Copenhagen revisited

Our final day is in Copenhagen from whence we departed several days ago. I’m amazed at how 

The Little Mermaid

rapidly two weeks can go by. Sailing into the harbor on a warm day resplendent with sunshine was a beautiful experience. Out in the harbor are several wind generators all lined up in a neat Scandinavian row. Denmark has a goal to be carbon neutral by 2025. 

The HoHo (Hop on Hop off) bus was waiting at the curb. We opted for the 3 tour ticket which will cover most of the central part of Copenhagen. The poor driver’s ticket machine had a melt down after processing my credit card. No ticket was produced so we had to stay on until downtown when his supervisor could print a ticket for us and relieve his angst. The bus did make a stop for photos at the “Little Mermaid.”

A minuscule part of the brewery

We took the bus which tours through Carlsberg an enormous brewery dating back over a hundred years. The bus had to go through two archways which were very, very tight. The driver closed the roof so no one could stand up and find his head bloody from the adventure.

Dragon tails spiraled into a tower.

Returning to the center of town we hiked off for lunch. Craig had visions of a Scandinavian smorgåsbord. They are few and far between, and when available quite expensive, as a rule. They have been largely supplanted by KFC, MacDonalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut, etc. We did find a Turkish buffet which satisfied.

A stairway to heaven?

We had another bus tour through Christiania, another section of Copenhagen with only a few things of interest, most notably their new Opera. It is a contemporary building on axis with the marble church and the royal palace and was donated by the beer brewers Carlsberg. 

By now the sunny, pleasant day had deteriorated into rain making further touring not at all a pleasant notion. The shuttle bus to take us to the terminal was parked near the “Little Mermaid.” Boarding the bus we returned to the ship. Following dinner the packing frenzy will begin. The bags must be tagged and out by midnight. Our transfer to the airport will take place at 6:15 AM.

Kiel, Germany

Harborside statue

Our overnight sailing took us to the port of Kiel. I expected a dumpy port town with nothing much to see or do. The terminal was beautiful with a completely enclosed entrance much like a jetway. Would that we had had that the night previous! The city furnished a handy booklet that outlined things one could see and do with 1 hours time, 2 hours time, etc. It included a convenient map. 

The Church of
St. Andrew and St. Nicholas

After connecting to the free wi-fi in the terminal and dealing with a few hundred emails, we took off on a jaunt to explore the city. We walked to the old market and found the Church of Saint Andrew and Saint Nicholas, named for the patron saints of fisherfolk and sailors. It had a lovely triptych behind the high altar and a huge rood hanging at the entrance to the chancel. The baptismal font was commodious as well. 

A small part of the Sunday flea market

Venturing onward into the city we came upon an enormous flea market that stretched for blocks and blocks. The church we had just visited was nearly empty at the time for Mass to begin. The flea market was packed. One could procure nearly anything. I’m sure it rivaled the world’s largest rummage sale in size. Craig found a multi-band radio that he could not live without. I found a Starbucks and had the latte that I could not live without.

It appeared that it might rain again so we headed for the ship and had lunch there although there were a multitude of food offerings at the flea market. The skies cleared without raining upon us so I went out to explore more of this city.  

In the botanical gardens

I happened upon the old botanical gardens which were lovely. I have no idea where the new gardens are. The climate appears to be propitious for hydrangeas and roses. There was an enormous hospital complex with clinics for every thing medical including human genetics. As part of the local university there was a barrista academy.

An array of astilbe

Kiel was a base for the Nazi u-boats. There is still one moored there which is now a museum curiosity and was used in the film Das Boot. There is also a memorial to all the sailors who lost their lives in two world wars irrespective of the country they served.

All in all it was a charming and interesting city. I had thought of taking a shore excursion to Lübeck. Reading the reviews of same the conclusion was that Sunday was really a dead time there. I’m happy that we opted to stay in the port and discover some things about which I’d never heard.

The after dinner show was the final for the dancers and singers of the ship’s troupe. It was based on Alice in Wonderland, Little Red Riding Hood, and Sleeping Beauty. Included were lots of special effects and lighting tricks so we were quite entertained. 

Statue before the art museum
 looking suspiciously like an American bison.

Berlin, Germany

The port city for Berlin on this trip is Rostock. Assembly time was 6:45 AM following which we 

Berlin's symbol is the bear

boarded a private train for the 3 hour trip to Berlin. A snack box was distributed which contained an apple, a cookie and an interesting item referred to as “ a pretzel with butter inside.” Indeed, the description was true. It was a fat, soft pretzel injected with a substance resembling butter as if it were one of those filled pastry things which has been squirted with some fruit substance. Interesting.

The train stopped once as we discharged those passengers bound for a tour of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. The rest of us continued on to the Ostbahnhoff in Berlin in eastern Berlin. Our tour was met by our guide, Annikka. She was very knowledgeable and had a wonderful, bouncy personality. She did a excellent job of explaining the boundaries and political implications of the previous East and West Germany and East and West Berlin. 

Part of the Berlin Wall

We boarded our bus and continued on to several photo stops, first at the “Wall” where several artists were invited to paint murals after the division between the two Berlins was eliminated. There are several sections of the wall still in existence, one where, as Annikka described it, people come who are “wall pickers.” The wall resembles Swiss cheese in this place for people have chipped out chunks as souvenirs. The wall was built actually as two walls with a considerable “no man’s land” between where refugees could be easily spotted and shot. That land is now available for 

No man's land went all the way
 to the white building

building if it can be determined who owns the land. 

This problem is handled by a governmental department with a title nearly as long as Germany is wide. Ownership must be sifted through several periods. There may have been a German gentile who owned the land originally. The land may have been confiscated by the Nazis for some purpose. If owned by a Jew then it was confiscated because of its owner’s religion or heritage. East German land then was owned by the state until the reunification. Now the original owner must be identified, if possible, and the land sold to whomsoever would build upon it. Not an easy task.

A point where the Wall once stood.

Checkpoint Charlie was another photo stop. I finally understood the story behind this. Checkpoint Alpha was at the border of East and West Germany. Checkpoint Bravo was the entry point between East Germany and West Berlin. Checkpoint Charlie was the passage between West and East Berlin. 

Location of Checkpoint Charlie

This place is quite a tourist “trap” now.  The original booth is not present. A replica is there for photo purposes. There are souvenir booths and a marker in the pavement designating the location of the wall.

The Brandenburg Gate

A stop at the Brandenburg Gate was obligatory. This iconic structure was once located between the two walls dividing the city. This is World Cup time and Germany had won the night before our visit. The park on one side of the gate was transformed into a giant viewing place with gargantuan screens, bleachers, and numerous food stands where hundreds of thousands had gathered the night before to view the game. 

On of the more interesting vehicles spotted was a “beer bike.” 

A beer bike

This is a small wagon-type structure with bar stools surrounding a beer tap. Each stool is provided with pedals so the customers can drink and pedal their way to wherever they wish to go.  I could not determine which of the participants is the driver. I assume someone is. It is probably one of those things of which it is a good thing to avoid whenever possible.

The Allied Museum has been created to memorialize the Berlin Airlift. The actual Checkpoint Charlie booth is there, along with 

A watch tower, a portion of the Wall,
and an engine of a plane involved in the Berlin Airlift.

one of the aircraft. There is a portion of a tunnel which ran under the Russian sector at one time and was used by American spies to tap the Russian phone lines and gather intelligence to used against the Soviets. When discovered some of the Soviets admired the Americans for their ingenuity!

The bus dropped us on the Kurfurstendam for an hour of free time for shopping. Many of our fellow passengers sprinted for the Apple Store and its free internet to catch up on electronic communication. Most of the terminals have had free internet. Other popular spots have been MacDonalds and Starbucks. I don’t know of many who are willing to pay the exorbitant price the ship charges for connectivity.

We made another photo stop at the parliament building. This was one of the monumental buildings 

The German Parliament building

never used by Hitler so it was felt it was appropriate for the new Germany to make use of it. It was damaged during the war so the glass dome is a new addition. Alongside this building are the offices of the members of parliament in a contemporary ribbon of buildings, which is, indeed, how Berliners refer to it, the Ribbon of Parliament. As Annikka explained each member has a secretary who has an undersecretary, who has an undersecretary, etc. 

Parliamentary office building

The bus then took us to a train station in the northern part of Berlin where we re-boarded our train to return to the ship. It was really a very enlightening tour and a worthwhile part of the whole journey.

Just as the train pulled up next to the ship, the heavens opened and the rain came down in torrents. I think a saw a bit of hail as well. We were assigned to carriage C so we had to walk the length of the train past carriage K and then back up the other side in order to get to the gangway. By the time the crowd reached the gangway there was a traffic jam so we had to stand in the rain. I had an umbrella but was still soaked up to my waistline. I did have on my intrepid hiking boots so, incredibly enough, my feet were dry. We all looked very much like drowned rats or wet cats or…(provide your own description).

The Memorial for Holocaust Victims

Day at Sea

It takes a day and 2 nights to arrive at Rostock, Germany. Days at sea are never my favorites. I know there are a lot of activities but none of them seem to interest me.  I’ve never been passionate about learning to tie towels into the shape of cute animals with which the cabin boys favor us each evening when turning down the beds. One could play cards, if one wanted to do that. Of course the prime activity is the casino in which I choose not to pay the “tax on stupidity” as my friend Brian explained it. It does give one a lot of time to sit and read, or read and sit, or… 

The Captain’s Brunch for the Mariner’s Club members was today. The soup on the menu was described as Traditional White Scandinavian Vegetable Soup. I was a shocked to read this as I am sure you know that white and Scandinavian are interchangeable terms! We are suspicious of anything that is not white.  Brunch included champagne and water (for free! on a cruise ship!). Champagne always helps the day move along.

From there we went to a wine tasting. There were two of these included in my package. I totally missed the first one. Wines included a pricey champagne (excellent), a lightly oaked chardonnay, a pinot noir, a cabernet and a very nice late harvest sauvignon blanc which I had never tasted. I’d love to have some of that for desert now and then, but I’ll probably not be able to find it.

The rest of the afternoon was spent in relaxation until time for our second dinner in the Pinnacle Grill. The Cæsar salad was fine and the lamb chops excellent and the berries with saubignon 

sauce a delightful conclusion.

A magic show followed in the theater, an entertaining conclusion to a lazy day.

Stockholm, Sweden

The Baltic Sea has been incredibly smooth. It’s difficult to tell the difference between sailing and being moored at the dock. Sailing through the archipelago toward our destination in the early 

From our verandah

morning was beautiful. The wooded islands and the lovely water were a picture. We arrived in Stockholm about 8 AM, and were given permission to leave the ship. I really didn’t realize we had arrived. 

Two of Stockholm's many canals

We opted for the Hop On Hop Off tour again. Here there is the option of including boat trips since Stockholm consists of 14 islands. The two day pass will serve us well, except the last trips are at 4:30. We have an overnight here so we would have to find our own way back to the ship if we decide to stay in the city late.

The warship Vasa

The boat first took us to the Vasa Museum. The warship Vasa sank on her maiden voyage in Stockholm harbor over 300 years ago. In the 1950’s the ship was discovered to be nearly intact beneath the waters. The scientists and workers, urged on by the king who was an archeologist himself, raised the ship and a structure was built to 
house it. For years it had to be sprayed with a chemical mixture to keep it from drying out. The treatment was successful and it now stands in its museum.  I remember seeing this many years ago while it was still being treated so it was very nice for me to see the project completed. It’s a fascinating look at life long ago.

A square in the old city (Gamla Stan)

We “hopped on” again and rode a boat to Gamla Stan, the “old city” of Stockholm. Most of the streets are closed to vehicular traffic so one can wander the narrow, twisting lanes with ease and duck into many small and interesting shops. We happened upon a lovely square and took our lunch at an outdoor cafe. The day was bright and sunny.

Reboarding the boat we sailed to a port in the commercial center of the city and began our walk around that area. There are plenty of “high end” stores with all the famous labels. Stopping at NK (Nordiska Kompaniet) one of the largest department stores I got some information from the tourist bureau there about transportation to Milles Gården, one of places I recommend that Craig see in this city. I did some shopping in the area filled with Swedish crafts. Continuing on we walked up Drottninggatan, “the Queen’s Street,” closed to pedestrian traffic and filled with shoppers. We arrived at Åhlens, the largest department store so Craig could pick up a few things. While there a tremendous clap of thunder signaled the end of the bright and sunny day, the heavens opened and the rain poured down. We headed back to a dock so we could pick up the boat to return to our ship and call it a day for Stockholm. 

Instead of painting the town we remained on board, dined in the Rembrandt Dining Room, and went to a B. B. King Blues Show in the theater. 

Milles sculpture

Our second day in Stockholm dawned sunny and clear. Following breakfast we took the tender in to shore. We lost our parking place, evidently, and had to “repark” in the middle of the harbor. This makes life a little more difficult. One must go to the Queen’s Lounge and receive a “tender ticket” and wait until one’s number is called. Then the journey begins to the lowest level of the ship where a tender (which is in actuality a life boat) is bobbing in the water along side the ship. After many warnings to “watch your step,” you board the vessel and sit crammed in like unto sardines and head for shore. 

Milles sculpture

Milles sculpture

We took a Hoho (Hop on Hop off) boat to the commercial center, walked to T Centralen, the central subway hub (“T” representing Tunnelbana, i.e. tunnel train) and boarded a train to begin our journey to Milles Gården. Carl Milles was a Swedish sculptor who lived in the US for several years and taught at Cranbrook Academy in Michigan. His sculptures appear as nymphs in the fountain at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. He also created the large Native American figure in the city hall in St. Paul, MN. He is noted for his ability to balance his figures on one, seemingly small, point.  This location in Stockholm was his Swedish home which he gave to the city along with castings of many of his works as well as studies for those works. I think it is one of the most charming museums.

Milles Sculpture

Helsinki, Finland

We docked early in the port at Helsinki. The port is very near the city. We can see a large city park from our verandah.  The weather is gray and threatening once again. 

Sibelius Memorial

Following breakfast we opted for an Hop-on Hop-off tour of the city. We drove through a part of the city center, past a church carved out of the local rock, noticed many areas where there are huge boulders emerging from the earth, saw the Sibelius Monument, the stadium built for the Olympics to be held right as most of the world was to enter 

Olympic Stadium

into World War II. It was postponed until the war was ended. The main concert hall, the Swedish theater and the opera were included in our drive. 

We left the bus at Market Square and enjoyed a stroll through the stands selling a variety of vegetables. Upinski Cathedral became our first goal. It is not a long walk. The church is built on a hill 

The Upinski Cathedral

which is the dome of a rock. It appears to be floating. Once the climb is completed, one enters an awe-inspiring space Finland has two state churches, the Orthodox and the Lutheran. 

Iconostasis in the Upinski Cathedral

This reflects its history in being conquered by the Swedes and then by the 
Russians. There is a statue in the square in front of the Lutheran Cathedral depicting Alexander II, Czar of Russia, one of the most kind of the rulers of Finland. It was he who was assassinated at the site upon which 

Czar Alexander

the Church on the Spilled Blood is built. His statue seems to be a convenient perch for one of the sea gulls.

The Lutheran Cathedral

Our stroll took us to the Lutheran Cathedral which is a majestic neoclassical building. There is a monumental staircase leading to the doors. After I had reached the top I discovered the church was closed from 11:45 until 12:20. I arrived at 11:45. I visited the bookshop and found no pictures of the interior so I concluded rightly or wrongly that the interior was not worth my waiting to see it. Our conclusion was that people really had to want to go to church to make the climb necessary to arrive at either the Orthodox or Lutheran cathedrals.

Laying cobblestones

We had a glimpse of the labor intensive project it is to set cobblestones. This street was being repaired. Pouring new concrete or laying tar would be a piece of cake compared to fixing each stone in place. It is probably a more durable surface, however. Finland has a lot of rock, so they maintain several historic streets with their original surfaces.

It was time for lunch. Craig wanted to try reindeer so we found an elegant restaurant on the esplanade which included this viand on its menu. I opted for a salad with smoked salmon. We then returned to a bus stop and finished our tour of the city arriving back at the ship by 2:30. A few drops of rain began falling as we returned to the ship. Otherwise the day was gray but dry. We will set sail for Stockholm about 5 PM and will gain back another hour.

Saint Petersburg, Russia

Our arrival was early in the morning and we had a long day ahead of us. We needed to meet our tour group at 7:45. We had, as well, lost an hour during the voyage due to crossing into another time zone.

The first vision of St. Petersburg

From our verandah one could view two incredibly long apartment complexes which appeared to be from the Soviet era. There was a delay by the officials who must give the ship permission to dock and off-load passengers. The terminal building was new, modern and incredibly clean. We had to pass through passport control which took a very long time. Each passport had to be examined, scanned, information entered into a computer, and depending upon the official further examined, paged through, examined again, had the passport picture compared to the live version of the bearer, examined again, more computer entry, finally stamped and a document issued which would allow one to leave the country. It seemed to take forever.

Once on the bus, we began our tour of “Imperial Russia.” This would take us through the city into the countryside to the magnificent summer palace of the czars. The palace is set in the middle of 

A portion of the Summer Palace

beautiful gardens modeled on Versailles, which seems to be the model coveted by many rulers of the previous centuries. 

The palace itself has an incredible amount of gold-leafed carving, beautifully inlaid floors, and an abundance of chandeliers, furniture, china, vases, and other decorative items. It is the antithesis of the life of the poor people of the empire. 

The fountain cascade

There is a canal which connects the palace with the Gulf of Finland. Approaching from the Gulf one sees the magnificent array of fountains including the cascade at the foot of the palace which has been so beautifully pictured many times. 

The canal to the Gulf of Finland

After our tour through the palace and our walk through the gardens, we boarded an hydrofoil to return to the city. Re-boarding our bus we traveled into the city to have lunch at a lovely hotel. There was a salad of vegetables, beef stroganoff over rice, and a slice of rich cake with candied fruit within. I thought it to be very good.

The Church on the Spilled Blood

We then continued our bus tour with a few more stops, including at the Church of the Resurrection, otherwise known as the Church on the Spilled Blood. It is the sight of the assassination of the 

The site of the Czar's death

Czar who admired Abraham Lincoln and had corresponded with him following which he freed the serfs in his empire. He was apparently well loved. The church is spectacular within and without. It is the only church in St. Petersburg to have the ornate and highly colored exterior. 

Mosaics in the Church

The interior is completely covered with mosaics. It is now mainly a museum with the liturgy being celebrated there only on Sunday morning.

Interior of the dome

The Royal Doors

Returning to the ship we had to go through passport control again which was another slow process. We then had an hour for a rushed dinner before congregating for our evening tour of the 
Hermitage. 

This museum began in the small building next to the winter palace in the heart of Saint Petersburg which Catherine the Great built as a place for her to meet with her various lovers. When she developed a desire to collect art the upper level became a gallery. As her collection expanded the buildings did also to accommodate the art. Now it takes up the whole of the winter palace, the former small hermitage, and a couple of other large buildings.  It is one of the largest art collections in the world. 

The Winter Palace

Not only is the collection spectacular, but the buildings in which it is situated are equal to the art. The most amazing thing, for me, is that much of the interior was destroyed by fire in 1837 and then re-constructed. The second most amazing thing is that one walks on the inlaid floors which are not covered with any protection, the walls, the carving, the building are not protected. It is as if one were walking through an inhabited palace, not a museum. It is in pristine condition.

After this three hour tour we returned to the ship and fell into bed fairly exhausted by this long day.

The next day we were up again to take the city tour of St. Petersburg. This was mostly by bus pointing out many areas of interest in the city. Following this overview we left the bus near the city center and had three hours of free time to roam around. Following lunch at an elegant restaurant favored by Shostakovich, we strolled to the Kazan Cathedral to see the most famous of the Russian icons (or at least the most revered), “Our Lady of Kazan.” There was a long line queued up to reverence the icon so I took a “zoom” shot of it instead. Not quite the same but saved a lot of time.

The Singer Building

Across from this cathedral is a famous art-deco building called the Singer Building. The first floor houses a cafe. On the ground floor is a great book store. Our guide warned us that the prices were very expensive, but I didn’t find them so. The selection of books in English was primarily limited to those of interest to tourists.

Walking along the street to our meeting place there was a magnificent view of the Church on the Spilled Blood. We met the rest of our group there. No one was late so we traveled back to the ship with a couple of hours remaining before setting sail. Following dinner a mime was featured in the theatre who provided an entertaining time. At 11:15 a portion of the crew from the Philippines treated us to a show of native singing and dancing. These crew shows are fun to watch and an interesting way to say a small thank you for all their service.

We were chatting with one of the waiters, Mark, in the bar before the show. He is quite willing to ask about our day and to share information.  We asked about the employment situation on the ship. The contracts they sign are for 10 months. They then are able to return home for 2 to 3 months. They are offered another contract before they leave the ship and that would determine the length of their break. They do not have a paid vacation. He said that the prospects for employment and the economy is so bad in his country (he is from the Philippines)  that a position on the ship provides such a much better income people are willing to be away from their families for 10 months at a time. The bottom rung of the “pecking order” on the ship would be: deck boys, runners in the restaurant, waiters, table captains, bartenders, and then dining room hosts, wine stewards.For those whose work is very good, there awaits more salary and a more prestigious position.

The Church of St. Peter and St. Paul

Sleep is necessary after two tiring days. We are on our way to Finland and will gain back one of the hours we lost in traveling to Russia. 

Tallinn, Estonia

A beautiful day at sea

Our arrival in Tallinn, Estonia, was sunny and early.  Estonia is a small Baltic nation which has experienced only a few years of freedom in the last 700 years. It has been conquered by Sweden, Russia, and Germany at various times. It is an important sea port so one can easily determine its importance militarily. 

The city looks like a version of Disney World when seen from the deck of the ship. The quaint towers and hilly landscape provide a scene of the city not unlike a picture book of a European fairy tale. 

Tallinn from the ship

We opted to take a “Hop-on-Hop-off” tour of the city.  It is a popular way of getting a quick overview and one can easily jump off the bus if one spots something worthy of further investigation. We “hopped” off at the first stop which is fairly near the top of the hilltop where the fortress is located. This part of the city was for the nobility. The merchants and townspeople lived in the lower city.  The lower part of the city belonged to the Hanseatic league whereas the fortress area did not.

The Orthodox Cathedral

At this point Craig discovered he had left his cell phone on the bus, not only his phone but the case for it contained his driver’s license and credit card. So it was necessary to locate it quickly. We took a taxi back to the dock where another driver for the same bus company assisted him and the phone was safely returned. 

Estonian Parliament

We were able to continue our overview tour and not finding anything that was of particular interest to us so that we needed to "hop off" we remained on the bus and returned to the ship. We sailed that evening for St. Petersburg.

A picturesque neighborhood

Some of the rooftops of Tallinn