Cruise to Helsinki

7th October

This morning, we continue our walking tour of Stockholm. Enjoyed the beautiful sight of Stockholm City Hall and the beautiful scenery around Riddarfjarden.

In the afternoon, walked around the Royal Palace and harbour area around Strommen.

In the late afternoon, we boarded Viking Line M/S Grabriella for the 17 hours cruise to Helsinki. This ship is a cruiseferry built in 1992 with 12 decks capable to carry 2400 passengers and 400 cars. We had a cabin on Deck 9 with window.

At 4.30pm, the ship slipped off the harbour gracefully in calm water of the fiord or waterway. The ship sailed through the narrow waterway passing many islands. The autumn foliage was beautiful. Soon we experienced sunset on the sun deck.

By sunset,  the temperature has dropped and became very chilly. When the wind blew, it was very chilly and we returned to our comfortable cabin. It took 4 hours for the ship to enter the Baltic Sea. The ship rolling motion can be felt and it was good time to go to bed.