100 days

[turtlemichael]

Here is a bit of a report on the Hilton Stockholm Slussen.

It is located across the bridge from the main part of the old city - Gamla Stan. This is where you'll see quaint streets and the palace for the changing of the guard. It is where most of the tourists (like us) spend at least part of their stay. In fact, most of the central part of Stockholm is very walkable in good weather.

Like many Hiltons you should not set your expectations too high. And like the curate's egg, this hotel is good in parts, at least in my opinion. Good was a great upgrade to a junior suite from our base grade room arranged by a very helpful staff member. The decor of the room is dated (maybe 25 years?) but it is all perfectly clean, serviceable and very spacious. It met my test of enough room for two open suitcases without tripping over them and, in fact, you could fit another 4 or 5 if you had them! The servicing of the room has been late in the day (17:00 today). The wifi works well and the bed is excellent.

Poor was the executive lounge. During our stay it has been very crowded so that people stand around eating ther food and trying to find somewhere to balance their drinks. It usually hard to find a seat. Also, there were many who had missed the school class on basic hygiene and that always scares me . eg. Don't pick the french fries out of the warmer with your fingers!

Food was average quality and wines were basic - Jacob's Creek everything. There were spirits available for self pour. I guess I am fast going off lounges for these reasons -they do seem at all upmarket except mainly in some Conrads.

We haven't had breakfast in the lounge because of the over-crowding but have taken it in the restaurant. There is an excellent omelette station there and the cold cuts were good too. I am becoming addicted to herring!

The building itself is strange. It consists of at least three 4-8 storey towers which are basically above a busy road leading into a tunnel. It is strange to be having breakfast and seeing cars zoom metres away from you. The double glazing soundproofing in the room is very good and we heard nothing provided we remembered to close the windows completely.

There is a lot of getting into and out of lifts because of the geography of the complex as you move around the place. As I said, the hotel is very central for the tourist. The gym is one of those ones also open to the public and well equipped. There are many restaurants and bars within a 10-15 minute walk.

Knowing what to expect I would probably stay here again.


The view from our room.


Sort of 1980's






I'd describe the suite as minimalist!

 

[turtlemichael]

And some more pics - this time the Executive lounge at Hilton Stockholm Slusson when it was not busy!


Afternoon tea time






The view from the lounge.

 

[turtlemichael]

We've been laid a little low with a minor bug these last 36 hours but all seem okay now. We've been checked out and given the all clear to join our ship tomorrow. On another perfect morning I did get in an hour and a half of walking the northern side of Sodermalm along Riddarfjärden. This is quite untouristy and very pretty.




Hard to believe on a day like today that it won't be long before these boats come out of the water as it freezes.




The little commuter ferry across Riddarfjärden.


Art shot!

 

[turtlemichael]

So tomorrow we join Silver Whisper for 28 days through the Baltic and then across the Atlantic. We have decided we need a rest so it has arrived at the correct time.

The cruise is actually 2BtB cruises of 11 days and 17 days respectively. The first takes us from Stockholm to Southampton and here is the map. There is some poetic licence as the ship does not actually go across land - or at least we hope not.

 

[tgh]

ve haf been vaiting…

 

[mrs.dr.ron]

TM, we did the exact same cruise last year on the Whisper.( it was our second leg of a B2B) We loved the Kiel Canal - the scenery is just so pretty. We will enjoy sailing along with you ! Take lots of photos.

 

[turtlemichael]

The taxi ride at 12:30 to the Vartahamnen dock where Silver Whisper was berthed was quick and cost 270 sek, a bit less then the concierge had estimated. We had a very phlegmatic taxi driver who told us all about the awful Swedish winter and how everyone becomes suicidal. I am hoping he was exaggerating just a bit but glad he was not driving us in winter.

We were quickly on to the ship and having lunch, waiting for our cabin to be ready. That happened at 14:00 but alas, only one of the two suitcases had arrived. Four hours later it had still not arrived and I had already initiated the distress call to have them find it. Then the phone call came from Security. "There is a problem with your bag, sir. We need you to come down and open it". Was this to be my Schappelle Corby moment? It looked like I might get to experience that Swedish winter the taxi driver had warned us about.

Alas no, the X-ray machine had located my concealed weapon - a cheese knife. Unsuccessfully I argued that it was blunt and there probably were a few knives on the ship I could use if I wanted to cause mayhem. They were not seeing my humour or buying my argument. It was confiscated to be returned when we disembarked.

The sailaway was just amazing. For the best part of 4 hours we sailed around tiny islands and spectacular houses and dodged Friday afternoon pleasure sailors as we headed through the archipelago. There can't be many better sailaways than this.

 

[turtlemichael]

And now we have just docked in Tallinn on another lovely morning so time to go explore.

I'm happy to answer any questions I can about Silver Whisper and this cruise.

 

[Austman]

Isn't it just beautiful?

The Swedes and their love of the sea, the countryside, boating, summer houses and flagpoles.

 

[tgh]

I knew you were in for a treat
We sailed in many years back.
It was a lovely day and the scenery just rolled on and on….

 

[JohnM]

Late aboard; catching up.

 

[mrs.dr.ron]

TM, who do you have as butler and suite attendant ? Also photos of your suite please

 

[turtlemichael]

I can see I am going to get a little behind with this thread over the next few days. We were thinking "rest" when we boarded two days ago but so far it has been nonstop in Tallinn and St Petersburg. What a city St Petersburg is but more about that in a while - like a day or two.

Our first stop, the day after we left Stockholm, was Tallinn. We have been once before. We were in Helsinki and took the ferry across for a day trip. It's about 8 years ago and my main memory is all the drunk Finns bringing their hordes of cheap booze back to Helsinki! No such issue yesterday with all the refined crowds on Silver Whisper.

Silver Whisper had a shuttle put on but the town was little more than a kilometre so would have been easily walkable but we did take the bus. I'd done an hour walking around the walking track on the ship so I did not feel guilty. The OH had no such excuse!

The principle difference I noticed from last time was how much busier the town was with tourists (like us!). Here are some pics.

 

[turtlemichael]

We found an interesting coffee shop in the Tallinn city wall. Best coffee we have had since Melbourne and very different from the chain shops in the rest of this city. We asked the barista how long they had been opened, expecting her to say about twenty years. Three days she said lol


This is a dedication to Boris Yeltsin for his role in securing independence for Estonia from the Soviets in the early 1990's. Boris might have liked a vodka or two but he certainly did some decent things and assisted in keeping Gorbachev focused! We saw a young Russian visitor come up to it and get very animated in front of his girlfriend. He ended his tirade with a substantial spit at Yeltsin's image and stormed off, girlfriend in tow. I guess not everyone agrees with the sentiment expressed though most Estonians certainly so.


The Russian Cathedral.


Our docking neighbour, Regal Princess. It carries almost exactly 10 times the passengers of Silver Whisper.


A storm is coming tonight.

 

[turtlemichael]

TM, who do you have as butler and suite attendant ? Also photos of your suite please

Our butler is Oinut, a Romanian. He tells us his name is pronounced like Doughnut, without the D! The room attendant is an Indian man called Jesh. He is very much not seen nor heard but does a good job.

I'll post some pics etc later when we settle in.

 

[Pushka]

Baltic cruises are super busy aren't they and start with multiple ports before the catch up seaday.

 

[turtlemichael]

Some sunset pics from the deck of Silver Whisper docked in St. Petersburg on the Neva River.

 

[turtlemichael]

Unlike most here who like cruising, we are not necessarily wedded to independent touring. In general in the past we have used the ship tours and on Seabourn and Silversea we have mostly had good experiences. Besides we have to use the amazingly large onboard credit on something! We are all different.

Our first outing in St Petersberg was to The Hermitage. That was after negotiating Russian immigration. Because we were only doing organised tours and not venturing out on our own we did not need a separate visa. This saved a lot of hassle before leaving Australia. As the immigration officers eyed us and pressed many keys on an unseen computer below the desk top I began to think I must be a spy and not know it. Fellow passengers who smiled a lot and said "good morning" seemed to get the hardest time. It reminded me of going into East Berlin before the wall came down many years ago.

We were a small group and had an excellent guide called Svetlana. (Don't call me Sweaty or Sweety please ) Being part of an organised group was clearly the way to see The Hermitage. We got in to the museum immediately on arrival and, although there were many tour groups, it was not unpleasantly crowded at 9.00am. When the public was allowed in at 11.00am it became a bit like a rugby scrum. When we left just after 12.15pm the lines were 100's of metres along the street and the guide estimated they had a 3 hour wait.

You have to see The Hermitage. It is over the top and in some parts tacky in style but it tells you a lot about the Czars and Czarinas. Overall, the impression left is breathtaking.

 

[turtlemichael]

More at The Hermitage.






Michelangelo's Crouching Boy.




The 11.30am Hermitage Rugby Scrum.

 

[OATEK]

Our first outing in St Petersberg was to The Hermitage. That was after negotiating Russian immigration. Because we were only doing organised tours and not venturing out on our own we did not need a separate visa. This saved a lot of hassle before leaving Australia. As the immigration officers eyed us and pressed many keys on an unseen computer below the desk top I began to think I must be a spy and not know it. Fellow passengers who smiled a lot and said "good morning" seemed to get the hardest time. It reminded me of going into East Berlin before the wall came down many years ago.

Our guide this year said that Russians cannot understand why western tourists smile at people they don't even know! They expect you to keep a straight face.