Grand Northern Europe Voyage - Lisbon to Stockholm - May 6, 2022 to June 28, 2022

[lincslady]

You are quite right, Davey and jp - just looked up the Ottoman Empire, and it did indeed stretch to include the Crimea.    We were lucky enough to do a cruise round the Black Sea many years ago,  and went to Sevastopol amongst many other places, like Yalta and Odessa. This was with Swan Hellenic, the British cruise line which specialised in really in depth visits with excellent guides to these places.  You might call it the intellectuals' cruise line; not renowned for luxury and wonderful food, but the one to choose for this sort of itinerary.

 

It is so sad to remember, and think of how it all is today.

 

Lola

[mysty]

Having overnighted here we are still docked in Oslo.  On our excursion we visited Viking Planet.  The videos were awesome.  I did have to look away for the fight scenes.  The Virtual Reality part was not operational due to testing.

 

City Hall directly across from the Viking Planet....

 

Next the Fram Museum..

 

 

 

Next the Kon-Tiki museum.....

 

 

 

We had a glorious day of sunshine!

[Stumblefoot]

1 hour ago, mysty said:

We had a glorious day of sunshine!

I bet it really lifted the soul.

[Tudorcruisers]

What are the Covid cases like now?  We join you all in Copenhagen.  Just got our test results this evening which thankfully are negative.  Another hurdle over, now just to get through all the airport problems these days as we are flying out tomorrow.  Can’t wait to embark on Tuesday.

[mysty]

I don't want to open a jar of worms on this thread.   Thus, counts will not be posted by me.  Sorry!  It just seems that these data incite unwelcome posts.

Just now, Tudorcruisers said:

What are the Covid cases like now?  We join you all in Copenhagen.  Just got our test results this evening which thankfully are negative.  Another hurdle over, now just to get through all the airport problems these days as we are flying out tomorrow.  Can’t wait to embark on Tuesday.

 

[mysty]

We are currently making our way to Aalborg,  Denmark.   Scheduled to dock at 9:00 am.  City Highlights is our tour today.

[frantic36]

6 hours ago, mysty said:

We are currently making our way to Aalborg,  Denmark.   Scheduled to dock at 9:00 am.  City Highlights is our tour today.

Hoping you have a lovely sunny day to enjoy Denmark.

[mysty]

Just now, frantic36 said:

Hoping you have a lovely sunny day to enjoy Denmark.

 

Started out sunny.   Then came the rain.  😅

[mysty]

First stop on our tour today was Gug Church designed by Inger and Johannes Exner and consecrated in 1972.

 

We had an organist provide a sample of the sound from this organ.  It was glorious!

 

Next came the singing trees.  It is a park of music where artists have planted trees and a sample of one of their songs is available to listen to.

 

 

 

Then an amble through the old town.....

 

Then return to the Silvery Moon.....

 

 

[lincslady]

I did see some blue sky there!

 

I think you are starting your last segment tomorrow, M?  I have not got an itinerary, but imagine it originally included St. Petersburg.  If so you will obviously be going somewhere different in another country.  Tallinn is an attractive city, and we liked the strange sort of rock church in Helsinki.  And of course the Stockholm archipelago sail in is not to be missed.  Your cruise  seems to have gone by very quickly.

 

Lola

[mysty]

Just now, lincslady said:

I did see some blue sky there!

 

I think you are starting your last segment tomorrow, M?  I have not got an itinerary, but imagine it originally included St. Petersburg.  If so you will obviously be going somewhere different in another country.  Tallinn is an attractive city, and we liked the strange sort of rock church in Helsinki.  And of course the Stockholm archipelago sail in is not to be missed.  Your cruise  seems to have gone by very quickly.

 

Lola

 

The cruise has flown by Lola!  Our upcoming ports following Copenhagen will be Gdansk,  Ronne Bornholm, Visby, Tallinn, Helsinki ending in Stockholm June 28th.

[jpalbny]

Ah, Rønne! That's a blast from the past.

 

I went there for a weekend in January 2002 for my sister's wedding. 

 

It was downright chilly,  and dark most of the time. My little brothers decided to go swimming in the Baltic despite the cold weather. I went in up to my shins but no more than that.

 

The reception was lots of fun. Flying home with a hangover...less so. 

 

Looking forward to seeing what Bornholm looks like in the summer!

[lincslady]

Looking forward to the last bit, Mysty, and hoping for sunny weather.  I don't know if you were originally supposed to go to St. P, but guess that would have been for two nights at least. If so, I hope you had already been there before, as the chances now are unlikely for some years.  And obviously it is well worth a long visit; we  were lucky there, having visited it twice some years ago.

 

Lola

 

 

[mysty]

Just now, lincslady said:

Looking forward to the last bit, Mysty, and hoping for sunny weather.  I don't know if you were originally supposed to go to St. P, but guess that would have been for two nights at least. If so, I hope you had already been there before, as the chances now are unlikely for some years.  And obviously it is well worth a long visit; we  were lucky there, having visited it twice some years ago.

 

Lola

 

 

 

We did visit St Petersburg before.   A slight disappointment and we wouldn't have it any other way!

[lincslady]

I hope you are back on board, Mysty, after the changeover morning, and looking forward to the Baltic ports.

 

Lola

[mysty]

We are docked in Copenhagen.  We took a tour to get off the ship so we didn't have to sit in the Panorama Lounge until the suites were cleared.  The tour was Royal Treasures, Castle and City.  There were some hiccups.  Many buses required for transfers to the airport and some tour buses did not show up.  Our excursion left 1/2 hour late.  Not a Silversea issue!  A logistics issue for the company contracted!

First stop was the little mermaid from the Hans Christian Anderson story......

 

Then on to Amelienborg Palace, the official home of the Danish Royalty.....

 

 

Then on to Rosenborg Castle, the summer home of King Charles IV.....

 

 

 

 

 

We will overnight in Copenhagen and there will be an event for the Grand Voyage folks tonight at Solyst Manor (the former summer residence of Ernst and Charlotte Schimmelmann).  We sail for Gdansk tomorrow at 1:00 pm.

Edited June 21, 2022 by mysty

[mysty]

The Moon is currently being refueled.   It will be a quiet day on the ship for us.  Last night's dinner at Solyst Manor was awesome!  We had the pleasure of hearing three of Denmak's up-and-coming opera stars as we savoured our dessert.   I have to wait for Myster to download his phone pics before I can post. 

We are blessed with another sunny day!

[spinnaker2]

Enjoying your trip through your posts. I can't wait for Visby where my grandfather and great grandfather came from!

Was hoping to be there with but alas not to be this year.

 

[mysty]

I spoke too soon about the sunny day.  Rain arrived shortly after.  Here are pics from last night's dinner.

Tartare of Norway Lobster.....

 

Butter-steamed cod.....

 

Roast beef with truffle.....

 

Vanilla ice cream with hazelnut cake.....

 

A swan sailed past the ship this morning.....

 

We sailed from Copenhagen at 1:00 pm for Gdansk, Poland.

[Stumblefoot]

51 minutes ago, mysty said:

We sailed from Copenhagen at 1:00 pm for Gdansk, Poland.

Do they say G’day in Gdańsk? 😉

[dusababy]

2 hours ago, mysty said:

I spoke too soon about the sunny day.  Rain arrived shortly after.  Here are pics from last night's dinner.

Tartare of Norway Lobster.....

 

Butter-steamed cod.....

 

Roast beef with truffle.....

 

Vanilla ice cream with hazelnut cake.....

 

A swan sailed past the ship this morning.....

 

We sailed from Copenhagen at 1:00 pm for Gdansk, Poland.

Back in the day on Silversea, I shopped from St. Petersburg all across the Baltic searching for a fine necklace of amber.  Found the perfect one I was looking for in a jewelry shop in Gdansk.

 

[mchell810]

On 6/14/2022 at 7:53 AM, mysty said:

Inclement weather did not detract from our excursion.  I stood outside on the boat for our sail around Lake Loen in order to get photos.  I must have looked like a drowned rat by the end of it and thankfully I gave up on vanity years ago.  😅  So here are the pics......

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mysty your photos from Lake Loen are lovely, so atmospheric! 

 

I am just catching up with your trip as I was off enjoying my first adventure with Silversea.  Glad you are still having a good trip.

[RachelG]

Enjoying your posts and photos.  How do you manage to get the photos to post in the right orientation?  Mine post upside down at least half the time

[Host Jazzbeau]

33 minutes ago, RachelG said:

Enjoying your posts and photos.  How do you manage to get the photos to post in the right orientation?  Mine post upside down at least half the time

That means you are turning your phone the 'wrong' way to take landscape shots.  Turn it the other way and it will post correctly on CC.  [And there doesn't seem to be any way to fix it on CC if you have taken it in the wrong orientation, as shown by an official 'live from' here.] 

[mysty]

This morning we are docked in Gdansk.   It's sunny!

 

I use a camera not a tablet or cell.   However I can't post portrait oriented pics.  They go sideways. 

Edited June 23, 2022 by mysty