Stockholm To Helsinki. A Rainy Morning Walk In Stockholm And Then Crossing the Baltic Sea

I was up early my last day in Stockholm, hoping to spend my last morning in Djurgarden  Island. I wanted to walk through the famous wooded parks and visit some of the many museums.  Unfortunately heavy rain changed my plans. I did get to see a lot of the island including the Rosendal Palace and gardens but had to end my trip walking back in the pouring There are more details of my morning walk in my blog post from August 5 2015 and here is a link to the page http://wp.me/p5GeDV-4aa

I was lucky to have my camera cover and Gortex waterproof jacket but my shorts and shoes were soaked.  i threw my socks away , a member of our group told me to use a blow dryer on my sneakers and shorts, and I was able to get them dry enough to pack. I finished packing, had some breakfast and waited for our bus rife to the ferry which we boarded for our trip across the Baltic Sea to Helsinki Finland. This is a link to some more photographs from our trip to  the ferry. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/scandinavia-july-26-august-8-2015/nggallery/scandinavia-july-25-august-8-2015/stockholm-to-helsinki-ferry-boarding-august-5-2015

I was very excited about my trip, I loving traveling on the ocean. I checked out my cozy cabin then went right to the top deck to enjoy the view. 

We left Stockholm passing the many places we now knew from our visits and proceeded for a few hours through the narrow waterways, with many islands that separated Stockholm from the Baltic Sea. 

The shores of the surrounding land and islands were covered in woodlands with many scattered houses, cottages and cabins. 

We weren’t the only ship sailing these waters and we passed many  boats and ships of all sizes as we made our way north and east.

We dined at 6:30 and were treated to a smorgasbord of  all sorts of Scandinavian dishes.  I explored the ship a bit, since  it clouded up and got cooler outside.  

This was a ferry, and not a cruise ship, but it still had a lot of ways to entertain the passengers  including two night clubs with live performances, slot machines, cafes and a sauna and gym. This is a link to some more photographs of the ship. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/scandinavia-july-26-august-8-2015/nggallery/scandinavia-july-25-august-8-2015/stockholm-to-helsinki-ferry-ship-photos-august-5-2015

At  sunset I went  back out on the deck and was disappointed to find there were still a lot of clouds in the sky and that I wouldn’t get to  see the sunset. it was still nice to watch the clouds change colors  as the sunset.

We were on open sea now so not much to see, although I loved the smell of the ocean  and the swelling of the waves. I wanted to stay out, but it was late and I wanted to watch the sunrise which I knew would be very early at these latitudes. i went to my cabin and had a wonderful night sleep as I was gently rocked by the waves of the Baltic Sea. It was a great trip so far and I was excited about our arrival in Helsinki in the morning. Here is a link to some more photographs taken from the deck. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/scandinavia-july-26-august-8-2015/nggallery/scandinavia-july-25-august-8-2015/stockholm-to-helsinki-deck-photos-august-5-2015

“hark, now hear the sailors cry,
smell the sea, and feel the sky
let your soul & spirit fly, into the mystic…”
― Van Morrison