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!
Hey Kathy – great pictures and travel log. A nice way for us to see everything!
Love, Cathy
hi, kathy!
frank and i took this cruise in 2003; we celebrated my 50th birthday in oslo. we also thought it was a great cruise, although we found st. petersburg very depressing. it was its 300th anniversary, so there were a lot of “extras” there that would not normally be. the hermitage was great, but we realized on the second day that, up to that point, we hadn’t seen ONE non-tourist smile. after that we watched carefully, and we never did – not people walking on the street, riding in cars/busses/taxis, in the stores or hermitage – no where. sad. a beautiful city, though! i’m glad you had a great cruise; we really did, too! take care, and thanks for posting this!
oops!!! i meant to write fifty-THIRD birthday!!!! (can we spell d-e-n-i-a-l? lol!!!)
Hi Liz,
Interesting take you expressed about St. Petersburg. I felt the unfriendly behavior in places there , but on the whole it was pretty upbeat. I think that the economy and attitude there is improving and has become much more optimistic than you experienced 7 years ago. It was such a depressed country under the communist regime. I feel the youth are bringing the country to a new more positive era. I think the city has beautiful places- but as a whole much too much traffic, congestion and they have a long way to go to make it a real tourist attraction. Thank you for your feedback. Great to hear from you! Kathy
Glad you enjoyed! Love you. KB
Hi Kathy, We enjoyed looking at your Baltic trip pictures and comments and wish we could have been there with you. We, too, loved our 4 days in Amsterdam last year. I’m sure you will find another exciting trip for all of us in the future!
Love, Betty and Gary
PS It was good to see you last Saturday, even if for just a short while. Enjoy your trip to southern California and we’ll see you on your return.
Wow! Nice. Photos are beautiful especially when clicked on to view the larger size. Thank you for sharing your footprints around the world. Looking forward to reading more.
Sincerely,
smw
Hello!
Very nice and interesting report!
I’m happy you enjoyed St. Petersburg part, especially because my company was organizing excursions for your group.
Hope you don’t mind if I share a link to your blog at our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/Tourdeforcetravel/
Best regards!
Kathy,
Sounds like a cruise I want to take! Your pictures are great.
Is Celebrity better than Holland?
I love both cruise lines, but I like the spa and health food bar on Celebrity- so that gives them an extra edge for me.