Monday, September 10, 2012

Last Stop: Gothenburg, Sweden

Our final stop on our epic Baltic cruise was Gothenburg, Sweden. I didn't have too high of expectations for this port because people online described it as a throw-away port. There isn't too much to see, they said, and the city is really far from the port.

Sweden's west coast


Knowing this, Dan and I decided to book an excursion that would take us to the west coast and Marstrand, a 17th century fortress. Unlike our excursion in Helsinki, this one was well worth it.

Marstrand, Sweden

Once again we were blessed with gorgeous weather. It made it absolutely fantastic to walk around this charming sea town. The west coast of Sweden was exactly what we hoped Poorvo would be like (but wasn't).

The main attraction in the town is the fortress. It isn't the most impressive fortress I've seen, but it made a pretty backdrop for some pictures, and there were great views from the top.





We weren't the only ones enjoying the lovely weather. Locals were hanging out at the "beach," which was really just a diving board nestled into some rocks.

 
Dan and I thought it was pretty funny that even the horses in Sweden are blonde. Ha!


We had the most incredible lunch at a local seafood restaurant. I am still dreaming about it. We had a fresh green salad with salmon and a citrus dressing; and marinated herring two ways. The salad was incredible, but the herring was off-the-charts amazing. One of the styles was herring in a vinegar marinade (which I've had before, but this was the best), and one way was in a mustard sauce (which I've never had and now hope to find again). YUM!


Of course no trip to a seaside town is complete with out ice cream. The Swedes love their ice cream and so do I!


This port was a great way to end this incredible trip. I don't know what I did to deserve the life I'm living right now, but I'm trying to enjoy every moment of it.

By the way, I need to send a quick shout-out to my awesome dinner mates from the cruise. It can be awkward sitting at a table with the same strangers for 12 nights in a row. But these folks moved from strangers to friends within the first couple of days. Thanks for the fun memories! See you again soon!

The dinner gang

Read about our other ports of call:
First port: Copenhagen, Denmark
Second port: Stockholm, Sweden
Third port: Helsinki, Finland
Fourth port: Saint Petersburg, Russia (day 1, day 2)
Fifth port: Tallin, Estonia


No comments:

Post a Comment