BALTIC TOUR - Traveling with Jim and Ina

27 Jun

27Jun

Delta First Class FLL to JFK then on to ARN (Stockholm)

Arrived in Stockholm the following morning on June 28, 2023. We booked a flight on SAS from Stockholm to Copenhagen where our cruise starts. After landing in Stockholm we had to gather our checked luggage and recheck it on SAS. This required us to print our tags from a self-service kiosk and then take to the self-service baggage check. Pretty neat as you put your bag on the conveyer and it measures and weighs the bag then sends it on to be put on the plane.

The flight was only 50 minutes. We loaded from the back! No judging on my windblown hair and squinting eyes in the bright sun!

We went for a walk on the waterfront which is about a 5-minute walk from our hotel. There are Miami fans everywhere! This guy is wearing a Jimmy Butler jersey in Copenhagen Denmark playing in a pickup/sandlot basketball game!

We are staying at the Raddison Blue Scandinavian Hotel in Copenhagen. Didn't realize that most hotels do not have AC including this one. It was really hot last night.

Thursday June 29, 2023

We did the Grand tour of Copenhagen which was an all- day adventure. Our first stop was Roskilde Cathedral was built in 1160. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site with 39 kings and queens buried in the cathedral.

The Viking Ship Museum was interesting. They have found five Viking ships that were raised from the seabed in 1962. These sailing ships were built between 1000-1100AD. Sadly, ships are no longer manufactured in Denmark and are bought from Korea.

Frederiksborg Palace named by King Frederik II in 1560. The Palace church was beautiful, and we listened to an organist play music from the era on the organ.

We did not get to visit the garden but could see it from the upstairs windows. Kind of hard to see but beyond the moat.

Kronborg Castle played an important role in the control of the Baltic Sea to the North Sea. The King controlled both the Danish side and all of Sweden. He was able to collect passage fees from all ships sailing through the passage. It remains a main shipping route to the west however, no tolls are collected.

This castle is also the setting of the Shakespear play "Hamlet". "To be or not to be that is the question". This is going down to the castle basement.

Holger the Dane is a legendary warrior who sits in the basement and will "wake up and fight" if Denmark is attacked.

We got a bonus today with the owner of the tour company (seen below) giving our tour of Kronborg Castle. His name is Rasmus Jarlov and he is a Member of the Danish Parliament. The Parliament has 179 members for a population of ~6million. We were not told his last name and I thought...how many people named Rasmus could there be out of 179 members. Turns out there are 7 with Rasmus in their names!

Friday June 30, 2023

Today we say goodbye to Copenhagen and start our cruise on the Baltic Sea. Our ship is the RSSC Splendor. Obligatory selfie off our balcony. Our room is huge comparatively to other boats.

You know you are on a fancy ship when the tableware is Versace!

Saturday, July 1, 2023

We docked at Rostock, Germany which is located in old East Germany. Up at 5:30am for a 6:30am bus ride to Berlin. The ride took about 3 hours to arrive in Berlin and was predominately farmland along the way. The Victory Column seen below was erected after 1864 to commemorate the Prussian victory in the Second Schleswig War.

The Berlin Wall that divided East and West Germany no longer exits but the outline of the old wall is commemorated by this stone outline. Ina is standing in both East and West Berlin.

The Adlon hotel is considered the best in Berlin. It is famous for the Michael Jackson stunt when he dangled Blanket over the balcony in 2002. Sorry, no picture.

The Brandenburg Gate is the 18th-century monument built by king Frederick William II after suppressing the Dutch unrest. It was built on the site of the former city gate to the town of Brandenburg.

The Reichstag Building is a historic government building that was nearly completely destroyed during WWII. After restoration and modification, you can walk in the globe at the top for a view of the city.

Russian World War II Memorial was erected by the Russians within 6 months of the end of WWII. It was built on the site where the Nazis planned to build their parliament building. It commemorated the loss of 2500 Russian soldiers in the city of Berlin. The total loss of life of Russians is disputed but may be greater than 8 million.

Checkpoint Charlie has a replica of one of the previous buildings. The road is open to traffic on both sides of the building. Yes, unfortunately McDonald's is everywhere.

The Berlin Wall was erected 1961 and came down in 1989-1990. It was 12 feet tall and beyond the wall was an electrified fence, a strip of "no man's land" called the "death strip" and East German guard posts that encircled the entire East Berlin. Only about 300 people successfully escaped the East in over 30 years with 140 loss of life.

Ronald Reagan's famous speech is commemorated in this plaque. Reagan was about 100 yards away from the concrete barrier and the Brandenburg Gate dividing East and West Berlin when he said: "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"

The Allied Museum was full of WWII memorabilia. It was originally a theater for the allied troops. They have the last Checkpoint Charlie building located here. There may have been 3 and this being the third.

Charlottenburg Palace was built at the end of the 17th century. It was commissioned by Sophie Charlotte, the wife of Friedrich III. We did not go inside but houses the crown jewels.

It probably took us over 4 hours to get back to the ship. Construction on the Autobahn in which the Germans completely shut down the road and divert around to the next exit. What a mess!

Sunday July 2, 2023

Our destination was Ronne, Denmark. This is an island in the Baltic Sea. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate with 40-50 knot wind gusts and it was determined to be unsafe to enter the harbor. This will be a day at sea with lectures and other things to do. Tonight, we have our specialty dinner at the Pacific Rim Restaurant featuring Asian Pacific menu.

Appetizers: Soft shell crab deep fried, sashimi, sushi

Main Course: Lobster tempura with Thai noodles, jasmine rice and mushrooms

Dessert: mochi green tea ice cream and sorbet

Monday July 3, 2023

Today we were supposed to be in Poland. However due to the Chechnya's threatening Poland...we were changed to tinder at Karlskrona, Sweden due to safety concerns. Unfortunately, the Baltic weather continued to be too severe to allow us in the harbor. Another day at sea. We played trivia today and came in second. We missed one question...who painted American Gothic. I have a mug that Ali bought me years ago in Chicago at the Art Museum where it is housed. I see that mug at least once a week and could not come up with Grant Wood! At the end of the cruise you can exchange your points for prizes!

Regent does a block party. Everyone opens the doors of their suites at a certain time with an empty wine glass. The staff come along and fill your glass and have canapes/hors d'oeuvres to pass. The idea is to meet your neighbors while enjoying food and drink. Jim, Angela, Michael, Ina, Chuck, Skip, Joan, Kathleen, Sally and Robert

Tuesday July 4, 2023

Klaipeda, Lithuania. Klaipeda is the only major seaport and third largest city in the country. This little bronze statue of a mouse is believed to be magical. If you whisper in his ear your wish will come true.

We visited the Botanical Park leading up to the Amber Museum. The museum resides in the Tyszkiewicz Palace which was the summer home of the Tyszkiewicz Family. It was built in 1897 and was handed down through the family until the last owner fled the Russian occupation in WWII. He fled to Sweden then the USA. Note the robo lawn mower in the right lower corner.

The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was unique with the red brick also continuing on the inside as an accent. It is the tallest building in Polanga with the spire 24 meters in height. 85% of Lithuanians are Catholic.

Wednesday July 5, 2023

Riga Latvia: We took a bus and walk tour around the city. We ended up walking back to the ship as we lost our tour guide. Riga was founded in 1201 and like Lithuania... during the Russian occupation thousands of the intellectuals and their families were killed or shipped to Siberia. Riga has one of the largest collections of Art Nouveau buildings in the world. It sits on both banks of the Daugava River.

Town Hall Square with St. Roland which symbolizes justice and the cities independence.

The House of Black Heads built in 1334 as a meeting place. The Black heads were the young, unmarried merchants, goldsmiths and ship captains.

Freedom monument symbolizes Latvia's independence and national unity built in 1935. It is dedicated to the soldiers who died in the battle of Latvia's independence.

Riga Castle was built in 1201 and has been the residence of the President since 1922 with the exception of the 50 years of Russian occupation. Latvia just elected a new president who will take office later this month. The President's flag is flying signifying that the President is currently in Country.

The Latvian flag has been the same for centuries. It is said that a wounded soldier wrapped himself in a white sheet and continued fighting. The red on either side symbolizes his blood.

Thursday July 6, 2023

Tallinn is the capital city of Estonia. It is located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea.

The town is one of the best-preserved medieval cities in Europe.

Toompea Loss, is located on the highest point of the city. It is home to the Estonia parliament.

This medieval castle, Taani Kuninga aed was the courtyard of Danish King. The towers are all still used for concerts and functions.

Obligatory Selfie just because! My hand is up because I am trying to keep my hair from blowing away.

The Russian Orthodox Church sits across the street from the Parliament.

Maarjamae Palace is now a museum. It was built by a wealthy count, Anatoli Orlov-Davydov as a summer manor around 1874.

Jim had to try out the family car

Behind the museum statues from the Russian occupation are kept in order to not forget. Our guide was visibly affected by looking at these objects as she said "murderers". No Russian love here in Estonia.

We traveled to the countryside to visit Liimock Farm. The owner is 63 years old and was born on the property. His grandfather owned the farm and built the buildings. It was a large cattle, wheat and produce farm. When the Russian occupation began, the farm was taken from him but he was allowed to remain on the property and continue the business with proceeds going to the Russian government. When Grandpa died, his grandmother was evicted from the property without any means of income.

This is a picture of the grandparents with one of their bulls. It is on the wall in the upstairs bedroom.

The grandson was able to have the land returned after independence in 1991. He did have to buy the buildings back even though they had not been cared for with trees falling and caving in the roofs and now a forest. He decided to renovate in 2017 and turned the old home into a duplex, the cattle barn into a social hall and the old wheat threshing building into a restaurant. The walls are the original stone.

The house built in 1911 still has the date and initials. The renovations have made it into a wedding and event venue.

This is the great room for one of the apartments. The house has 3 floors with 2 bedrooms and the bathroom has a sauna in it.

This is the other side of the duplex.

The owner served us homemade pizza from his wood burning oven that was delicious.

He also served his home made "beer" from cranberries that tasted like a wine cooler and home-made rhubarb tea.

Loved the hand-made table with use of the forest that was cleared to renovate.

Friday July 7, 2023

Today we were scheduled to arrive in Visby, Sweden. Visby is located on the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea. Unfortunately, it was not safe to dock again. Another day at sea!

Saturday July 8, 2023

Turku, Finland was founded almost 800 years ago. We visited Turku Castle built from the 13th century. We toured the medieval part but there is another part that was built in the Renascence period.

Turku Cathedral is a medieval basilica and the Mother Church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. It is considered to be the most important religious building in Finland.

Handicraft museum, Luostarinmäki, consists of 14 courtyards with 80 interiors and five themed exhibitions. Jim bought postcards and sent them from the post office.

Sunday July 9, 2023

Helsinki is the capital of Finland. It was a bit rainy today requiring a hat! This sign was outside of the public library. It offered a lot of options including sewing machines, 3D printers, sports equipment and the usual library things.

The Senate Square is the oldest part of central Helsinki. Surrounding the square are the Helsinki Cathedral, The Government Palace, University of Helsinki and the Sederholm house from 1757.

Sibelius Monument is an abstract work thought to be an organ piece. It was designed and built in 1967 by Eila Hiltunen called Passio Musicae.

The architecture in Finland is unique with many buildings designed to look like castles.

My favorite thing in Helsinki is the Rock Church. It was designed by architects and brothers Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen and completed in 1969. It is built directly into solid rock.

The inside was excavated and built directly out of solid rock. The natural light enters through the skiylight surrounding the center copper dome.

The Altar is simple but powerful

We played trivia every night and teamed up with our block party neighbors. We managed to win almost every night. Unlike other cruises...they gave points for podium winners. We then exchanged our points at the end of the cruise for 2 nice Regent wind breaker jackets.