Prologue

A return trip to Annapanna was always planned as we needed to move her from her current base in Nykoping, to Stockholm further up the east coast. Initially we were all going by car, taking our time on the journey there and staying in places they have wanted to see but never managed to get to. Anyway, all that is now on hold until next year as time constraints have limited this trip and everything has changed. Particularly for me as I am now staying in the UK, with Roger and then Sheila, whilst they swan off on Scandinavian Airlines direct to Stockholm.
As I am the writer of this travel blog this obviously causes a bit of a problem, so to get over this rather large hiccup I have appointed a ghost writer in my absence. Alison will be taking over my duties for the next 3 weeks – but checking back in with me on a regular basis. I understand you may have some concerns about the continuing quality of the posts, so I want to assure you that from my very comfortable position on Roger’s sofa I will be checking, editing and advising my deputy every step of the way.

August 20th 2024 – Manchester to Nykoping

I’m not sure this is actually ghost writing because I think that’s when someone writes something for say, a famous person, pretending the famous person has actually written it! I’m not going to pretend to be Maia as that would be a bit ridiculous, she is just in charge of content, vetoing anything she thinks may damage her reputation. With that clarified I’ll begin my version of this blog – for a 3 week period only.

Two hour flight, easy transfer by train on the exorbitantly expensive Arlanda express, then a comfortable intercity service to Nykoping and Annapanna. We left home at 6.30am and arrived at the harbour at 3.45pm. Nine hours instead of three days – one of the few advantages of leaving Maia at home. It certainly strange not having her on board. We miss her already – although I very much doubt she misses us!

We left Nykoping in the middle of July at the height of the Swedish tourist season. We arrived back in mid (ish) August to find – for the Swedes – the summer is over. Two of the restaurants on the quay have already shut and even the harbour master is off to prepare his winter home (in a ski resort) in a couple of days. It was a bit the same in Denmark last year, but there were still plenty of people out and about, so fingers crossed it will be the same here.

On this trip there are just the two of us (unless Robert joins us later) so it’s a bit more of a holiday and we are going to eat out – a lot! We started as we mean to go on by wandering down to the quay and getting a table at Hamnmagasinet, one of the two restaurants still open. The food was good, but as they somehow missed our order anything would have tasted good by the time we got it!

August 21st 2024 – Nykoping

Stayed put today which gave me the opportunity to get my bike out and cycle round the peninsula, something I didn’t have time to do last month. The first thing I cycled past was a dog agility area in the park. We missed that Maia – although as you were still in recovery from the swimmers tail it may not have been ideal. Then the path continued along the coast, past some lovely wooden houses and into the pine woods. I think at some point the path changed from cycle path to footpath but I didn’t realise that until the end. No one seemed to mind though.

Then it rained, absolutely chucked it down for the rest of the afternoon. It was so miserable we even got a taxi to the tapas restaurant up by the waterfalls at the top of the park. Excellent tapas, great venue. Thanks to Gunnar who recommended it.

August 22nd 2024 – Nykoping to Stendorren

Before we left Nykoping we sat down with Gunnar to discuss where we should go on our sail through the Stockholm archipelago. We had already got some recommendations from Mimi in July but wanted to get his take on the top spots. Gunnar is a countryside lover, so town moorings do not do it for him. He prefers the solitude and beauty of dropping anchor in little bays, something that with a 30kg labrador on board is normally beyond our reach. Not this time. Sorry Maia but we wanted to make the most of it and so today we headed for one of Gunner’s favourite spots, a beautiful natural harbour within the nature reserve of Stendorren. Stendorren nature reserve was formed in 1972 and covers 923 hectares, of which 738 hectares are open water. On the land there are pine woods, spruce and mixed forests, shore meadows and many beautiful rocky outcrops. Little Dick came down for the first time this year and we pootled to the shore so I could walk one of the walking circuits around the area and visit the small Naturum (museum). There were suspension bridges linking islands, a look out tower above the woods, lots of barbecue areas, shelters and even a small cafe.

August 23rd 2024 – Stendorren to Trosa

Not such a nice day for our trip through the southern archipelago to the lovely little town of Trosa. Recommended by two different couples it wasn’t somewhere to miss. The whole place is so pretty and our mooring right at the end of the long visitor pontoon was perfect, even if it meant we became the subject of much discussion. Anna is a common name in Sweden and people to seem to love the fact that the boat is called Annapanna. We know it means something else entirely in Finland but here they seem to be genuinely tickled by it.

We moored near to a fish restaurant called Fina Fisken and noted that this weekend they were running two special evenings to celebrate their 50th anniversary. On Friday and Saturday evening they have an 8 course tasting menu and as the reviews for the restaurant were wonderful we decided it wasn’t something we should miss. We’re sure we got the last two places in the dining room and enjoyed 5 hours of brilliant food, very friendly staff, story telling and lots of wine! A very special evening.

August 24th 2024 – Trosa

This morning we wandered along the riverside and into the small town for a good look around – and of course to shop. There are so many restaurants and cafes here we were spoilt for choice at coffee time. We picked one with a bakery and are sure it’s one of the 4 owned by the owner (or one of them) of Fina Fisken. He also owns the harbour, so is definitely Mr Big round here.

After lunch it was exploring time so the bike came down again so I could check out the island across the bridge and cycle down to the only beach in the area at the campsite. Mr Big owns a restaurant here too and I suspect, but don’t really know, the campsite as well. The island is pretty, mainly residential and very quiet. A new cycle path goes from the bridge to the campsite which is probably needed in the height of summer, but will few tourists and cars around now, seems a bit of a luxury. Off the island I then I headed in the opposite direction following one of the cycle routes I’d picked up in the tourist office. This took me past wetlands, small villages, churches, a deserted castle and to Tarte Tatin, a shepherds hut cafe in small hippyish area with a couple of shops and flower garden. The overall area is called Emils Lund and was designed and built by a well known architect as an eco area. The surrounding houses, quietly modern in design but blending well into the surrounding area, are built of dark wood and situated up on the hills surrounding the cafe and shop. The whole place was very relaxing in the sunshine.

August 25th 2024 – Trosa

The original plan was to go to Landsort, or Oja today. The little island, only 4 kilometres long was recommended by Gunnar and is of historical interest for a number of reasons. There is a small harbour in the north of the island but as it is exposed to winds we were advised not to go if it was windy. It is windy. It is also going to be windy tomorrow so Landsort has been shelved until next year. So we are staying here, which I was more than happy about as today was the annual craft and produce market in the town square. We wandered around the market and questioned why so many people were buying brooms in bulk? No idea, but there are a lot of trees about and autumn is on the way…

Then I set off on a walking tour. I really need to get in training for the West Highland Way and not having a fit and able dog most of the summer has severely affected my training. The friendly tourist office furnished me with maps, then off I went heading for the nature reserve of Stensund. Too much road there and back for my liking but once there the walks through the reserve were stunning. Definitely Elk country ….. but I didn’t see any. I did see deer though, lots of them, just not in the nature reserve! The walk I did was part of section 56 of the Sormlandsleden trail, a 1000km walking path starting and ending just south of Stockholm with more than 60 stages. It’s not quite circular, but not far off and is brilliantly marked along the way. The website also gives info on shorter circular walks from many of the stages, although unfortunately there weren’t any near Trosa. I managed to get back in time for tea and lovely cakes at one of the many cafes in town. This one was also B&B and called TVA Sma Svin.

August 26th 2024 – Trosa to Nynashamn

Time to leave, even though it was still blowing a gale. We knew that 90% of the time we would be protected by the many islands in the archipelago, we just had to cope with the remaining 10%. It was tough. Thank goodness for the stabilizers – and thank goodness Maia wasn’t with us! There was no drama though as everything was stowed as it should be and Annapanna coped well. I’m not sure the stress does Brian a lot of good, but the relief when we hit the lee of the islands again was massive. Then we reached the highlight of the trip, the Dragets Canal. Originally, in the 13th century, there was a wide natural channel that provided a route between Sodertalje and Nynashamn without going via Landsort and the open sea. By the 19th century the water levels had dropped with subsequent narrowing and shallowing of the channel and it was only a third of a meter deep. It was then turned into a canal and later straightened and deepened by the navy so they could get their 19th century torpedo boats through. This gives the impression of a wide, deep canal but in fact it is about 1.5 – 2.0 meters deep and approximately 7 meters wide (although the CA say 4 meters in their comments). It is 200 meters long at it’s narrowest part (but roughly 400 meters overall). Navigo would not take us through the canal, probably because it has the width down as 4 meters, so we had to trick it a bit. We are 4.35 meters wide and easily went through. We think it is more like the 7 meters they say on the Baltic sailors website. It’s beautiful, so don’t be put off.

Then we arrived in Nynashamn and its gasthamn, or guest harbour. We were directed to the long floating pontoon just inside the harbour entrance, quite some way from the quay. We asked if we could moor on a newer looking jetty nearer to the town and we’re told we could try but it might be too shallow. We moored up with plenty of depth although the rocks sticking out from the jetty were a bit worrying. Hopefully all will be ok tomorrow! The harbour area is lovely with lots of restaurants, cafes and shops and a cute little courtyard sitting area. There is also a good fish shop. The town, unfortunately, isn’t very attractive and the only building of note is the church, which stands high on the rocks overlooking the harbour and has the best view in town. It was built on the site of an old beacon and stands proud and red for all to see.

August 27th 2024 – Nynashamn to Uto

Before we move on I want to say a bit more in Nynashamn’s favour. It is true that the town itself isn’t much to write home about, but there are plenty of positive things to take away:
As we are dogless on this trip I’m not automatically checking out green places to walk, so yesterday I didn’t notice the lovely park around a lake just south of the harbour. Maia, it looks ideal for you.

The train station, with commuter links into Stockholm is right in the harbour, you couldn’t ask for a more convenient place for a crew change or car pick up. The bus station is next door.

The supermarkets, those ever essential stores, are 5 minutes walk away. Even better the town has a superb bakery, Mullers Bageri & Konditori, again just a few minutes walk from the harbour.

So this combined with the lovely harbour area and its little shops and cafes, make it a pleasant little place to spend a day or two.

And so on to lovely Uto, the jewel of the archipelago and the most popular and they say beautiful, island. It is also a tourist hot spot. I wouldn’t like to imagine what it’s like in midsummer, but now it’s quiet, peaceful and unfortunately, partially shut! We have a beautiful mooring opposite the harbour masters office and cafe with the great advantage of being able to moor alongside. Not something that is allowed in season, but now ok as there are so few boats around.

I don’t seem to be able to find any info on population or even size of the island but when discussing my proposed bike ride with the harbour master she mentioned that it was 1 Swedish mile to the bridge which links the island to Alo, the neighbouring island. Have you heard of a Swedish mile? I hadn’t. It is apparently 10 kilometres. On my bike ride I measured just short of that but the road isn’t straight, so I think it is safe to say the island is approximately 10k long (the harbour is a couple of K south of the northern tip) and perhaps 4k wide at its broadest point – although the northern part is less than 2k. I’ll let you work out the square meterage if you so wish! The island is famous for its iron ore which was mined continuously until 1879. It isn’t just any old iron ore either, but a very specific type called Holquistite that can only be found on Uto. There is a tiny mining museum nearby but sadly it is shut, with no indication of when it might open again. If it does I’ll let you know more!

My bike ride took me through forests, along coasts and past a military camp to the bridge linking it with Alo. Then I cycled on through Alo nature reserve down to Nasudden and what I had marked on my walking map as a restaurant, now unfortunately an ex one. It was all very beautiful, but the roads were gravel which is such a pain on my bike. My next one will be a gravel bike.

August 28th 2024 – Uto

Another day here to soak up the atmosphere and explore a bit more. One of the islands famous landmarks is its windmill, so today we walked up the hill, past the smallest (and closed) museum and onto the windmill. It should have a good view and I’m sure it does if we were allowed to climb it, but it was shut, so we couldn’t. We still did get a decent view, although it was unfortunately marred by telephone wires which was a shame.

Then I set off to walk round the north of the island. The whole thing is 15K so I decided I’d see how it went as there were plenty of alternatives if I wanted to shorten it. I know I need to get in training, but I wasn’t expecting a path quite like the one along Loch Lomond! Rocky, up and down and through the woods. All absolutely beautiful, but not quick. It took me over 2 hours to walk 8.6 kilometres. As I was meeting Brian for ice cream I cut back across the island, all 2 kilometres of it, past the lovely lake quarry where the mine shaft used to be and into the village. I still haven’t seen an Elk, but today I did see a sea otter, which I’m told are endangered species round here.

August 29th 2024 – Uto to Dalaro

It was time to leave the lovely Uto and head to our next destination, Dalaro, another recommendation of Mimi’s back in July. Looking at the harbour guide we thought that Hotellbryggan guest harbour would be our preferred choice, but on arriving it looked small, tatty and very exposed. It was also near a building site. So we rang the harbourmaster at Askfatshamnen and arranged to meet there so he could help us moor up on what is known as an arm. These are really narrow floating fingers and not for walking on, so it meant getting on and off the boat via the bow. This was something Brian was trying to avoid, even though we had invested in a very smart bow ladder! Anyway, with the lovely harbourmasters help and a bit of assistance from our neighbour, we moored up and prepared the ladder – and it’s easy. A younger, less hesitant Maia has been off at the bow and onto a plastic step without a backward glance, but a slightly older more circumspect Maia may be a bit more wary. But I think with her harness it will be ok here and that’s important as we may return next year.

The reason we may return is because this is a really beautiful place. The harbour is next to a small canal linking two bodies of water and over the bridge, on the other side of the canal, is a large wooded park area with beaches, sports facilities and woodland tracks – and lots of dogs! A climb up a path and over the top on the Dalaro side leads to the town, which is just gorgeous. Originally an old maritime pilot and customs community, it is characterised today by its developments in the later 1800’s – many, many beautiful houses built as seaside homes for Swedish high society. Now of national interest, we were told to just wander around the many quiet lanes of the town to appreciate it.

August 30th 2024 – Dalaro to Sandhamn

Very misty this morning so we debated whether to stay or leave. It is such a lovely spot it would have been easy to stay, but today is Friday so that would mean moving on a Saturday, something I said we shouldn’t attempt after last year. Especially as our destination was Sandhamn, described as the Cowes of Sweden and the home of the Royal Swedish Yacht Club (KSSS).

I’m not sure what I was expecting, but as the club members took home a gold and silver in the recent olympics, I’d assumed there would be some very swish yachts around. Not so. That’s not to say there aren’t plenty of nice yachts, just not extra special ones. What there are though, are too many very big gin palaces, including one right next to us on the end of the pontoon with 4 very young guys on it.

Dinner at Sandhamns Vardhus. Lovely setting overlooking the harbour, friendly staff and good food. One can’t ask for more.

August 31st 2024 – Sandhamn

Just to clarify, Sandhamn is actually a place on the small island of Sandon. I don’t think there is anything else on Sandon other than beaches and forest, but once I’ve walked round or across it I’ll let you know. I now know why the swish racing yachts are missing. The KSSS training base isn’t here but in Saltsjoben, to the west and much nearer Stockholm. It also explains why there is no clubhouse, just a hotel and harbour office.

The place is definitely growing on me and it’s Brian’s favourite so far. Even with the big gin palaces it’s not flash, in fact if anything it’s a bit hippyish, certainly some of the shops are. As we are at the end of the pontoon we have a lovely view of the neighbouring island whilst still able to keep an eye on the activity in the harbour – and there is plenty, which is why Brian likes it!

From our mooring on the outer jetty we watched a constant stream of boats arriving at the harbour. We are very glad we came yesterday as without the thrusters (yes, as last year they have given up the ghost) it would not have been easy to get into a mooring between packed in boats. By the end of the day virtually all spaces had been taken and the place was buzzing. The weather wasn’t great though, so the only walking we did was round the harbour, checking out the shops, cafes and restaurants.

September 1st 2024 – Sandhamn

And as quickly as they’d arrived, they all left! We went off for an explore in Little Dick and when we got back the harbour was virtually empty. Everyone has headed back to Stockholm ready for work tomorrow leaving just a few Swedish and German boats …. And us of course.
Our little trip in Little Dick took us to the neighbouring islands where the KSSS has more harbours in rather quieter settings. We first went to Telegrafholmen, a not particularly interesting harbour by a pretty wooded island full of holiday homes. Very nice and very rustic holiday homes, but still holiday homes, so now virtually deserted. Then we moved onto Lokholmen, a much more interesting place with a tower, old observatory and two lovely harbours. One is KSSS members only, but the other one, the one I like best, is for guests. It is pretty, secluded, sheltered and best of all, has plenty of alongside mooring. On the island there are walks through the woods and over rocks (of course) and in summer it becomes a hive of activity as it’s where the children’s sailing camp is. A regular ferry transports people to the main harbour, although obviously you miss out on that buzz if you choose this option. Maybe the solution is a night at each, which is what our neighbour did.

September 2nd 2024 – Sandhamn to Vaxholm

Time to move on. Our destination today was Vaxholm, or Waxholm, sometimes referred to as the capital of Stockholm’s archipelago. Even after reading the tourist information about the area I’m still not 100% clear -but I think …. Vaxholm is an area and made up of a number of islands interlinked by bridges or ferries – it’s own archipelago. The centre of the area, a cosmopolitan town on the island of Vaxon, is generally referred to as Vaxholm, apart from the guest harbour that seems to be called Waxholm. Confused? Yes, so am I! Anyway our mooring in the guest harbour was initially a little disappointing as it’s a bit of a building site. There is a long term project to upgrade the quay, from the old fishing harbour to the guest harbour and as it is officially the end of the season, work has recommended in earnest. The fishing harbour is completely under wraps and the guest harbour quay out of bounds. It will all be worth it, they say, and actually I believe them because behind the metal rails of the cordoned off area is a very lovely town. Virtually all the houses in the town are traditional wood, painted in the lovely pastels we’ve seen elsewhere. I just wandered around and came across pretty streets, houses both large and very small, beautiful cafes and lovely little harbours. It only takes about 10 -15 minutes to walk from one side to the other, so the water is never very far away. Across the water, in the straight between Vaxholm and Rindo, a neighbouring island, is the citadel, an imposing fortress which towers over the town. It now houses a museum, which of course has shut for the winter! In the harbour itself there is a restaurant – shut , bar (right by the boat) – shut, lots of cute little huts that would be shops if they weren’t shut, the biggest boat wash in Europe (probably) – AND – the only floating Padel court in the world (probably). The probables are their words not mine!

September 3rd 2024 – Vaxholm

Making the most of a lovely sunny warm day we headed back into town and then on towards Norrhamnen and a cafe I had spied on my walk yesterday. It is called Hembygdsgarden and is in an idyllic spot next to the small old fishing harbour. It has a large and beautiful garden stuffed full of tables and chairs and inside, where you queue to order, a large table brimming with cakes and pastries. Heaven! It is open every day from the 1st May until the 15th September. Do not miss it!

After coffee and cake I needed to exercise off the calories so down came the bike so I could do a bit of an island tour. Vaxholm, Bogesund, Bullerholmen, Resaro, Kullo and back to Vaxholm. Sounds idyllic but actually it wasn’t. There were no cycle paths on Bogesund and part of the route was on a very busy main road. Very unusual, especially as they sell it as a national park. If I were to do it again I’d take the ferry to Rindo instead.

Dinner at La Brisa Tapas Bar near the harbour. Good tapas, just a shame we were only one of two couples in the restaurant!

September 4th 2024 – Vaxholm to Wasa Hamnen, Stockholm

In Sandhamn we met a local man who kept his boat in Stockholm at a place called Navishamen Marina. He recommended that we moored at his harbour not Wasa Hamnen for reasons he didn’t want to elaborate on. He gave us the telephone number of the harbour master and told us to say he had recommended it. So we tried. I kept ringing and even emailed, but to no avail. We even went to the harbour, but no one was around. So at this point we gave up and headed for Wasa Hamnen, which was the only other centrally located harbour. I’m not sure what the issue is with this harbour, but for us it was perfect! We got an alongside place right at the harbour gate and there are at least 7 museums within walking distance, many of them just a few steps away. There are restaurants, cafes, ice cream cabins and mini golf nearby and the hop on hop off bus and boat stops are 5 minutes away. Added to that, it is in a beautiful park where all the properties are owned by the Royal family.

Happily settled we set off for our first museum, apparently the most visited in Stockholm (no, not the ABBA museum). The Vasamuseet is a maritime museum which displays the only intact 17th century ship that has ever been salvaged. Raised in 1961, it was then preserved by spraying it with polyethylene glycol (PEG) for 17 years and then dried for a further 9 years. This was definitely a Labour of love. Now displayed in the centre of a massive purpose built hall, viewing is over 6 floors in carefully controlled conditions to ensure minimal deterioration of the ships structure. It is all seriously impressive, which is more than can be said for the seaworthiness of the original ship. It tipped over and sunk on it’s maiden voyage – about 1500 metres from the harbour!

September 5th 2024 – Wasa Hamnen, Stockholm

This is such an ideal spot we have decided to stay here whilst doing our sightseeing. Today was hop on hop off day, although really it was a bit of a boat harbour tour, a wander around the maze of streets in the Gamla Stan, or old town and a walk up to the Royal Palace to watch the changing of the guards. Then we returned on the open topped bus via Södermanland, or South Island, along the promenade of Strandvagen, over the bridge to Djurgarden, past the ABBA museum and Grona Lund (Sweden’s Trivoli) and back to Wasa. Apparently it is the hottest day in September ever recorded (said a fellow boater). We assume he meant in Stockholm!

September 6th 2024 – Stockholm

Today we completed our hop on hop off bus and boat tour. This time we took the bus round Ostermalm and Norrmalm, East town and North town, then wandered back to the water via the pedestrianised shopping street of Drottinggatan. After a stop off for lunch at the roof top restaurant at Ahlens City store it was back on the boat to finish the water tour, returning to Djurgarden in the late afternoon.

September 7th 2024 – Stockholm

Museum day again today. We split up and went our separate ways, Brian to the Maritime and diving museum and me to the Nordiska. The Nordiska museum is housed in a beautiful renaissance revival building just behind our mooring on Djurgarden. It is dedicated to the cultural history of Sweden and takes you through Nordic life from 1500s to the 2000s. On another floor there is a section dedicated to British, which was a bit of a surprise. It’s called ‘British – Ever so Nordic’ and shows how British and Swedish design have influenced each other – and basically how the Swedes used to love anything British, from fashion to music to design. It seems to stop in the 70’s and 80’s so I’m not sure if now it’s the other way round – as we are a country in love with IKEA and ABBA.

Whilst I was studying Swedish life Brian was looking round iconic ships: Sankt Erik, the first seafaring icebreaker; Finngrundet, a lightship and a naval ship. He then went into the diving tank training facility which used to be used by the Navy to practice ascending from a submarine. Now it is used for leisure only and qualified scuba divers can have a dive in the harbour using the old metal helmet, waterproof suit and very heavy boots.

Then we hired electric scooters and set off around Djurgarden, past Rosendals Slot and then down to the beautiful gardens of Prince Eugens Waldemarsudde. This is actually a very popular art and sculpture gallery showcasing Swedish art, but many of the sculptures are situated in the terraced gardens making it a very pleasant stop off on a trip round the island. The harbour we initially wanted to stay at is next to the park, with a tram stop on the other side. A lovely position but we are quite happy with Wasahamnen.

Dinner that night at the buzzing Josephina, in front of the Nordiska museum. Good food, great service and lots of people. The was a salsa class next door which apparently turns into a nightclub afterwards.

September 8th 2024 – Wasahamnen to Pampas Marina

Time to move on to our final destination, Pampas Marina. It is not quite as central as Wasahamnen and certainly doesn’t have the same vibe as we are surrounded by houseboats! There are advantages to this; one, they are all liveaboards so there will always be someone to keep an eye on Annapanna until she goes into the shed and secondly, because they stay in the water all year round, they use propellers to agitate the water to ensure it doesn’t freeze. As Annapanna is not being lifted out until October it is a relief to know they have systems in place in the case of an early, unexpected freeze! Our trip here took us around the south side of Sodermalm, through a lock and then north into Tranebergssund and on to the marina. The very gentle lock raised us about half a metre or so and seemed to work by just opening the gates a bit and letting the water through!

September 9th 2024 – Pampas Marina

Not too much to say today as really our trip is coming to an end. We met the harbour master, Mathias and tried out the restaurant – for coffee only – and the washing facilities. All good. The restaurant seems to offer a buffet lunch, with a changing menu every day which could be interesting if we were big lunch eaters! I went for a cycle, along the river bank towards central Stockholm and then in the opposite direction towards Solna. I needed to make the most of the sunshine as it’s all due to change tomorrow.

September 10th 2024 – Pampas Marina to Radisson Blu, Arlanda

And change the weather did. Absolutely threw it down all day, we are so glad we didn’t have a car to pack up! Uber to the hotel in the late afternoon leaving Annapanna packed up and ready for a cold winter. She doesn’t come out of the water yet though, so hopefully it won’t freeze in the meantime!

I’m finishing the blog here as we fly home first thing in the morning so there isn’t much more to say. We will be back next May to finish off the Stockholm sightseeing before heading slowly south and back to base in Maasbracht. Maia will be back on duty then, so my duties as ghost writer (or whatever) are over. Hope you enjoyed reading about this year’s adventures, trials and tribulations. If so tune back in next year.