Madeira February 2012

Stockholm, Sweden

Our port of entry was Nynaeshamn, a small port located about 45 minutes from Stockholm. The ship is at anchor and so we had to go ashore by the ships tender boats. On shore several buses were waiting to take us into the city for a tour. Stockholm is a beautiful city built on a series of 14 islands. These islands are connected 40 bridges . There is also a good public transportation including buses and trams and a modern subway that will take you anywhere .As in Venice, there is water everywhere but here there vehicular traffic allowed. On our bus we passed many historic buildings. The highlight in my opinion was the visit to the Vasa museum. This museum was built around the warship Vasa which sunk on her maiden voyage in1628. Swedish King Gustavus Adolphus commissioned this ship to be built for his Navy and it was to be the largest and most heavily armed ship of its time. Unfortunately the design was such that it really was not sea worthy and it capsized when a gust of wind caused the ship to list so much that the water entered the open gun ports causing the ship to sink to the bottom of the port. It remained there for the next 333 years until it was raised and restored . It is the best preserved ship of it’s era in the world.
At noon we just happened to be in the right place as the Royal guard paraded by us on their way to changing the Guard outside the Royal Palace. We walked over the bridge onto the island of Gamla Stan, considered to be the Old City. In 1600 this was the area that was considered Stockholm. The Royal Palace is the most prominent structure on the island. The oldest square called Stortorget is located here with many small coble stoned lanes and streets exiting to be explored. I think that this city is my favourite of those that we have visited on the cruise. Gale has informed me that her favorite would be St Petersburg. We have been blessed with great weather since we left St Petersburg. Since this is our last port our sight seeing has come to an end. Once we get back to the ship we will depart for Copenhagen and then the long flight home. Cruising on the NCL Sun has been a really nice experience. The staff have all been really great and we have been treated well. The dining has been wonderful with a great choice of menu and wine selections. Sometime in the future we will try to join them for an adventure to a new destination.

Helsinki, Finland

After a smooth nights cruise we arrived in Helsinki early and after breakfast we left for a bus tour of the city and free time before returning to the ship. We were able to get an overview of the traditional sites of the city including Senate Square, the large Lutheran Cathedral and the Olympic Stadium which built for the cancelled 1940 games and then used when the games were held in 1952. We stopped at the Sibelius Monument which is a modern piece of art honouring the famous composer Jean Sibelius. It is made of 600 stainless pipes and depicts a forest of trees. The park is located near the water and we were able to see a pair of swans and their 3 small ones sunning themselves on the rocks. An other unique site was the Rock Church. This church was constructed in 1969 and was blasted out of the rock to form the interior of the church. A large copper and skylight dome covers it. This dome contains 13 miles of braided copper ribbon. The natural light is allowed to enter from the sky light area around the peripheral edges. The acoustics are fabulous and it is often used for special events and concerts. After the formal tour we had a couple of free hours to wander the open air market at the dock area in the center of the city. We had a bowl of fantastic soup for lunch before returning to the ship.

St Petersburg, Russia part 2

This morning we breezed through the Russian authorities and met Maria for the second day of our tour. A quick stop to purchase souvenirs and to pay the agency for the tour and we then set off across the Bay of Finland to Petergof by hydrofoil. We spent a couple of hours walking about this beautiful town of parks, palaces and fountains. This place is often compared to the French attraction of Versailles. The Russians are partial to their site and feel that it is better. Having seen both sites, I can’t claim to have a preference, they are both spectacular.
In the afternoon, after a short stop for a traditional Russian lunch (over rated and very expansive), we returned to St Petersburg by our van with a brief stop to explore one of many subway stops. We travelled down the longest escalator that I have ever seen. Gale felt uneasy travelling to the depths of Hell as she put it. This is one of the worlds deepest subway systems. It is necessary to go this deep because the subway has to go under the waterways that are everywhere and the swampy sub soil presents construction challenges. The station is decorated with exquisite decorations and artwork. The next stop was at the St. Peter and Paul Fortress. This is the birth place of St Petersburg. All Russian tsars and tsarinas since Peter the Great to Nicholas II are buried in this place. The weather today was much more pleasant with the sun shinning at times and no rain. Our tour completed with our return to the ship and departure for Helsinki in the early evening.

St Petersburg, Russia part 1

St. Petersburg June 26

We woke up early as the ship took on the pilot at 04:30. It was already light but we were able to return to sleep before getting up for breakfast. The ship was due to clear the authorities allowing us to get off at 7;30 am but the Russian thoroughness prolonged our wait. Imagine a ship of over 2000 passengers waiting to go through immigration authorities. It took a while and finally at about 8:40 we met our tour guide Maria and the remainder of the group. Our group had grown to 13 since I had originally booked. A bonus , since the more clients, the better the rate. We had a small bus at our disposal which would be ours for the next 2 days. St Petersburg enjoys about 35 sunny days each year. The skies are generally overcast and rain is not uncommon at this time of year. We were to get exactly the norm and were lucky enough to only get some heavy rain towards the end of the first days activities. First on the agenda , we drove To Pushkin for a tour of the Catherine Palace. This is a magnificent building which was decorated in a most opulent manner, enjoying gold coverings everywhere the eye could see. In present times the extent of this gold is paint. The buildings have been restored wonderfully when you consider that they go back to the 1700’s. The highlight of the tour was the Amber room. It has been completely restored to the original appearance. The walls are covered with amber panels and mirrors. The original panels were removed by the Germans during their occupation in the second world war and afterward they were recovered and are now stored in a secret place. This is an absolute must to see on a visit to St. Petersburg.
After a stop for lunch we returned to St Petersburg for a visit to the famous Hermitge. It was originally the Winter Palace completed in 1761 and is considered the largest and most ornate building in St. Petersburg. It is now a museum containing many objects of fine art. Both of these attractions were probably the busiest places that we have ever been to. The crowds of tourists are enormous. It seems that everyone on a cruise ship in port were at these sites. On the way to our final stop of the day the sky opened up with a deluge of rain as we visited the Church of the Spilt Blood. This cathedral, famous for its walls of mosaic, was built on the site of the assassination of Alexander II on March 1, 1881. Slightly wet we were tired after such a full day as we returned to the ship.

Tallinn, Estonia

We really enjoyed our walk about the old town . A perfect stop in regards to touring on our own. A short walk from the dock and we were within the walls of the old town. There is a distinct Russian flavor which should prepare us for St Petersburg in a couple of days. Hope you enjoy the pictures. The sunset was from our balcony on the ship.

June 24 Post from Tallin

Baltic Cruise June 25,2011

As we woke this morning we were aware of some changes in the movement of the ship as we entered the port of Warnemunde, Germany. After breakfast we left the ship and took a short train trip to the city of Rostock. This city dates back to 1270 and is the home of the oldest University in the Baltic region. Parts of the city walls surrounding the old city are still intact . We took a tour on a small mini bus run by the local Tourist Information . The problem was that it was only in German so although we had a brief translation script on paper most of the dialogue was lost to us. The train trip between Rostock and Warnemunde only takes 20 minutes and we then wandered around the seaside resort before returning to the ship. Warnemunde is a beautiful small town set on the Baltic coast with a spectacular beach. There is a historic lighthouse that I climbed to take advantage of the Arial view.
Our ship departed on time from at 10pm . We had been instructed that there would be a time change of +1 hour in the morning. When we woke the sun was already shinning with the promise of a great day. After breakfast we were able to sit out by the pool and enjoy the warmth of the sun while reading our books. The temp did get up to around 65F and was very pleasant. Both Gale and I did get some colour from the exposure. It was very relaxing to have a day of cruising. The seas have been relatively calm and we do not really feel the boat movement. Tonight we went to the Italian speciality restaurant. We are very impressed with the food after 3 evenings . The food is excellent in all respects and all of the staff are extremely courteous and friendly. After dinner we had the chance to chat with the director of food and beverages and learned some of the secrets of running such a smooth operation. It is currently 10:25 and the sun is not due to set for 30 more minutes. Tonight the sunset is on the port side of the boat and we will have a perfect view from our balcony. The sun will rise at 4:11 in the morning. I don’t think that we will see that. The port tomorrow will be Tallin, Estonia, and we will be going ashore to discover the sites on our own. I hope to find a Hotspot that will allow me to post this entry. Tomorrow we enter Russia for 2 days in St. Petersburg. A post note before I update this entry. We are in the old town of Tallin and have spent the last couple of hours wandering about. This is a wonderful well preserved area enclosed by walls that go way back in history. We have enjoyed ourselves and are now having a bit of lunch and a drink while I update the blog. Wifi is free and readily accessible within the old town
Gale & Eric