spectacular stockholm and ho hum helsinki

2 more Baltic days to share with you. 1st up is Stockholm. We could have spent a lot more time there and would definiltey recommend it for a long weekend for our local friends. Stockholm is part of an archipelego which dazzles you as you come in and leave the port. The water is beautfiful with colorful boats and wood houses dotting the hundreds of islands. There is an old part of the city (the Gamle Stan), which is a perfectly preserved Medival town. The most fun for the kids was our first stop, the Vasa museum. A 17thc warship that is perfectly preserved. It is an amazing museum; one of the highlights of the entire trip for sure. We also were able to snag reservations to the Ice Bar, which was certainly unique for all of us. There are a couple of ice hotels around Europe that would be neat to sleep in, but we southerners were just fine with the 45 minutes. haha. Oh and another highlight was seeing the military band at the changing of the guard at noon, playing Abba's Dancing Queen. Really!? How fun is that! cruising in the archipelago

The dome below is actually a very unique church that was blasted out of a huge granite rock. It's called the Temppeliaukio Church and is definiltey worth a visit if you find yourself in Helsinki.