Saturday, August 6, 2011

Sweden, country 71

Well, it was a few days ago now that I took an overnight bus from Oslo to Stockholm. I had thought it might be a comfortable ride, with large seats that recline; something like the bus I was on in Thailand last year, on the way from Bangkok to Pattaya. No such luck. The seats were cramped and hardly reclined at all. Luckily, I had kept hold of my British Airways pack containing ear plugs and an eye mask. Both of these things helped me get about five hours' sleep.

So I arrived in Stockholm at about 7am. Big bonus points go to the Queen's Hotel, which let me check in at that time (rather than having to wait until 2pm). I was able to freshen up before meeting my friend Ben, from London, who I have now travelled with in at least four cities since we met in New Zealand a few years back. He had already had a few days in Stockholm, so I basically relied on him to be my guide and was happy to be led around the old and new parts of the city.

Stockholm is larger than Oslo. Its Gamla Stan area, in particular, has lots of nice cobble-stoned streets to explore. There are also hidden gems of open space to sit and relax in. We took a 90 minute cruise for the equivalent of about £8 ($15 NZ) for another view of the city.

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