A Canadian, a Belgian, a Dutchman and an American Walk Into a Bar

No that's not the setup to a joke, but how I spent my afternoon in Stockholm. I guess I should first fill in the blank space between Russia and now.

I went to Copenhagen. It was a windy, rainy day and I was on a walking tour. Despite it all, I loved the city of the little mermaid. I got my picture with her and on my tour the older woman gathered us all around. There, in front of the classic statue, she told us the REAL little mermaid tale - not the one Disney added a soundtrack to. I love both versions, but it was so quaint and classic to stand at the pier where the statue sits, and hear the story from a Danish woman. Needless to say, I'm counting the days until Copenhagen again.

We got a new Cruise Director who is changing things, some bad, some good. He and the Activity Manager are giving me more creative things to do, which I really appreciate. My bingo commercials air all day and I hear people around the ship saying how amused they were at them. That makes me feel better, anyway. I like this guy, though I miss the old one. This new guy is an old stunt man/actor from LA. He's much more laid back and is the kind of guy you can sit back and have a cocktail with. No beer, no with this guy it would be a glass of scotch, or whiskey in the Cigar Room.

So back to today. Today was my second time in Stockholm. I didn't like it all that much the first time, but today was beautiful and sunny. When we got off, one of my friends from guest relations said there were only 18 guests left onboard. Everyone wanted to take advantage of the gorgeous day. Since I didn't bring any shorts with me, and my jeans are all getting holes in them, I decided to put on a very flowy skirt. It was perfect for strolling the city on a hot day. Sergio the Dutchman lead his girlfriend Karen the Canadian, our other friend Eef the Belgian and me the American to an indoor market he found on our free map. It was easily one of the best finds I've ever had in all of Europe. It was like a flea market, but cleaner and all the stands had little bars with stools so you could stop and eat. It was pretty clear we were some of the few tourists in the place, which we took to be a good sign. We sat at one bar and I had the greatest meatballs of my life. Real Swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes all washed down with a Carlsburg. Oh man. My stomach hasn't been that happy with me in a long time. If the way to a woman's heart is through her stomach, then Sweden has a special spot in mine.

We walked around a bit more and went back to the Century. We are now sailing towards Helsinki where I will probably spend more money that I really don't have.