Day 15 - Southampton


14th  September 2019

Home again.  Early start, already berthed. 

Breakfast, cleared our stateroom and joined the queue to disembark.  Luckily our loyalty level gets priority so only short time before we were off to collect cases and find the car.


And so it’s off up the motorway to get home before it gets too busy.

Day 14 - at Sea


13th September 2019

Packing day, what more can I say, just time for the last tries at trivia and to catch up with checking out the eating options untried.


Not much else except to sit out in the sun and to watch the wind-farms going by.

Day 13 - at Sea


12th September 2019


Heading north today, went under the great belt bridge, four and a half miles from coast to coast, mostly a causeway, but it’s an impressive bridge over the navigation channel for ships, not much clearance below the bridge for bigger ships!



Wine tasting in the afternoon, not impressed.  Wines not great and staff attitude left a lot to be desired.


Captains Cocktail Party.  Much better, fairly generous drinks and good canapés, most travelled passengers were all Australians with up around 900 nights on Princess, not as impressive as the totals folk come up with on Cunard.

Day 12 - Gdinya, Poland


11th September 2019

Gdynia is a port city on the Baltic coast of Poland. It’s known for its modernist buildings, including the Museum of the City of Gdynia, which has exhibits about local history.  Kościuszki Square, with a distinctive fountain as its centre, leads to the waterfront. The WWII destroyer ORP Błyskawica and 1909 tall ship Dar Pomorza, now museums, are moored on the Southern Pier.

Nearby is Gdansk (Danzig in German). At the centre of its Main Town, reconstructed after WWII, are the colourful facades of Long Market, now home to shops and restaurants. Nearby is Neptune’s Fountain, a 17th-century symbol of the city topped by a bronze statue of the sea god. Gdansk is also a centre for the world’s amber trade; boutiques throughout the city sell the ossified resin.


Todays ship excursion is to the visit the tri-cities of Gdynia, Sopot and Gansk.

Gdynia.

Our ship’s berth here is right by an impressive heap of coal.  Our first sensible   start time for our coach tour.  The town all looks clean and well kept, doesn’t seem to be much else here other than a busy port.

Gdansk.

Drive to Gdansk pleasant enough even if mostly built up areas, all looks fairly prosperous and well kept.  Gdansk old town our first stop, a central pedestrianised street very dutch looking, very tall and narrow properties, lots of amber shops.





After a short demonstration of Amber polishing and a lesson in how to tell real Amber form plastic we had time for a nice walk up and down between the green gate and the golden gate, just adjacent is the canal with old looking grain lift, all reconstructed since WWII destruction, boat rides available - very short trips!




Also  just round the corner was St Mary’s, the largest brick built church in Europe.




Back on the coach for a short drive to view Shipyard Gate No2, the site of the beginnings of the Solidarity movement and protests.  Solidarity thought to be the start of the end of the Soviet Union and eventually the fall of the Berlin Wall.  In the square there is a monument to the 3 shipyard workers killed during the revolution.  There is also a new building for the Solidarity movement offices, designed to appear like a ship under construction, not very pretty.  Time for a short photo stop.




We learnt that before the fall of Communism Russian was the second language taught in Polish schools, after the fall English was the second language with German and Scandinavian languages next.

Along the way views of the “Amber Stadium”, just can’t get away from this amber stuff.


Sopot.

Here at a nice beach front hotel a stop for a slice of Polish Apple Pie and a Coffee, delicious and most welcome, beautiful clean golden sand beach, of course the fine sunny day helped, not so good if it was cold and wet, still nowhere is.

Gdynia.

Back in Gdynia a quick photo stop at Kościuszki Square.  On display here are a couple of old ships, a sail training ship and a destroyer.  Also a couple of monuments, dedication unknown.



A short drive back to the ship for the afternoon.

Poland seems very nice, surprised tourist board don’t make more of the opportunities for holidays.


Dinner in buffet was a wonderful Mexican selection just what we enjoy.

Day 11 - at Sea


10th September 2019


A day at sea, the weather bright and sunny, if a little hazy some of the time.

Another day of light winds and calm seas, though the Captain says that things will get a bit more interesting later.


Tonight’s entertainment provided by one of the entertainment girls who normally run the trivia etc. as a tribute act of Adele.  Excellent, very much like Adele, even the attitude was a match.

Day 10 - Helsinki Finland


9th September 2019

Helsinki, Finland’s southern capital, sits on a peninsula in the Gulf of Finland. Its central avenue, Mannerheimintie, is flanked by institutions including the National Museum, tracing Finnish history from the Stone Age to the present. Also on Mannerheimintie are the imposing Parliament House and Kiasma, a contemporary art museum. Ornate red-brick Uspenski Cathedral overlooks a harbour.


Today also spent on board.  The morning brought the most spectacular heavy rain shower, definitely not one to be caught out in, the afternoon came out sunny, after most half drowned visitors had returned to the ship.

Enjoyed some sun on deck 


Gangway closed at 10pm, extended stay, the ship stayed on in port for an inclining test to check the actual weight and stability of the ship by moving weight on the ship to incline he ship by approximately one degree, somehow  clever calculations then give the answers needed.  The Captain assures us we will get to Poland on time despite the delayed departure of 7.00 am tomorrow morning.

Day 9 - St Petersburg, Russia


8th September 2019


Day two.

A day spent on board a very quiet ship, just what we like.  There were no trips that took our fancy.  So time to catch up with onboard activities.

Managed our first win in the trivia, and received our first prizes.  Equal best scores in the quiz but success in the tiebreaker.

Views from the ship across to a very smart and very, very tall tower.  Lots of new development ongoing around the harbour, nee apartments, football stadium, etc.




Evening production show, “Let me Entertain You”, very energetic, very loud, unnecessarily so, lots of more modern pop numbers.

Day 8 - St Petersburg, Russia


7th September 2019

St. Petersburg is a Russian port city on the Baltic Sea. It was the imperial capital for 2 centuries, having been founded in 1703 by Peter the Great, subject of the city's iconic “Bronze Horseman” statue. It remains Russia's cultural centre, with venues such as the Mariinsky Theatre hosting opera and ballet, and the State Russian Museum showcasing Russian art, from Orthodox icon paintings to Kandinsky works.

One of St. Petersburg's most famous and popular visitor attractions, the palace and park at Peterhof (also known as Petrodvorets) are often referred to as "the Russian Versailles", although many visitors conclude that the comparison does a disservice to the grandeur and scope of this majestic estate.
Versailles was, however, the inspiration for Peter the Great's desire to build an imperial palace in the suburbs of his new city and, after an aborted attempt at Strelna, Peterhof - which means "Peter's Court" in German - became the site for the Tsar's Monplaisir Palace, and then of the original Grand Palace. The estate was equally popular with Peter's daughter, Empress Elizabeth, who ordered the expansion of the Grand Palace and greatly extended the park and the famous system of fountains, including the truly spectacular Grand Cascade.

The State Hermitage Museum is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The second-largest art museum in the world, it was founded in 1764 when Empress Catherine the Great acquired an impressive collection of paintings from the Berlin merchant Johann Ernst Gotzkowsky.




Day one, really stupid time to wake up to join our tour group before 7am.  Official process to get ashore not too long, they seem to have realised it’s too good an opportunity to get tourist dollars and so, even without a smile, they don’t make it too hard to get in just for the day, however woe betide you if you deviate from your tour.

About an hour on the motorway to reach Peterhof and the palace.  A bit of a wait to get in with all the other bus tours and a fair bit of a palaver to sort coats, bags and overshoes to get through to the actual palace rooms.



All over the top decoration, paintings, gilding, seriously ornate.  All very much like Versailles, exactly how it was planned to be.  Many of the floors made up of parquet, some pattens using up to 15 different timbers (hence the soft overshoes provided). 






Afraid got rather confused by the guide as to which Peter or other monarch planned and built the palace but luckily that didn’t matter too much.  The palace was very badly damaged in WWII and has been restored to it’s present as original condition.




Leaving the palace took a tour of the gardens, also formal layout in the style of Versailles.  




At the appropriate time we joined everyone else to watch the “launch” of the fountains to musical accompaniment.  Spectacular, all gravity fed fountains gushing forth from gilded statues with cascades and waterfalls, the centre piece being Sampson fighting a lion, representing Russia defeating Sweden in the Great Northern War.  By pure good chance we had chosen the brightest sunny day to visit, I suspect on a dull day the spectacle would be much less.




Time for a bit of a walk round before rejoining our coach to return to the ship.  




Many very fancy buildings along the route, many dating from the time of ther Palace’s use, all very colourful and ornate.




Along the roadside were milestones, very fancy and about ten feet tall!




Also went through areas of the famed Dachas, out of town housed for the rich, mostly surrounded by high fences, some dilapidated still to be renovated.


The evenings Folkloric Show by the Petersburg Theatre Company was excellent and most professional, lots of Balalaika music, traditional singing and dancing,  All really good.






Day 7 - Tallinn, Estonia


6th September 2019

Tallinn, Estonia’s capital on the Baltic Sea, is the country’s cultural hub. It retains its walled, cobblestoned Old Town, home to cafes and shops, as well as Kiek in de Kök, a 15th-century defensive tower. Its Gothic Town Hall, built in the 13th century and with a 64m-high tower, sits in historic Tallinn’s main square. St. Nicholas Church is a 13th-century landmark exhibiting ecclesiastical art.


Our berth today only a fairly short distance from the old town.  Great views of the city skyline form the ship, all turrets and spires.

Took a walk into town, got caught in a quick shower along the way but then it turned into a lovely day.

The walk to the town only short but not very inspiring, all a bit ex-Soviet.  The old town however inside the walls very mediaeval.  Lots of cobbled streets and very little traffic, quite a pleasure to stroll around.  Except of course the tourists in the Old Town getting in the way!




Somehow the town has retained most of it’s old town walls with lots of towers, parts of the wall still retain their wooden walkways, some bits still accessible, but couldn’t find any open today.



Overviews from the Upper Town opened up vistas of the town and surroundings, well worth the climb up.




The walk back to ship proved equally uninspiring as the walk in, everywhere very quiet.

Back on board back to our usual shipboard habits.




Day 6 - Stockholm, Sweden


5th September 2019

Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, encompasses 14 islands and more than 50 bridges on an extensive Baltic Sea archipelago. The cobblestone streets and ochre-coloured buildings of Gamla Stan (the old town) are home to the 13th-century Storkyrkan Cathedral, the Kungliga Slottet Royal Palace and the Nobel Museum, which focuses on the Nobel Prize. Ferries and sightseeing boats shuttle passengers between the islands.


Early wake up this morning to watch the sail in, Stockholm being about 80 miles from the sea to the city a long way from the sea up a tortuous route between islands and rocks, only just navigable by cruise ships.  Often ships berth on the coast and don’t make the passage.  The sail in went past lots of extremely posh homes scattered along the shore, there is obviously lots of money hereabouts.  




Rather wet this morning but it looks better up ahead.

Our plan for today is to catch the Big Red Hop-on-Hop-off tourist bus for a tour of the city and it’s attractions.

Glad to say the bus was not too crowded, it was just waiting as we went ashore and set off without delay.  Rain all cleared up, with just scattered clouds with sunny periods and a lovely temperature.

Stockholm seems very smart and clean, and not too busy at all.  The tour took in just about all the notable features including the Opera House, City Hall, Central Railway Station(?), Royal Palace, etc. etc.  



City Hall

The smallest of Stockholms 14 islands is large enough for just one building and linked by 2 bridges

If we get back here in the future the Gamla Stan area of the old town looks well worth a visit when time allows.

Our only Hop-off however is at the Vasa Museum, time being a bit short.

Wow, that’s some exhibit.  Filling a huge museum hall is what appears to be a complete 17th century Royal ship. Wow.




And it is pretty much exactly what it appears to be.  The ship of 64 guns set off on it’s maiden voyage in 1628.  


Gunport decorated with the Swedish lion 

Almost immediately it was hit by a series of squalls, the ship listing under pressure from the wind dipped her lower gunports below water level, took on water and sank with the loss of about 50 lives, about a dozen skeletons in the museum were on display, 2 were discovered to be women.



 Stern gallery carved decoration



Stern decoration including the Swedish Coat of Arms



The ship remained mostly untouched on the seabed until eventually salvaged in the middle of the last century and found to be almost intact.  With just a few items of restoration she now forms the museums centre piece.


 Model of the ship as it would have been in original colours 

Back on another bus for a short run back to the Sapphire for a welcome drink and a little lunch, a cheeseburger seemed most suitable.

Early sailaway to retrace our route back to the Baltic and continue to Tallinn, Estonia.  Early departure because it’s necessary for us to pass during daylight hours a point where the channel is only 100mtrs wide





Day 5 - at Sea


4th September 2019


A nice restful day at sea, always much appreciated between busy port days.  Usual activities to fill our day with ease.


This evening entertainment provided in the theatre by the Princess Singers and Dancers with a production show called “Do You Wanna Dance”.  I expect you can guess what went on.  A very good show, particularly considering it’s the first performance by a new theatre company.

Day 4 - Copenhagen, Denmark


3rd September 2019

Copenhagen, Denmark’s capital, founded during the 12th century, sits on the coastal islands of Zealand and Amager.  The city owes much of its charm to the buildings erected by Denmark's monarchs, and boasts a treasure trove of late-Renaissance and Rococo architecture.

Tivoli Gardens is an amusement park opened in 1843 and is the second oldest operating amusement park in the world.

The Little Mermaid is a bronze statue by Edvard Eriksen, depicting a mermaid becoming human. The sculpture is displayed on a rock by the waterside at the Langelinie promenade in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is 1.25 metres tall and weighs 175 kilograms.


Today berthed at the Langelinie cruise terminal.  Weather overcast with light rain and showers, not looking too promising.

After breakfast went ashore, took advantage of our ideal berthing position to just take a walk along the seafront to view the “Little Mermaid”.  Couldn’t miss it’s location because of the numerous coaches and large crowds, must be the most popular stop in the city.  At least the mermaid was in residence today, last time we were here she was off on a visit to China, there was just a photo stuck on her rock to inform us, that was a disappointment.




Thought about continuing to the city centre but the weather just not nice enough to make it worth it so it’s back to the ship for coffee.

Nice time for a swim in the ship’s pool, nice and quiet and no waves in the pool.

Afternoon brightened up for a while, should have left our shore excursion till later but you never know.


Sailaway in the sun!  Heading north again, returning past Hamlet’s castle, Kronborg Castle in Elsinor, Denmark.  Just across the  narrow seaway, only about 4 kilometres, is Helsingborg, Sweden here there is another castle, the two castles controlled the seaway in the days when both coasts were in what was then Denmark.

Day 3 - at Sea


2nd September 2019

Sailing through the North Sea and around the north of Denmark through the Skagerrak and the Kattegat.

Not much to report today, lots of wind farms as we cruised past the distant Danish coast.  Weather pretty good, sat out on deck but mostly on our balcony, less windy there.



Deserted Corridor 

Couple of trips to the trivia, fair score in the morning and much better in the afternoon, but nowhere near winning against some almost professional teams with perfect scores!

Tried room service today for lunch, very quick and very tasty.


In  the evening rounded the north point of Denmark just by Skagen.  Very early tomorrow we will pass Hamlets castle, at a point where the seaway is only about 4 kilometres wide!