Gipatik: 12.06.2022
After an extraordinary journey from Finland to Sweden, we again know what the saying 'Travel broadens the mind' actually means....or to put it another way: who actually knows where Åland is located? Does the archipelago belong to Sweden or Finland? When are you actually completely on the open sea during the crossing?
The large ferry seems to glide past the archipelago for hours, first the Finnish and then the Swedish. The open sea is never really open at any point and halfway there is a short stop in Åland, in the port of Mariehamn. Åland is autonomous, belongs somewhere to Finland, but Swedish is spoken and....is certainly worth a visit. During the journey, you can't get enough of the many small wooden houses that peek out like colorful flowers between the rocks and meadows.
Arrival in Stockholm is then at 18:30 - however, we are still on Finnish time and fall tired into our hotel beds.
For the first day in Stockholm, we try to create a good program mix for adults and the 'U18 group':
7:30 am Sunday breakfast (such a hotel breakfast after 6 weeks is really nice :))
9:00 am Vasa Museum (the Vasa is an old warship that sank after only 1,500 meters of travel in the harbor basin in 1628 and was recovered 333 years later - a true gem)
10:30 am Junibacken (Astrid Lindgren Museum - but also other childhood heroes like Findus, Mama Muh, and the Moomins can be found here)
1:00 pm Skansen park (open-air museum, playground, and zoo all in one)
We have seen everything multiple times, but looking at it through the eyes of children somehow makes it beautiful all over again.
The day goes by too quickly - we continue to our accommodation in Skogås: 19km away, but in Stockholm, there is nothing affordable for a family of 5.