Baltic capitals (with Russia and Berlin) cruise

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. 

Brandenburg Gate

 

Berlin Wall

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.

Hermitage and St Issac's across The Neva River

Peterhoff Gardens and Fountains

Matryoshka Dolls

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

Nyhavn

 

Little Mermaid-Mascot of Copenhagen

On the Stroget

Helsinki-Market Square

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

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).

7-country, 12-night Russia & Scandinavia cruise on Aug 24-Sept 5, 2012:

In 50 days, I will take a 7-country, 12-night Russia & Scandinavia cruise.   Of note, I took this same cruise on NCL two years ago.  I will use the same great tour companies for visits to St Petersburg and Berlin.

12 nights departing August 24, 2012 on Celebrity's Celebrity Constellation
ITINERARY
DAY DATE PORT ARRIVE DEPART Fri Aug 24 Amsterdam, Holland 4:30pm Sat Aug 25 At Sea Sun Aug 26 Berlin (Warnemunde), Germany 9:30am Midnight Mon Aug 27 At Sea Tue Aug 28 Tallinn, Estonia 10:00am 5:00pm Wed Aug 29 St. Petersburg, Russia 7:00am Thu Aug 30 St. Petersburg, Russia 6:00pm Fri Aug 31 Helsinki, Finland 8:00am 5:00pm Sat Sep 1 Stockholm, Sweden 9:00am 4:00pm Sun Sep 2 At Sea Mon Sep 3 Copenhagen, Denmark 10:00am 6:00pm Tue Sep 4 At Sea Wed Sep 5 Amsterdam, Holland 5:00am

Talinn, Estonia from Cruise

If you are not familiar with Estonia, one of the Baltic States, you are not alone.

Estonia, along with Latvia and Lithuania, has been largely ignored by the West. Only Germany and Russia took notice as they played violent tug-of-war with these nations. Ravaged by WWII, they were first invaded by the Russia, then Germany, then were forced into the Soviet Union. They waited patiently to be rescued by NATO-- who pledged to fight back against encroaching communism—but NATO never came. The Baltic States eventually had to rescue themselves.

As soon as these nations threw off the Soviets, they all declared independence in 1991. Soon after, they quickly joined both the EU and NATO to help with economic stability and defense.

They are best known for:
Estonia---The well preserved medieval town of Tallinn—one of the best preserved in Europe. It’s tradition of Song.
Latvia—Beachfront vacation getaways; Riga, (it’s lively capital full of artists, chic restaurants, and a wild nightlife); and Mikhail Baryshnikov
Lithuania—Once co-ruled much of Europe with Poland. Black Markets and Mafia presence. Spirited resisters of the Soviet occupation.


Ethnicities, languages, and culture vary greatly among The Baltic States. The languages are so dissimilar that if an Estonian speaks with a Latvian or a Latvian speaks with a Lithuanian, they must rely on their English or Russian language skills.

Famous Estonian Saying There really is no summer here; just 3 bad months for skiing. (not for us today. It felt like at least 80° by midday).

Estonia is the smallest and most northern of the Baltic States with a population of 1.4 million.

It is internet savvy, has a high HIV positive rate, and like the Finns, they have wife-carrying contests.LOL!

Of note, Estonia is the first country to establish a flat tax of 26%.

My Tallinn visit—July 3, 2010

What struck me as our ship approached Tallinn was how picturesque this town of churches, towers, and a hill is. It took my breath away. I photographed it obsessively.

Today, after a nice breakfast, I headed into the beautiful town of Tallinn, Estonia. A bazaar of local vendors selling a variety of wares (sweater, metal works, woolens, symbols of Estonia, leather goods, ceramics, amber (very popular in Northern Europe), furry hats/gloves,etc) was there to greet us. I purchased a beautiful guide book ($12US) with excellent photos (to accompany all my maps and book chapters) I was surprised they were ready to accept ALL currencies. I paid in $US.

Just as I was heading to town on foot, in search of the famous old town, I saw the HopOnHopOff HOHO buses. For 12Euros, I hopped on and connected the headset. I toured stops 1-6 that included the modern downtown area, some suburbs, and the park with the Song Festival band shell, etc. (I would never have scene modern Tallinn had I not taken this tour.)

By the time I descended in the Upper Town near the Toompea Castle, at 1020AM, it was 75° and sunny. Perfect. (We have had perfect warm and sunny weather so far on our cruise).

Old town is divided into upper and lower town. The lower town was inhabited by craftsmen and free citizens. The upper town housed the knights, gentry, and clergy. Each city had its own laws and the two rarely mixed except in conflict. Both are designed with an intricate labyrinth of red-roofed buildings and cobblestoned streets, some of which lead up to Toompea Hill or down to the Town Hall Square. First I visited the upper town sites of the magnificent Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Toompea Castle, Holy Ghost Church, and Kiek in de Kok Tower.

I took the Pikk yalg (long leg path) down to the Town Hall Square passing numerous crafts shops, restaurants, cafes, and souvenir shops along the way. The town takes “re-living medieval times” seriously. Vendors everywhere are dressed in ye olde garments. It is quite funny. I bought a little Viking for my collection of miniatures from around the world. I felt perfectly comfortable in town.

I took a delightful visit of the City Museum (Venne street) that houses artifacts from the 14th century till present, including tools, clothing, coats of arms, pottery, and replicas of scenes from everyday life complete with sound effects. There were life-size models of crafts folk, families, clergy, and nautical men. There are also interactive maps and videos contemporary videos demonstrating Estonian solidarity against Soviet Rule. I read it was the best museum, so I went. It was the first place I encountered that only takes Estonian currency. So I paid the $5 (or so) with a credit card.

After 4 hours (total) I headed for my HOHO bus to take me back to the ship.

What a delightful visit to a picture perfect town.