Oslo, Norway (again)

The ship docked in Oslo, Norway this morning.

 View of Oslo

View of Oslo (you can see the Holmenkollen Ski Jump on the mountain)

My mother and I took a ferry to the Bygdoy Pennisula and visited the Viking Ship Museum.  Not really something that excited me, but I went because Mom wanted to go.  

We then rode the ferry back to Oslo City Hall and looked at the woodcuts in the arcade.  Each showed a scene from Norwegian mythology.

Oslo City Hall

Our ship was docked near the Akershus Fortress.  We walked to the fortress from city hall, but the castle and buildings were closed for the season.

Akershus Fortress (left foreground)

The ship sailed at 2:00pm.  Luckily we had already spent a couple of days in and around Oslo at the beginning of the trip.

Oslofjord is beautiful.  These are just some of the pictures I took as we departed Oslo.

Gdynia & Gdansk, Poland

We arrived in Gdynia, Poland one hour late.  The sea had seven to twelve foot waves and gale force winds during the night.  Because we were late arriving, we didn't get to see everything that was on the schedule.

Our first stop was the Oliwa Cathedral, which was consecrated in 1594.

Gdańsk Oliwa Archcathedral

Part of our visit to the cathedral included an organ concert.  The organ was designed and constructed from 1763-1788. At the time, it was the largest organ in Europe.  When the organ is played, the trumpets on the angel statues move as well as spinning stars.

Our next stop was to Marlbork Castle.  We had lunch at the castle and then had a tour.

Malbork Castle

The Teutonic Knights founded Malbork Castle at the end of the twelfth century in what was Prussia at the time.  It was originally called Marienburg, or Mary's Castle.  It was completed in 1406.

The Teutonic Knights were a German Roman Catholic religious order of crusaders.  The castle had to be expanded many times to accommodate the growing number of Knights.  It soon became the largest fortified Gothic building in Europe and is the biggest Teutonic order castle in Europe.  The castle has also served as one of the Polish royal residences.

The castle has undergone major reconstruction and restoration.  The main cathedral was restored just before World War II, was destroyed during the war, and is still in ruins today.  Marlbork Castle is the largest brick building in Europe.

The drive back to Gdansk from Malbork Castle was about an hour, so we had a quick walking tour of old town before going back to the ship.

Old Town Gdansk

Tallin, Estonia

We arrived in Tallin this morning.  You can see our ship in the background to the left of the tallest steeple.

 We started with a walking tour of Old Town.

 View of Town Wall Towers

Old Town is a wonderful example of Gothic architecture.  There is also a medieval market that has existed for over seven centuries.

Viru Gate entrance into Old Town

We walked through the upper section first.  We saw the Toompea Castle, the Dome Church, St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and the Town Hall.

Then we walked down to lower town.  There we saw the Church of the Holy Ghost and the Great Guild Hall.

Some other photos taken of Tallin during our walking tour:

 

After the walking tour we attended an Estonian Folklore show.

The ship was in port only until 3:00pm.  It was a fast-paced tour with lots to see and not enough time.  I definitely want to come back to Tallin and spend more time in this city!

St. Petersburg, Russia Day 2

This morning we drove to Tsarskoye Selo (Pushkin).  It was the official residence of the Russian Tsars.

We visited Catherine Palace.  It was founded by Peter I for his wife Catherine I and was originally built in 1717.

Catherine Palace

It was rebuilt and enlarged in 1752 for her daughter Empress Elizabeth by Italian architect F.B. Rastrelli. The interior decoration was created by the best artists of the 18th and 19th centuries.

Nearby to Catherine Palace is the Cameron Gallery, designed by Charles Cameron.

 Cameron Gallery

We then had lunch with a family in St. Petersburg.  It consisted of a babushka (grandmother) and her daughter.  The granddaughter was away at college.

They served us borscht, beef, potatoes, and vegetables.  For dessert we had small pancakes served with blackberry jam and honey.

It was interesting to visit with the women and to see how three generations lived in a small apartment.  The granddaughter was supposed to be our interpreter, but since she wasn't there, our tour guide stayed and ate lunch with us.

After lunch we visited the Peter and Paul Fortress.  We went inside the Peter and Paul Cathedral, which is the burial place of the Romanovs.

Then it was on to the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood.  It was built as a memorial to honor Russian Emperor Alexander II, who was murdered on that spot by terrorists.

Khram Spasa na Krovi

The interior contains over 7,500 square meters of mosaics, supposedly more than any other church in the world.  The walls and ceilings are completely covered in mosaic pictures depicting scenes from the Bible and figures.

St. Petersburg, Russia

Docked in St. Petersburg this morning.  We were divided into groups of 10-12 and assigned a tour guide.

View of St. Petersburg 

Another view of St. Petersburg

And still another view of St. Petersburg...

Our first stop was to St. Nicholas' Church, also known as the Sailor's Cathedral locally.  The area where the church is was originally settled by sailors during the time of Peter the Great.  A wooden chapel was first built for them and named St. Nicholas the Miracle Worker.  

The wooden church was replaced by a stone church in 1753.  The interior walls are decorated with scenes from the history of the Russian navy.  It also houses ten 18th century icons given to the church by Catherine the Great.

St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral

Bell Tower of St. Nicholas Cathedral

Our next stop was the Winter Palace and Hermitage Museum.

We then had lunch at a local restaurant.  The menu was borscht and beef stroganoff.

After lunch we went to Peterhof Palace, the Russian Versailles.  This was the official summer residence of the Russian Tsars.

After the interior tour, we walked through the Lower Park with its 150 fountains, cascades and pavilions.

The Grand Cascade is modeled after the one built by Louis XIV at the Chateau de Marly.

Above you can see the Sea Channel (Morskoi Kanal), which bisects the Lower Gardens.  The Sea Channel is one of the most extensive waterworks from the Baroque period.

Other photos taken on the grounds of Peterhof Palace:

We then returned to the ship for dinner.  Then afterwards we went back into St. Petersburg to watch a Cossack Dancers show.

Helsinki, Finland

The first place we visited was Senate Square.  Located on the edge of the square is Helsinki Cathedral.

Helsinki Cathedral

The cathedral is the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Cathedral of the Diocese of Helsinki.  It was originally built from 1830-1852.  It was built as a tribute to the Grand Duke of Finland, Tsar Nicholas I of Russia.  It was also known as St. Nicholas' Church until 1917 when Finland became independent.

Unfortunately, it rained most of the day that we were in Helsinki (note the dark and cloudy skies in the photo above).  I didn't get very many pictures because of the weather.

We also saw the Sibelius Monument and the Temppeliaukio Church (the Rock Church).

 Interior of the Temppeliaukio Church

The Temppeliaukio Church is a Lutheran church that was built in 1969.  It is also known as the Church of the Rock.  The church is built out of solid rock.  The lighting is natural and comes from the skylight in the center copper dome.

Because of its excellent acoustics, the church is frequently used as a concert venue.

Then we drove to Espoo in the Finland countryside.  We had an authentic Finnish lunch at the Oittaa Manor House situated by Lake Bodom.  

After lunch we returned to the ship.  I was disappointed in how little we saw on this tour and the weather.  I hope to visit Helsinki again some day and spend more time in this beautiful city.

Stockholm, Sweden

We took a flight from Oslo to Copenhagen in the morning.  Then boarded our cruise ship and sailed towards Stockholm.  The next day was a sea day.

We arrived in Stockholm the next day.  There wasn't a port so we had to anchor in the sea and take tenders to shore.  The water was really choppy and rough.

We boarded our tour bus and drove through the Sodermalm, Kungsholmen and Djurdorden city districts.

View of Stockholm

Another View of Stockholm

And another view of Stockholm...

Then we had a guided tour of City hall where the Nobel Prize banquet is held.  I thought that the Gold Room, with 18 million mosaics, was very stunning.  The mosiacs depict motifs from Swedish history.  After the tour we had lunch at City Hall.

Stockholm City Hall

After lunch we had a walking tour in Gamla Stan.  The Old Town dates back to the 13th century.  It has medieval alleyways and cobbled streets.  The buildings were influenced by the North German architectural style.

Stortorget, the large square in the center of Gamla Stan.