Northern Europe – Page 2 – Destination NOW

Berlin or Rostock and Warnemunde?

Berlin showed up on our Viking itinerary as one of the ports of call. Geography never was my strong suit, but even I knew that Berlin has no oceanfront property. Although Viking arranged free transportation by train to Berlin, we decided that we didn’t want to spend approximately 6 hours traveling back and forth. Besides, we will probably never get back to Rostock and Warnemunde, but a few days in Berlin may indeed be in our future.

We did not regret our decision. Our day started with a German breakfast of pretzels and “liquid gold”, the German invention we Americans call beer.

Our brewery tour included a choice of light or dark beer.

Our guide, Enrico, shared lots of fun facts about 9th century beer consumption:

Beer was given to children because it was cleaner than the available water
It was drunk warm, like soup from a bowl
The monks consumed beer during their fasts; apparently it didn’t count because you didn’t chew it?
Beer was also thought of as liquid bread.

Fast forward to modern times:

Germans consume approximately 30 gallons of beer per person per year.
You can buy beer anywhere and consume it anywhere. It is okay to be intoxicated in public, just as long as you don’t do something stupid. (A drunk person doing something stupid? How often does THAT happen?)
Beer isn’t taxed, and the drinking age is 16. Sorry kiddies–that’s the down side of having access to clean water.
The last two weeks of September is Oktoberfest in Munich, where the locals don their Bavarian costumes and yodel a lot. If Enrico explained why Oktoberfest occurred in September, I have completely forgotten it. That’s what happens when you write a post months after a trip occurred!
The beer labels at this brewery were quite interesting

p1160648 — Clearly this beer is not one that would be a huge success in the USA

Next stop was the lovely little town of Rostock, formerly part of East Germany. Enrico told us that on November 9, 1989, the citizens of Rostock danced on the wall in celebration of the peaceful revolution. Germans commemorate October 3rd, 1990 as their reunification date, with a festival at the Brandenburg Gate.

We didn’t see the Brandenburg Gate on THIS trip, but we DID see Rostock’s Stone Gate.

Enrico pointed out that there are no pigeons hanging out in this particular tower. The reason? The bricks were drenched with bulls’ blood. Why that makes a difference, I don’t know. I also don’t know whether cow’s blood–or any other animal’s blood would also do the trick. After my beer breakfast, my mind wasn’t sharp enough to ask such insightful questions.

Other highlights of Rostock were its public University

p1160675 — Enrico in front of Rostock University, which was established in 1419.

Its lovely town square, surrounded by beautiful medieval buildings,

and playful fountains.

Kids enjoying the fountain in the town square

The Germans, like many Europeans, have a more open attitude about bodies and sexuality, as demonstrated by this bench in the fountain. (Yes indeed, it was IN the fountain)

What better way to follow up our time by the fountain than with a visit to St. Mary’s Church? Construction of this church initially took place in the 13th century, with renovations and restorations repairing subsequent damage that war and religious differences wreaked.

p1160715 — This was the first time we saw a ship dangling from a church ceiling, but it wasn’t the last.

p1000540 — This clock inside St. Mary’s Church is incredible. The craftsman ship is amazing. So much detail!

We were fortunate to have a guide who is getting his degree in education. And what a wonderful teacher he will be. He shared information about German culture and society. Food in German is inexpensive, education is free and health care is free. The state pays 185 Euros per child per month to parents. All this is funded by a 35% income tax, with additional funding from taxes generated by exports.

One of the advantages of travel is learning how different societies address their problems. Enrico’s thesis is on what he termed America’s fascination with guns. As a contrast, he explained that 95% of the German police never fire their guns during their entire career. When they do, they aim for the culprit’s leg.

Our return to Warnemunde was via a ferry. Although the weather wasn’t the best, we wandered around this little seaside town, enjoying the sights.

With skies like these, we decided not to linger

The best part of our decision to stay local was we had the rest of the afternoon to enjoy the beautiful Viking ship. We were welcomed back with open arms, and with glasses of champagne.

Another bonus? It was easy to get a reservation at The Chef’s Table, our favorite specialty restaurant.

Okay, just ONE food photo. This first of five courses, beef carpaccio, gives you an idea of the artistry of the Chef’s Table’s offerings. And yes, that red goblet by the plate is indeed a paired wine.

Because we weren’t exhausted from a long trip to Berlin, we had enough energy to visit Torshaven, Viking’s cozy little nightclub. Here’s the band belting out some Gloria Estevan songs that they learned at the request of our friend, Jeanne.

Gdynia and Gdansk, Poland

Our Viking tour had us scheduled for only a half day in Poland. We docked in Gdynia, which just happened to be the departure port for my husband’s grandmother, who was pregnant with his mother when she left Poland in 1923, searching for a better life in the USA. So that was kinda cool.

The tour choices were limited–a free city tour of Gdansk, or the optional tours to Stutthof Concentration Camp or Malbork Castle. Given that we had never been to Poland before, we chose the Gdansk city tour.

I’ll confess that I didn’t expect much. Squished between the two warring superpowers of Germany and Russia, it had been a battleground more times than I cared to count. Here’s what Gdansk looked like in 1945, after the Russians got through with it.

First surprise was the 45 minute ride to Gdansk. The main road was clean and green, with lovely trees, flowers and public buildings along the way. We stopped briefly at the Oliwa Cathedral, (which didn’t much impress me), drove by Lech Walesa’s house (I don’t think he was home), then arrived at the city that for a brief period was known as Danzig. (Until we arrived there I hadn’t made the connection. I really should have paid closer attention in World History, Freshman year.)

“Amazed” doesn’t quite capture what I felt when I saw how this city had been restored to its former glory. It is incredibly beautiful!

I love the pedestrian walkways in the old section of the city.

It was not too crowded, because it was relatively early on a Sunday morning

I also wasn’t aware that Daniel Farenheit was born in Gdansk– are we starting to see a trend here? In my defense, however, he lived most of his life in the Dutch Republic. Still, Gdansk is where he got his start and the city is rightfully proud of him.

Another of Gdansk’s claims to fame is the 14th century human powered crane that was used to load and unload cargo, and is still in working condition. If you walk along the river, you will come to the brick building that houses the crane and its giant treadmill.

scale-mill — Here’s a scale model of the crane, the way it would appear from the river, a vantage point I didn’t have for my photographs.

Workers would be strutting their stuff, inside this giant wheel shaped treadmill, which powered the crane. Am I the only one that sees a great opportunity for an exercise video? Just add music and spandex!

I loved the architecture–the attention to detail. Check out these beautiful buildings.

bldg — The building fas seen from a distance

The scales of justice appear atop several buildings

Everywhere you looked, you saw something beautiful. Even the sewer covers were artistic! If you click on the individual photos you should be able to get it to enlarge.

p1160579 — This restored building was originally built in 1605.

And if you don’t think all of this is pretty bloody amazing, take another look at the 1945 photo to see the city after the Russians got through bombing it to kingdom come. The Poles have a lot to be proud of. (And I have a lot of Polish friends and relatives!)

Despite being well fed on the ship, we stopped in a little outdoor cafe, where I had the most incredible hot fudge sundae EVER. Now I’m regretting not taking a picture of it — it was so gorgeous, not to mention delicious. Oh well, you’ll just have to trust me on that one–till you can visit Gdansk and experience it for yourself.

One last sight before I end this post. Neptune’s fountain. It is definitely worthy of multiple views.

One thing about the free Viking tours–it truly is the luck of the draw. We drove right by the Solidarity Monument without stopping. Friends that were on a later tour were able to get off the bus for a closer look, something that I would have liked to have done.

The take away? I have a much greater appreciation for Poland and all it has to offer. The great thing about a cruise is it helps you identify the places you want to visit again and linger.

Tallinn, Estonia

Tallinn was the perfect respite from the opulence and grandeur of St. Petersburg. We boarded a bus early in the morning for Viking’s included walking tour of the old town. Our ship wasn’t scheduled to depart until 9 PM that evening, so my thinking was that the tour would give us an overview and we would return later to visit the sights that most interested us. At least that was the initial plan.

I don’t know whether it was the dreary weather, or the lingering effects of sensory overload from St. Petersburg, but after the tour concluded, WE concluded that the afternoon would be best spent partaking in some of the delights aboard our lovely ship. Still, we have a few photos to share:

Notice the umbrellas in the foreground. It rained off and on during the tour.

View of the medieval "lower town" from a lookout in the "upper town". — View of the medieval “lower town” from a lookout in the “upper town”.

Cars and buses are not allowed inside Tallinn’s old town, so we followed the city wall down the hill to the town square,

where we found an abundance of shops, cafes, and a medieval pharmacy, which is still in operation today.

P1000489 — We didn’t need to replenish our supply of wood louse infusions, earthworms in oil, or dried deer penises, so we left the pharmacy empty handed.

The Estonians seem to like three dimensional advertising. Here are just a few examples.

I loved the fire breathing dragon with the crown on his head, and the maiden advertising the “super sale”? She had lots of similarly attired companions scattered throughout the square.

That evening, we had dinner at one of Viking’s specialty restaurants, The Chef’s Table. This is a five course fixed menu, with wine pairings. That evening we enjoyed the “Asian Panorama” menu. The fixed menus change every three days, and we sampled three of them!

We started with chilled king crab made with coconut foam and curry, followed by lobster and chicken shu mai, which was a soft dumpling. Now ordinarily, I am not a fan of either of those seafood items, but these were delicious.

Next up was a lemongrass and red chili granita with lychee foam (there was a whole lot of foaming in this restaurant), followed by the main course–Peking duck with a mandarin pancake. Dessert was an Asian trilogy of chocolate banana spring roll, green tea cheesecake and yuzu creme brulee.

Unfortunately, I didn’t photograph the food–I was way too busy eating, drinking and talking, but if I had, you would have seen that the portions weren’t huge. At the end of the meal we were satisfied, not stuffed!

P1000494 — Our happy traveling companions, at the end of our dinner, after lots of wine!

Helsinki

Usually my blog functions as a substitute for postcards. It is a way to stay connected with family and friends–a way for them to share in the wonder and excitement of travel without enduring the long plane rides, jet lag, and other miscellaneous discomforts of life on the road.

For this cruise, however, the free wifi was not robust enough to allow photo uploads. Being a very visual person, I saw no point in posting without photos. So, now that I’m home, I’m playing catch up. These postcards were way delayed! But maybe my posts will be helpful to anyone that is considering the Viking Homelands cruise, or might be touring any of the Baltic ports we visited.

Now about Helsinki…

Helsinki was the perfect respite between the two sensory overload ports of Stockholm and St. Petersburg. We took the included Viking tour, which was a morning bus trip with three stops. And that was enough for us.

First stop was the Sibelius monument, which consists of 600 welded stainless steel tubes,

P1160186 — The individual pipes really are quite spectacular

and a bust of the composer.

P1160182 — Is it just me, or does it look like he’s been beheaded and impaled?

The guide told us that Sibelius’s bust had seven wrinkles–one for each of his symphonies. I wasn’t able to verify, but I’m not so sure I like that way of displaying accomplishments. If that were the universal yardstick, I’m either way behind with achievements or way ahead with wrinkles.

Our guide told us that when Sibelius died in 1957, at the age of 91, the US Embassy was the only one to have a moment of silence in his honor. Nicely done, USA.

Next up, the Rock Church, which is not its real name, but its real name is long, hard to spell, and not as descriptive. So here’s the story: two brothers got the bright idea to hollow out an enormous hunk of granite, turning it into, of all things, a church. Lo and behold, their idea was the competition winner. After four years of applications, permits and paperwork, plus one year of construction, the church was completed. And here you have it.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Our final stop was at Senate Square, where Russian Tsar Alexander ll stands, with the Finnish constitution in his hand and a bird atop his head (Just so you know, the bird is not a permanent part of the statue). He was quite beloved in Finland, much more so than in Russia, where he was assassinated after freeing the slaves, providing an example of common ground between Russia and the USA.

Behind him is the Lutheran Church, which we opted not to visit. Did you see all those steps? Instead, we stopped inside the tourist information center, where we discovered this promotional brochure from a Finnish company.

Okay, I’ll admit it. I was completely taken in by this brochure, and thought that
1. the company was real, and 2. that it had an amazing sense of humor.

Being a curious soul and having access to the internet, I decided to check this company out and discovered that it is actually fictional — the work of Finnish painter and sculptor Alvar Gullichsen. I wish I’d known that when we were in Helsinki. I would have explored that yellow building in the background, rather than posing for a color coordinated photo.

Stockholm: Three Days, Ten Highlights

Ahhh, Stockholm–there is so much to love about you! It’s a nice place to visit and I definitely would like to live here, but only in the summer. Arriving two days before we were scheduled to board the Viking Star was a very good decision indeed.

I haven’t done a numbered list in a while, so don’t you think it is time? Why not throw out 10 somewhat random reasons to love the city? There clearly are many, many more, but hey, we were a bit jet lagged and at our age, it is all about quality time. (Or was “quality time” what I told myself our kid was getting so I didn’t feel guilty about being a working mom? Doesn’t matter –both apply.)

1. THE INHABITANTS
Everyone speaks English, and they do so willingly and cheerfully, without trying to make you feel stupid for being uni-lingual.

Boston Grill in Stockholm? They also had a TGI Fridays and a Texas Longhorn Steakhouse. We ate at none of them!

2. THE MASS TRANSIT SYSTEM
Mass transit is easy to decipher, affordable, and appears to run constantly. We rarely had to wait more than 5 minutes, frequently less. Thanks to Rick Steves, we knew we should get the SL card, which was sold at Arlanda Airport. For about $16 (the Senior rate), we got a card good for 72 hours worth of rides on all modes of transportation: T-Bana, ferries and buses. When we departed, we still had 4 hours remaining, so we gave our cards (yes they are transferable) to our friends. What a deal!

Our friends, Edie and Ayhan, displaying the magic card as they get ready to board.

3. GAMLA STAN, THE OLD CITY
The old town is absolutely charming. During the ’80s the government wanted to demolish the old buildings, replacing them with concrete and steel skyscrapers. Fortunately, the citizenry protested vigorously, and the idea was abandoned. Good thing, wouldn’t your say?

In this square, Swedish leaders were beheaded by the Danes. The son of one of the victims escaped, led a successful revolution and became Sweden's first king. — In this square, Swedish leaders were beheaded by the Danes. The son of one of the victims escaped, led a successful revolution and became Sweden’s first king.

Tourists trying to distract the guard at the palace

We followed part of Rick’s recommended walk, but after about 5 minutes worth of the Changing of the Guard, we’d had enough. My assessment? I wish we’d chosen another activity, like visiting the Nobel Museum. The Changing of the Guard consumed far too much time. It starts around noon, but you have to get their early enough to be able to see anything, especially if you want a bench in the shade. Benches were occupied, so we grabbed a column with a pedestal that we climbed upon. Even so, this was our view.

p1150962 — It helps to have a good zoom lens

4. THE RIVAL HOTEL

Less than three blocks from the T-Bana, in Sodermalm, this little boutique hotel is ideally located. You can sip wine on the restaurant’s balcony while you watch men play bocce in the park across the street.

The view from the room. Good thing the blinds closed!

We booked directly with the hotel, prepaid 6 months in advance, to get an amazing rate. The room was small, but very comfortable, although I must admit to being mystified by the strategic placement of the bathroom window. This is ONE throne room we didn’t want to view!

5. Kungsträdgärden

Perhaps those long winter months make the Swedes cherish these long, glorious summer days. It looked like EVERYONE was outside on this Saturday night, having a wonderful time.

6. VASA MUSEUM
Can you imagine spending months of your life creating glorious carvings that will ultimately become bulls-eyes for cannonballs? What were they thinking??? Fortunately, this ship was as top heavy as a playboy centerfold, and shortly after setting sail, it flipped on its side, then sank to the bottom of the harbor, where it remained for over 300 years.

The museum is absolutely fascinating, especially for those of us that grew up in a former whaling port. The admission price (It was less than $20), includes a film and a guided tour. I thought “Vasa” was Swedish for boat, because “Vaca” is the Maori word and “Barco” is the Spanish word. But no, the ship was named after Gustav Vasa. He was the son of one of the beheaded victims (at the fountain) who led the revolution against the Danes and became Sweden’s first king.

We used our SL ticket to catch the ferry to Djurgården, and used it again to ride a tram between the Vasa Museum and Skansen.

7. SKANSEN
The Swedes call it an open air museum. WE called it the Swedish version of Plimoth Plantation and Waterloo Village. We had the perfect day and the perfect setting for strolling outdoors.

What kid wouldn't love these? — What kid wouldn’t love these?

A beautiful garden with a beautiful view

8. CITY HALL
You may never win a Nobel prize, but that doesn’t mean you can’t visit the banquet hall and stand on the staircase where the presentations are made. The blue hall (which isn’t blue) is where the prize winners receive applause and a free meal.

Although I have not visited every city hall, I going to proclaim that this is one of the most (if not THE most) glorious one on this planet. The location, the mosaics, the architecture–all breathtaking!

P1160138 — It is hard to capture the beauty of the gold leaf mosaics in a photo. This hall was exquisite.

And if you have any breath left after touring city hall, you can climb #9.

9. CITY HALL TOWER
Timed tickets ensure that the tower is not overcrowded. Yes, it IS 365 steps to get to the top, but it is SO worth the climb to for sn aerial view of Gamla Stan. Wouldn’t you agree? There are nine bells in the tower, and we made sure that we were not standing beneath them when they rang.

365 steps later, this is what we saw. And yes, that is our ship in the distance.

P1160102 — The grounds surrounding city hall, as seen from the tower.

10. FOTOGRAFISKA MUSEUM
Such luck! Our last day in port coincided with our friends’ arrival, allowing us just enough time to meet Edie and Ayhan in Gamla Stan for coffee. Right smack dab on our route to the Viking Star was the Fotografisca Museum, so of course we HAD to stop.

p1160176 — Our ship is reflected in this portrait of Amy Winehouse.

I had no idea that Bryan Adams was a Renaissance man–a musician AND a very talented photographer. I’m betting ( And it’s a petty safe bet) that his access to the celebrities was because of HIS fame. But for me, the most memorable part of the exhibit (and most emotional) were his photos of the British soldiers wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Something tells me this won’t be our last visit to Stockholm!

Viking Homelands Ocean Cruise

Okay, so initially we were planning to celebrate our 40th anniversary in April by traveling to Bhutan, Nepal and Tibet, but as my favorite philosopher once said, “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.”

Mike wasn’t able to make that trip, so instead, we will be celebrating with a Viking Ocean Cruise to the Baltic states. We start in Stockholm and before we end in Bergen, we will have popped into all of the Scandinavian countries, St. Petersburg, Tallinn, Gdansk and Warnemunde. The Viking brochure provided this visual. In addition to celebrating both a birthday and an anniversary, this trip will be special because our friends, Tony and Helen (from Oregon) and Jeanne (from New York), will also be on the cruise.

We have been receiving Viking’s river cruise catalogues for many years, but had never traveled with them. Then, in 2015 they began offering ocean cruises and one had exactly the itinerary we wanted. We had been thinking that we should save cruising for when we were older and not able to do the more strenuous activities like hiking and biking, but after that week of Tibet’s squat toilets, I was more than ready for a little luxury.

All of the cabins have balconies, so the cruise price varies by size of cabin, amenities, initial boarding time, and priority for tour, spa, and specialty restaurant reservations. None of the above was all that important to us, so we went for a lower cost cabin. It just so happens that we prefer a lower deck, toward the center of the ship anyway, because there is less rockin’ and rollin’ in rough seas, and that’s where the less expensive cabins are.

Viking offers one free tour in each port, plus for an additional fee, you can choose among many alternatives. Those alternatives can be a bit pricy so we decided to either opt for the free tour or venture out on our own.

We will be arriving in Stockholm two days before we board the ship. Because we made our own flight arrangements (yes, I am more than a little anal about flight arrangements) and chose not to purchase Viking’s pre-trip package, we will have to get ourselves from airport to hotel, and will be exploring Stockholm on our own. I bought the Kindle edition of Rick Steves’ Northern European Cruise Ports, so that we can access the maps and information from my iPhone. Just the information on Stockholm’s unregulated taxis was probably worth the price of the book!

Cruise Critic’s website had lots of helpful information about several of the ports. One poster gave such detailed information about the Norway ports we will be visiting that I printed out her review and will be taking it with us. Thanks to her, we will be riding the scenic train ride from Flam to Myrdal, then instead of taking the train back down the mountain, we will be renting bikes at the Myrdal cafe and riding to town. Her description of the road down was the deciding factor!

Checking out our ship’s Roll Call on Cruise Critic allowed us to contact others interested in sharing a private tour in St. Petersburg. We also were able to sign up for a “Welcome Aboard” party offered by Viking crew members for Cruise Critic participants (and you become a Cruise Critic participant simply by signing on to their website). Don’t you just love the internet? I hope my upcoming posts will be as helpful to future travelers.

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: