Eidfjord, Norway

Located in the middle of these giant mountains, the fjords, which are bodies of sea water that flows in to the inner part of Norway (kind of like our bays)....Eidfjord is a little tiny place literally dwarfed by the soaring mountains around it. Breathtaking is an understatement.... We have never seen anything like it, including the glacier areas of Alaska. The mountains soar 4000 feet almost straight up ..... With sheer cliffs coming down to the water. We went to the museum....saw a video, and then got one, as it is the best way to show this incredible area. Not many of the cruise ships come in here as they can only handle one at a time..but well worth it if only for the natural beauty.

A bit cloudy and colder today as we are getting closer to the North Pole.....but a great day to just enjoy this incredible beauty.

By the day, becoming more impressed with Norway. Very clean, .....very, very progressive, and very industrious.....which is so key to surviving in these cold areas. By the way, leading country in the world for electric cars...all over the place..and all models...

Off to Bergen...the 2nd largest city in Norway and former capital....more later.

On to Norway

.....Alborg....and on to Stavanger....for Day 12

Alborg, Denmark is classic old Denmark.....and the included tour was through the Old Town, the castle, and the remnants of the Vikings. The ship was docked right in the middle of town...and the modern buildings right along the river are very impressive. There are 20,000 students in the University, and the modern dorms and apartments right along the dock are big and beautiful. Alborg is a busy port....with a lot of the local area involved in the fishing industry.

Stavanger is another story...both the new and the old is very impressive...but the key to Stavanger is oil.....which they discovered in 1969. The Petroleum Museum is the largest and finest in the world...and is worth a good 1/2 day to really experience the off shore oil business. The North Sea Oil area is ken of the largest in the world and currently about 120 platforms are serviced out it Stavanger.

Since 1969....the city, with its new found wealth, has restored the old and built the new, with oil platform ship yards...and upscale shopping areas amidst the historic little town of Stavanger.  We had an outstanding guide and for 3 hours he walked and talked us around this fascinating old town made new....going through the inner town old neighborhoods.  Well worth the visit.

Off to Eidfjord.....which none of us has heard of.

Copenhagen

...Copenhagen

Copenhagen.....and Denmark......what a place.  A very full all day....and it was so impressive. Almost ready to move there...kind of place. Bikes galore.....industrious, super clean....and a lot to see. This is another 2 day minimum place...as there is so much to do and see. The city with its port and huge river and being on the ocean....is oriented around water.....and from the Little Mermaid to the magnificent Cathedral....this place is a must. We came within a few minutes of seeing the Queen off on her yacht....but did get to see the cars and the stuff getting getting ready for her trip. It is a major city, but very easy to walk around so we took the tour bus back to the ship then caught  the shuttle back downtown to see the churches. More churches than any other European city we have ever seen....and wonderful organs, etc.   It became a very hot day...so we were "bushed" when we got back to the ship.  A wonderful city......must come back and spend more time....and we have some great stories to tell about the tour leader on the bus, etc...just a very enjoyable day.
Audy can tell you about getting back on ship....but a great day in a great city...we saw a lot in a short time.

More to come....

Gdansk, Poland

Gdansk, Poland and Day 9, Berlin.

Greetings all.....we are now in Alborg, Denmark.....and have had some great days. Needless to say, each day has been packed with tours and lectures, etc....here are some highlights....
1. Gdansk is a marvel, in that it was a heavily destroyed city during WW II......and has been completely rebuilt. Right on the water, it has always been a trading center....but now it is a very modern and progressive major shipping city. We walked the Old Town along the canal that was once the major loading area from the Baltic for all of Poland. This was on Saturday and was part of their 3 week period of independence...so on this day was their marathon race...and we were right in the middle if it. A gorgeous city thus is a must to see....
2. From Gdansk we sailed on to Warnemunde.....where we got off the ship and directly on to the train for the 3 hour ride into Berlin.  The train was older but very fast and comfortable and we arrived into Berlin about 10:30 am....we then had an hour bus ride around the city...and then free time, which we used to ride the hop on hop off for about 2 hours.
3. Suffice it to say that both Audy and I were overwhelmed with what has happened in Berlin...primarily east Berlin. It is now a hug city with massive development, especially in east Berlin. We were very disappointed in that the old is largely gone...replaced by new and very modern. The city has spent millions to bring it to the point of leading cities of the world. The Hop On was not as god as usual ...... Not as many stops, etc....and all in all....Probably will not go back to Berlin....just to big and so different that what we have seen in the past. We got back in the train and back to the ship by 8:30 pm...a long day. But, for someone that has not known Berlin in the past ......a good day tour and experience.

So, 2 busy days....and good days....Gdansk was the bright spot.....but Berlin has so much for a few hours....maybe 3 days minimum.....

More to come...

The Day at Sea

Today is our day at sea between Tallinn, Estonia and Gdansk, Poland ....so have a relaxing day with seminars, etc...and it is a beautiful day at sea...

We got a bit behind on my daily updates as we just got busy with excursions and they have been great ...yesterday was in Tallinn in Estonia.  Very impressed. The city has combined the ultimate in modern design surrounding the historic and totally restored Old Town....they are one of the most highly developed technology cities in the world, and is the seat of the NATO computer protection system.  Kind of a Silicon Valley in Northern Europe....and Internet everywhere. The city mixes the old and new very well...and is obviously a very wealthy city and country......with luxury cars abounding. They have capitalized on the Cruise Ship business with 4 big ships in port yesterday....and same expected today. The setting right on the water is  very impressive and with the Old Town built inside the wall you can look down from the higher ground, so views are spectacular .

Two days in St Petersburg was great. Just too much to put here...other than to say the Hermitage museum is clearly among the most impressive museums in the world. St Petersburg is very very tourist friendly...and as such the crowds are almost overwhelming. Both Audy and I said at about the same time....biggest crowds we have ever been in..as we were exiting the museum...then the lines outside were a block long. Kind of a Disneyland on steroids......in terms of crowds.  We were also able to go to Peterhof Palace....and again.....magnificent.
The evening at Swan Lake  was, as expected, superb. We were in row 7....literally the best seats in the house.  Truly outstanding .
The city of St Petersburg is also very impressive combining the old and the new...the pre communist with the post...and then the past 20 years making the city a world class metro area. It is now not only the 2nd largest city in Russia but now a destination resort for Russians as it is right on the water with great access to Finland and   Scandinavia. A great place to visit and stay for a few days to see all.  Very modern and very convenient

Helsinki was a delight to visit and a place to go back to. The excursion was perfect as we got to see the city and what has made it and the country great. Very modern and progressive and very busy with a lot of building and development. Being the shipbuilding capital of the world we were also able to see the giant ice breaker ships ...

So, the Cruise so far has been wonderful.   Everything we expected and the some. Overall impression of this part of the world is much as what we found in the Mediterranean........Europe is moving ahead of the US in  many ways, in my opinion. Certainly equal if not exceeding metro city development....same with technology....same with education, emphasizing science and technology. Obviously the weather here in Northern Europe is somewhat limiting, as the winter days are short and cold....but they are doing so well to offset that by modern technology in building and metro development, such as indoor malls, etc.

On to Gdansk, Poland tomorrow.......a great time.  

Stockholm

Subject: Day 4.  Travel to Stockholm

Left the hotel at 4 am....very easy check in and relaxing wait til flight at 7:30.....flew a new 757 on Icelandia....got into Stockholm at 1...great 40 minute bus ride to ship in the harbor which is downtown....unpacked and resting.   Dinner at 7... Gorgeous warm weather at about 75...more to come.

Iceland...conclusion

Subject: Day 3 in Iceland

Today started with me going to the airport on the airport bus to try and find the luggage. Bottom line....I got them.
returned to the hotel by noon and we got on the Hop On...and spent the afternoon seeing Reykjavik ......stopped at the Krisling Mall for lunch and Audy got a pair of pants. Some great shops in this mall, which is the largest in Iceland and still very small, but a neat place.
Got into the big Cathedral and heard the organist rehearsing.....not as good as William.....but the church is modern and very impressive.  Had some great coffee
at a little shop opposite....got back to the hotel about 5....then walked down the street about 2 blocks to this great restaurant and had a wienerschitsel and it was great. Sat net to these 2 retired doctors...fun time...

Went by 10/11 for some chocolate....back to the rom for the 4 am departure to the airport....Icelandair to Stockholm....