A much needed day off

I know this must sound ungrateful for the wonderful opportunities we have been experiencing, but I (and my knees) are really enjoying this day off at sea.  Today, I had breakfast.  That's it.  

We'll have lunch in a couple of hours, watch a cooking demo, Tom will do a couple of games and golf contests, and we will likely watch a movie this afternoon.  And that is most of our day.

Our only chore will be to pack up the drawers this evening--we can leave the hanging things--because we need to change cabins tomorrow.  We upgraded to a minisuite for these first 11 days and we go back to our originally planned room tomorrow.  Not quite sure of the logistics, but I figure it will somehow work.

I promised a couple of pictures of Helsinki when I could catch up, so here they are:

Market square

Drinking our way through the four Fonnish beer types.

Inside the Church of the Rock. Very beautiful and full of grace.

Just after this picture (poorly lit- bad photographer) of the pipe organ, they started a concert on it.  

The front of the Church from the outside.

Yesterday we went to Stockholm.  We docked in Nynäshamn. (That's pronounced noon-is-ham.), which just put on a very cool movable dock that expands like an accordion folded walkway, making our departure very easy and we did not have to tender in, yay!

I'll make another post about Stockholm a little later, and then I should be all caught up.

Words Without Pictures

Here is the commentary I have promised for two days...and it is already midnight so I will have to flesh this out more when we get a day off.  It's been a hectic few days...and I hardly know where to start.  Two very long days in St. Petersburg, and some interesting observations.  

First, our guide was very talented, patient and knowledgable.  But so very Russian.  She provided many entertaining moments, especially when we had all gathered at whatever 'meeting point' she designated throughout the two days, waited as told while 'I just exchange the voucher for the tee-kets' and then the next thing we hear is 'I am waiting for you by the column/door/entry...please try to keep up...I am waiting for you....'  

We saw the highlights..Church of the Spilled Blood with incredible mosaic interior, Winter Palace and Hermitage Museums, Catherine Palace and Amber Room.  After a while, we suffered museum burnout.  I am sure with more time and energy we could have truly appreciated it more.  But are so glad we saw it.  

Many buildings are well kept, but just as many are suffering disrepair that is not so obvious in pictures.  Cracks in buildings, chunks of facades falling off and patched with cement. 

The people were hard working, at least the few we met.  Sergei, our driver, is an amazing, focused and talented man.  He wanted to be able to drive tourists all year, not just the summer months, so he knew he needed to be fluent in English.  So he went to the US, took a job in customer service while studying so he could learn conversational English.  All so he would be a desirable driver in the off season.  Nice young man with four kids, aged 8,6,4 and 2.  (So far #5 is not on the way).

Then we added the Faberge museum.  It's in a normal appearing building from the outside, but a private palace inside.  A very wealthy oligarch's private home turned museum.  And what spectacular collections of silver, enamels and eggs.  silk walls to rival what we saw in the actual palaces.

Despite the ornate decor and bright pastel buildings, there is a very gritty and gray feel to the city, even in bright sunshine (which we had both days and apparently this was the best weather of the entire season of the Regal Princess in St. Petersburg).  For that matter, all the big cities we have been in had their own vibe and feel.  If I were to rank them, it would be St. Petersburg, Berlin, Reykjavik, Helsinki, Oslo, Copenhagen.  That leaves out Stockholm which is yet to be blogged, but we visit tomorrow.

Today we spent the day in Helsinki, Finland.  The weather was supposed to be cloudy, which it was for a couple of hours in the morning, but we brought the sunshine with us so the Finnish enjoyed spending the day in the sun along with us.  I'll add a couple of pictures of our day, but mostly we visited the Church in the Rock, took a tram tour of the city, shopped the farmers market at the port, and stopped to sample four Finnish beers.

More photos from St. Petersburg

Still too pooped to write anything... But will add later ( I promise.... Lots of observations to mention)

From Russia With Love

Sorry, I couldn't help the title.  We're spending the day around St. Petersburg. Lots more words to add later, but will include a few pictures now.

Adding more pictures:

Tales From Tallinn

Today dawned bright, sunny and windy with clouds of all types scudding across the sky.  We grabbed jackets and sunglasses and headed out for a walking tour of the Old City.  The taxis run a racket here, but we knew it well enough to not get taken.

Many lovely and inexpensive woolens and wood objects in the shops, excellent local beer and quaint views around every corner.

Heading up the road by the city walls

Gate at Fat Margret Tower

Tom in the Town Square

Domes of the Russian church

Walking from Upper City to Lower City

Tower at the Wall

Down Katarina St

Flower Market

Berlin

Yesterday was needed day of relaxation onboard.  Watched a movie, napped, ate.

Today found us on a 12 hour tour to Berlin, half of that just going and coming from the port.  But neither of us had been to Berlin before, so we had to come.  We are now on our way back having just left the city and we are pooped out.  It was a whirlwind highlights tour, but we had a really terrific tour guide, Preston a US expat with an exhaustive knowledge of the city, history and politics.  Plus a good sense of irony, which helps in Berlin.

Here are pictures from our day:

Last remaining portion of the wall-- now with a fence around it to protect it from souvenir hunters.

One of the infamous Trabant cars.

A double row of bricks marks where the wall used to be.

Replica Checkpoint Charlie, on correct site,but fake building.

Preston

Tom holding balance of Brandenberg Gate

Memorial to Jewish  victims 

1932 Olympic Stadium

Oslo

I know I didn't post yesterday...and today will be a small one. I think I finally figured out the onboard wifi system, but this is sort of a test of my abilities.

We made it onboard the ship just fine yesterday, have a great room, exhausted ourselves trying to do and see everything around the ship, ate a late (and slow) dinner and crashed.

Arrived in Oslo at 10 am and did our own tour-- Vigeland sculptures at Frogner park.

Plus our DIY tram tour for which Tom had to hike a bit to get tickets.  What a guy! Three of us went on the ferry over to the Viking ship museum, and I came back to rest my knee but had a nice relaxing lunch.  Oh, and met a cute troll on my way home.

Tomorrow is a sea day, so I will post again in two days from Germany.