What To Do in a Foreign City?
Posted by Max Dunn Tue, 08 Aug 2006 17:20:44 GMT | 1 comment
On this cruise, I am still trying to figure out what we should actually be doing in a foreign city.
Boring, boring, boring
Posted by Max Dunn Tue, 08 Aug 2006 16:22:10 GMT | 3 comments
I am a pessimist. Let me get that out of the way so we can avoid the criticisms and evil glances that this next comment will generate. The comment I would like to make is this: Often I am finding at sea days on this cruise to be boring, boring, boring.
Day 13, Mon Aug 7th, Day at Sea
Posted by Max Dunn Tue, 08 Aug 2006 16:18:43 GMT | no comments
(Suzanne) Yeah, we finally got to sleep in! It was a “nothing” day today as we sailed towards Germany so we slowly got up, had breakfast and literally said bye to the kids (they wanted to hang with their friends in the Fun Factory). We didn’t do much – read, ate, read, jacuzzi, ate, read (we did check on the kids every now and then).
The highlights of the day? Well we finally had our lobster night at dinner (yummy) and the show tonight was a taste of Cirque du Soleil, which consisted of a 40 minute show from Allegria with 4 acts. It was the best show on a ship that we’ve seen, maybe because it was Cirque du Soleil and their shows are always spectacular. We had second row seats, we could experience everything – every movement, every facial expression, the detailing of their costumes, etc.
Day 12, Sunday, August 6th, Stockholm Sweden
Posted by Max Dunn Tue, 08 Aug 2006 16:16:44 GMT | no comments
(Suzanne) It is our second day in Stockholm. We got a late start this morning and finally headed toward the end of the pier where the Hop On Hop Off boats pick you up (yes, they have boats too). Our plan today was to take the tour on the water this time since we had Claire. It took you to Old Town, the Stockholm Palace, the central downtown area, Vasa Museum (which houses an old Viking ship that sunk 20 minutes into its maiden voyage), and Grona Lund (Sweden’s oldest amusement park).
Day 11, Saturday Aug 5th, Stockholm Sweden
Posted by Max Dunn Sat, 05 Aug 2006 10:13:58 GMT | 4 comments
(Suzanne) It was around 4:20a when the room started to get bright. I left the curtains open last night to let the natural light come into our stateroom. By 4:45a, the sun was peering in. I’m outside now, wrapped in my blanket. It’s not quite 5a. I came out to our balcony to watch the sun rise and to see what was around us. We were told that we will be navigating through the Northern Stockholm Archipelago from 4:30a until arrival at 9a and it’s supposed to be spectacular
Day 10, Friday Aug 4th, Helsinki Finland
Posted by Max Dunn Sat, 05 Aug 2006 10:12:36 GMT | no comments
(Suzanne) We woke up this morning with the port of Helsinki outside our window. It’s a beautiful day so far, a lot different than what we had left back in St Petersburg. Since we had a successful day with the kids in St Petersburg, we thought we try again. Besides, not very many people go to Finland and the only time we really hear about them is during the Winter Olympics. I was actually excited to see it because I studied a lot of buildings built there in an architectural history class and it was the home of Alvar Aalto (Finland’s version of Frank Lloyd Wright).
Day 9, Thursday Aug 3rd, St Petersburg Russia
Posted by Max Dunn Sat, 05 Aug 2006 10:11:29 GMT | no comments
(Suzanne) After leaving the kids on the ship yesterday, we decided to try taking them into St Petersburg so they could have a taste of Russia. We were also determined to get into the city once again so we could deliver the wine that we forgot yesterday to Eugene and Luba. But, as usual, I hadn’t booked any excursion yet so we were scrounging around the pier in the afternoon to see what we could get on. Nevertheless, we ended up going on a panoramic city tour which actually ended up being the best choice for the kids because they didn’t have to walk much and the weather was kind of cold and a little rainy.
Hermitage in 2 hours
Posted by Max Dunn Fri, 04 Aug 2006 12:09:07 GMT | no comments
We went through the Hermitage Museum in two hours today. There are a thousand rooms in the Hermitage and you would probably need to spend two hours in each one to get the full impact. Even the ceilings in many of the rooms were so fantastic that I always made it a point of looking up when I first entered each room.
Day 8 Wednesday, Aug 2 St Petersburg, Russia
Posted by Max Dunn Fri, 04 Aug 2006 11:57:33 GMT | 1 comment
(Suzanne) Today was our first of two days in St. Petersburg, Russia. Our main goal in Russia was to visit our friends, Eugene and Luba. Since we booked this trip at the last minute and procrastinated in getting visas (you must have a visa if you want to get off the ship), it seemed like the opportunity to see them wasn’t going to happen unless we booked an excursion on the ship (where you’re covered on a blanket visa) in order to get into town. So, at the last minute, we booked a Hermitage tour without the kids. The kids stayed on the ship in the Fun Factory (they were happy about this after the Estonia trek) while we took the tour.
Day 7 Tuesday, Aug 1 Tallinn, Estonia
Posted by Max Dunn Fri, 04 Aug 2006 11:39:29 GMT | no comments
(Suzanne) Today we reached our first port of call—Tallinn, Estonia. After 2 days at sea, we were excited to get on land. We ended up buying Tallinn City Tour tickets at the end of the pier from these 2 girls who didn’t look over 16 years old and spoke very good English. It was an hour long tour that took you around the city with a pre-recorded voice that told you about it’s sights and history. The best thing about it is that it had various stops so you can get on and off whenever you want. Great, we thought…we can get off on the first stop and find an Internet cafe to retrieve our mail, etc and then continue on the tour. On top of that, the kids won’t have to walk so much. Happy kids make very happy parents.
