Friday, May 20, 2011
God Bless the USA
I think whenever I travel I learn so much in so many ways. But I never fail to realize how much I love my own country and my home. I treasure the memories of our time in Russia, Estonia and Finland, and will enjoy reliving it again when we are settled back in and can look at our photos. But still, I am happy to hand my passport to the passport control man and smile as he says "welcome home." Our flights today were fine-just very long and we have a busy weekend ahead of us so I will close the blog out for this trip and maybe will put some photos on next week.
Last Day in Moscow
Last Day in Moscow
Our last day in Russia is here and while it has been a wonderful trip, we are quite ready to head home. I am tired and after awhile, I have absorbed about all the history I can at one time. Today we went to Sparrows Hill to have a good view over Moscow. Then we headed to Maiden ? Cemetery, which is a UNESCO world heritage site. Many people are buried there that are famous including Pavlov, Kruchev, Yeltsen, and several others-as you can see, I can’t spell any of them? Can you? It was very interesting and we saw sculptors working on headstones and learned about how the families take care of relatives graves. Then we went on the metro , a learning experience for anyone who has not done it on their own. The stations here are decorated and beautiful. We only went to 3 of them. The prettiest ones she said are on the circle line that is so crowded that there is no way she could take us all together and make it through. We had seen enough, I think and were glad to get back on the bus to go back to the ship, though we could have changed lines and gotten there faster by metro. The metro station is just a nice walk through the pretty park and under the underpass, about a 10 minute walk. Lunch was waiting for us when we got back and it was a good fried turkey something or other and we enjoyed it. We then walked over to the shopping center to see if we could find wifi so we could check in with Delta. It was not to be found for the computer. I was able to get on with my iphone in the hall outside the metaphone store on the first floor but not enough to get the internet to come up fast enough to get to Delta on the computer. So we got our mail and checked messages and gave up. There is a good grocery store on the bottom of that mall which is on the right hand side of the street as you walk down, for anyone who ever happens to take this trip. There is a closer one but this other one is bigger and cheaper. We got a Coke for tomorrow morning and headed back through the park, enjoying the cool shade of the trees as it is up to nearly 70 today and it feels balmy. The birds are out and singing and we saw several we had not seen before. The tulips in the park are at their peak and just lovely. Spring comes fast here-to think how cool it was even a week ago and it is supposed to be 85 tomorrow.
We leave for the airport at 10 AM tomorrow for our 12:55 flight to JFK. Think we have 4 hours layover there and then on to Atlanta. I am looking forward to calling during our 4 hour layover and really catching up on the news.
We have packed our suitcases except for throwing in the clothes we are wearing today and hopefully it will all fit in when we do that and not be over the weight limit! The never seem to pack as neatly going home! It has been an amazing trip and we have made new friends and come to love a wonderful young lady named Natasha that showed so much of her love for her country in her time with us. We are very grateful to her and will treasure the memories of our time with her and her country.
Our last day in Russia is here and while it has been a wonderful trip, we are quite ready to head home. I am tired and after awhile, I have absorbed about all the history I can at one time. Today we went to Sparrows Hill to have a good view over Moscow. Then we headed to Maiden ? Cemetery, which is a UNESCO world heritage site. Many people are buried there that are famous including Pavlov, Kruchev, Yeltsen, and several others-as you can see, I can’t spell any of them? Can you? It was very interesting and we saw sculptors working on headstones and learned about how the families take care of relatives graves. Then we went on the metro , a learning experience for anyone who has not done it on their own. The stations here are decorated and beautiful. We only went to 3 of them. The prettiest ones she said are on the circle line that is so crowded that there is no way she could take us all together and make it through. We had seen enough, I think and were glad to get back on the bus to go back to the ship, though we could have changed lines and gotten there faster by metro. The metro station is just a nice walk through the pretty park and under the underpass, about a 10 minute walk. Lunch was waiting for us when we got back and it was a good fried turkey something or other and we enjoyed it. We then walked over to the shopping center to see if we could find wifi so we could check in with Delta. It was not to be found for the computer. I was able to get on with my iphone in the hall outside the metaphone store on the first floor but not enough to get the internet to come up fast enough to get to Delta on the computer. So we got our mail and checked messages and gave up. There is a good grocery store on the bottom of that mall which is on the right hand side of the street as you walk down, for anyone who ever happens to take this trip. There is a closer one but this other one is bigger and cheaper. We got a Coke for tomorrow morning and headed back through the park, enjoying the cool shade of the trees as it is up to nearly 70 today and it feels balmy. The birds are out and singing and we saw several we had not seen before. The tulips in the park are at their peak and just lovely. Spring comes fast here-to think how cool it was even a week ago and it is supposed to be 85 tomorrow.
We leave for the airport at 10 AM tomorrow for our 12:55 flight to JFK. Think we have 4 hours layover there and then on to Atlanta. I am looking forward to calling during our 4 hour layover and really catching up on the news.
We have packed our suitcases except for throwing in the clothes we are wearing today and hopefully it will all fit in when we do that and not be over the weight limit! The never seem to pack as neatly going home! It has been an amazing trip and we have made new friends and come to love a wonderful young lady named Natasha that showed so much of her love for her country in her time with us. We are very grateful to her and will treasure the memories of our time with her and her country.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Moscow
I am writing this as I sit at a Japanese restaurant looking out on the line into Lenin's tomb and the eternal flame like our tomb of the unknown soldier. The tulips are blooming and it is a lovely day, even though they say it will rain starting at noon. it is past that now and no rain. yea! We took the complimentary shuttle bus down to Red Square this AM and have spent the morning wandering and having fun. We went in to see Lenin as it is open only certain days only until noon. So we did that and are just enjoying the experience of being here. The big GUM dept store is right on Red Square and of course there are the multitude of souvenir places around. It must be near the end of school here as well as the place is full of school classes on field trips.
It is pleasantly warm here today. So it is just a nice day to wander around. There were two optional tours this AM but we were not interested in any of those. Tonight we get to go to the Moscow Circus. I think that will be fun.
The circus was very interesting. It was a lot like the circuses we remember as children but in a permanent arena and there was not as much high wire and trapeze acts as I remember. There was a dog show and a seal show and a lion show. I have to say that without realizing it, I have become somewhat of an animal activist after going on the safaris to Africa. Those poor sad lions were just hard to watch. Having seen such magnificent creatures in the wild, these had just very sad eyes to me. I know they are treated well but it just made me sad and that was something I had not even realized had changed in me. But it was a fun evening and we all enjoyed the show.
It is pleasantly warm here today. So it is just a nice day to wander around. There were two optional tours this AM but we were not interested in any of those. Tonight we get to go to the Moscow Circus. I think that will be fun.
The circus was very interesting. It was a lot like the circuses we remember as children but in a permanent arena and there was not as much high wire and trapeze acts as I remember. There was a dog show and a seal show and a lion show. I have to say that without realizing it, I have become somewhat of an animal activist after going on the safaris to Africa. Those poor sad lions were just hard to watch. Having seen such magnificent creatures in the wild, these had just very sad eyes to me. I know they are treated well but it just made me sad and that was something I had not even realized had changed in me. But it was a fun evening and we all enjoyed the show.
Kremlin
Arriving in Moscow
Today was a relaxing day as we approached Moscow. The leaves have come on the trees and wild flowers are blooming. The canal is narrow for the most part and the green grass and trees that line it are a welcome sight. We ate lunch and about 2:30 we arrived at the dock. As soon as we were docked we left on our city tour. We went first to Christ the Savior church which was beautiful-it is new though. Then we went to Red Square, St Basil’s cathedral and the GUM dept store that is right there at Red Square. Everything is right at Red Square and it was neat to see it the first day. We had a little over an hour after the tour to wander around on our own. We watched the changing of the guards and went into the grocery store at GUM and wandered around. Next came the discovery event of Moscow traffic. Oh brother! It was not as bad as China, but almost. Cars switched lanes and were stopped and backed up. We now understand what all the warnings about it have been about. We were glad we had cancelled out on the Moscow at night as we were tired and did not think we could take a bus ride back into town.
Today was a relaxing day as we approached Moscow. The leaves have come on the trees and wild flowers are blooming. The canal is narrow for the most part and the green grass and trees that line it are a welcome sight. We ate lunch and about 2:30 we arrived at the dock. As soon as we were docked we left on our city tour. We went first to Christ the Savior church which was beautiful-it is new though. Then we went to Red Square, St Basil’s cathedral and the GUM dept store that is right there at Red Square. Everything is right at Red Square and it was neat to see it the first day. We had a little over an hour after the tour to wander around on our own. We watched the changing of the guards and went into the grocery store at GUM and wandered around. Next came the discovery event of Moscow traffic. Oh brother! It was not as bad as China, but almost. Cars switched lanes and were stopped and backed up. We now understand what all the warnings about it have been about. We were glad we had cancelled out on the Moscow at night as we were tired and did not think we could take a bus ride back into town.
Arriving in Moscow
Arriving in Moscow
Today was a relaxing day as we approached Moscow. The leaves have come on the trees and wild flowers are blooming. The canal is narrow for the most part and the green grass and trees that line it are a welcome sight. We ate lunch and about 2:30 we arrived at the dock. As soon as we were docked we left on our city tour. We went first to Christ the Savior church which was beautiful-it is new though. Then we went to Red Square, St Basil’s cathedral and the GUM dept store that is right there at Red Square. Everything is right at Red Square and it was neat to see it the first day. We had a little over an hour after the tour to wander around on our own. We watched the changing of the guards and went into the grocery store at GUM and wandered around. Next came the discovery event of Moscow traffic. Oh brother! It was not as bad as China, but almost. Cars switched lanes and were stopped and backed up. We now understand what all the warnings about it have been about. We were glad we had cancelled out on the Moscow at night as we were tired and did not think we could take a bus ride back into town.
Today was a relaxing day as we approached Moscow. The leaves have come on the trees and wild flowers are blooming. The canal is narrow for the most part and the green grass and trees that line it are a welcome sight. We ate lunch and about 2:30 we arrived at the dock. As soon as we were docked we left on our city tour. We went first to Christ the Savior church which was beautiful-it is new though. Then we went to Red Square, St Basil’s cathedral and the GUM dept store that is right there at Red Square. Everything is right at Red Square and it was neat to see it the first day. We had a little over an hour after the tour to wander around on our own. We watched the changing of the guards and went into the grocery store at GUM and wandered around. Next came the discovery event of Moscow traffic. Oh brother! It was not as bad as China, but almost. Cars switched lanes and were stopped and backed up. We now understand what all the warnings about it have been about. We were glad we had cancelled out on the Moscow at night as we were tired and did not think we could take a bus ride back into town.
Uglich
Uglich
Today we got off the ship and toured Uglich. We woke up to much greener lands on each side of the boat. We are heading south plus time is passing so we are seeing spring come in the land. It is really pretty. Uglich is a quaint town and we walked from the dock to the kremlin or center of the town. It was hard to keep walking as the lanes were lined with souvenir stalls. But we did our best to walk past them and go to the church of the blood of Dmitry. It was very pretty with lots of icons and paintings in the same tradition as other Russian Orthodox churches we have been in. We had a group photo made at the residence where Dmitry and his mother lived. Then Natasha took us to an ATM so we could replenish our money supply and we got us some cokes to drink back in our room. We walked around the stalls and found some souvenirs for different people on our list. There are a lot of wonderful artistic things and it is so tempting to want them. But we keep reminding ourselves to be practical and get something useful at least. The churches in this town were colorful and had lots of onion domes so of course, we took lots of photos. We are going to have a ton of photos to wade through and delete. The sunsets are beautiful here on the river. The sunset is earlier here in the southern part than it was in St Petersburg and earlier on the river. But it is still quite late.
Tonight we were asked to sit at the Captain’s table which was a neat experience. Captain Boris sat next to Jim and I was next and Natasha was next to me. Natasha translated for us and there were 3 other couples plus another program director and the ship director. We had steak or a vegetarian dish and I ordered a Coke instead of the wine and it was refilled along which was great. They fixed everything for me without onions and it was so good.
Of course the main finale was the baked Alaska dessert. We had the most trips of anyone on the ship so that was sort of nice for once.
We are on our way to Moscow now and should arrive after lunch tomorrow. We have a city tour mid afternoon so that we will at least get off and see some sites.
I asked tonight when GCT was going to get wifi on the ship because the Viking ships have it. They said that it is being tested on one of the riverboats in Europe this year and next year the others should have it. It would really help if they had it as there are no internet cafes and such along the way and the ship’s internet is slow at times and at some times can’t pick up a signal at all.
Today we got off the ship and toured Uglich. We woke up to much greener lands on each side of the boat. We are heading south plus time is passing so we are seeing spring come in the land. It is really pretty. Uglich is a quaint town and we walked from the dock to the kremlin or center of the town. It was hard to keep walking as the lanes were lined with souvenir stalls. But we did our best to walk past them and go to the church of the blood of Dmitry. It was very pretty with lots of icons and paintings in the same tradition as other Russian Orthodox churches we have been in. We had a group photo made at the residence where Dmitry and his mother lived. Then Natasha took us to an ATM so we could replenish our money supply and we got us some cokes to drink back in our room. We walked around the stalls and found some souvenirs for different people on our list. There are a lot of wonderful artistic things and it is so tempting to want them. But we keep reminding ourselves to be practical and get something useful at least. The churches in this town were colorful and had lots of onion domes so of course, we took lots of photos. We are going to have a ton of photos to wade through and delete. The sunsets are beautiful here on the river. The sunset is earlier here in the southern part than it was in St Petersburg and earlier on the river. But it is still quite late.
Tonight we were asked to sit at the Captain’s table which was a neat experience. Captain Boris sat next to Jim and I was next and Natasha was next to me. Natasha translated for us and there were 3 other couples plus another program director and the ship director. We had steak or a vegetarian dish and I ordered a Coke instead of the wine and it was refilled along which was great. They fixed everything for me without onions and it was so good.
Of course the main finale was the baked Alaska dessert. We had the most trips of anyone on the ship so that was sort of nice for once.
We are on our way to Moscow now and should arrive after lunch tomorrow. We have a city tour mid afternoon so that we will at least get off and see some sites.
I asked tonight when GCT was going to get wifi on the ship because the Viking ships have it. They said that it is being tested on one of the riverboats in Europe this year and next year the others should have it. It would really help if they had it as there are no internet cafes and such along the way and the ship’s internet is slow at times and at some times can’t pick up a signal at all.
Goritsy
Saturday along the river
Today has been a peaceful day, sunny skies and moderate temperatures. We had a leisurely morning with a port talk on Goritsi that we were visiting at 1 oclock. They had to really rush lunch as we were docking and still had not gotten our dessert. It meant we had to rush back to the cabin to grab our stuff as we were only docked for 3 hours. We took the optional tour to the Kirillo-Belozerski Monastery. It was about a 10 minute bus ride from the docks to the next town where the monastery was. The monastery was really nice and had so many interesting churches and domes and towers. We really were rushed or it felt like it. We broke off from the group to do some wandering on our own and had to hurry to the gate to leave , though we had time as it turned out. The flowers were beginning to bloom and the green is showing on the trees. There were daffodils and some tulips too and it was very pretty scenery along the way. We were glad we had taken the tour as the town itself did not have anything except the souvenir stalls. And Natasha told us that this town was very expensive and she was right. The few souvenir stalls we stopped at were higher than where we have looked before. She has said that tomorrow is the best price place so I’m putting on my track shoes.
After we got back on board, we went out on the deck to take photos of the convent that was once there. Jim and I got separated at that time since they announced they were having the paint your own matryoshka dolls and I did not hear the announcements out on the deck. Jim went and found me just in time for me to go up and get me a set to paint. At least I have something to entertain me on the long stretches with not much to see! Anyway, we had fun doing it. The dinner was a Ukraine dinner and again, we were not too big fans of most of the food. Thank goodness for salmon and baked chicken-you can get those anytime. We had BLT sandwiches at lunch and we had to laugh-there was one small slice of a very small tomato and one half slice of bacon on the entire sandwich. What there was, we enjoyed. They always have coffee, tea and hot chocolate at the coffee bar on the first floor. Each afternoon they have cookies there as well. Otherwise, there is not much snacking! The rooms do have a refrigerator in them so we have been trying to buy Cokes (more pepsi here unfortunately) at a grocery or somewhere instead of buying them on the ship as they are much cheaper plus there are ice machines on two floors so we can fill the ice bucket and have them chilled and over ice and they taste so much better. Tomorrow we stop in Uglich and that is our last stop before Moscow. We don’t get to stay long but we are looking forward to it. After dinner tonight, we found an invitation to eat at the Captain’s table tomorrow night….guess we better show up for that!
A
Today has been a peaceful day, sunny skies and moderate temperatures. We had a leisurely morning with a port talk on Goritsi that we were visiting at 1 oclock. They had to really rush lunch as we were docking and still had not gotten our dessert. It meant we had to rush back to the cabin to grab our stuff as we were only docked for 3 hours. We took the optional tour to the Kirillo-Belozerski Monastery. It was about a 10 minute bus ride from the docks to the next town where the monastery was. The monastery was really nice and had so many interesting churches and domes and towers. We really were rushed or it felt like it. We broke off from the group to do some wandering on our own and had to hurry to the gate to leave , though we had time as it turned out. The flowers were beginning to bloom and the green is showing on the trees. There were daffodils and some tulips too and it was very pretty scenery along the way. We were glad we had taken the tour as the town itself did not have anything except the souvenir stalls. And Natasha told us that this town was very expensive and she was right. The few souvenir stalls we stopped at were higher than where we have looked before. She has said that tomorrow is the best price place so I’m putting on my track shoes.
After we got back on board, we went out on the deck to take photos of the convent that was once there. Jim and I got separated at that time since they announced they were having the paint your own matryoshka dolls and I did not hear the announcements out on the deck. Jim went and found me just in time for me to go up and get me a set to paint. At least I have something to entertain me on the long stretches with not much to see! Anyway, we had fun doing it. The dinner was a Ukraine dinner and again, we were not too big fans of most of the food. Thank goodness for salmon and baked chicken-you can get those anytime. We had BLT sandwiches at lunch and we had to laugh-there was one small slice of a very small tomato and one half slice of bacon on the entire sandwich. What there was, we enjoyed. They always have coffee, tea and hot chocolate at the coffee bar on the first floor. Each afternoon they have cookies there as well. Otherwise, there is not much snacking! The rooms do have a refrigerator in them so we have been trying to buy Cokes (more pepsi here unfortunately) at a grocery or somewhere instead of buying them on the ship as they are much cheaper plus there are ice machines on two floors so we can fill the ice bucket and have them chilled and over ice and they taste so much better. Tomorrow we stop in Uglich and that is our last stop before Moscow. We don’t get to stay long but we are looking forward to it. After dinner tonight, we found an invitation to eat at the Captain’s table tomorrow night….guess we better show up for that!
A
Kizihi
Friday Kizhi Island
Today we woke up to Kizhi Island. We actually arrived before midnight last night and docked here. So we had an early day visiting the island. We ate breakfast and went on the walking tour at 8:30 but we got off earlier and looked at the couple of souvenir stalls that were open. We were one of the first boats to arrive this year so they were putting stuff out and getting ready. Natasha told us that unless you wanted something that said Kizhi on it, that the souvenirs were priced pretty high and she was correct. It was fun to look but we didn’t buy anything. The walking tour was very interesting. We had a local guide who did not speak English so Natasha translated for her. We went to the wooden church with 26 domes on it and it is very unique for sure. We could not go in because it is being reconstructed as it has been for years. We went in the smaller church that they use in winter as it is easier to heat. We then went in a typical house that the people have lived in. Everything is wooden and we walked around the big circle path that led by a church with belfry that a guy was playing the bells, a windmill and lots of smaller houses or buildings. We were only stopped for 2 ½ hours. You could go fishing with the crew if you wanted and many did that and enjoyed it.
The rest of the day was actually pretty boring until about 4:30 when we finally saw the ice that we had been hearing about! Before then, we were in a big lake that was like being on the ocean as we could not see the sides and it was just hours of that. But just about the time we were saying that, we realized that we saw ice off in the distance and we had to go through it. There was a Viking boat ahead of us and as soon as he could, the captain got in his wake and let that ship do the breaking up. It was really beautiful to see the ice breaking up as it was like big crystals and looked like chandalier pieces. We were about 30 minutes or more going through it until we got to the mouth of the river and just like that, no more ice. Pretty amazing stuff.
Tonight was a Russian buffet which was not my favorite meal. We did not go to the things that were offered on board today. We took a long nap after lunch as it felt good to be warm and relax. We went through several locks today and are getting to the point in the trip where we will be going through a lot of them.
Today we woke up to Kizhi Island. We actually arrived before midnight last night and docked here. So we had an early day visiting the island. We ate breakfast and went on the walking tour at 8:30 but we got off earlier and looked at the couple of souvenir stalls that were open. We were one of the first boats to arrive this year so they were putting stuff out and getting ready. Natasha told us that unless you wanted something that said Kizhi on it, that the souvenirs were priced pretty high and she was correct. It was fun to look but we didn’t buy anything. The walking tour was very interesting. We had a local guide who did not speak English so Natasha translated for her. We went to the wooden church with 26 domes on it and it is very unique for sure. We could not go in because it is being reconstructed as it has been for years. We went in the smaller church that they use in winter as it is easier to heat. We then went in a typical house that the people have lived in. Everything is wooden and we walked around the big circle path that led by a church with belfry that a guy was playing the bells, a windmill and lots of smaller houses or buildings. We were only stopped for 2 ½ hours. You could go fishing with the crew if you wanted and many did that and enjoyed it.
The rest of the day was actually pretty boring until about 4:30 when we finally saw the ice that we had been hearing about! Before then, we were in a big lake that was like being on the ocean as we could not see the sides and it was just hours of that. But just about the time we were saying that, we realized that we saw ice off in the distance and we had to go through it. There was a Viking boat ahead of us and as soon as he could, the captain got in his wake and let that ship do the breaking up. It was really beautiful to see the ice breaking up as it was like big crystals and looked like chandalier pieces. We were about 30 minutes or more going through it until we got to the mouth of the river and just like that, no more ice. Pretty amazing stuff.
Tonight was a Russian buffet which was not my favorite meal. We did not go to the things that were offered on board today. We took a long nap after lunch as it felt good to be warm and relax. We went through several locks today and are getting to the point in the trip where we will be going through a lot of them.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Thursday
I can't spell the name of the town we are in but we are at a kaorolian restaurant, eating lunch on our own and they have wifi and so we are taking the opportunity to send some posts to the blog. We are delighted as the ice has melted so that we can go to all the ports so that is great. Having a great time and loving all the scenery.
these posts are out of order but it is the best I can do on short time. Will post photos when we get home or to a place where we can do it relaxed.
Ship is bigger than any other GCT trip we have done but is really nice and everyone is having fun. Food is ok-some good and some bad. Interesting at any rate! TOday is cooler than the last few-wearing jackets but only 3 layers instead of 4 like in Helsinki!
Miss everyone.
these posts are out of order but it is the best I can do on short time. Will post photos when we get home or to a place where we can do it relaxed.
Ship is bigger than any other GCT trip we have done but is really nice and everyone is having fun. Food is ok-some good and some bad. Interesting at any rate! TOday is cooler than the last few-wearing jackets but only 3 layers instead of 4 like in Helsinki!
Miss everyone.
Midnight sun
Svir Stroi on Wednesday May 11
Today we spent most of the day sailing and it was a beautiful day. At mid day it was warm enough to go without a jacket as we sailed which was really nice. We saw patches of snow along the sides but this warm weather had melted the ice that was such a problem last week when they came toward St Petersburg in the ship. The captain Boris said that there were ice chunks in the water as we sailed last night but I never heard or saw them. I wish I had! We are the first boat going in this direction for GCT this year and so the souvenir places are just opening up and were glad to see us!
We read and watched the scenery and enjoyed breakfast and lunch. During lunch we came to the first locks on the river and we enjoyed sitting and watching as we ate. The little village where we stopped was right past the first lock. We went into the home of Uri and Vera and had typical Russian pastries and tea and got to ask questions about their normal every day lives. It was one of the most interesting home visits we have had because the houses are quite quaint and they really live so simply. It is hard to imagine them living without running water and yet they do it quite nicely. We had to divide into two groups within our yellow group as the house was so tiny. We spent about an hour there and then we were able to go shopping in the little stalls along the paths. A lot of the things here were made in the village which was nice. Jim and I went to the market which was so tiny that it could not hold more than 5-6 people pushed together waiting to pay. You pointed to what you wanted. We got a couple of pepsi colas as they had no cokes and they were much cheaper than on the ship. We have a refrigerator in our room so it is nice to be able to get them as cold as I like. We had fun shopping for different ones on our list and looking at all the items. We made our way back to the boat and enjoyed sitting outside and reading for awhile and watching the scenery go by. It is 10:30 at night and it is still daylight-just hard to get used to this! The sunsets are lovely and cameras just don’t catch is all.
Tomorrow we will be in Natasha’s town which is the largest “city” in this area. We are there all day so that will be fun. We take a city tour and then we will be on our own all afternoon.
I forgot to mention one adventure we had the other night. I reached to turn the switch on the headboard that turns off the light and sparks flew everywhere and there was this lovely burning smell and pop. I got up and found one of the overhead light bulbs had blown, broken off and landed beside the bed-fortunately it was that way instead of landing or hitting one of us! I lay awake long enough to be sure there was no fire-I could tell a circuit had been tripped as the switches didn’t turn on the lights. We were too tired to want anyone to come fix it that night so we told them on the way to breakfast and when we finished breakfast, they had it all fixed. Whew.
The trees along the river are birch and evergreens that are tall and thin, The leaves are beginning to come on the birch so that if you look closely, you will see the hint of green coming through the woods.
Today we spent most of the day sailing and it was a beautiful day. At mid day it was warm enough to go without a jacket as we sailed which was really nice. We saw patches of snow along the sides but this warm weather had melted the ice that was such a problem last week when they came toward St Petersburg in the ship. The captain Boris said that there were ice chunks in the water as we sailed last night but I never heard or saw them. I wish I had! We are the first boat going in this direction for GCT this year and so the souvenir places are just opening up and were glad to see us!
We read and watched the scenery and enjoyed breakfast and lunch. During lunch we came to the first locks on the river and we enjoyed sitting and watching as we ate. The little village where we stopped was right past the first lock. We went into the home of Uri and Vera and had typical Russian pastries and tea and got to ask questions about their normal every day lives. It was one of the most interesting home visits we have had because the houses are quite quaint and they really live so simply. It is hard to imagine them living without running water and yet they do it quite nicely. We had to divide into two groups within our yellow group as the house was so tiny. We spent about an hour there and then we were able to go shopping in the little stalls along the paths. A lot of the things here were made in the village which was nice. Jim and I went to the market which was so tiny that it could not hold more than 5-6 people pushed together waiting to pay. You pointed to what you wanted. We got a couple of pepsi colas as they had no cokes and they were much cheaper than on the ship. We have a refrigerator in our room so it is nice to be able to get them as cold as I like. We had fun shopping for different ones on our list and looking at all the items. We made our way back to the boat and enjoyed sitting outside and reading for awhile and watching the scenery go by. It is 10:30 at night and it is still daylight-just hard to get used to this! The sunsets are lovely and cameras just don’t catch is all.
Tomorrow we will be in Natasha’s town which is the largest “city” in this area. We are there all day so that will be fun. We take a city tour and then we will be on our own all afternoon.
I forgot to mention one adventure we had the other night. I reached to turn the switch on the headboard that turns off the light and sparks flew everywhere and there was this lovely burning smell and pop. I got up and found one of the overhead light bulbs had blown, broken off and landed beside the bed-fortunately it was that way instead of landing or hitting one of us! I lay awake long enough to be sure there was no fire-I could tell a circuit had been tripped as the switches didn’t turn on the lights. We were too tired to want anyone to come fix it that night so we told them on the way to breakfast and when we finished breakfast, they had it all fixed. Whew.
The trees along the river are birch and evergreens that are tall and thin, The leaves are beginning to come on the birch so that if you look closely, you will see the hint of green coming through the woods.
Svir
Svir Stroi on Wednesday May 11
Today we spent most of the day sailing and it was a beautiful day. At mid day it was warm enough to go without a jacket as we sailed which was really nice. We saw patches of snow along the sides but this warm weather had melted the ice that was such a problem last week when they came toward St Petersburg in the ship. The captain Boris said that there were ice chunks in the water as we sailed last night but I never heard or saw them. I wish I had! We are the first boat going in this direction for GCT this year and so the souvenir places are just opening up and were glad to see us!
We read and watched the scenery and enjoyed breakfast and lunch. During lunch we came to the first locks on the river and we enjoyed sitting and watching as we ate. The little village where we stopped was right past the first lock. We went into the home of Uri and Vera and had typical Russian pastries and tea and got to ask questions about their normal every day lives. It was one of the most interesting home visits we have had because the houses are quite quaint and they really live so simply. It is hard to imagine them living without running water and yet they do it quite nicely. We had to divide into two groups within our yellow group as the house was so tiny. We spent about an hour there and then we were able to go shopping in the little stalls along the paths. A lot of the things here were made in the village which was nice. Jim and I went to the market which was so tiny that it could not hold more than 5-6 people pushed together waiting to pay. You pointed to what you wanted. We got a couple of pepsi colas as they had no cokes and they were much cheaper than on the ship. We have a refrigerator in our room so it is nice to be able to get them as cold as I like. We had fun shopping for different ones on our list and looking at all the items. We made our way back to the boat and enjoyed sitting outside and reading for awhile and watching the scenery go by. It is 10:30 at night and it is still daylight-just hard to get used to this! The sunsets are lovely and cameras just don’t catch is all.
Tomorrow we will be in Natasha’s town which is the largest “city” in this area. We are there all day so that will be fun. We take a city tour and then we will be on our own all afternoon.
I forgot to mention one adventure we had the other night. I reached to turn the switch on the headboard that turns off the light and sparks flew everywhere and there was this lovely burning smell and pop. I got up and found one of the overhead light bulbs had blown, broken off and landed beside the bed-fortunately it was that way instead of landing or hitting one of us! I lay awake long enough to be sure there was no fire-I could tell a circuit had been tripped as the switches didn’t turn on the lights. We were too tired to want anyone to come fix it that night so we told them on the way to breakfast and when we finished breakfast, they had it all fixed. Whew.
The trees along the river are birch and evergreens that are tall and thin, The leaves are beginning to come on the birch so that if you look closely, you will see the hint of green coming through the woods.
Today we spent most of the day sailing and it was a beautiful day. At mid day it was warm enough to go without a jacket as we sailed which was really nice. We saw patches of snow along the sides but this warm weather had melted the ice that was such a problem last week when they came toward St Petersburg in the ship. The captain Boris said that there were ice chunks in the water as we sailed last night but I never heard or saw them. I wish I had! We are the first boat going in this direction for GCT this year and so the souvenir places are just opening up and were glad to see us!
We read and watched the scenery and enjoyed breakfast and lunch. During lunch we came to the first locks on the river and we enjoyed sitting and watching as we ate. The little village where we stopped was right past the first lock. We went into the home of Uri and Vera and had typical Russian pastries and tea and got to ask questions about their normal every day lives. It was one of the most interesting home visits we have had because the houses are quite quaint and they really live so simply. It is hard to imagine them living without running water and yet they do it quite nicely. We had to divide into two groups within our yellow group as the house was so tiny. We spent about an hour there and then we were able to go shopping in the little stalls along the paths. A lot of the things here were made in the village which was nice. Jim and I went to the market which was so tiny that it could not hold more than 5-6 people pushed together waiting to pay. You pointed to what you wanted. We got a couple of pepsi colas as they had no cokes and they were much cheaper than on the ship. We have a refrigerator in our room so it is nice to be able to get them as cold as I like. We had fun shopping for different ones on our list and looking at all the items. We made our way back to the boat and enjoyed sitting outside and reading for awhile and watching the scenery go by. It is 10:30 at night and it is still daylight-just hard to get used to this! The sunsets are lovely and cameras just don’t catch is all.
Tomorrow we will be in Natasha’s town which is the largest “city” in this area. We are there all day so that will be fun. We take a city tour and then we will be on our own all afternoon.
I forgot to mention one adventure we had the other night. I reached to turn the switch on the headboard that turns off the light and sparks flew everywhere and there was this lovely burning smell and pop. I got up and found one of the overhead light bulbs had blown, broken off and landed beside the bed-fortunately it was that way instead of landing or hitting one of us! I lay awake long enough to be sure there was no fire-I could tell a circuit had been tripped as the switches didn’t turn on the lights. We were too tired to want anyone to come fix it that night so we told them on the way to breakfast and when we finished breakfast, they had it all fixed. Whew.
The trees along the river are birch and evergreens that are tall and thin, The leaves are beginning to come on the birch so that if you look closely, you will see the hint of green coming through the woods.
Holiday in St Petersburg
Holiday in St Petersburg
Tomorrow is the 9thth of May which is a huge holiday equal to our 4th of July. It celebr ates the end of WWII for the Russians. The city was empty of the usual traffic jams but the crowds were evident at the parks and outdoor areas. We went to several stops on our way to the Peter and Paul Fortress. The churches are being used again so we had to wait for a Sunday service to finish to go to the fortress. Today is a beautiful day and is warm and sunny and we didn’t need jackets. We saw where all the czars are buried and I am now very familiar with Peter the first, Alexander and other famous czars, though to tell the truth, I’m not much into the geneology of the czars….so we will skip that part here in the blog! When we finished our tour, we had some time to go find a place for lunch on our own in the city and we found a neat Italian café where we got a great marguerita pizza. We went to a Frommers recommended souvenir shop but we didn’t buy anything. We are trying to get an idea of prices and such.
Then we took the optional tour to Peterhof palace and it was just lovely. As I said, it was warm an the flowers are beginning to bloom, trees beginning to bud and it was just a lovely spring day to be outside. There are 150 fountains at Peterhof and they are all natural fountains that have no pumps. Some were just wonderful , others were nice but simple. It was well worth the price of the optional for going there as it was way out of town.,
The boat is docked well out of town and that makes it difficult to go too many places by ourselves though we may try tomorrow afternoon as you can get to a metro station by a bus and then go anywhere. But we have seen so much on the tours that I am well satisfied with what all we have seen.
The meals are excellent on the boat so far. I can choose salmon every day if I don’t like what they are having and at lunch you can always get a hamburger but they are having several choices that sound good also tomorrow so we shall see. So far, it is better food than on any of the riverboats we have been on before.
Tomorrow is the 9thth of May which is a huge holiday equal to our 4th of July. It celebr ates the end of WWII for the Russians. The city was empty of the usual traffic jams but the crowds were evident at the parks and outdoor areas. We went to several stops on our way to the Peter and Paul Fortress. The churches are being used again so we had to wait for a Sunday service to finish to go to the fortress. Today is a beautiful day and is warm and sunny and we didn’t need jackets. We saw where all the czars are buried and I am now very familiar with Peter the first, Alexander and other famous czars, though to tell the truth, I’m not much into the geneology of the czars….so we will skip that part here in the blog! When we finished our tour, we had some time to go find a place for lunch on our own in the city and we found a neat Italian café where we got a great marguerita pizza. We went to a Frommers recommended souvenir shop but we didn’t buy anything. We are trying to get an idea of prices and such.
Then we took the optional tour to Peterhof palace and it was just lovely. As I said, it was warm an the flowers are beginning to bloom, trees beginning to bud and it was just a lovely spring day to be outside. There are 150 fountains at Peterhof and they are all natural fountains that have no pumps. Some were just wonderful , others were nice but simple. It was well worth the price of the optional for going there as it was way out of town.,
The boat is docked well out of town and that makes it difficult to go too many places by ourselves though we may try tomorrow afternoon as you can get to a metro station by a bus and then go anywhere. But we have seen so much on the tours that I am well satisfied with what all we have seen.
The meals are excellent on the boat so far. I can choose salmon every day if I don’t like what they are having and at lunch you can always get a hamburger but they are having several choices that sound good also tomorrow so we shall see. So far, it is better food than on any of the riverboats we have been on before.
Catherines palace
Monday, May 9,2011
Today is the 9th of May which is a holiday here in Russia, celebrating the victory in WWII. We did not see any of the celebrations here today but all weekend we saw ribbons, flowers, signs, etc talking about the holiday.
Today we went to Catherine’s palace which was very beautiful. It was robin egg’s blue and white trim and had gold onion domes on the chapel that was part of it. The rooms were trimmed in gold and were very gaudy with mirrors and such. The moist beautiful room was the amber room which is made of amber as the name suggests. The wall panels are solid amber and amazing detail work.
We enjoyed the gardens and lakes surrounding the palace as well. The hyacinths are in full bloom and smelled so good. There are a few tulips open now as well and more will be open soon. All the standing got to my back and it started having spasms so we decided to not try any adventures this afternoon.
Tomorrow we have an optional tour to another palace tomorrow and then we set sail down the river as we eat dinner tomorrow night.
Today is the 9th of May which is a holiday here in Russia, celebrating the victory in WWII. We did not see any of the celebrations here today but all weekend we saw ribbons, flowers, signs, etc talking about the holiday.
Today we went to Catherine’s palace which was very beautiful. It was robin egg’s blue and white trim and had gold onion domes on the chapel that was part of it. The rooms were trimmed in gold and were very gaudy with mirrors and such. The moist beautiful room was the amber room which is made of amber as the name suggests. The wall panels are solid amber and amazing detail work.
We enjoyed the gardens and lakes surrounding the palace as well. The hyacinths are in full bloom and smelled so good. There are a few tulips open now as well and more will be open soon. All the standing got to my back and it started having spasms so we decided to not try any adventures this afternoon.
Tomorrow we have an optional tour to another palace tomorrow and then we set sail down the river as we eat dinner tomorrow night.
Getting on the ship
St Petersburg.
Today was a zoo to start out with because all 200+of the members of the trip were in the lobby at the same time. They got us boarded onto the buses and out and after that, it was fine. We drove around as the guide (another Natasha) told us about things and she was excellent. We finally stopped at St Isaac’s cathedral which was beautiful. It truly was one of the prettiest churches I have ever seen even though it was gilded with gold all over. Next we went to lunch at a nice restaurant. It was a beautiful day and the sun was shining and we didn’t even have to wear our jackets. Hope this lasts. After lunch we went to the Hermitage which was one of the best museums I’ve ever been to. The art was just outstanding and we went on our own instead of listening to the guides as we knew we would not remember it anyway. There were a number of Renoir and other painters that I love and lots of Picasso pieces. We stayed until mid afternoon and then finally came to the ship. It was so good to get on the ship and get settled in, though it took awhile as the luggage was not loaded on the bus we were on-just whatever and my luggage came on the last bus. But Jim’s came and he was able to unpack and get his things put away. We explored the ship some and it is very different from the other GCT Riverboats. The beds are permanent instead of fold down types and the rooms are very small but well thought out. There are two lounges and for meetings our yellow group has been assigned the smaller lounge as a meeting point. We are on the middle deck and the restaurant is on our floor. There is a library with two computers and you can use them but they are not free and I can’t use my laptop. The Viking ship docked next to us has free wifi. But you have to have an account so I can’t use it. Hope GCT gets with the program and offers that soon. It is timed on the computers here for 15 min segments. And it is not cheap. But at least they have it most of the time.
Dinner was nice-the dining room is basically two rooms with a few tables in between which is where we sat. I had salmon and baked potato and it was very good. It is one of the two choices you can get any meal so that is good. I will probably be sick of salmon by the time this is over.
It is almost 10 oclock
Today was a zoo to start out with because all 200+of the members of the trip were in the lobby at the same time. They got us boarded onto the buses and out and after that, it was fine. We drove around as the guide (another Natasha) told us about things and she was excellent. We finally stopped at St Isaac’s cathedral which was beautiful. It truly was one of the prettiest churches I have ever seen even though it was gilded with gold all over. Next we went to lunch at a nice restaurant. It was a beautiful day and the sun was shining and we didn’t even have to wear our jackets. Hope this lasts. After lunch we went to the Hermitage which was one of the best museums I’ve ever been to. The art was just outstanding and we went on our own instead of listening to the guides as we knew we would not remember it anyway. There were a number of Renoir and other painters that I love and lots of Picasso pieces. We stayed until mid afternoon and then finally came to the ship. It was so good to get on the ship and get settled in, though it took awhile as the luggage was not loaded on the bus we were on-just whatever and my luggage came on the last bus. But Jim’s came and he was able to unpack and get his things put away. We explored the ship some and it is very different from the other GCT Riverboats. The beds are permanent instead of fold down types and the rooms are very small but well thought out. There are two lounges and for meetings our yellow group has been assigned the smaller lounge as a meeting point. We are on the middle deck and the restaurant is on our floor. There is a library with two computers and you can use them but they are not free and I can’t use my laptop. The Viking ship docked next to us has free wifi. But you have to have an account so I can’t use it. Hope GCT gets with the program and offers that soon. It is timed on the computers here for 15 min segments. And it is not cheap. But at least they have it most of the time.
Dinner was nice-the dining room is basically two rooms with a few tables in between which is where we sat. I had salmon and baked potato and it was very good. It is one of the two choices you can get any meal so that is good. I will probably be sick of salmon by the time this is over.
It is almost 10 oclock
Saturday, May 7, 2011
quick update
we are using the internet at the Hermitage and will leave for the ship shortly. Beautiful day here and St Petersburg is a lovely city. Had a great first day touring and am really surprised at how beautiful everything is. So far so good.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Interesting turn of events
Yesterday (written Friday AM, I think) we left Tallinn enroute to St Petersburg. It was a long but interesting drive through the countryside. We stopped along the way for rest breaks and we stopped in a small town for lunch at a quaint pub type cafe at the border. On the Tallinn side, the guard came on board the bus and looked at each passport and then we were through. On the Russian side, we had to get off the bus and Natasha said it could be anything from easy to hours, taking our luggage off and them going through it. Our bus driver must be good as we had the easiest crossing Natasha said she had ever had. We got off the bus and went through one at a time to the window where they scanned our passports and put stuff in the computer. For some reason, Jim and I both took a LONG time. I was nervous, to say the least. Who knows what it was but eventually, the computer passed us and they stamped our passports and off we went.
On the way to St Petersburg, Natasha told us that there was a wrinkle in the plans. The ship was not able to get into St Petersburg harbor for all the ice and they were having to send an ice breaker out to lead them in. Hmmm this bodes for an interesting trip and probably means some parts of the itinerary are not going to happen but we will see. Rather than have us wait til past midnight to board the ship, they put us all (including the ones flying in to start the trip) up in a 4 star Ambassaor hotel and gave us dinner at a nearby restaurant.
It was an exhausting day for whatever reason even though I felt like I slept half the time on the bus. The hotel is nice and we are ready to go today in a little while and see what we were going to see today anyway here in St Petersburg. Then we will go to the ship. They will pick up our bags in a little while and take them there.
For whatever reason, our room has some interference that would not let me connect to the internet on this computer. My cell phone worked fine but not the netbook. So we had to come out to the lobby by the elevators to write this.
Not sure when I can do a blog entry again but will be doing them and will upload them when I can. We can get email on the trip but may have to use their computers. We shall see.
On the way to St Petersburg, Natasha told us that there was a wrinkle in the plans. The ship was not able to get into St Petersburg harbor for all the ice and they were having to send an ice breaker out to lead them in. Hmmm this bodes for an interesting trip and probably means some parts of the itinerary are not going to happen but we will see. Rather than have us wait til past midnight to board the ship, they put us all (including the ones flying in to start the trip) up in a 4 star Ambassaor hotel and gave us dinner at a nearby restaurant.
It was an exhausting day for whatever reason even though I felt like I slept half the time on the bus. The hotel is nice and we are ready to go today in a little while and see what we were going to see today anyway here in St Petersburg. Then we will go to the ship. They will pick up our bags in a little while and take them there.
For whatever reason, our room has some interference that would not let me connect to the internet on this computer. My cell phone worked fine but not the netbook. So we had to come out to the lobby by the elevators to write this.
Not sure when I can do a blog entry again but will be doing them and will upload them when I can. We can get email on the trip but may have to use their computers. We shall see.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Thursday in Tallinn
Today was a great day in Tallin. It was cold at the outset but instead of the predicted rain, it was sunny and as the day went on, it got warmer and was just wonderful. This morning we went to the Open Air Museum which was really nice. It was an optional trip but we did it on our own instead-we took a tram from near the hotel and walked the last 1/2 mile. We had the park to ourselves for the entire time as we got there just as it opened at 10. We enjoyed wandering around and looking at the old farm houses they had brought in, swinging on the wooden swing and looking at all the early flowers and buds on the trees, birds in the trees, etc. We walked back to the tram stop and rode back near our hotel. We are sore from climbing the steep steps in the tower yesterday so we are moving slowly-but we are moving. We came back to the room and regrouped and took off back to Old Town. By this time it was full sun, warmer and just so lovely. We ate at the good pizza place on the square (Fellini) and then just wandered around all sorts of side streets and shops. Everything looked even more beautiful in the sunshine. We came back by the grocery store and got some bread for a sandwich for dinner. We have to pack and be ready to get the luggage out early tomorrow. It will be nice to get on the boat so we can unpack and be more organized. We will be on the boat from then til the time we fly home. Natasha, our program director, says the border crossing from Estonia to Russia can be easy or hard, depending on the day and the guards. So we are taking our kindles in our backpack and some snacks just in case...it is a long drive no matter how it goes!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Mixed weather
Today started out cold, dreary and misty rain. We went on a city tour and the first part was on the bus and we went by some parks, the music festival site and we saw dirt mounds that were from the hairless,blind mole rats that live here. It was interesting. We saw some stork nests and then we got to the upper old town and got off the bus. We had an excellent guide named Julia who gave a great tour. The old town is all cobblestones and has the wonderful old shaped buildings and is just a terrific place to wonder and look. We ended the tour at the lower town square where we were last night and there was a handicraft market there. They had such wonderful woolen knits and in the cold weather, it is tempting...but realistically we can't use those in Alabama very often so I settled for a new knit cap which I do use! We ate lunch at one of the famous restaurants, which turned out not to be a good choice for us as they had very little without garlic or onions. We were hoping for the mushroom soup but no such luck. I ended up with a really good rye bread and Jim got the meat soup which he did not like at all, so it was not on our best list but we at least tried it. The atmosphere was fun. From there we went to find the Marzipan museum and then we climbed the 10,000 steps (or it felt like it anyway as they were stone, uneven, circular steps) up to the tower of the city hall The view was worth it though and luckily there were not many other takers so we could take our time going both up and down. The railing was a thick rope and I hung on for dear life! Then we wandered back toward the old town gate and saw the woolen stalls under the city wall there by the McDonalds that Megan used to frequent. We went up on the city wall and walked as far as we could go which was nice. By this time, the sun was out and it was much nicer weather, and we enjoyed it. We came on back to the hotel and went up to the 24th floor where there is a terrace with an outstanding view. We had a nice included dinner of some sort of chicken with lime and soy sauce which sounded awful to me but was actually very good.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Tallinn-oh wow!
Tallinn is beautiful! I expected it to be pretty but so far, it has exceeded my expectations. It reminds me in many ways of Rothenburg with its old city walls and cobblestoned streets. We took a ferry today from Helsinki over to Tallinn and it was a pleasant two hour journey, calm seas and blue skies. Our hotel is the Radisson Blu and is only a 5 min easy walk from the old town. It could not be more convenient and from our hotel window, we have beautiful views of the towers and all of the old town. At the end of the hall, the windows look out over the sea. I think we will have a wonderful several days here. Tomorrow we have a city tour and then the afternoon is on our own. Today we settled in our rooms after we arrived and then we went on an orientation tour. Our guide Natasha is excellent-very detailed oriented but she has a fabulous sense of humor. She is from Russia so I look forward to having her the entire trip. The old town is so quaint and well preserved. The square has all kinds of wonderful restaurants and cafes and good things to try. But when I heard one of the specialties was garlic ice cream I almost cried-I've always said that I won't starve on a trip because there is never garlic or onion in desserts...so of course, someone has to prove me wrong. Let's just say it is not on my must try list! We had a pizza at a neat restaurant on the square (I know we are not in Italy but hey, I love a good pizza when they can make it sans garlic or onion!) and it was really nice. Estonia has just gone on the Euro so the prices have shot up and things are no great deals any more, which is sad.
We look forward to wandering the streets in old town tomorrow.
flowers we bought from a little old lady who was sitting in the cold.
view from our window at sunset
We look forward to wandering the streets in old town tomorrow.
Tuesday, On to Tallinn
We have a morning at leisure to try and stuff everything back in the suitcases before we take the ferry over to Tallinn. It is a pretty day here, brisk Jim says as he just returned from a walk around the block. I rather think that we packed more layers than will be necessary as this should be the coldest part of the trip. So far, it is brisk but feels good when we are out.
Monday, May 2, 2011
photos of Helsinki
Photos are hard here-much prettier than the photos show. Such a pleasant day and we really enjoyed it.
Helsinki
We had great flights over and arrived soon after noon yesterday but boy, were we tired! We got checked into the hotel, had a group meeting,went across the street to a grocery store and food court and got us something to eat. Then we crashed! When I say we crashed, we were both so soundly asleep that when we woke up at 9:30 and it was daylight, we both thought we had overslept and it was 9:30 AM...nope. It was 9:30 PM and we forgot how long the days are this far north! To our joy, we had hours yet to sleep, which we did!
We felt like new people this morning after the good rest and we headed off to the city tour this morning. Helsinki is a clean, nice city. We are in the best location and get to one huge huge shopping complex in the basement of our hotel. There are 36 of us on the pre-trip and it is a very congenial group. We did the city tour and they dropped us off down at the harbor area, if we wanted to stay. So we got off and went to a big market where we got a cheese and ham pastry and went and got on the ferry over to the UNESCO World Heritage site on a nearby island-a fortress-Suomenlinna. I used my little google translation of "I'm allergic to garlic and onion" at the market to be sure that the pastry was ok for me to eat. The lady smiled and shook her head that it was fine. We enjoyed the ferry ride and just had a great time wandering around the site. The air is so clean here and it was cool, not cold. We were bundled up but by the time we had walked awhile, I was taking off layers. It was just pleasant being out and seeing the daffodils and little blue flowers that were blooming around. We also saw tulips, though some are about a week away from opening, some are open. The bushed and all are putting on their leaves. There are still some piles of snow around in shady spots but spring is obviously coming.
We wandered around and enjoyed the island and took the ferry back to the mainland. We got the T3 tram back to the hotel-easy easy. We could have easily walked it as it was not far. We then went down the elevator of the hotel and went to the big shopping mall that could be accessed that way. We wandered around some but mainly went to the grocery store and got some snacks and came back to our room.
I will post photos after our dinner tonight. We have a group meal with salmon being the main course and if you know me, you know I am looking forward to that!
We felt like new people this morning after the good rest and we headed off to the city tour this morning. Helsinki is a clean, nice city. We are in the best location and get to one huge huge shopping complex in the basement of our hotel. There are 36 of us on the pre-trip and it is a very congenial group. We did the city tour and they dropped us off down at the harbor area, if we wanted to stay. So we got off and went to a big market where we got a cheese and ham pastry and went and got on the ferry over to the UNESCO World Heritage site on a nearby island-a fortress-Suomenlinna. I used my little google translation of "I'm allergic to garlic and onion" at the market to be sure that the pastry was ok for me to eat. The lady smiled and shook her head that it was fine. We enjoyed the ferry ride and just had a great time wandering around the site. The air is so clean here and it was cool, not cold. We were bundled up but by the time we had walked awhile, I was taking off layers. It was just pleasant being out and seeing the daffodils and little blue flowers that were blooming around. We also saw tulips, though some are about a week away from opening, some are open. The bushed and all are putting on their leaves. There are still some piles of snow around in shady spots but spring is obviously coming.
We wandered around and enjoyed the island and took the ferry back to the mainland. We got the T3 tram back to the hotel-easy easy. We could have easily walked it as it was not far. We then went down the elevator of the hotel and went to the big shopping mall that could be accessed that way. We wandered around some but mainly went to the grocery store and got some snacks and came back to our room.
I will post photos after our dinner tonight. We have a group meal with salmon being the main course and if you know me, you know I am looking forward to that!
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