A quick taster of Stockholm and the start of the cruise

Apologies for the long delay. I'll be continuing from where I'd left off, which was from Copenhagen Through Pictures Part 2.

It's 6.40 in the morning, after a grueling 9 hours bus journey, we pulled into Stockholm bus station. Feeling groggy due to the lack of sleep, we dragged ourselves into the station. There's still a few hours to go before the start of our cruise. Boarding time was from 11.30am onwards. One of the first things to do.....

...was to settle my stomach and break my money into smaller denomination. The Swedish hot dog which was not bad as it had crispy fried onion sprinkled on it and a bottle of yogurt drink.

First point - the Central Station. It was located just opposite the bus station. We tried looking for a map but couldn't get one. Oh well, based on my memory from more than 2 years ago, and M's from 4 years ago, we somehow managed to reach the town centre.

The House of Nobility (Riddarhuset) and the City Hall (Stadshuset) on the shores of Lake Malaren.

We walked till we reached the sea and you can do this there...

Sing your heart out. At least there's some accompaniment.

 

Entrance to Gamla Stan, the old town. The last time I came to Stockholm was during the cold winters 2 years ago. Not much changes except for the warmer weather.

The Swedish Parliament seen from the slopes of the Royal Palace.

The Royal Palace.

M was already warned by the guards at Copenhagen, so you can see how big the distance she places herself and the guards nowadays. Hahahahaha.

The National Museum.

Does this sign mean beware of sharks?

Teatime:

We came across this cute little cafe in the old town and decided to have tea there.

While waiting for our Mocha and Hot chocolate, M was wondering why was the barrister mixing our drinks in a bowl and we were shocked that that was supposed to be our cups. So big!

Nobel Museum revisited. One fine day, you may see my name in the museum. Hahahah, but now, this dream is being clouded by financial want.

Colourful buildings.

Strolling along the little streets.

Midsummer Tree. We found this all along the port. This tree is raised to celebrate the Midsummer festival by dancing around it. Maybe I did dance around, maybe I didn't. Hahahaha.

Walking along the sea.

The crown prince and princess.

Finally, it was time to make our way to the port to board our ship.

The price for the bus was supposed to be 30kr, but we didn't know that we were supposed to buy the bus ticket at the bus stop and the driver can't take cash on board. So, we ended up getting a free ride. Muahahaha. Yup, the port is called Frihamnsterminalen.

The first building we saw when we alighted was the Banana Company.

To get to the terminal, just follow the blue line. It took us almost 20 minutes to get there. I guess people who take cruises are rich and 99.9% will arrive in cars.

We were greeted by a massive queue at the terminal. The other three quarter of the group arrived half an hour after M and I.

Making our way to the ship. So excited!!!

We shared a triple room. Each of us has our own swipe card which acts as a credit card on board. This is such a good marketing scheme. Just spend first, worry about payment at the end of the cruise. I really like the room as it is really comfortable, en-suite and we have our own room attendant who introduced himself to us after we've settled down. First thing to do was to take a shower!

Coming next: Cruise: Tallinn through pictures