Pre-cruise
in London ; Dover ,
Oslo , Stockholm , Helsinki , St. Petersburg , Tallinn , Rostock , Copenhagen
WARNING:
This
is a very long journal!
I
have always wanted to go to the Baltics, but my heart is usually in the Mediterranean.
I figured, “Some day.” Well, the plans were set in motion when last July
friends Jeff and Shaun invited Mom and me on this Baltic cruise. We had
met them, along with their wives Robin and Toni, on our 2003 Mediterranean cruise
and had a great time with them. The cost of this cruise was about double
the amount of my European trips, but I felt it was worth the price. And I
would be able to get a taste of the ports without having to have the extra
hotel/transportation/etc. costs.
Mom
had to back out of the trip in March, as she was diagnosed in December with
lung cancer. Up until March, her doctor said she would be able to go with
me on the trip. She had a setback with her chemotherapy and had to cancel
the trip. Everyone was disappointed she couldn’t go, including our new
cruise critic mates. Fortunately, we both purchased trip insurance and
she was able to get all of her money back for the cruise and airline
tickets. Celebrity charged me for the single supplement fee for the cabin
but the insurance reimbursed me.
During
these months of planning, which I love to do, I met many people on the Cruise
Critic web site. It’s a great place to meet fellow cruisers in advance. I
was able to organize a two-day tour with 10 others for our visit to Saint Petersburg , Russia
I
booked my flight with British Airways for my flight to London Heathrow. I
decided to book a morning flight (8:10am) just do see how I would adjust with
the time changes. I figured since I can never sleep on an airplane
anyway, why not fly during the day, and get to the hotel at night and go to
sleep.
Tuesday
May 3rd, 2005 Washington Dulles
Yawn,
it was an early wake up call to get to Dulles 2 hours before the flight.
I packed my bags the night before since there was no time in the morning to do
any final packing. Check in was smooth and quick. The flight was
uneventful. The plane had been de-iced from the previous night’s frost. I
had a row of three seats to myself, as the flight was pretty empty (something
to consider for future flights: take a morning flight). The food wasn’t
that great, but the service was very nice. All the flight attendants were
friendly. I watched a couple of movies to pass the time and read my
travel notes.
Since
the flight arrived around 8:10pm, it took only 20 minutes to walk off the plan,
go through customs, and gather my luggage. I took out some British
Pounds£ at the ATM machine and went to my designated waiting area for my car
service (www.justairports.com) to pick me up. I had booked online and got
a great rate of 32£ (approx $63) with tip. Taxis were estimated at $90
and since I had 3 pieces of luggage, I didn’t want to take the bus or tube.
It
was great driving into the center of London , as
I recognized many sights I had read about, including Harrod’s, Buckingham Palace Trafalgar Square Charing Cross tube. I booked my hotel via priceline
for $100/night plus taxes. For London Thames , but the
train station building blocked my view of the Eye. The room had been
renovated and was decorated in red and cream colors. It was very
elegant. The closet contained a room safe, bathrobe, ample closet space,
and an iron and ironing board. There was also a mini-bar, but I
certainly didn’t use it, as the prices for the drinks were outrageous!
Complimentary bottled water was provided. The a/c drowned out any outside
noise, including the hum of the trains from the station underneath the
building. For the quality, comfort of the room and the price I paid, I
would stay at the Charing Cross again.
Wednesday
May 4, 2005 London , England
I
had a long day of walking around London Thames and there was the London Eye across the
river. I couldn’t believe how huge and high it was! I had plans to
meet friends on Friday to ride the Eye and I wondered how comfortable I would
feel being that high up in one of the pods. I walked along the Thames towards Parliament and Big Ben and took some
photos along the way. There were many tourists around, especially at
Westminster Abbey (http://www.westminster-abbey.org/). I arrived about
10 minutes before the next Verger’s tour of the Abbey (8£). The tour of
11 people lasted about 1.5 hours and was very informative. Poets corner
is especially interesting. Geoffrey Chaucer was the first to be buried in
this corner and later Byron, Dickens, and others. There is also a monument to
Shakespeare. And of course, many of the kings and queens of England
London
is a very expensive place to visit. Lucky for me, I had a list of
“budget” dining options. Near the Abbey I had a sandwich at Pret a
Manger. This chain is located all over the city. My chicken and
avocado sandwich was delicious and only 3.3£ ($6.50).
In
the afternoon, I toured the Cabinet War Rooms (http://cwr.iwm.org.uk/) for
about 40 minutes. It’s a self-guided tour 10£ which includes an audio
guide. There are lots of displays, including the radio room, map room and even
Churchill’s bedroom. Imagine conducting the war beneath the street level
of London
St
James Park is lovely. I walked along Birdcage walk to Buckingham Palace Paris
Piccadilly
Circus is quite busy with traffic, including the famous red double decker
busses and black cabs. Near my hotel, I picked up a bottle of wine,
returned to my room and rested my aching feet. For dinner I dined at
Chowki, an Indian restaurant decorated in a funky style with red leather
stools. The food, a three-course dinner, was very good: lamb,
chicken and a sweet rice dessert. The place filled up quickly. When
I received the bill, the waiter had converted the cost into US dollars but used
a high exchange rate. I was very angry and told them to charge me in
British Pounds, that my bank would do the exchange rate. I even argued
with the manager. They didn’t budge, so I left without leaving any
tip.
I
walked around the area, including Chinatown .
There were many Chinese restaurants, some with delicious foods on display, and
shops. Prostitutes hung out on another street nearby waiting for
customers. Being too cold outside, I went back to the hotel for the rest
of the night.
Thursday
May 5, 2005 London
Oh
my aching feet and legs! Today was another on-the-run day. I was
out the door by 8:50am and took the #15 bus to the Tower of London
The
1-hour Yeoman Warder’s tour was fun. Our guide was very entertaining and
funny. I learned that the term “severance pay” came from those that were
about to be beheaded. They would pay the beheader money so that his or
her death was clean and quick, hence severance pay. I don’t know if this
is really true since our guide was telling all sorts of stories. There
were black ravens in the area. After our tour, I visited some of the
other exhibits in the other buildings. The sun finally came out, so I
went towards the Thames to take a photo of the
tower bridge.
I
had a delicious Japanese chicken saimin soup for lunch at Wagamama’s next door
to the Tower of London
I
decided I would walk back to the hotel via a visit to Saint Paul
About
two blocks from the Cathedral, I found a wine shop with a “buy 2, get 1
free.” I purchased three bottles to enjoy while in my cabin on the ship.
Thanks to the special pricing, the price per bottle was a lot more reasonable
than other wine shops in London London
For
dinner, I took the tube to the Mornington
Crescent London St Martin ’s in the Lane road, and headed to the Sherlock
Holmes pub for a beer. I’m not a big beer drinker, but wanted to check out at
least one pub while in London
Friday
May 6, 2005 London
I
woke up to a nice sunny (finally), cool day. I slept well (such a
comfortable bed and pillow!) and was ready for my last full day in London British Museum Covent Garden and stopping along the way for
breakfast (meat pie). My one goal at this museum was to see the famous
Rosetta stone. I think this was the most visited artifact. It was
difficult to take any photos as many people were standing so close to it.
There were other wonderful exhibits, including Egyptian, Roman, Greek, and
Asian artifacts. 19th Century English jewelry was on display, but nothing
like what I saw at the Tower
of London
For
lunch, I dined at the recommended Rock and Sole Plaice and had fried haddock
and chips with a glass of white wine, all for 10£. However, the same
thing happened to me like at Chowki where I was overcharged with a higher
exchange rate. How irritating! I would recommend this place to
anyone but pay in cash, not via credit card.
Covent
Garden was packed with diners, shoppers, and tourists. I purchased some
natural handmade hard shampoo for my thin/fine hair. There were other natural
products too. I watched some of the street performers for a while before
moving on.
In
the afternoon, I took the #9 bus and headed to Harrod’s, a world famous
department store. I loved the food courts, especially seeing the patés,
terrines, caviar and varieties of cheese. The escalators were decorated
in an Egyptian motif, given that Mohamed Al Fayed owns Harrod’s. On the
lower level, the Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed memorial was crowded with
onlookers.
I
took the bus back to the hotel, stopping along the way to email Tony at
home. I was able to use the Internet for three days, as the price was
very good. I took out some additional British Pounds for the rest of the
evening and to have for my transfer to/from Dover
I
made arrangements for dinner at Brown’s, which is a chain restaurant
http://www.browns-restaurants.com/index.html. Plans were to meet several
cruise mates for dinner, then head to the London Eye for our 8pm ride.
Elise and Ed were the first to show up, followed by Deb and Robert. Jeff
and his group never made it to the restaurant. They didn’t write down the
address and didn’t know that Brown’s was a chain. Dinner was excellent
and in fact, my best meal while in London
Elise,
Ed and I took a taxi to the London Eye, while Deb and Robert went their own
way. They had already had their ride a previous day. We got to the
Eye just in time. Traffic was pretty bad and we probably could have
walked to the Eye. There we met up with Jeff, Robin, Shaun, and
Toni. The seven us of were escorted to our private capsule, which took 30
minutes to go around. Jeff made the arrangements and it was perfect
timing for the sunset. I felt very comfortable in the capsule, while
enjoying the views. I got a great photo of Parliament.
On
our way to Piccadilly Circus for drinks, we stopped at my hotel for a few
minutes. We ended up in the red light district and couldn’t find one pub
that we could squeeze into. Piccadilly Circus
was hopping! The Mai Tai bar had a 5£ cover charge, along with a man
standing at the door in a suit and earpiece! He must have been their
watchdog. Not able to find a place for a drink, we split up and I walked
back to my hotel to finish packing. It was only a 12-15 minute walk, but
enjoyable. I felt very safe walking alone in London
Saturday
May 7, 2005 London to Dover
It
was time to leave London and board our Celebrity
Constellation cruise ship in Dover
Jeff’s
group was picked up first, then Deb and Robert, and finally me. When the
car service arrived, I was told that their large car was not available and we
would be split up into two cars. It was no big deal since we weren’t charged
any additional fees and we got to the port at the same time. My luggage
was split between both cars. The rate for the transfer was 20£ per person
plus tip. The drive to Dover
Many
people were checking in as we arrived at the port. It was an older crowd
along with many Asians. We boarded the ship around 1:40pm (my 4 bottles
of wine made it safely on board in my carryon bag) and were greeted with a
glass of champagne. It was such a nice way to start the cruise! We
were escorted to our rooms on the 9th (Penthouse) deck. My room, #6097
was located mid-ship about 10 doors down from the computer room and glass
elevators. My room was decorated in orange and green colors, while other
rooms were decorated in burgundy and dark blues. I loved my
balcony! The lifeboats were located one level below me. I pulled
out photos that I brought with me and placed them on the mirror in the
corners. I put my bottles of white wine in the refrigerator. I had
to remove some items and store elsewhere. Purwanto, from Indonesia
David
and Larry, from Ft. Lauderdale
After
our 4:15pm muster, a bunch of us (cruise critic friends) met in Marilyn’s room
for our Sail Away party. She and Bill had a nice room with a large
balcony aft of the ship. We had a nice time talking after emailing each
other for several months. It was like meeting old friends. We
enjoyed the Dover
Dinner
was at 6:15pm. We had opted for early dining so we could enjoy the
evening shows. On our Mediterranean cruise, we dined at 8:30pm, which was
nice but we didn’t get to see any shows. I also liked the idea of early dining
to digest all the food I ate before going to bed! Our dining group
consisted of Jeff’s group, Deb and Robert, Sabrina, and me. Sabrina was
also sailing solo as her friend had to back out and her husband couldn’t go
with her. Our table was located on the 4th deck at the very back of the
room, next to the window. We could look outside each time we left a
port. Our waiter was Olman and I could never remember our assistant
waiter’s name. Both were excellent servers. For dinner, I had the
veal picatta and crème brulee for dessert.
Our
daily Celebrity Today newspaper informed us to set our clocks forward one
hour. We would loose a total of three hours on this cruise by the time we
got to St. Petersburg
Sunday
May 8, 2005 Day at Sea
The
morning started (after breakfast of course) with the Cruise Critic group party
that Celebrity hosted. It was different than the one I attended on the
Millennium ship in that this one didn’t have a hostess, nor did we have a group
photo taken. I don’t even remember if they served any cookies or
pastries. It was almost as if we were ignored. We were ushered out
after about 45 minutes for another group to use the room.
After
the little “party”, I watched the sushi demonstration in the Rendezvous
lounge. Sushi samplings were passed around, along with their
Sakatini’s. It was a delicious drink! I also attended a digital
photo class hoping to learn more about my camera, but I didn’t learn anything
new. Many in the room were new to digital photography.
All
day long I felt seasick, so I asked Purwanto for some motion sickness
pills. I felt better after an hour of taking one pill. It turned
out that many people on the ship were also sick due to sailing near Denmark
I
went to the gym to exercise. The gym has bikes, treadmills, elliptical
machines, as well as various weight machines. It was good to work
out!
Some
of us went to the Martini Bar to enjoy a drink or two before dinner. I
ordered the “Goose Kiss” martini, which was delicious. Most martinis were
around $9, but they were large glasses. I think for future cruises I’ll
stick to the drink of the day to keep my bar bill down. I had an
excellent rack of lamb for dinner. All the women received a rose for
Mother’s Day, which was a nice touch.
The
big event of the evening was a Cirque du Soleil Masquerade Ball, held at The
Bar at the Edge of the Earth, which was located on the 11th deck, aft. This
bar, created by the Cirque du Soleil, was a unique experience of a fantasy
world with surreal characters, lights and sounds, and where one could journey
to new imaginations. The music was fabulous, and I wish I had purchased
some of the CDs. I made masks for my dining mates instead of us having to
purchase the ships masks, which were outrageously priced. David and
Larry, and others, also made their masks. Drinks were served while the
music played and the cast of characters entertained the audience. There
were cushioned seating areas and flowing drapes. There was also a female
contortionist. She was amazing! It was almost as if she had no
spine or bones in her body. She twisted and bent and worked herself into a
pretzel. She could stand on the floor, bend backwards and place her hands
on the floor with ease. Truly amazing! The only unfortunate thing
about the events at the Edge was that they were held at 10:27pm, almost too
late for me. This particular event should have been scheduled with a day
at sea the next day. It was a fun evening mingling with everyone.
Monday
May 9, 2005 Oslo Norway
Our
ship arrived early since we had a short day in Oslo
Nearby
was the Cathedral, Oslo Domskirke, with its bronze doors. The church was
built in the 17th century. Inside was a huge cathedral organ. The
architecture was quite different than the “usual” Gothic Cathedrals I visited
in other countries. Next we visited City Hall, located at the waterfront
of the city. There were interesting murals on the walls. This building,
built in red brick, is also the location where the Nobel Peace Prize is
awarded.
We
visited the Viking Ship museum after a short ferry (20NOK) ride and 15-minute
walk. Inside the building were three Viking ships, built around 800
a.d. One was in excellent condition, which the others weren’t.
There are stairs in each corner so one could see the inside of the ships.
Also on display were artifacts from this era.
Back
in Oslo
Carlene
hosted an afternoon open house in her cabin (aft) while we sailed away from Oslo
I
hadn’t been sleeping well at night so far. I had asked Purwanto a softer
pillow. I like to be able to sink into the pillow. Deb had asked
for extra pillows for her room for me to select one, but none of them were
close to what I like. I had a plan: I asked for a pair of scissors and
borrowed Deb’s sewing kit. I proceeded to make a small cut in one of the
pillows, just large enough to get my hand in to pull out some feathers.
Well, I did this on the balcony of my room and the feathers started to fly
everywhere! I ended up standing in the shower with the curtain closed to
contain the feathers. In my undies, since the feathers clung to me.
I took out several handfuls. I had a zip lock bag that I placed the
feathers into to throw out. I slept well the rest of the cruise.
And I’m sure someone on the cruise right now is enjoying the softest, mushy
pillow!
After
an entertaining dinner with Marcel, our assistant maitre D, Robin and I went to
the evening show – a flutist. He was very good, but it lasted too long in
my opinion. The rest of the gang was in the casino, either at the bar or
the slot machines. Deb came to the bar and we decided to do a little
window-shopping for Amber, which I purchased a beautiful ring. The Amber
store was not officially open for people to purchase anything until the next
day, but the saleswoman let me purchase the ring. Later, I went to The
Edge and hung out with David and Larry and their friends. I got the
chance to dance to one song, but since it was getting late, I headed back to my
cabin.
Tuesday
May 10, 2005 Day at Sea
This
was another relaxing day at sea with a leisurely buffet breakfast, followed by
more amber shopping. I also used the computer room to download my digital
photos. The photo of the rain cloud I saw the other night out at sea was
fabulous! Using the computer for downloading photos or using it as a word
document was at no cost. I did use the computer to send Tony and Mom an
email message and that was very expensive! If I ever do this again, I’ll
type my message in Word, then just copy/paste when I’m ready to get on line.
This
evening was our first formal night. As I walked into the dining room, I
saw three Japanese women who were beautifully dressed in Kimonos. They
were part of a group that was sitting at the table next to ours. As I
passed them, I said, “You look beautiful!” I was so pleased to see them
in their native dress. They all bashfully smiled at me, thanking me with
small bows.
Toni
and Shaun were dining at the Captain’s table. We found this out in the
morning. Well, Jeff wanted to “do” something for them while they were
having dinner. One was to have a large glass filled with ice delivered to
Toni. She can’t get enough of ice for her tea. He was going to wear
his bunny mask that he bought while in London
I
enjoyed the filet mignon for dinner. I had a steak the previous night and
it was overcooked. I like my meat mooing. Olman had the chef cook
my steak. It came out medium-rare, which I would have preferred
rare. But it was pretty good.
Robin
and I wanted to go to the Captain’s Gala Toast and Introductions and then the
Spotlight Broadway show. We first changed into casual clothes. As
we entered the theatre, bar tenders were serving wine and champagne. Just
as we each took a glass, one crew host said we couldn’t go in (lower level)
because we were not formally dressed. We were told to go upstairs.
No big deal, but we still thought it pretty petty that they shooed us
out. The captain didn’t greet everyone personally, so he wouldn’t have
seen us at all. We grabbed a second glass and headed up one level.
The captain was introduced, and then he introduced his staff. After, the
Broadway show began. The show was excellent. Songs from West Side
Story, Chorus Line, Lion King, etc. were performed. The dancers and
singers were quite talented. After a short visit to the casino and later
a slice of pizza for a late night snack, I headed to my room for the night.
Wednesday
May 11, 2005 Stockholm Sweden
Our
ship arrived at Stockholm
It
was a very disappointing day for us. The palace was closed, the ferry to
the Viking ship museum wasn’t running, and other sights were closed. We
did visit the Cathedral, which was quite beautiful inside along with the statue
of St. Charles
We
met up with Deb and Robert and found a little café for lunch. It wasn’t
what I wanted but we were hungry. I ate a huge chicken curry stuffed potato and
salad. It was quite tasty but certainly not a typical Swedish dish.
After lunch, our group split up. Jeff and his gang headed to the ice bar, while
I walked around the old town, Gamla Stan, area with Deb and Robert. We
visited a coin museum, which was interesting. We took a leisurely walk
back to the ship. I had read on cruise critic that the walk would take
10-15 minutes. No, it took us about 40 minutes. It was a nice
relaxing walk where we enjoyed the views along the way. The ship left at
5pm and we sailed along passing lovely homes and boats. Four ships had
docked in Stockholm
Deb
arranged for a very special birthday evening for Robert. She invited
everyone at our dinner table plus David and Larry to dine at the beautiful
Ocean Liners restaurant. We met at 8:30pm in the lobby and I had the host
take our photo. Deb treated everyone to dinner, along with wonderful
champagne. I started my meal with the famous goat cheese soufflé.
It was excellent but I wish I had ordered the foie gras. Larry let me have
a bite of his. Divine! For my entrée, I ordered the veal chop,
which was encrusted with breadcrumbs and seasonings. It was a huge chop and
quite delicious. Deb ordered the Steak Diane, which she gave me a
bite. It was excellent! Three waiters served our meals in
unison. The grand mariner dessert was light and delicious and I enjoyed
the selections from the cheese tray. It was a wonderful night!
Thursday
May 12, 2005 Helsinki Finland
We
had lost another hour last night. I never like to wish my vacation to go
by quickly, but I was looking forward to gaining back the hours we lost.
Our ship arrived an hour earlier than planned. Helsinki
We
took the wrong ferry back to the market square and ended up paying another 3
Euros. Our next stop was to the onion-domed Uspenski Orthodox
Church. The church sits at the top of a hill near the market
square. Inside it is absolutely beautiful. It made me think of our
upcoming visit to St. Petersburg Russia
Near
the market square is the old market hall. Inside were food stalls.
I purchased a shrimp dish along with a reindeer stuffed pastry. It was
mixed with potatoes, so I didn’t really get to taste the meat. But it was
delicious.
The
Senate Square
We
ran into Sabrina as we started to head to the center of town, when she told us
that the Church in the Rock (Temppeliaukio Church) was only 10 minutes
away. Our feet were getting tired, but being only a 10-minute walk, we
decided to check it out. The small church is literally built into the
rock with a copper/skylight dome. I sat for a few minutes to rest and
look around. It was a unique Church.
The
walk back to the bus stop took about 20 minutes. We were glad to be on
the bus, as we walked quite a bit.
Again
we lost an hour, but it was the last. It was pretty cool to be up late at night
but still light outside.
Friday
May 13, 2005 Saint Petersburg Russia
This
was one port I was looking forward to visit and expected it to be the highlight
of the cruise. It was! My cabin faced the port side and outside at
the customs building was a band playing a variety of music. It was a
dreary, cold day, but I was ready to see the riches of Saint Petersburg
I
had booked a 2-day tour in advance with Denrus for a group of 11 people (Jeff,
Robin, Toni, Shaun, Deb, Robert, Elise, Ed, Simone, Ed, and me). Ilya, my
point of contact at Denrus, was wonderful. He helped me with the
itinerary for the two days and was very open to some of my suggestions,
especially when it came to choosing places for lunch. The document I
received for the tour stated to just walk off the ship; however, we were all
told to meet at The Edge with a departure time at 8am. I told the woman
at the desk our tour started at 8am. It would take 10 minutes to get off
the ship. I know we could have just walked off the ship, but some in the
party felt we should just wait to be called. Everyone had to go through
customs with his or her passport along with a copy of the passport. We
also received a red ticket, which we kept with the passport.
Outside
we met our guide for the two days, Ludmila. Our driver was
Nicholai. He didn’t speak a word of English. It was about a
10-minute ride to get from the ship to the port entry. The port is huge
and ugly with its many cranes and ship containers. Our first stop of the
day was to the Catherine Palace
The
palace was incredible! The rooms, décor and furniture in the palace were
fabulous and quite opulent. The inlaid wood floors were beautiful.
Everyone had to wear booties to protect the floors. We think it was to
help polish the floors! Large chandeliers hung in many of the
rooms. We visited the re-created Amber room, which the original was lost
during WWII – stolen by the Germans. I read that they contributed money
to reconstruct the room. The Amber panel walls were incredible. No
photography was allowed, but I did sneak a few photos with my digital camera using
the “museum” mode (no sound, no flash). I didn’t understand why no one
could take any photos. In all the other places we were allowed to
photograph paintings. We toured for about 1.5 hours, and then headed
outside. I wanted to see some of the gardens, but it was raining, so we
headed back to the city. Robin and I did purchase some of the nesting
dolls, package of 5 for $10. Great deal.
As
we were heading back to the center of the city, the traffic was just as bad as
in the morning. Ludmila suggested we take the metro to save time.
We didn’t have the chance to see some of the beautiful metro stops. No
one was allowed to take any photos of the metro. I asked why not and
Ludmila only stated, “It’s transportation.” Ludmila wanted to keep us on
track so that we could remain on time for our tours. We had an excellent
Russian buffet lunch ($16) at the Grand Hotel Europa located on the busy Grand Nevsky Prospekt Street
It
rained on and off as we continued our tour, first passing by the war ship
cruiser Aurora on the Neva River, famous for its blank shot, which signaled in
October 1917 to storm the winter palace, now the Hermitage museum. It was
also used during the Russian-Japanese war. The Hermitage is a place where
one really needs a week to visit all the rooms in the 6 buildings. The
amount of paintings, sculptures, is mind boggling, over 3 million works of
art.
One
place that I really enjoyed visiting was the Peter and Paul Cathedral, located
in the Peter and Paul Fortress. This is where the tsar’s are buried,
including Peter the Great, Alexander III, Catherine the Great, and even
Nicholas and Alexandra with three of their children. An interesting note
about Nicholas and Alexandra: Their remains, along with two of their children,
a few servants and their doctor, were given a proper burial in July 1998, 80
years to the day of their execution. The sad thing to learn was that the
Russian Orthodox Church does not acknowledge them as the Imperial family, even
though DNA tests resulted at a positive 99.5% match with living
relatives. Ludmila said the Priest stated, “God knows who you are.” Their
remains are actually located in a side chapel, rather than with the rest of the
Romanov dynasty. Ludmila also told us that President Yeltsin was planning
not to attend because of the controversy with the Church, but in the end he did
attend the burial service.
We
had the opportunity to listen to four monks singing in a small room. They
even had CDs for sale.
Our
last and short stop of the day was to the Church of the Resurrection. I
had hoped for a sunny day to take photographs of this fabulous Church but it
was still raining. Robin and I went across the street to the flea market
and purchased a nesting doll. Only 2 stalls were open.
Our
tour ended and we were back on the ship around 5:30pm. The same band was
at the dock playing away with American and Russian songs. Some of the
ships crew was dressed as Russian police and we had our picture taken with
them. One opened by bag as if to inspect inside. It made me laugh!
Dinner
was open seating, so our group planned to meet after a break in our
rooms. It was a long but wonderful day.
Saturday
May 14, 2005 Saint Petersburg Russia
Our
day started the same with an hour’s drive outside the city to the Grand Palace
of Peterhof (the Russian Versailles). On the way, close to Peterhof, we
stopped at a Russian Church. I didn’t get the name of the church. I
went inside, which services were being held. Everyone stood during the
service. I quietly walked around as I listened to the priest and looked
at the various religious treasures in the room.
Peterhof
Palace was just as beautiful and opulent as Catherine’s palace. Again we
had to wear the booties to help polish the floors. The rooms were
beautiful with chandeliers, dining tables with fine china (Deb was in heaven),
and gold trim everywhere. Outside was the tiered fountain terrace, with
statues all in gold. All of the fountains were running, which was very
nice. Gardeners were planting new flowers and bushes.
While
driving back and forth to the palaces on both days, we all noticed the poverty
in Russia. Huge apartment complexes abound and Ludmila told us that
several families shared the small and expensive apartments. The scene is
very depressing and even the people went around looking depressed. It was
such a sharp contract to the riches we had seen. We also drove by a large
statue of Lenin.
Back
in the city, we were taken to a wonderful food hall, Kuznechny Market, located
on Kuznechny Pereulok 3. I was quite surprised at the quality of the food
and the amount of food on display. There was packaged and fresh salmon,
fruits and vegetables, fresh made cheese, honey, and large containers of red
caviar – bulk food! This is a great place for someone to pick up foods
for a picnic. Some of the sellers were passing out samples. I tried
the pickled salmon, which was very good. I would recommend this place for
any traveler to Saint Petersburg
For
lunch I selected restaurant Bliny Domik from the Fodor’s web site. It was
excellent and very inexpensive! I enjoyed the chicken and mushroom bliny,
along with a glass of red wine. The others enjoyed the salads, borscht,
bliny with red caviar and sour cream, and croquettes. All of the portions
were large and everyone walked away happy with their choices. Ludmila was quite
surprised at my “find” and at how good the restaurant was. She said she
would take future tourists there. Service was excellent and friendly and we
were the only tourists in this small place. I was able to use my charge
card since I didn’t have any rubles.
Following
lunch, we visited Yusupov’s Palace (where Rasputin was poisoned, shot and later
thrown into the Neva River
We
had the chance to stop and shop for Russian souvenirs. I bought a lovely
nesting doll, some pins, and Christmas ornaments. I also purchased a
bottle of vodka at a liquor store for Tony. It was dirt-cheap and if I
had the space in my carryon bag, I would have bought a few bottles.
It
was time to head back to the ship and leave Saint Petersburg
For
the entertainment of the evening, Jeff wanted to do something patriotic and
asked everyone at the table to wear something red, white, and blue. Jeff
was wearing an American flag tie. Robin wore a blue dress trimmed with r/w/b
ribbon. The three of us went to the Rendezvous lounge for a round of
drinks. Many people looked at us wondering about our r/w/b colors.
I brought mini flags for everyone to carry. We walked into the dining
room waving our flags. One woman said, “God Bless America USA
Our
ship left at 6:30pm. We were able to see Saint
Petersburg
After
dinner, we headed to the Martini bar, as usual. Larry and David were
having their nightly martinis before dinner. After several evenings with
them and their friends, we were officially declared “Friends of Friends of
Dorothy.”
Sunday
May 15, 2005 Tallinn Estonia
Tallinn
Back
in the center of town, I purchased a beautiful Russian nesting doll for myself
at a shop that Deb and I checked out earlier (excellent prices compared to the
other stores). It was expensive but cheaper than on board the ship.
I also bought a small watercolor print of Tallinn
On
the way back to the courtesy bus drop off point, I walked by the flower
market. Also nearby was an outdoor market with many local products and
souvenirs. I had some Tallinn
For
the evening, we had our second formal night along with the Captain’s club
party. We also gained back an hour! The Captain’s club party was
typical: Drinks all around, the usual speech of who sailed the most on
Celebrity, then more drinks.
Clocks
were set back one hour!
Monday
May 16, 2005 Day at Sea
Thank
goodness for our day at sea after five port days. I think everyone was
very happy to do nothing and just relax all day! I went to the Russian
lecture in the Celebrity Theatre. Most of these port lectures were after
we visited them. I thought that was ridiculous! They should have
the port talks before we arrive.
I
went to the gym again. There were several others working out.
For
the evening, Robin, Jeff, and I went to the Martini bar and had their martini
tasting. It consisted of 5 or 6 samplings of various martinis. I
liked most of the fruit flavored ones. The chocolate martini was very
good.
Tuesday
May 17 Warnemunde/Rostock Germany
I
met David and Larry after breakfast around 9:20am so we could meet my friend
Oliver who was waiting for me just outside customs. Oliver is from
Gelnhausen, near Frankfurt and he spent a few nights in Warnemunde on a short
holiday, and to spend the day with me in Rostock Rostock
Rostock
is a beautiful port town! Oliver and I walked along the pedestrian
street, visited the City Hall and St. Marien Church (with a fabulous
astronomical clock dating from the 1400s – and it still works!), climbed the
tower in St. Peters Church
After
more walking around the town and passing by the University (beautiful façade),
we sat outside and had drinks (well, I had a glass of wine and Oliver had
coffee since he had to drive home that afternoon). We never ran into
David and Larry, so I figured they headed back to the ship. It was nice
day with Oliver as we talked about different things, as well as my
cruise. With his help, I purchased a tram/train ticket, said my goodbyes,
and headed back to Warnemunde around 4pm. The tram took me to the train
station, where I picked up the train. It was about a 15-minute ride and
only cost me 1.80 Euros.
Back
on board, I went to my cabin for a while, and then headed out to tour
Warnemunde. It’s just a few minutes walk from the port to the town.
Fishing boats were docked along a water canal, while many tourists were out
enjoying the late afternoon. I walked to the beach and saw many people
enjoying the ocean views. I started walking back to the canal area and I
purchased some battered fried shrimp from one of the docked boats, which were
excellent, although a little pricy.
Later,
I met David and Larry and we sat outside for a round of drinks. Several
young crewmembers were celebrating as they were getting off the ship soon for
their 1-2 month vacation. One gal seemed pretty toasted. It was
getting colder as the sun was setting, so we headed back to the ship. I
met up with the rest of the gang for dinner, which had gone to Berlin Berlin
Clocks
were set back one hour!
Wednesday
May 18, 2005 Copenhagen , Denmark
Our
ship arrived in Copenhagen
The
weather was perfect for our canal ride, at least for us! Soon after, we
found a place for lunch next to the Nyhavn canal. About 15 minutes after
settling into lunch, it poured! Some cruise friends told us later they
got caught in the rain and hail! Some of us ordered the chicken club
sandwich, which was very good. David ordered a specialty dish with various
Danish foods.
I
loved Copenhagen! Outside the wonderful sights of Saint
Petersburg , I think Copenhagen was
my second favorite city on this trip (well I did love Tallinn
and Rostock
After
dinner on board the ship, many people from the ship headed to Tivoli Tivoli
May
19, 2005 Copenhagen , Denmark
This
was our last port day of the cruise. The ship was scheduled to leave at
noon, so I got up early, had breakfast, and then headed out to catch the
shuttle bus to town. I wanted to walk around the city and possibly visit
one palace. I ran into Jeff and Robin, so we went to town together.
Since it was early, the stores and sights were closed. We just wandered
up Strøget. Jeff was looking for a particular shop to purchase some
items. We took a walk to the Rosenborg castle and saw some guards
practicing with their rifles. The guard at the gate wouldn’t let me walk
in, but when I told him I just wanted to read the sign that was on display
several feet inside the gate, he let me, keeping a close eye on me. We
walked along the street passing the castles’ gardens, which were immaculately
kept. I found a photo shop to purchase a roll of film, as I forgot to add
a couple of rolls to my purse.
Looping
back to Strøget, the stores were opening up. Jeff went to his store and
after a while, I headed out alone for the rest of the short morning. I
ran into 2 crewmembers that somehow either recognized me or just guessed I was
a passenger, and told me the ship would now leave at 2pm. What a
relief! I felt I was rushing, but could now slow down a bit. I
headed back to see Jeff and Robin to tell them the good news when I ran into
one of the Japanese couples who sat at the dinner table next to mine. I
explained the time change, which the woman didn’t understand any English as she
kept repeating, “No thank you.” The husband understood, smiled and
thanked me. By now, he knew who I was since we had eye contact throughout
the cruise at dinner.
After
telling Jeff the news, I headed out again. I decided I wanted a light
lunch along the Nyhavn. The day was beautiful, like the previous day, so
I selected a place with outdoor seating. I waited almost 15 minutes and
the waiter never came outside to take my order, so I got up and left. It
was getting close to noon and I remembered that the changing of the guards took
place at the Amalienborg palace so I headed there. The changing of the
guards was not as impressive as the one in Stockholm
I
headed back to the ship at a leisurely pace along the waterway. I found
many people having their photo taken with the Little Mermaid. I was not
impressed with the statue, but did have the obligatory photo taken. The
souvenir shops near the ship were much higher in price, so I didn’t buy
anything. Hell, all of the Baltic ports were expensive (except Tallinn
After
lunch, I headed to the upper deck as we sailed away from Copenhagen
The
evening started at 5pm in Deb’s room for the “Royal Order” event. She had
purchased sashes, white gloves, tiaras, and made pins and ribbons for our
costume. It was our last formal night and knowing the antics of Jeff,
came up with the Royal Order. I was the Empress, while the rest had his
or her own title. Jeff’s pins consisted of a pizza and pizza cutter (he
owns a franchise of Domino’s); Shaun was the duke of Las Vegas
After
dinner (with the usual baked Alaska parade), we all headed to the Martini bar
for our nightly greetings to David, Larry and their gang for their Friends of
Dorothy get together. They loved our royal wear. Albert walked by
and saw us and proceeded to take our pictures. An older couple, on the
way to dinner, stopped and just stared at us for a good five minutes, then the
husband took out his camera and took pictures too. We had a blast!
The last thing we did before changing to casual wear was to have our portrait
taken at the grand staircase. Deb found Scotty, one of the ships
photographers. He took several photos. Two Scottish men watching us from
the level above took our photos too.
After
changing my clothes (still wearing my tiara), I headed to our usual evening
spot: the Casino bar. Jeff had brought a bottle of white wine among
his many bottles of red, which he graciously shared with me. Robin was in
for the evening, Shaun sat with us at the bar, and Toni was at one of the
gambling machines.
At
the grand buffet, I ran into Deb. We both filled our plates with
delicious foods: shrimp, roast beef, lobster medallions topped with caviar,
baked salmon, etc. Jeff didn’t have anything. The buffet food was
beautifully displayed. The chefs and waiters were in the room, including
Olman with his ribbon. It was a great evening. Clocks were set back
one hour!
Friday
May 20, 2005 Day at Sea
It
was sad to think this was our last night on the ship. I had breakfast
with David, Larry, Toni, and Shaun. On one of our other days at sea we
all had breakfast, sat at the table for a couple of hours, then had
lunch! It was great to just hangout and talk and not have to have any
plans while at sea. It was quite foggy throughout the day. At one
point I saw a ship sailing past us. It was a Cunard. It was cool to see
this ship gliding by in the fog.
I
packed the rest of my suitcases, went around the ship taking photographs of the
various rooms, and uploaded my digital photos onto a CD. It cost me $15
but I wouldn’t do it again. I also checked out the Russian souvenirs but
didn’t buy anything.
Just
before dinner, Robin called me and stated Jeff had to show me something.
Being a person who enjoys being the center of attention, I got a knock on my
door and there stood Jeff in his Aruba
outfit: colorful tie-died wrap-around-skirt and shirt, his huge Royal
Order medallion, colored plastic headband, and dark sunglasses. Of course
he got the stares while we all sat at the Rendezvous lounge and he even got up
and did a little dancing on the dance floor. Thanks Jeff for all the
great laughs! For our last “event” we wore the animal masks that Jeff purchased
while in London
Saturday
May 21, 2005 Docked in Dover England
We
arrived in Dover London
It
took 2 hours to get to Heathrow airport. Marilyn, Bill, and I were dropped off
first at terminal 4 and the rest headed to one of the other terminals.
Jeff, Shaun and their wives were taking the same flight to the states. It
took us 1 hour to just go through the line to check in! I couldn’t
believe how busy Heathrow was with the thousands of travelers. The three
of us found a place to eat and Marilyn and Bill treated me to a glass of wine
and we shared some nachos. With some time before my flight I said goodbye
to Marilyn and Bill and slowly walked to my gate. Along the way I
window-shopped at the Harrod’s stores. Luckily I got to the gate when I
did because the walk to the gate was quite a distance and people were already
boarding when I arrived.
There
was a lot of turbulence on the flight home. I watched a few movies and
enjoyed some wine with my meal. The food is terrible on BA.
I
got home safely. Tony was waiting for me in the terminal. Lucy was
in the car waiting for me. As always, she greeted me with tons of
kisses.
SUMMARY:
Well,
it has taken me a while to get this LONG journal typed up. I had a
fabulous time on the cruise and with my cruise mates. I enjoyed most of
the ports, with Oslo Saint Petersburg London
With
Jeff’s American theme night and Deb’s Royal Order night, we had some great
laughs, not just for our group but also for the others on the ship that joined in
on our laughter! In fact, after the cruise, Deb told me that some
Japanese people had purchased our “Royal Order” portrait. Scotty had made
up a bunch of copies, which were on display in the photo section and he told
her that the Japanese was purchasing them. I laughed so hard when Deb
told me this. Imagine our portrait being passed around in Japan
The
service on the ship was excellent. Purwanto, my room attendant, was
wonderful. Anytime I asked for something, he was prompted in
delivering. Our dining room waiters were also great. Any food
problems and Olman was quick to fix it. I should have talked to Marcel,
our assistant maitre D, about the overcooked steaks. That’s something that needs
to be fixed. The steaks are cooked according to the passenger’s request,
but by the time it comes to the table, it has cooked even further under the
metal covers. M&M (Mike Mitchell) was “our” bar tender. He was
a lot of fun and kept our glasses filled. And there was Patrick, our bar
tender at the casino bar, who took good care of us.
The
Constellation is in great shape. Everyday, crewmembers were cleaning and
polishing and keeping a tidy ship. Everyone was friendly always saying
hello as a passenger walked by. Celebrity does a great job in
quality. Although Celebrity changed the itinerary (dropping Poland and
adding Finland and another day at sea), I will sail again with them. In
fact, I’m booked on the Galaxy June 12, 2006 Mediterranean cruise!
To
those of you that read this ENTIRE journal, I congratulate you. I hope
that you enjoyed reading about my trip and for those of you that will be
sailing on the Constellation, have a wonderful time!
Monica
Web
sites:
London
http://www.londontown.com/
http://www.londontourist.org/
http://www.visitlondon.com/
http://solo2.abac.com/themole/freelondon.htmlLondon
Heathrow Airport
Car
Services
http://www.justairports.com/
Email: justairports@btinternet.com
Car service Heathrow toLondon London
http://www.woodfordchauffeurcars.co.uk/ Van service
to/from Dover. Also good service from this company.
Hotel
http://www.thistlehotels.com/thistle/hotels/hotelFinder/viewHotel.do?_DARGS=/thistle/WEB-INF/portl
ets/thistleSpecialOffers/regional.jsp.16_A&_DAV=th-charing-cross Thistle Charing Cross Hotel
Sights
in London
Covent
Garden
http://www.toweroflondontour.com/Tower of London
British Museum
HGbzge St Pauls Cathedral
Food
in London
London
http://www.london-eating.co.uk/
http://www.toptable.co.uk/UK
London
The
Ports:
Oslo
http://www.quovadimus.org/norway/akershus/ Akershus fortress
Stockholm
http://www.stockholmtown.com/templates/Startpage___2023__EN.aspx
http://www.royalcourt.se/4.53abbbfd7ffdfa677fff25920.htmlRoyal Palace
yout={C0D465E0-3110-436A-A0E4-EA5BB84475B8}Vasa Museum
Stockholm and Denmark
Helsinki
http://www.hel.fi/tourism/EN/matko.asp
http://www.hel.fi/tourism/Matko_esitteet/EN/helsinki_on_sinun.pdf
http://www.hel.fi/tourism/Matko_esi...kavellen_su.pdf Self Walking tours
St Petersburg
http://www.hermitagemuseum.org/
http://www.sptimes.ru/
http://www.saint-petersburg.com/
http://www.denrus.ru/ Denrus Tours
St
Petersburg Saint
Petersburg
http://petersburgcity.com/map/
http://www.peterhof.org/index1.htm Peterhof
Tallinn
http://www.inyourpocket.com/estonia/en/
http://www.balticsww.com/tourist/estonia/sights.htm
Rostock
http://www.hhog.de/en/showCity_2_en.php?cityID=10016&folderID=10238
http://www.rostock.de/Internet/stadtverwaltung/tourismus/content.jsp
http://www.rostock-port.de/Description_of_Berths.83+B6Jkw9MQ__.0.html Port information
http://www.all-in-all.com/english/1049.htm Warnemunde
Berlin
Copenhagen
(this includes a nice color map ofCopenhagen
http://www.tivoli.dk/composite-297.htmTivoli
http://copenhagenet.dk/Index.htm
http://www.ses.dk/1de0029Rosenborg Castle
http://copenhagenet.dk/CPH-RoundTower.htm Round Tower
Other
web sites
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2 Fodors Europe Forum
Helsingborg , Sweden
Gdynia
Gdansk
Tourist
Office email addresses
turistbyran@helsingborg.se HelsingborgSweden
St. Petersburg
Poland
Stockholm , Sweden ,
Denmark , and Norway
Oslo
Tallinn
Trip
Expenses:
Transportation
(Cruise & insurance, airfare, van services, tube, bus, ferry): $2,907.59
Hotel inLondon
Breakfast, lunch, dinner; misc. food/drink; on-board drinks: 503.20
Sightseeing/Misc: Museums, tours, onboard tipping;internet, etc. 545.99
Total:
$4,458.47
http://www.londontown.com/
http://www.londontourist.org/
http://www.visitlondon.com/
http://solo2.abac.com/themole/freelondon.html
http://www.justairports.com/
Email: justairports@btinternet.com
Car service Heathrow to
http://www.thistlehotels.com/thistle/hotels/hotelFinder/viewHotel.do?_DARGS=/thistle/WEB-INF/portl
ets/thistleSpecialOffers/regional.jsp.16_A&_DAV=th-charing-cross Thistle Charing Cross Hotel
HGbzge St Pauls Cathedral
http://www.london-eating.co.uk/
http://www.toptable.co.uk/
http://www.quovadimus.org/norway/akershus/ Akershus fortress
http://www.stockholmtown.com/templates/Startpage___2023__EN.aspx
http://www.royalcourt.se/4.53abbbfd7ffdfa677fff25920.html
yout={C0D465E0-3110-436A-A0E4-EA5BB84475B8}
http://www.hel.fi/tourism/EN/matko.asp
http://www.hel.fi/tourism/Matko_esitteet/EN/helsinki_on_sinun.pdf
http://www.hel.fi/tourism/Matko_esi...kavellen_su.pdf Self Walking tours
http://www.hermitagemuseum.org/
http://www.sptimes.ru/
http://www.saint-petersburg.com/
http://www.peterhof.org/index1.htm Peterhof
http://www.inyourpocket.com/estonia/en/
http://www.balticsww.com/tourist/estonia/sights.htm
http://www.hhog.de/en/showCity_2_en.php?cityID=10016&folderID=10238
http://www.rostock.de/Internet/stadtverwaltung/tourismus/content.jsp
http://www.rostock-port.de/Description_of_Berths.83+B6Jkw9MQ__.0.html Port information
http://www.all-in-all.com/english/1049.htm Warnemunde
(this includes a nice color map of
http://www.tivoli.dk/composite-297.htm
http://copenhagenet.dk/Index.htm
http://www.ses.dk/1de0029
http://copenhagenet.dk/CPH-RoundTower.htm Round Tower
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2 Fodors Europe Forum
turistbyran@helsingborg.se Helsingborg
Hotel in
Breakfast, lunch, dinner; misc. food/drink; on-board drinks: 503.20
Sightseeing/Misc: Museums, tours, onboard tipping;internet, etc. 545.99
Total:
$4,458.47
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