St Petersburg, Russia

Russia may be changing, but there is still a weird sense of Big Brother watching. Long lines for immigration, sour faced officials, and RULES. No wandering around. You must stay with your tour – no deviations – having to pay for the right to take pictures in the buildings. On the first day our bus was stopped for no apparent reason and the driver collected dozens of papers to show the police officer. The tour guide mentioned the officers are known for extortion and bribery. They didn’t tell us the outcome, but after about 20 minutes, we finally continued on. The bus driver was very upset and muttering as he got back on the bus. The places we visited were exquisite. WAY over the top in opulence. No wonder the people rebelled against the upper class. Catherine's Palace had dozens of huge rooms and most were like the pictures above done in gold leaf and carvings. You can see the many golden doorways above the heads of the crowds in the picture above. The amber room was spectacular with the walls covered with intricate designs made of different shades of amber.

Peterhof had variety of styles but all done with opulence. I liked the room from China with jade, silk, carvings, laquer furniture and all the accessories. The grounds and fountains were spectcular. We had to wear shoe covers in both palaces to protect the beautiful inlaid floors.

There was even a lighthouse built here so the czar could find the palace by sea.

The Church on Spilled Blood was my favorite. I wish we had more time there or with less people. We were packed shoulder to shoulder as we constantly moved through the church. It was hard to get photos or even to appreciate what you were seeing inside. The architecture with the onion domes was exquisite and the mosaics covering the walls and celings inside were stellar and mostly original. Many of the palaces have been restored because of damage during the war. Since the mosaics in the church were not easily removed and it was not bombed, 92% survived intact. The blue and gold piture of Jesus above is just a small section of the stunning ceiling.

We visited with a local street seller when we were standing in one of the many lines. He was selling French language books to Canadians and Spanish books to Californians and Floridians. He had a great patter. Other than that, we were just herded, shoulder to shoulder with the masses of people and treated like cattle. Although the tour people were nice, there were no personal interactions, just strictly business.

We took a hydrofoil ride from Peterhof into the city. It is known as the "Venice of the north" and had many lovely canals. The metal railings on the bridges was exquisite and every bridge was different.

The Rostral Columns were two lighthouses flanking the river and had the forcastles of ships for decoration. Definately different.

This is a typical apartment building in the city. Although we didn't go in, they appeared devoid of any architectural appeal or charm. We were told there are waiting lists to get basic housing such as this and there will typically be many people and multiple generations per unit. This was in stark contract to the large amount of expensive cars driven by burly, suited men made you wonder if they make money legitimately or are part of the extorcian racket that appears to be prevalent. Those men were frightening. Russia was, and is still a study in contrasts.

We were there on Sunday and parked across from a wedding chapel. We caught a picture of a nervous bride and her bridesmaid outside for a smoke. It saddened me to see so many people smoking.

The nights are very short here. It feels odd to watch the sunset at 11:30 PM. This time of year is called “white nights”. The sun sets for such a short time, it never really gets dark and we won’t be able to see the Northern Lights.

We didn't have time to see the Hermitage but saw the lovely buildings and heard that the displays were exquisite.

Tallinn Estonia

What a great old city built on a hill top. We entered the walled section through this tunnel. However, we made tracks off the top when I heard thunder and the wind starting howling. Thankfully, the storm stayed to the north so we could enjoy the day. The oldest section retains the old walls, narrow alleys with steps, buildings and character.

We saw a gorgeous onion dome Russian Orthodox Church as we walked all over enjoying the architecture and visiting quaint stalls and shops.

Lovely woolen and linen goods and of course, amber. Street vendors and shops were numerous and varied.

I especially liked the girl on a modfied bike selling drinks at the top of the hill. Vendors in Old Town dressed in costume.

You could get a smashed penny, but here it was done by hand.

Sleek, modern pedi cabs were available to take you through the narrow, winding and steep streets. The camera got a work out today.

I loved the street dedicated to booths of knitted goods and another with more than a dozen flower stalls. I bought a linin-cotton knit sweater and am sorry I didn't get several woolen ones.

Looking out over the rooftops from the top of old town was stunning and the market square was delightful.

As we spoke to the Estonian people, we were amazed at the depth of dislike for the ethnic Russian Estonians. When Russia first took over Estonia, 30% of Estonians were moved to various places in Russia (Siberia) and same number of Russians brought to Estonia. It seems they have maintained separate schools, culture and social groups and to this day, generations later, they still speak Russian and are not integrated into the community by choice.

Finally the coughs and colds are getting better. Back on ship we were able to retain our Wine Trivia title on the ship for the third time.

Copenhagen, Denmark

The weather was bad yesterday and worse today although it did clear up as we sailed out and I got great lighthouse shots.

Three people just missed the ship. You can see the pilot boat on the left brining them to the ship. Our ship was backing out of the berth so we could turn around in the turning basin. When we stopped turning, the three people and their luggage jumped from the pilot boat to the ship. They were very lucky to have caught us.

We were able to move to a great outside cabin. It is bigger and much more comfortable and is next to an exit door to the promenade deck so I can run out to check for lighthouses at all hours as we sail by. We lost our culinary trivia title today but it was a good run while it lasted.

Keil, Germany

The colds and coughs have us down today. The weather is cold, rainy and windy so we stayed warm and dry on the ship. The captain invited us on the bridge during departure and we stayed for almost 2 hours. That was a thrill to see behind the scenes. I took this photo through the windows of the bridge.

Ronne, Denmark

We have been lucky enough to visit large cities and a few out of the way places.

This is a wonderful small town with red roofs. Cobblestone streets and row houses are standard, but these are only 1-3 stories high. Lots of charm and friendly people. We took a walking tour visiting a great museum and seeing wonderful pottery and clocks in the shops.

Stockholm

Cruising into Stockholm is the best! The fiords and islands remind me of the inside passage to Alaska. We had lovely warm weather and a naturalist to discuss local birds including mute swans and eider ducks as well as local geology and any castle we might chance to pass as we cruised into Stockholm.

Some of the passages were very narrow and protected by forts. Lots of lighthouses on the rocky shores!

We were moored in the harbor right off the palace and walked directly into the old section.

We saw the changing of the guard and although it didn't have the pagentry of Oslo, it was fun. Most of the “old” sections of the cities we have visited are pedestrian only. This makes walking and taking pictures of the narrow cobbled streets a delight.

The Nobel building and beautiful old row houses flanked the market square. There were many cafes and it was a great place to meet and enjoy the day.

I was unlucky enough to catch Don’s cold so we didn’t try to do too much today.

Gdansk (Danzig) Poland

This small city has been an important harbor for centuries. Damage to the old walled and gated section of the city during WWII was repaired beautifully.

We entered the old section through this beautiful old gate.

You can look down the street and see nothing permanent that is not of the old style. The row houses are narrow and 5-6 stories high. There are cobbled streets and alleys, stone porches and railings, and carved statuary and gargoyles. This is a major center for Baltic amber and the jewelry is gorgeous. Most of the first floors are businesses, many restaurants are under the raised porches and hotels and houses are above.

We spent the morning at Stutthof Concentration Camp. There were few signs in English, but the pictures, prisoner art, and displayed items were very moving and told the tale. We also had a very good guide.

We saw the barbed wire and guard towers, the ovens and the gallows. We saw the barracks for prisoners and the superior housing provided for the guard dogs. The commandants villa at the entrance as well as the administration building looked so normal. We saw some of the of the 110,000 inmate records and some of the 490,000 shoes found on the site.

The ovens still have flowers left in remembrance daily.

There is no way to determine how many people died in this camp because towards the end of the war, the people were brought in cattle cars by train and taken directly to the “shower” room where they were gassed with cyanide. Their passing was not recorded.

There is also no way to describe the horror of the reality.

The site is free and upkeep is volunteered by German young people. Nothing we saw was news to us, but seeing the reality was very moving. There is a sign at the exit that roughly translated says “Tell the next generation lest they forget”.

I know I won’t forget.