12th of August 2026 - Stockholm

Stockholm stretched across fourteen islands where Lake Mälaren meets the Baltic Sea with very much a waterfront character.  We started our day with a walk along the waterfront to the Vasa Museum.

 

The Vasa Museum houses the Vasa, a 17th‑century warship that sank on her maiden voyage in 1628 in the waters of Stockholm.  The Vasa was recovered, very much preserved, more than 300 years later.  It was impressive to see the Vasa's towering masts and ornate carvings.

Outside the city to the east, and along the coast, is the island chain of the Stockholm archipelago.  We took a short boat trip past some of Stockholm's islands to the edge of the archipelago.

We then walked back to Gamla Stan, Stockholm’s medieval Old Town, past the Royal Palace.

In the evening we went to the cocktail bar on the top floor for some last views of Stockholm.  This is my last entry for our visit to the Baltic countries.  The biggest surprise I had on this holiday was seeing a road sign for St Petersburg in Tallinn.  We were roughly 95–100 miles (about 150–160 km) from Russia.  Russia’s past impact on the Baltic states was shaped by decades of domination, first through the Russian Empire and later under Soviet rule.  Even after regaining independence in 1991, the legacy of occupation influenced everything from citizenship laws to security policy.  Recently the Baltic states have pursued rapid integration with NATO and the EU as a safeguard against renewed Russian pressure.