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.

Belgium to Denmark!

We’re a few days into the Baltic cruise now, today is a sea day which is nice because I was able to sleep in, and catch up on some reading and journaling! Wow! I sound like an old timer I’m so used to cruising now! Anyways here is an update on the ports I have just been to in the Baltic seas.

The first stop was Belgium to the port of Zeebrugge, which means “Bruges at the sea”. I did a tour which took us into Bruges which was so beautiful! The old town was once the center of all of Europe and is a world heritage site. There were amazing old churches and palaces, and many canals. We took a canal tour through the city where we passed a Belgium brewery and you could smell the hops from the boat. Bruges was very picturesque, and lovely to walk around in. There is a church that holds a “Madonna and Child”, the only Michelangelo taken out of Italy. I bought lots of Belgium chocolates too. All the chocolate shops sold little boxes with pretty ribbons and gave out yummy samples.

Next stop was Bremerhaven, Germany. I took a tour to Hamburg, which is the 2nd largest port in all of Europe, next to Amsterdam. However I didn’t know until I was on the coach, that the drive was 3 hours each way to Hamburg. It was awful, but I did manage to sleep sitting up for a bit! Once in the city, which was huge, I went and got a typical German meal which consisted of a bratwurst sausage and fries. There was a beautiful city hall with a nice courtyard, and a huge mall nearby that I wandered through. On the way home we passed many rich areas near Alster River and Alster Lake. The homes were amazing. Hamburg is a very big wealthy city, I guess it’s all the cars they make and export.

Kristiansand, Norway was a very nice place to visit. From the port you can walk right into town, where the land is surrounded by the sea on both sides. There is an indoor fish market and lots of outdoor restaurants by the water. In the water swam beautiful swans and heaps of orange jellyfish, the type that sting! Everything in Norway is very expensive, for example a postcard is 9 Norweigan Kroners, equal to $2, and a coffee is about $7. In the afternoon I had a tour to the town of Lillesand, and then took a boat tour from Scottevik back to Kristiansand. We passed all the little coastal islands, where all the Norweigans have summer holiday homes. It started to rain, but later the sun came out and the viewing was much better. All the families waved from their patios and boats as we sailed by!

Yesterday we were in Copenhagen, Denmark, one of my favorites! In the morning we quickly went into town, where I grabbed a Danish hot dog which was delicious! We also walked along Nyhavn, the famous canal street with many boats, and tall coloured buildings! I was here last year so I decided to take a tour out of town. We rode on a vintage coach to the town of Lyngby, where we caught a boat from 1896 named the Prins Christian. We cruised around the lakes and later had tea and Danish pastries in Frederiksdal. The lakes were beautiful with lily pads, swans, and many families out canoeing, and kayaking.

I am having an absolutely amazing time on the cruise. There are not many kids/teens this cruise so I have the chance to escort on many tours! Tomorrow we are in Stockholm!

Cannes and Corsica!

On the 27th we arrived in Cannes, France, home to the International film festival. Cannes is full of fancy hotels, expensive restaurants, and designer shops. I have never seen so many Ferraris and Lamborghinis in one place. Kim, Kass, and I grabbed a French baguette with brie cheese and ham, and strolled along the promenade. We then met up with a bunch of friends at the beach and swam out the the rocks. The beach was great, and the weather was so hot! Cannes is set on the Cote d’Azur, a coastline home to St. Tropez, Nice, Cannes, and Monte Carlo, along with thousands of gorgeous yachts!

The day we arrived in Civitavecchia, Italy, most people went into Rome. However since I saw it last summer, I chose something else instead. I did a tour to Bagnaia, Italy, a little old town a few miles from Viterbo, close to Tuscany. I didn’t think my tour sounded too exciting, but I accepted it anyways and was pleasantly surprised. I had to laugh because I was the only person out of 16 under the age of 50. We had a tour of Ville Lante Gardens, very beautiful but not what I expected. There were no flowers, only fountains, which is typical of Italian gardens. I took many pictures in this quaint Italian town, there were little alley ways, windows with clothing hung, and villagers meeting at the corner café for a morning coffee. Hard to imagine living in a little place like Bagnaia, life seems so uncomplicated and peaceful.

Ajaccio, Corsica was one of my favorite ports yet. Corsica is the third largest island in the Med, after Sicily, and Sardinia. This French island is gorgeous! I was scheduled on a tour to Calanques de Piana, which are rose coloured granite cliffs plunging into the ocean. A world heritage site recognized my Unesco. The roads were so winding and narrow. I slept the whole way there to avoid motion sickness, and then walked about 20 minutes along the cliffs edge. The views were amazing. It was almost a cross between being in the Rockies, and the Grand Canyon. We later drove to a pretty little Greek village called Cargese. The little town looked just like a postcard, with colored window sills, quaint little bakeries and shops, and a cat sleeping outside a doorway curled up on a chair. At the waters edge perched on a cliff were two beautiful churches, one Roman Catholic, and one Greek Orthodox, facing each other like rivals. However, these days the priest usually stands in for one another. Our tour guide Mark, was actually German, he had come to Corsica 15 years ago on a vacation, and had never left!

Yesterday we were in Gibraltar. Located at the very bottom of Spain, this British rock town is a short distance across the water from Africa. A big group of us got off together, looked around the town, and had lunch in a British pub. I had fish and chips, and a pint of Strongbow. You only have to walk about 15 minutes until you reach the border of Spain.