Our approach to Stockholm was magnificent. We came through a long, narrow channel that afforded us views of horses galloping toward the shore, dense forested areas, tall granite rock walls, swans, islands large and small, and one brightly colored house after the next, each with its own dock. I decided to unveil my last clean outfit and enjoy the view from a window seat at the coffee bar.

Sweden, with a population of 10 million, is the third largest country in the EU. For centuries it was a force to be reckoned with in the Baltic since it controlled all of it including the land and water access that St. Petersburg now covets. Think IKEA, Vikings, Pippi Longstocking, Absolut Vodka, ABBA, meatballs, Ingmar Bergman, the five Nobel prizes, and those chewy little red fish.

Stockholm, situated on 14 islands, certainly reflects a proud, impressive history. We enjoyed a walking tour around town with a funny guide who made it very clear she would have no qualms about leaving us behind should we lollygag. She walked us past the Nobel Museum, impressive government buildings, really old town homes that were tall and narrow just as we imagined they would be, and impressive monuments to people we had, for the most part, never heard of. In the backyard of the Finish Church we visited Iron Boy, technically Little Boy Looking at the Moon, which at six inches tall is by far the smallest statue in town. This popular little naked dude is sitting on a low platform hugging his knees. Someone had knitted him a tiny scarf and his head was shinny from all the good luck rubs it receives on a daily basis.

The highlight of our city visit was a stop at the Vasa Museum, again with the warning that the bus would pull out without us should we lollygag. This place is cool! Here’s the deal: in August of 1628, with much fanfare, the brand spanking new warship Vasa set sail on her maiden voyage. An engineering oversight made it impossible for her to sail in even fair winds and calm seas and she promptly sank right in front of the huge, disbelieving crowd that had gathered both on shore and in small boats. In 1961 the wreck was salvaged in its entirety after being submerged for 333 years! A phenomenon made possible, in large part, by the fact that wood worms do not live in the Baltic. This museum with all its wow-factor was built with the specific intention of housing the ship which is 98% original.

After our city tour we went to the small medieval town of Sigtuna for a quick stroll around. It was quaint and picturesque. The standout for me was seeing a runic stone (a runestone) for the first time. I had never heard of them, actually. Here’s what I learned: Runes are not headstones (even though they look similar)! They might be in honor of someone who died but they might also mark territory, explain inheritance, boast about constructions, or tell of important events. I don’t remember how old the one we saw is but the concept dates back to the 4th and 5th centuries.

After a great day we headed back to the ship in time to enjoy watching some of the sail-away through the same beautiful channel we had been in this morning. We had a yummy dinner before enjoying Greg Scott, a UK recording artist who bills himself as the tallest violinist in the world.

Finland, home to famed Olympic runner Paavo Nurmi (think early 1900s), has two official languages (Finish and Swedish) and 5.5 millions citizens who are in love with saunas which, we were told, are built into most homes and lots of apartments. It was the first country in Europe and the second in the world to give women political rights and continues to actively encourage equal participation of men and women in the professions and government. It has only been an independent democratic republic since 1917 having previously been under the thumb of Russia and before that Sweden.

We chose to spend half our day out of town and half in Helsinki. No matter, both were a stark contract to Saint Petersburg. Very clean, organized, and pretty, but in an understated pastoral way with all its granite buildings. We took a bus an hour out of town to Porvoo, the second oldest town in Finland. We passed mile after mile of forest with lots of white-trunked birch trees that stood out from the evergreens. Spring has been long and unseasonably cold here, so the fields were not yet planted and the trees were without leaves. There were tall fences along the highway meant to keep moose off the road. Reindeer are prevalent in Finland also but they are further north in Lapland so not a problem this close to the water.

We made one stop in Sipoo to see a charming, small country church made of stone with a low lying stone wall and small grave-markers in the lawn where war dead were laid to rest. It was very simple but sweet with an uneven cobbled floor and no outstanding decorations whatsoever. We lit a candle for Aunt Jerry.

Once in Porvoo we explored the picturesque narrow streets and browsed the gift shops, a tiny outdoor market, and a small chocolate factory (Brunberg Oy) where we took full advantage of the free samples, one of which was salted licorice. Not to our liking. The town is situated on a narrow river and is very quaint. Dan and I love to go to grocery stores when we travel, and we found one here. The shockers were a) finding six gambling machines at checkout. They were slot machine height but very understated. We did not try our luck. And b) a moving walkway to get shoppers and their carts from the first floor (food) to the second floor (clothes and housewares).

Once back in Helsinki we had a city tour and enjoyed looking at the highlights. A few of the country’s eight icebreakers were docked, so it was fun and a first to see those. We stopped at Helsinki Cathedral which is white with a soft green roof. It is on a small rise and looked magnificent against the clear blue of the sky. Once inside we lit a candle for Aunt Jerry. It is a Lutheran cathedral so very simple but elegant with a gigantic organ and long pews separated from each other by small doors on each end. Our last stop was at a relatively new church blasted from solid rock aptly named Temppeliaukio Rock Church. It was like nothing I have ever seen with its low lying dome shaped a bit like a Frisbee or a flying saucer and lined with miles of coiled copper wire. The anticipated effect of all the stone and cooper was that of cold and detached but it was actually very peaceful and beautiful. We lit another candle for Aunt Jerry and called it a day.

 

Leaving the ship was unlike at any other port we’ve been to on any cruise. We were not required to have a visa as long as we were with a ship sponsored tour, but each and every person going ashore had to clear immigration. We queued up behind a yellow line and did not approach an immigration officer until a small light went green. We then opened a small stainless steel gate (which promoted the light to go red) and stood between an angled mirror behind our head and an immigration officer in a small booth. Cleone looked toward us knowing we were taking her picture and she was reprimanded for not looking forward at all times. Our personal information was typed into the computer, an entry receipt of sorts we were told not to misplace under any circumstances was printed, our passports were stamped, and we were excused before the light went green prompting the next in line to step forward. The process was slow and got our attention.

Immigration aside, I now have a new destination on my list of favorites: Saint Petersburg, Russia! What a delightful surprise it has proven to be. I had heard it was beautiful and am in the process of reading Natasha’s Dance, which talks about how it came about, but still.

It reminds me of an Amsterdam or a Venice where running out of room was not a concern. It is a young, planned city built in the early 1700s by Peter the Great (but named for Saint Peter) where nothing previously existed, so the buildings are huge but limited to a few stories in height, streets wide, with water (70 rivers and canals) and bridges everywhere. No surprise since 42 islands in the Neva River comprise the city. Peter’s idea was to build a city on the far west coast of Russia which would a) hopefully keep  Sweden at bay and b) give Russia water access. He wanted it to be very Western European in style and flavor with the hopes that Russia would be seen as rivaling Europe, especially France, in sophistication and taste. He sent nobles to different counties to learn what to immolate and then went for it in a big way. Saint Petersburg is in the Guinness Book of World Records for the city with the most palaces, so I’d say Peter’s objective was handsomely met!

Dan and I spent a day and a half exploring the city with W&C. (Hettie and Ronnie took the train the Moscow.) We got SO lucky! First it was sunny, which is a rarity here, and secondly our tour guide had tickets for us to go to the Hermitage, one of the largest and best museums in the world and usually a mob scene, before it opened its doors to the masses. We were the very first group in which made it seem like we had all the dazzling rooms to ourselves with no one ahead of us to dampen the shock and awe of how opulent it all is. Some rooms are works of art in and of themselves with amazing parquet floors and magnificent ceilings and walls…all decorated in an over the top, we-adore-gold-leaf sort of way. I loved it! Other rooms were used as galleries for paintings, porcelain, tapestries and whatever else you might want to see. The white and gold chapel where the court used to attend services was dazzling. There was a small, glassed off, semi-circular chamber where the queen could come from her private chambers to stand, per religious tradition, for services and then return to her private apartments without being disturbed. The Hermitage is a collection of palaces, including Peter’s Winter Palace, that face the river, so there is a lot of light and beautiful water views.

Another mind blowing stop on our tour was the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood. From the outside it reminded me of a fairytale with its colorful onion domes and cheerful exterior walls. From the inside it is a sea of intricate mosaic. From top to bottom, left to right………everywhere is mosaic! Stunning, breathtaking, unbelievable in a way, and over the top. Right up my alley.

The Peter and Paul Fortress is a small island across from the Hermitage and boasts the Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral, burial place of all imperial Russian rulers including Nicholas, his wife Alexandra, and their five children. Although beautiful with lots of gold to compliment the soft green walls, it seemed understated compared to what we had seen.

At seemingly every turn in the road some spectacular building, tower, or monument would come into view. The buildings were primarily painted deep pastels. The city streets were wide and clean with bike lanes, street cars, and buses. The waterways were bustling.

Our tour included the gardens of Peterhof, a gigantic summer palace outside of Saint Petersburg. Oh my! The gardens are huge and laid out in a symmetrical pattern. Beautiful fountains and cascades were turned on. Gold is the accent color here also. The sun poked in and out and made it look dazzling.

It was nice to see a bit of the countryside on the hour’s drive to Peterhof. We passed mile after mile after mile of high-rise apartment buildings that in no way resembled the opulence of the downtown historic area. Although some of the newer buildings were interesting architecturally, most were drab concrete structures that made me think of the Hunger Games movies.

We had a fabulous guide who answered all our questions and filled our heads with interesting information. Handy facts like Peter the Great was 6′ 8″ tall, liked small rooms with low ceilings, and had small feet. She often prefaced her statements with, ‘Dear ladies and gentlemen’ as in ‘Dear ladies and gentlemen, wait right here while I check on tickets.’  Or, ‘Dear ladies and gentlemen, we will soon stop for lunch.’ Cute. Speaking of lunch, we got caviar, champagne, and a shot of vodka with our meal. Our guide told us that a good salary is around $1,000 a month and $1,600 would be fabulous but attainable with a certain level of education. Unpaid maternity leave is three years meaning your job must be held for you for three years. City folks like to vacation in Turkey and the Mediterranean and country folk like to vacation in the city. Beef stroganoff originated in St. Petersburg, the World Cup will be played there next year, and gas is 40 rubles a liter.

Russian bragging rights went to Hettie and Ronnie who had been to St. Petersburg once before; Dan who had been to Moscow on business once; and Cleone who had been to St. Petersburg in the late ’80s when it was still called Leningrad and the Iron Curtain had yet to come down. Cleone shared fun stories of trading things like jeans and cosmetics for Russian lacquer boxes, matryoshka dolls, and other souvenirs.

Between days one and two we had to clear immigration to get back on the ship. This involved producing the piece of paper we were told not to lose no matter what. The next morning we lined up to enter the country again. Needless to say our time here was fascinating in more ways than one.

Entertainment Friday night was a Russian troupe of 25 called Stars of St. Petersburg that performed lively traditional music in folk costumes. They were really fun to watch. The musicians featured the balalaika, a stringed instrument with a triangular body.

Entertainment Saturday night featured Leanne Mitchell, the 2012 winner of The Voice UK.

We were not expected to get off the ship until 11:30, so we leisurely got up and found breakfast before meeting our tour group. Today’s objective: exploring Tallinn, the capital of Estonia situated 540 nautical miles from Warnemunde. The whole country has a population of 1.2 million, so Tallinn is a small, quaint, charming, low to the ground capital city. The buildings in the old areas of town are painted dark pastels and are well maintained. Estonia used to be part of Russia back in the days of Peter the Great, so some of the beautiful buildings and gardens are remnants of his enthusiasm for lavish construction projects.

The tour guide explained that Estonia, formerly behind the Iron Curtain, has had its struggles finding its way in the years since 1991 but is holding its own. Public transportation is free for all citizens; there is a minimum monthly wage of 470€, although most citizens earn around 1,000€. This does not support a lavish lifestyle but being out from under communism has lots of advantages, so no complaints. The guide went on to talk about the 1980’s Olympics and the fact that some water events took place in Tallinn. Funny turn of events: some countries boycotted the games that year, the U.S. included, due to political unrest, but this was all last minute and Tallinn had already made all sorts of infrastructure improvements in preparation to host large groups of athletes and spectators. The large numbers did not show but the citizens of Tallinn continue to enjoy all the improvements. Two interesting water facts: the salinity of the sea water in Tallinn is so low it is actually drinkable, and there is no tide. All water level fluctuations are due to wind. Who knew?

The temperature was in the mid-40s with a nice breeze and intermittent sun. In a word I was cold whenever we left the bus and I had a hat, light weight gloves, and four layers under my medium weight jacket. Imagine our surprise when we saw not one but two guys in speedos sunning themselves. Brrrrrrrr!

We had the chance to light two candles for Aunt Jerry, one at Saint Mary’s Cathedral and one at Alexander Nevsky’s Cathedral. We took it upon ourselves to bend the rules a bit for the second one since photos were not allowed and we chronicle all of our good deeds. It’s interesting how brave we get when we do not speak the language and say, when pressed, that a) we are sorry and b) we are Canadian.

Once we toured the historical side of town, heard about all the reconstruction necessary after the devastation of World War II, and learned about Saint Brigitta, we drove through a single family residential district where a minority of the residents live and then by not-too-attractive high rises the majority call home. We drove passed a beautiful cemetery built, per custom, in the forest. The headstones are dwarfed by the tall trees. Fun fact: the guide explained that the forest cemeteries have inadvertently become bird sanctuaries.

We thoroughly enjoyed the tour and the interesting things we saw. Our day was topped off with a fabulous lobster dinner with the rest of our group and entertainment in the theater. Hettie surprised Cleone and me with beautiful scarves she had knit. Let’s recap: we brought her Hungarian paprika, Cleone brought her Kleenex packs from the U.K., and she knit us each a scarf. Sounds fair to me.

Oh my gosh…we just keep getting lazier! Today we didn’t put our feet on the ground until 11:15! We had set our watches ahead an hour before turning out the lights last night, so really it was only 10:15. But still. This gave us very little time to get showered and dressed before meeting Hettie for the Peter the Great lecture at 12:30, which was very informative and well done.

Then lunch and a little free time and low and behold it was time for tea. Yum! A half hour after tea, our butler (you read that right) brought pre-happy hour treats to the room. I’m talking major snacks: a cheese plate, fruit plate, shrimp cocktail, and a tray with four little wells each with a different snack. Then happy hour with the gang followed by dinner in the dining room. Dan was so full from eating nonstop that he only had a salad and a cup of soup for dinner. I had a salad and half the vegetarian option. Sadly neither of us passed on dessert.

Update on the anniversary flowers: Cleone found out that no one knows who Ari is or who his flowers were intended for. No matter … very sorry … we can fix this. Translation: fresh flowers with a card from us were delivered today, so H&R are awash in blooms. Dan and I decided tonight was the perfect time to present them with the little gift we brought them from Budapest … sweet paprika. Our generosity made their hearts flutter. ;~}

Entertainment tonight was my favorite so far: Nick Page, a singer with a powerful voice who also played the piano and drums. We enjoyed each other’s  company over a hot beverage of our choice before heading to our rooms to get ready for tomorrow.

 

A 7:00 am walk-up call was a bit painful but room service softened the blow. We grabbed our hats, coats, and backpacks and headed for the assembly area at 8:30. Hundreds of us cruisers were headed to Berlin for the day, so a special train was parked at the dock poised to take all of us the 120 miles. It was a two and a half hour ride from the port of Warnemunde (677 nautical miles from Amsterdam) to the capital of Germany. Cookies and apples were offered straight away to tide us over until we got there. The ride took us through the countryside where we saw lots of rapeseed in bloom, quite a few wild turkeys pecking plowed fields, and a few deer. We met our bus and guide at Berlin Ostbahnhof, a very nice, new post-German unification train station.

Our guide was born in former East Germany and lived there until the Berlin Wall came down just before year’s end in 1989. She shared a few personal stories with us but we could have listened for hours and asked lots of questions had there been more time.

Our first stop was at a section of the Wall that has become an outdoor art gallery. Different panels are painted with different scenes, the most famous of which is titled the Fraternal Kiss where the leader of East Germany is mouth kissing the leader of Russia. We saw other sections of the Wall as we drove around the city, some painted, some drab concrete as it would have been back in the day, and some that has been allowed to deteriorate to the extent that rebar was visible. In parts of the city where roads have been built where the wall used to stand, a two paver-wide strip has been laid into the road as a permanent reminder of the forced separation of the city from the end of WWII to the end of 1989.

Another sober sight were white metal crosses installed along the river as well as along certain fences to commemorate citizens who were lined up and shot for the crime of being born a Jew. There is also a monument that covers a city block and is comprised of cement block after cement block in the shape of unadorned sarcophagi.

Berlin is essentially a new city, especially on the former East side where, under communist rule, drab ruled the day. Construction cranes are visible everywhere. Hard to believe that the transformation has been going on since 1990. There are now beautiful monuments, ultra modern stores and restaurants, and lots of impressive government buildings, museums, and churches.

Checkpoint Charlie, one of three ways in and out of the former American sector, and the Brandenburg Gate were special stops for us since we had heard so much about them when we were living in Germany in the late 80s. We also drove passed the location where Hitler’s bunker used to be, where he and Eva Braun committed suicide.

Berlin has been transformed into a vibrant city full of things to enjoy. We left knowing we had barely scratched the surface. Our train ride back to the ship gave us a chance to discuss the events of the day with W&C and enjoy a boxed dinner. In spite of having had a great German lunch at a beer garden and dinner on the train, we headed straight for the buffet when we got back at 9:30. Shame on us!

Side bar: Matt and Murphy visited Berlin in October 1989 and had to
have been among the last Boy Scouts troops to visit the city since the
Wall came down the following month.

Getting into a do-nothing rhythm was NO problem for us. With every confidence we would be on our feet, our buddies called at 10:15 to make lunch plans. Imagine the pressure on us to pretend we were awake. Yawn….stretch.

Come to find out our rooms come with access to a private dining room, so we decided to check it out for lunch. Very nice! We then adjourned to a lecture on shopping in Russia and how the quality has, in general, gone down in the years since the Iron Curtain fell. Dan and Walter slept through the entire presentation which meant they were in fine shape for cocktails, a must-attend, for our group of six. Then dinner followed by entertainment followed by a race to get to bed because we are all booked for a big day tomorrow.

A funny little sidebar: Cleone and I had arranged (read: Cleone did all the work) for 50th anniversary flowers to be in H&R’s room when we boarded. From the time we met at lunch today right through dinner we kept waiting for the ever grateful H&R to gush over our thoughtfulness. But …… no mention of our flowers. They did mention, however, a beautiful bouquet from Ari. We went to bed determined to get to the bottom of this.

Our Celebrity cruise of the Baltic leaves from Amsterdam, so we got here one night ahead of the set sail date for peace of mind sake. We had a nice night’s sleep and were up to greet the day with amazing pastries and the best bacon of the trip so far. If bacon is not meaty and crisp, I’m out, and this stuff was both times two!

We had a transfer from the hotel, so getting to the ship involved getting ourselves and our luggage to the lobby for a 10:00 a.m. departure. We had downloaded and printed our boarding documents and had luggage tags, so it was a breeze. Our cruise buddies, Hettie (aka our personal Cruise Director) and Ronnie from Baltimore and Cleone and Walter from Tulsa, met us in the lobby. It was wonderful to see them again. The last time we saw one another is when H&R and we flew into Tulsa to surprise W&C at their surprise 50th anniversary party the end of last year.

A quick bus ride across town got us to the pier. We boarded the ship right away and enjoyed a buffet lunch and quick tour of the ship while waiting for our staterooms to be cleaned. Hettie chose and booked our rooms and oh my gosh! Each couple is situated in a corner room in the back of the ship, so not only do we have a small (read: really small) balcony off the back but a huge (read: 4.5 feet across) port hole on the other wall. It is so bright and cheery! Bulgari toiletries, champagne, fresh fruit, and flowers are just frosting on the cake! See why Hettie is in charge?

We spent the rest of the first afternoon on board unpacking, stowing our suitcases (under the bed), and getting organized in general. Quickly after setting sail the ship went through a lock that raised us up to sea level so we could head into the North Sea where the captain set a course around Denmark and into the Baltic.

We met for cocktails at 5:00. The premium beverage package is included with our room, so the sky’s the limit on what we can drink, both alcoholic and nonalcoholic. I just said ‘Bring me the most expensive glass of red wine that comes with my beverage package’ and left it at that. From there to dinner and then the show, Just John and Paul, two brothers who did a great job singing Beatles tunes. From there to bed. A great start to what we think is our seventh cruise.

A bit about the ship

Name: Celebrity Silhouette
Number of decks: 16
Length: 1,063 feet
Occupancy: 2,886
Dining Rooms: 1
Casual dining and specialty restaurant options: 12
Bars and lounges: 10
Plus: card room, library, casino, swimming pools, gym, and spa

 

Even though Dan spent most of his time working and has seen very little, he agrees that Budapest, a city of 1,800,000, was fun to explore. Well worth a trip. It’s clean, friendly, and well organized. There is great public transportation but a good walker can do most of the city center on foot pretty easily. The skyline is low so it’s a bright city, not one bathed in shadow. Parliament and Saint Stephen’s are the two tallest building in town, actually. Pedestrians have the right of way at all crosswalks (zebra crossings) that do not have pedestrian lights. And the drivers actually stop with no question. There are loads of bikes and bike lanes with easy on-the-street rental. Food is delicious and there is a lot of variety.

A quick word about the manhole covers: they are beautiful! Brass presumably and most have incorporated the city’s coat of arms. They are often shinny and really caught my eye.

In terms of shopping: think paprika, Hard Rock Ts, and beautiful embroidery.

Today is relocation day and merits a clean travel outfit. We enjoyed a lazy morning and then headed to the airport for our flight to Amsterdam via Frankfurt. We had 20,000 HUF (local currency) left, so we strolled the duty free stores and had fun spending it on gifts and goodies. Good weather and on-time flights got us to the hotel in Amsterdam around 7:30. We had a snack on the plane which we counted as dinner so we had an early night.

We are excited to get our next adventure started …. tomorrow morning.

Glory be, I did not open my eyes until 10:00. Dan had been up since 8:30 but did not want to bother me, so he was sitting quietly in the corner working on his phone. Breakfast ended at 10:30 so we literally threw our clothes on and headed downstairs to grab a bite. We ran into Robin and her husband, Rich, who were eating late also.

Dan joined Rich and Robin for a tour of the 1956 Museum and I stayed behind (a rarity) to catch up on the blog. Dan reports that the small Museum was very well done and tells the sad story of the Hungarian uprising and the brutal response of the Russians who had occupied the country since the end of WWII.

On a bit of a whim, we four decided to see if we could arrange transportation to the Danube Bend, an hour north of the city where the Danube heads to the west. In this bend are small picturesque towns. Three are worth a visit we had read but getting such a late start we had to settle on visiting just one…Szentendre. We joined a 2:00 p.m. van tour that was made up of one other couple (in town for a river cruise). The one hour drive was really pleasant and reminded the four of us so much of Germany. For good reason it seems since the guide explained that thousands of Germans immigrated years ago during a period of drought. They built boats out of wood from the Black Forest, came down the Danube, disassembled the boats and built houses with the wood, and stayed. We drove passed yellow rapeseed fields, lots of small islands, outdoor thermal swimming pools, playgrounds, and Roman ruins. In the middle of one small town, right along the main road, a stork had built her nest on the top of a telephone pole which she was happily guarding as we drove passed. Except for getting out of Budapest, traffic was light.

Szentendre was the highlight of the afternoon even if we were short on time to explore it. The low, well maintained buildings, small churches, souvenir shops, art galleries, and cute restaurants made us wish we had planned better. Huge lampshades we hung in the town square, presumably as street lights. Dan and I headed straight for the Serbian Orthodox Church where we lit a candle for Aunt Jerry. Then we spotted a street vendor selling a sweet pastry treat we had lusted for in Budapest. Dough is flattened; wrapped around a long, wooden, rolling pin looking rod; smothered in what looks like butter; rolled in sugar; and then rotated over an open coal fire until is is brown and crispy. This hollow tube of delight is then covered in a topping of your choice (we chose cinnamon and walnuts), pried off the wooden rod, placed in a clear plastic sheet and presented for devouring. It did not disappoint!

Our time came to and end just as the rain arrived. Lucky us. Four of the six in our small group arrived at the meeting point to take a boat back to town. No Rich or Robin. Five minutes passed, ten minutes passed and still no Rich or Robin. Come to find out they had wandered further afield than the rest of us and got turned around in the small alleys and streets. Rich called Dan to say they were slowly making their way, which they did … completely soaked, but just in time to hop on the boat. Phew.

The rain prevented us from seeing much on the boat ride back but it was easy to tell that on a sunny day it would be a beautiful ride. We got back to dry, overcast skies.

Needing to organize for tomorrow, we said our goodbyes and headed upstairs for a room service dinner and packing.