Viking Star 2015 - Day 14

There's a Norwegian saying: "Only one who wanders finds new paths."  This cruise on the Viking Star has had us wandering all over the Baltic Sea region and we certainly have found new paths we would like to follow again.

Our final day opened with the approach to the Stockholm harbor through an amazing archipelago of little rocky islands.  After arrival we joined a city tour to check out the highlights of Stockholm - the royal palace, the city hall where the Nobel prizes are handed out each year, the diplomatic quarter where the United States embassy is located, the waterfront with hundreds of boats, ferries and water taxis.

After lunch we rode a shuttle bus back into the downtown area for a chance to see the sights at street level.  We found the "Queen's Street", a very long pedestrian mall, walked the distance of it and returned to the Parliament buildings for a look at the impressive architecture. And the sun was shining!

Tonight we pack for an early departure in the morning. It will be good to get home.

Viking Star 2015 - Day 13

What a delightful surprise is Helsinki!  The capital city of Finland is surrounded on three sides by the ocean, which is visible from almost any part.

Our day began with a bus tour of the old part of the city, with photo stops at the Lutheran Cathedral church  (built when Finland was under Russian rule, so it has domes like a Russian Orthodox Church), at the memorial for the famous Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (above), and at the "rock church", built into the bedrock so that the chancel and nave are underground. It probably is very serene, but at the time of our visit, it was packed with tourists.

After lunch we took a shuttle bus back to the town center for a stroll along the streets and the outdoor market place. More than the usual souvenirs, vendors offered fruits, vegetables, furs, wool, and items made with reindeer antlers. Further up the streets were big name stores with the usual big name prices.

Back on the ship, which set sail for Sweden at 4 pm, we attended a lecture of the birth of Russian Impressionism by Al Miner, the Captain's farewell reception, and another lecture on "The Future of the Common Market" by Rob Warne.  Later tonight we will hear a concert of the music of that Swedish group "ABBA".

Tomorrow: Stockholm and the end of our cruise.  All good things must come to an end...

Viking Star 2015 - Day 12

The Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg is one of the largest in the world and is a tourist "must see". Jan and I toured this venerable place three years ago with the Viking River cruise. But we heard at that time of a museum repository where were stored items which could not be displayed for lack of space.

So our first tour today was to this Hermitage Repository, where we saw rooms full of icons, paintings by Russian artists, 18th and 19th century furniture stored in warehouse-style, imperial gifts and royal carriages and sleds -- all in temperature and humidity controlled rooms, ready to be moved to special exhibitions or swapped for present museum holdings.  As impressive as the number of items was the technology and security surrounding them. It was worth the trip.

The afternoon tour was to the Russian Museum, housed in Prince Michael Romanoff's former palace.  Its holdings included a vast collection of icons and works by Russian artists - tracing the history of Russian art from the icons to the 19th century realism. Our guide was very knowledgable and led us through the historical transition by showing us representative works from each period.

Our second day was also marked by warmer weather and a good deal of sunshine.  Tonight our ship is on the way to Helsinki, Finland, and we look forward to tomorrow's adventures.

Viking Star 2015 - Day 11

St. Petersburg was built on the orders of Peter the Great because he wanted a seaport in the north, and the Gulf of Finland was convenient. He had to drag nobility and merchants to this new colony but he persevered.

Our visit to this once powerful city, badly damaged by the Germans during WWII, no longer the nation's capital, but now booming again, started with a bus tour of the principal sights including the Church of the Resurrection (above), the harbor and fortress, the Cathedral Church of St. Isaac, a drive past the Hermitage, Peter the Great's statue, to name just a few.  In the "small world" department, our guide was the same person who helped guide our Russian river cruise three years ago.

By the end of the tour the sun had come out in full force, so after lunch we went swimming in the ship's main pool, had a cappuccino in our Explorers Lounge retreat, then enjoyed a three-course dinner in the main restaurant.  Tonight we will enjoy an onboard performance by a soprano and mezzo-soprano from the Marlinsky Theatre.

Tomorrow in St. Petersburg includes a tour of the Hermitage repository (areas holding items not on display) and a second tour, that of the Russian Museum, full of classic and modern Russian art.

Viking Star 2015 - Day 10

We are reaching toward the eastern end of the Gulf of Finland, one of the branches to the Baltic Sea. Soon we will reach St. Petersburg but today our port of call was Tellinn, Estonia.

Estonia is one of the satellite regions of the Soviet Union which gained its independence in 1991.  Tellinn is a beautiful city with medieval fortifications and churches, towers and cobblestone streets, a central square with beer gardens all around. Our guided tour started in the upper old town where the embassies and cathedral are located, then descended to the lower old town where business and commerce is conducted. Tellinn has much to boast about, including being the home of one of the inventors of Skype.

Our time back on the ship was marked by a preview of our coming visit to Helsinki, Finland and the gathering of Viking Explorer Club members - folks like us who had made at least one Viking River cruise. Tonight we will hear another lecture by our social anthropologist on the building of St. Petersburg.  And tomorrow we shall be there.

Viking Star 2015 - Day 9

Today was spent at sea, traveling between Gydinia, Poland and Tallinn, Estonia.  But there was nothing boring about the day.  After sleeping in we enjoyed breakfast at our usual quiet spot in the Explorers Lounge, then were treated to a cooking demonstration by two of the executive chefs onboard.

After lunch we listened to a lecture on the life and work of St. Petersburg's famous jeweler, Carl Fabrege, followed by a preview of our two coming days in that city, followed by a lecture on the history of Russia's true art form: the lacquer box.  Evolving from artisans who created icons, lacquer box artists were originally making Victorian snuff boxes. With the Bolshevik revolution, forbidden to depict religious images, they turned to depicting Russian fairy tales or landscapes. Our lecturer showed us how to determine real lacquer boxes from fakes.

The last lecture of the day was by former diplomat Rob Warne on "Russia as a Superpower?" Then we had dinner at one of the specialty restaurants onboard, a pleasant change from the regular dining rooms.  Our evening ended while writing this in the upper level of the Explorers Lounge while watching the sun set over the Baltic Sea.  Very tranquil!

Viking Star 2015 - Day 8

The trip from Warnemunde, Germany to Gdynia, Poland took several extra hours, so our ship did not dock until 1 pm today.  The morning, however was filled with lectures and a preview of our stop in Estonia two days from now.  First Elizabeth Cassell, our social anthropologist, spoke on "The Beginnings of Russia". Then we were briefed on what expect in Tallinn, Estonia, our port of call. Then Christian Allie, a gemologist, spoke on "Baltic Amber, the ancient gold of the north", with tips on how to determine real amber from fake. The tip: real amber floats in water.

Our tour to Gdansk took place in the afternoon and included a walking tour of the old town, mostly destroyed during WWII and rebuilt. Looking at the vibrant "Long Market" street, once the King's Way, it was hard to imagine the destruction - until the guide pointed out photos of what it had looked like. The area near the old town saw the real beginning of that war when German soldiers invaded Gdansk.

A second highlight of the tour was to see (though only at a distance) the Gdansk shipyard where the workers' movement known as Solidarity began which ultimately led to Polish independence and obliquely to the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Tomorrow we spend the day at sea on our way to Estonia.  Maybe we can sleep late...