and with signs along the way through the street, around the corner and down the path, we didn’t need to navigate much at all, which was a big plus compared to the last ferry terminal hunt in Copenhagen.

We’re taking the Tallink Silja ferry this time, which so far seems pretty good. We’ve got a window to the sea, and breakfast included. More like a cruise ship than a ferry, with lots to do and shows to see.

Boarding was as just annoying as before with a nice mix of cultures to create that rude, pushy, inconsiderate bunch of people that makes me aspire to become a hobbit on my own private island that is governed by my very own rules of deportation. From floppy formed lineups, to lack of common sense or any sort of direction, to those budging and rushing the elevator in droves with lack of regard for who’s been there longest. With an eye roll and a groan we ended up lugging suitcases up 5 flights to our deck as a final “you people suck, I can’t handle being near you” guffaw.
Anyway, a short rest cleared up that bad mood… also assisted by a snack of danish and choco milk. A visit to the duty free shop this time was much less busy and prices were far more reasonable. Go figure!

We’re back to the land of cheap water, at $2.50 for a 1L bottle. It’s funny that even in European cities that have clean drinking water, the restaurants demand you pay for a bottle instead of serving tap water. Save the environment? right! And recycling has been pretty hit and miss; usually just people scrounging garbages to collect bottles, but at least they do!

Another downside to Euro travel? Smoking! Holy people, get with the times. There are just as many smokers as ever before. Even our ship has an open, indoor smoking area… Whats the point in restricting if it wafts nicely around the 3 levels of stairway nearby so everyone can have a nice deep breath as they pant their way up to another deck. Ugh!
And, humorously, instead of hanging at the kids club, there were quite a few kids gambling in the hallway at the VLT’s on our way past. What the heck??

To Helsinki we go… To the land of Inuit sounding language. At least that’s what I think… Maybe.