Cruise in the New Year
Hello everyone!
As expected at the end of the year, a person indulges in memories, so I decided to share my memories of how I met the outgoing 2018. And I met him on a ship, or rather, on a ferry, on a mini-cruise from Tallinn to Stockholm and back. I must say that this route (from Tallinn to Stockholm) is not new for us, it has been skated many times and is familiar. But we have not yet had a chance to celebrate the New Year at sea.
Tallink Ferries in the Port of Tallinn
The ferry tickets were booked independently and in advance, back in September, on the website of the Tallink ferry company. This pleasure cost 350 euros for three - including one breakfast (each) and a New Year's dinner, which was impossible to refuse. Separately, I note that dinner takes place in two shifts: one early at 20:30, and the second later - at 22:30, so for that shift that "later" the places were sorted back in September! I had to choose "early dinner". However, I’ll tell you about dinner below.
Tallinn in winter is fabulously beautiful
And so, at the appointed time, on December 30.2017, we boarded with all our small company and, after saying goodbye to Tallinn for a whole year (after all, we will return next year), set sail for Sweden. On the ferry, everything is familiar and familiar: first of all, we are looking for our cabin, where we leave things, food and alcohol supplies bought at a supermarket near the ferry terminal, and head to the bistro - sip hot soup for warming (5 euros from the nose - bread and salt free and unlimited). Further, according to the knurled pattern: a trip to local ferry boutiques and an inspection of a liquor store, where sometimes there are good discounts on certain types of alcohol. I remember once we bought a liter of Lauders whiskey for 10 euros (usually costs 20) and a liter of Gordon's traveler's edition gin for 10 euros, etc. Unfortunately, in the new year there were discounts only for vodka, but we will drink vodka at home - our vodka is no worse than all sorts of "Absolutes" there. With regard to Ukrainian vodka, I am 96% a patriot. Making sure that they didn’t lose by stocking up on champagne on land (Hungarian “Torley” 3 euros versus 5 euros on the ferry for the same bottle); we went to a perfumery boutique, which even a newcomer, who found himself in the sea for the first time, can easily find by aroma.
Cosmetic boutique on the Batic Queen ferry
In the boutique, the ladies, in anticipation of the holiday, did not hesitate to pour liters of trial elite aroma compositions on themselves and smeared creams on all exposed areas of the body, and the men, by the way, did not lag behind them. Many sample bottles were empty to the bottom, and without exception, all the passengers smelled good : ) I also decided to be in trend and modestly made two zilches of "Chanel No. Destructive force! It was fragrant almost until the new year! Then, after looking at all sorts of souvenirs and sitting in the show bar, we decided to have dinner with sandwiches in the cabin and go to bed early, because tomorrow we had a rich program - a whole day of walking around Stockholm, and then a stormy New Year's Eve on the ferry.
Double cabin
In the morning, at breakfast, I involuntarily became the trendsetter of a new "trend", when I confidently wrapped sandwiches from the buffet in a paper napkin with a clear, polished movement. The couple sitting at the next table turned out to be Russian-speaking, but they apparently mistook our company for at least Estonians. Therefore, madam, who had previously been ruefully picking a lettuce leaf on a plate, with a loud hiss: "Look! Look! " jabbed her elbow at her companion and nodded in my direction. Her companion turned out to be a man of few words, but quick-witted, and in a few minutes he got the necessary equipment: a plate of cold cuts, half a loaf of bread and a pack of napkins, and Madame turned out to be so skillful in packing sandwiches that she could give me a head start. In general, by the time I finished my third cup of coffee and headed for the exit, the whole dining room was “in trend”. Everyone, from the German to the Chinese, screwed up butriks. Well, that's right, go and know what they have there, in Stockholm. December 31, after all, Sunday, New Year.
Red fish on a ferry breakfast is sacred!: )
After breakfast, we go to the ferry reception, where we exchange euros for Swedish krona and buy tickets for public transport. I advise everyone to take care of this even on the ferry, otherwise you will spend half your time in Stockholm looking for an ATM or an exchanger. At the reception, they often know Russian, or, at the very least, they speak English as badly as you do : p By the way, you can also buy a Russian-language tour of Stockholm (20 euros / person) there. The tour is very good and detailed: for three hours they take a bus around the city, and then another hour they drive on foot through the old center. Recommended.
Stockholm "Khrushchev" near the ferry terminal. In general, the architecture familiar to the eye
So, Stockholm, December 31.2017. It was spring-like warm outside, and I even took off my hat. We decided to walk to the center on foot. Passing by the same type of Stockholm "Khrushchev" and the building of the Military Archive, we went to the museum island... And then my third cup of coffee, drunk at breakfast, began to remind me of myself, and this, you know, is a problem. Because the city of Stockholm is good for everyone, but with public toilets it is tense : ( Well, okay, not everything is so bad - the turrets of the Museum of the Nordic countries loom ahead, and where the museum is, there is a toilet; ) Thank the gods, the museum was open and the toilet right there, but that's bad luck - it's paid. The machine on the booth door requires a bribe - 20 (! ) crowns with a COIN. And where are you going to get this coin if you only have banknotes in your hands? I go to the cashier and ask to change - do not change. Well, what an abomination! For the second time I am disappointed from visiting Nordiska museet! A bad museum: the exposition there is weak, and the staff is greedy, and the toilet is paid and expensive... Do not go there, there is nothing to do there! >: (
Nordiska museet failed again
From anger and disappointment, I let go and I decided that I would take a cup of coffee to the Royal Palace, where there are at least two free museums with all the attributes a traveler needs: a toilet, Wi-Fi and a gift shop with magnets. We continued our walk along the colorful embankment, admiring the moored boats and boats. It didn’t feel at all that it was winter outside, and that we were actually in the north, and even on the last day of the outgoing year. The townspeople went about their usual business - sweating while jogging, walking dogs, eating ice cream. . . The only reminders of the New Year holidays were festive illuminations, and in some places discarded Christmas trees in the trash.
View of the Strandvegen embankment from the museum island of Djurgå rden
Skating in the city park. Their skating rink (artificial) is free and I also wanted to go skating, but it turned out that at least the skating rink was free, and the rental of skates was paid, and there was a large queue of people who wanted to pay for the rental of skates, but we didn’t come to stand in line last day of the year! Who knew that you also need to carry skates with you!
Stockholmers skate around the monument to King Charles XIII
On the way to the palace, we met a column of guards, apparently on their way to the changing of the guard. They marched with drums, horses and pipes right along the roadway, but none of the drivers had due respect for the royal guard, and one irresponsible car even tried to cut the horse, for which he immediately received a brass pipe on the hood.
Guards, accompanied by mounted police march along the road
Following the guards, we went to the bridge, under which, as I remembered, there is a museum of medieval Stockholm, it is free, we have not been there yet and there probably is a toilet. A cup of coffee in the stomach gurgled approvingly, and my companions, who, in general, did not care where to go, did not mind. But it turned out that even though the Swedes had already drunk all the grog, and thrown away the Christmas trees, and the New Year was not a holiday for them, but December 31 is still a day off! On December 31, all free museums and most paid museums are closed!
"The Singer of the Sun" is a sculpture by Carl Milles, standing opposite the entrance to museum of medieval Stockholm.
It is impossible to describe in words the despair that seized me at that moment - the world in my eyes dimmed and acquired a yellowish tint. In general, it was fun... watching me from the side, as I rushed from booth to booth of an automatic toilet, offering to solve my problem now for only 10 crowns with a COIN, but I still didn’t have a coin. There was only hope that someone would come out of the booth and I would have time to intercept the door, but the miracle did not happen. Already almost resigned to the fact that the irreparable would happen, I noticed a small queue in front of one of the green booths. It turned out that the same brothers in misfortune gathered there, like me - tourists, united by natural need and lack of coins. Apparently, one of the travelers found a cherished piece of metal, and when leaving the toilet, he did not slam the door behind him so that other sufferers could be relieved (God bless him). And since it was the only place in Gamla Stan where access to the “Holy Grail” was open, the line of “pilgrims” to it did not dry out. Peace and friendship reigned in a line of people from different countries and races, each leaving the restroom, smiling broadly, gallantly held the door and passed the "baton" to the next. In general, everything ended with a “happy ending”, as it should be in any New Year's fairy tale.
In the lower left corner of the photo, the window of that cherished booth glows like a semicircular arch
When the surrounding reality sparkled with bright colors again, my companions and I sat down on a bench in the courtyard of the Finnish church - eat stress with the sandwiches we had stocked up and warm ourselves with fiery water from the road flask. And I thought that I would definitely never forget December 31.2017 in Stockholm. Having finished with sandwiches and waiting for a couple of Chinese delegations (after all, in winter there are much fewer of them than in summer), we performed the traditional ritual: we stroked the “moon boy” (the smallest monument in Sweden) and “treated” him with candy. They say that if you rub the top of the "boy" - you will definitely return to Stockholm.
"Moon boy", who needs to leave presents and rub the top of his head
Passing by the Parliament building, my husband took a picture of a beautiful window and was immediately stopped by a policeman in a light green vest. The policeman said that it was impossible to take pictures of the Parliament (these times, but so many times they have already taken pictures! ). And he demanded that we show him a photograph. Satisfying his curiosity, the law enforcement officer let us go home, graciously allowing us to leave the photo, but once again repeating that, in fact, "no way" : )
Stockholm windows
We continued our walk along Drottninggatan - a shopping street with many souvenir shops. But they were not looking for souvenirs (although they could not do without another bag with a moose), but a candy store. You know, this is one of those few moments where I felt like a dinosaur. It turned out that in this matter I was hopelessly behind the times. The task was to find a store so that the sweets were sold by weight, assorted at a fixed price. To be jelly chewy sweets, but not only. You can also chocolate but without wrappers, but wrapped in foil. It is desirable that there be few licorice sweets - 10 types are enough, etc. And we did find what we were looking for - exactly opposite the Blue Hall, where the Nobel Prize is awarded, around the corner of the cinema. The store is small, but its assortment touched me, too, a worldly sweet tooth. Sweets cost 1.20 euros per 100 gr. ; at the entrance you take a paper bag, a spoon and row everything you like.
In a candy shop
Meanwhile, it was time for us to return to the ferry. New Year's lights were lit on Sergelstorg (T-Centralen), people were dancing at the entrance to the metro, glorifying Krishna, a little further away a guy with a sad face and unwashed hair was handing out leaflets calling to come to Christ, and nearby active grandmothers were collecting signatures demanding that the Riksdag leave NATO. Goodbye Stockholm! We won't see each other again in 2017! We went down to the subway and reached the ferry terminal without incident. Returning to the cabin, I suggested that everyone get some sleep, because the outgoing year personally tired me a little, but it's not over yet!
Sergelstorg
Having rested and dressed up, we go out into the light. On the ferry, everything is in motion: minstrels sing in bars, a lottery is played in the showroom, and starving “first shifts” gather at restaurants. We went back to the perfume shop. I remembered that I put on a “holiday” blouse, and “Chanel” remained on the everyday one... In honor of the holiday, I decided to treat myself to something new and tested “Donna” from Valentino - divine! Now you can have dinner too!
Our restaurant is waiting for the New Year's dinner
Well, the doors finally opened and people hurried to eat. We spotted a table for ourselves, but the seating was forced. Each passenger at the entrance to the restaurant was given a leaflet, which indicated the table number and seat. The three of us were seated at a five-seater table, adding a couple of Swedes to us, which upset both us and them. Smiling sourly and greeting each other to the attendants: “Hello! ” everyone fled in search of food. There was little food. And it was only from appetizers: several types of herring, some kind of cabbage and an under-vinaigrette, consisting only of potatoes and beets. Chuyuyu. . . There was more food at breakfast! I take a herring, “vinaigrette” I go to the place - “our” Swedes with round eyes and sad faces are already sitting at the table, they didn’t take anything for themselves at all. No, well, it’s impossible, you have to somehow save the holiday. And then an angel appeared at our table in the form of a waitress with bottles of wine. I ordered white for myself, like with fish, and the Swedes took red - because they didn’t have a snack. Saluting each other with glasses, we started the meal. After the second glass, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that the canapes were taken out, after the third - somewhere behind it was served hot, and after the fourth glass the waitress stopped approaching us. And the Swedes still haven't eaten. They only drank. But since the waitress no longer approached us, they were deprived of this as well. Bored, and having drunk my husband's wine, I decided to join the battle for the hot and stood in line. Hot was definitely not enough. The closer I moved to the cherished goal, the more clearly I heard the creak of metal spoons on the bottom of the empty saucepans. Everyone was very worried. The Swedish lady in front in ugg boots and a low-cut summer dress was so upset when she saw the waiter taking away the empty pots that even the promotional Cerruti 1881 could not disguise the aroma of her experiences, and I regretted that I had exchanged the Five for Donna. Finally, they brought new pans, but I could only get through to beef with cranberry sauce, or maybe it was even elk - there was no time to read the captions. Grabbing a larger dish from the table, I, realizing that I would not dare to undertake such a feat again, decided to take it for everyone at once, and for “our” Swedes too, just in case. Seeing me with “booty” at the table, “our” Swedes got scared, probably thought that it was me. I offered to treat them, but for some reason they refused, or maybe I have a bad English pronunciation, and they did not understand me. In general, I did not want to understand this. I was thirsty. Apparently, it was time for dessert, and I noticed that around the corner the waiter began to uncork Moet. I went to the waiter and took two glasses - for myself and my niece. The booze in my hands piqued the interest of "our" male Swede, I pointed him in the right direction, and he brought a couple of glasses for himself and his squaw. Probably, a cocktail of wine and champagne launched some kind of chemical process in the Scandinavian body, and "our" Swedes finally hit the hook. By the time I found the sweet, the Swedes had swallowed a plate of vinaigrette. And when we got up from the table, they, with a blush on their cheeks and a parting exclamation of “Have a great holiday! ”, Rushed into line to catch the last distribution of hot.
We had a nice dinner.
We could still sit at dinner and try to teach the Swedes to sing the song “Nese Galya Voda” or at least “A Christmas Tree Was Born in the Forest”, but we had to save our strength for the New Year. Moreover, he is met on the ferry three times: according to Russian, Estonian and Swedish time. We went up to the cabin for champagne for the ladies and whiskey for the man, because my husband was the only one of our company who remained sober after dinner. It was getting close to 11pm Estonian/Ukrainian time and we headed to the concert hall where the main entertainment program was taking place. There was no place for an apple to fall! After all, after sailing from Stockholm, the number of cruisers increased. Swedish citizens came on board, wishing to set sail with us in the new year. A musical group from Bulgaria lit up the stage, people had fun on the dance floor. At ten seconds to eleven, the countdown began and at exactly 23:00 (Estonia time) the Bulgarians, with their inherent sense of humor, sang a New Year's song appropriate for the occasion: "The earth is visible in the window! ", congratulating the Russians present on the new year 2018. We opened champagne, and my husband, having taken a sip from a flask, became kinder and asked if he could give me a gift and if he could finally buy Chanel before the store closed. Since there was still a whole hour left until the next New Year, our delegation went to the boutique. The boutique was deserted, and the sellers were already counting the cash register. Of course, "Chanel No. 5" is my old dream, but it's a classic that will never disappear from the shelves of shops and dutik, so I will always have the opportunity to make a couple of "puffs". So I settled on "Donna" Valentino, which, having stood the test of dinner and the battle for hot, opened up on me with notes of Bulgarian rose and iris... And besides, it's cheaper!
On the ninth deck of the ferry
We spent the remaining half an hour before the next New Year on the open deck 9, occupied by good-natured Estonians, who celebrated the holiday with 10 bottles of champagne and 1 bottle of vodka. Five minutes before our common New Year with the Estonians, we returned to the showroom. At 00:00, congratulations to Estonia, Ukraine and Bulgaria sounded from the stage, and we sipped champagne, but in such a way that there was one more new year left. The musicians sang in Estonian about the Dancing Ducks, which everyone wants to be like, and we again returned to the open deck, where the Estonians cackled like fully formed geese.
Marijavn, Aland Islands, Finland
When, finally, at one in the morning, the Bulgarian band congratulated the Swedish part of the audience with the song "Happy New Year! " from the ABBA repertoire, and my niece and I tried to pour in the remnants of champagne, which no longer climbed, the sky behind the windows of the windows was illuminated by the glow of fireworks. We approached the Aland Islands (Finland) to make a ten-minute stop at the port of Mariehavna. Taking half-finished champagne with us, we again rolled out to the ninth deck - to look at the fireworks and take pictures against the backdrop of the country that we visited first in the coming 2018. In the meantime, the single deckers have sobered up a little, partly due to our fault. The fact is that having a ten-year experience of tourist trips to Estonia, we have learned to pronounce almost without an accent: “Head ut aastat! ” (“Happy New Year! ”) and “Palyu Eunne! ” ("Congratulations! "). The realization that we do not speak Estonian, after an hour and a half productive (as it seemed to them) conversation, caused cognitive dissonance among Estonians. But then a discotheque that had been empty hitherto opened, a sober, angry barmaid jumped out onto the deck and started yelling in broken English so that we would clean up, and if we wanted to stay, then we would only buy alcohol from her, because you can’t bring your own! At the same time, she grabbed a bottle with the remnants of our champagne and headed to the trash can. But the niece who was nearby did not give offense either to herself or to champagne. Everyone understood that the holiday was over, because even if we wanted to redeem our deck ticket for ship's wine and cider, it certainly wasn't from this shrew. The Estonians were of the same opinion, therefore, having wished each other four more times “Head ut! ”, “Palyu ynne” and “Head oyed! ” we went to our cabins.
Tallinn is on the horizon
On the first of January, we didn't have to go to breakfast, so we decided to sleep until it stops. Until nine in the morning. At half past ten, we crawled out to the reception area. Husband left for coffee. Young people are legal on the Internet. I sat down at the window, in melancholic anguish and surprise that yesterday's cocktail of wine, champagne and cider (we did buy a ship's ticket in one of the bars on the way back to the cabin! ) does not make itself felt at all. That's what quality booze means! On the horizon, the outlines of the good old Tallinn became clearer and clearer. My husband brought coffee, and with it a small white box of Chanel No. 5. And this is more than words. As one of my friends said: “Chanel” is a declaration of love! ”
Dear friends!
Summing up the already outgoing 2018, which we enjoyed so much on the ferry, I can say that Dreams Come True! And omens too. In 2018, we sailed to Stockholm two more times, so the sign with the “moon boy” works. And the fussy new year met, shrouded in the “aroma of love”, gave me many meetings with relatives and friends whom I had not seen for a long time. I wish that in the coming new year all your cherished desires come true, that you are surrounded only by kind, sincere and loving people! Happiness! Health! Money (well, where without them)! And, of course, interesting trips and vivid impressions!
Happy New Year!
