On about our third day on the ship, the captain announced that the port of Stockholm had denied entry to the Queen Victoria. He sounded a bit exasperated, but I learned something that I hadn't known. Cruise ships publish their itineraries, sometimes hoping that they will be able to get into port. When they can't, they need to scramble to find one that will take them. Luckily, we were able to get into Nynashamn, a port about an hour outside of the city. What was exciting about this change was that the ship was not able to use a berth. As [View Full Entry]

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After two days in a row of 6.00 wake up calls, the one this morning at 7.00 was a blessed relief. I actually had time for a cup of coffee and a muffin before heading down to meet Mom and Lynn for today's adventure. Still a bit shell shocked from all the glitz and glamour of St. Petersburg, we approached today with a bit of caution. But, God was smiling on us. The weather had changed for the better. Not only had it warmed up considerably, but the sun was shining brightly and continued to do so all day. Not only [View Full Entry]

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After the very long day we had had yesterday, I must admit that the alarm going off at 6.00 woke me up this morning. As a result, I was not able to have my morning cup of coffee. Really not a very good start to the day -- even in St. Petersburg. To rectify this situation, Lynn and I decided that we would raid the ship's buffet and take cups of coffee onto the coach with us. Oh dear me, but that did not go over very well with the driver. We were told in no uncertain terms that this was [View Full Entry]

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One of the main reasons for taking this trip was to see St. Petersburg. It has always been a place that has held a real fascination for me and, being the lover of Impressionists that I am, I have always wanted to go to the Hermitage as it has a collection that rarely, if ever, leaves Russia. So, when I saw that this cruise stopped there for two days, I jumped at the chance. At last, the day arrived. I was up at 5.30 as I had crashed and burned the night before and had to do all the things that [View Full Entry]

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When I told people that I would be visiting Tallinn on this trip, nearly everyone said the same thing. "You will love it. It is what Prague was five years ago before the tourists discovered it." Having loved Prague when I was there a few years ago, this certainly put me in the mood to see this town. I was not disappointed. The entire town is UNESCO protected and for good reason. It has mostly been spared from the ravages of many other Soviet holdings and I got a real sense of what life was like for the Eastern Europeans before [View Full Entry]

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It’s always a bit of a shock when the alarm goes off at 6.00 when one is on holiday. Having said that, I bounded out of bed this morning and threw open the curtains of my room. For the first time ever, I was behind the Iron Curtain and I wanted to see what it looked like. So far, it looked like every other port I have ever been to - with one significant difference. The docks were lined with people who had come out at that ungodly hour of the morning to see the ship. Not only were we coming [View Full Entry]

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At Sea. Are there two better words in the English language? There are few things better than sitting on a boat and staring out at the horizon. For a traveller such as myself, nothing is more exciting. During the course of the cruise, we had four days at sea. We loved them. I would spend the morning wandering around the ship or sitting on deck watching the world go by. We would all meet for lunch, then go our separate ways for the afternoon. I would read, play bingo (don't laugh -- it is great fun) or do the pub quiz [View Full Entry]

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The wait is over. I have the first stamp in my new passport. I was stamped into Zeebrugge. Where? It is the port for Belgium from which one travels to Brussels or Bruges. It is the first port of call on our cruise. The ship was offering various trips today. I had voted for Ypres and the poppy fields, but Mom had vetoed that. So, we decided to see Ghent and Bruges. I was not sure how I was going to like being on a tour. They always seem a bit ovine to me. Following someone holding up a sign and [View Full Entry]

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The date was the 18th of September, 1972 and I was nine years old at the time. The place was the France, a liner carrying my family and me to Europe for nine months while my father enjoyed his sabbatical. We were all eating lunch when Mom announced that she had a special treat for that afternoon. In the cinema, her favourite movie of all time was playing - “Gone With The Wind” and she was taking us to see it with her. It was the beginning of a love affair with the movie, the book and especially Clark Gable that [View Full Entry]

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“Beauty shall be in front of me. Beauty shall be in the back. Beauty shall be below me, above me, all around me.” -- Navajo Prayer I was taking photos for my insurance company of my flat, when I realised that many of you have never seen it. So, I thought it would be fun to post some photos of the places that I talk about when I’m home. I hope you enjoy them. And, as promised, there is a photo of “my tree” in bloom. The leaves will be out soon! A bit of history about the street on which [View Full Entry]

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