The Journey to Sweden
Much like the journey from Helsinki to Tallinn, the trip from Tallinn to Stockholm was frustratingly choppy. I spent the majority of the trip on the deck of the ship because the fresh air kept me from vomiting. It was super cold and windy though, so it was kind of a rough night. I finally buckled down and paid for some seasickness medication. It helped a little, and after a while, I was able to fall asleep. Evidently, I need to bring motion sickness medication with me everywhere I go.
The next morning, we awoke in Stockholm. The air was chilly but no worse than it had been in Finland or Estonia. Initially, it seemed to me that Stockholm didn’t have as inviting an atmosphere as the other cities (Suommelina excluded), but within a short time, I grew to really love it!
The group wandered, lost and confused for a little while, in pursuit of our hostel. My knee was killing me the whole time. I put on a good face so I could get to the hostel.
Interestingly enough, our hostel was a docked boat! It was a pretty cool setup. We all ditched our luggage at the hostel and immediately started wandering the city. The city really is charming. We also had arrived during the Stockholm Film Festival.
After we had walked for a while, we decided it was time to get some food. Something amazing happened during our food hunt that day. Lo and behold, “The Taco Bar- Small Piece of Mexico.” I was psyched out of my mind. If it weren’t for the traffic and my wonky knee, I would have sprinted there! You guys, the burritos at Taco Bar were so good. Admittedly, it is not as good as Mexican food back home, but it still was such a welcomed taste. My burrito also came with chips, salsa, and guacamole. Sweden is doing something right by having this place!
We checked out the Riddarholm Church and several other cathedrals in the area. They were all closed to the public but were still beautiful from the outside.
By this point in the day, we had seen most of the main attractions. My knee was also a ticking time bomb. At this point, walking was getting to be pretty painful, so Jordan, Elizabeth, and I returned to the hostel. Elizabeth got a heavier coat while I rested my knee. After a short time, I was ready to go back out into the city.
We ended up wandering the street and gathering souvenirs. Taking small steps on even ground was helpful in easing my knee pain. Once we had gathered all the souvenirs we wanted, our little crew returned to the hostel. After going down a few flights of stairs to our room, I needed a break. I chilled in the room for a while and relaxed, which was kind of nice.
After a couple of hours, a few of us realized how hungry we were. Jordan and I left the hostel at around 9:00 p.m., thinking it shouldn’t be a problem finding at least a McDonald’s that was open at that time. Wrong! Stockholm shuts down for the night at 9 p.m. I really don’t understand the logic behind that one, but that’s just how it was. Everything was closed, including McDonald’s. Finally, after almost an hour of searching, we found those blessed golden arches and an open door. It was open until midnight, and I was extremely thankful for that.
Once our bellies were filled with twice our daily-allotted calories, we roamed the empty streets of Stockholm (gotta work off at least a few of those calories). The city is completely different at night. During the day it is bustling and the energy is infectious. At night though, it’s tranquil and alluring.
Once we returned to the hostel, we went straight to bed (after brushing our teeth of course- McDonald’s will rot your teeth out). There was no point in trying to shower. The bathroom had no shower curtain, so when you shower, the water got all over the walls and toilet. I was not about to deal with that mess.
Much to my surprise, it was a great night of sleep, despite being on a moderately chilly, humid boat. And that’s it for now! I’ll tell you more about the trip in the next one.
All my love,
Madison
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