This Is The End

Now that I've made it back home safe and sound, I thinks it's time that I share my experiences during the last bit of this trip. Every word I type is terribly bittersweet.

Last Wednesday, I went on my first cruise ever. Our ship stopped in three cities; Helsinki, Stockholm, and Tallinn. Because there is so much I'd like to say about each city, I'll break this intro three parts.

Helsinki

When I arrived in Helsinki, the first thing I noticed was the similarities it shared with Russian culture. Frequently, I would see monuments dedicated to various Russian Tsars. Particularly, Alexander II, emancipator of the serfs (Sort of, but not really), and Alexander III. The first portion of my day was spent touring the city. On the tour I saw Helsinki University, a massive Lutheran church, and the main square (Oldest part) of the city. Much different from Eastern Orthodox churches, the Lutheran church appeared to be much more modest. Also, the church itself was built on top of the main square. 

The Lutheran church.

Looking down on an Alexander II monument from the main square. 

Luckily, our tour was brief and we were then able to explore the city ourselves. I spent most of my time in the main market of the city where you can buy souvenirs and Finnish cuisine. Speaking of cuisine, I ended up trying reindeer meatballs with a special mayonnaise sauce. Both were excellent. The meatballs had a sort of smokey flavor which sort of reminded of deer. And of course, I ended up buying some souvenirs (I'm such a tourist...). By the time I had finished shopping in the market, it was time to head back to the ship. On the way back, I tried Finnish strawberries. After one bite Finnish strawberries had officially become the best in the world. 

Reindeer meatballs, steamed vegetables, boiled potatoes, and a coke. YUM.

The LEGENDARY Finnish strawberry!

The walk back to the ship was a bit depressing for me because I really wanted to see more of the city. I loved the Finnish streets, which are filled with trees and beautiful grassy areas on the sides. A lot of Finns were lying in the grass having lunch or just relaxing. That is definitely something I could get used to. Overall, I thought Helsinki was a beautiful city that I would love to visit again. 

Stockholm <3

Ah, Stockholm, the city that stole my heart. It may sound odd, but when I left this breathtaking city it felt like I was leaving home. I left with one thought in my mind, "this is where I belong." Our first stop in Stockholm was at the royal palace, which was massive and grand (Sweden is a constitutional monarchy). Right after the guided tour a small group of us immediately began walking to explore the city. The most noticeable thing about Stockholm is how clean it is. There were no foul smells as is common in most cities and I found very little if no trash in the street. Small gardens and parks are dispersed all throughout the city. Also, it seemed that Swedes love to ride bikes and be outdoors. For a few hours we walked around downtown, stopped at a small outdoor cafe, and went down the main souvenir shop street. 

One of the many gardens/parks in Stockholm.

A street by the royal palace.

In the cruise's guide for the city, it recommended that you try an ice-cream shop called StikkiNikki. After buying some souvenirs, our group walked across town to StikkiNikki. I must admit, all of the ice-cream I've had in Europe has been incredible. I don't know what makes it different from the stuff you can buy in the states. Unfortunately, visiting the ice-cream shop used up what time we had left in the city. So, I decided to walk back to the ship alone and take in as much of the city as possible. It was one of the best experiences I've had on this trip. I absolutely love Stockholm. If there is one place I think everyone should visit, that would be it. Getting back on the ship was tough. I didn't want to leave.

Looking out into one of the city's bays. 

Ice-cream (:

When leaving Stockholm, our ship had to travel through a series of fjords. I was able to catch the sunset and say my final goodbyes to Sweden. 

Swedish sunset.

Estonia

The last day of our cruise consisted of a visit to Tallinn, Estonia. Prior to the cruise, I knew absolutely nothing about Estonia. Needless to say, after my visit I was charmed by Tallinn. The city itself gives off a very medieval kind of vibe. It's surrounded by very old walls and once you enter it feels like an entirely different world. I almost felt like I was in the middle of a fairytale. We had another brief tour where we learned about the city's German, Swedish, and Russian past. At one point or another, the city was conquered by one of these countries. However, the language itself reminded me of Finnish much more than German or Swedish. 

The view when you first enter the city.

City street.

A higher up view of the city.

For lunch, I ate at a restaurant called Balthazar's. What made this place so special is that every dish is focused around garlic. I already knew that garlic is a very versatile ingredient in food, but Balthazar's showed me just how much you can do with it. My meal of choice was chicken stuffed with prosciutto, cheese, and a garlic mushroom sauce. It was incredible. After lunch, I spent the rest of my time walking around the city taking in as much as possible. I finished the day off with visiting the city's oldest cafe. 

Lunch at Balthazar's.

Tallinn's oldest cafe.

Although it was short, I enjoyed my stay in Estonia immensely. I found Tallinn to be extremely charming and picturesque. 

It Comes to an End

After returning from the cruise my life became nothing but packing and finishing last minute assignments. I did have an overnight stay in Frankfurt, but there wasn't very much time to see most of the city. My main goal was to try some real German cuisine. Success. I had wiener schnitzel, German potato salad, and a Bavarian beer for dinner. It all was excellent. Now that I've been home for roughly a day I've had the chance to reflect on my month long adventure. This last month has changed my life in so many positive ways. I've grown more confident from being out of my comfort zone and I was able to see more of the world. It was extremely eye opening to see how other people live on this planet of ours. Now, I want to see even more of it! You can say that I've been bitten by the travel bug. I wish everyone could have the chance to travel and see the world.

I'm eternally grateful to all those who supported me studying abroad. I couldn't have done it without you. 

Until next time,

Colby McCoy, The Bold Wanderer.