Shipboard

The last 5 days we have been crossing the Atlantic Ocean.  Some folks have said “what do you do all day at sea?”   So here is a typical day at sea for us:

Just before 9am B wakes up and goes to breakfast, making friends with some of the cooks and wait staff in the Horizon.  Ping Pong starts at 9am and B usually goes to be Asian fodder.  LOL!  However since we have had so many sea days, his game has improved and he is losing with points on the scoreboard, instead of 15-3…  He actually came in 2^nd place today!

I usually wake up around 930am and breakfast on bacon and eggs.  They make the best bacon on board – all crispy and pieces stuck together…yum!

Then I head to the Vista Lounge to save a place for my trivia team.  We are 2 from Australia, Dave & Jen; 2 from Oklahoma, Muzan and Gail; Jim from USA and me.  There are usually 20 questions and we average about 16.  We have won once and tied twice…  Not a bad record and they have been a good gang to hang out with.

Late morning B will usually have a cooking show or ring toss or casino time…  There is another trivia at 145pm in a smaller room, so I usually can be found reading a book and saving a spot for my team.  After that there was a golf competition based on the Ryder Cup: the USA against the Rest of the World.  The first day we had over 40 golfers competing but by the last day there were about 9 Americans and 14 Others.  B was the overall winner and managed to hold up the USA team to a rousing victory by 1 point.  It was great fun and probably my favorite activity.  We got acquainted with all the folks and it was good camaraderie.

The Princess Olympics happened around 245 and we either played volleyball or mini-soccer.  I ended up having to skip some days because I wasn’t going to miss trivia! Lol!  I think B was the only passenger to have attended every event since the beginning.  Not sure if he will receive an award as he is playing while I am writing this.  We have managed to collect 6 magnetic chip clips, 5 mini-flashlights and 2 carabineers.   We did ask if we had enough crap to trade up for a bigger prize…lol!  But remember what I always say, “it’s not about the prize, it’s the winning that matters!”  lol! 

B’s busy day is over after Olympics, but I still have 1 more team trivia at 430pm.  We have learned some interesting facts:  the tip of your shoelace is called an aglet; Boy George was on the worst dressed women’s list in 1984 and elephants have 4 knees but can’t jump… 

We usually meet back in the room around 5pm and go to the Jacuzzi or just read and nap.  Sometimes there is a 7pm game show I go play and B can usually be found in the casino.  Dinner is at 8pm in the dining room.  I mentioned before, our waiters are acceptable but nothing special.  And the food in the dining room was fine, but not fantastic.  The soups have all been good, but the appetizers and main courses are only ok… 

After dinner we sometimes go to a show, but mostly to the casino. 
B feeds the slots and I play blackjack.  Then it’s off to bed to rest up for the next day and do it all over again…  We thoroughly enjoy sea days to the max…  I am really glad there are so many activities so we have options to play or not to play.  The Cruise staff is really good on this ship.  My 2 favorites are Natalie from Australia and Brian from Japan via Chicago…

We fly home Sat 24 September and I will do a wrap up blog shortly thereafter…  I will also post some ship photos… Cheers!

Scotland and Ireland

The last 3 days we have visited Edinburgh, Scotland; Belfast, Northern Ireland and Cork, Ireland.  We leave for our 5 days across the Atlantic and will be in Boston on the 23rd.  
I will upload some photos now and write the blog in the next day or so...  Enjoy the pictures
Edinburgh

We had arranged with some folks through the internet to take a private tour to Edinburgh.  It was a bit cheaper and only had 14 folks in the van… 

It is a 2 hour drive from Greenock, through Glasgow  to the city of Edinburgh.  Our driver was Derrick and he was a hoot.  He has been an actor for 30 years and guides tours to pay the bills…  He was dressed in the traditional kilt and was full of himself in an amusing way.  He told jokes, sang songs and explained the areas we were driving through.  He was very punny and I kept thinking how much Jess would enjoy him…

Our first stop was Rosslyn Chapel.  B & I opted not to go inside, figuring we had seen enough churches this trip – lol!  It is a beautiful structure tho and I got a decent photo of it.

The weather was turning and thinking about raining but it never really did.  It spit and misted enough to get your glasses wet and the tiled sidewalks slippery so you felt like you were hydroplaning when walking.  I was quite tense, taking mincing steps so as not to slip…

Our main stop was Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile.  We decided to walk the Royal Mile partway and go inside the castle afterwards.  The Royal Mile is called that because the King and Queen used to procession from the Castle to Hollyrood Palace.  It is a narrow, cobblestoned street that today has pubs, shops and churches along the way.  Being our first trip to Scotland, it was necessary to shop – lol!  Every other store had tartans and cashmere, cable knit sweaters -  unfortunately Texas weather never calls for heavy sweaters…lol  We bought bits and bobs including some Scottish fudge – it was very reasonable and B bought a few then went back and bought a few more and as we were walking out he said, “get me out of here before I go back to buy more…”lol  & now we regret that he didn’t….

We walked back uphill towards the Castle and got a bite to eat in a huge store.  The food was ok but it was nice to rest and be out of the weather.

We never made it into the castle as we ran out of time but took a few photos of it from the outside in the fog.  We met Derrick and the van at the top of the hill near the Castle and began our trek back to the ship.  The highway was quite congested so it took a bit longer to return – most of us napped on the van. Although it wasn’t actually a “tour” more of a glorified bus ride, it was a great day shopping in Edinburgh and Derrick was a terrific driver.  I would like to visit Scotland again…

Royal Mile

Roslyn Chapel

Belfast

In Northern Ireland we decided to explore on our own.  The ship provided a shuttle bus into town & back for a small fee.  I had researched the internet and found there was a market nearby but when we queried the Info center, we found out it was only open on Friday, Saturday & Sunday – that day was Thursday, damn!
But they told us about a smaller one a few blocks away so we went in search of it.  Turned out there was a small plaza down an alley and behind a department store.  It was strange walking back by the trucks that were unloading as it felt like a dead end…  The market was only 6 stands, but the courtyard was really attractive. There was a church on one side with a garden and a pub on the opposite side.  We didn’t buy anything, but did take several photos.

Continuing our exploration, we happened upon a mall and guess what?  It had a 1 pound store in it!  (the equivalent of a dollar store) lol!  We purchased some soda and snacks and went back outside.  By then it was warm enough out that we needed to shed layers and ended up carrying all our clothing in a shopping bag.  Belfast is a nice city with malls and stores just off the City Hall plaza.  It was pleasant strolling around but my Pokémon game did not want to work anywhere in Scotland or Ireland.  I was disappointed as I was hoping to catch an Irish or Scottish Pokémon & level up to 16.

While we were shopping I realized what I really needed was a souvenir store, when we stumbled across Carroll’s, a chain store of Irish souvenirs.  It is quite a large store with a variety of goods from key chains and magnets to fancy jewelry and t-shirts.  We had fun spending our pounds and then went back to the shuttle.  We boarded one that we leaving right away, but made a block circle, as the bus driver had not maneuvered well when he was leaving…  He managed to break a window on another bus with our bus’s  mirror, so we all had to get onto another shuttle…  it was very peculiar

Oh, our day in Belfast was my birthday.  We enjoyed the city and it was great to have a leisurely day to discover Northern Ireland…

It was early afternoon when we returned so we went to the Italian restaurant and celebrated by eating a pizza.  B had a Hawaiian pizza and I had one with artichokes and black olives.  It was tasty…

Cork

For our last day in Europe, we booked another small group tour through Cruise Critic.  We were 8 people in the van and it was cozy, but comfortable.  We got a short tour of Cork, Ireland seeing the oldest church in town – not Catholic – and drove through the narrow streets of the old city.  A few were such a tight squeeze we felt we had to hold our breath to pass by the parked cars…lol  In the parts that we saw, there were no buildings higher than 4 stories allowing for fine views of the rolling, grassy hills.  Cork housing is small apartment buildings or attractive single family cottages.

Our next stop was the English Market: a typical food market with cheeses, fish, meats, fruits and vegetables.  B & I wandered a bit and soon found ourselves outside in the regular shopping area.    And guess what we discovered?  That’s right – another dollar-like store!  LOL!  This one was more like a Big Lots as the prices ranged from 1Euro upwards.  We bought some more soda and some treats for the cruise staff and the casino dealers…

After a short drive through rolling green hills filled with sheep, we were in the shire of Blarney.  Our group opted not to go to the castle, but instead went to Blarney Woolen Mills.  4 floors of sweaters, wool coats, hats, t-shirts and Irish knickknacks overwhelmed the eyes and stretched our purses…lol!  Some of the ships tours were also there, so it was also teeming with crowds.  B bought himself a very nifty hat and I got some souvenirs of Ireland. 

Since it was after noon, we were hungry and so John, our driver, took us to a nearby hotel with a restaurant attached.  It was cafeteria style and they had a carvery with beef or turkey and lamb or beef stew for entrees.  As we were in Ireland, I chose lamb stew and asked for it served in a bowl.  They kept wanting to put it on a plate, but eventually I got it in a bowl.  Except for B, everyone got lamb stew – in a bowl…lol  It was quite yummy – well seasoned with tender bites of lamb, potatoes and vegetables.  And it was reasonably priced for the area, about $20 for both of us.

Our final destination for the day was the Jameson’s Distillery.   However the advantage to taking a small van is you can create your own itinerary.  Some of the folks wanted to know if there was a liquor store nearby and John made a detour so they could buy wine to take back to the ship.

We were soon back on route and arrived at Jameson’s in plenty of time for our tour.  We are now experts in how to distill whiskey – Jameson’s is processed 3 times through distillation and is protected from the fire with special tiles.  Scotch whiskey actually is twice distilled and the smoke is allowed to enter the chambers giving it that smoky quality.  At the end of the tour everyone got a free drink, however 8 of us got to experience a tasting.  There were 3 shot glasses: the middle one was Jameson’s, the left was a Scotch whiskey and the right was an American whiskey.  It was amazing how much different all three tasted.  The Jameson’s was smooth, sweet tasting with a pleasant “phew” at the end.  It was easy to smell & taste the smoke in the Scotch whiskey and the American whiskey was just nasty – uck!  I am not a big whiskey drinker, but I would definitely choose Jameson’s after this.

We enjoyed our condensed version of Cork, but I would truly like to come back and spend more time in Ireland.  It is a beautiful country with charming, welcoming people – I hope to return someday.

Next up: 5 sea days filled with trivia, sports, casino and more 

lamb stew

our van tour gang

Norway

Kristiansand

This was basically my first time riding a segway…  It is very easy to maneuver it’s the getting on and getting off that is difficult.  I conquered mounting and driving it uphills and downhills and going fast, but was never quite sure of my dismount skills, as the thing is still on when one steps off it - I was always fearful that it would continue on and run over some poor tourist…lol  Teresa was the back of the line assistant, so I hung out with her.  She helped me take photos and held the segway while I dismounted a couple of times…  I enjoyed motoring around, but it is hard on your legs having to stand for over 2 hours…  My feet and thighs were complaining about halfway through the ride…lol 

Kristiansand is Norway’s sunniest port and is the largest exporter of dried cod…  It is a pristine town that sparkles with white wooden homes, shops, a beautiful park and even a beach shore…if course even in summer the water to way to cold for us westerners – you could probably get your polar bear badge all year round.  We got lucky and had a beautiful, sunny day.  After puttering about on the segways, I met up with B and we toured the town once more but by mini-train this time…  Because it was Sunday, the shops were all closed, but B offered to buy me lunch.  We went into this cute little pub and ate pulled pork sandwiches!  I didn’t know this was Norwegian food, but it sure was tasty.  Fits right up there in our top 15 for bbq, and the waitress was beautiful.  We asked if she might be interested in an American boy, and she said, “sure just send him over”  - So there you go J, just move to Norway…lol 

Kritiansand was a delightful town and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Bergen

Bergen is one of Norway’s largest cities and probably the largest port.  We decided to take the hop on/hop off bus to get a feel for the whole place.  Again we had nice sunny weather – which you have to understand is unique for the area – my friends that were here 2 weeks earlier had snow…

We hopped off the bus in the downtown area and explored the fish market.  There were offering tasting bites of whale, elk and reindeer.  I thought the smoked whale was quite tasty but opted not to buy any because of its lack of longevity… 

I convinced B we needed to go in search of the Magic Ice Bar.  I have always wanted to see a whole pub built of ice and I knew one existed here in Bergen..  According to folks we asked it was just down the road about 5 minutes.  We didn’t remember this was a European 5 minutes which converts to American 15 minutes…lol!  But eventually we found it and put on the extra heavyweight ponchos they provided and went it to freeze our asses off…lol  Actually they also provided lambskin rugs to sit on the ice.  It was lit in subdued colors of blues and pinks.  Our drinks were served in ice cups and were included in the price.  It was white wine and a cherry liquore – nasty tasting but fun to toast with…  It was a very cool experience and I am glad we did it…

The Pokémon-Go craze continues in Norway also and not just by me…  I talked to several boys who were strolling around and playing in packs…  I caught several new ones myself and have almost leveled up to 16.  I enjoy chatting with the kids about the game and experiencing their astonishment and delight because an old lady is playing too…

We had a sea day before our next port and we enjoyed playing games about the ship.  We joined the ship Olympics team, I played trivia 4 times and we are even representing USA in the golf Ryder cup.  B went 3 for 3 putts and is the only passenger to do so.  I made 1 out of 3 and the US is in the lead so far…yay! 

Unfortunately the casino had to close the last couple of days due to sailing in British waters…  B says his machine is lonely and misses him – lol

The ship is hugs over 4000 passengers but we have finally managed to navigate it well as the activites we play are in the same locations daily.  And we put up a door decortion, so we can always find our room…

Scotland and Ireland are our future ports…  check back soon

Tak

Copenhagen, Denmark

Saturday was an all day stop in Copenhagen.  The ship exchanged over 2000 previous passengers for new ones…  It was so nice not to have to do the muster drill with them…lol! 

Brian and I ate a leisurely breakfast and then caught the hop on/hop off bus just off the ship…  it was about a 15 minute ride into the city and we rode the bus about halfway around.  We got off in the city center and it was a GORGEOUS day: sunny, warm and lovely blue skies.  Pokémon were everywhere and so were the Danish kids out walking around trying to catch them.  I also caught a bunch, but nothing new, however I did manage to level up to 15. 

                 Catching Pokemon with Danish friends

B and I were married here in Copenhagen 44 years ago, so it was sort of a anniversary reunion with the city… 

                                       City Center 

Scandinavia is very expensive so we just meandered about the city for a bit.  B found a grocery store and I waited on a bench while he shopped.  I had just about given him up for lost, when he found me and we returned to the hop-on bus. 

Back aboard the ship I played another trivia and then we went to dinner.  The maître ‘d  changed our table to a round one but the new folks are 3 singles and sort of boring…  Our waiters at the last table were terrific – the new ones so far, not so good…  We’ll give it a couple of days…

Kristiansand, Norway

I took a city tour on a segway today.  B declined to participate, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I will tell you all about it next blog…

Helsinki & Nynashamn

Thursday 8 September 16

Let’s back up to our last days in St. Petersburg.  We enjoyed our stay at the Mini-Pride Hotel and the owner, Andy was a terrific host.  Unfortunately, B & I were both on the puny side, and spent both days mostly resting.  I did go do laundry, but actually Andy took me to a place that a little old babushka did it for me.  The $15 cost covered the whole suitcase (3 loads) and she insisted on folding it for me also…  I did a bit of shopping then found a very comfortable café to wait in until the laundry was done…

Russian Babushka in Lasundrymat

On Tuesday Andy drove us to the ship with our 4 pieces of luggage & 2 carry-ons.  I managed to catch a few Pokemon on the way to the ship.  Andy had never seen a large cruise ship so it was very interesting for him.  Going from a ship of 200 to a ship of 3000 is a bit of a transition…

There were no porters outside the docks when we got there (and no other passengers) and so Russian security helped us put our luggage on the conveyor belt to get x-rayed for customs.  Once inside, there was 1 Princess kid who helped us get through the building to outside the ship.  There, a Princess crew lady met us and gave us correct luggage tags, got us our cruise cards and an escort who took us onboard to process in.  It was very smooth except for the luggage and we think joining mid-cruise may be the way to avoid the crowds.  However we did have to do a boat drill still AND the next morning wake up at 630am, UGH!!, to clear European customs as we entered Finland…  OMG!  It was a bit of a goat rope as they made us be there by 645am in one of the restaurants, but did not serve coffee and were not even ready until 715!  Hell!  I could’ve slept another half hour!!  Lol!  We finished and went back to bed…

Helsinki

Yay!  No tours so we went ashore about 1030am.  Caught the ship shuttle and just wandered about the downtown area.  I was looking for some prints by the Finnish artist, Inge Look so we went to this huge store, Stockmans.  B found the food section and I went across to Starbuck’s and had a pumpkin spice latte.  We then meandered our way back to the shuttle and I caught a few Pokémon along the way.  The weather was quite nice and we enjoyed our day…

Upon returning to the ship, we had a light lunch and played bocce ball.  I went to late afternoon trivia but haven’t got a good team yet so am on a losing streak so far…damn!  Lol!  At dinner we are seated at a table for 4 but it has just been B & me until last night.  We were joined by Heather and Sean from Canada and had a pleasant conversation – we may switch to a larger table our of Copenhagen but it is nice to have another couple to chat with…

Nynashamn, Sweden

BTW it’s pronounced Nyna’s Hym…

Finally a chance to really sleep in – we even managed breakfast about 10am.   After collecting our things, we disembarked and walked a lloong floating bridge to reach land – over 300 meters.  We found out it was recently built at a cost of over $6million  and is retractable - much better than a tender port which it used to be…  Again we rode a shuttle that took us to the train station – from there it was about an 8 minute walk uphill to the center of town.  Some folks took the train and rode an hour into Stockholm, but Sweden is expensive and we had been there before so we opted to just stay close.  Nynashamn boasts lovely countryside and a pretty town center.  We enjoyed our stroll in the sunshine and there was plethora of Pokémon – I caught 4 new ones and had a Picacchu on my radar, but he never popped up…

After wandering around town we caught the shuttle back but asked the driver if he would drop us at the mall across from the ship.  Earlier we had seen the crew bringing bags of stuff back from the Dollar Store…  yay!  We are 2 for 3 in finding dollar stores – lol!  B bought some candy for the casino staff and I got some toothpaste…  We had a very enjoyable day exploring this city in Sweden… 

Nanashymn Courtyard

Friday is a sea day and Saturday we arrive in Denmark.  Posts will be a bit spotty from here till the end as connection is not as good.   Chow

St Petersburg

Thursday-Sunday with Viking River Cruises

We are here in St Petersburg for 5 days total.  2 ½ with the ship and 2 ½ on our own.  I will catch up on the blog but for ease of reading and writing, will break it up by days.  Also I may come back to it to insert more info as I regain access to some paperwork I have been using…  Hope you enjoy

September 1

Hermitage

We had a scheduled tour of the Hermitage that left at 1015, so we were able to sleep in a bit.  When I woke up I just put a t-shirt on to go to breakfast.  But when we left for the Hermitage I decided the weather was crummy so put on a long sleeved top and my fleece vest – this was the wrong decision because The Hermitage is NOT air conditioned and there were tons of people inside – it was extremely HOT!  On average, The Hermitage has over 70,000 visitors per day!!  According to our guide it was not so busy that day – only a 3 out 10 for crowds – I would hate to have been there any other day…ugh!  Shoulder to shoulder with hot, sweaty people (and that was just our bus – j/k lol!)  - there was a line-up to see Da Vinci’s painting, Madonna and Child.  It is gorgeous and all the more awesome realizing how historical it is.

The Hermitage itself is opulent – chair rails, door and windows covered in gold inlay; paintings of famous artists on the walls; and beautiful rooms painted soft hues of greens, blues, pinks and yellows.  The furniture is similar to the era, but not direct replicas.  During a fire, all of the art had to be rescued some even thrown out the windows to avoid being destroyed.  The Hermitage was then rebuilt and is home to this amazing museum. 

There is a cute story of it being overrun by mice, so the city of Yaroslavl sent all their cats to the Hermitage who redeemed the place from the rats and became heroes.  Today there are still descendents of the original cats in the Hermitage – however not in the museum proper, as they became lofty & arrogant and were often found sleeping on the thrones and furniture of this palace…lol!  Many paintings have a cat in them and every year for one day, the children of St Petersburg are invited on a “cat hunt” – sort of like Where’s Waldo, but with paintings…lol!

In spite of the crowds and my claustrophobia kicking in, I enjoyed visiting The Hermitage – being cocooned in the art, the history and the atmosphere was awe-inspiring…

                

Catherine’s Palace

We considered skipping this tour, because it left at 745am!  UGH!  But it is outside the city by ½ an hour, so not so easy to get to on your own, so I rolled out of bed at 730am to arrive at bus 1b on time.  We encountered 2 different mini-marching bands as we walked to the entrance.  It was fun and I was almost awake by the time we arrived…lol  Catherine’s Palace is gorgeous!  Again gold inlay everywhere, beautifully designed parkay floors (we even had to wear paper booties over our shoes), chandeliers in every room and elaborately painting ceilings drew the eye upwards.  The rooms once again were brightly painted so as to provide a cheery atmosphere.  

It is said that St Petersburg only has about 70 days of sunshine per year (and we managed to get 3 of them) so Catherine built this palace to remind her of blue skies and sunny days.  That is why the whole castle is painted blue on the outside.

We also toured the gardens of the palace.  There are 3 large bodies of water, a boathouse, a banya (Russian sauna, for those of you that don’t remember) a cathedral, a guest house and acres of flowers and landscaping.  It was a lovely day and perfect for a walk in the gardens.

We were tired by the time we arrived back to the ship in time for lunch. 

Originally I had signed us up for the afternoon walking tour of St Petersburg, but  we decided the bus tour would be adequate, especially since we had 2 extra days here…  So we had 2 hours rest and off to the city tour.

City Tour

Most times I have not been too worried about where we sit on the bus, but because this was a bus tour, I boarded the coach ½  an hour early in order to get good seats.  I like the one halfway back, that is by the back door.  The viewing is better and I don’t feel so claustrophobic with no one in front of me.  The bus was not full so B sat on across from me, that way we had both sides covered for viewing…  St Petersburg is also a large city but traffic is not near the same problem as Moscow.  It only took us about 20 minutes to travel from our ship to city center.  We saw several cathedrals, famous statues and the University.  The Church of the Spilt Blood is my favorite and is amazingly gorgeous.

We stopped at another great viewpoint where you could see The Fortress, The Hermitage and the Neva river.  It is a beautiful sight.  Unfortunately, a British lady tripped on a cobblestone and cracked her head when she fell.  Fortunately there is an American clinic not far from where we were and she and her friend went there…  We were all concerned for her, and found out later that she needed a few stitches but otherwise was fine. 

While we were waiting, a fellow passenger borrowed $10 from B – of course this was a marked bill for his Where’s George hobby –  Brad wanted to buy a hat.  He asked me to help make sure it was a good size and that $10 was fine.  I knew it was a marked ten, so made sure Brad gave it to him folded up – lots of foreign sellers don’t like “defaced” currency.  So I hustled him onto the bus as soon as he got his hat.   About 5 minutes later he looks at the money and comes towards the bus.  We tell Brad to duck, but I forgot my blue hair sticks out…lol  Anyways, he does not board the bus, but comes to the door & asks if anybody would change the bill.  We all ignored him…Seems only B has money and ALL of his is marked…  lol  The seller finally leaves grumbling and Brad is still wondering what happened…  Ah!  Adventuring with Where’s George….

We eventually departed for the Fortress or walled area of St P where we again exited the bus for a walk-around tour – sure was a lot of walking for a bus tour…lol!  So the guide offers a convenience stop as we enter the Fortress and points to 2 blue buses that have been converted to toilets…  I decided I wasn’t that desperate…  As we were waiting there was a flag ceremony with Russian military.  Some of us took photos, but the guide did not explain or did not seem happy about foreigners taking pictures of their troops. 

We went into the Church of Peter and Paul (B wondered what happen to Mary? Lol) which was quite beautiful.  Green interiors with marble tombs as this is where Peter the Great and his descendants were buried.  There are about  12 sarcophagi and the guide proceeded to explain in detail about each person buried there…  OMG!  I think B & I have had enough tours to last a lifetime!   Once we exited the church the guide pointed out the mint, and B’s ears perked up.  It seems that is where all Russian subway tokens are made as well as some coins minted.  Would have been more interesting to tour that than one more 50 minute tour of another church…lol!

Just as we were  leaving the Fortress a helicopter also departed the grounds – it seems you can take a 10 minute air tour of St P for about $100-several of our folks thought about doing it the next day…

About a half hour back to the ship and it would soon be dinner time.  I am afraid that B & I never participated in the ship’s night life as we were pretty exhausted each evening.  Luckily, the next day we had our last tour scheduled but it was not until 145pm.  Yay!  We could sleep in and I could finish up packing…

Faberge Museum & Canals of St Petersburg 

Well I managed to get all packed in the morning and B & I went to lunch.  After our meal we got on separate buses as B had no interest in Faberge eggs…lol  It was another beautiful sunny day – about 68* and windy on the canals.  B said he enjoyed seeing St P from the boat and took lots of photos…

I went with a small group of about 20 to the Faberge Museum as I have always enjoyed the story of Czar Nicholas and the eggs.  Most of the group were women, but about 4 guys were there.  We once again got paper booties for our shoes and then the guide split us up into 2 groups.  They spaced each group about 10 minutes apart and the museum had a/c.  So already it was 100% better than The Hermitage…lol  The museum has about 6 display rooms but only 1 with Faberge eggs.  There are gorgeous – diamond and gemstone encrusted, with solid gold ornamentation.  Each egg is enclosed in its own glass case & I had to wait till the folks moved on to the next in order to take pictures without people in them.  Some of the other rooms had additional art pieces by Faberge like cigar boxes, lighters, & figurines.  Two rooms were art and one painting was by Renior… 

My favorite egg - The Laurel Tree  

  It was an interesting trip and except for having to stand for 2 hours, I enjoyed it.  Most of the other museums had benches, but this one had security that asked you to not even lean against the walls…

When we got back to the ship, I went to the souvenir shop and bought myself a tiny Faberge egg replica…  I will use it for a zipper pull and let it remind me of our trip to St P…

On Sunday we disembarked the Viking Ingvar with our 6 pieces of luggage – lol! – and were met on the dock by Andrey the owner of the Pride Mini-Hotel.  I researched hotels on Trip Advisor as I wanted to stay at a traditional Russian place not an American chain hotel.  This place is 2 blocks off of Nevsky Prospect (the main shopping area) and just down from the Church of the Spilt Blood.  Great location and terrific price – about $150 for 2 nights, breakfast and transfers from and to ships.  Andy even took me to the laundromat so I could wash clothes.  Other than that we have been very lazy, mostly resting in our hotel as we enjoyed the river cruise, but it was not relaxing…  We had supper at a diner just down from the hotel and ate Russian cheese bread (sort of quesadillas in pastry dough) mashed potatoes and lamb kebabs…it was all yummy…  Tonight we meet our friends, Michelle & Charles, that we met on the Viking, for dinner…  Tomorrow, Tuesday 6 September, we board the Princess Regal to slowly journey back to America…  We are looking forward to a Jacuzzi, more good food and trivia!  Lol!  Sorry this is so long but had 5 days to catch up on – we may have limited internet access while cruising, so the blog will be posted as often as I can….  Do svidaniya my friends 

Brian, Brad, Charles, Michelle and Me  

our waiters Armando and Jay Ar

Mandrogy

Wednesday 31 August

I was really looking forward to our stop in Mandrogy as it is a recreated craft village.  The original town was destroyed during WWII and it disappeared off the map for many years.  In 1996 and enterprising Russian rebuilt Mandrogy as an open air museum – it is located on the banks of the river Svir, between Lakes Ladoga and Onega.

In addition to the atmospheric village, we indulged in the tradition of a Russian Banya.  So - we paid money to sweat in a wet sauna and then go jump in the river! Lol! Brian said he’s been telling me for years to go jump in the lake!  Lol!  They did split men and women up, so once again B & I were unable to experience this together.  In any case, it was a terrific time.  We went in and undressed and wrapped ourselves with a kind of large cotton tea towel.  Our banya boy, Constantine, then came in and escorted us to the sauna.   My group had 6 ladies and we all sat up in a very hot sauna – I prefer to lay down, but this was a bit small for that.  

The banya changing room

Constantine poured water on the rocks and then went down the row with a bundle of oak leaves, waving then around our bodies and lightly tapping them on our backs, arms and legs.  It was calming and sweaty and spiritual all at the same time.  He repeated this process twice with all 6 ladies, and by then, our sweat was puddling on the floor.  Then he opened the door and said, “Run! Run! Run, jump in the river!”  It was about 20 yards from the banya  to the end of the dock, so we ran & 5 of the 6 of us jumped in the river.  1 used the ladder, which had to have been worse…  When I jumped off the dock, it was so cold, I literally was breathless!  I probably went too deep and felt panicky fighting my way to the surface.  However, even when I reached the top, I still could not breathe, it was so cold..  around 45*!!  Then I had to fight a very strong current to swim back to the ladder – I actually jumped to the right, but found myself to the left of the ladder when swimming towards it.  The ladder itself was metal and quite slimy so it was difficult to climb up.  I think I finally breathed on the 2^nd rung – lol!  This experience was supposed to be repeated 2 or 3 more times, but I waited to watch the men jump in and take a photo so I missed the 2^nd time.  Then we had tea and I was content to have just one banya session.  Found out later that B decided not to jump as he thought climbing back up would be too hard – so his Banya boy poured buckets of river water over him…lol!  It was an exhilarating experience and I would highly recommend it.  Even though we had to get up early, ugh!, I was refreshed and able to explore and shop Mandroy without feeling sluggish.

                                   Tea in the Banya

Mandrogy is a charming village with brightly painted houses, windmills, a bakery that sells petrozhki (Russian hot pockets-lol!) a windmill that is a pokestop. The village is  filled with costumed craft people.  We saw potters, quilters, felters, a blacksmith, and painters.  It was a lovely morning and the sun was shining and we enjoyed the freedom to walk about the village. 

B reaches for a pirozhki

I do think, however, that it is NOT a typical Russian town, as it is more a reenactment center, like Williamsburg, VA.  I did a bit more shopping and, OH!  I WON my first Pokemon battle!  There was a virtual gym just outside the bakery that belonged to Team Instinct but is now mine!  My Pokemon character currently sits atop the gym – Go Team Mystic!  I am having such fun playing Pokemon Go overseas and I think it is awesome that the first gym I conquered is in Russia.

So we are back on board just after noon and sailed  for St Petersburg.  I am excited to see this incredible city but a bit sad too, as it means our river cruise is almost to the end.  We have a hectic pace for the next 3 days, so I will likely not post until we are off the ship.  When in St P, we will visit the Heritage, Catherine’s Palace, take a city tour, a canal trip and visit the Fabrege’ museum.  It will be exciting, but exhausting…lol!  Later my friends