Land of windmills, bicycles, canals, and Hansa
I find the Baltic capitals
12 day cruise to be one of the most interesting cruise itineraries of all because
it is rich in history, beauty, variety, and it includes visits to the hub of
activity and seat of government of several northern European countries. It is also an affordable means of visiting
expensive cities. I enjoyed my second
visit to this impressive region of the world even more because I travelled on
Celebrity Cruise Line in a concierge class room. The itinerary included visits
to six ports of call, including an overnight stay in St. Petersburg, Russia,
and four much-needed sea days. If I had
to do it over again, I would've spent time in Amsterdam, the departure city,
prior to the cruise.
Here are the highlights of the trip:
A visit to Berlin, Germany a city that I still
find to be one of the most interesting in the world. Not only is it the birth
place of Nazism and rise to power of Hitler, but it served as the epicenter of
the 40+ year Cold War. The remnants of our recent history, especially of World
War II and Berlin's role, abound-- from the war-torn Kaiser Wilhelm Cathedral to
the monument to the murdered Jews, to the iconic East Berlin traffic signals,
to Check Point Charlie, to the Reichstag , to the memorial of the book burning,
to the Brandenburg gate, to remaining
segments of the Berlin wall scattered throughout the city -- there's always
something to stimulate the mind about horror, war, duty, paranoia, denial,
resistance, heart break, and resilience.
What's most impressive is how the Germans take full responsibility for
the horrors of the Nazi regime. In this
effort, they continue to build monuments to commemorate and enlighten about
what happened. I could go back time and
time again, to explore all its museums, monuments, public places, and memorials.
Our tour included visits of Museum Island, The Brandenburg Gate, The Reichstag, Charlottenburg Palace, the Holocaust Memorial, and everything listed in the previous sentences. Bratwurst for lunch was delicious.
This time, I spent more time
at the Topography of Terror Museum (comprehensive indoor and outdoor exhibits detailing the
history of repression under the Nazis) and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews.
It is well worth the 3 Hour drive.
from Port city of Warnemunde. Both times
I took a full day tour with SPB, a company that provides excellent tours of
Russia and Baltic capital cities.
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| Brandenburg Gate |
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| Berlin Wall |
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| Charlottenburg Palace |
My second two-day visit to St. Petersburg, Russia was as enjoyable
as the first. This fabulous city,
patterned after the great capital cities of Western Europe with royal palaces
and gardens mirroring Versailles, should be placed on everyone’s bucket list. Highlights included visits to Catherine’s
Palace, Peterhoff, Peter and Paul Fortress and Cathedral, Senate Square, a
Hydrofoil ride, the Palace where Rasputin spent his final hours (Yusopov), a
canal cruise, the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, typical Russian meals,
and the piece de resistance: The Hermitage, the world's second largest art
museum behind the Louvre.
Prior to my visit, again, I
studied the lives of the Tsars, with a focus on Peter the Great, Catherine the
great, and the downfall of the Romanov dynasty.
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| Hermitage and St Issac's across The Neva River |
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| Peterhoff Gardens and Fountains |
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| Matryoshka Dolls |
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| Bronze Horseman |
Sunrise and sunset cruising through the Stockholm
archipelago of 30,000 islands and
islets.
Vasa Museum in Stockholm. This was my
second visit to one of my favorite museums in the world. The museum actually houses the 384year-old
war ship that sank during its maiden voyage in 1628, along with
informative-interactive exhibits describing the raising of the ship in 1961,
life on board the ship, naval warfare, life in Sweden in the 1600s, skeletal
remains, and more. There are even facial
reconstructions of victims onboard the sunken ship, enhanced by modern
technology, created from skeletal remains.
See http://www.vasamuseet.se/en/
View of Tallinn’s OldTown from the ship
Tours in St Petersburg, Berlin, Tallinn, and
Stockholm. HOHO bus tour in Copenhagen
and Helsinki
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| Nyhavn |
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| Little Mermaid-Mascot of Copenhagen |
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| On the Stroget |
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| Helsinki-Market Square |
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| Tallinn, Estonia-City Walls |
Life onboard the Celebrity Constellation. It is a
beautiful ship, newly refurbished, and decorated with eclectic, thought-provoking
artwork throughout. The food was well
above average. I had escargots EVERY
NIGHT! We loved the ship’s song and
dance cast!
Escargots every night
Excellent guest lecturers. There was a
naturalist, Karen Dodd and a Harry Murphy, a doctor of Education. They lectured on the Romanovs, The Berlin Wall, Alfred Nobel, WW II, Russian,
Viking, Prussian, and Hanseatic history and culture, Amber, and even The History of
Hollywood. Karen Dodd delivered such
impassioned and interesting talks that I would listen to her lecture on
toothpicks. She even invited everyone to
join her from 5AM-9AM, up on deck, as we cruised through the Stockholm archipelago. I learned so much from her about the
Hanseatic League, the development of German vs. Viking societies, whales, and
more. Her lectures truly enhanced my
experience. We replayed both speakers’ lectures several times in our room, on
the Celebrity channel.
Our wonderful dinner mates. Agnes and Richard
from Ohio; Juanita and Ross from Portland, OR; and Jane, Don, and their 12-yr
old grandson, Anakin, from Portland, OR
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| Don, Jane,Anakin, Karla, Joel, Juanita, Ross,Agnes, Richard |
As
before, the weather was pleasant everywhere--we only had rain in Stockholm and
at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews (15 minutes, in Berlin).
