Iceland in Winter by ferry and plane

[24601]

Helsinki nightlife:

One thing that Finland is famous for, although possibly not so much among members of AFF, is heavy metal music. As a fan, one of the things i made sure to do was see some bands playing. Helsinki actually has a great array of venues featuring all sorts of live music. On Saturday night central Helsinki was crowded with partying locals, many too drunk to even stand up. I saw a guy being dragged, literally, through the snow by his friends to a taxi. It wasn't young people or teens, and there didn't feel like there was a violent or threatening atmosphere. I saw lots of middle-aged people swigging from bottles of bourbon or wine. Must be an expensive night out for them, as alcohol costs a fortune there. The heavy metal clubs, by contrast, were far more dignified:









He is playing an instrument called a Chapman Stick. The bassist from an excellent Finnish prog metal band called Simalacrum:

 

[24601]

More Helsinki:

 

[24601]

Helsinki and Suomenlinna

I took a ferry over to Suomenlinna, the site of an old naval fortress in the harbour, now a UNESCO world heritage site. IN the morning an ice breaker has to clear the path for the little ferry which then keeps the way clear with its frequent crossings. It takes passengers and has space of 1-2 cars. It is a tourist destination, but lots of people live and work on the island too.

 

[24601]

Suomenlinna

 

[bPeteb]

We went over in brilliant autumn sunshine. It would have been amazing to go over through the ice!

 

[24601]

We went over in brilliant autumn sunshine. It would have been amazing to go over through the ice!

Yes, it was indeed. I am so glad I did it, a stunning afternoon out.

 

[get me outta here]

Wow, that is a trip for the intrepid traveler. It reminds me that there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes. Your suitcase is suitably snow coloured.

Thanks for posting the great pictures.

 

[Fifa]

What an amazing trip report, not to mention the unique experiences!
Thank you.

 

[drron]

Fantastic pictures.I know I will never do this but wonderful being able to travel with you in spirit.

 

[suze2000]

Thank you so much for this. Amazing trip and lovely photos.

 

[irv]

Thank you I would love to do this, but it is highly unlikely. Enjoyed the photos and the journey.

 

[24601]

Stockholm:

Travelling back in time a bit now. Before I got onto the ferry out of Denmark to Iceland, I spent a few days in Stockholm. Like Helsinki and, as you might expect, in winter it was cold but also lovely. I really enjoyed Stockholm and would definitely go back. Maybe even in summer!

I stayed at the Hilton Stockholm Slussen which is very close to Slussen railway station and easy to get to from the airport using first the excellent airport rain and then subway. I got upgraded to a Junior Suite! This was the only upgrade I ever got from Hilton. I was a gold courtesy of VA status but have since stopped bothering with hotel chain "golden handcuffs". Best room price on the day at the nicest hotel suits me just fine at the moment. The suite was a nice but not very big room with a silly little sitting room attached, dark and gloomy with an exquisitely uncomfortable sofa. But the bedroom was nice enough and I liked the hotel.

It is a very short walk from the Hilton over to Gamla Stan where there are endless old things to look at and interesting shops.





Poky, gloomy and useless sitting room:


View from the room towards Gamla Stan. It is a wonderful area of a lovely city. The room is well soundproofed and I couldn't hear the trains passing.



Looking towards the Slussen area, the Hilton's neighbourhood:

 

[24601]

Went for a walk around Gamla Stan. Possibly one of the nicest of the Stans to visit these days.

 

[24601]

More Stockholm:

Public transport in Stockholm was great. But it was also easy and pleasant to walk around. Ok, to be honest, in January it was very cold. And the footpaths were icy, making anything more than the slightest incline a slippery, risky proposition. I survived unscathed thanks to cunningly-selected grippy shoes, but enjoyed a few moments of schadenfreude watching others falling over. But all the same it was lovely to walk around and not at all crowded.

Over my few days in the city I saw the historic Gamla Stan district, visited the Royal Palace, crossed lots of bridges, and walked out to Djurgården where there are lots of museums including the closed-in-winter show village of Skansen. I also took the subway to Ropsten and then light rail over to the island of Lidingö and on to the end of the line at Gåshaga Brygga from where ferries continue on to I'm-not-sure-where. It was snowy, sometimes woodland sometimes picturesque suburban.

On Djurgården island I went to see the Vasa Museum. It houses a salvaged 17th century Swedish warship that sunk as it left the harbour on its maiden voyage. It was top-heavy with too many canons and too many openings in the side for them to poke out. It was really interesting and is worth a visit. Les interesting was the spirit museum, all about alcoholic spirits, not the supernatural. Give it a miss, it is just tedious. Luckily the ABBA museum was closed. It was also nice just to walk around the island.

From Stockholm I flew to Aalborg in Denmark, via CPH, which brings me to the start of this report 8 or so pages ago.

 

[24601]

More Stockholm:

 

[24601]

 

[24601]

Stockholm

 

[24601]

Still in Stockholm.



Vasa museum


exhibit in the spirit museum




at Djurgarden

 

[24601]

Stockholm

 

[24601]

Sorry about some blurry photos: I don't see that they are bad in the preview, only when I post them and then it seems too late. I'm not sure how to delete a photo: even when I try it still seems to appear. Would like to know how to do it properly.