Thursday, June 27, 2013
St. Petersburg, Russia - day 3
We were up early again today but headed into St. Petersburg for a day on our own. We had about 5-6 hours to wander around the historic area and it was a really nice time. We went in search of moose and squirrel, with a few sightings in various pubs along the way. They seem to enjoy pubs.
We hung around in the Alexander Pushkin park for a bit, wandered through stores and stopped at interesting locations for a few beers. Though I have thoroughly enjoyed the museums and palaces over the past two days, this was a great culmination of our stay, immersing ourselves in the interesting culture and history of this city - overall an awesome day!
'That voice. Where have I heard that voice before?' 'In about 365 other episodes. But I don't know who it is either.' They are securely onboard and headed back to America!
Sunday, November 3, 2013
St. Petersburg, Russia - Day 3
St. Petersburg, Russia - day 2
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
St. Petersburg, Russia - day 2
We started the day at Catherine's Palace which was built for the wife of Peter the Great in Pushkin, about a 45 minute drive from St. Petersburg. The exterior facade extends for about 1,000 feet. I asked our mean tour guide (many good stories about her) why the statues were all looking down, she said can't you tell, it's because they are holding up the palace. The interior was another amazing display of extreme opulence. Built in the grand Baroque style, this palace closely resembled the extreme gilding and decoration of the Peterhof Palace from yesterday, but it far exceeded the size. We toured the "lost Amber room" where pictures were not allowed. This room was covered in amber mosaics, floor to ceiling. It is believed that amber has healing powers and the amber room was used for healing. There was room after room of gold and ceiling paintings all of which are completely unbelievable. We had lunch in the palace which was interesting and fun.
Peter and Paul Fortress and Cathedral were the next stop in our tour and it was a fairly quick stop since we all wanted to get to the Hermitage. Peter and Paul fortress was built in 1703 to protect the area from Swedish invasion and the first site chosen by Peter the Great to build his new city. Inside were the impressive Citadel and the former Royal Mint and the Peter and Paul Cathedral, with its tall golden spire. The cathedral is the burial place of all the Russian Czars and their wives and children, including Peter the Great and Catherine.
Our final stop was at the Hermitage Museum is located on Palace Square in the former winter palace. This is one of the world’s largest exhibits of treasures of fine art and applied art with over 3 million exhibits. This enormous collection is in direct competition with the impressive palace and its furnishings. Unfortunately we were 1.5 hours late arriving at the museum so we practically raced through and saw only a tiny portion of the rooms.
It’s been two days, but we believe we are close to finding moose and squirrel. At the Hermitage we found squirrel and maybe moose, but it looked more like a deer (I have photos to prove it).
St. Petersburg, Russia - Day 1
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
St. Petersburg, Russia - day 1
Today we hit Russia. It was just 5 minutes off the ship, standing in the passport control line with all our paperwork and our 'migration' cards and we’re surrounded by armed security. Glenn decided to share with the guy behind us that "Putin is nuts!" Really, you gotta be kidding me!
Must say I was a little disappointed by the number of people on tour, I thought there were no more than 20 but it turned out to be 30 people. Not as bad as a RCCL tour, but still a lot. Traffic was super crazy, with a free for all everywhere...imagine NYC with no traffic lanes/painted lines. WOW!
Anyway, our first stop was Peterhof Palace, the summer palace of Peter the Great and his wife Catherine. Photos were not allowed in the interior, but it was absolutely stunning. Never before have we seen such opulence. Gilded rooms, with gold gilding on intricate carvings nearly covered all of the walls. Each room of the palace was themed differently than the next, yet not so differently that the themes themselves clashed with one another. There are tons of pictures on the internet of the interior; they do not do the place justice. During the 2006 G8 summit, the world leaders had dinner in the palace. The dining room display was full table setting. Under the dinner plates were bowls that were used to hold hot water and keep the foods warm because dinner typically lasted for 3-4 hours. After the interior visit you stroll through the Grand Cascade which is an amazing display of a series of fountains, each more stunning than the next.
We drove back to downtown and had an authentic Russian lunch which was quite good. We had a beautiful salad followed by a creamed chicken with rice and fresh veggies. Dessert was a jelly roll with a raspberry filling...yummy!
Next stop was St Isaac's Cathedral. This was commissioned in 1818 and took more than three decades to complete. It has a massive gold dome, one of the largest in the world and it’s covered by 220 pounds of pure gold. All of the paintings were mosaics with the exception of those they removed and replaced with actual paintings in order to display the mosaics close up. It was exceptional artistry to create these masterpieces; in the pictures it is impossible to determine these are mosaics.
Then on to the Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood which was built on the site of where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated. It's built in the Russian revival style with the onion domes. This was absolutely stunning inside and out. The mosaics inside were built in the traditional style so a little less painting looking.
What an amazing day...even got Glenn back on board with no arrests!
St. Petersburg, Russia - day 1
Today we hit Russia. It was just 5 minutes off the ship, standing in the passport control line with all our paperwork and our 'migration' cards and we’re surrounded by armed security. Glenn decided to share with the guy behind us that "Putin is nuts!" Really, you gotta be kidding me!
Must say I was a little disappointed by the number of people on tour, I thought there were no more than 20 but it turned out to be 30 people. Not as bad as a RCCL tour, but still a lot. Traffic was super crazy, with a free for all everywhere...imagine NYC with no traffic lanes/painted lines. WOW!
Anyway, our first stop was Peterhof Palace, the summer palace of Peter the Great and his wife Catherine. Photos were not allowed in the interior, but it was absolutely stunning. Never before have we seen such opulence. Gilded rooms, with gold gilding on intricate carvings nearly covered all of the walls. Each room of the palace was themed differently than the next, yet not so differently that the themes themselves clashed with one another. There are tons of pictures on the internet of the interior; they do not do the place justice. During the 2006 G8 summit, the world leaders had dinner in the palace. The dining room display was full table setting. Under the dinner plates were bowls that were used to hold hot water and keep the foods warm because dinner typically lasted for 3-4 hours. After the interior visit you stroll through the Grand Cascade which is an amazing display of a series of fountains, each more stunning than the next.
We drove back to downtown and had an authentic Russian lunch which was quite good. We had a beautiful salad followed by a creamed chicken with rice and fresh veggies. Dessert was a jelly roll with a raspberry filling...yummy!
Next stop was St Isaac's Cathedral. This was commissioned in 1818 and took more than three decades to complete. It has a massive gold dome, one of the largest in the world and it’s covered by 220 pounds of pure gold. All of the paintings were mosaics with the exception of those they removed and replaced with actual paintings in order to display the mosaics close up. It was exceptional artistry to create these masterpieces; in the pictures it is impossible to determine these are mosaics.
Then on to the Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood which was built on the site of where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated. It's built in the Russian revival style with the onion domes. This was absolutely stunning inside and out. The mosaics inside were built in the traditional style so a little less painting looking.
What an amazing day...even got Glenn back on board with no arrests!
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
June 24, 2013 - Tallin, Eastonia
We ventured into town
this morning to find ourselves a beer and a wifi hot spot and ended up at this
little place just outside of the old town area. There was a really, really
drunk guy who moved our camera bag and sat down with us. Not sure what he was
drinking but it was only 11 a.m. He gave us hell for playing on the Internet
and not touring the town and told us multiple times how much he likes women.
Needless to say, the visit to that establishment was cut way short. The
waitress yelled at him but they continued to serve him and he kept moving from
table to table. It's midsummer celebration all over this area and each country
seems to celebrate it on a different day, we've been following it through the
Baltic where every day has been a holiday since Visby.
We did a great tour today with a small group that I booked through AAA. We were joined by a family from NCL (Norwegian star I believe), what a bunch of uptight assholes, they were traveling with Mom, Dad, kids and grandparents - nobody seemed to care that though Grandpa was in great shape all the walking and cobblestones and step were a pretty hard on him. Our tour girl was a skinny blonde and she kept saying 'so, yea' during every story she was sharing. She gave us great information and neat little stories.
The tour started at the presidential home (white house) which is actually pink. The flag of the President of Estonia flies whenever the President is in Estonia, it was flying today. Behind the presidential home is Catherine's Valley which is an English garden founded by Peter the Great and contains Kadroirg Palace built in 1718 as one of the summer palaces. Unfortunately, the palace was getting a face lift and not easily viewed.
Stopped by the amphitheater where many American musicians have performed....Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, and many more. Next was a stop by the Olympic village and a dip in the Baltic Sea!! The water temperature was 19 degrees centigrade, and though I only dipped my toes in, I was wading in the Baltic Sea!
Old city was definitely our favorite with many old and interesting buildings and stories. Maidens Tower next to the Dutch Kings Garden dates to the 14th Century. Naming it Maidens or Virgins tower is another example of the wacky Medieval irony because this building used to house a prison for prostitutes.
We walked up the 158 steps up the side of the cliff to visit the upper side of town where we had a fabulous view of both old and new Tallinn.
We toured numerous old churches including the cathedral of St. Mary which has an incredible display of coats of arms from the wealthy residents. Pictures were not allowed inside the churches but there were dozens of beautiful displays.
Saint Alexander Nevsky Cathedral was built by the Russians in the 1900's when they were occupying that area. This was a traditional looking onion dome church that was absolutely gilded in gold inside. What a site!
The oldest business in Tallinn is a pharmacy from 1422 and is still in business today. Nearby, tombstones from 14th and 15th century St. Catherine's Dominican Friary were on display along the one walkway. Interesting to see that rebuilding from WWII devastation is still in process throughout the Baltic region.
We did a great tour today with a small group that I booked through AAA. We were joined by a family from NCL (Norwegian star I believe), what a bunch of uptight assholes, they were traveling with Mom, Dad, kids and grandparents - nobody seemed to care that though Grandpa was in great shape all the walking and cobblestones and step were a pretty hard on him. Our tour girl was a skinny blonde and she kept saying 'so, yea' during every story she was sharing. She gave us great information and neat little stories.
The tour started at the presidential home (white house) which is actually pink. The flag of the President of Estonia flies whenever the President is in Estonia, it was flying today. Behind the presidential home is Catherine's Valley which is an English garden founded by Peter the Great and contains Kadroirg Palace built in 1718 as one of the summer palaces. Unfortunately, the palace was getting a face lift and not easily viewed.
Stopped by the amphitheater where many American musicians have performed....Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, and many more. Next was a stop by the Olympic village and a dip in the Baltic Sea!! The water temperature was 19 degrees centigrade, and though I only dipped my toes in, I was wading in the Baltic Sea!
Old city was definitely our favorite with many old and interesting buildings and stories. Maidens Tower next to the Dutch Kings Garden dates to the 14th Century. Naming it Maidens or Virgins tower is another example of the wacky Medieval irony because this building used to house a prison for prostitutes.
We walked up the 158 steps up the side of the cliff to visit the upper side of town where we had a fabulous view of both old and new Tallinn.
We toured numerous old churches including the cathedral of St. Mary which has an incredible display of coats of arms from the wealthy residents. Pictures were not allowed inside the churches but there were dozens of beautiful displays.
Saint Alexander Nevsky Cathedral was built by the Russians in the 1900's when they were occupying that area. This was a traditional looking onion dome church that was absolutely gilded in gold inside. What a site!
The oldest business in Tallinn is a pharmacy from 1422 and is still in business today. Nearby, tombstones from 14th and 15th century St. Catherine's Dominican Friary were on display along the one walkway. Interesting to see that rebuilding from WWII devastation is still in process throughout the Baltic region.
June 23, 2013 Riga, Latvia
Riga, founded in 1201,
is the geographical center of the Baltic States. Tourism is just now beginning to boom so it
does not feel like a tourist town...where is Diamonds International?!?!.
The city of 800,000 on the Daugava River is the capital of Latvia, a country finding its place in a new world after being occupied for 50 years (1941 to 1991), first by the Nazis and then by the Soviet Union. Today, school kids are learning English as a second language instead of Russian. Most intriguing is how the city still feels like a bridge between what I would imagine the Old Soviet feels like and modern Europe. The old women were shuffling down the street, on the way to church and we stumbled upon an old man using a very crude broom to sweep the church steps - this reminded me of the Billy Joel song, Vienna.
We spent hours exploring the twisting cobblestone streets and alleyways, viewing historic buildings that have for the most part been restored from bombings during World War II. We ventured out today on our own with no tours scheduled.
The city of 800,000 on the Daugava River is the capital of Latvia, a country finding its place in a new world after being occupied for 50 years (1941 to 1991), first by the Nazis and then by the Soviet Union. Today, school kids are learning English as a second language instead of Russian. Most intriguing is how the city still feels like a bridge between what I would imagine the Old Soviet feels like and modern Europe. The old women were shuffling down the street, on the way to church and we stumbled upon an old man using a very crude broom to sweep the church steps - this reminded me of the Billy Joel song, Vienna.
We spent hours exploring the twisting cobblestone streets and alleyways, viewing historic buildings that have for the most part been restored from bombings during World War II. We ventured out today on our own with no tours scheduled.
Old Riga was the Center of commerce during the middle ages. We entered Dome Square in the very middle of Old Riga. The massive 13th century red brick Dome Cathedral is situated on the square. We also looked at House of Cats which is famous for the cat sculptures perched on the roof as well as the story that is associated with them. Not only did the beasts curse their first sculptor, he fatally fell while putting them up, but their purpose was to cause trouble. As legend has it, roughly 100 years ago, the Latvian owner of the building was excluded from the powerful Big Guild across the road by its ethnocentric German occupants. He ordered the cats to be turned around, backside up, as an insult to his enemies. They were turned around after a lengthy court battle and he was eventually admitted to the Guild.
It was an awesome day wondering through these areas. We stopped for a little wifi (and pizza and beer) at one of the beautiful sidewalk eateries. The weather was perfect for relaxing in the cafe.
June 22, 2013 - Visby, Sweden
Visby, Sweden. Visby
is the largest city on the west coast of Gotland. Gotland is situated in the
middle of the Baltic Sea about 50 miles from mainland Sweden. Visby is
considered the best preserved medieval town in Scandinavia with a population of
58,000 residents. You must also have a job in order to live here. If you go off
to University on the mainland, you are not allowed to come back unless you have
employment. Our tour guide graduated with 22 in his class in the 60's and he is
the only one who currently lives in Gotland because the others could not find
work.
Like all of the countries we've visited thus far, American music is played everywhere you go. Mostly Bee gees, Queen, really a 50's, 60's, 70's variety - interesting to hear these familiar songs wherever we go.
Our first stop was at Almedalen which is a park where the actual medieval sea port was once located in Visby. When Visby was a trading partner with the Hanseatic League, the harbor was the trading center of the Baltic. Today, Almedelan is a peaceful park where a little child was trying valiantly to catch herself a duck.
We drove through the beautiful countryside and made a stop at a very old church. There are many old churches in Gotland, most with a very similar history and almost all of them were Lutheran. The alter was built in 722 and the cross was created in 1200. Most churches have the original building in the center with additions in the front and back. The church cemetery had water spigots and watering cans and gardening tools scattered around so people could maintain the graves. The graves were only 50 year leases then someone else was buried in that plot. The old headstones were placed against the wall.
Next we climbed a ladder over a fence (these ladders appear everywhere) to view a boat shaped grave. Graves of the Late Bronze Age were arranged in the shape of large ships, outlined by rocks. Bodies were cremated then the bones were crushed and cleaned and place in an earthenware urn and buried either in the boat or just outside. There have been 350 graves identified in Gotland.
We ventured down to a fishing station where bygone days Gotlanders gathered during a few intense weeks in spring and autumn to catch fish. There are many poles for drying nets and the village currently is used as summer houses near the sea. There were tiny huts where the fisherman stored their tackle and equipment and sometime slept. I found the wooden roofs very interesting, they are said to last for 50 years and are a common roofing material on the island.
Hogklint nature preserve was our next stop, this is basically a beautiful cliff side location with stunning views of Visby and the shore lines. We named the one rock formation bear head because, we'll, it’s a very obvious reason.
No beers here, the locals make their own beer for their own consumption. We didn't see any pubs, but maybe we didn't walk around the port city enough, ended up with homemade ice cream instead and it was wonderful!
Like all of the countries we've visited thus far, American music is played everywhere you go. Mostly Bee gees, Queen, really a 50's, 60's, 70's variety - interesting to hear these familiar songs wherever we go.
Our first stop was at Almedalen which is a park where the actual medieval sea port was once located in Visby. When Visby was a trading partner with the Hanseatic League, the harbor was the trading center of the Baltic. Today, Almedelan is a peaceful park where a little child was trying valiantly to catch herself a duck.
We drove through the beautiful countryside and made a stop at a very old church. There are many old churches in Gotland, most with a very similar history and almost all of them were Lutheran. The alter was built in 722 and the cross was created in 1200. Most churches have the original building in the center with additions in the front and back. The church cemetery had water spigots and watering cans and gardening tools scattered around so people could maintain the graves. The graves were only 50 year leases then someone else was buried in that plot. The old headstones were placed against the wall.
Next we climbed a ladder over a fence (these ladders appear everywhere) to view a boat shaped grave. Graves of the Late Bronze Age were arranged in the shape of large ships, outlined by rocks. Bodies were cremated then the bones were crushed and cleaned and place in an earthenware urn and buried either in the boat or just outside. There have been 350 graves identified in Gotland.
We ventured down to a fishing station where bygone days Gotlanders gathered during a few intense weeks in spring and autumn to catch fish. There are many poles for drying nets and the village currently is used as summer houses near the sea. There were tiny huts where the fisherman stored their tackle and equipment and sometime slept. I found the wooden roofs very interesting, they are said to last for 50 years and are a common roofing material on the island.
Hogklint nature preserve was our next stop, this is basically a beautiful cliff side location with stunning views of Visby and the shore lines. We named the one rock formation bear head because, we'll, it’s a very obvious reason.
No beers here, the locals make their own beer for their own consumption. We didn't see any pubs, but maybe we didn't walk around the port city enough, ended up with homemade ice cream instead and it was wonderful!
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Journal - June 18-19, 2013 - Copenhagen, Denmark
Off to Copenhagen!
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
We had a close call with the luggage, the flight from Boston (with our bags) was delayed and landed 10 minutes prior our scheduled departure from Iceland. Fortunately we were delayed slightly and we met up with our bags in Copenhagen.
We checked into the Opera Hotel, one of Copenhagen’s oldest hotels. Originally built as a guest house in 1869 and converted to a hotel in 1950, Hotel Opera is decorated in a cozy yet classical style, creating a charming and peaceful atmosphere that really reigns throughout the hotel. At the hotel entrance, you are welcomed by the Little Mermaid – one of the sculptures upon which the famed original version was based. The neighboring Royal Danish Theatre also makes its artistic presence felt at Hotel Opera. During check in we noticed the room keys with brass tags, engraved with the room number, hanging from cup hooks behind the front desk – it somehow reminds us of the tower of terror. The elevator holds 4 and only 4 people and there is a bedroom door like entrance. The Spiral staircase ascends from the 0 to 5th floor; the walls are lined with many photos of famous people who have stayed here. Definitely not a modern facility but has a great 20's like charm! The windows are open to the courtyard - and yes, they actually open!
This afternoon and evening we went out roaming around the area, lots of historic buildings and great architecture! The main mode of transportation seems to be by bike, thousands of them wheeling around the city – they are very old fashioned looking bikes, with baskets on the front - they remind me of the ones our parents had when we were kids.
We had dinner at this tiny restaurant called Restaurant Krebsegaarden that I had found in my research. It definitely lived up to the reviews. The owners base their menus on the latest gallery artist opening - the gallery is directly behind the restaurant. This week the artist was from Estonia so the menu was influenced by that region. I had a fantastic meal of pike perch and Glenn had wild boar. Add in the appetizers and desserts and it was yet another great meal on this adventure.
Across the street from the restaurant was a gay bar called the jail house. Our chef told us that if straight men were brave enough to enter, they would be locked up in cells. I could just see Glenn and his friends going there for the hell of it.
Tomorrow we board Vision of the Sea
We had a close call with the luggage, the flight from Boston (with our bags) was delayed and landed 10 minutes prior our scheduled departure from Iceland. Fortunately we were delayed slightly and we met up with our bags in Copenhagen.
We checked into the Opera Hotel, one of Copenhagen’s oldest hotels. Originally built as a guest house in 1869 and converted to a hotel in 1950, Hotel Opera is decorated in a cozy yet classical style, creating a charming and peaceful atmosphere that really reigns throughout the hotel. At the hotel entrance, you are welcomed by the Little Mermaid – one of the sculptures upon which the famed original version was based. The neighboring Royal Danish Theatre also makes its artistic presence felt at Hotel Opera. During check in we noticed the room keys with brass tags, engraved with the room number, hanging from cup hooks behind the front desk – it somehow reminds us of the tower of terror. The elevator holds 4 and only 4 people and there is a bedroom door like entrance. The Spiral staircase ascends from the 0 to 5th floor; the walls are lined with many photos of famous people who have stayed here. Definitely not a modern facility but has a great 20's like charm! The windows are open to the courtyard - and yes, they actually open!
This afternoon and evening we went out roaming around the area, lots of historic buildings and great architecture! The main mode of transportation seems to be by bike, thousands of them wheeling around the city – they are very old fashioned looking bikes, with baskets on the front - they remind me of the ones our parents had when we were kids.
We had dinner at this tiny restaurant called Restaurant Krebsegaarden that I had found in my research. It definitely lived up to the reviews. The owners base their menus on the latest gallery artist opening - the gallery is directly behind the restaurant. This week the artist was from Estonia so the menu was influenced by that region. I had a fantastic meal of pike perch and Glenn had wild boar. Add in the appetizers and desserts and it was yet another great meal on this adventure.
Across the street from the restaurant was a gay bar called the jail house. Our chef told us that if straight men were brave enough to enter, they would be locked up in cells. I could just see Glenn and his friends going there for the hell of it.
Tomorrow we board Vision of the Sea
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Boarded the ship and did the normal ship things – time to chill out from the whirl wind trip so far and most importantly, rest up for the remainder of the journey. Vision of the Seas is an Enchantment size ship with the diamond lounge off of the Viking crown lounge. She is a very tired looking ship, in desperate need of the refurbishment that’s scheduled to take place in 2-3 months.
The Captain and the crew on this ship were wonderful. Never have I had so many conversations with
officers as we had onboard this ship.
Every night while we were relaxing in the Diamond lounge multiple
officers would stop by to chat about our day or check up on the food and/or
service. Multiple times throughout this
voyage I observed the Captain interacting with all levels of personnel; it was
plain to see that he was a true leader.
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