Stockholm Sweden is Sweet

This port was particularly special because we had our own personal local guide showing us around...my best girl...Camilla! After weeks of taking out my tour book, researching every highlight, trying to figure out the transportation system of every city, it was such a relief to hand the reigns over to an expert. We went to the Vasa museum, which is a museum that displays the only almost fully intact 17th century ship that has ever been salvaged, the 64-gun warship Vasa that sank on her maiden voyage in 1628.

We climbed to the top of the city hall for a 360 view of all of Stockholm. Old town was so wonderful...all these European old towns just fill my soul. 

Then onto the open air museum, with some of the oldest homes in Sweden, traditional swedish food, coffee pasties, reindeer, owls and bears oh my! 
http://www.skansen.se/en/

St. Petersburg Kings and Queens

It’s too much. It’s all just too much. I can only update one country at a time at this point as it’s gotten completely overwhelming.

St.Petersburg Russia is a complicated port, as one needs a specialized visa to get into the country. Jason and I opted to take two ship excursions (where you don't need a visa), one to the Hermitage and another to the palaces of Catherine and Peterhof. The Hermitage tour was like trying to see all of New York City in a day, it was the most intense museum either of us have ever been to. As it was only an “intro” tour we whipped though the place in 2hrs. NOT enough time, and I don’t think my eyes have popped back into my head since. Read more about the Hermitage here.

The palaces were also spectacular, one room out-doing the next. Both palaces were completely destroyed by the Nazis, but not before the caretakers buried the palace treasures to unearth them later and painstakingly restore them bit by bit.  I just found out I will be taking a tour back to Katherine’s Palace tomorrow for dinner and a concert. A once in a lifetime experience that guest pay hundreds of dollars for I will be doing for free. These are the moments when my job is truly awesome.