Copenhagen

On our final night on board we had to rush off from the singing waitress complete with bomb Alaska at dinner for the pop up choir and then the Bridge - spanning between Denmark and Sweden our boat had only a 4m clearance so it was an amazing sight to sail underneath.








We disembarked with most of the crowd at Copenhagen port in the sunshine and then as the sun rapidly disappeared we travelled the city visiting the palace, canals, city hall and finally the hotel. An added bonus was the extra thousands in the city for the annual gay pride parade and also 5 km canal swim complete with many lifeguards.
The rain didn't seem to put any of the Danish off, whether swimming or drinking and parading in the main st, the crowds were out in force.







Mary's House for tea on the $50,000 dollar a piece hand painted tea set.








Copenhagen is, like Oslo and Stockholm and the others full of pretty buildings and water features and cobblestones and very upmarket stores and lovely cafés. We had delicious coffee and Danish whilst sitting alfresco under heated umbrellas in the rain looking at the sailboats moored in the canal. Tomorrow lovely Bangkok and then home.






With love Graeme and Wendy

Location:High tea with Princess Mary

Finland and Sweden

Finland like the other Scandanavian countries we have visited has lots of trees and is beautiful in the summer and then cold in the winter. Although the guides like to say the South is not too cold, only the North gets to - 20 av temp in winter !!! The trees vary from 60 to 90 % in each country with Norway having the mountains and Finland / Sweden being pretty flat. In Finland we travelled out of Helsinki to visit picturesque village then back for city tour .











The church was very modern, although built after WW2 and was blasted out from solid rock. We visited the Vasa museum with the war ship raised from the bottom of the Helsinki harbour after embarrassing the King by sinking just after being launched. It took twenty years to preserve before being floated into museum for display.





In Sweden we were too big to fit into the fiord harbour with the other cruisers so stopped out near some pretty rock islands then were tendered in the lifeboats to shore town and bused to Stockholm which was very pretty with canals and islands and rivers comprising the city. The old town and palace were a bit elevated and very nice to walk around, shopping and drinking coffee. These photos are in the town hall where the Nobel ( other than peace ) prizes are celebrated with an enormous banquet. They don't make town halls like this in Australia.







At sea today for rest and recuperation and more food before landing in Copenhagen in the morning and off we go.


Graeme and Wendy

Location:Baltic Sea

Day 2 St Petersburg

Late night then early morning and back past the high apartment blocks to the old city then out to the Peterhof, Summer Palace of the Emperors, enlarged over time to a palace with gardens aiming to rival Versailles . Very busy with tourists everywhere but we still got a good impression of the luxurious interiors enjoyed by the rich before the revolution. Gold leaf and antiquities and portraits as far as the eye can see.





But the jewels were really evident in the Hermitage museum which incorporated the winter palace along the main river in the old town centre. Fabulous interiors and grand masters including Rembrant, da Vinci, Monet and Van Gogh as well as sculptures, portraits, beautiful intricately inlaid furniture and flooring. From one gallery through to the next building we were amazed and jostled in the crowds. The sun didn't shine much but the fold and opulence made up for the gloom and grime.





Next stop Finland, Finland, Finland

Graeme and Wendy

Estonia and St Petersburg

Sunshine in Estonia and a bus ride to Rakevere and a lovely fairly intact medieval fortress above the small town. We got to dress up and play with swords, bows and arrows ( ask me about the bruise ), climb the walls, torture some prisoners and have a feast in the great hall.







Estonia is a small country with lots of trees and a population of only about 2 million who are very happy to be part of the EU and not Russia any more. The capital city, Tallin has cobblestones and you can walk up to the Presidents door step. It survived the wars fairly intact and had quaint streets and dressed up well for the hoards from the ship with a market in the square and folk dancing.





St Petersburg on the other hand is quite enormous. Our guide didn't at all about Russia today but was well versed in the history of the Emperors. The outskirts of the city were grimy and old time industrial but the canals and river with many bridges surrounded by 18th century buildings in various states of repair and more churches than you'd think was fascinating. The churches were impressive and resored to their former glory with tombs of the Emperors Peter and Catherine the Great down to the bones of the last Tsar and family interred in the chuch after being discovered much later after the revolution. The most beautiful was the church built over the assignation site of Alexander the II ( I think ) It was covered with mosaic tiles in Orthodox style and had high domes to heaven.






From churches to a canal ride and then folk show in the evening complete with Cossacks and maids dancing as well as the star Graeme Ross who got to kiss the girl ( twice !!! )





Graeme and Wendy ( if he gets to come home )

Location:Baltic Sea

Berlin

Berlin in one day was one big day. Three hours there and back with six hours in between to see the sights. What surprised me was that there are still vacant blocks in the city ( East and West ) from the war waiting to be re built. Our guide was from East Germany and was 1 1/2 when the the wall came down, she had many personal insights to share regarding family life in the East, and was very happy to share her insights on Germany today which was very interesting and made the bus trip quicker ( if not sleeping )

We saw the Brandenburg Gate and the Holocaust memorial, the new parliamentary buildings and the old with echos of Hitler in the stones.







The remnants of the wall and path of the old wall ( marked with a line of cobblestones in the pavement ) was crossed in many places as we went from East to West and back again.












Graeme and Wendy

Somewhere in Germany

Day two of cruising and the pattern appears - line up, eat, line up, get off, walk about, get on, eat, eat, eat, sleep. And here is the boat.







Very cosy indeed.

Yesterday we spent in Denmark, a port town with old city from Viking times - Aarhus . And the first thing you notice is the renewable energy - wind and solar ( in Germany today )




And these turbines really are out in the ocean, the coast of Denmark was visible but in the distance. Also managed to fit a gym class and a 2 mile walk while watching the waves go by. A little sit in the top deck spa, a show in the theatre, some Zumba, dinner and wine in the restaurant and a couple of spins around the deck when the wind wasn't gale force. Phew.

Today we are in the fields of old Eastern Germany on our way to Berlin ( and hopefully wifi ) the wheat has been harvested and the corn grows quite high, the tractors are out amongst the wind turbines, and the sheep under the solar panels. There are at least 6 turbines in view in every valley. On the autobahn now and Berlin in two hours time as per the lovely Lisa who met our small group as we got off the boat.


Graeme and Wendy

Vradal to Oslo

Yesterday was another big day in the bus back to Oslo. Rain and tunnels and rivers this time in deep gorges. Good trout fishing in cold clear water. In one steep gorge we stopped at the Rjukan hydro plant and it's fertiliser factory which at the beginning of WW2 was the only heavy water plant in Europe. When the Germans arrived they captured the plant and stepped up production for Nuclear experiments.








So this was one of the most heavily guarded bridges at the time but the Norwegians are very proud of the fact that some specially trained resistance fighters managed to bomb the factory and them sink the rest of the heavy water supply in the lake on its way to Germany and perhaps a nuclear bomb. The factory was closed and demolished many years ago and now the plant is a museum with the new hydro power produced in the mountain behind.

Then back on the bus for the largest wooden church in Norway built in Heddal in the 12th century. Nicely restored back to original interior and pitch covered wood on the outside.








Today in Oslo the sun is shining as we walked in the Vigeland Scupture park and then found our way to the Viking museum to see the 1100 yr old Viking ships and artefacts .








Having a rest this afternoon before our pre cruise dinner. Not sure what the internet access will be on board so stay tuned for our next adventures ( or not :)

Graeme and Wendy

Location:Norway

Mountains, tunnels and a long way in the bus

We left Bergen at 8.30 am and arrived here in Vradal at 5.30 after one long drive in the bus. We stopped for waterfalls, waterways and a visit to an amazing orchard. The apples were ripe and enormous and we tasted juice and cider and visited the kitchens and road side store to see how they made and marketed their products.









We crossed over the mountains from lake to fiord and back to river and lakes with the road changing from amazing with tunnels complete with roundabouts inside to mountain roads with passing on coming traffic a trouble for our coach driver.








The mountain plateau gave us glimpses of another glacier and then cabins next to little lakes on windswept plains. - a skiing paradise in the land where skiing was invented and the first polar explorers were born.






Graeme and Wendy

Location:Vradal, Telemark , Norway

Beautiful Bergen

This is one beautiful city. Although we were blessed with the sun this morning as it rains 260 days of the year - a total of 2.2 m . Not much snow though as it usually doesn't get to below freezing. The wooden buildings are so stunning and even after many devastating city fires the old ones still are lived in as usual albeit all new buildings have to be non flammable.











We viewed the city from above after ascending the fernicular railway and then wandered back down through the forest, then the white captains houses and to the Rosencrantz tower, a medieval relic complete with dungeons and parapets.











Kebab for tea in the misty rain !!

Graeme and Wendy

Location:Bergen , Norway

A room with a view

Finally we get the room with a view . This Hotel Stalheim is historic and at least the Nazis have enjoyed the very same aspect over this valley at the top of a branch of the Sognefjorden. I can see why they liked it. The hotel is full of historical artifacts and antiques and is very warm and cosy inside - the breeze this am outside is straight off the snow !!!!!





We spent the morning at the Jostedalsbreen Glacier Museum after driving below one of the glaciers lower branches. This is the largest glacier in Europe and the video flyover was spectacular as we enjoyed Sven and Ingrids traverse over the top on skis.





Onto the fiord ferry with the bus and we spent a lovely 2 hours travelling between high steep mountainsides and very lonely picturesque villages.





Food here is a salmon lovers paradise - smoked, pickled, sliced, whole they are lapping it up, and as for the desserts it is safe to say that it is very hard to be restrained. Will be several kilos heavier on return.


Graeme and Wendy

Location:Stalheim

Fiords and ferries

Our first fiord was first seen from way up as we went over the mountain pass - snow and glacier from 1500m. Camera died of course from all the frantic clicking at hay and tractors and barns on the way up. Lucky for the iPad and phone backups as spare battery flat as well !!!.








This fiord ends here way in from the coast but is still salty and deep care of the glaciers. Mother sides are steep and rocky and we passed several farms only abandoned in the 50's - where they had to tether the babies as well as the cows to stop them falling of the edge.

We were allowed to wander the little town of Geiranger for lunch until it was time for bus and us to get on the ferry and pass the cruise ships on our way to Loen and another fiord both ending in the Atlantic Ocean .








With love

Graeme and Wendy

Location:Loen