Cruising in the Stockholm Archipelago

After the course in Stockholm, I had decided to spend the weekend in Helsinki. Initially I had thought to fly there and back. But when I told my friend AnnSofie about it, she offered to join me and suggested that we do a cruise to Helsinki and back. I was a bit skeptical about it considering I was flying out of Stockholm on Sunday afternoon but AnnSofie reassured me that I would have plenty of time to make it to the airport from the cruise terminal. So I went with the flow and it turned out to be a superb plan over all.

Pranati and her sister Ankita joined us on the cruise making it a lively foursome. We had 2 adjacent cabins booked and the accommodation was pretty comfortable. We hardly spent time in it as we had so much to see and do on the ship.

The Gabriella is part of the Viking Line and has excellent live entertainment, a range of restaurants and duty free shopping.  

Some of her statistics are:

Built: 1992 Split, Croatia
Ice class: IA SUPER
GT/NT: 35,492/22,542
Length: 171.2 metres
Breadth: 27.6 metres
Draught: 6.4 metres
Speed: 20.5 knots
Main engines: 4 x Pielstick 12PC 2E
23,760 kW
Passengers: 2,420
Berths: 2,402
Cars: 400
Cargo units: 900 metres

Being on a cruise was a "first" for me. It certainly was cheaper and more exciting than taking a flight to Helsinki and staying in a hotel. It was great value for money and the food was awesome. Pranati and Ankita who are vegetarians had many options to choose from. We danced the nights away to the music of the live bands performing hits from the 70s and 80s.

I was told to expect a lot of drunk Swedes and Finns but I didn't see any. I did see a lot of older people and a lot of families who were there to have a great weekend.

Cruising in the archipelago off Stockholm is a real treat. It is the largest in Sweden and the second largest in the Baltic Sea. It comprises of almost 24000 islands, some inhabited and some deserted.

I am glad that I went with the flow and experienced something totally out of this world.

The Swedish Summer House

Everyone in Sweden including the taxi driver seems to have a "summer house"!!

So when my friend, AnnSofie, messaged that there was a change in plans and that instead of staying in her flat in Stockholm, we were now going to her summer house, I was more than thrilled. I had heard about the Swedes' passion for summer houses and how they all head there over the weekend or over MidSummers.

Her summer house is an hour or so away from Stockholm at the easternmost point in a place called Graddo. Once I was there, I could see why she and her husband take every opportunity to visit it. Though it is called a "summer house", it is actually a year round retreat for the family. It is a place where many happy memories are shared and new experiences created with family and friends. Her sister in law has a place next door and her neighbours are her long time friends.

She has chickens who are fat and happy. She grows herbs and vegetables, though the roedeer have a feast eating them. Her neighbour Lotta is an avid gardener who spends most of her time amongst her vegetables, fruits and herbs.

AnnSofie's house is by a lake where they have a couple of boats moored. When the weather is good, they go sailing in the archipelago and catch fish. I am told that they love jumping into the cold water after soaking in the hot sauna at Lotta's. Most of the weekends are spent working on the house and the extension. I was informed that most Swedes love working on their homes and they lovingly restore or build it up to their expectations. The charming red houses with white gables are a lovely sight to behold.

Mushroom picking in the forests nearby is another activity that is quite popular. AnnSofie and I went walking in the forest but all we could see were cows and no edible mushrooms. We didn't pass a single human being during the time we were there. Honestly I don't think I could have done a walk like that on my own as one can easily lose one's way in the forest.

Horse riding is another activity that seems very popular.

AnnSofie made my visit to her summer house quite memorable - a dinner with her friends and family cooked with produce grown in her garden and fish that she herself had caught, mushroom picking in the forest, elk burgers and coffee at her neighbour Lotta's. She let me have an insight into a very private world and I am privileged to have had the opportunity.

Lotta's house

The harbour at Graddo

Graddo

The fat chickens

The mushrooms that were inedible

Flowers from Lotta's garden

Summer houses: The facts -

- Twenty percent of Swedes, or 1.8 million people, own a summer house
- About 40 percent of Swedes say they plan on buying a summer house at an average cost of 670,000 kronor (USD 91,250)
- In 2006/07 some 29,000 Swedes will buy a summer house, spending a total of 19 billion kronor (USD 2.5 billion)
Source: Nordea Bank
- The most popular areas to buy summer houses are the Stockholm archipelago, Skåne, Öland, Gotland, the West Coast and Småland
- Between 2000 and 2005, the national average price for a summer house rose by 48 percent
- During the period March to May 2006 1,282 summer houses were sold in Sweden
(source: Association of Swedish Real Estate Agents)

Turkey - The east of the west and the west of the east

Turkey is truly the east of the west and the west of the east. It is ancient yet modern, European yet Asian, it is exciting, pulsating and thrilling yet there is a calmness to it that is baffling.

Some of my observations of Turkey:

• It is a safe country especially for women travellers. Of course, you will have men trying to chat you up but they are harmless if you know how to take care of yourself.
• It is quite clean.
• Toilets are easily available everywhere even if they are squat toilets.
• The food is awesome and cheap. Lots of options for vegetarians. Very healthy food.
• Infrastructure is quite good. Many airports for the same city / town thus offering options to travellers.
• Lots of history, natural beauty and culture.
• People seemed happy in general. 

My trip included a visit to the following cities:

• Istanbul - the commercial capital of Turkey located on the mighty Bosphorus. It used to be called Constantinople. Is a vibrant metropolis that is very large. 3 days is the minimum required to get an essence of this city as there is lots to see and do. And it is one that you will want to return to.

The beautiful Hagia Sofia

• Cappadocia - a unique geographic area with its volcanic rock formations. A refuge for the early Christians who fled here and thrived.

The fairy chimneys

• A hot air balloon ride in Cappadocia is a "must do" and a once in a lifetime experience.

• Pamukkale which are the limestone terraces in the ancient city of Hierapolis.

The limestone terraces of Pamukkale

The ancient ruins of Hierapolis

• Ephesus where the remnants of one of the ancient wonders of the world - The Temple of Artemis - remains as well as the House of the Virgin Mary, special to the Christians.

The ancient library at Ephesus which was the 3rd largest at the time.

The ruins of the Temple of Artemis

• The seaside town of Kusadasi where one can take a sunset cruise in the bay or soak up the sun on the beach or party till dusk at the many pubs.

The beautiful coastline

The freedom monument

Turkey is a country I will definitely return to as I would like to visit....

• Troy which was a legendary city that flourished until the establishment of Constantinople and declined gradually during the Byzantine era.
• Pergamon which was the capital city during the Hellinistic period.
• Bodrum was the site of one of the ancient wonders of the world - the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus and is now famous for a 15th century castle built by the Crusaders.
• The Aegean coast because it is so beautiful.