Adrian J
Adrian Scott Joined: July 30th 2009
Logged in: August 15th 2009
Logged in: August 15th 2009
Travel Blog Posts
Got up. Looked out the porthole. Sun again. Yawn. We had an early call as we were going to leave the ship at 9:15 to go on our rooftop walk. We debated whether we should take pullovers but decided against it-which proved to be a good one as Stockholm was hot-25 degrees. The coach taking us was waiting at the cruise terminal, engine running, air-con on. Our guide-who had an unpronounceable name, explained what we would be doing. It was clearly going to be serious stuff as she was already wearing the safety rig, the same sort that is worn on oil rigs. We drove to the old town with the guide explaining about Stockholm being built on 14 islands. It is a fascinating sight to see the ways in which the roads and railways have ... read more
Another beautiful day. We were scheduled to go on another organised trip today to the Hermitage museum. Because of this, we spent the morning swimming and generally being quite lazy. 1 pm. We set off on our (air-conditioned) coach. We had a guide-a Russian chap who spoke very good English but who was…spooky. He gave his talk to specific people. Once he set his gaze onto someone-he kept it there. Both Carole and I felt he was…odd. Anyway, we got to the Hermitage and set off after the afore-mentioned Russian gentleman who stalked in front of us carrying not a flag, rather a sign bearing the legend ‘NCL 36’. Neither Carole nor I can easily explain the visit. We were there for 3 hours. It was baking hot with quite a few other tours, although we ... read more
We can’t believe our good luck! Another beautiful day with the temperature up around 27 degrees again. We hadn’t made any arrangements for a formal tour and once again decided to do our own thing. We left the ship wearing hot weather gear and set off for the Centre, as indicated by the map and the road signs. I soon determined a different route and we found ourselves wandering through the outskirts of what is a really attractive city. We needed a stop for a drink, but as Helsinki doesn’t come to life until 11:00, this proved difficult. We did find a street café however and I went inside to fetch a beer and a coffee. It’s strange that they don’t come outside to serve here. The café did strike me as unusual but it wasn’t ... read more
Day 1. We awoke to yet another stunningly beautiful day. I had always imagined Russia to be Siberian with howling winds and deep snow. The port of St. Petersburg is certainly nothing like that at present. I went for my now-usual morning swim in the early morning sunlight-which was strong enough for me not to feel cold when I got out of the pool. I fetched a cup of coffee from the aft café and took it out on deck. The port took me completely by surprise. On the one side of the ship where our cabin was situated, we could see open countryside leading to the sea. On the other was the port-and what a port. It stretches for miles and when we saw it- it was harbouring many cargo vessels. It actually looks a ... read more
We were really fortunate with the weather today. It was blazing hot and Tallin looked like somewhere in the Med! I started off by taking a swim in the ship’s pool as Carole woke up back in the cabin. We had been informed that Estonia accepts only the local currency but this proved to be false as everything is priced in Euros too-and dollars. We exchanged Euros on board for the local stuff and managed to also obtain some Russian roubles for tomorrow. Looking around from the ship’s deck we got the impression that Estonia was from the 21st century exclusively. The port is 100% modern and there were 5 cruise ships berthed there. We were rather childishly pleased that our Norwegian Jewel dwarfed the others. Carole and I decided once again to make our own ... read more
Today we spent sailing from Germany to Estonia. We had a mixed day. We started by taking a swim and then went in a hot tub. The weather suddenly turned to thick fog which seemed odd as it obscured the ship’s radar tower and swirled across the deck. We had brunch at 11. It was a special event with French style food and a jazz accompaniment. I ate a hearty meal and Carole enjoyed her food, too. I have never had Chateaubriand at that time of day before. It seemed appropriate to follow it with Belgium waffles. To make up for our indulgence we took a turn about the deck, had a run and visited the gym. This evening we saw a show in the Stardust Theatre-;Moscow Magic’, a good old-fashioned magic act- very good it ... read more
Sorry that this entry is a little late. We had a wonderful day in Warnemunde, the port for Berlin. We chose not to take the 2 1/5 hour train journey to Berlin-and made the right decision as the weather was fantastic. Warnemunde has a famous beach which is within easy walking distance from the pier. The town is very quaint with cobbled streets and lots of very pleasant little shops selling some high-end goods. I saw a dress/shirt for Carole. I wandered into the shop only to find the dresses at £600 and the shirt a snip at a mere £130. Needless to say I left in a hurry. The town grew very lively as the day continued. The atmosphere was outstandingly good-natured with clean streets, pleasant people and a real carnival feel to the whole ... read more
This will be an entry without pictures-the cruise line charge exorbitantly for the web connection and I am not prepared to pay for the download time until I get home. Donations to the ‘Mean old Git’ fund will be greatly appreciated. Anyway-today we spent in Copenhagen being tourists. The rules for this are that you are expected to buy tacky gifts and spend too much on beer. So-bought a ‘Little mermaid’ statuette and two beers. I was obliged to buy the statuette as I was given change for the beers in Krona. Cunning people, these Danes. I got my own back by casting a spell on their pastries. Copenhagen is actually rather lovely, old fashioned, clean and stress-free. Carole indulged in her favourite people-watching game whilst drinking beer at a pavement café. We looked in at ... read more
First sightingT
Well-we are on board! Almost had no shoes to wear as our bag went AWOL...stiill-it came to light at 8:30 last evening so we can walk again. Tha ship is quite brilliant-as is the food. We are being really good-up early, went for a run-not a jog, a run-and then went swimming, followed by a sunbathing session-oh! and a go in a hot tub. The cabin is very capacious and has easily accomadated all of our luggage...all 5 bags. We are contemplating a whole day at sea. This will of course involve atrip to a bar-or two. Carole has discovered cocktails and is intending to sample a new one each evening. We started yesterday (WE-I have to keep pace) The crew produced this friut cocktail thingy-we thought it was juice and free. It was rum and ... read more
We have a problem. Rosie-the-cat is asleep on our bags and refuses to let us go. We have the technology (well-biscuits) so can remove her. The cruise line have given us a weight limit of 90 kgs each for our luggage. It seems that we are fast approaching it. Ah! The glories of capitalism. The camera battery has decided to lose charge almost immediately so I will try to find another today. Not an insurmountable difficulty with any luck. I have just watched the weather forecast and it is looking good. In reality, it probably would make no difference to us-but isn't it nice to have sunshine? We shall leave here soon-the port is so close it should only take 45 minutes to get there. Carole is intent on doing some shopping at De Bradley Wharf, ... read more
