Sweden to Russia!!

Wow it feels like I’ve been gone for ages; it’s been about a month now! We are heading back to Southampton, and will soon be doing the last cruise before coming home. So excited for the Mediterranean, and the chance to visit some more beaches! The cruise around the Baltic has been amazing, but not that warm. However, we have been really lucky to have mostly sunny days.

Probably my favorite port this cruise was Stockholm. Such a beautiful city! Kasandra and I got off together and took the harbour cruise around the city starting with the Royal Palace. From the boat we saw the theme park “Tivoli Grona Lund”on the water with crazy looking rides and we just had to go. We rode the “Insane” roller coaster where we were strapped in, flipped, and dropped from way above the city. The view was amazing!

In Helsinki, Finland I escorted on a tour where we rode a steam train to the old town of Porvoo, dating back to 1346. I saw some beautiful churches (one made entirely out of a big rock), and had a traditional lunch in a big manor house. Back in Helsinki, we spent time in Senate square where sits the city’s large and famous white cathedral.

We spent 2 full days in St. Petersburg, Russia. After finally passing Russian immigration a group of us toured the city. Last year I did a full day tour, so this time it was more relaxing and wandering around. Russia is very strict, depending on your nationality, they may not let you in, thankfully being Canadian, I was okay. We took pictures outside The Hermitage, and St. Isaac’s Cathedral, and shopped in the Russian bazaar. I bought one of those traditional wooden painted dolls, with smaller dolls inside. We also went inside my absolutely favorite church/landmark “The Church on Spilt Blood”. It’s so incredible, it almost doesn’t look real! The night out in Russia was a lot of fun! We all went to The Pappanin Club to drink Russian vodka and dance, however I ended up getting 3 stitches in the morning after a glass was dropped near my foot! At least I will always remember it as my scar I obtained from a night club in Russia!

In Tallinn, Estonia, I escorted on a tour where we visited a family farm where they made cheese. We got to try different types and see where it was made. After we visited a private Estonian house where the father and daughter gave us a tour and then served us coffee and cake in their garden. It was really neat to see how these people lived and spend some time in a typical Estonian home. Later in the city we visited Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, built in Tallinn by the Russians. It was also very beautiful.

The last port was Gothenburg, Sweden. The weather was pretty cold and rainy but we were given ponchos on our canal boat cruise. We passed under many bridges, one so low called “The Cheese Slicer” we needed to sit on the floor and duck down. We also went into the fish market which takes place in a building built to look like a church. Later I went to the biggest shopping mall in Scandinavia “Nordstan” and had a look around.