Because we had propeller problems in Stavenger, Norway, we didn’t leave until 2:00 a.m. Sunday. We rushed full steam ahead to make it to Southampton, England in time to catch our flights homeward. The entire ship buzzed with a million inquiries about changed flights, private taxi rides to the airports, and cancelled tours to Stonehenge. We decided to stick to our original plan to ride the provided bus to London’s Heathrow Airport. We pulled into port a couple of hours…
On this day we were scheduled to be in port from 9:00 a.m. till 5:00 p.m. so we could take our time. Rather than go into the shops first, we took the longer way through the quaint houses along cobblestone streets.Then we strolled along the port with its many shops. When we were in Russia, a man sat beside me at a resting place. He advised, “Don’t miss the fjords.” This day we were able to find a tour going…
When we left the Royal Caribbean ship in Skagen, Denmark, we had seven hours to soak up the local flavor. This port was smaller than most. After we walked a good distance into town we shopped a while, then looked for a public bathroom. Finding none, we ducked into a local church. The simple, clean lines, wood floors, and bare white walls furnished a stark contrast to the elaborate churches we had seen in St. Petersburg. Down the center aisle,…
We had almost a whole day to discover Stockholm, Sweden. We walked first to Gamla Stan, the medieval Old Town. On the way out of that area I popped into a beautiful church. We caught a hop-on hop-off bus to allow us to view the sights from the windows of a bus. We hoped to go to the Ice Bar but found out there would be no way to get in because reservations are made…
Our Royal Caribbean ship arrived in Helsinki, Finland early in the morning and began a long walk into town. On the way we noticed a couple of ladies scrubbing graffiti off a sign in a lovely little park. They weren’t paid to do it, they did it because it needed to be done. We stopped to visit with them before we trudged on. We happened upon a very unique Lutheran church called Temppeliaukio Church. It’s built into solid rock, thus…
Our first tour began at 8:30 a.m. After an extended walking tour we passed a basement with a sign outside that read, “TOPLESS BAR”. Around the corner we could see the Church of the Spilled Blood with its lovely multi-colored onion domes several blocks ahead. This church was ordered to be constructed by Tsar Alexander III, on the spot Tsar Alexander II was assassinated on March 1, 1881. Unfortunately, the tallest spire is under renovation. As we approached a bridge…
How does one spend two days in Russia? There was so much to see and so little time. I found it to be a land of great dichotomy. Everywhere you looked there were grand palaces built for the Tsar and his family members. One palace, the Hermitage, winter palace of the Tsar, originally contained 1,000 rooms (pictured above). Each room is the size of a large home with elaborate inlaid floors, Each room had 30-foot ceilings, priceless paintings on every wall,…
Of all the places we visited on our recent cruise of the Baltics on Royal Caribbean, I think Estonia was my favorite. With great trials come great anointing. On the way to the town square we happened upon a sign at the basement of a lovely-looking house which read, “One of the most notorious and feared prisons during the Soviet occupation. Open for visitors.” We wandered in, unaware of the history of Pagari Prison. We learned in the years 1944-1989,…
July 10 found us in Copenhagen, Denmark in lovely sunshine and mild temperatures . This is the Gefion Fountain found in front of St. Alban Anglican Episcopal Church. These sites are not far from the Little Mermaid Statue on Langelinie Pier. When we returned to our room that evening we were greeted by a little frog made of towels by our room attendant, Bambamg from Sri Lanka. Most ports were close enough to walk to the sights….
July 8th we spent at sea from Southampton, England headed for Oslo, Norway. Our ship had an ice rink so our first order of business–the ice show. We had sunny weather and 60 degrees, but on the water it felt too cool to stay pool-side for very long, so indoor activities were the choice for the day. Four thousand passengers and twelve hundred crew members from fifty-five countries cruised until about 10 a.m. on July 9th aboard the Royal Caribbean’s…