Helsinki

We had a very nice day in Helsinki. Our tour did not leave until 3 hours after we arrived in port so we had a nice quiet and relaxing morning. I was on desk to watch them back the 950' long cruise ship into our berth - quite the parallel parking job!

We visited the Kalavala jewelry factory, which produces very unique jewelry with Finnish touch, followed by the famous Rock Church (a true underground church, carved 40' into bedrock), and the Senate Square with the Lutheran Cathedral.

Overall our tour went quite well and Mary picked out a nice Kalavala necklace. We got back on time which is more than can be said for the dozen busses that pulled in between 5:20 and 5:30, our scheduled departure time. Busses are supposed to have everyone back on board 30 minutes before the scheduled departure time so we'll sail for St. Petersburg a little late tonight.

Tonight was German night in the buffet so I had a nice helping of bratwurst, kielbasa, sauerkraut and mashed potatoes with Beck's beer. Delicious! They also had apple dumpling with vanilla sauce and amoretto pudding for dessert.

So it was a very good day.

Baltic Observations

Over the past few days I've had a few observations I thought I'd post.

1. The Baltic sure is a busy sea. I can't remember a time when I looked out and did not see a ship on the horizon - and often 3 or 4 ships. This is very different from the Caribbean where seeing a freighter is a rarity. The large number of passenger ferries is also surprising. Apparently several passenger ferries a day make their way between Helsinki and Stockholm. And ferries go out to other cities as well. When we were leaving Stockholm yesterday we had a mini-traffic jam. Two outbound ferries passed us as we left and a cruise ship entering Stockholm had to slow down to let the traffic clear in the narrow passageway.
2. It sure is cold! This is the first time I can remember actually planning a route to the Horizon buffet via an interior route so I would not have to walk out in the open air. I have gone to the buffet a time or two wearing jeans and a t-shirt, but it has been a chilly walk across the open desk.
3. When we were walking this morning we could actually see major buildings in cities on both sides of the Baltic, Estonia and Finland. I had no idea that this part of the Baltic was that narrow.
4. The smoothness of the Baltic is amazing. We've been on board the ship for 3 days and I have yet to really feel it sway or move. Not once have I felt slightly off balance as I walked down a hallway as I have been on every other cruise. At first I attributed this to being close shore for the first 2 days at sea. But after heading across the open Baltic sea last night and feeling no rocking at all, I'm wondering if this is just very quiet and smooth sea. Maybe we are in a fortunate weather pattern, but the lack waves and the long swells you experience in the Caribbean or in open ocean is amazing. Maybe that's it - the lack of the long rolling swells which, when combined with waves keep a ship in constant motion.
   

Day in Stockholm

We had a very pleasant and enjoyable day in Stockholm. Our shore excursion consisted of a bus ride around the city, followed by a boat ride to see many of the same sites from the water. Overall, very enjoyable.
Stockholm hasn't impressed us as much as Copenhagen. We've actually been more fascinated with the trip up the Stockholm Arpeggio and back than the long list of buildings. One very exciting event is the Volvo Ocean racers arrived in town today so the crowds were all over the place waiting for these large sailboats to sail into the harbor. We only saw one up close and it was rather impressive.
Amazingly, we did not get to do much souvenir shopping. There is a small store at the dock where Mary picked up a few postcards but that was it. And that shop operated in US$ so we did not get any Swedish Krona. Oh well.
On to Helsinki tomorrow!

Entering Stockholm

Yesterday they announced that we'd be transiting the Stockholm fjord for 5 hours. So when we woke up by 8:00 am we looked out and this is what we saw!

Beautiful!

We will be passing this way again this evening as we leave Stockholm so I can get more pictures then. And I know my new camera takes nice pictures!

On board the ship

We had a nice dinner (prime rib and pina colada soup!) last evening
and Princess treated us to a special dessert in honor of our
anniversary. We purchased a bottle of wine and had a very enjoyable
meal, even if the waiters who sang "Happy Anniversary" were a bit out
of tune. Then we bundled up and went to see Mamma Mia! It was great seeing it again and having two blankets sure helped fight off the chill. After popcorn, the waiters came around with pizza, then again with warm cookies and milk!
The sun came up by 4 am this morning so I got up and closed the shades. Amazingly, we ended up sleeping in to 9 am so we had to rush to get ready for the 10:00 talk on Stockholm. Guess we need to set an alarm clock on board the ship. The soft rolling of the ship just lulls you to sleep.
We have a full schedule today. After the talk about Stockholm this morning, we have one on St Petersberg this afternoon and various other events like playing "The Amazing Race Game"; Unfortunately we got eliminated in the first round because we weren't one of the first 10 teams to find the martini bar.
I did finally get a camera today - a Nikon S550. It has 5X zoom and used SD cards. It has an internal rechargeable battery and got pretty good reviews on the sites I checked out. From all my reviews I liked the Nikon P80, but they were sold out of that model on the ship. Once I get back to the States I'll have to have my Canon evaluated and decide if I want to get it repaired or what I do. But for now, I have a camera!
It's always nice to have a day at sea early in the cruise to get into the routine of the ship. After this it's 6 straight days of port visits. Tonight is the first Formal Night and I think we're going to head to the Horizon Cafe instead of the dining room. We checked out the menu and it wasn't too exciting. But now it's time for either Afternoon Tea or the ice cream bar. Tough decisions... 8-)

Arriving at the Emerald

After a morning of exploring Copenhagen (and striking out with camera shops) we checked out of The Square and caught a taxi to the ship. We left the hotel just after noon and were checked in and in our cabin by 12:35! Very smooth checkin. And our luggage arrived by 1:00.

Our cabin is nice and has a very large balcony - large enough for 4 chairs, two of which can lay back. It is near the middle of the ship, just 3 cabins from the elevator.

But the best news is that tonight's Movies Under the Stars is ..... MAMMA MIA! So right after the ship sails at 8:00, we'll be claiming our chairs for the movie.

So now it's time to tour the ship and visit the Cafe Caribe for lunch.

Back from lunch and the ship walk about. The layout is identical to the Ruby Princess; I have yet to find something in a different location. So it will be very easy for us to find our way around. The dinner menu has pina colada soup and prime rib plus we have a card to give to the headwaiter for a special anniversary gift so we'll be squeezing that in between the muster call (emergency drill) and Mamma Mia showing.

Copenhagen

Mary and I have had a great time wandering around Copenhagen. The street system is very crazy and the addresses make no sense, but we haven't been lost yet. Most corners have no street signs and those you do find are often on the sides of buildings. The city is criss-crossed by canals and the scenery is amazing.

Our hotel is in an excellent location, right near The Stroeget, the main shopping street. Just walking around these ancient buildings and across cobblestone streets that have been there for centuries is fascinating.

So now we head for the Emerald Princess to begin the next leg of our trip. I have declared my camera "DOA". I found some tricks to revive it at an online site, but they only partially worked. The problem is the iris that covers the shutter is stuck so no light gets into the camera when the shutter clicks. I was able to get it briefly unstuck last evening, but it failed again next time turned it on. Cameras over here are very expensive, about twice what I'd pay in the States so I may pick up a one time digital camera and will end up sharing Mary's camera with her so I may be taking a few less pictures on this trip.

I have started a Picassa photo page to post a few pictures each day.

Time to pack up and head to the ship.