I
find the Baltic capitals 12 day cruise to be one of the most interesting cruise
itineraries of all because it is rich in history, beauty, variety, and it
includes visits to the hub of activity and seat of government of several
northern European countries. It is also
an affordable means of visiting expensive cities. I enjoyed my second visit to this impressive
region of the world even more because I travelled on Celebrity Cruise Line in a
concierge class room. The itinerary included visits to six ports of call,
including an overnight stay in St. Petersburg, Russia, and four much-needed sea
days. If I had to do it over again, I
would've spent time in Amsterdam, the departure city, prior to the
cruise.
Here
are the highlights of the trip:
A
visit to Berlin, Germany a city that
I still find to be one of the most interesting in the world. Not only is it the
birth place of Nazism and rise to power of Hitler, but it served as the
epicenter of the 40+ year Cold War. The remnants of our recent history,
especially of World War II and Berlin's role, abound-- from the war-torn Kaiser
Wilhelm Cathedral to the monument to the murdered Jews, to the iconic East
Berlin traffic signals, to Check Point Charlie, to the Reichstag , to the
memorial of the book burning, to the Brandenburg gate, to remaining segments of the Berlin
wall scattered throughout the city -- there's always something to stimulate the
mind about horror, war, duty, paranoia, denial, resistance, heart break, and
resilience. What's most impressive is
how the Germans take full responsibility for the horrors of the Nazi
regime. In this effort, they continue to
build monuments to commemorate and enlighten about what happened. I could go back time and time again, to
explore all its museums, monuments, public places, and memorials.
Our tour included visits of Museum Island, The
Brandenburg Gate, The Reichstag, Charlottenburg Palace, the Holocaust Memorial,
and everything listed in the previous sentences. Bratwurst for lunch was
delicious.
This
time, I spent more time at the Topography of Terror Museum (comprehensive indoor
and outdoor exhibits detailing the
history of repression under the Nazis) and
the Memorial to the Murdered Jews.
It
is well worth the 3 Hour drive. from Port city of Warnemunde. Both times I took a full day tour with SPB, a
company that provides excellent tours of Russia and Baltic capital cities.
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| Brandenburg
Gate |
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| Berlin
Wall |
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| Charlottenburg
Palace |
My
second two-day visit to St. Petersburg,
Russia was as enjoyable as the first.
This fabulous city, patterned after the great capital cities of Western
Europe with royal palaces and gardens mirroring Versailles, should be placed on
everyone’s bucket list. Highlights
included visits to Catherine’s Palace, Peterhoff, Peter and Paul Fortress and
Cathedral, Senate Square, a Hydrofoil ride, the Palace where Rasputin spent his
final hours (Yusopov), a canal cruise, the Church of the Savior on Spilled
Blood, typical Russian meals, and the piece de resistance: The
Hermitage, the world's second largest art museum behind the
Louvre.
Prior
to my visit, again, I studied the lives of the Tsars, with a focus on Peter the
Great, Catherine the great, and the downfall of the Romanov dynasty.
 |
| Hermitage and St Issac's across
The Neva River |
 |
| Peterhoff Gardens and
Fountains |
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| Matryoshka
Dolls |
 |
| Bronze
Horseman |
Sunrise
and sunset cruising through the Stockholm archipelago
of 30,000 islands and islets.
Vasa
Museum in Stockholm. This was my second visit to one of my
favorite museums in the world. The
museum actually houses the 384year-old war ship that sank during its maiden
voyage in 1628, along with informative-interactive exhibits describing the
raising of the ship in 1961, life on board the ship, naval warfare, life in
Sweden in the 1600s, skeletal remains, and more. There are even facial reconstructions of
victims onboard the sunken ship, enhanced by modern technology, created from
skeletal remains. See http://www.vasamuseet.se/en/
View
of Tallinn’s OldTown from the ship
Tours
in St Petersburg, Berlin, Tallinn, and Stockholm. HOHO bus tour in Copenhagen and
Helsinki
 |
| Nyhavn |
 |
| Little Mermaid-Mascot of
Copenhagen |
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| On the
Stroget |
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| Helsinki-Market
Square |
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| Tallinn, Estonia-City
Walls |
Life
onboard the Celebrity Constellation. It is a beautiful ship, newly refurbished,
and decorated with eclectic, thought-provoking artwork throughout. The food was well above average. I had escargots EVERY NIGHT! We loved the ship’s song and dance
cast!
Escargots
every night
Excellent
guest lecturers. There was a naturalist, Karen Dodd and a
Harry Murphy, a doctor of Education.
They lectured on the Romanovs, The Berlin Wall, Alfred Nobel, WW II,
Russian, Viking, Prussian, and Hanseatic history and culture, Amber, and even
The History of Hollywood. Karen Dodd
delivered such impassioned and interesting talks that I would listen to her
lecture on toothpicks. She even invited
everyone to join her from 5AM-9AM, up on deck, as we cruised through the
Stockholm archipelago. I learned so much
from her about the Hanseatic League, the development of German vs. Viking
societies, whales, and more. Her
lectures truly enhanced my experience. We replayed both speakers’ lectures
several times in our room, on the Celebrity channel.
Our
wonderful dinner mates. Agnes and Richard from Ohio; Juanita and Ross
from Portland, OR; and Jane, Don, and their 12-yr old grandson, Anakin, from
Portland, OR
 |
| Don, Jane,Anakin, Karla, Joel,
Juanita, Ross,Agnes, Richard |
As
before, the weather was pleasant everywhere--we only had rain in Stockholm and
at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews (15 minutes, in
Berlin).
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