TRIP JOURNAL: Nicole721 Get[s]away to the Baltics

[Nicole721]

URL="http://s251.photobucket.com/user/Nicole7218/media/May%202017/DSC_9603%202_zpsof89ct5b.jpg.html"][/url]

 

This is gorgeous!

 

 

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Thank you!

 

 

Beautiful picture!

 

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Glad you like it :)

[Nicole721]

Not only is that a beautiful picture, but I loved your poetic description of what you were seeing. :)

Heather

 

Thanks, Heather!

 

Loving your review and your pictures are amazing! I am cruising in Europe for the first time in April and your review is getting so much more excited!

 

 

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How exciting! Where are you cruising?

[Nicole721]

Day 11: Helsinki

 

After two days of intense guided tours, the only thing that sounded as good as a sea day was a free day to do whatever we want. And since we were docked in Helsinki when we woke up, we had most of the day to explore Finland’s capital city however we wanted.

 

 

We took our bags with us up to the Garden Café for breakfast and we disembarked after we were full and caffeinated. The ship’s shore excursions desk sold tickets to one of the Hop On Hop Off bus lines onboard and they were selling tickets outside the ship for $34 per person (charged to your stateroom). The other alternative the ship offered for a DIY city tour was a $15 roundtrip transfer to Market Square. Both of these options were suboptimal – no one should pay $34 for a 24 hour Hop On Hop Off bus ticket. I couldn’t do it. Even when they told me the prices would be the same everywhere. Couldn’t pull the trigger. I’d have rather walked to town.

 

Right outside the security gate, though, City Sightseeing was selling tickets to their sightseeing bus. They weren’t allowed inside because they weren’t affiliated with the ship, but a one day ticket was only €22 (after a small discount from showing them our City Sightseeing ticket stubs from Tallinn). And not only did we get a better deal, since the rest of the people coming off the ship didn’t know better and were buying tickets to the other bus, we had near empty buses all day (with lightning fast wifi!) while the other buses were jam packed.

 

 

 

 

I love riding around the Hop On Hop Off bus, listening to the commentary and the local music. It’s one of the best ways to acquaint yourself to a city and see the highlights, especially if the city doesn’t seem large enough to merit a guided tour.

 

[Nicole721]

My first impression of Helsinki was that it almost reminded me of Milwaukee, a quiet little big city. While Helsinki is the biggest city in Finland, it only has a population of 400,000 (I know, I know – that’s a lot of people – but my “little” home city of Chicago has a population of 2.7 million!). The city is modern, clean and easy to navigate. As we drove around more, it reminded me a bit more of San Francisco, with its waterfront markets, sloping streets and public art displays.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Nicole721]

We hopped off the bus at the stop for Market Square, which left us off at Havis Amanda, a bronze mermaid statue sculpted by Finnish sculptor Ville Vallgreen. Market Square was steps away towards the waterfront, with booths with freshly cut flowers, farm fresh produce and cafes lined up neatly in rows. There were pop up coffee shops, fresh seafood on the grill (which would have been great if, you know, I ate seafood) and rows of Finnish women knitting caps and scarves. We relished in taking our time perusing all of the booths because we had no plans and nowhere else to be but wherever we wanted to, settling in at crepe booth with beautiful Marimekko-esque tablecloths for a Crepe Cointreau. We didn’t buy much – just a jar of locally made jam to take back, I think. Prices trended higher in Finland than they had in Tallinn for similar items.

 

 

 

 

 

[Nicole721]

 

 

 

 

[Nicole721]

After we made our way through the market, we hopped back on the bus and made our way towards the stop nearest to the Rock Church. The Rock Church (formally the Temppeliaukio Church) is a Lutheran church that was built in the late 1960s after nearly 30 years of planning and construction. It is known as the Rock Church because it is quite literally built in a cave of sorts, literally built in solid rock. It costs €3 to go in and see the church and it really is quite stunning on a sunny day, when rays of light stream in from the windows and breaks in through the rocks up above.

 

 

 

[Nicole721]

Our next hop off stop was for the Sibelius Monument, which Stephanie nicknamed the puffy paint monument because of the small details on the monument that look like puffy paint squiggles. The Sibelius Monument is one of the most well known monuments in Helsinki, built in 1967 as a tribute to famed Finnish composer Jean Sibelius on the ten year anniversary of his death. The monument is located in one of Helsinki’s many parks, a little bit of a hike from the bus stop. Many tour busses stop there, as it one of the main photo stops on most tours, but if you can find time to visit in between the tour stops, it really is stunning to take in. And don’t forget to step inside and look up!

 

 

 

 

[Nicole721]

The Sibelius Monument was our last hop off stop and we decided to ride the remainder of the loop back to the cruise terminal. The bus took us past the Olympic Stadium (home of the 1952 Summer Games) and made an extended stop at Senate Square, where the University of Helsinki, the Helsinki Cathedral, the Sederholm House and the Government Palace each hold anchor.

 

 

 

 

[Nicole721]

 

 

[fastpitchdad]

Wonderful pictures of Helsinki...looks like a beautiful May day. My wife came with me there on a business trip one June and pointed out that all of the women were 6 months pregnant....which makes sense I guess :).

[Nicole721]

Senate Square was the last main stop on the bus before it began the journey back to the ship and if we had any extra time, I wouldn’t have minded another ride around. It was such a beautiful day and there were so many corners of the city we hadn’t even touched yet, but the ones we had were just so wonderfully unique that I ached to see more.

 

 

 

 

We hopped off the bus at the sea terminal and made our way into the small market inside, picking up boots, gloves and other cold weather gear, as well as a few souvenirs. Prices in the sea terminal market were much more reasonable than the prices in the shops inside the city, and the shopping was super convenient because it allowed us to bring our purchases right back to the ship and not have to tote around bags all day. The little market area also had some high speed wifi for free, so if you need to check in back home or want to post a picture to Instagram, you’ll find a much better connection there.

 

 

 

[Nicole721]

Once we dropped our bags off at the room, we grabbed quick lunch at the Garden Café. If I hadn’t mentioned it before, the Garden Café might be the most expansive buffet I’ve seen on a mainline cruise ship. There had to be something for everyone, and some of the cuisines (the Asian fare, in particular), were outstanding. We headed back to the room to relax and before settling in the room to relax, enjoying the warm sunlight that streamed onto our balcony.

 

 

I would have loved to watch our sailaway from Helsinki from the balcony – the sail out was beautiful -- but despite the captain’s multiple warnings not to feed the birds, there were a bunch of people holding out bread for birds on their balconies, which meant swarms of seagulls and pigeons were flying around the ship and onto the balconies. It really was a shame, too – the archipelagos we passed as we cruised away from the mainland were fascinating. They’re tiny little islands, some of them with little tiny houses or structures, must make navigating such a big ship crazy difficult, but sailing through them is one of the things that makes sailing through the Baltics so unique.

 

 

 

 

 

While Stephanie took a nap, Mom and I went down to the shops to check out the Russian Bazaar they were featuring as the sale of the day. I was hoping to find some unique items, but it was the same stuff they sold in the sea terminal, and while some souvenirs were reasonable ($10 or under for some hair accessories, stickers and pouches), others were beyond outrageous. This definitely was not the itinerary for shoppers, which was a slight disappointment to me, but I had plenty of shopping ahead of me in Paris.

 

[Nicole721]

Later on in the evening, we opted for dinner in the dining room. The pace was a little slow, but the service was fantastic. There were a ton of options for dinner every night, both complimentary and for a fee, which really gave us the flexibility to choose the menu that appealed the most without having to resort to the Garden Café (though the Garden Café had made to order crepes and was never a bad option!).

 

The Taste Dining Room

 

Bread Basket

 

Classic Caesar Salad

 

Fried Mozzarella Cheese

 

Beef Slider

 

Tomato Salad

[Nicole721]

Short Rib Ragu

 

Sirloin Steak Diane

 

Country-Fried Chicken

 

Pound Cake

 

Cheese Plate

[Nicole721]

My favorite after dinner activity was to walk around deck 8’s Waterfront. Though it was often cold (and, truly, I’ve never been on a cruise as cold as this one), the views of the water were spectacular.

 

 

Stephanie had caught a bit of a head cold and a cough and we stopped in the gift shop to see if they had some decongestant only to find the shop was sold out. Some sort of respiratory illness was going around the ship and nearly everywhere we went, someone was hacking, which meant I was dousing myself in antibacterial (and, subsequently, keeping myself away from all open flames) constantly. A good reminder to always keep those hands clean, and if you’re sick, always cough into the crook of your elbow, not into your hands!

 

 

Before we headed in for the night, we stopped at Guest Services to book our airport transfers. While they cost $30 each person, the airport was about 40 minutes to an hour (depending on traffic) from the port, which meant cab fare could approach $90 anyways, and they had mentioned cabs were few and far between at the port (something we’d noticed as we came onto the ship). Booking through the ship was a far more reliable way of getting to the airport, especially with how unfamiliar we still were with the Danish taxi system.

 

We called it a night from there. Though we were gaining an hour back as the clocks changed when we moved into Swedish waters, we were beyond exhausted. We’d been on port intensive cruises before, but something about this cruise was just…draining. Wonderful and full of adventure and discovery, but draining. So we skipped the shows and walking around the ship to sleep. We had an early morning planned for Sweden and we wanted to be as energized as possible for a full day in Stockholm.

 

[Nicole721]

Wonderful pictures of Helsinki...looks like a beautiful May day. My wife came with me there on a business trip one June and pointed out that all of the women were 6 months pregnant....which makes sense I guess :).

 

It was the most beautiful day! :D

[cadien]

We just booked this cruise for July 2019 so I appreciate this thread so much! Such useful information. And the photos are just beautiful.

[Meanee]

I am on this cruise on May 29th. Definitely got some pointers on what to do.

[Nicole721]

We just booked this cruise for July 2019 so I appreciate this thread so much! Such useful information. And the photos are just beautiful.

 

Thank you!

 

I am on this cruise on May 29th. Definitely got some pointers on what to do.

 

Glad you found it helpful! :)

[Nicole721]

Day 12: Stockholm

 

We went all the way to Stockholm and all I did was get some avocado toast.

 

Well, that’s not entirely true, but that’s how it felt. But let’s start at the beginning: our Norwegian Getaway docked in Nynäshamn just past 7:00 am. We had originally been slated to dock in Stockholm proper, but due to the ship’s berth (and the fact that there was another mega ship docked in Stockholm), we would have to dock in Nynäshamn instead. The dock in Stockholm is centrally located within the city. Nynäshamn is about an hour away. So while they extended our time in port for the day by an hour, our time was reduced by net one hour.

 

 

We didn’t book a tour in Stockholm. There is so much to do and see within the city that we didn’t feel the need. We reconsidered when we got the letter about the change in berths, but we ultimately didn’t book a tour since it’s fairly straightforward and easy to reach Stockholm from Nynäshamn on your own. The ship offered a transfer for $49/pp, but if you were willing to brave it on your own, you could take the train direct into Stockholm Central for less than $10 RT.

 

So we woke up and grabbed a quick breakfast up at the Garden Café, and when the ship announced an all clear, we headed downstairs to disembark. There’s an information hut on the pier (one of the longest piers we’ve ever had to walk, by the way!) and we inquired on directions to the train station, which we knew was about a 15 minute walk away. And the directions were so simple anyone can follow them: follow the blue line. There is a blue line and a green line painted on the sidewalk, beginning at the pier. The green line will take you on a walk to the center of the town and the blue line will take you right to the train station. It could not be more straight forward.

 

 

 

The walk took a little longer than 15 minutes for us, but we walked it pretty slowly since it took us uphill in parts. The train to (and from) Stockholm Central runs twice an hour, and you buy train tickets from a machine at the pier (and you do not need to validate or do anything other than purchase the ticket). You can also purchase an all day transit pass that’s also valid on the trains and busses in Stockholm from a small shop at the train station, but since we weren’t planning on riding around their public transit system, we just bought the single ride ticket. Something to note, though, is that you should not buy two tickets as a round trip from your point of origin in Stockholm. Tickets are only valid for an hour, and if you buy them with the intent to save time on your return, you’re going to find yourself with an expired ticket.

 

 

 

The train was right on time and there were many others from the ship (including the entire cast of Burn the Floor) who were also taking the train. And the ride started just fine, but four or so stops away from Stockholm Central, the train was delayed. Multiple times. My best guess (since I don’t speak Swedish and couldn’t understand the announcements) was that we were delayed because of delays within Stockholm Central (which isn’t the end of the line on any of the trains that pass through). The train ride should have taken an hour and seven minutes and took just about two hours. While incredibly disappointing that our short day was cut even shorter, it’s the risk we took in doing it on our own. We passed the time in the only appropriate way: by listening to the Mamma Mia soundtrack.

 

[Nicole721]

Stockholm Central is in the middle of the city, with tons within walking distance around it (including the main shopping area, Drottninggatan, about a ten minute walk away). In some regards, Stockholm reminded me of home in Chicago and the area in the Loop around Union Station, with just a ton of commerce and shops and cafes a stones throw away from each other.

 

 

We tried to find the City Sightseeing Hop On Hop Off stop, but all we could find was the Red Line bus. We bought our tickets onboard for 300 kr (~$34, which blew past everything I said in Helsinki!) and settled into the covered upper deck. Most of the sightseeing bus lines run an hour or so. This one ran two and a half, which scrapped any hopes we had of having Swedish meatballs at Meatball for the People or visiting the Vasa Museum (which houses a real Viking ship!). We wouldn’t stroll through the parks singing Abba songs or shop along Drottninggatan. All we saw of Stockholm would be out the window of this bus.

 

 

 

 

 

[Nicole721]

 

 

 

[Nicole721]

I was disappointed – really disappointed. Stockholm was a highlight for me and I felt a little gypped in the change in our itinerary that cut our time so short. I’m a seasoned enough cruiser to know these things happen and I’m so certain I’ll be back in Stockholm again one day, but watching such a beautiful city out a window and not having the time to get off and explore it up close? Man, that was hard to swallow.

 

 

Given the delays we had coming into the city, we didn’t want to risk missing the ship should we have another delay coming back, so we hopped off at the stop closest to the train station and spent the rest of our time walking around the area there. I couldn’t leave without doing something Swedish, so I stopped in a small coffee shop I found near the train station and had Fika, the Swedish custom of taking a break with coffee and a pastry. Stephanie and Mom went into a nearby pharmacy to look for cold meds (coming up empty because neither of them can read Swedish well enough to understand what was in the meds they found) and I sat outside with my coffee, enjoying my Fika and the bustling Stockholm street in front of me.

 

 

We bought our train tickets, intending to take the 2:04 pm train, but we couldn’t figure out how to use our paper tickets to get into the electronic turnstiles and we missed it, finding out later that we needed to go to a manned booth on the other side of the terminal and have the agent let us in. Since we had a half hour until the next train, we stopped into Blueberry, a small café with toasts and smoothies, to grab a quick lunch. And to be fair, the avocado toast I had at Blueberry was among the best avocado toast I've ever had (cue the typical millennial jokes). It wasn’t meatballs or a Swedish pancake, or authentic Swedish fare really, but it was something, right?

 

 

 

Because the trains just pass through at Stockholm Central, we didn’t go down to the track until about ten minutes before our train was scheduled to stop to minimize any risk of getting on the wrong train. Our train was full with people going back to the ship, so we felt relieved to be in the good company of our fellow cruisers so close to back onboard time.

 

[Nicole721]

Thankfully, we faced no delays and we pulled back into Nynäshamn right on time, just around 3:45 pm for our back onboard of 4:30 pm. We wouldn’t have time to buy any souvenirs or see the city center, but we had enough time for the leisurely stroll back to the ship, downhill this time, right around a 15-minute walk door to door.

 

 

 

Part of what we lost in the port moving, outside of the time within the city, was the chance to sail through the Swedish archipelago, a series of thousands of small islands in the waters outside of Stockholm. Nynäshamn was lovely, really, a beautiful small town, and the air from all of the fresh trees was so clean and pure, literally like breathing in air so fresh and energizing, but we were still bummed that we were missing the archipelago. We stayed on the balcony until we were out to sea, enjoying the warmer air and sunlight.