Weekend Cruise Stockholm–Åland–Stockholm

In the past two weeks I have felt an increased workload at my job. So I decided that a mini-vacation was in order. One of my favourite ways to have a short and affordable travel experience is to take a ferry boat from Sweden to Finland. A weekend cruise can cost between €2 and €10, depending on a special offer deal and on the desired level of accommodation onboard. This time I managed to book a two-person cabin without a view for just €10 (SEK 100) – all to myself. On early Saturday afternoon I took a commuter train first to Uppsala (one hour trip from Gävle) and then another commuter train to Stockholm (another hour). I had an option of taking a metro and a bus to the ferry terminal, but I had plenty of time and the weather was okay, so I decided to take a long walk from the central station in Stockholm down to the Viking Line terminal at Slussen. I walked by the Parliament, the Royal Palace, and the Old Town – it’s always nice to revisit those beautiful historical places in the heart of the Swedish capital.

I boarded the ferry at half past five. Having dropped my bag at the cozy cabin on the lower deck, I headed straight to the buffet restaurant for dinner – one of the main highlights of the cruise. I enjoyed a plate of fish, meats and seafood. Well,  I must confess it was more than a plate… More like two or three plates, I think. And then there was a dessert – another plate loaded with ice-cream, small cakes and fresh fruits.

My first dinner plate on Saturday night

After the feast of delicious abundance and an interesting conversation with an accidental dinner company (he was a cool guy who worked as a baker at his own village bakery), I headed back to my cabin for a nap. It was pretty much all I could do.

Two hours later, feeling refreshed, I headed to the club for Titiyo’s concert. You might have not heard this name before, but she is kind of famous in Sweden. Getting a chance to see her perform live was a nice bonus to this whole weekend cruise experience. And Titiyo hadn’t disappointed! I really enjoyed her concert – as did a few hundred people in the club, all in various degrees of intoxication.

Titiyo performing live on stage

The breakfast buffet next morning was just as delicious and abundant as was the dinner the previous night.

My first – and only, this time – breakfast plate

I spent the rest of the trip on Sunday doing the following:

• reading Andreas Antonopoulos’ inspiring book ‘The Internet of Money’ in bed in my cabin,
• shopping for cheap alcohol and candies in the ferry’s tax-free store,
• enjoying beautiful views of the Stockholm archipelago and taking pictures.

This one pictures sums it up well enough

The weather was kind of dark and stormy that weekend, so I decided that black-and-white pictures will convey the atmosphere of those places the best. Here are the views of the early-winter Stockholm archipelago for you. Enjoy!

(All photos featured in this post were shot on my Nexus 5 smartphone camera)