Planes, Trains, Boats, and Automobiles!

  Goodbye Stockholm!  Hello Turku, Finland   –  Saturday, July 23 Today is debarkation day, and we were up early as we need to make our way from our Viking Ocean Ship to our Viking Ferry.  Not the same company, but located nearby, our ferry takes us from Stockholm, through the archipelago and over to Turku, Finland where we will spend the night in a hotel.  When I made the reservation, I was not sure how easy it would be to get from the cruise ship to the ferry terminal, but I hoped for the best.  My original plan was to take an overnight ferry to Helsinki, but Taija recommended doing this alternative indicating that it was a more scenic and comfortable trip than going across the ocean to Helsinki.  She tells us that Turku is a charming town and was the first capital of Finland. Wikipedia tells me that Turku  is Finland's sixth largest city and is located  on the southwest coast of   Finland   at the mouth of the   Aura Ri...

  Bornholm (Rønne) ,  Denmark  –  Monday, July 18 The island of Bornholm was another substitute for places we were supposed to visit until Putin decided to invade Ukraine.  Bornholm is a Danish island  in the  Baltic Sea , to the east of the rest of  Denmark , south of  Sweden , northeast of  Germany  and north of  Poland .   Among Bornholm's chief industrial activities are   dairy farming   and   arts and crafts   industries such as   glass production   and   pottery   using locally worked   clay .   Tourism   is also important during the summer months. The island is home to four of Denmark's  seven  round churches . The island is known as  solskinsøen  ( Sunshine Island ) because of its weather and  klippeøen  ( Rock Island ) because of its geology, which consists of granite, except along the southern coast. The heat from the s...

  Copenhagen ,  Denmark  –  Saturday, July 16 Docking was bright and early at 7 a.m.  We were not awake to see it!  Here is what I have learned about Copenhagen. Copenhagen  is the capital and most populous city of   Denmark .  Situated on the eastern coast of the island of   Zealand , it is separated from   Malmö ,   Sweden , by the strait of   Øresund . The   Øresund Bridge   connects the two cities by rail and road. Copenhagen was originally a Viking fishing village established in the 10th century in the vicinity of what is now Gammel Strand.  It became the capital of Denmark in the early 15th century. Beginning in the 17th century, it consolidated its position as a regional center of power with its institutions, defenses, and armed forces. During the Renaissance the city served as the de facto capital of the Kalmar Union, being the seat of monarchy, governing the majority of...