Boy am I in trouble. I've already been scolded twice for not blogging at all last week. I don't really have any good reason, other than being a bit travel weary, although the internet connection was awful towards the end, and our last 2 days did not allow any time for writing. However, I should have updated earlier this weekend... Sigh...
I'm awake early this morning - still jet lagged - so will take a half hour or so to do some catching up. I still want to edit the blog with some photos now that I have the necessary internet speed to do so. That may have to wait for a bit as this week is going to be rather hectic. We'll see...
So last you read I was basking in the afterglow of a lovely 2 days in St. Petersberg. That remains the highlight of the trip for me, but the next day, Monday, was also lovely. We arrived in the port of Tallinn, which is the capital and largest city in Estonia. It lies on the Gulf of Finland, which probably doesn't mean anything to you, but it's kind of fun to say - Gulf of Finland, Baltic Sea, North Sea... who'da thunk I'd ever have sailed those seas?
Anyway. Apparently the old town in Tallinn was the inspiration for the drawings of the town in Shrek. We learned this fact before arriving, and I thought, "uh huh", but when we walked through the gate of old town - wow, one expected to see Shrek and Donkey walk down the street. I can't possibly describe how picturesque this place was - it's a Medieval town, so you can picture stone gates covered with climbing ivy, cobblestoned streets, large town squares with rounded towers at the corners, gargoyles, dragons, protective walls, orange slate rooftops, Lutheran churches, another palace for Peter the Great (he got around)... suffice it to say, it's gorgeous. In fact, UNESCO has named it a world heritage site, which I'm sure is helping to grow the tourist industry there.
Our group of 11 wandered through the old town (I should say there is indeed a part of the city that is new and modern and decidedly uninteresting, so we didn't even bother with it), and thanks to my trusty guide book we were able to see most of the major points of interest, take oodles of pictures, and have a snack at a cafe in the old town square... garlic bread, local cheese, lemon cake, and beverages. We also had time to shop and look at all the linen and knitwear, art and jewelry. The weather was glorious, sunny, and at least 25, and we were all walking slowly and enjoying the ambiance.
We walked back to the ship - smart decision after paying 4 Euros for the shuttle into town, which turned out to be a 5 minute ride. We felt quite "ripped off" by that, so we walked back through the old town, past some parks, and through the rather extensive port area. The wind was picking up by now, and as we walked along the pier we were lucky not to be blown into the Gulf!
The next two days were at sea, and were just lovely. The first day Cheryl and Jenn and I plopped ourselves on the deck for most of the morning and part of the afternoon. We were warm enough to wear our bathing suits, and had a really relaxing time. Afterwards we played cards, Jenn & Marjie learned to play cribbage (with Leo, Betty and Cheryl acting as supreme coaches), and of course had the obligatory ice cream afternoon snack.
The second day was a bit colder at sea, but Jenn and Marjie and I found a spot on deck 10 that was out of the wind so we were there for close to 4 hours. The girls got up and down and played mini-golf and wandered the ship and got pizza and played cards and read their books and generally had a lovely time.
Those days are hard to write about because they blur into each other - activities (other than sun bathing) included laundry (a 2.5 hour ordeal), movies (one in our room and one on the deck late at night - Casino Royale, actually), trivia games, shopping on board, another formal night with more picture taking, Bingo, after dinner shows, card playing, and the occasional nap. Very relaxing and a great way to revive yourself before the final location - Amsterdam.
Time to get ready for work, so I will add another blog on Amsterdam and our trip home soon... I promise.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
From Russia, With Love
Wow.
That’s really all I can think of to say for starters. Ok, maybe that and “boy am I stupid for waiting three days to update my blog”. So sit back and put your feet up, because I have to write about three very full days! I’ll try to remember everything, but if I don’t, Jennifer is busily updating her journal and will let me know if I miss something.
At the moment we’re all more than a little brain dead. Although the last three days have been exhilarating, there has been an enormous amount of information to absorb and process, so we are flopped on our beds just relaxing for the moment. The kids have all been amazing – even though they are tired in the mornings, they perk up through the day and really do their best to pay attention and stay awake. Its interesting to hear their questions and comments and learn which details are interesting to them.
So. Helsinki. We arrived in port overnight, and as we were not on a ship’s tour, we were able to disembark at our leisure. We did take the ship’s shuttle into the centre of town (for five Euros – the ship never misses a chance to make a few dollars), and then made our way to the tourist information centre. From there we got directions to the double-decker . “hop on hop off” bus stop, and went there to wait for the first bus.
It was a beautiful beautiful day. Blue skies and fluffy white clouds, a light breeze – it was just lovely, especially after the damp we experienced in Germany. The bus stop was at the foot of the massive Lutheran Cathedral, which was very impressive – the stairs up the front are reminiscent of the steps in Philadelphia that the movie Rocky made famous. So of course I offered 5 bucks to Jennifer and Alex to run up to the top and jump up and down like Rocky. They didn’t, but Marjie did – that child will do anything for a Euro or two!!!
Our bus tour was very nice – about 90 minutes full circle, and we were all snapping photos from the top of the bus. We also had a 90 minute boat ride in the archipelago of Helsinki, and quite frankly I felt like I was in Muskoka. Aside from the salt water, the rock and the trees and cabins on the shore really looked like what one would see while on the boat cruise from Parry Sound! Really beautiful, although substantially cooler on the water – the boat had blankets for the trip, and we all made use of them.
Next we tried to find a place for lunch. This wasn’t as easy as you might think, as the food was ridiculously expensive, and also not all that appetizing. Herring, reindeer, bear, potatoes fried in lard… oh yum… So we had an ice cream and then went in and out of what seemed like dozens of tourist shops, then on to the market. I really enjoyed the market – the weather was still beautiful, the smells of the bakery and fruit stalls were enticing (not so much the fresh fish stalls), and the crafts and jewelry stands had quite a lot to look at. We all picked up a few things – Marjie adopted another animal, this time a moose. ☺
We were back on board about 4, had a snack, and then fell asleep for a couple of hours. I woke up only 10 minutes before the show, woke up Jenn and Marjie, and we made it just in time. I was a little worried about the quality of the show because it was a classical violinist, but everyone enjoyed it, even Alex, Jenn, and Marjie. I think they had a really good mix of music, like Lord of the Dance, which appealed to everyone. Dinner afterwards was delicious as usual. Well, for those of us who showed up. Hazel and her crew fell asleep and didn’t come! Ah well, this touring business is tiring. Plus, we were setting our clock forward yet another hour in preparation for…
St. Petersberg. This for me was the highlight and the main reason for choosing this cruise. I first learned about St. Petersberg back in high school – grade 9, actually. I took Russian History with Mr. Stalbow, who was also one of my Tae Kwon Do instructors and an afterschool advisor. He was a great teacher, and instilled in me a real interest in the history of the Russian revolution and activities in Moscow and St. Petersberg. I remember watching the movie Reds in class, reading books on the subject, and seeing pictures of the Winter Palace and Peterhof. So the opportunity to visit and see these places in person was really exciting to me! Enough that I didn’t mind the hour of lost sleep and the early start (7am).
All 11 of us bought tickets on the 2-day Grand Tour, and were prepared for cold and rainy weather. Imagine our delight and surprise when the day turned out to be one of the warmest of summer days (for St. Petersberg). It was sunny and gorgous, and I would guess about 20 Celsius. We were pleased to be able to leave our sweaters and jackets on the coach most of the time, especially when visiting museums, as none have air conditioning.
We started off with a little bit of a bus tour, and our guide, Marina, did a great job explaining everything to us. She was a wonderful and interesting guide, and had a good sense of humour too, making the two days even more enjoyable for us all. I was thrilled to round the corner and see the Winter Palace along the embankment of the Neva River. The whole centre of town was more colourful than I could imagine – Marina told me they paint the Winter Palace every five years or so, and as soon as they finish, they have to start all over again.
Our first destination was the Fortress of Peter and Paul, known not only as the birthplace of St. Petersberg in 1703, but also as the burial place of all the Tsars since Peter the Great. It was very interesting to see the tombs of Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, and the last Tsar Nicholas and his family. The history of these rulers is rather like a soap opera, with laws being changed and/or created to suit their purpose – Catherine the Great, for instance, usurped her husband and stole his title in a coup, and then denounced her son, claiming he was not fathered by her husband! In this way, she stole the title and then brought a great period of enlightenment to the country.
Next we went on a river cruise along the Neva and Moika rivers, marveling at the colourful and beautiful palaces along the way. There was also a young boy who waved at us on the first bridge, and then ran alongside the boat and waved to us from every bridge along the route – probably a dozen or so in total. He was, of course, begging for money, and Marina told me this has turned into a real business, and that the money is used for questionable purposes – she didn’t want to tell me what, so you’ll have to use your imaginations.
After the boat cruise we toured the Winter Palace and the Hermitage museum, ooohing and aaahing at all the Roccoco (read: gold, gold, and more gold) designed rooms and furniture, the chandeliers and sweeping staircases, dinner sets, statues, art by Monet, Rembrant, Ruben, DaVinci, Degas and a million others. There was so much to look at – the doors, door frames, floors, cornices, ceilings and windows all had something special to notice. Marjie was fascinated with the colours and design, and Jennifer was imagining the balls – the arrival of the horses and carriages, the gowns, the candle lit chandeliers and the music.
Next we had lunch in a big hall with hundreds of other tourists. Some locals regaled us with folk music while we had salad, chicken, and ice cream – I particularly enjoyed the local bread, of course. Oh, and we also had vodka and champagne with our meals – apparently it’s insulting not to drink it, but I had to take that chance or be sick the rest of the day! Jenn and Alex had a sip of the vodka, and the faces they made were priceless!
In the afternoon we went to Yusopov palace, the “home” of a noble family, the place where Rasputin was murdered, and now a grand museum, complete with a 150 person theatre. By this time we were getting a little pooped, but it was still very interesting, especially the bit about Rasputin. This creepy man was so hated that an elaborate plan to poison him was hatched – but he refused to die. So he was stabbed – and refused to die. Finally he was thrown under the ice of the Neva River, and there he succumbed. The people had had enough of him influencing the Tsar, and did everything they needed to do to change the course of history. Not in time to avoid the revolution mind you, but that’s another story.
We were back on the ship by 4 again today. This was to allow time for those who had purchased evening excursions, which we did not. Marjie announced that she was going to bed immediately after supper, in order to be really refreshed for the next day. In truth, most of us agreed with her, and after a light supper at the buffet and a few minutes of the evening movie, Jenn and I finally called it a night.
Today dawned grey and rainy, and that’s the way it stayed. All day. Wet. Real rain, not drizzle. Soggy and humid. Bad for hair, but warm at least. Marjie, ever chipper, said “well, we got to see the city on a sunny day and on a rainy day too!” Marina commented on the weather too, advising us that the gloom and rain was typical here, so yesterday was a real treat.
Today we were in for other treats. We set off at 7:15 for the hour long drive to Peterhof, yet another tribute to Peter the Great’s ego. He had the soul of a sailor, and so built his “Versailles of the North” on the shores of the Gulf of Finland. Unfortunately we saw very little of the splendid gardens – Jenn and I did venture out in the pouring rain so that we could get a few pictures, but other than that we stuck with the inside. Again, it was overwhelming in it’s almost gaudy-use of gold and stucco, not to mention the huge fireplaces crafted of Delft tile. But the views to the upper garden and out to the Gulf were just incredible.
We had a bit of time in the shop there, and then the bus ride back past some other picturesque sights and to the city for lunch, again with vodka and music and good food. All eleven of us were seated at one table, and we laughed a lot – I’m sure the vodka helped, as people were a little cold and damp.
After lunch we were taken to a store with what I would call “upscale” souvenirs. In fact, they were pretty expensive, but I managed to find a pretty Christmas ornament, Jenn bought a Fabrage egg pendant, and Marjie finally found the Russian carved doll (the kind that you open and there’s another one inside and another and another and another…). We had a bit of time to wander the square there, and then headed over to the Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood, or as Marjie calls it, “The Gingerbread Church”. This is the very well-known image that is used in travel posters of St. Petersberg – the colourful roof and spiraled towers are hard to forget. We didn’t have time to go inside, but Jenn and Marjie and I took a walk around the entire exterior and across the canal and back (still through the rain, I should mention). There was a small flea market to check out, and we bartered half-heartedly with a vendor, but she wasn’t all that interested in our money so we walked away. Hazel is very good at bargaining – she says you have to be prepared to walk away, and so we did.
Back to the ship then, and we are now resting before dinner and the show. We had a wonderful time, and the girls are already excited about tomorrow in Tallinn! You’d think they’d be bored by now, and they really aren’t.
Until next time, do svidaniya.
That’s really all I can think of to say for starters. Ok, maybe that and “boy am I stupid for waiting three days to update my blog”. So sit back and put your feet up, because I have to write about three very full days! I’ll try to remember everything, but if I don’t, Jennifer is busily updating her journal and will let me know if I miss something.
At the moment we’re all more than a little brain dead. Although the last three days have been exhilarating, there has been an enormous amount of information to absorb and process, so we are flopped on our beds just relaxing for the moment. The kids have all been amazing – even though they are tired in the mornings, they perk up through the day and really do their best to pay attention and stay awake. Its interesting to hear their questions and comments and learn which details are interesting to them.
So. Helsinki. We arrived in port overnight, and as we were not on a ship’s tour, we were able to disembark at our leisure. We did take the ship’s shuttle into the centre of town (for five Euros – the ship never misses a chance to make a few dollars), and then made our way to the tourist information centre. From there we got directions to the double-decker . “hop on hop off” bus stop, and went there to wait for the first bus.
It was a beautiful beautiful day. Blue skies and fluffy white clouds, a light breeze – it was just lovely, especially after the damp we experienced in Germany. The bus stop was at the foot of the massive Lutheran Cathedral, which was very impressive – the stairs up the front are reminiscent of the steps in Philadelphia that the movie Rocky made famous. So of course I offered 5 bucks to Jennifer and Alex to run up to the top and jump up and down like Rocky. They didn’t, but Marjie did – that child will do anything for a Euro or two!!!
Our bus tour was very nice – about 90 minutes full circle, and we were all snapping photos from the top of the bus. We also had a 90 minute boat ride in the archipelago of Helsinki, and quite frankly I felt like I was in Muskoka. Aside from the salt water, the rock and the trees and cabins on the shore really looked like what one would see while on the boat cruise from Parry Sound! Really beautiful, although substantially cooler on the water – the boat had blankets for the trip, and we all made use of them.
Next we tried to find a place for lunch. This wasn’t as easy as you might think, as the food was ridiculously expensive, and also not all that appetizing. Herring, reindeer, bear, potatoes fried in lard… oh yum… So we had an ice cream and then went in and out of what seemed like dozens of tourist shops, then on to the market. I really enjoyed the market – the weather was still beautiful, the smells of the bakery and fruit stalls were enticing (not so much the fresh fish stalls), and the crafts and jewelry stands had quite a lot to look at. We all picked up a few things – Marjie adopted another animal, this time a moose. ☺
We were back on board about 4, had a snack, and then fell asleep for a couple of hours. I woke up only 10 minutes before the show, woke up Jenn and Marjie, and we made it just in time. I was a little worried about the quality of the show because it was a classical violinist, but everyone enjoyed it, even Alex, Jenn, and Marjie. I think they had a really good mix of music, like Lord of the Dance, which appealed to everyone. Dinner afterwards was delicious as usual. Well, for those of us who showed up. Hazel and her crew fell asleep and didn’t come! Ah well, this touring business is tiring. Plus, we were setting our clock forward yet another hour in preparation for…
St. Petersberg. This for me was the highlight and the main reason for choosing this cruise. I first learned about St. Petersberg back in high school – grade 9, actually. I took Russian History with Mr. Stalbow, who was also one of my Tae Kwon Do instructors and an afterschool advisor. He was a great teacher, and instilled in me a real interest in the history of the Russian revolution and activities in Moscow and St. Petersberg. I remember watching the movie Reds in class, reading books on the subject, and seeing pictures of the Winter Palace and Peterhof. So the opportunity to visit and see these places in person was really exciting to me! Enough that I didn’t mind the hour of lost sleep and the early start (7am).
All 11 of us bought tickets on the 2-day Grand Tour, and were prepared for cold and rainy weather. Imagine our delight and surprise when the day turned out to be one of the warmest of summer days (for St. Petersberg). It was sunny and gorgous, and I would guess about 20 Celsius. We were pleased to be able to leave our sweaters and jackets on the coach most of the time, especially when visiting museums, as none have air conditioning.
We started off with a little bit of a bus tour, and our guide, Marina, did a great job explaining everything to us. She was a wonderful and interesting guide, and had a good sense of humour too, making the two days even more enjoyable for us all. I was thrilled to round the corner and see the Winter Palace along the embankment of the Neva River. The whole centre of town was more colourful than I could imagine – Marina told me they paint the Winter Palace every five years or so, and as soon as they finish, they have to start all over again.
Our first destination was the Fortress of Peter and Paul, known not only as the birthplace of St. Petersberg in 1703, but also as the burial place of all the Tsars since Peter the Great. It was very interesting to see the tombs of Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, and the last Tsar Nicholas and his family. The history of these rulers is rather like a soap opera, with laws being changed and/or created to suit their purpose – Catherine the Great, for instance, usurped her husband and stole his title in a coup, and then denounced her son, claiming he was not fathered by her husband! In this way, she stole the title and then brought a great period of enlightenment to the country.
Next we went on a river cruise along the Neva and Moika rivers, marveling at the colourful and beautiful palaces along the way. There was also a young boy who waved at us on the first bridge, and then ran alongside the boat and waved to us from every bridge along the route – probably a dozen or so in total. He was, of course, begging for money, and Marina told me this has turned into a real business, and that the money is used for questionable purposes – she didn’t want to tell me what, so you’ll have to use your imaginations.
After the boat cruise we toured the Winter Palace and the Hermitage museum, ooohing and aaahing at all the Roccoco (read: gold, gold, and more gold) designed rooms and furniture, the chandeliers and sweeping staircases, dinner sets, statues, art by Monet, Rembrant, Ruben, DaVinci, Degas and a million others. There was so much to look at – the doors, door frames, floors, cornices, ceilings and windows all had something special to notice. Marjie was fascinated with the colours and design, and Jennifer was imagining the balls – the arrival of the horses and carriages, the gowns, the candle lit chandeliers and the music.
Next we had lunch in a big hall with hundreds of other tourists. Some locals regaled us with folk music while we had salad, chicken, and ice cream – I particularly enjoyed the local bread, of course. Oh, and we also had vodka and champagne with our meals – apparently it’s insulting not to drink it, but I had to take that chance or be sick the rest of the day! Jenn and Alex had a sip of the vodka, and the faces they made were priceless!
In the afternoon we went to Yusopov palace, the “home” of a noble family, the place where Rasputin was murdered, and now a grand museum, complete with a 150 person theatre. By this time we were getting a little pooped, but it was still very interesting, especially the bit about Rasputin. This creepy man was so hated that an elaborate plan to poison him was hatched – but he refused to die. So he was stabbed – and refused to die. Finally he was thrown under the ice of the Neva River, and there he succumbed. The people had had enough of him influencing the Tsar, and did everything they needed to do to change the course of history. Not in time to avoid the revolution mind you, but that’s another story.
We were back on the ship by 4 again today. This was to allow time for those who had purchased evening excursions, which we did not. Marjie announced that she was going to bed immediately after supper, in order to be really refreshed for the next day. In truth, most of us agreed with her, and after a light supper at the buffet and a few minutes of the evening movie, Jenn and I finally called it a night.
Today dawned grey and rainy, and that’s the way it stayed. All day. Wet. Real rain, not drizzle. Soggy and humid. Bad for hair, but warm at least. Marjie, ever chipper, said “well, we got to see the city on a sunny day and on a rainy day too!” Marina commented on the weather too, advising us that the gloom and rain was typical here, so yesterday was a real treat.
Today we were in for other treats. We set off at 7:15 for the hour long drive to Peterhof, yet another tribute to Peter the Great’s ego. He had the soul of a sailor, and so built his “Versailles of the North” on the shores of the Gulf of Finland. Unfortunately we saw very little of the splendid gardens – Jenn and I did venture out in the pouring rain so that we could get a few pictures, but other than that we stuck with the inside. Again, it was overwhelming in it’s almost gaudy-use of gold and stucco, not to mention the huge fireplaces crafted of Delft tile. But the views to the upper garden and out to the Gulf were just incredible.
We had a bit of time in the shop there, and then the bus ride back past some other picturesque sights and to the city for lunch, again with vodka and music and good food. All eleven of us were seated at one table, and we laughed a lot – I’m sure the vodka helped, as people were a little cold and damp.
After lunch we were taken to a store with what I would call “upscale” souvenirs. In fact, they were pretty expensive, but I managed to find a pretty Christmas ornament, Jenn bought a Fabrage egg pendant, and Marjie finally found the Russian carved doll (the kind that you open and there’s another one inside and another and another and another…). We had a bit of time to wander the square there, and then headed over to the Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood, or as Marjie calls it, “The Gingerbread Church”. This is the very well-known image that is used in travel posters of St. Petersberg – the colourful roof and spiraled towers are hard to forget. We didn’t have time to go inside, but Jenn and Marjie and I took a walk around the entire exterior and across the canal and back (still through the rain, I should mention). There was a small flea market to check out, and we bartered half-heartedly with a vendor, but she wasn’t all that interested in our money so we walked away. Hazel is very good at bargaining – she says you have to be prepared to walk away, and so we did.
Back to the ship then, and we are now resting before dinner and the show. We had a wonderful time, and the girls are already excited about tomorrow in Tallinn! You’d think they’d be bored by now, and they really aren’t.
Until next time, do svidaniya.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Guten Tag Meine Freunde!
Who knew watching the Bourne Supremacy for the umpteenth time could be so much fun? It’s 11pm on the Baltic Sea, and the sky is beautiful – in the East it’s light grey with white fluffy clouds on the horizon, and in the West there is a sunset that has been in progress for about 2 hours. We are in the “White Nights” season, meaning that this far north there is very little dark sky at night. It is a bit surreal to see the sky like this – here on the Lido deck we can see in all directions including straight up, thanks to the glass retractable roof (thankfully now closed) – and to know that it’s actually pretty late. But we had a gorgeous lazy day at sea, and we feel no need to go to bed early. So instead we are watching tonight’s movie on the Big Screen.
So where did I leave off last time… I think it was the eve before our German adventure. I was sitting on the very chilly Lido deck aft, and was hoping for nice weather for the next day. Well, we got a half a nice day, which is better than none, I suppose.
The day started pretty early. Many people on the ship were headed in to Berlin, and so they had to be up and out as early as 6:45. This meant that we didn’t sleep much past that time either – the departure activities are never particularly quiet, and some people are either so asleep or so excited, that they forget some people are still asleep!!! Sigh. Our group didn’t have to leave until 8:45, so we met for breakfast and then disembarked to a gloomy and chilly morning in Warnemunde. We had one of those big coaches with picture windows to transport us into the countryside, and we set off for the town of Wismar, about a 90 minute ride south. Our guide was very good and very efficient – not a lot of personality, but she made up for it in content. Our only complaint was that she had this lilt to her voice, probably due to her German accent which over-rounded vowels and put extra emphasis on syllables. This caused every one of us to fall asleep within minutes. Well, the kids fell asleep within minutes, and the adults lasted at least a half an hour.
The countryside was gorgeous – heavily forested, fields and meadows, cattle, old farmhouses with thatched roofs, and new post-unification apartment blocks. It was interesting to know that we were passing through land which was once part of East Germany – and not too long ago either. Of course it was also apparently part of Sweden, but that was quite a while ago. (1648)
We arrived in the town of Wismar in a downpour. We toured the area both on foot and by coach, and learned that Wismar is a Hanseatic town, part of the Hanseatic League which was formed in the thirteenth century to defend against Baltic sea pirates! The centre of town in the historic Market Place, the largest in Germany, surrounded by buildings up to 700 years old. We toured the town a bit, visited a few churches, and had time for an excellent Streusel pastry – I even got to try out my German, and was miffed when I pronounced it “stroosill” and was corrected with “stroysill”. Hummmph.
The rain let up as we boarded our coach to nearby Schwerin. This was to be the highlight of the day – castles and lakes and fountains and ghosts and Grand Dukes and of course, lunch. The sun was out in full force by now, and the day grew warmer – probably up to 16 or so – and much more pleasant. We had lunch at a little restaurant that used to be a washing house – they had restored the building, just as they are doing to many of the old city buildings. Our lunch was potato soup, boiled potatoes, sauerkraut, ham, and a fruit compote with cream. It was quite delicious, although pretty heavy! Luckily we were headed out on a walk so we didn’t have time to fall asleep. We toured the city and I just fell in love with it. Colourful buildings, old cobblestones, beautiful store fronts, old carts carrying fresh produce, and of course, the great big honkin’ Schwerin Castle.
The castle today is a far cry from what it looked like in the twelfth century – now it has a gold dome and bridges and gardens and extra wings. Back then it was dark and brooding and forbidding. But in both times it is undoubtedly impressive. The beautification of the castle started in the 16th century, and by the 17th century, it looked much like it does today. One of the paintings inside depicts in great detail the death of Prince Nicolet who refused Christianity. Our guide said quite matter-of-factly, “and of course he had to die”. I think the painting is intimidating and lovely at the same time, just like the castle itself. I do wish we had a bit more time there so we could wander the gardens, but by the time we finished the tour it was close to 5 and time to get back on the coach.
Surprisingly, we were all tired and our feet were sore – I can only attribute that to the cobblestones, which were really hard to walk on. Our ride home was with more soporific commentary, and we all fell asleep again. Except Marjie. I bet her 5 Euros that she couldn’t stay awake all the way back to the ship, and she managed to do it (witnessed by a boy sitting behind her).
Last night was a very casual dinner, as most of the passengers will still en route back from Berlin. We had a small dinner in the buffet area, and then gathered will all the peeps in the piano lounge. Alex, Kayla, Jenn & Marjie all played cards while Hazel and Cheryl and I chatted. Perhaps one of the most exciting things was the fireworks display that was set off as we departed – the port had a real sendoff to recognize the ship’s first ever visit to Warnemunde – it was just amazing and we all ran outside to watch it.
Today was, as I said, a sea day. Cheryl and I were up early for pedicure appointments (stupidly, I didn’t realize we lost another hour overnight, so we were practically asleep in our spa chairs), and then went down to get Jenn and go have breakfast. We spent the rest of the day on the sun deck and on the Lido deck, in full on, blue sky, brilliant sunshine. Cheryl and I even donned our bikinis and have lovely tans to show for it. What a great day. Marjie slept until noon, as did many others in the group. People ate when they wanted, played Rook, did some mini-putt, shopped, watched movies, and then primped in preparation for our first Formal Night.
We were all lovely, I must say, and we did the usual thing with all the photographers on board. I can’t wait to see how some of the pictures turn out – we even got Cheryl to pose together with Hazel and me! Dinner was excellent (stuffed mushrooms and prime rib), the waiters did their usual dance for us, and Aries did another magic trick which blew me away. He always uses me as his “straight man”, perhaps as I’m pretty gullible!
And so now here we are on the Lido deck again, the main hub of social activity. It’s now 11:45 and the sunset is still not over. The East is fairly dark, but even so I will be thankful for the blackout curtains in my room!
Tomorrow is Helsinki. We plan to take the ship’s shuttle into town and head to the tourist information centre to sign up for bus tour of the city. The captain promised us 20 and mostly sunny, so let’s cross our fingers.
And so goodnight everyone. Susse traume.
So where did I leave off last time… I think it was the eve before our German adventure. I was sitting on the very chilly Lido deck aft, and was hoping for nice weather for the next day. Well, we got a half a nice day, which is better than none, I suppose.
The day started pretty early. Many people on the ship were headed in to Berlin, and so they had to be up and out as early as 6:45. This meant that we didn’t sleep much past that time either – the departure activities are never particularly quiet, and some people are either so asleep or so excited, that they forget some people are still asleep!!! Sigh. Our group didn’t have to leave until 8:45, so we met for breakfast and then disembarked to a gloomy and chilly morning in Warnemunde. We had one of those big coaches with picture windows to transport us into the countryside, and we set off for the town of Wismar, about a 90 minute ride south. Our guide was very good and very efficient – not a lot of personality, but she made up for it in content. Our only complaint was that she had this lilt to her voice, probably due to her German accent which over-rounded vowels and put extra emphasis on syllables. This caused every one of us to fall asleep within minutes. Well, the kids fell asleep within minutes, and the adults lasted at least a half an hour.
The countryside was gorgeous – heavily forested, fields and meadows, cattle, old farmhouses with thatched roofs, and new post-unification apartment blocks. It was interesting to know that we were passing through land which was once part of East Germany – and not too long ago either. Of course it was also apparently part of Sweden, but that was quite a while ago. (1648)
We arrived in the town of Wismar in a downpour. We toured the area both on foot and by coach, and learned that Wismar is a Hanseatic town, part of the Hanseatic League which was formed in the thirteenth century to defend against Baltic sea pirates! The centre of town in the historic Market Place, the largest in Germany, surrounded by buildings up to 700 years old. We toured the town a bit, visited a few churches, and had time for an excellent Streusel pastry – I even got to try out my German, and was miffed when I pronounced it “stroosill” and was corrected with “stroysill”. Hummmph.
The rain let up as we boarded our coach to nearby Schwerin. This was to be the highlight of the day – castles and lakes and fountains and ghosts and Grand Dukes and of course, lunch. The sun was out in full force by now, and the day grew warmer – probably up to 16 or so – and much more pleasant. We had lunch at a little restaurant that used to be a washing house – they had restored the building, just as they are doing to many of the old city buildings. Our lunch was potato soup, boiled potatoes, sauerkraut, ham, and a fruit compote with cream. It was quite delicious, although pretty heavy! Luckily we were headed out on a walk so we didn’t have time to fall asleep. We toured the city and I just fell in love with it. Colourful buildings, old cobblestones, beautiful store fronts, old carts carrying fresh produce, and of course, the great big honkin’ Schwerin Castle.
The castle today is a far cry from what it looked like in the twelfth century – now it has a gold dome and bridges and gardens and extra wings. Back then it was dark and brooding and forbidding. But in both times it is undoubtedly impressive. The beautification of the castle started in the 16th century, and by the 17th century, it looked much like it does today. One of the paintings inside depicts in great detail the death of Prince Nicolet who refused Christianity. Our guide said quite matter-of-factly, “and of course he had to die”. I think the painting is intimidating and lovely at the same time, just like the castle itself. I do wish we had a bit more time there so we could wander the gardens, but by the time we finished the tour it was close to 5 and time to get back on the coach.
Surprisingly, we were all tired and our feet were sore – I can only attribute that to the cobblestones, which were really hard to walk on. Our ride home was with more soporific commentary, and we all fell asleep again. Except Marjie. I bet her 5 Euros that she couldn’t stay awake all the way back to the ship, and she managed to do it (witnessed by a boy sitting behind her).
Last night was a very casual dinner, as most of the passengers will still en route back from Berlin. We had a small dinner in the buffet area, and then gathered will all the peeps in the piano lounge. Alex, Kayla, Jenn & Marjie all played cards while Hazel and Cheryl and I chatted. Perhaps one of the most exciting things was the fireworks display that was set off as we departed – the port had a real sendoff to recognize the ship’s first ever visit to Warnemunde – it was just amazing and we all ran outside to watch it.
Today was, as I said, a sea day. Cheryl and I were up early for pedicure appointments (stupidly, I didn’t realize we lost another hour overnight, so we were practically asleep in our spa chairs), and then went down to get Jenn and go have breakfast. We spent the rest of the day on the sun deck and on the Lido deck, in full on, blue sky, brilliant sunshine. Cheryl and I even donned our bikinis and have lovely tans to show for it. What a great day. Marjie slept until noon, as did many others in the group. People ate when they wanted, played Rook, did some mini-putt, shopped, watched movies, and then primped in preparation for our first Formal Night.
We were all lovely, I must say, and we did the usual thing with all the photographers on board. I can’t wait to see how some of the pictures turn out – we even got Cheryl to pose together with Hazel and me! Dinner was excellent (stuffed mushrooms and prime rib), the waiters did their usual dance for us, and Aries did another magic trick which blew me away. He always uses me as his “straight man”, perhaps as I’m pretty gullible!
And so now here we are on the Lido deck again, the main hub of social activity. It’s now 11:45 and the sunset is still not over. The East is fairly dark, but even so I will be thankful for the blackout curtains in my room!
Tomorrow is Helsinki. We plan to take the ship’s shuttle into town and head to the tourist information centre to sign up for bus tour of the city. The captain promised us 20 and mostly sunny, so let’s cross our fingers.
And so goodnight everyone. Susse traume.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Traveling, Relaxing, and Hans Christian Andersen
So much for my earlier promise to update the blog every day! In my defense, the days have been busy, exciting, and a little tiring – so much so that I haven’t been inclined to write before turning out the light. I’ll try to make up for that now, as I’m perfectly content at the moment.
I’m sitting on the Lido Deck aft, watching the coastline with little villages and bigger cities – I wish someone would announce what city I’m looking at right now. Red topped roofs, gothic cathedrals, smokestacks and numerous ferries make me think it must be fairly significant. On the other side of the channel there is a much smaller village (sending and receiving the ferries) and I wonder if I’m in the middle of two different countries. I could look at the map I suppose, but as I said, I’m fairly content and have no intention of moving.
It’s about 5:30 on Tuesday, and the girls and I have just had a nap and a smackeral to revive ourselves after a day of walking in Copenhagen. The sky is threatening, but it’s warm enough to sit outside, so Jenn is keeping me company with her ever-present book. Marjie has elected to go back to the room for a while – she is pooped these days so I said ok.
But back to where I left off last time. We had just seen Grease, we were in London, and were hitting the hay on Saturday night. Sunday dawned sunny and cool, so we dressed in layers and went in search of breakfast that didn’t drip and ooze as had the fare the day before. We found a little Italian restaurant and they served up a delicious meal for us – Cheryl proclaimed the coffee almost as good as JC’s, Leo and I were happy with the tea, and Marjie drank a delicious smoothie. Afterwards we went back to the hotel to do the final packing, and we had an hour or so to sit in the beautiful hotel gardens – typical English gardens with sundials and hydrangeas and roses and grasses and lavender and two cats. One, Paula (according to her tag), stayed with us a while and rolled and stretched against the warm patio stones. The other, a stealth black cat, was uninterested in our company and set off to hunt.
We took a couple of cabs to get to Victoria Coach Station, and that’s where the drama for the day began. I think this is Carnival’s inaugural cruise from England, and so their logistics were not exactly sorted out. In other words, they had two (2!!!) young women who were there to organize the unruly, jet-lagged, multi-lingual crowd. There were no signs. There was no spot to put luggage. Luggage that was in the wrong spot soon annoyed coach drivers who threatened to drive over said luggage (and owner) if it wasn’t moved. People were given coloured tickets that put them on one of three coaches leaving at half hour intervals, and yet there was no rhyme or reason to the colours – it wasn’t first-come-first-served at all, and luggage was separated from owner more than once. There was an interesting woman who was assigned to the 12:30 coach with us. “No I’m not,” she declared, “I’m here now and I’m going on the 11:30 bus!” (Now add an angry southern accent and read that again.) She basically kept saying this until she was granted her wish. I’m going to try that sometime… “No, I want a 25% raise!”
We finally set off in the coach for a 2.5 hour ride to Dover. We had snacks for the ride, books, MP3 players, and some nice scenery, so it wasn’t unpleasant at all. Well, except for the beginning when a woman announced that she needed to get some hand luggage out from under the bus – the passengers let out a collective groan, and I thought they might throw the woman to the curb!
The port experience was pretty smooth. A few hiccups like telling me my Visa wasn’t valid (gasp!) and forgetting to print me a room key (two for the girls, none for me), but nothing major. Then finally to our room, which is bright and shiny and quite spacious. The sofa was already made into a bed, we had a welcome bottle of champagne and a plate of chocolate (courtesy of our travel agent), and we set about unpacking. We had the lifeboat drill, a breathtaking tour of the ship because the girls wanted to see EVERYTHING at once! And then we changed for dinner and headed into the welcome show.
Our cruise director, John Heald, is somewhat of a legend in the Carnival cruiseline. He was also the cruise director when Hazel and I cruised the Med last summer – we found him hilarious and genuine, and I have been reading his online blog ever since. He is a very funny man, and has been with the company a very long time. As cruise director, I suspect he is rather senior in the ranks, and so he has to deal with some interesting customer issues, many of which he shares on his blog. Anyway, he does a welcome show that had us rolling with laughter last year, and even though he repeated some jokes, it was just as funny this time.
We had dinner after, and the food was wonderful as usual. Our waiters, Henry and Aries are very good and always telling us stupid jokes and playing tricks with us. We aren’t all at one table, unfortunately – Cheryl and her family are one half of a table of 8, and the rest of us occupy another table. But we’re right next to each other, so it’s not too bad. I’m trying to remember some of the choices of the first night’s menu – I had Caesar salad, tilapia, and warm chocolate melting cake (you might want to get that bit of drool from the corner of your mouth), and the girls had pasta arrabiata and an Indian chick pea concoction that was very good. And ice cream of course. There’s lots of ice cream on this ship. Sigh…
Yesterday was our first full day on the ship, and it was at sea all day. We were (and are still, just a bit) travel-weary, so instructions were to do what we wanted if we wanted when we wanted. I was up early to the gym, then to breakfast (nice and quiet before 9), and then went back to see if the girls were up, which they were – just. Later Jenn and Cheryl and I sat on the sundeck for a few hours, and Marjie and Kayla and Alex ran all over the ship and did everything from air hockey to mini-putt to the arcade. Jenn joined them for a bit too, and I was just a big lump and did nothing. Until it rained, at which point I moved and did some more nothing.
We ate, sat, read, chatted, played cards, ate some more (there is a 24 hour pizza grille… double sigh…), got our nails done, and generally had a lovely time. Dinner was terrific (French onion soup, jerk pork loin, chicken, strawberry cheesecake, etc etc etc), and the show afterwards was entertaining, if a bit cheesy. Most of the gang went on from there to go to the karaoke lounge and the club, and I announced my intention to go to bed – told you, I will just about always be the first one in bed. Jenn & Marjie decided they were tired too, so we all hit the hay.
This morning we awoke with some difficulty, as we lost an hour overnight. We have to change our clocks forward three times in the next few days, so I expect body clocks to be right out of whack on the entire journey! We all met for breakfast at 8:15, and then headed out at 9. I had located a local walking tour for only 150 kroner (about $30 for an adult and two kids), and everyone was keen to do that. The thing is we had to get there from the port, and everyone was keen to walk in rather than get a cab. My map said about 1.5 miles in to the centre of town, but I’m pretty sure that was wrong. Another possibility is that I didn’t take us on the most direct route, but surely that can’t be right. Anyway, we found our meeting spot, and Joyce looked at me and said, “what now?” “A walking tour,” I replied. “A what? After what we just did? Are you kidding me?” I wasn’t kidding, so I smiled my best smile, and everything was ok.
Our tour guide was a New Yorker who has lived in Copenhagen for the past 18 years, and he was wonderful. He spoke in character as Hans Christian Andersen (with a Brooklyn accent), and took us on a terrific tour of the centre of town. A few interesting tidbits for you:
1) The two words he wanted us to remember were welfare and trade – Denmark has a system not unlike Canada’s with respect to health care and economic assistance, but perhaps even a bit more socialist with respect to the amount and type of assistance. In addition, it has quite heavy trade in industry and machinery – a change from its old focus on agriculture.
2) The people of Denmark make fairly good wages, but pay 52% income tax, and 25% sales tax. (something has to pay for the welfare state) Lunch for me, Jenn, and Marjie consisted of three sandwiches, a cup of tea, and two smoothies. The bill was 340 kroner, which is around $60.
3) People bike everywhere. You can actually get free bikes at dozens of spots in the city. Pop in a 20 kroner coin, take the bike, return it to any location, and get your money back. One of the reasons for this is that cars have 180% tax on them. Can you imagine???
After the tour we walked back to our starting point. Well, some of us did – others went back to the ship or went shopping. We went with Cheryl, Hazel, Kayla, and Alex to a little café to have the aforementioned million dollar lunch. But food wasn’t really an option at this point – I had the mother of all headaches, Marjie was barely awake, and everyone needed an energy boost. The food did the trick, and we headed off to do our last bit of sightseeing – a visit to the Absolut Ice Bar (Absolut is a brand of vodka, for those not in the know). Jenn and Marjie and I collapsed in the really funky chairs and sofas outside the bar in the sun and waited while the others went in. For 120 kroner they got to don really pretty parkas and go in for a drink (vodka or cranberry juice) in a room made entirely of ice – chairs, bar, stools, glasses – everything. The pictures look really fun, and perhaps I should have gone in so the ice could fix my head.
We did a little more walking, and then when we absolutely couldn’t take it anymore, we headed back to the ship in a couple of taxis. A great day really – Copenhagen is just lovely, and the Danes are a good looking race, so lots to look at, really.
And here I am. Jenn has abandoned me now as it’s getting colder. The sun popped out a while ago, but now the sky is mottled grey and the water is black and forbidding. It’s kind of peaceful out here on the aft deck though, only a few hardy souls actually bothered swimming, and another few are in the hot tub. One Scottish gentleman stopped to ask what I was writing, and then admonished me to write more and become published. Maybe he’s a publishing magnate in Scotland and will ask to read my blog and I’ll be famous and rich and own a yacht and go sailing in the Aegean sea and…
Or maybe I’ll just enjoy where I am and what I’m doing now. J
Tomorrow is Germany. We dock in the port of Warnemunde on the north coast, and many people will take the train into Berlin for the day. We are not doing that, as it’s a 3.5 hour ride each way and we figured that would be too tiring to be fun. Instead, we are doing a day tour of some castles in the German countryside. Should be fun, and our cruise director just announced it’s supposed to be a beautiful day tomorrow. Yay!
And so auf wiedersehen…
I’m sitting on the Lido Deck aft, watching the coastline with little villages and bigger cities – I wish someone would announce what city I’m looking at right now. Red topped roofs, gothic cathedrals, smokestacks and numerous ferries make me think it must be fairly significant. On the other side of the channel there is a much smaller village (sending and receiving the ferries) and I wonder if I’m in the middle of two different countries. I could look at the map I suppose, but as I said, I’m fairly content and have no intention of moving.
It’s about 5:30 on Tuesday, and the girls and I have just had a nap and a smackeral to revive ourselves after a day of walking in Copenhagen. The sky is threatening, but it’s warm enough to sit outside, so Jenn is keeping me company with her ever-present book. Marjie has elected to go back to the room for a while – she is pooped these days so I said ok.
But back to where I left off last time. We had just seen Grease, we were in London, and were hitting the hay on Saturday night. Sunday dawned sunny and cool, so we dressed in layers and went in search of breakfast that didn’t drip and ooze as had the fare the day before. We found a little Italian restaurant and they served up a delicious meal for us – Cheryl proclaimed the coffee almost as good as JC’s, Leo and I were happy with the tea, and Marjie drank a delicious smoothie. Afterwards we went back to the hotel to do the final packing, and we had an hour or so to sit in the beautiful hotel gardens – typical English gardens with sundials and hydrangeas and roses and grasses and lavender and two cats. One, Paula (according to her tag), stayed with us a while and rolled and stretched against the warm patio stones. The other, a stealth black cat, was uninterested in our company and set off to hunt.
We took a couple of cabs to get to Victoria Coach Station, and that’s where the drama for the day began. I think this is Carnival’s inaugural cruise from England, and so their logistics were not exactly sorted out. In other words, they had two (2!!!) young women who were there to organize the unruly, jet-lagged, multi-lingual crowd. There were no signs. There was no spot to put luggage. Luggage that was in the wrong spot soon annoyed coach drivers who threatened to drive over said luggage (and owner) if it wasn’t moved. People were given coloured tickets that put them on one of three coaches leaving at half hour intervals, and yet there was no rhyme or reason to the colours – it wasn’t first-come-first-served at all, and luggage was separated from owner more than once. There was an interesting woman who was assigned to the 12:30 coach with us. “No I’m not,” she declared, “I’m here now and I’m going on the 11:30 bus!” (Now add an angry southern accent and read that again.) She basically kept saying this until she was granted her wish. I’m going to try that sometime… “No, I want a 25% raise!”
We finally set off in the coach for a 2.5 hour ride to Dover. We had snacks for the ride, books, MP3 players, and some nice scenery, so it wasn’t unpleasant at all. Well, except for the beginning when a woman announced that she needed to get some hand luggage out from under the bus – the passengers let out a collective groan, and I thought they might throw the woman to the curb!
The port experience was pretty smooth. A few hiccups like telling me my Visa wasn’t valid (gasp!) and forgetting to print me a room key (two for the girls, none for me), but nothing major. Then finally to our room, which is bright and shiny and quite spacious. The sofa was already made into a bed, we had a welcome bottle of champagne and a plate of chocolate (courtesy of our travel agent), and we set about unpacking. We had the lifeboat drill, a breathtaking tour of the ship because the girls wanted to see EVERYTHING at once! And then we changed for dinner and headed into the welcome show.
Our cruise director, John Heald, is somewhat of a legend in the Carnival cruiseline. He was also the cruise director when Hazel and I cruised the Med last summer – we found him hilarious and genuine, and I have been reading his online blog ever since. He is a very funny man, and has been with the company a very long time. As cruise director, I suspect he is rather senior in the ranks, and so he has to deal with some interesting customer issues, many of which he shares on his blog. Anyway, he does a welcome show that had us rolling with laughter last year, and even though he repeated some jokes, it was just as funny this time.
We had dinner after, and the food was wonderful as usual. Our waiters, Henry and Aries are very good and always telling us stupid jokes and playing tricks with us. We aren’t all at one table, unfortunately – Cheryl and her family are one half of a table of 8, and the rest of us occupy another table. But we’re right next to each other, so it’s not too bad. I’m trying to remember some of the choices of the first night’s menu – I had Caesar salad, tilapia, and warm chocolate melting cake (you might want to get that bit of drool from the corner of your mouth), and the girls had pasta arrabiata and an Indian chick pea concoction that was very good. And ice cream of course. There’s lots of ice cream on this ship. Sigh…
Yesterday was our first full day on the ship, and it was at sea all day. We were (and are still, just a bit) travel-weary, so instructions were to do what we wanted if we wanted when we wanted. I was up early to the gym, then to breakfast (nice and quiet before 9), and then went back to see if the girls were up, which they were – just. Later Jenn and Cheryl and I sat on the sundeck for a few hours, and Marjie and Kayla and Alex ran all over the ship and did everything from air hockey to mini-putt to the arcade. Jenn joined them for a bit too, and I was just a big lump and did nothing. Until it rained, at which point I moved and did some more nothing.
We ate, sat, read, chatted, played cards, ate some more (there is a 24 hour pizza grille… double sigh…), got our nails done, and generally had a lovely time. Dinner was terrific (French onion soup, jerk pork loin, chicken, strawberry cheesecake, etc etc etc), and the show afterwards was entertaining, if a bit cheesy. Most of the gang went on from there to go to the karaoke lounge and the club, and I announced my intention to go to bed – told you, I will just about always be the first one in bed. Jenn & Marjie decided they were tired too, so we all hit the hay.
This morning we awoke with some difficulty, as we lost an hour overnight. We have to change our clocks forward three times in the next few days, so I expect body clocks to be right out of whack on the entire journey! We all met for breakfast at 8:15, and then headed out at 9. I had located a local walking tour for only 150 kroner (about $30 for an adult and two kids), and everyone was keen to do that. The thing is we had to get there from the port, and everyone was keen to walk in rather than get a cab. My map said about 1.5 miles in to the centre of town, but I’m pretty sure that was wrong. Another possibility is that I didn’t take us on the most direct route, but surely that can’t be right. Anyway, we found our meeting spot, and Joyce looked at me and said, “what now?” “A walking tour,” I replied. “A what? After what we just did? Are you kidding me?” I wasn’t kidding, so I smiled my best smile, and everything was ok.
Our tour guide was a New Yorker who has lived in Copenhagen for the past 18 years, and he was wonderful. He spoke in character as Hans Christian Andersen (with a Brooklyn accent), and took us on a terrific tour of the centre of town. A few interesting tidbits for you:
1) The two words he wanted us to remember were welfare and trade – Denmark has a system not unlike Canada’s with respect to health care and economic assistance, but perhaps even a bit more socialist with respect to the amount and type of assistance. In addition, it has quite heavy trade in industry and machinery – a change from its old focus on agriculture.
2) The people of Denmark make fairly good wages, but pay 52% income tax, and 25% sales tax. (something has to pay for the welfare state) Lunch for me, Jenn, and Marjie consisted of three sandwiches, a cup of tea, and two smoothies. The bill was 340 kroner, which is around $60.
3) People bike everywhere. You can actually get free bikes at dozens of spots in the city. Pop in a 20 kroner coin, take the bike, return it to any location, and get your money back. One of the reasons for this is that cars have 180% tax on them. Can you imagine???
After the tour we walked back to our starting point. Well, some of us did – others went back to the ship or went shopping. We went with Cheryl, Hazel, Kayla, and Alex to a little café to have the aforementioned million dollar lunch. But food wasn’t really an option at this point – I had the mother of all headaches, Marjie was barely awake, and everyone needed an energy boost. The food did the trick, and we headed off to do our last bit of sightseeing – a visit to the Absolut Ice Bar (Absolut is a brand of vodka, for those not in the know). Jenn and Marjie and I collapsed in the really funky chairs and sofas outside the bar in the sun and waited while the others went in. For 120 kroner they got to don really pretty parkas and go in for a drink (vodka or cranberry juice) in a room made entirely of ice – chairs, bar, stools, glasses – everything. The pictures look really fun, and perhaps I should have gone in so the ice could fix my head.
We did a little more walking, and then when we absolutely couldn’t take it anymore, we headed back to the ship in a couple of taxis. A great day really – Copenhagen is just lovely, and the Danes are a good looking race, so lots to look at, really.
And here I am. Jenn has abandoned me now as it’s getting colder. The sun popped out a while ago, but now the sky is mottled grey and the water is black and forbidding. It’s kind of peaceful out here on the aft deck though, only a few hardy souls actually bothered swimming, and another few are in the hot tub. One Scottish gentleman stopped to ask what I was writing, and then admonished me to write more and become published. Maybe he’s a publishing magnate in Scotland and will ask to read my blog and I’ll be famous and rich and own a yacht and go sailing in the Aegean sea and…
Or maybe I’ll just enjoy where I am and what I’m doing now. J
Tomorrow is Germany. We dock in the port of Warnemunde on the north coast, and many people will take the train into Berlin for the day. We are not doing that, as it’s a 3.5 hour ride each way and we figured that would be too tiring to be fun. Instead, we are doing a day tour of some castles in the German countryside. Should be fun, and our cruise director just announced it’s supposed to be a beautiful day tomorrow. Yay!
And so auf wiedersehen…
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Grease is the Word...
We're here! It's Saturday night as I write this, and we are finally back in our hotel room after a great day. It's time to shower and sort out our suitcases, which pretty much exploded all over the hotel yesterday... but I'm ahead of myself.
Our trip started out at the airport on Thursday night, and being the Type A people Cheryl and I are, we were all there pretty early. No problem, as we had plenty of time to have a bite, wander duty free, and grab the necessary magazines and chocolate for the trip. I have started daring people to do crazy things (something my friend Chris does all the time) by trying to bribe them with "5 bucks". Usually there is no danger of the person following through, as it's something like "5 bucks to go up to that woman and tell her to get a haircut", or "5 bucks to burst into song". Well, I dared Marjie to run to the other end of the gate, climb on a statue of a lion, and let me take her picture, and... she did.
The flight was fine - no problems other than lack of sleep and the fact that I lost my blackberry. I'm pretty sure it fell out of my bag when I was sliding it under the seat in front of me, and I've written to Air Canada. For all I know it's on a flight to Singapore or something, but one can hope. After all, Air Canada has great customer service, right? Oh. Never mind.
So we arrived about 8:30 in London, to sunny and warm (not hot) skies. We had no trouble at all in customs, our bags were off quite quickly, and we immediately hailed a cab, driven by a Grumpy Old Man. The GOM informed us that there was a waterburst in Earls Court (where our hotel is) and he just didn't know what we were going to do. As he shook his head mournfully, he muttered to himself and stowed our bags. I said cheerfully "well, if anyone can get us there I'm sure it's you". GOM said, "not with the road like that. And with all this luggage. You must be staying a while." Little did he know how much of a challenge it was for all of us to pack in such a thrifty way!!! Anyway, GOM did indeed deliver us right to our door, with only a little bit of traffic to slow us down. Perhaps he appreciated our cheery chatter.
Our hotel is lovely. Owned by a German chain, K+K is definitely more continental than English. Our sink is Villeroy & Bosch, the door lock is something we still haven't figured out, and the counter is run with German efficiency, not to mention clipped tones. It's a great room and there's a gorgeous garden out back which I'm sure we'd enjoy if it wasn't so wet.
Yes, the sunny day clouded over pretty quickly, but we still headed out to the Greyline bus tour of the city. We figured it was a good way to kill the few hours before our rooms would be ready. It was terrific and the rain held off till just about the end. Marjie fell asleep in my lap after about 20 minutes, and Jenn and I lasted a bit longer, and then we started to nod. We had a recording to listen to, and when it wasn't playing, we had trouble staying awake! It was, however, a great way to see a few introductory sites. It was so nice to be back in the city - I have been here so many times (even had the chance to stay for a month when Janet was living here for a year back in 1989) that I am very comfortable here.
We were in our rooms at 2:30, and asked for a wake-up call for 6pm (which never came, so thank goodness Jenn woke up at 7!! Cheryl called soon after and we went down to meet everyone and go for dinner around the corner at a fantastic Italian restaurant. The girls were still pretty much zombies, but they did a good job and tucked into a healthy meal. Still, we all collapsed at 11 and fell into a deep sleep until the alarm when at 7:30 the next morning.
We met at 8:30 and went to a rather grimy looking place for breakfast. We hoped that it would be that typical "hole that serves good food". Not so much. It was certainly ok, but we will choose somewhere different tomorrow I think!
It was a cool and sunny morning, with the promise of rain, so we were all in a bunch of layers, carrying our umbrellas and preparing for the worst. The Negative Nellys kept predicting a downpour any minute, but we didn't get one drop. The Royal Standard, indicating the Queen is in residence, was flying over the Palace (she didn't invite us for tea, which I thought was quite rude). Despite ominous clouds, we had a great time at the Changing of the Guard. We took the tube to Hyde Park Corner (the tube has no service on the District and Circle lines today, which I think is preposterous on a summer Saturday), wandered around and took a few pictures.
From the corner we sauntered through Green Park and St. James Park, and found a spot on the stairs by the Victoria Monument. It was fun people and pigeon watching (Lexi named one of the pigeons "Joaquin". Not sure why, but it stuck. He stayed with us for a while, much to Cheryl's dismay thanks to her hatred/fear of all flying creatures!), and even the local copper, assigned to shoo people (not pigeons) off the monument seemed to be having a good time. At first we thought he was another GOM, but he started hamming it up for photos with tourists of all sizes and shapes. I can't imagine how sick he must be of tourists. Jenn put it well and said "he is probably saying, if you ask me another question I will shoot you". Perhaps a bit strong, but right on the money! Security was heavy, maybe because the Queen was nearby, with police carrying some rather frightening looking guns. I offered 5 bucks to Lexi to go ask if she could hold the gun for a photo. :)
From there we walked over to Harrods, which was crowded beyond belief, and also pretty tacky inside - they are having a one-time sale and there were huge red and white sale stickers everywhere, somewhat detracting from the ambiance, but oh well. We split up here, and Cheryl and her family went in search of ice cream, whereas we went in search of a cafe and a bit of lunch. We had a GREAT time with friendly waiters and a pretty little spot over the fruit & veg hall. We loved our food and especially our fruit beverages: Lilac Beauty, Citrus Tonic, and Tropical Revitalizer. After lunch we each picked out gowns in the expensive section, tried on shoes, sprayed perfume, and visited the Harrods Bear. Janet & Jean, you should know that Harry is coming to live with you. He's very polite, but has an eating disorder and is very skinny. Marjie picked him because he clearly has a disability. (Read: they were skimpy on the stuffing for this bear!)
We met up with Hazel, Kayla, and Joyce and then walked down the street for a beverage. Soon after the girls were fading, so we walked back to the hotel and had a little rest before heading out AGAIN to pick up our tickets for the theatre. Well, you'd think I'm pretty good with directions, but NO. We had a horrible stinky crowded tube ride, and then I had the girls running for 35 minutes as we tried to find the ticket office which closed at 6. We found it at 6:15, and the kind people there told us where the head office was, so we raced up there, and thank goodness, they had our tickets. So we rewarded ourselves with a little Ben & Jerry's ice cream, and headed to the theatre in Piccadilly Circus where we met up with Cheryl & Lexi.
The show, Grease, was great! Quite different from the movie, but fun and colourful, and I sang along quietly (most of the time). The girls seemed to have a great time, although Lexi said the movie was better. I promptly burst into song to reward her for saying that. Ahhh, so easy to embarrass teens.
So we're back, and it's just about time for bed. We are meeting at 8 for breakfast tomorrow, and then heading to Victoria Station to pick up our transfer to Dover to board the ship. We're all pretty excited!
And so for now, toodles.
PS - the internet connection here is not uploading my pictures, so I will fix that on the ship... I hope...
Thursday, July 3, 2008
T Minus One Week
And so the countdown begins.
Who am I kidding? I've been counting down since we booked this trip! But a countdown that says "22 weeks to go" isn't quite as exciting as breaking the four week mark - This morning Cher sent an email that said, "One Week! That is all I have to say." Jenn sent an email last night about her packing trials and tribulations (I'm happy to report she seems to have everything under control). I hear that Betty has everything she and her husband could possibly need for the trip, and it's all laid out and ready to go. Lexi could care less, really, and is just excited to get going and see Gary (don't ask). Marjie is galavanting around the Gaspe coast at the moment, enjoying time with Mamie and Papie. Haze is praying her passport with the visa comes soon, and Kayla is counting all the pairs of shoes she will pack. Joyce, as we know already, is good to go. :)
And me? I'm procrastinating getting ready for my six hours of meetings today, staring out the window at the rain, and wondering when I'll get time to go buy my last few items for the trip. All in good time, I guess.
Before I close today, I will just correct a few things. First, I'm told that I have the description of how the trip came to be COMPLETELY out of order. Mea culpa! Who knows how it actually happened at this point - as I said it doesn't matter how, it only matters that it is! So, take what's written with a grain of salt.
Second, please note the map of the cruise that I've posted on the main blog page.
Third, thanks to Cher's helpful bf John (or JC), I now have a picture of her, Alexis, Betty and Leo. This was taken last year when they were in Venice!
Cheerio and pip pip for now...
Who am I kidding? I've been counting down since we booked this trip! But a countdown that says "22 weeks to go" isn't quite as exciting as breaking the four week mark - This morning Cher sent an email that said, "One Week! That is all I have to say." Jenn sent an email last night about her packing trials and tribulations (I'm happy to report she seems to have everything under control). I hear that Betty has everything she and her husband could possibly need for the trip, and it's all laid out and ready to go. Lexi could care less, really, and is just excited to get going and see Gary (don't ask). Marjie is galavanting around the Gaspe coast at the moment, enjoying time with Mamie and Papie. Haze is praying her passport with the visa comes soon, and Kayla is counting all the pairs of shoes she will pack. Joyce, as we know already, is good to go. :)
And me? I'm procrastinating getting ready for my six hours of meetings today, staring out the window at the rain, and wondering when I'll get time to go buy my last few items for the trip. All in good time, I guess.
Before I close today, I will just correct a few things. First, I'm told that I have the description of how the trip came to be COMPLETELY out of order. Mea culpa! Who knows how it actually happened at this point - as I said it doesn't matter how, it only matters that it is! So, take what's written with a grain of salt.
Second, please note the map of the cruise that I've posted on the main blog page.
Third, thanks to Cher's helpful bf John (or JC), I now have a picture of her, Alexis, Betty and Leo. This was taken last year when they were in Venice!
Cheerio and pip pip for now...
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Introducing the Cruisers
I thought it might be helpful to introduce you to the people about whom you'll be reading over the next few weeks. You know, add a little spice, give you some perspective on the peeps, as it were... So here goes.
she won't speak to me ever again - suffice it to say that most of us call her Marjie. She just turned 14, and I really wish I had a recent picture of her to post here. (This one is of her and Hazel's daughter Kayla, taken last summer.) Oh well, you'll see them as the trip progresses. This one in particular is a bit old, and she has changed quite dramatically since then! Also a stunner, Marjie is a big hit at school, a synchronized swimming star, and a shop-a-holic I think. (Yay! Shopping is an important socio-economic contributer to the well-being of our nation.) Marjie is already a world traveller, having lived in the UK and travelled to Hawaii, New Zealand, Australia, and many places in Europe already. I think that for her packing is just routine at this point, so perhaps she can give Jenn and me some pointers later on!
Haze is very good at putting up with my tendency to over-plan (because it fits nicely with her tendency to not plan at all). She enjoys tagging along our pre-planned self-guided tours, and proclaims "Tick!" whenever we finish seeing something the guidebooks say are "must see" spots. In addition to being loads of fun and up for just about anything (she took a scuba lesson in Greece even though she's afraid of water), Haze is the one I rely on to shmooze the locals and find out all the best information. She can talk to anyone, and her smile and charm often got us some of the best inside information.
We'll start with my niece Jennifer (being the eldest niece, she gets to go first). As you can see, Jenn is a stunning girl, and upon our departure she will be 16.58 years of age. (Jenn is particularly fond of her birthday, and since I'm not quite sure when she starts the countdown to December 7th, I figured I should be as exact as possible.) When she was young, I used to be asked to give her advice and counsel on her hair and clothes. But alas, time has flown, and now the tables are reversed. I'm quite sure that I will be the one asking Jenn for help, especially if it's humid and my hair gets all out of control. Jenn is quite good in school, loves volleyball and music, has oodles of friends (187 on Facebook at last count), and is, at present, fighting with her mother about how much she can pack into one suitcase for this trip. (I'm rooting for ya Jenn.)
Next there's Marjorie - I won't list all her nicknames or
she won't speak to me ever again - suffice it to say that most of us call her Marjie. She just turned 14, and I really wish I had a recent picture of her to post here. (This one is of her and Hazel's daughter Kayla, taken last summer.) Oh well, you'll see them as the trip progresses. This one in particular is a bit old, and she has changed quite dramatically since then! Also a stunner, Marjie is a big hit at school, a synchronized swimming star, and a shop-a-holic I think. (Yay! Shopping is an important socio-economic contributer to the well-being of our nation.) Marjie is already a world traveller, having lived in the UK and travelled to Hawaii, New Zealand, Australia, and many places in Europe already. I think that for her packing is just routine at this point, so perhaps she can give Jenn and me some pointers later on!OK, now to my peeps. Cheryl, or Cher, is one of my BFF's. I will not disclose her age, other than to say she's younger than I am! She is camera-shy, and I have no picture of her that I can post right now - I tried to steal from Facebook, but they were too fuzzy, a fact which I'm sure will make her happy. But I will catch pictures of her on this trip if it kills me! She is a true Maritimer, having grown up in Prince Edward Island, and still returns there once a year for some nurturing of her roots (and watering them with screech perhaps). On this trip I think Cher will play the role of social coordinator - she will know every activity, every game, every show, and every opportunity for fun on the ship at all times. (She will also know the location for every meal, but that's neither here nor there.) Cher is a ball of energy, and everyone will have an amazing time just being near her. It's impossible not to. You just can't fight osmosis.
Cher's daughter Alexis (or Alex, Lexi, or Lex) is about 2 months from her 16th birthday, and Ontario's Ministry of Transportation is already preparing for her to become one of the province's latest drivers. No worries there, Mr. Minister, Lexi is one of the most athletic and coordinated teens I know, and I am quite sure that coordination will serve her well on the roads! Lexi loves music (Loves, with a capital L) and entertainment in general. She is a star on the guitar (ew - didn't mean to rhyme that), dances way better than her Mum, and has a killer sense of humour. I am quite sure that she is NOT fighting with her mother about what to pack, because she's never been about clothes as a label. She just wants to be with her family and her friends and have a good time. And with her around to entertain us, we will all have a great time with her! (Oh, and I had pictures of her from her grade 8 grad, but I lost them all when my MacBook died. Not that Macs crash or anything... Grrr...)
Cher's parents are coming along for the ride too. I don't have pictures of Leo and Betty yet, but I'm sure you'll see them in future posts. I have met them a few times though, and I can tell you that Leo has a mischievous twinkle in his eye, and is a killer card player (must be that maritime influence). And Betty is an oasis of calm - a warm and caring nurse, Betty is just someone you naturally migrate to for good conversation and a big hug.
Now we have one of my other BFF's, Hazel-Ann Simone. Or Haze. Or Hazy. Or Hazel-Ann if I'm trying to make a point. Which is often. Haze and I have travelled together quite a bit - our first big trip was 3 years ago when we didn't go to Italy. (Don't worry Haze, I won't mention it. Well, not much anyway.) We meant to go to Italy, but we wound up in the UK. Long story, but we had a great time in London, even though it was cold and wet. So the next year we opted for hot and dry, and spent a couple of weeks in Greece, and then last year we continued with the hot and sunny theme, and went on a Carnival cruise of the Med.
Haze is very good at putting up with my tendency to over-plan (because it fits nicely with her tendency to not plan at all). She enjoys tagging along our pre-planned self-guided tours, and proclaims "Tick!" whenever we finish seeing something the guidebooks say are "must see" spots. In addition to being loads of fun and up for just about anything (she took a scuba lesson in Greece even though she's afraid of water), Haze is the one I rely on to shmooze the locals and find out all the best information. She can talk to anyone, and her smile and charm often got us some of the best inside information.Hazel's daughter Kayla is a joy to have around. Kayla (or Miss K or Miss Kayla) is a stylin' girl, always in the latest clothes and the best labels. You can't fault her really, as she takes after her Mum. She also has an incredible joie de vive, boundless energy, and a killer laugh. A few days ago she picked up my travel book on Helsinki and was trying to pronounce all the "helpful phrases" at the back of the book - we were all rolling on the floor laughing! In addition to being fashion conscious, Kayla excels at school, tae kwon do and piano, and is really into the music scene. Her Dad is a jazz musician, and clearly she's inherited some of that talent as well.
Rounding out the group are Hazel's mum and cousin, and I'm sorry to say that I don't have pictures of them yet either. I haven't met Hazel's cousin, but I have met her mum, Joyce, several times and she too is one of those people that you gravitate to. I'm told that she packed for the trip several weeks ago - clearly she, at least, is also a planner (yay!), which I can appreciate. Warm, fun, and an AMAZING cook, Joyce is going to be an amazing addition to this motley crew.
And then there's me. As I said already, I'm the planner, and my travel mates are very good to put up with me. I like to read and research and know what to look for when I'm visiting a place, so I have a book on every city, and a pretty good idea of
what to walk around and see once we get there. I will be the one watching and mentally recording the activities, delighting in the nonsense of my friends and family, going to bed before midnight, finding the best places for tea in each city, and marveling at every single church and museum. I love fashion but I'm not quite as good at it as my peeps, so I rely on them heavily (Cher is my packing assistant and has already made out my list of things to pack). I love music, ice cream, history, traveling, and my family. This trip will combine all those things, so I am delighted and excited.
I hope you enjoy traveling along with us... I will start the countdown on July 3rd with fairly regular posts, as long as technology allows!
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