Our 2005 Vacation Cruise to the Baltic States

	OUR BALTIC CRUISE
... a quick trip around 5 capitals and 2 major cities in 10 days
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	Stockholm SWEDEN	Helsinki FINLAND
Oslo NORWAY			St. Petersburg RUSSIA

Copenhagen DENMARK			Impressions of THE CRUISE
Click on the link for commentary on a location	Gdynia for Gdansk POLAND	Tallinn ESTONIA	Click on the map for pictures of geographic area

When we decided on this cruise, the "draw" was definitely the stop-off in St. Petersburg. Neither of us have been to Russia previously and the idea of a visit to a somewhat "forbidden fruit" of earlier times was positively appealing.
In addition, the opportunity to sneak a look at Scandinavia whilst covering six other countries in one trip certainly had it's attraction but this came as a bonus rather than the main event.

In the long run, we were pleasantly surprised to discover a series of "gems" dotted around the Baltic Sea, each with its own charm and all deserving of co-star roles. Many of the ports were originally established by the Hanseatic league in the middle ages and it is impossible not to see some similarities of style in the older constructions at the various ports.

That said, there were some small negatives and large positives in the itinerary as a whole.
Would-be cruisers need to know that this trip was (accurately) described by our shipboard Cruise Director as a glorified Taxi ride. The ship rushes from port to port overnight and only stays in some ports for 6 to 8 hours. That's really all that's possible on this packed schedule but its just about enough time to give a "taste" of the country and make you want to come back and really see it sometime.

We always meet some nice people on a cruise.

If you were on this cruise (15 May 05) and we missed you, and you would like to add your picture to the page, let us know by email and we'll try to accommodate you.
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COPENHAGEN

Lots of sights. Some expected .. like the "Little Mermaid";
and some unexpected ..
like the Rio style carnival parade on the Strøget.
If you want to see it, go on Whit- Saturday.
We turned up the day before we sailed and so had some time to look around and get some feel for the town which, even in May, was busy with Tourists.
More pictures and opinions here.

STOCKHOLM

	Large ships have to dock at Nynäshamn, which is about an hours drive away from Stockholm. That's a drawback because it limits the available time in town and almost mandates taking a ship-organized tour. Several are offered, including various museums and a ship reconstruction. [The Vasa, which sailed out of the harbor.. and promptly sank ... ah well !!] We opted for a tour of the City Hall (think Nobel Prize banquet) and then took a stroll around the town on our own. Finding the Royal Palace in the Gamla Stan (Old town), we chanced on the Changing of the Guard which salvaged an otherwise difficult day as it was cold, and we really didn't know our way around, or have the time to find it.
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HELSINKI Helsinki is a pleasant albeit not outstanding town. It seems to have had a chequered history as a National Capital and may not adequately reflect the richness of Finnish history. We combined Helsinki with a day trip out into the countryside to an area around lake Tuusula , which was not a mistake. We visited the the homes of Jean Sibelius (the composer) and Pekka Halosen ( a Finnish painter). We can understand why they chose to live out of town in this area. The Finnish Lakes and the Birch Woodlands are serenely beautiful and well worth a trip. This is a great spot for a day out, if only we didn't live 4000 miles away.
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ST. PETERSBURG

What is there to say about St. Petersburg? Certainly that there is too much to see in the time which was available to us. Established by Peter the Great to be a European style city it is, surprisingly, just that. Designed to be seen from the River Neva and the canals (as we did) the buildings mainly reflect the styles of their French and Dutch architects with just a few Byzantine influences dotted in here and there.
	At this time (2005), the city is still called LENINGRAD by the sign at the entrance to the Harbor (probably a last vestige of earlier times), but Peter's Statue still rules over the center of the city as a reminder of his legacy.
St. Petersburg is all about its history. It's impossible to escape the palaces and impressive buildings ... and the gold leaf. A lot of people seem to have had a lot of money way back when. However .. most of what can be seen is restoration, which basically means that it was the Communist governments between 1917 and 1991 which funded all the visible decoration. We have to speculate on whether this was based on a desire to preserve a long and great heritage or a wish to emphasize the disparities of wealth and privilege. Either way, they did a great job and the resultant reconstructions and restorations are impressive, to say the least. A terrific art collection in the Hermitage. Like the Louvre, it could take a week to see it properly.
	And then there's the intrigue. Who killed whom and why. Wife killing husband, mother killing son (actually, Catherine the Great in both cases), culminating with the fall of the Romanov dynasty in 1917 in the well-known grisly tale. Thank goodness the government moved back to Moscow and the Saint Petersburg saga came to a conclusion, otherwise we would never be able to keep up with the machinations. The withstanding of the siege of the city by Hitler's army serves as a testament to the nature of the people who live here. back to top more pictures

TALLINN

Before we left on our trip, we had heard the rumor that Tallinn is the "new Prague" deserving of a visit before it gets 'discovered' by the hoi polloi and becomes inundated by the traveling public, but we really never expected the capital city of Estonia to be so quaint.

The old town is really just an unspoiled medieval village.
Even the more modern environs don't expand to unmanageable proportions and yet, despite its picturesque nature and a slightly "hammy" approach to tourism it manages to convey a very positive image of a city well established in modern day Europe.

This is truly a spot worthy of a long weekend away from home, and it can't be too long before the word gets out.

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	GDANSK (DANZIG)
	This is our second visit to Poland and we were, frankly, a little apprehensive about it. Our first trip was shortly after the fall of Communism and, at that time, some areas had a very dingy feel to them. In addition, Poland's tourist areas can be overrun with Gypsies (begging and stealing) which does not make for a great experience (even the ship's policy is very circumspect with advice relative to un-escorted movements). Nonetheless, we were pleasantly surprised by the tourist areas we visited and, although we were aware of a need to be watchful, we never felt threatened at all. (.. but then it may just have been too early in the season for the concern to be real). Actually this call is three towns at once. We docked in the port of Gdynia, and drove through Sopot, a very nice little seaside resort with the longest pier on the Baltic, to get to Gdansk. Gdansk (as Danzig) was virtually razed by the Allies and the Russians during WWII and has been meticulously reconstructed in its medieval character, reminiscent of its Hanseatic glory.

The recent history of Gdansk includes the shipyard workers Solidarity movement, the (late) Pope's visits, and the subsequent fall of communism in the Eastern bloc. These are celebrated and remembered in plaques and monuments at various significant locations throughout the area, although with no central focal point.
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Sailing from Gdynia to Oslo, we bypass Denmark but pass under the World's second longest suspension bridge which is part of the 18 km long Great Belt Bridge which indirectly joins Jutland (the mainland) to Zealand (Copenhagen's Island). There's another bridge (Øresund bridge) on the other side of Copenhagen joining Zealand to Malmø in Sweden.

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	OSLO

	Although not a quaint town (the Norwegian Hanseatic port was Bergen on the west coast) Oslo has a very comfortable "feel", as though the people who live here enjoy being here. The town is clean and compact and the countryside is never too far away. The Norwegians seem to relish the outdoor life and are proud of their skiing and ski jumping heritage.
	In addition, Oslo's location at the head of a long and attractive fjord accounts for a strong maritime influence which, of course, goes back to the Vikings. Their adventurous legacy has been kept alive by Norwegian Polar explorations and the Kon-Tiki and Ra sea voyages, all of which are remembered in Museum exhibits.
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