Sunset on the Baltic Sea
Sunset on the boat from Stockholm to Helsinki
Looking out before deporting from Stockholm
Casino floor on the cruise shipMonday, August 30th
Today started about 6am at a hostal 1/2 mile from the Oslo central train station. I got to the station early - ate some breafast and then found my platform. They are still having some issues with the rails, so I had to take a bus for the first 3 hours of the 6 hour journey to Stockholm.
I wasn't really awake yet - so the first 3 hours were mostly sleeping. Once at the connecting rail station, I transferred to the train and proceeded to read for the next 3 hours.
I got into Stockholm around 1:30pm. I had to figure out how to get to Helsinki. I was told that the cruise ship option was the best bet. I had to pay 440 Swedish Krone for the trip - this is roughly $60 (not bad). I walked across from the rail station and got my tickets. I had to take a transfer bus down to the docks. Ship left at 4:30pm - I was on board around 3:45pm. I was up in the cafe having a drink while I wrote my blog from yesterday.
I think I could get into cruise ships. There really is alot to do. I had some dinner at one of the restaraunts - opting against the buffet. I spent some time at the black jack table. It was cheap. 2 euro minimum. Only problem - they had just 1 table. It was fun until I lost everything. (They had some weird rules on ties - they go to the dealer - that doesn't help the cause much. I had a nineteen and the dealer showed nineteen - they took my money. I didn't stick around much after that).
I then went to one of the 2 nightclubs on the boat. Pretty cool. Some good music and alot of dancing (I was a spectator). I took it in and called it a night around midnight. Helsinki is 1 hour ahead of Stockholm.
I was staying in this tiny room with 4 bunks. 2 other guys were there. Both spoke very little English. I can't go into details; however, one of the guys had met a girl on the dancefloor. He had a good night. I was out of the room at 5am - and that's just about all I have to say about that. Pot luck roommates - can be interesting.
On to Helsinki, Finland on Tuesday. Solid. This is my 20th country to date. That total will double before the end of the trip as many of the smaller and lesser known countries will be given a day or 2 at most. What do I know about Finland going in? Very little. I know it has about 3.5 million people, is the most eastern country of the Nordic group, has a wealthy capital of Helsinki, and is geographically close to Russia (just a short train ride to St. Petersburg). Let's find out what else I can uncover.
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