Stockholm City

Stockholm, Sweden
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

BEING THAT this was not one of our long-planned (nor was it one of our best planned 😶) cruises, we didn't have a good plan for Stockholm. When we first finally booked this one, I did a fair amount of research on St. Petersburg, and bought Rick Steves' book on St. Petersburg, Helsinki and Tallinn. My research for Stockholm (and later Copenhagen) was mostly done on internet sites. And, frankly, other than Gamla Stan being another "Medieval" city, and the Riddarholmen Church looking promising, I didn't see a lot to excite me in Stockholm. Probably not fair, but it was what I found (or didn't). I would much rather have done our overnight in Copenhagen, personally. But I don't set the itineraries. Which is probably in everyone's best interest. 😀

Stockholm, Sweden
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

I THINK partly because we came late to the game on this one (we often have cruises planned around a year in advance), we couldn't really find a tour that seemed to work for us. On the second day (which had us getting back to the ship in the early afternoon anyway), we planned to join our friends, Mike and Elaine, for the ABBA Museum.

Stockholm, Sweden
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

THERE WAS a shuttle from our cruise dock to the center of the city. Based on maps, we could see that it was a reasonably short walk to the bridge crossing into Gamla Stan, so we jumped on the shuttle, and headed in that direction. My first impression was that Stockholm was different than any of the other stops we had visited on this cruise. It was bigger feeling. More grandiose. The buildings were built to be impressive, and they seemed to be newer ("new" being a relative term), many of them built in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Church Steeple from side street in Gamla Stan
Stockholm, Sweden
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

TO ME, Gamla Stan was the biggest disappointment of the cruise. Unlike Tallin and Visby, the "medieval village" here was a mixed bag. There were, indeed, some very old buildings, and narrow, old, cobblestone streets. They were universally lined with (primarily) tourist shops. Lots of trinkets, plastic swords and horned helmets, and various tchotchke one might expect to find in a major tourist site. And wall-to-wall people walking around. There were some very tall buildings which might have yielded some nice (albeit difficult to achieve) photographs. But so many people. Very "Disney." We wanted to get away ASAP! There are some great sites in Stockholm. But I wouldn't recommend Gamla Stan on a crowded day.

View of the Riddarholmen Cathedral from Gamla Stan
Stockholm, Sweden
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

INTERESTINGLY, IT was primarily the main streets that were mobbed. We did get a little better feel for the "old city" when we got off on some side streets. I was able to get a nice photo of the old church steeple from down one of those side streets.

The view back toward Gamla Stan from Riddarholmen
Stockholm, Sweden
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

WE FARED better after we crossed over the canal again on the west, to Riddarholmen. We got a nice view of the Cathedral from Gamla Stan, as we approached it. And after crossing the bridge, the view back toward Gamla Stan, and the old Church, was actually quite photogenic.

Riddarholmen Cathedral from across the canal
Stockholm, Sweden
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

RIDDARHOLMEN CATHEDRAL, and the island where it stands, was 180 degrees opposite. There was almost nobody there. Which was great from a photography - and observation standpoint. The approach across the bridge over the canal between Gamla Stan and Riddarholmen may have yielded the best view of the impressive structure and surrounds.

Riddarholmen Cathedral
Stockholm, Sweden
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

THE CATHEDRAL stands in the middle of a broad, expansive plaza, which makes getting images of the full building possible. I liked the relative seclusion of the Riddarholmen Island. The image below gives a bit of the feel for such solitude in the middle of a very large, and very busy city. We found a few more interesting places, but I am sure a tour would have been more enlightening. If and when we return to Stockholm, we will surely try to find a tour - and to visit the ABBA museum. 😊After getting in our fill of walking, we returned to the shuttle, and ultimately the ship to rest up for the next day.

Stockholm as seen from Riddarholmen
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

BUT MOTHER nature threw a curveball at us. As we sat on the back of the ship with our cocktail, the captain interrupted our reverie over a cocktail with an important announcement. There had been high winds predicted for mid-day the following day. It would have been dangerous - if not impossible - to navigate the ship back up the narrow, winding Stockholm passage in high winds. Our options were to either leave early or be stuck in Stockholm for yet an additional day. The latter would mean missing Copenhagen. I doubt that had even really been considered. The captain announced that he had decided we would leave very early the next morning. So, we missed our second (albeit short) day in Stockholm, and - the Abba Museum. 😞 But of course: safety first!

It never even occurred to us to inform the ship of our plan and make arrangements to communicate in case of an emergency . . . We will now always notify the ship of our plans, including the hotel, applicable phone numbers and any other emergency contact information

YOU KNOW that drumbeat I keep making about learning something on every cruise? Here is one that, even after multiple cruises over multiple years, had never really occurred to me. In all of our cruises, we only actually stayed off the ship one time for an overnight. We were docked in LeHavre, some 2 1/2 hours from Paris, and we had an extra-long, overnight port stay. To make the most of our time, we booked a hotel in Paris and did not return to the port until time to board the second day. I expect there were quite a few of us in that "boat." It never even occurred to us to inform the ship of our plan and make arrangements to communicate in case of an emergency. But as we sat on the Apex this afternoon, contemplating the very early departure (something like 6:00 a.m., if memory serves me correctly), it occurred to me. What about those people who had booked an overnight stay in Stockholm! They obviously weren't on board to hear the announcement. What if? To the best of my knowledge, we did have all aboard when we departed Stockholm the next morning. But we will likely have additional off-ship overnight opportunities in the years to come. We will now always notify the ship of our plans, including the hotel, applicable phone numbers and any other emergency contact information that is pertinent. Something to think about!

Across the Passage from Stockholm from our Cruise Ship Berth
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

The Stockholm Passage

Stockholm Passage
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

IN THE aftermath of the (overnight) St. Petersburg cancellation, Stockholm became the overnight stop (although even that changed - "the best laid plans"). But since we were to be there for the better part of two days, perhaps it is fitting that I do this in two separate posts.

Stockholm Passage
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

THE REAL reason, though, for separate posts is that there were really two separate parts of this stop. For the "cruisers" among us, the distinction may not be obvious. But for anyone who is a photographer, it certainly was. And I spent a couple hours on the way in and again on the way back out, up on deck with my camera. As I say often, there is something special about being up high on a cruise ship deck and offshore from a photographic perspective. And this post will be more about the photographs than anything else. One thing I learned by standing up on the top deck during this passage was just how much rural area - and beauty - Sweden has, once you are outside the major metropolitan areas like Stockholm.

Stockholm Passage
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

TO GET to Stockholm by water, there is only one way; a long, narrow, winding 55-mile-long passage from the Baltic Sea into the city. I have tried numerous searches to try to find a name for this passageway. It resembles a river or very wide canal, much like the passages out of Amsterdam and Rotterdam, to the North Sea. I simply cannot find a name. If a reader knows different, I would love to be enlightened.

Stockholm Passage
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

THE CITY of Stockholm is mainly a group of islands, and much like the other "Nordic" ports we visited, has multiple harbors and cruise docks. Boat traffic is a major mode of transportation to and from the city, and between Stockholm and other destinations. There are at least two major Ferry/cruise lines that make regular trips between Stockholm and Helsinki, for example. These generally an overnight, and the boats are basically mini-cruise ships, with berths and a dining room. Based on the traffic we saw along the passage it appears to be a pretty popular thing. It was fun photographing these transit ships, especially in the background of the passage.

"Transit" Cruise Ships between Stockholm, Helsinki, and Tallinn
Stockholm Passage
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

THE TRANSIT ships moved faster than us, which gave me the photographic advantage of watching them approach, overtake and get out in front of us in both directions.

Stockholm Passage
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

AS I mentioned in an earlier post, another thing I noticed and was intrigued by was the common sight of cross-passage open ferries. I am thinking they were all a part of an official sanctioned system (or contracted for), as they all looked similar. They were all (even the one in Warnemunde) yellow colored. They had a similar, barge-like, open deck design. Again, I found them quite photographically interesting.

Car Ferries along the Stockholm Passage
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

AGRICULTURE PLAYS an important role in Sweden's economy and culture.  While there seems to be some slight variance, most (internet) sources indicate that Sweden is the 5th largest country by area in Europe. When you look at a map, after Russia (which could basically encompass all of Europe with plenty of room to spare) the next 4 or 5 countries appear to be similar in size. In population, however, Sweden ranks 15th in Europe. Most of the productive agriculture in Sweden is in the southern roughly 1/4 of the country (3/4 of the country is blanketed by forests). Sweden's growing season (especially north) is very short, and conditions are just not very amenable to serious agricultural pursuits. Less than 10% of Sweden's land is devoted to agriculture, and the primary products are livestock, with dairy leading the way, and to a much lesser extent, cereal grains. It seemed to me that there was a fair amount of farming present along the passage; perhaps because of the water's moderating influence on temperature and climate.

Farming along the Passage
Stockholm Passage
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

I SAW some nice farmlands along the way. Some were livestock operations (evidenced by the "marshmallow" hay bales), and some devoted to grain production.

Farmland along the passage
Stockholm Passage
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

THERE WAS also evidence of wealth and leisure. Dotted along the passage were numerous small settlements or developments which appeared to be vacation homes (or perhaps commuter homes for persons who work in more populous areas and commute to work). There were nice piers and some pretty nice pleasure craft moored at these settlements.

Stockholm Passage
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

THE NEARLY 3-hour sail in (and back out the next day) provide a lot of color and a lot of landscape to shoot and I made as much of it as I could. This was certainly a pleasant part of the cruise. We would come into port on the east side of Stockholm about mid-morning. We did not have any particular plan for the first day. We would take the shuttle into the center city and find the old city of Gamla Stan in the heart of the city. Next up: Stockholm.

Stockholm Passage
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

Tallin, Estonia

Alexsander Nevski Cathedral - Tallin, Estonia
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

AFTER ST. Petersburg was taken off the agenda, I really though Tallin was probably going to be the highlight of this cruise - especially photographically. At the time I was entertaining those thoughts, I was unfamiliar with Visby, Sweden. I knew Old Tallin was a very well-preserved Medieval city in the Baltic, replete with walls, Cathedrals, cobblestone streets, and old buildings.

Town Square - Tallin, Estonia
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

MY RESEARCH suggested that once you got to the old city from the cruise port, the rest was a pretty walkable site. It is always difficult to get a real "feel" for distances in these places just based on maps and on anecdotal information. The distance on Google Maps from the cruise port to the entrance of the old city is just about 3/4 of a mile. My Rick Steves book suggested it was easily walkable. Maybe we are just getting old. 😅 But we took the cruise shuttle, which dropped us off at the old city entrance. On the way, we did see quite a few people walking. It is - by the way - uphill all the way. It was another 1/2 mile to our meeting point for our walking tour near the Town Hall. Again, mostly uphill. The only solace was that the return would be all downhill.

Town Hall - Tallin, Estonia
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

I WAS looking forward to this day. I had read about several spots that I not only wanted to see but was certain would make excellent picture-taking opportunities. We arrived at the meeting point just 5 minutes early. Surprisingly, we didn't see anyone else waiting. This struck us as a bit strange, as it has been our experience that the guides are usually a few minutes early, in order to make sure people find her/him. And it seems like there are usually people who have arrived early, waiting. We waited for almost 1/2 hour and nobody ever showed up. When we reached out to the guide, he indicated that he had sent us a change of meeting location. We had somehow missed it. Our bad. It was too late for us to try to catch up with them. But we were already in the city, so using a map we had picked up, we did our best to hit the high spots.

Tallin, Estonia
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

I THINK we actually did pretty well on our own. There were two vista-type overlooks I had read about. We found one, but it wasn't really the best one. Unfortunately, it was the only spot we never really found (our friends, Mike and Elaine had seen it on their tour, so I am pretty sure we would have - if we had met up with our group).

Aleksander Nevski Cathedral - Tallin, Estonia
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

MY MOST sought-after shot was probably the Russian Orthodox Cathedral (Aleksander Nevski Cathedral). Given its rather massive size and our vantage point down on the ground, it is a challenging photograph. But I got several that I liked. I have since commented that it is probably the coolest building I have ever photographed.

Walls between the two old cities - Tallin, Estonia
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

I HAD read that there were actually two old cities in Tallin, separated by (separate) walls. At some point years ago in history, the inhabitants of these two cities were rival factions that neither particularly liked, nor trusted each other. But during the daylight hours, they co-existed, and even traded. At night, each city closed their own gates. We successfully found, and identified the two side-by-side walls.

St. Olaf's Church - Tallin, Estonia
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

ONE OF Tallin's more famous landmarks is the old St. Olaf's Church. Built in the 12th century, and probably named after Norway's King Olaf II, the church was originally Catholic. Following the Reformation, the church became Lutheran. In 1950, the church became a Baptist Church (and remains Baptist today). But religion is not really what St. Olaf's is best known for. Rather, primary fame comes from fact that from 1944 - 1991, the Soviet KGB used the tower to as a radio tower, signal jamming site and surveillance point. Certainly the tallest building in Tallin, it may be one of the tallest buildings in the Baltic.

Soviet KGB Prison Cells - Tallin, Estonia
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Right Reserved

IN 1940, The Soviet Union invaded Lithuania. Within a short period of years, the Soviets occupied the 3 "Baltic" states: Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. This occupation lasted from 1944 - 1991. During that occupancy, in addition to using the spire of St. Olaf's Church, the KGB maintain its headquarters, including a prison right around the corner from the church.

Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas - Tallin, Estonia
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

ANOTHER REALLY photogenic church in Tallin is The Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas. Like many taller buildings in close quarters, it is also very challenging to photograph. I thought the best vantage point was from down the street.

Although closed as we passed by, just the name of this "establishment" may give some explanation
for the locals' resentment of visiting weekend partiers from nearby countries
Tallin, Estonia
Copyright Andy Richards - All Rights Reserved

Outdoor seating at Tallin Pub
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

THERE WERE a lot of nice little restaurants and shops along the streets. Tallin is also known for its lively nightlife, which has in more recent years attracted young people from Helsinki and Stockholm for long weekends. I have also read that many of the locals resent their loud, partying ways. But I suppose the dollars that are brought in by these vacationers goes a long way toward assuaging their "wounds."

Tallin, Estonia
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

WE FOUND Tallin's old, Medieval city to be predictably charming - and photogenic. We enjoyed the day. After our walk around the old city, we returned by shuttle once again to the ship. The next day we would dock in Stockolm, after along and scenic waterway passage into the port.

Tallin, Estonia
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

Gotland (Visby)

Visby, Sweden - New Cruise Dock
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

MAINLAND SWEDEN takes up nearly 1/3 of the so-called "Scandinavian Peninsula," and is a nation of nearly 10.5 million people. Gotland is a (relatively) small island (roughly the size of Long Island, NY) which is part of Sweden, east of the mainland and south of Stockholm, in the middle of the Baltic Ocean. Just 30 miles across at its widest point, and barely 80 miles from south to north, Gotland's population is just over 60,000, with over 1/3 of them living in the primary town of Visby, our next port of call.

Visby, Sweden - old main harbor
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

HISTORICALLY, GOTLAND has been an important strategic military asset, due to is central location in the Baltic. During the Finnish war with the Soviets ("The Winter War"), Soviet troops invaded and occupied the island briefly. A force from the mainland was sent, and vanquished them, returning the island to Swedish control.

An originally unscheduled stop, Visby turned out to be enjoyable little gem with lots of history

AN IMPORTANT trading center during the Middle Ages for the Hanseatic League, Gotland eventually came within the combined Swedish/Danish/Finnish kingdom, where it has remained since. During the period from the 1300s until about 1649, the town and port of Visby became Gotland's major trading center. Today a UNESCO World Heritage site, the walled (fortified) city, and most of the buildings inside the wall, still date back to the 1300's and before. Visby is said to be the only preserved Medieval town in Scandanavia.

One of the gates into Visby, Sweden
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

USE OF Gotland as a military base has been off again, on again over the years. It was first built as a fortified (walled) city in the 1300's, to protect from frequent invasions that occurred during those times. Gotland played a part in Sweden's significant production of iron from the Middle Ages onward, being an iron producer itself. During the period following the establishment of Visby, a number of other military fortifications were established on Gotland, in part to protect its mineral and industrial assets. These fortifications played a major part in Sweden remaining neutral in both WWI and WWII, although it should be noted that another important reason Sweden remained neutral during the Second World War was its decision to continue selling iron to the Axis powers. After a lull in military emphasis, the recent increasing tensions with Russia in the Baltic have resulted in increased interest in, and buildup of, the military presence on Gotland.

Visby, Sweden
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

SINCE THE late 19th century, Gotland has been a popular place for Swedish vacationers, with its nice beaches, warm waters and relatively temperate climate. Visby gets abundant sunshine during the year. The island is also a popular camping destination. Just over 50 miles from the Swedish mainland, it is convenient to reach the island and there are regular ferries. These days, there is a fair amount of worldwide tourism to Gotland. Visby has been a popular cruise ship destination in the past. However, with the ever-growing size of modern ships, less of them are able to visit as the port is not deep enough for them. While they can tender in, that has its issues - particularly bad weather. In 2018, a new pier was opened in Visby which could accommodate the larger ships. 

Gotland Ferry Service
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

THE NEW cruise ship dock was a good 3/4 to 1 mile from the center of the city. On a nice day, it wasn't a terrible walk. But still, it was a healthy walk. We had a walking tour scheduled for that day and the meeting point was in the center city, inside the wall. Our guide was a British expat (it is interesting to me how often we run into this with guides in Europe). He had moved to Gotland years back and was very knowledgeable.

St. Mary's Cathedral - Visby, Sweden
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

LIKE SO many cities in Europe, there are many magnificent churches and cathedrals on Gotland. One of them is pretty much central to the town of Visby and is impressive (though difficult to photograph). Originally built by the German traders in the 13th Century, the architectural style of St. Mary's Cathedral is a blend of German influence and Gothic styling. It has undergone numerous renovations over the centuries. A major tourist site in Visby, the once Catholic Cathedral is now the seat of The Bishop of Visby and part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Sweden.

Gated Arch Entrance to St. Mary's Cathedral - Visby, Sweden
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

THERE ARE many old neighborhoods around the church grounds and the church presents from almost every direction. Even as you walk other streets in the town, you can see the church steeple in the distance. And there is evidence of the town's Medieval roots everywhere you walk and look.

Visby, Sweden
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

AN ORIGINALLY unscheduled stop, Visby turned out to be enjoyable little gem with lots of history.

Visby, Sweden
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved