Bullerö
After leaving Stockholm in the early morning, the National Geographic Endeavour journeyed towards the small island of Bullerö, part of the Swedish Archipelago. The morning was bright and beautiful as we sailed past small granite islands where quaint cottages painted red with white shutters hid within sparse trees, casting the spell of the hassle-free Archipelago lifestyle upon our guests. Sail boats – one of the main transports around the islands – took full advantage of the wind, sailing past, behind and in front of us, as we weaved our way further into the island chain. Although excited to arrive at our next destination, we made our way carefully, as the islands and shallow rocks create quite an obstacle course for those on the water.
Upon arriving at our anchorage point, our guests loaded into our fleet of Zodiacs and began the three-mile ride to the landing site, sharing the ride with passing sailboats and bobbing swans. Only one house makes Bullerö a residential island, the rest create a natural sanctuary by offering not only coastline, but a bit of forest and undergrowth. We were able to take long walks around the entire island, looking carefully for the land birds and inspecting the coastline. Bullerö also offers a fantastic protected harbor, which allowed us to get another view of the island while paddling in our kayaks around it.
The island is curated by a man named Johan, who welcomes his guests with open arms, explaining the history of the island and surrounding area. He even enticed us with a traditional Swedish treat of warm smoked salmon, washed down with schnapps and beer served by our hotel manager and bartender.
Our full Swedish Experience was not complete, as we returned to the ship where a Swedish Smörgåsbord was presented to us by the galley. A Smörgåsbord has a particular protocol when eating: the meal is always started with the herring, and after you take your first bite of herring, you must have schnapps, chiming “Skoal!” after you have finished. Drinking is also accompanied by Swedish schnapps songs, and our head chef, Richard, was more than happy to help lead.
Totally stuffed with traditional delights of pickled herring, crayfish, and (of course) Swedish meatballs, our guests on National Geographic Endeavour sang their way towards our next stop at Helsinki.
After leaving Stockholm in the early morning, the National Geographic Endeavour journeyed towards the small island of Bullerö, part of the Swedish Archipelago. The morning was bright and beautiful as we sailed past small granite islands where quaint cottages painted red with white shutters hid within sparse trees, casting the spell of the hassle-free Archipelago lifestyle upon our guests. Sail boats – one of the main transports around the islands – took full advantage of the wind, sailing past, behind and in front of us, as we weaved our way further into the island chain. Although excited to arrive at our next destination, we made our way carefully, as the islands and shallow rocks create quite an obstacle course for those on the water.
Upon arriving at our anchorage point, our guests loaded into our fleet of Zodiacs and began the three-mile ride to the landing site, sharing the ride with passing sailboats and bobbing swans. Only one house makes Bullerö a residential island, the rest create a natural sanctuary by offering not only coastline, but a bit of forest and undergrowth. We were able to take long walks around the entire island, looking carefully for the land birds and inspecting the coastline. Bullerö also offers a fantastic protected harbor, which allowed us to get another view of the island while paddling in our kayaks around it.
The island is curated by a man named Johan, who welcomes his guests with open arms, explaining the history of the island and surrounding area. He even enticed us with a traditional Swedish treat of warm smoked salmon, washed down with schnapps and beer served by our hotel manager and bartender.
Our full Swedish Experience was not complete, as we returned to the ship where a Swedish Smörgåsbord was presented to us by the galley. A Smörgåsbord has a particular protocol when eating: the meal is always started with the herring, and after you take your first bite of herring, you must have schnapps, chiming “Skoal!” after you have finished. Drinking is also accompanied by Swedish schnapps songs, and our head chef, Richard, was more than happy to help lead.
Totally stuffed with traditional delights of pickled herring, crayfish, and (of course) Swedish meatballs, our guests on National Geographic Endeavour sang their way towards our next stop at Helsinki.
