More of St. Petersburg

Day 2 in St. Petersburg, Russia

Day 2 in St. Petersburg was spent in the city. Martina was to be our guide and some remarked that she was a pleasant change from Irina. We also liked Irina, though.

We first went to St. Isaac's Cathedral. When you see all the "onions" atop the building in the travel brochures, it's St. Isaac's. It's the world's third largest domed cathedral and took 40 years to build.

And, one would think from those travel brochures that all their buildings look like that. Far from it.

We weren't able to go inside, but spent much time taking photos.

St. Petersburg is known as the Venice of the North because it's built on many islands that are connected by many bridges.

After some souvenir shopping and lunch in a brewery, we visited the Hermitage Museum in the afternoon, which is housed in the green and white Winter Palace . It contains one of the world's most important art collections. This was once the tsar's family residence.

The crowds were almost overwhelming! Masses of humanity. When it came time to leave, we ended up with several more passengers on our bus than when we began the day. Separations happen in crowds that huge. One stray was a cruise ship escort who'd lost her group when she went to the ladies' room. Two other ladies had lost their group - and we tried to help a young woman who'd lost her Holland America cruise group. The bus drivers seemed more than willing to help get everyone where they needed to go, whether it was our ship or another one.

Times are not great, economically, in Russia these days. Unemployment is high and so are prices. In many cities our guides told us of immigrants who came looking for work that just wasn't there. The Euro is now worth approximately 1 1/3 times what the dollar is worth. It didn't make shopping very fun, that's for sure. We were told that Russian must-have souvenirs were the Matroyshka (I'm too lazy to go and look up the proper spelling) dolls that are stacked one inside the other inside the other inside the other, etc. They can range in price from a few Euro to thousands of Euro, depending upon the artistry of the maker. Also, the black enamel boxes, vodka, Faberge eggs (way out of our league) and other kinds of decorated eggs.

Back on board ship I headed down to the jewelry and gift shops area for the raffle drawing after dinner. The prize was a black enameled box made by an artist. And, I WON IT!!!!!! YAY!

The first sea day after St. Petersburg was Thursday, after our port day in Tallinn, Estonia, and it featured the 10,000 item Russian Bazaar shopping extravaganza. Igor advised all to get there at 8:30, as the doors opened officially at 9:00 A.M. I was there! So was the man who'd won the Faberge Christmas ornament a few nights earlier. We were the only 2 people there, so had a nice visit for the following half hour. He and his wife live in Florida - and commented that there are a lot of low-lifes moving into Florida these days as well.

We didn't buy much at the bazaar. Souvenirs for people back home mostly.

Two Days in St. Petersburg

Day 1 in St. Petersburg was the most strenuous of the entire cruise. We got on the tour bus early and headed for the Peterhof and Pushkin summer palaces. Cascading fountains and lavish gardens, plus the recently reconstructed amber room - said to be identical to the original. The original is still missing. It was given as a gift long ago to someone who admired it. It was the custom to give away priceless objects, etc. to those of higher stature who admired them. I'll bet it also became the custom to "hide the silver" when people came to visit.

Our guide, Irina, was a formidable woman. A university professor during the school year, she put up with no nonsense from her tourists. The cruise ship's escorts immediately were the recipients of her wrath and rightly so. Instead of doing their jobs of keeping us all together, they were off buying souvenirs.

Irina had lots of stories to tell, so many that I can't keep them all straight. Let's just say that there were lots of scandals, back-stabbing, plotting, etc. among the royal families. They certainly weren't dull! And, they had a lot of gold and liked to decorate with it.

After touring the Peterhof and gardens, we ate lunch on the grounds. Our table companions were Rich and Cathy, physicians from New York, their parents (Cathy's, I believe) and their three children. Chicken Kiev was the main course, I believe.

On to Catherine's palace. At the Peterhof, we arrived early and were the first tour of the day! Not so at Catherine's. LONG lines. We waited. It was a Tuesday and the museums had been closed on Monday. LOTS of people. Finally we got in and saw the enormous palace. In the pictures, this one is the blue one.

On the way back to the ship, we encountered traffic and a construction slow-down. Finally, we got there at 6:00. We barely had time to change clothes for our evening at the ballet. At 6:45 we boarded another bus with the others who'd also signed up for the ballet. Later we learned that some who were scheduled to go decided to rest onboard ship instead. Seriously!!!???

We saw Swan Lake as performed by the Russian Ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia. I think Larry and I both agree that it was the trip's highlight. Absolutely awesome. The theater itself was not that large. It was decorated white with gold trim and we sat in chairs on the main floor. On both sides were many boxes on many different levels. At intermission we went upstairs for our complimentary champagne.

The ballet was beautifully performed. The male lead reminded me of Derek Hough of Dancing with the Stars. The sets were spectacular. Larry had brought his binoculars, so we were able to see everything clearly. Before our arrival, the guide told us to pay close attention to the black swan who would spin on her one foot (toes) for 32 turns without touching the floor with her other foot. We counted and it was - 32 turns!

Arrival back at the ship was around 11:30 or so. Most of us immediately headed up to the buffet to see what was available to eat. I felt no guilt whatsoever for taking the last slice of pepperoni pizza!

More from St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg Continued

St. Petersburg

Sights of Helsinki and Porvoo

Full Speed Ahead

We were now on our second of five consecutive days of shore excursions. Helsinki, Finland, and our bus trip to the countryside for sightseeing and lunch. Beautiful country for sure!

Porvoo was our first stop, a delightful village where we browsed along two streets. Larry found a local artist who was selling his wares and decided his works would be perfect souvenirs. Now I'll know whether or not the recipients ever read this blog... I loved the store that sold home items and YARN. I just drooled over it, but didn't buy. I did get a pendant and earring set in what looks like red turquoise.

Lunch was held in a converted distillery and we were not alone. Other tour buses joined us and we sat with Mary and Marlene (sisters-in-law) from Texas near Livingston. We know Airstreamers who live in Livingston. Larry and I were forgotten by the waitress and Marlene insisted she would be in charge of making sure we were served. It was the social worker in her she claimed!

Back to Helsinki and I'll have to get back into iPhoto to jog my memory as to what we did next.

We first visited the Rock Church, which was really beautiful. It was built right into the rocks in the downtown area. Lutheran, of course! Then we visited the city square and got in some more shopping before heading back to the ship for dinner.

Stockholm and Sigtuna

After a sea day, it was on to Stockholm and our tour of the city and small village of Sigtuna. This was a very short day in port, so we got an early start and headed for the Old Town Square for a walk. Our guide did point out various shops where we could do some shopping, but did not allow us any time for that! Probably just as well, since the Euro is worth far more than the U.S. dollar these days.

To complicate things a bit, there was a large Gay Pride Parade taking place, so our bus driver and tour guide had to plan our itinerary around the route the parade would be taking. I think we got to see a lot of extra scenery as a result.

Sigtuna had an ancient rock church and some Viking ship remains. One ship has been turned into a sandbox for children. I don't think I would want to sail the ocean in one! This was the one tour that did not include lunch, so we ended up having ice cream. There wasn't much time for anything else. Besides, they did not accept Euro in Sigtuna in all places.

Back in Stockholm we visited the Vasa Museum. It was built around an enormous Viking ship that sank on its maiden voyage in 1628. In 1961 it was salvaged and the new and present museum housing it was opened in 1990. This is a must-see attraction for visitors in Stockholm.

Since we sailed early, it was back to the ship with the bus taking us all around the city - due to the Gay Pride Parade and traffic.

Port of Warnemunde and Train Ride to Berlin (and Back)

Warnemunde was our first port visit and we had long before signed up for the special package tour that basically monopolized our every minute while in the ports.

Berlin was the destination by train of the first tour. We rode 3 hours each way, sitting in a small compartment with another couple, Uris and Tonya, from Belgium. They were on the cruise to celebrate their 20th anniversary, which actually was in April. Uris is a banker and they have two children, a son (18) and daughter (15), who did not accompany them on the cruise.

We had a great visit with them both ways, but were on separate tours while in Berlin, so were also able to discuss our tours on the way back. The train attendant was also fun to visit with. She'd been an exchange student in Virginia while in high school and was well-acquainted with our American senses of humor. She could dish it as well as take it!

The bus took us to the portion of the wall that is still standing - as a reminder and work of art.

Checkpoint Charlie and the Brandenburg Gate and a museum were also on the agenda. Lunch was at a fine hotel and our dinner companions were other Americans. We later were able to shop for a bit in the shopping area of the city. Larry and I shared an ice cream cup before getting back on the bus.

It did rain a bit while in Berlin, especially as we left the bus for the train upon our return. Everyone got pretty drenched in a very short amount of time.

Cruise of Baltic Sea on Celebrity Constellation

Our cruise officially began on August 2, 2011 after a flight from Sacramento to Minneapolis to Amsterdam. Looking back, it was a very pleasant trip. Upon our arrival, a transfer bus took us to the ship from the airport. It was a little interesting to see how that transpired. Cruise representatives simply rounded up the latest group of arrivals and herded them out to awaiting buses and then began negotiations. When we got to the cruise terminal, the bus took a wrong turn and then had to turn around. The turning radius capabilities are amazing.

We got ourselves checked in and then made our way to the buffet. We learned that trick on the last cruise. It's usually quite awhile before the luggage is delivered to the rooms, so what better activity than eating?

Our room had a great location - 9th deck aft, just below the aforementioned buffet! It seemed a shame to waste all that balcony space on just the two of us, but we did certainly enjoy it.

The ship's activities were similar to those of our previous cruises (all two of them). On our first cruise last September, we were the recipients of a special program where we were selected by our travel agents to experience elite status for the duration of that cruise. We were probably guinea pigs to see if we thought the program worth striving for. Was it ever! At the end of the cruise we were kicked back to beginners' level and are now slowly clawing our way back up to elite! Lots of freebies and perks for elite that we want to enjoy again!

This was our first cruise alone. A few days ago one woman made a comment about all the quality time with her husband. I can certainly relate. And, we would love for others to join us on our next cruise to Panama. Celebrity Infinity leaving Fort Lauderdale on March 26. So far, only our waiter, Jose, will be joining us that we know of.

Scenes From Moab