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I arose early today, for I wanted to catch my first sunrise in Scandinavia. After wolfing down some buffet breakfast at the hostel I made my way down to the water's front to watch the sun rise over Riddarfjarden and the coast of the island Sodermalm.

Walking along the adjacent coast of Kungsholmen, the island I stayed on (Stockholm is actually a series of interconnected islands), I made my way to the old parliament of Stockholm, Stadshused. Impressive in its size, the building was finished in gold spires and classical-era human bronze (copper?) statues. Walking along the coast I managed to take a wrong turn, which resulted in me being late for my 11am checkout.

From there the day only got worse, with bad microwave and airline food still not sitting well. I found myself returning to my hostel frequently, trying to sort out various things like phone cards, and to use the toilet; public toilets cost money here! The day ended on a good note when I finally caught up with Anders, the academic at KTH whom I came to Scandinavia to visit.

I wrote this entry in my travel diary while awaiting the arrival of the Silja ferry from Stockholm (Sweden) to Turku (Finland). Once upon a time the boat used to be a floating party, but with falling airfares, raised alcohol prices (core reason I believe) and winter weather, the boat was very quiet and boring.

View of Gamla Stan (old town) in Stockholm 

Stockholm's Stadshuset (City Hall). Designed by Ragnar Östberg, and completed in 1923, the Stadshuset is an intimidating structure comprised of around 8 million bricks. Adorning the tower in gold are Three Crowns, the national emblem of Sweden (not visible).

Klara Kyrka. One thing you'll notice right away about Stockholm is its abundance of beautiful churches.