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| Cruising the Scandinavian seas is a popular Nordic holiday and a enjoyable way of visiting the Scandinavian capital cities Stockholm-Helsinki : The most popular cruise in east Scandinavia "What are we doing tomorrow?" -asks a bored Juha from his friends. Sanna reads from the newspaper "there is a special offer this week on the ferries". A two night party cruise between the capitals of Sweden and Finland. It seems that everybody in Stockholm and Helsinki have been in the ferry at least once. Taking a day cruise between those two nordic capitals is a very popular past-time for everyone, whether they are families, students, tourists or businessmen alike. Cruising from Sweden to Finland or viceversa is convenient (the ships depart practically from the heart of the city), very affordable, and moreover it provides the tourist with the great chance of blending with the locals on a very typical Scandinavian holiday. Onboard the m/s Silja Serenade The m/s Silja Serenade is one of the many ships connecting Stockholm and Helsinki. Silja Line ferries operate one of the most modern fleet in Europe and propose several other cruises connecting Scandinavian and Baltic cities. Hundreds of passengers board the 'Serenade' every afternoon for the night sail through the Baltic sea. The captain, the chef, or any other senior member of the crew stand by the entrance door to welcome you into the ship. The first impression you receive from the vessel is the 'Promenade', the gravity center of the social life in the ship, a well arranged street-like with a variety of shops and restaurants. Cinema and kindergarden open straightaway to ease the parents' compulsory pilgrimage to the Tax Free shops. Tourists and romantic couples tend to concentrate on the top deck to admire the privileged view of islands and bays. Older people tend to take a rest in their cabins and groups of students flow into the bars. The 'Promenade' boasts with several restaurants to treat yourself with varied local flavors, from steak restaurant 'El Capitan' to fish and seafood restaurant 'Happy Lobster'. The most popular of them all though proved to be the 'Buffet Serenade', an imaginative smörgåsbord with the finest Scandinavian cuisine: herring, salmon, caviar, meatballs and vegetarian dishes catering for every taste. From Tax Free shopping to Cabaret Straight after dinner time the ship comes back to life as different segments of the Scandinavian society gather on the 'Serenade's' bars such as the Marco Polo or the Bon Vivant wine bar. Live piano music gives rythm to gamblers at The Casino bar, while students tend to stick to the most affordable prices of the Tax Free shop. There may be no live music in their cabins, but they can sing themselves: "You must remember that the more we drink, the better we sing and the more you drink the better we sound", laughs young Håkan hanging to his bottle of 'Lapin Kulta', the beer from Lapland. Before the night officially starts many will use the services of the hairdresser, cosmetologist and masseur, or will just stay at the Sunflower Oasis in the top deck which offers traditional Finnish sauna, solarium, and a jacuzzi with excellent views over the sea. The orchestra at the Atlantis Palace plays dance music (time to brush up your tango and waltz) and features varied artists and shows including French Can-Can. For those surviving the tango sessions there is a karaoke session and late night disco with DJ setting the pace at the Stardust nightclub, placed on a fantastic setting on the top deck under the northern sky. The cruise visits Mariehamn The ship makes a short stopover in Mariehamn, the capital of the Åland islands, half way between Sweden and Finland. When travelling during the long summer days, the sail from Stockholm gives the chance to admire the splendour of the Åland archipelago under a fantastic Nordic midnight sun. When coming from Helsinki, the ship reaches the islands in the early morning on a time when many revellers will still be awake and the sun will be already shining over the roofs of Mariehamn. The archipelago of 6000 islands is particularly fascinating at this silent time of the morning, although it is not less spectacular in winter time, when the Baltic waters freeze over and the help of the icebreakers is sometimes needed to open up the path to navigation. Real Scandinavians stay in the ferry The ferry comes back to life in the early morning when tourists are up and ready for a roughly 10 hour day tour of the destination city. The Tour Manager at the ship's information desk will help you to plan your day in the city and at this point you can also purchase sightseeing tickets and Stockholm or Helsinki cards. The foreign tourist leaves the ship escorted by hundreds of Scandinavians carrying back home a trolley loaded with alcohol and tobacco. One understands here the importance and use of the tax free shopping in this part of the world where unhealthy vice is so heavily taxed. Therefore, visiting the destination city is not a priority for many Scandinavians and many will take it easy and stay in the ship. For those passengers, Siljaland the kindergarden stays open all day and there is also a guided visit to the captain's bridge. And, of course, there is the luxurious comfort and privileged city views of your own cabin. Most of the students will wake up in the late afternoon. After a exciting day out packed with pictures and adventures, foreign tourists with varied accents flow back into the ship escorted with hundreds of Scandinavians carrying empty trolleys. Sadly, it is time to sail back to the city where we departed. And yet again the ferry comes back to life: a quick glance to the Cruise Programme, and ready for more smörgåsbord, tango, casino and can-can. Scandinavia: One of the world's best cruises Along with the Caribbean and the Mediterranean, the Scandinavian seas are one of the world's most appealing areas for cruising. Only here you will find more than a dozen historical cities packed with fascinating architecture and rich cultural life, and the Nordic scenery, from the Norwegian fjords in winter to the Finnish islands in summer, is simply breathtaking. The line connecting Helsinki, Turku and Stockholm is a classic and carries more than nine million people between Finland and Sweden every year. The popular islands of Gotland and Bornholm are favourite summer destinations for many Swedes and Danes, as well as the regular ferries to Copenhagen, Oslo and northern Germany. The Baltic countries are joining the list of popular cruise destinations in northern Europe: more than six million people cruise every year to Tallinn, most of them using Helsinki as base to visit the medieval capital city. Riga is also gaining in popularity with two new ferry connections to Stockholm and Helsinki. St. Petersburg is a top class destination which had remained apart of this type of tourism trade until now due to the difficulty in negotiating visa regulations with the Russian authorities. Besides the many Nordic ferries, international cruise liners are also extremely popular in Scandinavia and the Baltic area, bringing regularly big European and American luxury cruise ships to the Norwegian fjords, the Baltic sea and St. Petersburg.
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