Saturday, July 6, Stockholm, Sweden

We arrived in Stockholm at 8:00 am. It was a partly cloudy day, but a warm 72 degrees. We had breakfast in the dining room and a 9:00 am excursion.

We left by bus to the old town area where we met Ivor. We set off on foot to walk through the area. Ivor was a very informative guide and told us must about the islands of Stockholm and about it's architecture.

We finished our walking tour and headed for the roof! Yes, the roof. We boarded an elevator and headed for the 7th floor. We put on our helmets and were strapped in our harnesses and climbed a small ladder to the roof. We hooked our harness to a small cable and "walked our dog," a small device that hooked to the cable for stability. The view was spectacular, but the cat walk was a little scary where there was no railing, on an incline, and on the steps. We made it all the way around the top of the roof, Ivor told us about the sites, but Lois was too busy trying not to die to know what he said! We made our way down and back to the street.

We were given the option to return with our bus or stay in Stockholm. We decided to be brave and stay in old town. We went back to old town and looked in the shops. We bought a ticket on the Hop On Hop Off bus. The bus took us all around the city and provided tour information as we rode. The bus brought us back directly in front of the ship, so convenient and we didn't get lost! Most everyone in all the places we have been speak English and are very helpful, except for the Russian Immigration Officers.

We boarded the ship and had a late lunch on the Lido Deck. Of course, that was followed by a nap. We headed down to the Culinary Arts demo by Samantha. She made Swedish meatballs the size of baseballs. We didn't stay for the entire demo.

We had before dinner drinks in the room and dinner in the dining room. Lois had the Salmon-Red Bell Pepper Terrine, Italian Wedding Soup, and the Greek-Style Beef Salad. I had the Mussels a la Mariniere, Chilled Roasted Peach Soup, and the Calf's Liver with Apples and Pancetta. Dessert for Lois was Strawberry Crisp with ice cream and I had Tom Pouce. The man at the table next to us had four entrees...guess he was really hungry!

We sailed through the Stockholm Archipelago as we left Stockholm. There are approximately 30,000 islands. The views were beautiful. Most of the islands have houses, saunas, and a boat or two.
After dinner, we went to the main stage show. It was the BB King Blues Club Presents: Memphis Sounds. It was a great and we stayed for the entire show. We then went to the Lido Deck for the Dessert Extravaganza. The desserts are spectacular and very beautiful. They were making cotton candy and candied apples. It was very close to being in Heaven!
Off to bed, but it is never dark!

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