Eclipsing Northern Europe by cruise : Basic black , and Baltic blues

[scubacruiserx2]

AH! He would indeed! We are going on the Equinox TA from Barcelona to Ft. Lauderdale in October.....had no plans to do so but got a wonderful deal a few weeks back and couldn't resist...and glad we are because it is being repositioned to Florida permanently. This will be our 1st Westbound TA, we are looking forward to those 25 hour days!! :)

 

oh...and the Stroganoff looks wonderful!!!:D

 

Way to go J&J , we love impulse cruises !! ;)

 

It seems like ya'll are becoming TA specialists , where's is it going ?

 

[scubacruiserx2]

Some of the most popular fountains in the park are the trick fountains which in the words of this article , " includes one which sprays unwary passers-by who step on a particular paving stone. "

 

http://www.saint-petersburg.com/peterhof/fountains-peterhof/

 

 

 

Here's some kids looking for , and finding the stone

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another video of us watching the kids ( it was near freezing ) .

 

 

 

 

The umbrella fountain

 

 

Triton fountain

 

 

 

 

The Eve fountain

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

Another view of the Eve Fountain . As you can see , there are a number of structures at Peterhof .

 

 

The Marly Palace

 

 

 

The Lion Pavilion

 

 

 

The Aviary Pavilion

 

 

A hermitage

 

 

 

And Monplaisir

 

 

 

[Gracie115]

Way to go J&J , we love impulse cruises !! ;)

 

It seems like ya'll are becoming TA specialists , where's is it going ?

 

 

2 days Barcelona, 1 day in Morocco :D , 1 day in Lanzarote(Canary Islands) and 1 day in Tenerife (Canary Islands) and then 7 glorious sea days to Miami!:D

[Gracie115]

THE fountains are wonderful!!!!:)

[scubacruiserx2]

I had wanted to take a photo of Ty in front of Monplaisir for his mom , but when we got there a lady was standing very still . She stood there motionless for several minutes , so I thought that she was a living statue .

 

The term living statue refers to a street artist who poses like a statue or mannequin, usually with realistic statue-like makeup, sometimes for hours at a time. Wikipedia

 

 

 

I was looking for some change when she hopped down off of her perch .

 

 

Snap !

 

 

 

When we saw this statue of Peter the Great , Anna explained that it was good luck to toss a coin in the back of his boot .

 

 

 

Well that's all Ty needed to hear and the challenge was on

 

 

 

 

soon there were a couple of others

 

 

 

and he didn't quit until he made it . We needed some good luck , perhaps the weather would change !

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

2 days Barcelona, 1 day in Morocco :D , 1 day in Lanzarote(Canary Islands) and 1 day in Tenerife (Canary Islands) and then 7 glorious sea days to Miami!:D

 

Wow , that sounds like our kind of cruise , maybe we'll take a look ! ;)

 

 

THE fountains are wonderful!!!!:)

 

 

Yeah , we love it and we always go there when we visit . An incredible thing is that they are a power by gravity , as there was no electricity ! We could use that after a hurricane as we have a well , no pump = no water ! :eek:

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

Returning to the main fountain

 

 

 

We had never seen a group in this area before

 

 

 

The main cascade

 

 

 

 

Main cascade video clip :

 

 

There are pickpockets here , so be careful !

 

 

 

 

The view from the palace is spectacular

 

 

 

And to see the entire area required 4 overlapping photos !

 

 

 

 

[Gracie115]

Wow , that sounds like our kind of cruise , maybe we'll take a look ! ;)

 

 

There are still a few of those Sunset view aft rooms that you both love available...of course in this case you would be getting a "sunrise view".....final payment for all is within a few more days so there may be even more good deals to be had in the coming weeks!!!

 

come on along!!!:):eek:

[scubacruiserx2]

There are still a few of those Sunset view aft rooms that you both love available...of course in this case you would be getting a "sunrise view".....final payment for all is within a few more days so there may be even more good deals to be had in the coming weeks!!!

 

come on along!!!:):eek:

 

This sounds so good , but Pat just broke some news to me . We got a confirmation to meet some friends and Villa Topaz came open for the end of October , so we'll be diving in Cozumel !

 

 

 

It's been 2 years since we've seen them , and a year since Patty last dove , so maybe in the future . But we did book Alaska on Princess however , and there's plenty of room - at a good price ! :) :D

 

Edited August 7, 2016 by scubacruiserx2

[Gracie115]

 

This sounds so good , but Pat just broke some news to me . We got a confirmation to meet some friends and Villa Topaz came open for the end of October , so we'll be diving in Cozumel !

 

 

 

It's been 2 years since we've seen them , and a year since Patty last dove , so maybe in the future . But we did book Alaska on Princess however , and there's plenty of room - at a good price ! :) :D

 

 

 

Villa Tropaz looks wonderful!!! Have a great time! We are booked for Alaska on HAL with my sister next June....... and looking diligently now for fall of 2017!! perhaps South America this time????

[scubacruiserx2]

Peterhof is a nice place to take the family and to take photos .

 

 

But it was time to make the ride back for a river cruise and it takes almost an hour by car .

 

 

 

When we reached our meeting point they didn't have enough people to do a cruise and so rather than wait , we went to a restaurant which our friende Yuri and Nellie had taken us to nearby -Suliko , which means " soul " and was the name of a popular Georgian song .

 

 

 

 

 

We really like this place and it's food .

 

 

 

 

And the menu - so simple that that even we could read it !

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

Villa Tropaz looks wonderful!!! Have a great time! We are booked for Alaska on HAL with my sister next June....... and looking diligently now for fall of 2017!! perhaps South America this time????

 

South America is amazing , and we would love to do Antarctica ! :) :D

[scubacruiserx2]

Georgian cuisine refers to the cooking styles and dishes that originate in the country of Georgia and which are historically prepared by Georgian people around the world. The Georgian cuisine is unique to the country, but also carries some influences from other European and nearby Middle Eastern culinary traditions. Each historical province of Georgia has its own distinct culinary tradition, with variations such as Megrelian, Kakhetian, and Imeretian cuisines. Heavy on meat dishes, the Georgian cuisine also offers a variety of vegetarian dishes.

 

Georgian cuisine is the result of the rich interplay of culinary ideas carried along the trade routes by merchants and travelers alike.[1] The importance of both food and drink to Georgian culture is best observed during a feast called supra, when a huge assortment of dishes are prepared, always accompanied by large amounts of wine, and that can last for hours. In a Georgian feast, the role of the tamada (toastmaster) is an important and honoured position.

 

From Wikipedia

 

 

We wouldn't have time for a supra like we had with our friends , but we found some quick bites on the menu .

 

 

 

 

And instructions for eating on the place mat

 

 

 

 

Anticipation

 

 

 

Do you mind if we share ?

 

 

 

 

I must say , we pounced on the food like starved cats on a rat !!!

 

 

Adjara Khachapuri - break off a piece and dip

 

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

The next 2 photos are from the Suliko web site . We ate ours so fast that I didn't have time to photograph it - it was that good !

 

 

Mengrelian Khachapuri

 

 

 

Dolma ( stuffed grape leaves )

 

 

 

A slight digression using photos from a supra with our friends .

 

 

We didn't have the time needed for Suliko to prepare a quintessential Georgian food - Khinkali . It's ground beef and pork with spices in it's broth , in a dumpling with a handle .

 

 

 

 

 

Remember how to eat it ?

 

 

 

 

We also had a stir fry with some delicious spices

 

 

 

 

And Nellie gave us a beautiful hand - painted vodka decanter which she had made . We treasure our friendship with them !

 

 

 

Edited August 8, 2016 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

We noticed that they had changed their sign since we had last visited .

 

 

 

 

This was the empty boat which we passed on

 

 

 

And this was our full boat (Russian only ) !

 

 

 

 

Which included a ship's photographer

 

 

 

 

Video of us leaving :

 

 

There were many low bridges .

 

 

 

until , passing the Hermitage , we entered the Neva River , where the wind's velocity really picked it :

 

 

 

 

Peter and Paul Fortress on the Neva River

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 8, 2016 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

Was this the same Neva River in which I had previously seen signs of the Evil Empire lurking in ?

 

 

 

 

 

The one and the same , like the Hermitage which we just passed

 

 

 

 

and , passes beneath the Trinity Bridge ?

 

 

 

 

And next to the Summer Garden ?

 

 

 

 

Filled with beautiful brides .

 

 

Edited August 8, 2016 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

Another beautiful bride , and her groom , getting ready for a photo shoot .

 

 

 

While her photographers were getting ready , she practiced her pose with me , sitting with legs crossed and arm raised , to stop the City Tour HoHo bus thus - catching a ride a ride on her wedding day . This copied the current cover photo on the City tour brochure .

 

 

 

And as we were boarding the bus , the photographers snapped away with us in the bus as the background .

 

 

Another beautiful bride in the Summer Garden !

 

 

 

 

And , returning to our river cruise , we see the Peter and Paul beneath the Trinity Bridge

 

 

 

 

And returning to a canal , we pass the rear of Mikhailovsky Castle .

 

 

 

Which we saw on our first day ?

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

We now saw a number of famous sites in St. Petersburg . Up ahead where the Fontanka River is crossed by Nevsky Prospect is the horse bridge .

 

 

 

The Anichkov Bridge (Russian: Аничков мост, Anichkov Most) is the oldest and most famous bridge across the Fontanka River in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The current bridge, built in 1841-42 and reconstructed in 1906-08, combines a simple form with some spectacular decorations. As well as its four famous horse sculptures (1849–50), the bridge has some of the most celebrated ornate iron railings in Saint Petersburg. The structure is mentioned in the works of Pushkin, Gogol, and Dostoevsky . From Wikipedia

 

 

 

 

Another famous bridge is the Lomonosov Bridge .Named after the great Russian polymath Mikhail Lomonosov, whose advances in chemistry, mathematics, linguistics and literature made him a kind of one-man Russian Enlightenment during the reigns of Empresses Elizabeth and Catherine the Great, this beautiful stone bridge crosses the Fontanka River about 300m south of Nevsky Prospekt. From saint-petersburg.com

 

 

 

 

The next major site was the Naval Cathedral of St. Nicholas after turning into the smaller Kryukova canal from the Fontanka .

 

 

The video clip :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rF6eSoxECE4

 

 

A boat cruising past the Cathedral

 

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

The cathedral is especially beautiful when the sky is clear !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And up ahead is the famous Mariinsky Theatre , home to ballet in St. Petersburg .

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariinsky_Theatre

 

 

 

 

The video clip :

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

Our final turn into the Moyka River is where we see St. Isaac's Cathedral on the left and Yusupov Palace , on the right .

 

 

 

And after passing St. Issac's on our left , we went beneath the world's widest bridge , the Blue Bridge . The Blue Bridge (Russian: Си́ний мост, Siniy most), is a 97.3 metre wide bridge that spans the Moika River in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The Blue Bridge is the widest bridge in Saint Petersburg and is sometimes claimed to be the widest bridge in the world — a claim, however, that has not been recognized by international reference works, such as the Guinness World Records. Wikipedia

 

 

 

That was how it looked , and this is how it looked on a previous trip .

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Moyka with the Blue Bridge in the distance .

 

 

A Moyka reflection .

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

At 4:30 pm , and still on our canal cruise , I began to become concerned . We had a half hour ride to the port and less than an hour for our back on board time . It would have made a great photo to see the Eclipse sailing off into the sunset , but one that we don't need . We did make it back to the port with 20 minutes to spare , but when immigration is flagging us thru and no other cruisers in site - it puts a spring in your step . We had hoped to do some last minute shopping at the pier , but we decided to play it safe and board .

 

 

And we did see some others , from a cruise tour return later than us . And we found out later ( unofficially of course ) from a crew member , that a hour extra is the maximum wait time . When we did push off at about 6:30 , we noticed a couple of Duty Free stores along the Quay which we had not noticed before .

 

 

 

 

Video clip :

 

 

Under way , next stop , Germany !

 

 

 

On the way out , we saw sloop sailing past a nuclear power plant

 

 

 

 

and a meteor streaking toward SPB .

 

 

 

 

Video clip :

 

 

And another , it looks like a meteor shower !

 

 

 

Edited August 10, 2016 by scubacruiserx2

[Durkman]

On the way out , we saw sloop sailing past a nuclear power plant

 

 

Great review!

 

One observation -- that was not a nuclear power plant. It is a common misconception that cooling towers signify the presence of a nuclear plant but that is not the case. Cooling towers can be used in any power plant that uses steam to turn a turbine to generate power, including coal and natural gas. The cooling towers cool the water that is used to condense the steam. I think the plant you identified is a natural gas plant; see http://irao-generation.com/en/stations/sztecg/

[scubacruiserx2]

Great review!

 

One observation -- that was not a nuclear power plant. It is a common misconception that cooling towers signify the presence of a nuclear plant but that is not the case. Cooling towers can be used in any power plant that uses steam to turn a turbine to generate power, including coal and natural gas. The cooling towers cool the water that is used to condense the steam. I think the plant you identified is a natural gas plant; see http://irao-generation.com/en/stations/sztecg/

 

Thanks Durkman , that's great news and good to know . :) :D

[scubacruiserx2]

We enjoyed our visit to St. Petersburg from a cruise ship and would only change one or two minor things . The guides , and drivers did a great job and we would award them a silver medal !

 

 

 

 

A private tour does a good job at a great price , but to us , smaller is better - bronze medal !

 

 

 

 

But the gold medal is still a stay !

 

 

 

 

 

For quality , convenience , and cost in the long run , in our opinion - a stay can't be beaten . Most people remember SPB as the highlight of their cruise and it was on both of our Baltic cruises . And so when we first decided to do a second Baltic cruise , it was to revisit SPB and see some of the things that we could't see on the first visit cruise and spent more time at some of our favorite things . Thus with this realization and a Baltic cruise budget , we found it cheaper and more enjoyable to just stay , and come and go at our own pace , instead of a second cruise .

 

But because we had our grandson on this trip to Europe and our usual apartment wasn't available - we opted for a cruise , our second , with 3 days in SPB and the tour of the Baltic region , content with the silver medal !