Live from the Prinsendam as the wizard & witches cruise May 17 - June 17, 2013

[kazu]

Warnemunde Gide and several others are telling us that the Prinsendam is their favourite ship!

 

Seems the Elelgant Explorer was the first to visit this German port and several others. not only that they love the size of the ship as it means they won,t be overrun.

 

Thet flock today hello and good bue to this ship and our guide regretted we were leaving so late.

 

No stopping those that lo e this ship. Despite it getting dark they ere there waving and the most lovely music playind

[kazu]

Sail a way addicts would be happy on this ship. she pretty much blow every time at least thrice when we leave port and usually to the pilot as well.

 

Yesterday we had a huge fog bank so you could hear it blow thrice at least every five minutes. Never too long for me LOL

[Krazy Kruizers]

Forgive me if I spell it wrong Judy - bit I believe it is Tesslar. He came from the same previous ship as our captain

 

 

Cees Tesselaar

We met him and his wife (Kathy) quite a few years ago. The last time we sailed with him was on the Maasdam in 2012.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Warnemunde Gide and several others are telling us that the Prinsendam is their favourite ship!

 

Seems the Elelgant Explorer was the first to visit this German port and several others. not only that they love the size of the ship as it means they won,t be overrun.

 

Thet flock today hello and good bue to this ship and our guide regretted we were leaving so late.

 

No stopping those that lo e this ship. Despite it getting dark they ere there waving and the most lovely music playind

 

 

I was checking over my notes from our first HAL cruise -- 1996.

We were on the Maasdam and we stopped in Warnemunde to get the train into Berlin.

[sail7seas]

Forgive me if I spell it wrong Judy - bit I believe it is Tesslar. He came from the same previous ship as our captain

 

Thanks, Jacqui.

 

We've also sailed with him several times, at least. Last was on Maasdam, our b-to-b when the second segment was cut short to outrun a hurricane and race back to Boston. We also sailed with him on an "R" ship if I recall correctly. Nice, nice man. :)

 

[jgw321]

I know I left about 15-20 different name tags with Kazu - great to hear that they were all used!

 

I think she has run out now. :)

We'll have to get the FED on the job instead of printing money. ;)

[jgw321]

Never too long for me LOL

 

Just as well Jacqui, you get a good signal up there among the rigging. Down here in the scuppers we can hardly hear it. :cool:

[erewhon]

Thanks for all the updates of your two cruises.

[onthegogirl]

Just spent 2 days in Iceland on our way home from London - miss you too Lynne. We had an 8 hour tour of part of the island - weather was cold, rainy, windy, foggy and sunny. The Crystal Symphony is docked in the harbour. I already miss all our CC friends who we met on the Prinsendam - what a cruise that was!!!

 

 

MaryLou and I spent two nights in Iceland. Soaked in the Blue Lagoon for three hours to pamper our aching legs and feet from five days of nonstop London sightseeing. Loved every minute although the weather was cold, rainy, windy and foggy. No sun for us. Still it was fine at night when it was twilight all night long. Not sure what it would have been if it was sunny.

[rafinmd]

MaryLou and I spent two nights in Iceland. Soaked in the Blue Lagoon for three hours to pamper our aching legs and feet from five days of nonstop London sightseeing. Loved every minute although the weather was cold, rainy, windy and foggy. No sun for us. Still it was fine at night when it was twilight all night long. Not sure what it would have been if it was sunny.

 

But IIRC we had pretty nice weather when the Elegant Explorer was actually there.

 

Roy

[kazu]

It's Wednesday so we must be at Warnemunde Germandy!

 

Hello everyone, sorry for the delay. Our port intensive visits are upon us which has made keeping up difficult. To make matters worse, sometimes it is hard to connect with cruise critic. The internet works fine but cc doesn't seem to want to co-operate at times! I also have come down with that scratchy sore throat that others seem to have had. Well, not up to snuff or not up to snuff it wasn't stopping me today!

 

First on the agenda was to get up with Jose, get him fed and the group round up that was heading off to Berlin. They had a 12 hour day ahead of them. A great group we have in our roll call of independent travellers. They were all there on time, if not early and off we headed to locate our guide. Easy to find, well organized, she was waiting there for us. We had 41 people booked for this. They went in one bus but were divided into groups to make smaller tours when they got to Berlin.

 

For those interested, for our Baltic tours I chose Alla tours. I found her very helpful with all of my planning and the questions and now....it was time to find out if I had chosen wisely. Stay tuned.

 

Once I got the Berlin group off, I headed to the Pinnacle Grill for some orange juice and a good cup of coffee and relaxation before my own tour with Alla. What a riot. I was the ONLY person in the Pinnacle Grill for breakfast. The guys were desperate for me to get more things and finally (out of desperation I think), they placed a cup of coffee in my hands to take back to my room while I waited to meet with my touring companions.

 

Yup, you got it - Kazu's idea of a good time is NOT 6 hours on a bus. No Berlin for this girl. I had chosen the Hanseatic Rostock and Schwerin tour with Alla. The only others on the roll call who signed on were James and Liz (2ozbods) - wonderful Australians - so we set the meeting place in our room.

 

When I met the guide for Berlin she told me that no one else outside of our group had signed on for this tour so it would just be the three of us - so when would we like to start?

 

James and Liz were delighted when they got the news and we headed off to explore with our guide. Although Alla requires a minimum number of people for her tours, if you sign on for the 5 city package, it goes whether there is one person or 15. So, we knew we were going to have fun.

 

First a bit of exploration in Warnemunde. Interesting on how the churches are built in all of this area as the land is quite marshy so they had to use special techniques to keep them from collapsing. The church in Warnemunde is missing it's 'helmet' as that would have added to much weight. For those who have watched the series Pillars of the Earth, that is what would have happened. One collapsing roof and church. Although Warnemunde is part of Rostock, the people don't accept it or appreciate it after oh so many years.

 

For those who have been - have you seen those porcelain dogs in the windows? There's usually a pair facing in or out of the window (cocker spaniels). Anyways, if you want to hear an interesting story (and if you don't just skip to the next paragraph)... when the men of Rostock used to go away it was forbidden to buy certain 'services' where they went. However, if they purchased the dogs then the 'services' from the ladies were included in the purchase. Then the men would bring the dogs home to their wives. The wives would proudly display them as they were porcelain not knowing the real meaning. Of course, it was eventually found out. Now they are in windows and if the dogs are looking out it means 'the house is clean, come on in'. If one of the dogs is turned around (or both) it means 'we're not up to company right now'. Quite cool.

 

After a nice walking tour of Warnemunde we took the train to Rostock for a visit there. Beautiful church again with the cleverness to keep it from sinking. Holes in the ceiling which help to ventilate the walls which absorb the water and also helps with the air in the church. Some of the art work which looks like marble is actually paper mache as it is lighter. We were to see much of this. Just a charming pretty town with beautiful water views wherever we went. We really enjoyed exploring it.

 

Then another train onto Schwerin. Here we stopped at a local 'butcher' where they prepared a lovely lunch for us and fortified, full and happy we headed off walking one more time. Schwerin is truly beautiful and as we approached Schwerin Castle I have to say it met every one of my expectations. Our guide Anne was just so knowledgeable and sharing so much interesting information that the day was truly a delight. Too soon, it was time to take the train back to Warnemunde (can't miss the boat you know) and we arrived back at the exact same time as our group from Berlin. How cool was that!

 

We were all pretty tired no matter which tour we did but I think I found out one thing for sure - I had chosen wisely. Those on the Berlin tour that I talked to (or sought me out) enjoyed their tour very much. James, Liz and I really enjoyed ours and while we were tired it was so worthwhile.

 

The dining room manager had told us that we could come a bit late to the dining room that night, but we didn't want to impose and were tired. Besides, they were offering an oom pah pah band and a full German feast on the Lido so we decided to do that. (German Bierfest). Wisely, that was the main entertainment for tonight as I think they figured that many would be hitting the sack early.

 

Bobbie (sapper1) had asked me to mention something - I asked her to post - I hope she does or reminds me as I have already forgotten. Besides it's more fun when others post besides me.

 

For friends of Tom (mcsean) who are following - he asked me to let you know that he is doing well.

 

Very nice as well that they brought on some good German beers tonight. They were sold out before the evening was over.

 

One other thing that many of us found that we had to do for the first time. We were required to carry our passports with us. Regulations of the local officials. I guess if we are killed they want to know who we are. I don't like carrying mine around but nothing untoward happened and all was good.

 

Signing off from the Elegant Explorer

[kazu]

Thursday, June 6th - at sea - sailing to Tallin

 

 

After our busy day in Germany many need this sea day to relax and rest up. It's also formal night of course.

 

The clocks moved ahead one hour last night but the notice went in the On Location for Thursday so I missed it. Yes, they had the 'gentle reminder' with the chocolates but honestly I didn't even notice it - too tired. Turns out we really slept in so when I went to check and saw that the photo meeting was already going on in the Crow's Nest I knew we had missed it. LOL - the group told me that perhaps I needed a less gentle reminder. So, Jose missed that meeting.

 

we BARELY caught breakfast in the Lido (yes that is how late we were). I am an early riser by nature (and my dogs that have me well trained) so, for me to sleep in is really something. Jose was shocked!

 

Another slot tournament today so since the slots had finally been kind to me I decided what the heck? Entered - had a lousy score and was in 6th place - went to play bingo - two numbers away and no luck and then returned for the finals to see where I stood.

 

Son of a gun, I was still at the bottom of the totem pole so I was in the play offs. Of course, I got last choice of the machines but that was ok - I never choose right anyways. Hannah slowly revealed the numbers and kept telling Peter no one had beat him yet. I started to scratch my head as I was sure I had more points than he. When the final results were announced, Richard (MissShellly) said doesn't Jacqui have more? (the other 1/2 of MissShellly was in the play offs. Hannah's reply - my heavens she does - she never wins so I forgot! I think she did it on purpose though as she's a pretty smart lady. Long story short, I won the slot pull but it was probably the smallest pay off of all time - $96- oh well, I did get that marvelous Club21 tshirt too that is too many sizes too big for me! Happy to win something.

 

In the Showroom at Sea tonight they had 'It Takes Two' (famous duets) which was done on the previous segment. Mind you, this is the first repeat I have seen so that's not too bad entertainment wise. We had a fabulous dinner before hand and called it an early night to 'get in shape' for the upcoming ports. Tallin tomorrow and then St. Petersburg so we have some heavy days ahead of us and we want to be able to make the most of them.

 

I am also hoping that some rest will help the knives that feel like they are stabbing my throat. I certainly don't want to miss any ports.

 

Hoping this will post.

[kazu]

What a pretty picture

 

As we get ready to depart Stockholm what appears to be a huge ship passes by so closely she appears larger than she is. She is leaving a few minutes before us. Just a few metres between us. A second look and I know that it is the Seabourn Sojourn. Talk about a close up view!!! Looks like a gorgeous ship up close. We had a lot of fun waving back and forth.

 

Next (and yes, we haven't left Stockholm yet) one ship leaves as another arrives. It creates nearly an optical illusion so it appears that they are running into each other. Hopefully we got a good kodak moment of this optical illusion. Too beautiful.

 

 

We are readying to set sail out of Stockholm and enjoy the beautiful scenery. I was up very early this morning and saw the pilot board and enjoyed the views. Jose actually got up quite early (for him) and enjoyed views. In fact, we were nearly so enthralled we had to rush to breakfast to meet our group.

 

We're looking forward to the differing views this evening.

 

I do have to gloat about one thing. The view from my bathtub is absolutely amazing, so....even with my bath this morning I missed very little of the scenic viewing.

 

Stockholm was great today. I didn't get what the big deal was about their City Hall until I got there. Absolutely incredible. Free wifi at the port but like any free wifi - it drops off so much that it is nearly useless. I should have gone out early this morning but then I couldn't have watched the scenery.

 

Jose and I took some time to try a beer & a glass of wine with one of the Swedish appetizers. It had toasts, shrimp, roe, spices, fennel and their special type of mayonaisse. It was absolutely scrumptious!

 

Our tour in Stockholm was great - thanks again Alla tours. We were originally going to do Stockholm ourselves but when I discovered how far out we would be docked, our private tour made a lot more sense.

 

The Crow's Nest is packed with people awaiting the commentary and the viewing. Thankfully there is good viewing on our balcony so we will probably be there for now and potentially move to a less crowded area (like the sea view pool) if necessary.

 

Ship is moving so I am off to enthrall my senses. Back soon - sorry to go out of order, but such amazing scenery I couldn't help but share

[DrTee]

It's Wednesday so we must be at Warnemunde Germandy!

 

Hello everyone, sorry for the delay. Our port intensive visits are upon us which has made keeping up difficult. To make matters worse, sometimes it is hard to connect with cruise critic. The internet works fine but cc doesn't seem to want to co-operate at times! I also have come down with that scratchy sore throat that others seem to have had. Well, not up to snuff or not up to snuff it wasn't stopping me today!

 

First on the agenda was to get up with Jose, get him fed and the group round up that was heading off to Berlin. They had a 12 hour day ahead of them. A great group we have in our roll call of independent travellers. They were all there on time, if not early and off we headed to locate our guide. Easy to find, well organized, she was waiting there for us. We had 41 people booked for this. They went in one bus but were divided into groups to make smaller tours when they got to Berlin.

 

For those interested, for our Baltic tours I chose Alla tours. I found her very helpful with all of my planning and the questions and now....it was time to find out if I had chosen wisely. Stay tuned.

 

Once I got the Berlin group off, I headed to the Pinnacle Grill for some orange juice and a good cup of coffee and relaxation before my own tour with Alla. What a riot. I was the ONLY person in the Pinnacle Grill for breakfast. The guys were desperate for me to get more things and finally (out of desperation I think), they placed a cup of coffee in my hands to take back to my room while I waited to meet with my touring companions.

 

Yup, you got it - Kazu's idea of a good time is NOT 6 hours on a bus. No Berlin for this girl. I had chosen the Hanseatic Rostock and Schwerin tour with Alla. The only others on the roll call who signed on were James and Liz (2ozbods) - wonderful Australians - so we set the meeting place in our room.

 

When I met the guide for Berlin she told me that no one else outside of our group had signed on for this tour so it would just be the three of us - so when would we like to start?

 

James and Liz were delighted when they got the news and we headed off to explore with our guide. Although Alla requires a minimum number of people for her tours, if you sign on for the 5 city package, it goes whether there is one person or 15. So, we knew we were going to have fun.

 

First a bit of exploration in Warnemunde. Interesting on how the churches are built in all of this area as the land is quite marshy so they had to use special techniques to keep them from collapsing. The church in Warnemunde is missing it's 'helmet' as that would have added to much weight. For those who have watched the series Pillars of the Earth, that is what would have happened. One collapsing roof and church. Although Warnemunde is part of Rostock, the people don't accept it or appreciate it after oh so many years.

 

For those who have been - have you seen those porcelain dogs in the windows? There's usually a pair facing in or out of the window (cocker spaniels). Anyways, if you want to hear an interesting story (and if you don't just skip to the next paragraph)... when the men of Rostock used to go away it was forbidden to buy certain 'services' where they went. However, if they purchased the dogs then the 'services' from the ladies were included in the purchase. Then the men would bring the dogs home to their wives. The wives would proudly display them as they were porcelain not knowing the real meaning. Of course, it was eventually found out. Now they are in windows and if the dogs are looking out it means 'the house is clean, come on in'. If one of the dogs is turned around (or both) it means 'we're not up to company right now'. Quite cool.

 

After a nice walking tour of Warnemunde we took the train to Rostock for a visit there. Beautiful church again with the cleverness to keep it from sinking. Holes in the ceiling which help to ventilate the walls which absorb the water and also helps with the air in the church. Some of the art work which looks like marble is actually paper mache as it is lighter. We were to see much of this. Just a charming pretty town with beautiful water views wherever we went. We really enjoyed exploring it.

 

Then another train onto Schwerin. Here we stopped at a local 'butcher' where they prepared a lovely lunch for us and fortified, full and happy we headed off walking one more time. Schwerin is truly beautiful and as we approached Schwerin Castle I have to say it met every one of my expectations. Our guide Anne was just so knowledgeable and sharing so much interesting information that the day was truly a delight. Too soon, it was time to take the train back to Warnemunde (can't miss the boat you know) and we arrived back at the exact same time as our group from Berlin. How cool was that!

 

We were all pretty tired no matter which tour we did but I think I found out one thing for sure - I had chosen wisely. Those on the Berlin tour that I talked to (or sought me out) enjoyed their tour very much. James, Liz and I really enjoyed ours and while we were tired it was so worthwhile.

 

The dining room manager had told us that we could come a bit late to the dining room that night, but we didn't want to impose and were tired. Besides, they were offering an oom pah pah band and a full German feast on the Lido so we decided to do that. (German Bierfest). Wisely, that was the main entertainment for tonight as I think they figured that many would be hitting the sack early.

 

Bobbie (sapper1) had asked me to mention something - I asked her to post - I hope she does or reminds me as I have already forgotten. Besides it's more fun when others post besides me.

 

For friends of Tom (mcsean) who are following - he asked me to let you know that he is doing well.

 

Very nice as well that they brought on some good German beers tonight. They were sold out before the evening was over.

 

One other thing that many of us found that we had to do for the first time. We were required to carry our passports with us. Regulations of the local officials. I guess if we are killed they want to know who we are. I don't like carrying mine around but nothing untoward happened and all was good.

 

Signing off from the Elegant Explorer

 

Jacqui, Did Tom relapse? When I last saw him (may 31) he was doing a lot better!

[DrTee]

Jacqui,

I hope you don't mind my butting into your business, but go to the doctor! They have miraculous medicines down there, and they can knock that stuff out in no time so you can enjoy the ports more.

Take care!

Lou

[gigianne]

Jacqui - your updates are awesome! We have cruised in and out of Stockholm a couple of times and loved it - your description brings back fond memories. Say hello to all our CC friends for us.

[onthegogirl]

But IIRC we had pretty nice weather when the Elegant Explorer was actually there.

 

Roy

 

I remember it well. We were able to visit all the "must sees" though the wind at the falls was really, really strong. Actually, the weather worked to our advantage because of driving over hill and dale we were able to really relax at the Lagoon.

[mamaofami]

Jacqui, thanks for taking us along. I'm really enjoying all your port descriptions. Love that you get to hear so many toots. Wish we could hear them too.:)

[kazu]

Jacqui, Did Tom relapse? When I last saw him (may 31) he was doing a lot better!

 

 

Sorry if I wasn't clear Lou - Tom is just fine:D

[kazu]

Friday June 7th - Tallin

 

We arrived in Tallin to what seemed to be a nice day. Hurrah! We have a pile of our roll call scheduled for a walking tour with Alla Tours. We check in at the Ocean Bar and head out together. Our guides are there waiting for us and we sort into our various vans and off we go. I have been to Tallin before but did a ship's tour last time. Jose had never been. I honestly saw more this time with Alla and Tallin is a timeless, beautiful city. I could spend days here. Love Tallin and Jose loved it too.

 

Although not a shopper, I was on the hunt here. Thanks to cc I read that this was the best place for amber. I had researched and found a shop that was a guaranteed amber spot. Prices were definitely superior to the ship - especially when it came to that rarest of amber cherry. I found the perfect piece for my friend. It was very pricey, but I think I know her taste well and I hope she likes it as much as I do. (If she doesn't I will happily take it back and give her the much smaller piece I bought for myself - LOL). Glen I know you may be reading my thread and if you are are - MUM"S the word please. *Supposedly I can get my VAT tax back - but there was no one to stamp my form at the port so I will se how my luck holds out in Hamburg or at the airport. In any case, I was a happy camper.

 

Stopped at an outside spot and had to try the local beer - very good by the way. Headed back to our transport back to the ship and wouldn't you know it? the skies opened and the rain came teeming down. Great excuse to stop here and there to escape so I ended up buying flowers at the flower market (a real bargain - lilies of the valley, a dozen gerberas, other flowers, tons of foliage and all for 10 euros!! who could resist? Still raining - we stopped at a local spot as I had been searching for their sweaters. Didn't care for the wool though (only because wool can irritate me) so I found a beautiful cotton sweater that I had to have for 17 euros. Don't worry Customs, if you are watching my blog I am well within my limit!

 

We all headed back to the ship. I was worried about my Ipad as I had taken it with me and while Pacsafe bags are great, they are not waterproof. As usual, when I took it with me, I didn't find a lot of wifi - when I don't take it - wifi seems to be everywhere. As you can tell, my Ipad survived.

 

We did a bit of relaxation and watched the beautiful sail a way from Tallin.

 

On the dinner menu tonight they had the Kartliporss Roasted Pork Leg in Potato Crust. I didn't get to try it as I had booked the Pinnacle tonight in order to make it an early evening. Tomorrow is St. Petersburg and we have to be off the ship for our tour as soon as possible (7 am).

 

I couldn't figure out the ship - they had a Russian Casino night scheduled for 9 pm. I told Hannah I figured it would be dead. Either people would still be at dinner or calling it an early night to get to St. Petersburg.

 

We received our immigration cards for St. Petersburg tonight along with the ship's instructions. At long last instead of saying that in order to get off the ship you needed a Visa or to be on a ship's tour, they actually also finally stated a private tour as well where the operator had arranged the blanket visa.

 

Dinner in the Pinnacle was great again. LIfe sure is rough on board - LOL. Entertainment in the Show room at sea was Den & Bobbie West - Nashville stars (instrumental and vocal). Jose and I aren't Country and Western fans so we didn't go, but I could hear the crowd cheering so it sounds like it was pretty good.

 

We had a great day - our tour with Alla was fabulous - everyone had a good time - and now it was time to prepare for a very busy day in St. Petersburg.

[kazu]

June 8 & 9th - St. Petersburg

 

The highlight for many - we are here. Up very early - 5:45 am so I am ready for room service breakfast at 6 am. Actually was on time for meeting with our group at the Ocean Bar - went over who was in what van and we headed down to the gangway to await clearance so we could get through immigration and meet our tours.

 

As soon as we cleared, Alla and her team were there. She was there personally to help organize and assign guides. Very smooth process and well done.

 

Off we went to explore the beautiful city. Jose and I were here many years ago but there have been Mchanges (for the better). OUr guide was Nadia and she was fantastic. She warned us of the ever changing weather in St. Petersburg and the upcoming Baltic ports and she certainly was correct.

 

It was pouring rain when we we arrived and made our way to tour tours. By the time we began our boat ride through the river to see other views of St. Petersburg and it's monuments, the sun had come out and it was indeed getting nice. It turned out that this would be a real layer, strip and peel, put back on over and over type of port. The forecast was not warm but by the end of the day it was very hot and very nice.

 

We hit the major sights including Yuspov's palace which I found interesting with it's history and had a packed lunch while we were on our hydrofoil taking us to Peterhof.

 

Our guide had arranged early entry to Yusupov's palace before it was even open (they were still vacuuming) and we were the only ones there. I became very grateful for these little touches as she skillfully worked us around crowds to see things at other sights.

 

The first day was jam packed and some were starting to fade but they made it back in time to recover their strength. I say they as some of us were really brave (or dumb) and had booked to see the folkloric show with Alla. She dropped us off at a Russian cafe before returning the rest to the ship and we all enjoyed a brief respite, glass of wine, latte, whatever and a light bite.

 

We were then escorted to the show (just across the street) and I have to say that although I suspected that it would be touristy, it was very well done. You could see the origins of ballet by the dancers and even more, the comedian who would literally be rejected by the ladies in one show would appear to nearly fall off the stage as he hovered on the edge, losing his balance, leaning so far back it was incredible. His skill could not be denied. After the show, Alla's driver was waiting for us promptly and took us back to the ship. Wisely, HAL had not special show other than a movie - I suspect all were in bed preparing for another long day.

 

The next day was another early start - the tour started about 1/2 hour later but that doesn't save a whole lot of time. Immigration was much easier now though as they just looked at the passport and tour ticket - once they saw their stamps from the day before we were through.

 

A full day including the Hermitage (early entry). thank heavens - I couldn't believe the hordes that were coming in after. I don't know if I could have handled those crowds.

 

As we were completing the Church of Spilled Blood I felt a tap on my shoulder (Kind of jumped a bit) and there was Alla to take Jose and I to lunch while the group went to their lunch. What a lovely, intelligent lady. No surprise that thse is a successful business woman. We discussed the various tours we had had so far and what people's experiences had been and she shared some concerns for our Helsinki tour so that we would be forewarned and forearmed and could deal with it.

 

She returned us to the group at St. Isaac's Cathedral and I noticed that something was not 'right' immediately. One of our roll call members was still in the van recovering. Apparently a taxi ran a red light and without our driver's skill and subsequent jamming of the breaks, there could have been a serious accident. She was ok thank heavens but had been thrown forward and had some cuts and would be sore. Jose checked on her to be safe and satisfied she was ok, we continued on.

 

We finished our day around 4:45 pm - great timing with a 5:30 pm sail a way. Sailing out of St. Petersburg was very pretty. We just sat and watched on our balcony. The Crow's Nest was packed as usual.

 

tonight in the Showroom at Sea the Prinsendam entertainers performed Songbook. I didn't go and I doubt many did. Most of us are zonked. Tomorrow is another port - NOT a sea day, so many of us need our rest.

 

dinner in the MDR was quite good again. LIke the night before service was very quick as I suspect they anticipated many were tired (they were right).

 

This would have been a definite roll up the carpet night - one of the few I have seen on this ship and understandable - I know I was in bed early too!

[kazu]

June 10th - Helsinki

 

We arrived in Helsinki at 8 am and everyone was at our meeting spot in the Ocean Bar as usual in a timely manner. I LOVE travelling with people who are seasoned travellers and respect others' time. It was only supposed to be 13 degrees *55F) today but it seems a lot warmer already. Looking good.

 

Alla had been worried that the guide would be further away from the pier than people would expect and may not even hold the sign properly (Unions) so I warned the group and we headed off.

 

Wow - he was very close, sign held up and we were off so easily in our two different vehicles. We enjoyed the tour (especially the Church in the rock) and then did some shopping in the market place. Many rejoined the bus to head back to the ship. We decided to stay on and tried a bit of their calamari and fish and browsed a bit more.

 

While the ship was parked further away the walk was not that far. It only took about 15 minutes. I took the Ipad with me and saw no wifi (what else is new?). We did pick up more meds for my throat though.

 

It was kind of nice to see the shipyard where many ships are built. (remember the Elegant Explorer was built here). The sail a way from this port is very pretty as well. Had a great time enjoying the view.

 

The clocks had been driving me nuts - going forward an hour, back an hour, forward an hour, etc. Now it looks like we are being consistent and the clocks are going back another hour tonight. I don't think anyone is complaining about gaining an extra hour's sleep.

 

I really like that the MDR is offering some dishes to go with the ports. Tonight is Runeberintorttu, Runeberg's torte.

 

The show room at sea featured a Virtuoso Violinist - Kateryna Sychova - very nice - Jose who is a huge critic gave her an 8 out 10. That's a compliment coming from him.

 

After the show, we headed to bed as tomorrow is Stockholm and that means the archipelago will be able to seen starting at around 4 am. It will certainly be able to be seen in the evening as well but the views and lighting can be so different. I'm going to see if I can force this body out of bed to see this wonderful sight.

[kazu]

Stockholm - June 11th

 

I commented (out of order) earlier on on the beautiful sail in through the archipelago. Up since 4:30, I got so caught up watching the scenery I was nearly late for our meeting with our group for our Stockholm tour. (It's not good when the organizer is late - LOL)

 

We headed off to meet our guides and typical of our other tours with Alla they knew what they were doing. They took us to the Vasa museum before it was so crowded that you couldn't move. What a spot! I knew the story on the ship that sank and was only recently raised but was not prepared for the sight I saw. Because the water in Stockholm is brackish (hope I spelled that right) there was little damage to the ship in 300 years as the worms that destroy the wood don't like brackish water. So, the ship is very well preserved with only a few parts reconstructed. The part that is reconstructed is done lighter so you can tell which is which.

 

It is really impressive and I would recommend this highly to anyone coming to Stockholm. By the way, for those you wondering what brackish water is like I was - it's when the fresh water flows into the salt water so there is very little salt water (in a nutshell).

 

Another very surprising highlight - the City Hall. I know, I know - who cares about a City Hall? I read that it was supposed to be very nice but I had no idea how nice was nice. The architect had his wife walk up and down different stairs to design the stairs for this place so that the ladies' dresses would flow and they could easily manoeuver with their heels. It is a huge place and beautiful The prince even did a mural the length of the hall way. Apparently he did up a bill for the city councillors (they were shocked as they thought it would be free). They signed that they would pay it and then he ripped it up. He wanted them to realize the value of his work!

 

The City Hall is were the Nobel Laureates go after the awards for their dinner, dancing etc. It is huge, luxurious and ostentatious in some places. Absolutely incredible and totally unexpected.

 

After visiting some other highlights we did a small walking tour and were left with some free time on our won. Jose and I found a very nice restaurant where we tried a local beer and one of their appetizers. It had shrimp, roe and other stuff with toasties. The toasties were huge, the helping generous and we were certainly more than satisfied. Good thing it was only an appetizer! It was very tasty and we really enjoyed it.

 

Back to the ship - I decided to head back out to the ferry terminal as there was free wifi and see what I could do. Alas, there were too many people and it kept dropping off so much that it became a lost cause.

 

So I headed back on board to prepare to view the archipelago one more time on the way out. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Different viewings than the morning and different lighting so both were totally worthwhile!

 

Again, for dinner, they offered a local thing - Rokt Skaldjur Frestelsen (Swedish Seafood Sampler). I had it and it was quite good as was the rest of the meal.

 

To top off a marvelous day, we had marvelous entertainment in the Showroom at Sea (yes, you heard me and I mean it). Peter Cutler performed. I thought by the description he copied other singers but this is not the case. He has performed for the Queen and in Les Miserables. Boy could he sing. I was truly moved. It should have been an early night with being up early in the morning but I couldn't tear myself away until he was done. A truly talented man and very, very good!!!! I hope they keep him around.

 

Got to bed by midnight - a long day with an early start but certainly worth every minute of it!

[LuckyJ]

I feel like I am there on the ship, great blog! I had read that the Elbe, hope I spelled it right? was very high, have you heard anything about that?

Were the sweaters very expensive (wool ones)?

 

Janet

[sail7seas]

Wonderful reports, Jacqui.

Thanks for sharing with us.