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

Baltic Cruise June 2011

Copenhagen, Denmark June 20-22
Well we finally left Canada on Sunday after a 90 minute delay in Ottawa. We were concerned about our connection in Toronto but there was no need as we got to the gate and on the plane for an on time departure. The flight to Copenhagen went smoothly and we arrived tire3d with no sleep on the flight. There was a shuttle to the hotel from the airport and we were soon catching a few winks after checking in. We are at the Crown Plaza. The location is great. There is a metro station 2 minutes from the hotel and about 10 minutes and we are in the center of the old part of Copenhagen. Yesterday afternoon we walked along a pedestrian only street called the Strojet. This was an experimental shopping mal which links a string of individually named streets and squares through the old town from City Hall to the Nyhaven quarter. It was all that Gale could do to contain herself with this unbelievable selection of shopping opportunities. We wandered for about 3 hours experiencing the sites of this area. We had dinner at one of the oldest restaurants in Denmark, dating back over 200 years. The Det lille Apotek (The little Pharmacy) is reported to have been a rendezvous for all the towns artists, among them Hans Christian Anderson and Peter Faber. We had a traditional meal of Danish pork with the crackling skin still attached.
This morning we slept in to ward off some of the jet lag and after breakfast headed down town for a full day of sight seeing. The day started with a cruise tour of the canals and harbour area of the city. This certainly gives a different perspective when viewing the sites from the water. The cruise lasted over one hour and when it finished we got on the Hop on and off double decker bus and got a taste of the city from the dry side. We crossed paths on many occasions, seeing sights that we saw on the boat but from a different perspective. Seems like a great way to see the old city and we have lots of great picture from the day. In the evening we went to a neighbourhood of the city called Christianshaven and had dinner in a restaurant called Bastioned & Loven. It is located in a classic old mansion. The meal was excellent and we rolled back to the hotel with our bellies rather enlarged. Tomorrow we will repack after breakfast and transfer to the cruise ship around noon and get settled in what will be home for the next 10 days. First stop will be in Germany on Thursday and then after a day of cruising we will be in Tallin Estonia on Saturday June 25. I hope to be able to update the blog at that time.
Bye for now,
Eric & Gale

Baltic Cruise June 2011

Hello everyone.
Gale and I are packing and getting last minute arrangements made prior to our departure for Copenhagen tomorrow evening. We leave Ottawa at 6pm enroute to Toronto and arrive Monday morning in Copenhagen Monday morning. We have a couple of days there before leaving on the NCL Sunn for 10 days . I hope to let you all know what we are up to depending on my ability to find desirable (free) wifi . I have been told that the internet access on the ship is both very expensive and not very reliable. I plan to keep a running report in my notebook and upload it to the blog when I get access. There is free wifi at our hotel in Copenhagen so I will report before we embark our cruise shop.
bye for now,
Eric