BALTIC CRUISE PART 2

On Friday of the first week of our cruise we arrived at Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, a wonderful mediaeval city built on a hill and enclosed by walls.  We went ashore and had a look around on our own as it was only 15 minutes by foot from where the ship was moored. It was a fascinating place with narrow streets and a lovely central square where the craft market was in full swing.

 

We climbed gradually to the top for the fantastic views, stopping along the way to look in souvenir shops and some of the galleries selling textile art in particular. We finally got to the Alexander Nevsky cathedral at the highest point and found a quiet bistro for a delicious fish lunch.  Because of the damp weather the outside tables were empty and the place seemed closed but we looked inside and found an old curved roof and rough wooden tables and just a few people eating so we stayed and avoided the crowds down in the square! 

 

This map gives you an idea of the fortified design of the city and our route as we strolled about.

 

 

I couldn't resist spending some money here and when I met Natali on her stand at the market selling her beautiful scarves I just had to go for it!  She sells under the name of iTALA and you can find her on Facebook if you want to see more of her products.

 

Soon it was time to leave Tallinn and head for St Petersburg to spend the weekend. This map shows you where we were able to go with our guided tours.  In Russia it's essential to have a visa to visit the country and for us it was easier to take advantage of the group visa organised by the travel company.  We were warned to keep up with the group and not to get lost as it would cause a lot of difficulties finding our way back in a country where few people speak our language.

 

 

I took hundreds of photos of the Hermitage and Winter Palace and made a few sketches in my journal after we came home.  The pace of the visits didn't allow for any spare time and we were pretty exhausted by the end  of each day!

Every souvenir shop is full, floor to ceiling with Russian dolls of all sizes and prices from 7euros to 700 euros. I decided to buy a fridge magnet instead as I know a doll would just gather dust on a shelf somewhere!

 

On the Saturday evening we were taken to a 'Cultural Faculty' to see a display of traditional music and dancing.  A small troupe gave us a wonderfully vibrant, lively show with lovely costumes, beautiful singing and the men really did do those high leaps and crouching dances.

 

I had never heard of the Cathedral of the Spilled Blood so when I saw a preview on the ship I had to go and see for myself.  Its just as you would imagine, an onion domed church with the most amazing interior covered in mosaics and golden highlights. 

 

All too soon it was time to leave this fascinating city and set sail for Helsinki. 

I amused myself sitting on the stern of the ship watching the wash as we sailed along.

BALTIC CITIES CRUISE 2019

 

I have dreamed of visiting St Petersburg for over 50 years and we finally decided the best way was to take a cruise and visit several cities along the way.

I started my preparations by weaving a cover to put on a book I bound myself incorporating the maps of each city as well as over all maps as end papers.

 

I drew our route inside the front cover and had to make alterations when the ship took a detour around Denmark.

 

The title page.

 

We joined the ship at Newcastle and spent a whole day at sea on the way to Oslo, our first port of call.  It was a warm sunny day so we sat on the balcony during the afternoon and while Bob snoozed I was treated to the sight of a flock of gannets who followed us for over an hour, long enough for me to take lots of photos and make this sketch in my journal.

 

 

We arrived in Oslo the next morning and decided to take one of the ferries across the harbour the Bygdones where the main historical museums were located.  We met a charming Spanish girl while we were waiting for the boat who spent the morning with us.

 

 

 

Our first visit was to the Viking ships museum where we saw a selection of grave ships that dated from the 9th century.  These were former warships that were then used as the coffins of important people, filled with artefacts like gold and sledges and incredibly well preserved because they had been buried in earth rather than in put in the sea.

 

Next we went to the Folksmuseum, a lovely parkland area full of historic buildings that have been re-located and furnished in the style of the age. The ancient farmhouses have grass growing on top of them and seem very primitive inside.  Each house had a person, dressed in the costume of the time and able to relate the story of their period. We saw house that had been on the outskirts of Oslo before it was redeveloped at the beginning of the 20th century as well as an apartment block with each flat set up in a different decade up to the 1970s.

 

 

 

The museum building had some beautiful costumes, woven wall hangings and rugs as well as painted furniture.  I was fascinated by the story of this red shirt, woven by it's owner that would have lasted her lifetime.

 

 

As we left Oslo there was a tremendous rainstorm which completely obliterated the shore but quickly cleared away to give us this lovely sight.

 

We passed under this bridge at sunset so I had to make a drawing from one of my photos as we sailed on to our next port of call, Tallinn in Estonia.