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

[scubacruiserx2]

We then entered the Treasury and saw this Chalice . This photo and descriptions come from the following :http://www.kongernessamling.dk/en/rosenborg/object/chalice/

 

 

 

 

Chalice

 

Chalice, paten, wafer box and altar jug of gold with engraving in niello, white and black enamel, sapphires and diamonds. Made for Christian IV’s sister, Duchess Augusta of Holstein-Gottorp in 1632.

 

The engravings on the the chalice depicts the suffering of Christ, as well as symbols for the evangelists and christian passion. Many of the motifes can be found in the illustrations of the Lutheran Strasbourg translation of the bible in 1630. The skull was a commemoration of the events at Golgatha, alledgedly the place where the cross was standing directly on top of the grave of Adam, thus symbolizing eternity for all of mankind.

 

 

My photo of the encased , and spot lit chalice

 

 

 

 

Order of the Elephant

 

 

 

Order of the Garter

 

The Order of the Garter, sent to Christian IV by James I in 1603.

 

Gold with enamel and diamonds. It is thought to be the oldest specimen of the Order in existence. It was formed as a brotherhood of arms by Edward III in 1348. It shows the christian knight saint Georges’ victory against the dragon. Immiediately after his enthronement in 1603 James I had his brother in law, the danish king Christian IV, knighted. After the death of Christian IV the order was not returned, as is practice, but kept under the excuse of the civil unrest in England at the time, which resulted in the instalment of the english republic under the lead of Cromwell.

 

Enlarged

 

 

 

 

Encased

 

 

 

The Oldenburg Horn

 

 

[LauraAnneC]

Loving your review!

[scubacruiserx2]

Loving your review!

 

Thank you LauraAnneC , and hello to Dublin !

 

We have fond memories of visiting and circling the Emerald Isle .

 

 

Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge in Northern Ireland

 

 

 

 

The Giant's Causeway

 

 

 

 

 

The Cliffs of Moher with gale force winds !

 

 

 

 

The Ring of Kerry

 

 

 

The stone outside Dan Murphy's door

 

 

Those days in our hearts we will cherish

Contented although we were poor

And the songs that we sung in the days we were young

On the stone outside Dan Murphy's door

 

The stone outside Dan Murphy's door :

 

 

Our favorite bed & breakfast - Ballenkeele House

 

 

[perfect match]

Being primarily of Irish ancestry myself, a visit to Ireland has been on my list of places Id like to visit for many years. I love your pictures. :D

 

Thought I'd commented on this already, your wetsuit picture is hysterical! Either I missed seeing my post while findng my place, of maybe I never submitted it. :confused:

Edited August 30, 2016 by perfect match

[MicCanberra]

Ireland is awesome, make sure you allow time to tour around as there is so much to see and do.:D

[LauraAnneC]

Great photos of Ireland!

[Gracie115]

Well...now you have stretched my travel budget again.....Ireland is and has been on the bucket list...but I think you just moved it up a bit!!! Wonderful pictures!

[scubacruiserx2]

Ireland surely is a beautiful Country ! And it was made more enjoyable by being able to tour it with some friends which we met on Cruise Critic .

 

 

 

We first met Karen and Ron , from the Isle of Man , when we shared several private tours in South America on the same ship which we first cruised the Baltic on ( NCL Dream ) .

 

 

On the cruise after ours it had a collision with another ship , blocking the port of Montevideo , Uruguay . :eek:

 

On December 10, 2007, the Norwegian Dream once again ran into trouble: departing from Montevideo, Uruguay, she collided with a barge carrying cars and containers. Once again, the Norwegian Dream‘s bow was damaged, though not as heavily as in 1999, and containers and cars from the barge plunged into the channel. This closed the port for days, and forced the Norwegian Dream to return to port. Another cruise ship, Celebrity‘s Infinity, which had been scheduled to leave later that day, was also trapped.

 

From : What ever happened to the Norwegian Dream ?

 

http://www.fromthedeckchair.com/2010/03/03/whatever-happened-to-the-norwegian-dream/

 

 

We hit it off with K&R and visited with them in London on our way to stay in SPB the first time . When we wanted to do a bus tour of Ireland a couple of years later , Karen told us about a private tourwhich went everywhere that we wanted to go - Hers !

 

They brought their vehicle over from the IOM to Ireland by ferry and we drove around together for 10 days . What an amazing act of caring and sharing ! :) :D

 

Here we were having a night cap of Guinness and some Jameson's during some traditional music at the Creamery Bar in Bunratty .

 

 

 

 

 

 

We later visited Jameson's Distillery in Cork .

 

 

We had hoped to do this Baltic cruise with them but they couldn't make it . But we did get to see them later when we went to the IOM .

 

Edited August 30, 2016 by scubacruiserx2

[MicCanberra]

That was marvellous of them to do that, they are great friends.:D

[scubacruiserx2]

And finally , our last stop in the Danish Treasury - The Crown Jewels . The following descriptions are from the Kongerness Samling website , but the photos are mine .

 

The Order of Dannebrog Star

 

 

 

Star of the Order of Dannebrog, gold with brilliants and rubies. Made after amendments to the statutes of the Order in 1808, probably for Frederik VI.

 

 

In this case is the Danish Crown Regalia including :

 

 

 

The Anointing Sword, gold with enamel, table-cut and rose-cut stones. Used by the Absolutist kings and possibly by Frederik III. Originally a wedding present from Christian IV to Frederik III in 1643.

 

 

The Orb, gold with enamel and table-cut stones. Made in Hamburg for Frederik III’s coronation in 1648. Used at anointings during the period of Absolutism.

 

 

The Sceptre, gold with enamel and table-cut diamonds. Made for the coronation of Frederik III in 1648 by an unknown goldsmith in Copenhagen. Used at anointings during the period of Absolutism until 1840.

 

 

The Ampulla of gold with enamel and table-cut stones. Made for the coronation of Frederik III in 1648 by an unknown goldsmith in Copenhagen. Used at anointings during the period of Absolutism.

 

 

and the

 

Amethyst (1305 carats/261 g.) in a casing with Christian V’s name in gold on enamel, possibly made by Paul Kurtz, 1671. The jewel was only used when the kings sat on the throne during the anointing.

 

 

 

And the crowns . Beautiful to look at , but hard to take photos to do them justice !

 

 

 

 

Christian IV’s crown

 

Christian IV’s crown, made 1595-1596 by Dirich Fyring in Odense.

 

Gold with enamel, table-cut stones and pearls; total weight 2895 g. The figures on the crown’s large points illustrate the virtues and powers of a king.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 30, 2016 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

Detail of King Christian the IV's crown .

 

 

Within another case resided two crowns , the larger and older of the two is King Christian the V's .

 

 

The Crown of the Absolute Monarchs, used by the kings from Christian V to Christian VIII.

 

Made by Paul Kurtz in Copenhagen, 1670-1671. Gold with enamel and table-cut stones. Total weight 2080 g. Also 2 garnets and 2 sapphires, of which the largest dates back to Frederik I and was presumbaly a gift to his father, Christian I, from the Duke of Milan in 1474. On the palmette above this is a table-cut diamond, behind wich Christian V’s monogram in gold thread can be seen. Since the abolition of absolutism, the crown has only be used at the castrum doloris of the deceased Kings.

 

Ibid

 

And the smaller of the the two is the Queen's Crown

 

 

 

 

The Queen’s Crown, made for Queen Sophie Magdalene by court jeweller Frederik (I) Fabritius in 1731.

 

It was in use until 1840. The table-cut stones are believed to have come from Queen Sophie Amalie’s crown from 1648. The crown was especially crafted for the queen, since the previous crown was worn by the much despised Anna Sophie Revntlow, the second wife of Frederik IV.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And at this point our scheduled tour ended . ;)

[MicCanberra]

They certainly are nice crowns but I prefer a head covering that would keep the sun out of my eyes, like a cap or broad rimmed hat.:p

[scubacruiserx2]

They certainly are nice crowns but I prefer a head covering that would keep the sun out of my eyes, like a cap or broad rimmed hat.:p

 

This one comes complete with it's own corona Mic , but sunglasses are optional ! :cool:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 30, 2016 by scubacruiserx2

[MicCanberra]

This one comes complete with it's own corona Mic , but sunglasses are optional ! :cool:

 

 

 

 

Probably wouldn't need sunglasses as the broad rim would shade your eyes well. I will take two (corona's that is).

[MicCanberra]

Stay safe with Tropical Depression 9 on your door step and hopefully Hurricane Gaston will not make it to land fall.

[scubacruiserx2]

Stay safe with Tropical Depression 9 on your door step and hopefully Hurricane Gaston will not make it to land fall.

 

Thanks Mic , we appreciate that .

[scubacruiserx2]

As we were leaving the castle , we asked Adam how far away was Tivoli Gardens and if he could drop us off there . About that time Ruth , the organizer of our tour , saw some fellow travelers from the Eclipse who had been to Tivoli . They said that it had been shut down earlier when a suspicious bag was found , but that it was now open . The majority of the group was in favor of a brief visit to Tivoli and Adam bought us the tickets for admission and a half hour was allotted for a brief visit .

 

Tivoli was opened in 1843 after Tivoli's founder, Georg Carstensen (b. 1812 – d. 1857), obtained a five-year charter to create Tivoli by telling King Christian VIII that "when the people are amusing themselves, they do not think about politics".

 

Source Wikipedia

 

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

 

 

It was the inspiration which caused Walt Disney to built an amusement park after he had visited Tivoli . It's located in the city .

 

 

 

 

 

 

It buildings have a general Oriental theme

 

 

The Pantomine Theater

 

 

 

 

The Moorish Palace

 

 

 

 

We only had time for one ride and he choose this one

 

 

 

 

The Star Flyer which goes up 80 M in the sky !

 

 

 

Edited August 31, 2016 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

This is where we bought tickets for the ride and I noticed a 'hidden' Mickey balloon there . Walt would be proud .

 

 

We also had time for a quick shooting gallery stop before rejoining the group .

 

 

 

 

We were back at our home away from home 2-1/2 hours before our back on board time .

 

 

 

 

 

The view from the veranda

 

 

 

 

And delicious Prime Rib for dinner

 

 

 

 

But , if we had it to do all over again , we should have stayed another couple of hours at Tivoli . We found out later that the cab fare would have been about $ 20 . ;)

 

[scubacruiserx2]

The Celebrity Today for our first return to Souuhampton , day at sea .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's a better photo of Kastellet in the harbor .

 

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kastellet,_Copenhagen

 

 

 

 

The Citadel around 1750:

1) Spitsbergen's Lunette

2) Faroe Reduit

3) Hetland's Reduit

4) Lolland's Contregarde

5) Norway's Reduit

6) Norway's Ravelin

7) Østerport's Ravelin

8) Greenland's Bastion

9) Bornholm's Ravelin

10) Prince's Bastion

11) Norway's Gate

12) Princess' Bastion

13) Møen's Contregarde

14) King's Bastion

15) Pinneberg's Reduit

16) Funen's Ravelin

17) Queen's Bastion

18) King's Gate (or Zealand's Gate)

19) Count's Bastion

20) Falster's Contregarde

21) Zealand's Reduit

22) Zealand's Ravelin.[2]

 

 

[MicCanberra]

We did a tour that consisted of a Canal cruise, visiting the Tivoli gardens and a city tour. As it was still the morning, around 10am, when we arrived at the gardens, most exhibits were closed. However part of the tour was the micro brewery they have there and as such we had a couple of beers (imperial pints) each prior to lunch, some had more. Quite a few people were staggering out of the gardens a few hours later for the city tour. :eek:

Some of those that over indulged stayed on the coach to sleep it off.:D

[MicCanberra]

deleted double post.

Edited August 31, 2016 by MicCanberra

[MicCanberra]

Here's a better photo of Kastellet in the harbor .

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kastellet,_Copenhagen

 

 

 

I always enjoy looking at castles and such and see how the defences were made and then remade as they needed to evolve with advances in the weaponry.

[scubacruiserx2]

We did a tour that consisted of a Canal cruise, visiting the Tivoli gardens and a city tour. As it was still the morning, around 10am, when we arrived at the gardens, most exhibits were closed. However part of the tour was the micro brewery they have there and as such we had a couple of beers (imperial pints) each prior to lunch, some had more. Quite a few people were staggering out of the gardens a few hours later for the city tour. :eek:

Some of those that over indulged stayed on the coach to sleep it off.:D

 

Was that a cruise ship tour ?

 

On our first visit on NCL we did their tour which was a canal cruise and a drop off at Tivoli in the evening . It took almost an hour to load the large bus at each stop and we became DIY's and small groupers as a result of that experience . We did get to spend the night in Copenhagen that cruise , and Tivoli is beautiful at night . And I do remember having a Tuborg there and it was $ 9 American in 2006 ! :eek:

 

How was the nap ? ;) :)

 

Edited August 31, 2016 by scubacruiserx2

[MicCanberra]

Was that a cruise ship tour ?

 

On our first visit on NCL we did their tour which was a canal cruise and a drop off at Tivoli in the evening . It took almost an hour to load the large bus at each stop and we became DIY's and small groupers as a result of that experience . We did get to spend the night in Copenhagen that cruise , and Tivoli is beautiful at night . And I do remember having a Tuborg there and it was $ 9 American in 2006 ! :eek:

 

How was the nap ? ;) :)

 

 

It was a NCL ship's tour, we had booked for a tour of the city and the Carlsburg Brewery. Either there was not enough people or the brewery was closed (cannot remember) so they offered this tour instead. As it was there was only 12 of us on this tour in the end along with two crew members. We also got the canal cruise and half our money back, so worked out well.:D

BTW, I was not one of the napping people, neither was my wife, however, the crew were.:eek:

Edited September 1, 2016 by MicCanberra

[scubacruiserx2]

It was a NCL ship's tour, we had booked for a tour of the city and the Carlsburg Brewery. Either there was not enough people or the brewery was closed (cannot remember) so they offered this tour instead. As it was there was only 12 of us on this tour in the end along with two crew members. We also got the canal cruise and half our money back, so worked out well.:D

BTW, I was not one of the napping people, neither was my wife, however, the crew were.:eek:

 

Wow , that sound like a great tour and deal ! :D

 

As for the crew , they probably needed the nap . ;) They have a busy jobs , with very long hours , and are separated from their families for extended periods . And yet , they make our vacations amazing !

 

They deserve more respect , more money - and a vacation with naps too ! :) :D