August, 2010:

I have finally found the time to write about the fabulous cruise we took in August. We went on the Constellation with Celebrity Cruise line.We began our trip in Amsterdam. We took a train from Bruge to Amsterdam on the morning of July 27. It was an easy walk with our luggage from the train station to the ship. We had been in Amsterdam for 4 days in October and really loved this city. Today we said a quick hello and then boarded the ship.

The Celebrity Constellation

The first day we were at sea. On the July 29 we arrived in Warnemunde, Germany. This is a quaint beach town the Europeans often vacation in. We took a train from there to Rostock. In Rostock we walked about town and enjoyed sitting by the central fountain watching the activity there.It was a lovely sunny day.

Entering Warnemunde

The fountain and main square of Rostock

Warnemunde Beach and lighthouse

July 30 was a day at sea. We had great weather and laid by the pool for a while. Love the spa on the Constellation where we could swim indoors and take a sauna. There is a wonderful health food bar where we would eat our breakfast and lunch away from the crowds.

Day 5 of the cruise we arrived in Stockholm. Here we had a morning tour of the city and visited the “Ice Bar”. This is a bar made all from ice! Very cold. We loved Stockholm. I wish I had more time to explore this city more.

View of Stockholm from the City Hall

City street

John in the Ice Bar

Dancing in the Street

We walked the City after our tour and joined the “Pride Parade”. That was a huge parade and very entertaining. We were back on board at 5PM.

Firefighters watching the parade

Aug 1, 2010

Our 40th wedding Anniversary found us in Helsinki, another jewel of a City on our incredible journey . Here we experienced the on and off bus. This was a great way to move about and see all the important sights.

The Uspenski Cathedral

The Lutheran Church

Tonight we had a unbelievable meal in the Ocean Liner Restaurant on board the Constellation. It was the best lobster I ever ate! It was a great way to celebrate our anniversary.

Aug. 2 – St. Petersburg

We spent 2 days in St. Petersburg – Day 1 we took a morning excursion which was a bus tour of the City with a few stops then a walking tour of St. Isaacs. After the tour we took a boat ride and visited the Yusupov Palace. It would take weeks to see all of this grand City. The time we had there we accomplished a lot and enjoyed all the sights.

This church is known to Petersburgers as the Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood - or even just the Church on the Blood - as it marks the spot where Alexander II was fatally wounded in an assassination attempt on March 1, 1881. Designed by Alfred Parland in the style of 16th and 17th-century Russian churches, the Church of the Resurrection provides a stark (some would say jarring) contrast to its surroundings of Baroque, Classical and Modernist architecture.

The Vacation vignette group in front of St. Isaac's Cathedral

The second day in St. Petersburg we visited the Hermitage. We were there 3 hours- you need 3 weeks to see this incredible world of architecture and art. With over 3 million items in its collection, it also definitely rewards repeat visits, and new-comers can only hope to get a brief taste of the riches on offer here, from Impressionist masterpieces to fascinating Oriental treasures. One estimate has it that you would need eleven years to view each exhibit on display for just one minute. We took a tour which just touched the highlights.

Part of the Hermitage

Ceiling in Hermitage

Sculpture in Hermitage

We took a informative and wonderfully relaxing boat ride through St. Petersburg. This gave a a wonderful overview of the lay out of this Grand City.
Although just 300 years old, St. Petersburg has a rich and exciting history, full of dramatic events and major historical figures. Founded in 1703 by Emperor Peter the Great as his “window on the West”, St. Petersburg enjoys a vibrant, cosmopolitan atmosphere and some of the most beautiful architecture in Europe. For those interested in culture and history, St. Petersburg is the perfect holiday destination

Inside the Yusupov Palace

Cathedral of SS Peter and Paul

View from the River

The Mikhailovsky (St Michael's) Castle

Aug. 4-Tallin

Tallin is a very old town and is the capital of Estonia. At the historical and medieval heart of the city is the hill of Toompea, covered in cobbled streets and filled with medieval houses and alleyways.

Entering Tallin

Alexandra Nevski Cathedral- Built at turn of 20th century

Main town square and Farmer market

Walking about town

Aug 5 and 6

We had a day at sea after Tallin which was very relaxing and a nice break after all our touring. In the evening we went out on deck for our sailing under the third largest bridge in the world connecting Sweden and Denmark. It was really pretty all lit up and a gorgeous moon.

Aug. 7 was our last stop – Copenhagen.

We had such a fun day walking Copenhagen. We had wanted to rent bikes , but ended up walking instead and taking a boat ride. Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark, the smallest country in Scandinavia. Famous architects that have worked here include Arne Jacobsen, Jorn Utzon and Henning Larsen. The city is located by the sea on the east coast of Sealand, opposite Sweden. Copenhagen used to be a walled city and the embankments are still visible in Christianshavn.

Entering Copenhagen from the port- St. Alben's Church

John, the fountain and main square

The Opera house with flying roof

colorful canals

Frederikskirken Church Giant, Baroque Marble Church

Church of Our Saviour Church Known For Its Twisted Spire- we climbed to the top

John climbing Spire

View from Top

View from other side

City center

We had such a wonderful day in Copenhagen and I definitely would like to return here some day. I would recommend this Baltic cruise. It covered so many interesting places and was such a wonderful overview of this gorgeous region.

Now the trip is ending and we will be returning home after a day at sea. It is always hard to end a trip like this one, but always wonderful to return home.

Traveling makes me appreciate all we have at home. San Geronimo is one of the prettiest places on earth and  San Francisco will always remain my favorite city. Thank you for looking at my blog and hope you enjoyed the trip!

On July 25 we took a train from Brussels to Bruge. It was a lovely ride and we met a sweet couple from San Francisco. We talked with them the whole way to Bruge. That is one of the joys of traveling. It is so much fun to meet new people and talk about the traveling they have done, the world and all our experiences. It is truly amazing how small the world really is and how we are all interconnected.

We took a taxi to our hotel from the train station. The hotel Navarro was really perfect. Great location, comfortable rooms and a gorgeous dining room where a full breakfast was served as part of the price. Bruge is a tiny Amsterdam with pretty canals, lots of brick buildings and very quaint. We spent the afternoon taking a boat ride on the canals and visiting art galleries. We found a fabulous restaurant called the Grunthusehof. We ate there both nights as it was so delicious with a great atmosphere and reasonable!

Our second day in Bruge we rented bikes and rode everywhere. This is a great biking town. We rode along the canal outside of town passing the countryside of Belgium past windmills, parks and gorgeous homes finally arriving to a wonderful town called Damme. Here we had lunch at a darling cafe, checked out some art galleries and the Church.

Horse drawn Carriage in main square

View while waiting to board our canal boat for ride around town.

Busy streets

View of canal from boat

Our favorite restaurant- The Grunthusehof

A huge fountain as you enter the town of Bruge

The new square with fountain- near the train station

Our view while biking the counryside of Belgium

Bruge- a must visit when in Belgium

We flew to Brussels from Prague. In Brussels we took a taxi to our hotel called the Sandton. This was a modern hotel, fairly new and in a great location.

The vibrant atmosphere of Brussels is enhanced by picturesque medieval streets, lively squares, beautiful boulevards, impressive monuments, spacious parks, cosy cafés, interesting restaurants and an active cultural life.

We could walk to old town and most of the sights were in easy walking or bus distance. We spent 2 days and got tickets for the on and off bus , which was a great way to see everything. Brussels is a gorgeous city and a great walking city. We enjoyed all the sights. The food was excellent.

The Royal Square at night

The Heyseldistrict with the world-famous Atomium, built in 1958 for the world exposition.

The Triumphal Arch

St. Michael's Cathedral

Belgium Chocolate made to order!

A view of the city from the music museum- an incredible exhibit and highly recommended

A toast to Brussels! Great history, people, chocolate, food, wine and a gorgeous City.

Prague Castle grounds

We had a wonderful time visiting Prague. As a Travel Consultant I was able to book with a company that specializes in Prague visits. We had a darling women named Gabriela as our private tour guide for 3 days. She was fantastic and showed us why she loves where she lives so much. We , also , had a private driver named Frank. We enjoyed the history and energy of this city.

Key Prague Tourism Fact: in 1992 the historical centre of Prague, all 866 hectares, was listed in the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage Register.

For more information on Prague go to http://www.pragueexperience.com/information/tourism.asp- it is a great site to look at if you are going to visit.

The Old town square of Prague

The Astronomical Clock, built in to one side of the Old Town Hall Tower, dates from the 15th century.

The Jewish Quarter in Prague - The jewish Cemetary

Crossing the St. Charles Bridge at night. Charles Bridge (Karluv Most) is a 14th century stone bridge linking the two sides of Prague.

John and Kathy with Gabriela - our guide