Bit of a blog – Legend of the Seas - Ultimate Scandinavia & Russia – June 18th 2014

[NorbertsNiece]

Yes, you can pay SPB Tours with USD or euros or rubles. But they don't have change. We just did the 3-day deluxe tour with them and it was marvelous!

 

Hi!! Please feel free to share any of your pictures here x

Will be on Oasis in September, Rhapsody out of Singapore in May..... how about that drink? ;)

Edited July 3, 2014 by NorbertsNiece

[CruiseMGM]

Hi, Linda!

We've really been enjoying your blog! Hoping you'll bring us up to date on your "logistics problem" in St. Petersburg/Moscow at some point and maybe give overall impressions of the tours you went on (the great and the not-so-great). Looking forward to the Stockholm pictures as well.

Best wishes!

[NorbertsNiece]

Hi, Linda!

We've really been enjoying your blog! Hoping you'll bring us up to date on your "logistics problem" in St. Petersburg/Moscow at some point and maybe give overall impressions of the tours you went on (the great and the not-so-great). Looking forward to the Stockholm pictures as well.

Best wishes!

 

I'm really trying hard to not sweat the small stuff. None of this impacted my overall experience.

 

It would have been nice to have had ear pieces in Moscow to better hear the guide..... I couldn't always keep up but if I had had an ear piece I could have listened whilst sitting down. Alla Tours don't have an office in Moscow that can take charge of headsets, batteries etc. The guides appear to be self employed and work on an as needed basis... someone would have to administer that.

 

We had a van in Moscow to get us to the Kremlin..... this meant we had to use the Metro to get back to the station to catch our train back. I was shattered by the time we got to the main train station..... remember I'd not had lunch other than the ice cream! I can't remember now whether I'd had any breakfast on board... probably not bearing in mind the 0600 start.... my fault entirely for not being prepared or taking advantage of food on board the train, or bringing food from Park Cafe which others had done, or understanding that there was no breakfast break in Moscow :eek: Having a van to transport us would have added to the expense I suppose..... I was more than happy to have a really good cup of coffee at the station and purchase food there for the journey back.

 

First time I've mentioned this, and I know Alla is following the blog.... when we got back to St Petersburg there was no-one at the station to meet us. We'd assumed there would be someone on the platform. There wasn't. I left the group and followed the flow of people outside to the front of the station where we had been dropped off to see if the vans were there. They weren't. As I headed back into the station the others were coming out.

 

There was a uniformed gentleman standing by a door. I asked him if he spoke English. He did. I explained our predicament. He asked a few questions including the one about who was in charge of us..... I explained we had travelled unaccompanied. He got out his mobile phone and one of the group provided Alla's phone number (printed on the ticket). He called her and I think I woke her up. (2330 by then I guess and almost broad daylight out) I explained the problem and she said she would look into it and hung up. She then called back to say the vans were on their way to us..... not sure where they had been..... one subsequently appeared and I told the driver to fill up with people.... whilst people got on from the 2nd van it arrived.

 

Linda

Edited July 3, 2014 by NorbertsNiece

[SF2AA]

Linda,

 

You deserve a drink! You are very gracious to characterize this as small stuff. I will try to post some pics here after the 4th... the kids are coming up and I have to sort thru the thousands of pics to show them a small fraction.

[NorbertsNiece]

Linda,

 

You deserve a drink! You are very gracious to characterize this as small stuff. I will try to post some pics here after the 4th... the kids are coming up and I have to sort thru the thousands of pics to show them a small fraction.

 

Seriously, the stuff I've had to deal with.... :)

 

I've just been showing the blog to someone who otherwise would not be able to access it. He was very moved with the story and we managed to discuss quite a few aspects. He will never be able to do what I have done in the past 2 weeks. Ever. I'm really lucky to be able to cruise and to write about it.... hiccoughs are little reminders to not take stuff for granted.....

 

Going through the blog I see some pics didn't get uploaded.... sorry about that.... if anyone wants to see them specifically let me know and I'll repost.

[NorbertsNiece]

I'm awake at silly o'clock..... from my bedroom window :

 

 

I head up top

 

 

We are in a queue.... forward

 

 

 

Aft

 

 

There are gorgeous little islands

 

[NorbertsNiece]

The way ahead is meandering

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ship ahoy!! Reversing in.... we berth in front

 

[SF2AA]

Seriously, the stuff I've had to deal with.... :)

 

I've just been showing the blog to someone who otherwise would not be able to access it. He was very moved with the story and we managed to discuss quite a few aspects. He will never be able to do what I have done in the past 2 weeks. Ever. I'm really lucky to be able to cruise and to write about it.... hiccoughs are little reminders to not take stuff for granted.....

 

Going through the blog I see some pics didn't get uploaded.... sorry about that.... if anyone wants to see them specifically let me know and I'll repost.

 

Linda-

when I upload a picture only a thumbnail shows. How do you upload it so that the full photo shows? Do I need to check some settings?

[NorbertsNiece]

Pictures from the HOHO

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 3, 2014 by NorbertsNiece

[NorbertsNiece]

 

 

 

 

 

The bus is gong to park up for 15 minutes.

[NorbertsNiece]

I decide to go walkabout.... with a purpose

 

 

H&M is Sweden's major fashion retailer that has gone global

 

 

Nordiska Kompaniet / NK : super department store

 

 

My walk takes me up a level

 

 

Seriously?

 

[NorbertsNiece]

Reminds me of Paris

 

 

 

Interesting sign on a door

 

 

 

 

Where I've been headed....

 

[NorbertsNiece]

Love little flower shops

 

 

 

 

NK

 

 

I use the bathroom..... just as well I had a 10 SEK coin.... this sign translates to 'Baby changing facilities for nursing mothers'

 

 

[NorbertsNiece]

 

 

Pictures from a boat

 

 

 

 

Djurgårdsbron bridge with Heimdall blowing in his Gjallarhorn (thanks WIKI)

 

[NorbertsNiece]

 

The Blue Gate

 

 

We travel through a beautiful park..... many people walking, jogging, much wildlife

 

 

 

 

 

[NorbertsNiece]

Back on land

 

 

The Raoul Wallenberg Memorial, people rising from the concrete. He rescued tens of thousands Jews from Hungarian Fascists and the N***'s towards the end of WWII

 

 

 

 

 

Vasa Museum in the background.... I don't make it this trip..... too tred now and am about to head back to the ship on the HOHO

 

[NorbertsNiece]

Andrea, Lucian and Justin

 

 

Many pics from this meal.... the last supper.....

 

 

 

We share a dip..... or two

 

 

 

[NorbertsNiece]

This.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[NorbertsNiece]

 

What the clearance form looks like

 

 

Taxi rates in Stockholm

 

 

 

Link to compasses will follow

[NorbertsNiece]

Linda-

when I upload a picture only a thumbnail shows. How do you upload it so that the full photo shows? Do I need to check some settings?

 

My pics are hosted on Photobucket, occasionally Facebook. You need to place the link where the pic is hosted into the little yellow box that appears in the pane you write in here.... on FB for example you right click on the image and it say Copy URL. On Photobucket you need the direct link which appears on the right hand side.....

Edited July 3, 2014 by NorbertsNiece

[Realtor at Sea]

Have loved every minute reading this blog and enjoying all the photos! Thanks for all your hard work and for sharing!

[NorbertsNiece]

Have loved every minute reading this blog and enjoying all the photos! Thanks for all your hard work and for sharing!

 

Thank you for sticking with it..... I loved every minute of the cruise and I really enjoy blogging and sharing.

[luvtravel88]

Thanks Linda for taking the time to post this. I have enjoyed it immensely and have checked back several times a day to see if there were new posts.

 

Your descriptions of many of the things you've seen we're very moving.

My Mother's family is from Lithuania and I had a great- great Uncle from Riga. We lost many family members in the Holocaust. The pictures were fantastic and made me feel I was there as well.

 

I have the Baltic on my bucket list but will have to do it sooner now. I also know that I'll need to find an itinerary that includes 3 days in St. Petersburg. Most ship itineraries only are for 2 but after reading your blog, it seems Moscow is a must.

 

Thanks again for taking the time. I have done CC reviews as well and know how time consuming it is, but know it is very appreciated!

[NorbertsNiece]

Thanks Linda for taking the time to post this. I have enjoyed it immensely and have checked back several times a day to see if there were new posts.

 

Your descriptions of many of the things you've seen we're very moving.

My Mother's family is from Lithuania and I had a great- great Uncle from Riga. We lost many family members in the Holocaust. The pictures were fantastic and made me feel I was there as well.

 

I have the Baltic on my bucket list but will have to do it sooner now. I also know that I'll need to find an itinerary that includes 3 days in St. Petersburg. Most ship itineraries only are for 2 but after reading your blog, it seems Moscow is a must.

 

Thanks again for taking the time. I have done CC reviews as well and know how time consuming it is, but know it is very appreciated!

 

I have been to see my cousin today whose mother was deported from Berlin. Her eyesight is poor (she's 94) but I could show her the picture of her mother's stolperstein.

 

Whilst I was describing where I went in Berlin it transpired that I had been in the same street where her grandfather had had a business..... just down the road from 39 Rosenthaler Straße, Otto Weidt's brush factory, at number 3.... I was telling her the story and reading the piece I had photographed when she came out with this information. I promise you I went quite cold. It's incredible how the memory is awoken when pieces of a puzzle are put together.

[Kevin's girl]

Thank you so much for taking the time to post this. It has been great coming along with you.