Sailing from Helsinki to Stockholm

Please don’t get the idea I braved huge Baltic seas in a skiff. I went on an enormous ship that glides between Helsinki and Stockolm every day.

Viking Line leaves the harbour in Helsinki in the late afternoon and arrives the next morning in Stockholm…what a great way to travel.

I boarded the boat with hundreds of others and settled in on the back deck to watch the harbour recede.

From the high vantage point there is an excellent view of Suomenlinna, the fortress island in the harbour, and lots of other little islands.

Helsinki looks impressive from the ship.

The local ferry makes regular trips to  Suomenlinna, along with other small boats.

The other ship, Silja Line, was first to leave.

Soon we were off and sailing.

…past Suomenlinna.

 

…through Kings Gate, the narrow pass between Suomenlinna and the neighbouring island.

Seagulls followed the boat for some time, but eventually realised no fish were going to appear overboard and they gave up.

Helsinki disappears in the distance.

Here is my cabin. That is not a porthole, it is a painting of a porthole.

The next morning I was up early to watch us sail into Stockholm. The sunrise was taken from behind glass, it was freezing outside.

I did eventually venture onto the deck. The Swedish coastline is similar to Finland. There are hundreds of tiny islands dotted along the coast.

Stockholm eventually appeared.

Gamla Stan, the historical centre waits to be explored.

More on sensational Stockholm soon.