Copenhagen to Stockholm — And a Night on the Baltic Sea!
After a comfortable night at the City Hotel Nebo in Copenhagen, it was time to pack my trusty little suitcase once again and continue northwards.
Today was going to be quite an adventure, involving three trains, two international borders and an overnight ferry!
My destination for the night was Finland, although I would be travelling there via Sweden.
When planning this journey, I had discovered that hotels in Stockholm were rather expensive, so I had come up with what I thought was a much better idea.
Why pay for a hotel when I could take an overnight ferry to Finland instead?
Not only would I save the cost of accommodation, but I would wake up the following morning in another country.
Rather clever planning, I thought!
Across the Øresund Bridge
After checking out of the hotel, I made the short walk to Copenhagen Central Station for my 09:23 train to Lund in Sweden.
The journey would take just 48 minutes, arriving at 10:11.
One of the things I had particularly been looking forward to was crossing the magnificent Øresund Link between Denmark and Sweden.
And I certainly wasn’t disappointed!
The railway initially passes through a tunnel beneath the sea before emerging onto an artificial island and continuing across the enormous bridge towards Sweden.
What a remarkable piece of engineering!
The bridge carries both road and rail traffic, and the views across the water were magnificent.
As someone who has always been fascinated by railways and engineering, I found the whole experience quite extraordinary.
Northwards Through Sweden
At 10:11 I arrived at Lund, where I had eleven minutes to change trains.
My next service departed at 10:22, heading north towards Stockholm Södra, where I was due to arrive at 14:37.
I settled down to enjoy the journey through the Swedish countryside.
One of the great pleasures of travelling by train is watching the landscape gradually change as you move from one region to another.
And with no airport security queues, baggage carousels or check-in desks to worry about, it was a wonderfully relaxing way to travel.
At 14:37 I arrived at Stockholm Södra, where I had a short wait before catching the 15:00 local train to Stockholm City.
Three minutes later, at 15:03, I arrived in the Swedish capital at the central railway station.
Stockholm — So Near, Yet So Far!
Although I had finally reached Stockholm, I wasn’t planning to stay overnight.
My accommodation for the night was aboard Viking Line’s Amorella, which would take me across the Baltic Sea to Turku in Finland.
I decided to walk through Stockholm towards the ferry terminal.
There was a considerable amount of large-scale construction work taking place in the city, although I managed to find my way through it all.
Eventually I came to a busy pedestrianised shopping street, full of people enjoying the afternoon.
By now I was feeling rather hungry, and I spotted an inviting Italian restaurant.
That would do nicely!
I found myself a table and ordered a pizza, accompanied by a glass of very nice red wine.
A most enjoyable way to spend a little time in Stockholm.
After finishing my meal, I continued along the shopping street towards the harbour.
Eventually, as I reached the end of the street, I could see the ferry berths ahead of me.
Excellent! Nearly there!
Unfortunately, although I could see where I wanted to go, actually getting there was another matter altogether.
The construction works blocked the direct route, and I found myself having to make a lengthy detour around them.
Rather frustrating when your destination is clearly visible in front of you!
Eventually, after rather more walking than I had anticipated, I reached the Viking Line terminal.
My Floating Hotel — The Viking Amorella
Waiting at the terminal was the Amorella, a large Viking Line passenger ferry that would be my home for the night.
I checked in and made my way aboard, where I found my cabin, number 6216, on Deck 6.
The ship was very pleasant, with comfortable passenger facilities, restaurants, bars and shops.
Rather more enjoyable than spending the night in an expensive Stockholm hotel, I thought!
After depositing my suitcase in the cabin, I decided to head up onto the open deck to watch our departure.
And what a magnificent sight awaited me!
Sailing Through the Stockholm Archipelago
As we sailed out towards the Baltic Sea, we passed through the beautiful Stockholm archipelago, with its hundreds of little islands scattered across the water.
Many were covered in trees, and tucked away amongst them were delightful wooden log cabins, some standing quite close to the water’s edge.
I couldn’t help thinking what wonderful places they must be to spend a summer holiday.
The scenery was absolutely beautiful, and I stood on deck watching it all pass by as the evening slowly drew in.
There was something wonderfully peaceful about the whole experience.
No railway connections to worry about, no timetables to check, and certainly no ticket inspectors to avoid!
Just the gentle movement of the ship, the beautiful Swedish islands and the knowledge that somewhere ahead lay Finland.
I stayed on deck until dusk, reluctant to leave such a lovely scene.
It was one of those unexpected pleasures of travelling that no amount of planning can quite prepare you for.
A Pleasant Evening Aboard the Amorella
Eventually I decided it was time to leave the scenery behind and find something to eat.
Having enjoyed a pizza in Stockholm earlier, I didn’t particularly want another large meal.
Instead, I found myself a comfortable seat in one of the ship’s bars and ordered a toasted sandwich and some fries, accompanied, naturally, by a beer.
Nothing particularly extravagant, but just what I fancied after a long day travelling.
I spent a very pleasant hour or so relaxing in the bar, reflecting on the day’s journey.
That morning I had woken up in Copenhagen, crossed the magnificent Øresund Bridge into Sweden, travelled north to Stockholm and was now aboard a ship sailing towards Finland.
Three countries in one day!
And the clever part was that I hadn’t needed to pay for a hotel in Stockholm. My cabin aboard the ferry provided my accommodation while the ship carried me towards my next destination.
Rather good planning, I thought!
Eventually I made my way back to cabin 6216 for the night.
Tomorrow morning I would wake up in Finland, ready for another stage of my adventure.
See you all tomorrow, I hope!
TTFN,
Bibbley
