Return to Copenhagen

Eileen with a Guard

Day 20 (8/20/2010) Day 13 Baltic Sea Adventure

We were up at 5:00 this morning. We wanted to catch some breakfast before we left the ship. As it turns out we probably wouldn’t have to have hurried quite as much. We were afraid everything was going to be busy. As it turned out we must have been ahead of the crowd because we had breakfast and were off the ship by 6:30. We had a great taxi ride with a driver who gave us all kinds of tourist suggestions. It turns out our hotel is in the perfect location right between the palace and the most scenic area in Copenhagen, New harbor. We were worried that it would be too early to check in but we thought we could store our luggage while we walked around town. When we got there, the guy at the desk said our room was ready and we could go right in and that if we wanted we could go through the breakfast buffet. We settled for a cup of coffee and were off to see the town. We decided to start with the Palace and then worked our way down the board walk to Kastellet, an old fort that was surrounded sculptures and a beautiful church. On the board walk we ran into a street person who gave us more info. The most important was that the changing of the guard at the palace was at noon. We went back to the palace and watched the changing of the guard and Eileen got her picture taken with one of the guards. They all seem so young. Then we walked the other direction to New Harbor. It is the area where Hans Christian Anderson lived and wrote about. We photographed one of the houses that he had lived in. After much walking we decided to try the hop-on hop-off buses. We rode them for a while and were surprised how between our walks the first day and our walk today we had covered many of the land marks but now we had the stories behind them. As it turns out, Tivoli, the amusement park we had seen during our first day was actually built to take the Danish peoples mind off from their poverty and war. It was later Walt Disney’s inspiration for Disneyland. After the ride we came back to the hotel to chill for awhile before going to supper. After supper we continued to walk around until it was time for bed.

Changing of the Guard

Gefion Fountain

Electric Car and Outlet

Equestian Statue of Frederic V

Dragon Light Pole

Copenhagen Opera House

Angel Sculpture by Kastellet

St. Alban's Church from Kastellet

Kastellet Windmill

Valkyrie in Churchill Park

Eileen looking out our Window

New Harbor District

More New Harbor

Hans Christian Andersen house in Copenhagen

When Tenders get Rough

Tender Ticket

Day 19 (8/19/2010) Day 12 Baltic Sea Adventure

We actually slept in a little later today. We weren’t going to be arriving in Helsingborg, Sweden until 11:00. Today is our last day at sea. We will be taking off at 5:30 and traveling back to Copenhagen by 9:00. We are taking tenders to the port since it is too small to dock a ship the size of ours. I thought that the tenders would come out from Helsingborg but it turns out they use the lifeboats to ferry the people back and forth. Again our balcony was right above one of the spots where people disembark. It has been very interesting watching that whole process. I have to admit that the general operations of the ship are some of the most fun to watch. It turns out that tenders aren’t very tender at all in rough seas. In fact they can be downright harsh. I do have to say that it was definitely one of the highlights of the day. Even though Helsingborg was a charming city filled with beautiful buildings and Sculptures we couldn’t spend a great deal of time there. We are to the point where we are starting to repack and had to get most of that done before we go to bed. It is kind of bittersweet. On one hand we are ready to get home but on the other hand it means our adventure is coming to an end.

Lowering the Tenders

The Tenders

Loading the Tenders

Helsingborg

Sculpture in Helsingborg

Yet another Sculpture

And yet Another

The Ship

Warnemunde, Germany

Inside the Light Tower

Day 18 (8/18/2010) Day 11 Baltic Sea Adventure

For the first time of our adventure, it is raining when we pulled into port at Warnemunde, Germany. Most of the people on the ship are boarding a train to go to Berlin. We just weren’t ready for a three hour train trip. Now with the rain it looks like maybe we made the right decision. Warnemunde is a charming little seaside port. I say little in comparison to most of the other ports that we have gone into. I think we made the right decision by not going to Berlin. Granted, Warnemunde may not have had the historic significance of Berlin but it was a fun town to explore. In spite of a persistent drizzle in the morning we set out to explore the town. On our journey we came across a light tower that you could climb for a nominal fee. From there we were able to kind of plan our morning. It turns out Warnemunde is a favored area for Europeans to take “Holiday” and has a substantial beach area. I am not any expert on beach life but they had something there I had never seen before, little shaded chair huts that fold up into themselves. The beach was covered with them. I couldn’t tell if they were private or public. Warnemunde also had a quaint little harbor area filled with interesting boats and shops. In the afternoon the rain stopped and the character of the town changed. What had been a quaint lazy little berg in the rain of the morning became a bustling tourist town when the sun came out in the afternoon. It was still fun, just different. We went out and did some more exploring then stopped by a local bier garden for the mandatory German Beer. While we were out walking we stopped at a tourist information center and the girl told us that the city was going to have fireworks for our sendoff that evening. So after supper we put on our swimming suits and went up to the hot tub on the top deck and waited for fireworks to start. Although the wait was a little longer than we thought, it was great when they started. We had the best seat in the house.

Light Tower with Sculpture

Ship from the Light Tower

The Warf

Sculpture

Beach Chairs

Manditory Beer

Hot Tubbing

Fireworks from the Hot Tub

Poland

Sunrise at Poland

Day 17 (8/17/2010) Day 10 Baltic Sea Adventure

Today we went to Gdynia, Sopot and Gdansk, Poland. We originally had decided that we weren’t going to take another tour today. To be honest, we are getting a little tired of tours. But we received a note on our bed, when we got back to our room from Tallinn, that they were going to pressure wash all the balconies on the ship today. We figured that it might be better if we were out of the room and off the ship so we booked yet another tour. It turned out that perhaps we should have taken our chances with staying on the ship. Although there were some high points, much of the tour was quite hectic. It was an hour ride through the three cities which, it turns out are all connected. Since there is no express way it was all stop and go traffic. Everywhere you went everything was covered by Graffiti. The guide assured us that it was not gang related but rather mischief. Apparently, some of the graffiti is promoted and certain areas are designated for graffiti art. Once we got to the old part of Gdansk it was very scenic and interesting but there was a festival going on and it was almost impossible to go anywhere much less try to keep track of our guide. Again I was amazed with the beauty of the architecture. If I understood correctly though, most of it had to be rebuilt after World War II because the city of Gdansk was leveled. In spite of the long ride and hassles associated with the tour Gdansk was beautiful and there were many interesting tidbits of history. For example I was not aware that at the time of World War II the city of Gdansk was known as Danzig and the site of the start of the war. The shipyards of Gdansk are also where Lech Walesa started the solidarity movement which many people feel led to the fall of the Soviet Union. We went past Lech Walesa's house but unfortunately it was somwhat obscured by trees. It is interesting how you can tell what the people in the country are proud of by what they show you on the tours. In Poland it is definitely their revolutions and struggles to stay free. Stay free Poland.

Port of Gdynia

Old town Hall

Old Town Gdansk

More Old Town

Astronomical Clock at St. Mary's

Solidarity Monument

Leaving Poland

Estonia

Sunrise over Estonia

Day 16 (8/16/2010) Day 9 Captains Log Star date (8/16/2010)

Again we are awoken to another beautiful sunrise. We have taken to leaving our curtains open just so we will wake up to enjoy the sunrises which seem to be better each day. What is weird is that we usually are able to catch the sun sets from our balcony as well. We will soon be arriving in Tallinn, Estonia. To stay with our theme of Peter the Great we have booked a tour called “In the footsteps of Peter the Great” or as we call him “The Great Peter”. Tallinn is probably the most rustic city we have been in so far. Like most of these European port cities we have been to there is an old town and a new town. In Tallinn the old town is actually a walled city with massive towers for protection which just sort of got surrounded by the new city. It is very interesting from port though because you can see this little medieval city nestled into the modern city. When entering old town it is like stepping back in time. The streets are very narrow with cobblestone and everything has the feel of the 17th century. It was definitely one of my favorite places. You are also reminded how different another country can be. While we were visiting the palace of the current president of Estonia, which has no fences or gates, a girl on a bicycle goes riding through within yards of the front doors of the building. Many of the people on the tour were from the U.S. and were astonished with the lack of security. I would imagine that he has greater things to fear than his own people. This is definitely a place where I would love to spend more time. I can’t wait to post the pictures from here.

Old town Tallinn

The Walled City

The Gate into Old town Tallinn

Ramparts

Eileen wanted this Estonian Kitten

Pühavaimu kirik

In the Footsteps of Peter the Great

Fat Margaret

Old Palace Restoration

New Presidential Palace with Biker

Sunset leaving Estonia