Ferry, Cross the Bothney

Well I know it's not called that and it is just a ferry ride across the Baltic Sea/Gulf of Bothnia. But I started life in Liverpool area and I rode the ferry crossing the Mersey many times before Gerry Marsden sang about it.

I didn't have anything very specific on until late pm and decided I would assess the Swedish Shopping Experience by visiting a mall. I hate malls, but needs must. Turned out the nearest mall was (yes, I know) Westfield Stockholm. I imagine I will get a £243 parking charge similar to the one in Shepherd's Bush but I didn't see any tills. I think they have my number (from when I parked yesterday) and will send me the bill later, together with the bill for road pricing as I have been warned.

There was nothing very interesting in the mall, other than everything is about 38% more expensive than the UK, for example in a supermarket. As a chewing gum menace I was pleased to see Mr Wrigley's Extra in the tub of 60 which they seem to have discontinued in the UK.

The excitement was when I saw a piece of commercial nomenclature which rivals my old computer competitor Wang, who introduced their service brand in the UK with the American name - Wangcare. This one is for Vietnamese food.

Time for lunch. Stockholm is confusing. Normal cities have one river or sea. Better class places like Brentford have 2 rivers (and a canal). Stockholm seems to have 700 different watery places. Anyway I discovered an elegant one with old boats on it including one which was a restaurant with one or two semi-affordable offerings.

Very nice too. Then I went to the Havn (my Swedish is coming on) and caught the ferry. A friend of mine warned me when she used this ferry she was chased around the ship by viking suitors. I wouldn't have minded some of the same as long as they were vikingesses and I was told the real problem was shared cabins.

Being a skinflint I had chosen the cheapest cabin - no windows and sharing with up to 4 others. Bathroom? Silent.

When I got here I not only had an outside view, 2 beds with just me. One is folded up and gives me far more space than in any of the hotels so far.

And a perfectly adequate en-suite

I will write to their marketing department pointing out where their ideas are astray. Actually I will do no such thing. I'm not that annoying. Except sometimes.

The last time I was on a cruise ship was when I was 11 and it was a school cruise on the MS Dunera. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMT_Dunera This was my Hello Muddah moment https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yFTOvO0utY after my sisters led me into bad ways by bringing this record home. We were heading for Granada (not Camp Granada, but still) and this meant this old tub going across the stormy Bay of Biscay (which my father had warned me about). I think every one of 1000 (estimate) kids on board were sick. Including me. It was horrible.

Early indications of this one are a bit different. It is not a converted troop ship with a murky past but my first impression was like this

Well, it's not all quite like that but it is pretty swanky (and very crowded, making me think of nightmares at Euro-Disney 30 years ago)

It even has a memento of Brentford

The lifeboats seem to be modelled on the one that recently arrived by Watermans Park. Well, they are both orange.

So here I am, in the calm Baltic sea, writing my blog at a proper desk with a nice stool to sit on. And every now and then I go out for a constitutional and see the gorgeous environment.

Whether Finland and the 4 more new (to me) countries I have awaiting me I have no idea. But this trip has mainly been a great pleasure.

More tomorrow, probably.