Cruising around the Baltic Sea during May 2024, one of the places my wife Liz and I were really looking forward to visiting was Stockholm, the capital of Sweden.
We were due to dock at the Vikingterminalen near the centre of Stockholm at around 9.30 in the morning, but at 4.30am I was woken by the first light of day streaming though the curtains of our cabin.
Wondering what was happening outside I carefully opened the door onto our balcony, trying not to wake Liz, and was amazed to see a small island passing by, lit by the newly risen sun and really close to our ship.
Little did I know at the time that we had just entered the Stockholm Archipelago, an incredibly beautiful stretch of water, laced with tree covered islands and isolated homesteads, and the only navigable route from the Baltic Sea to the city of Stockholm.
So it was out with the camera and tripod for a four hour filming session, which was how long it took us to reach Stockholm from the coast.
The weather and sea conditions were just incredible, with crystal clear morning light providing vivid reflections of the beautiful scenery in the flat calm waters that we were sailing through.
So I just had to wake Liz up to see this amazing scenery, and we stayed up, bleary eyed but lost in wonder at what was enfolding before our eyes.
Eventually we arrived at Stockholm proper, and even the city waterfront looked wonderful in the warm morning light as we docked, ready for some breakfast and our trip ashore.
This video is a compilation of selected highlights from the cruise to Stockholm, with some pieces of classical music to compliment the lovely, peaceful mood.
Enjoy!
Filename - stockholm approach video 01
Camera - Canon EOS 250D
Lens - 24-105mm zoom @ 24mm
Exposure - Camera set to 'Program' mode to cope with variations in exposure during long captures.
Filters - None.
Location - Stockholm Archipelago, Sweden
Music - Various classical pieces
This clip - HD 720p, 25fps (4K and 1080p HD formats also available)
Clip duration - 24 minutes 43 seconds
All content copyright © Howard Litherland 2009-2024 unless otherwise stated.