BALTIC CRUISE PART 3

 

Sorry, I nearly forgot to finish posting my Baltic cruise journal sketches but I'm back now and starting with this sketch done as we sailed away from Helsinki. We had taken a tour to a traditional village and had a look around the city but the weather was damp and I wasn't too inspired till I saw the pretty islands as we left and the seagulls escorted us along the coast.

 

Our next port of call was Stockholm and we woke to a beautiful sunny morning, sailing through the archipelago.  We seemed very close to the shore and had a lovely view of the pretty red cottages and pine forests that line the coast.  That swirl on the bottom right is a scrap of silk and mohair yarn I bought later in Stockholm in a fascinating shop in the old town.

 

Our mooring was a few kilometres out of the city and we had a magnificent view from our balcony of the amusement park with it's incredible rides.  I could hear the screams of the people as they swooped down on that tall tower structure.

 

We were transported to the city by bus and decided to visit the city hall as we had already been here before and seen most of the other sights.  We had a very interesting tour and then went in search of lunch in the old town, Gamla Stan, where we had meatballs, the typical Swedish dish.  After a bit of shopping for herrings and crispbread we took the bus back to the ship for our tour of the ship's bridge which was a great experience.

 

From Stockholm we had a day at sea while we sailed to Warnemunde in northern Germany where we docked right next to a pretty holiday resort.  We were able to walk ashore and explore and found that we could take a train to Rostock for only a few euros.

 

We found an attractive town with some interesting architecture and a good choice of bistros for lunch.  Later we took the train back to the ship and bought a few souvenirs along the way in a fantastic shop by the port.

 

Our last stop was at Copenhagen which we had visited before so we decided on a casual walk from the port with our new friends, Jerry and Sorrel.  We stopped for coffee in a pretty hotel courtyard and a herring and beer lunch at Nyhavn before another drink stop on the way back to the ship.

 

 

Here we are on the last shore day of our cruise after lunch at Nyhavn.

We had a wonderful cruise with so many new places seen and friends made and it certainly was a new experience for us.  We're normally country folk, preferring rivers and landscapes to cities and crowds but this was the only way to be able to see so many places in a short time.

 

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.