Silver Wind Live! Helsinki to Hamburg, June 4-16, 2023

[RachelG]

 

 

[QueSeraSera]

Really enjoying these posts - looking up the places where you folks are - thanks JP & Rachel!

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

Rachel – I know my iPhone has all these health and focus apps that try to help me be healthier.  Maybe your phone recognized that 5:10 am is not a healthy time to get up, and was just trying to be helpful!  😉

[Daveywavey70]

34 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Rachel – I know my iPhone has all these health and focus apps that try to help me be healthier.  Maybe your phone recognized that 5:10 am is not a healthy time to get up, and was just trying to be helpful!  😉

iPhones are never helpful.

[jpalbny]

Saturday evening, June 10th. Vaasa, last stop in Finland. 

 

Took a nap after breakfast and then had trivia at 1:30 after lunch. We got second as RachelG has already reported. 

 

When we got back to the suite there was a surprise for us.

 

 

We docked an hour early but the tours couldn't be moved up so lots of waiting around. Unfortunate because we had La Dame reservations tonight and an earlier finish would have made it easier. But as long as we're not late all ok.

 

We were at an industrial port just out of town. Huge windmill turbines all around. They made the cars look like matchbox toys.

 

 

We assembled and left on time at 16:45. The first stop was at the site of a meteorite crater.

 

 

The crater itself was far too massive to get a decent photo. It is 5km in diameter and 500 million years old. Its been underwater until relatively recently. The floor is flat and full of rich ocean sediment, hundreds of feet deep, and is now prized farmland. 

 

There are some nice exhibits on the geology of the area and other meteor strikes in Finland. Now off to our next stop, an open-air history museum at Stundars. We had time to look around. 

 

 

First stop was an early 20th century general store. All sorts of random stuff on display. 

 

 

Then we visited a late 19th century farmstead. A large common room for eating, cooking, and sleeping.

 

 

Apparently bread baking only took place once or twice a year. It was stored on racks near the ceiling. It must have been hard as a rock. Luckily we were not offered any samples!

 

 

Meals were cooked over the fireplace and eaten from a common bowl with your own individual spoon. After dinner you licked it clean before hanging it back on the spoon rack.

 

 

The common room was very pleasant though...in the bright sunner sunshine! 

 

 

There was even a coffee station! 

 

 

Off the common room, some utility rooms. I am familiar with this brand name, but I thought they only made chainsaws! 

 

 

This looks like an earlier iteration of a Silversea expedition parka. I didn't ask to trade mine in.

 

 

Now we had a few minutes to either wander the rest of the museum, or have pastries and coffee. Since our La Dame reservation was in less than an hour we skipped the food and made a quick loop through. 

 

This cute but chubby bunny is how I'm feeling after a week on board. They really feed you a lot here.

 

 

A small sample of the 70 buildings in this museum 

 

 

 

We were loaded up on time and back at the ship two minutes early. Time for dinner!

Edited June 11, 2023 by jpalbny

[Lois R]

Hi JP, the pictures are wonderful and it is all so interesting too🙂

[jpalbny]

Saturday Night. Anniversary Dinner in La Dame. (Lois, it's #28)

 

So we made it back to the ship at 20:13 and changed into our dinner clothes in record time. We grabbed our Dom and headed to La Dame. We made it there 5 minutes early for our 20:30 reservation. 

 

 

We traded our bottle of Dom for a chilled one, and settled in with the menu. But the surprises were just starting. Rachel and George had ordered a bottle for us too!

 

 

Chris started with the lobster salad and I had the duck foie gras. Both really nice with the Dom.

 

 

 

The soups were delicious too. Chris had the mushroom and I had the lobster bisque.

 

 

 

Lemon sorbet on a chilled plate. Love the presentation! 

 

 

We both had the duck breast for our main course. It went well with the Burgundy wine.

 

 

For dessert Chris had the strawberries and chocolate. It was ok though the chocolate coating was a weird consistency. I had the pistachio soufflé which I liked a lot. It was mercifully small, even better after all the preceding dishes!

 

 

 

Service was great as there was only one other table. And we moved right along, finishing up around 22:15. 

 

So we had time to catch the last song for a dance at 70s night. After that, Zaid (activities director) played DJ until it was finally bed time.

 

Tomorrow we're in Sweden so we gain an extra hour of sleep. We are sad to say goodbye to Finland which we have thoroughly enjoyed on this our second visit, but excited for our first visit to Sweden! 

[TLCOhio]

10 minutes ago, jpalbny said:

Saturday Night. Anniversary Dinner in La Dame. (Lois, it's #28)    Tomorrow we're in Sweden so we gain an extra hour of sleep. We are sad to say goodbye to Finland which we have thoroughly enjoyed on this our second visit, but excited for our first visit to Sweden! 

 

Congratulations to J.P. and Chris for your 28th!!!   This coming Saturday, my wife and I celebrate our 51st.  You only have 22 more years till you magic 50th.  Great dinner and visuals from Le Dame.  

 

Hard to believe, given ALL of your amazing travels, that this will be your first visit to Sweden.  Amazing history in Sweden.  That country was a major world power at one point.  Lots to see and enjoy there.  Looking forward to more great pictures and details.  Keep it coming!!

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

[daddyo]

Skuleberget top of the mountain today

[Mr Luxury]

6 hours ago, jpalbny said:

Saturday Night. Anniversary Dinner in La Dame. (Lois, it's #28)

 

So we made it back to the ship at 20:13 and changed into our dinner clothes in record time. We grabbed our Dom and headed to La Dame. We made it there 5 minutes early for our 20:30 reservation. 

 

 

We traded our bottle of Dom for a chilled one, and settled in with the menu. But the surprises were just starting. Rachel and George had ordered a bottle for us too!

 

 

Chris started with the lobster salad and I had the duck foie gras. Both really nice with the Dom.

 

 

 

The soups were delicious too. Chris had the mushroom and I had the lobster bisque.

 

 

 

Lemon sorbet on a chilled plate. Love the presentation! 

 

 

We both had the duck breast for our main course. It went well with the Burgundy wine.

 

 

For dessert Chris had the strawberries and chocolate. It was ok though the chocolate coating was a weird consistency. I had the pistachio soufflé which I liked a lot. It was mercifully small, even better after all the preceding dishes!

 

 

 

Service was great as there was only one other table. And we moved right along, finishing up around 22:15. 

 

So we had time to catch the last song for a dance at 70s night. After that, Zaid (activities director) played DJ until it was finally bed time.

 

Tomorrow we're in Sweden so we gain an extra hour of sleep. We are sad to say goodbye to Finland which we have thoroughly enjoyed on this our second visit, but excited for our first visit to Sweden! 

Another good day JP

What a shame there was only one other table.

I don't like that and prefer some atmosphere although you were focused on the lovely Chris and hoping that you could keep up with her on the dance floor.

[jpalbny]

Venetian Party was tonight. The Captain is busy steering the ship because some internet thingy isn't working? 

 

Only 135 guests on board. Barely 50% capacity! 

 

May have missed something as I typed frantically but breakdown is something like this:

 

69 USA 

15 Australia 

15 Germany 

12 UK

7 Canada 

6 Switzerland

3 Italy 

2 Hong Kong 

2 New Zealand 

2 Sweden 

1 Finland 

1 Ukraine 

 

We had a nice dinner with the HD and the NZ couple as well as a solo lady from Australia. More from today if pix upload. The internet got flaky in the north and hasn't fully recovered. 

 

 

[Mr Luxury]

5 minutes ago, jpalbny said:

Venetian Party was tonight. The Captain is busy steering the ship because some internet thingy isn't working? 

 

Only 135 guests on board. Barely 50% capacity! 

 

May have missed something as I typed frantically but breakdown is something like this:

 

69 USA 

15 Australia 

15 Germany 

12 UK

7 Canada 

6 Switzerland

3 Italy 

2 Hong Kong 

2 New Zealand 

2 Sweden 

1 Finland 

1 Ukraine 

 

We had a nice dinner with the HD and the NZ couple as well as a solo lady from Australia. More from today if pix upload. The internet got flaky in the north and hasn't fully recovered. 

 

 

You need more Ukrainians and less Americans to balance it up a bit.

Unusual to see a lone Ukrainian.

Have you met them.

I'm wondering what their story is.

[RachelG]

June 11, 2023–Ornskoldsvik Sweden

 

Sadly, it was time to say good by (hei hei) to Finland for now, but we loved it and will definitely be back.   We sailed pretty much straight across the Gulf of Bothnia to Sweden.  Also gained an hour of sleep.  

 

When we awoke, we were in Ornskoldsvik, a cute town of 29,000, with old buildings and new modern apartment buildings, plus a ski jump right in the middle of town.  There were some small mountain visible in the distance.  The weather was getting warmer, with high to be in the upper 60s and bright sunshine.

 

Our excursion for the day was a hike on Gula Leden  which is a small tree covered granite mountain, about 1000 feet elevation gain.  We boarded the bus to the trailhead.  In the briefing, our expedition leader kept emphasizing how difficult of a hike this would be.  It really wasn’t that difficult, but it was one way, so no option to just set down and wait till the group came back or turn around and go down on your own.  George loved it because our local guide, Lars, was totally ok with him going off wherever he wanted, and he didn’t get yelled at.

 

We hiked up and up for about 45 minutes on mostly solid granite trails, interspersed with some roots.  The roots were a little more challenging at times, and if it had been wet, the stone would have been as well.  We took a short break at a nice overlook.  Everyone was keeping up pretty well.  We hiked another 45 minutes with a more gentle elevation change to the top where there was a great overlook, with a little shelter built there.  We stopped for fika which is basically a coffee break, a Swedish thing where you sip coffee and have a little snack and chat. Lars’ daughter, Jessica, had brought cinnamon rolls which were very nice.

 

Then a short walk to the bus as there is a road up the back side of the mountain.  We drove to another spot right above the ski jump and had some great views of the ship from there.  We drove back to the ship.  

 

George and I decided to do a little bit of walking in the town.  It was very quiet.  There were lots of cute looking shops, and I would have spent some money, but everything was closed, it being Sunday.  We also would have eaten in town, but the only place we found open was a coffee shop that didn’t really sell food.  So back to the ship for lunch.

 

In the afternoon, we began sailing south out of the fjord, very scenic with tree covered mountains and cute little towns on both sides.  We sailed past an island which supposedly has a lot of birds, and a narrated sail by was planned. But the wind had really picked up and it was just too cold and windy to be outside. Plus we were too far away from the island to really see much.

 

Trivia was interrupted a couple of times with announcements that we were going under a big bridge, but we won.  Recap and briefing was cancelled.

 

Tonight was the Venetian Society party and dinner.  We were invited to dine with the guest relations manager, who we have gotten to know quite well over the smoking issue.  At the reception, they recognized those with the most days.  We weren’t even close.

 

Dinner in La Terrazza was delicious as usual.  George got the lasagna which is big enough to feed both of us.  Then we went to play Majority Rules, a silly game which is actually very funny.

 

[jpalbny]

Sunday June 11th. Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. 

 

We gained an hour last night as we crossed the Gulf of Bothnia. Much needed! 

 

Smooth sailing, and we were docked early. The first hiking groups were called just before 7:30 which was 15 minutes earlier than expected. Our hike was 45 minutes later so we had time to walk the deck and check out our surroundings while everyone else rushed off.

 

 

The sky was clear and the water was like a mirror. A gorgeous day! What a welcome to Sweden. 

 

 

The town looked charming too but that would be later. We had a mountain to climb. So we went for some coffee.

 

 

We had a short bus ride to the Gula Leden trail head and our guide Lars set out at a nice clip. It was a steady climb with few breaks. We hung close to Lars in the first group and opened up some space behind us, so we had a little time for pictures, if an odd-shaped tree appeared at the right moment. 

 

 

We stopped at a boulder field. Unlike the one in Rauma, this was presumably not built by giants.

 

 

Here and there, a quick photo stop as we went higher. But not long, as we were promised better views ahead.

 

 

 

Not a technical hike but plenty of incline.

 

 

At the summit.

 

 

But no time to linger here. The snacks were further along the trail and we had to get there ASAP! So after a short rest we plowed ahead on the trail.

 

Finally we reached a scenic viewpoint with a lean-to, where Lars's two children were waiting with pastries and coffee. 

 

The view of Själevads and its church was very nice.

 

 

Across the lake (Veckefjärden) there was a horse racing track.

 

 

And further on, the fjord (they call them fjards) led to the sea.

 

 

After a nice rest stop we hiked another 5-10 minutes and the bus was waiting for us. We had a scenic ride down and made a quick stop for an overview of Örnsköldsvik. 

 

 

Silver Wind was partially hidden by trees but with a little lateral movement you could get a clear shot.

 

 

Now back to the ship where we arrived about 11:All-aboard was 13:30 so it was now or never. We unloaded our coats and set out to explore the town.

 

The weather was spectacular! High 60s and bright sun. Lunch could wait!

[jpalbny]

Örnsköldsvik, city wander on our own. 

 

The "First Hotel' was visible from the ship and the pier.

 

 

We started on the outskirts, looking for a few sundries but no luck at the Circle K. So we headed back to town. 

 

This unusual apartment building was hard to miss.

 

 

I walked around a bit, hoping I could capture its reflection in a neighboring building. 

 

 

We walked up a pedestrian street to a large open square. 

 

 

There was also a large grocery store. We found toothpaste easily but no bug spray. I used Google translate and asked an employee, who showed me to the right shelf.

 

Restocked, we headed onward. This pretty pedestrian street (Storgaten) has a nice view of the ocean. 

 

 

We did some walking back and forth, finding some interesting new and old buildings. Nice contrasting styles.

 

 

 

And City Hall. 

 

 

Back at the large square, we now walked through a few blocks of park. There was some construction going on, and the greenery was a bit overgrown in places.

 

 

The park ended at an art museum. 

 

 

Now we took the long way back to the ship. Along the coast you could see that the water looked brown. I assume the forests make the river water tannic.

 

 

At the end of our pier, some kind of beacon. The sun was in a good spot to light it up. 

 

 

Silver Wind is back in view! We should make it there by 13:30.

 

 

That building is just so unusual. I couldn't resist another picture. Sorry!

 

 

We returned to the ship with time to spare.

 

 

Lunch at the grill. I had the sizzling jalapeño steak which was cooked reasonably rare, and tasty. Chris wasn't impressed with the burger. But the fries were good! 

 

We walked a bit on the deck but the wind was fierce. The sun was in perfect position to catch the Silversea lettering on the side of the ship, though.

 

 

As RachelG noted, Gnaggen Island was not very impressive as a fly-by. This was it...

 

 

But the passage between some of the other islands was pretty. Some beautiful pink granite rocks! Just an example of many.

 

 

Trivia was a win for us, surprisingly, since we didn't do that well. But the questions were challenging and I guess everyone else had trouble too.

 

We passed the High Coast Bridge for views.

 

 

 

Then time to clean up and look pretty for the Venetian Party. Details above. We had dinner with the HD and then played the majority rules game with Zaid before bed.

 

PS the internet is pretty fast this evening, as I've been able to upload all of these pix relatively quickly. As it's almost midnight, until tomorrow all!

[drron29]

Fantastic pictures of your arrival into Sweden JP.

[QueSeraSera]

Thanks for posting, made our Sunday night more enjoyable!  Now, if I can just avoid overcooking our Norwegian salmon dinner 🙂

 

[jpalbny]

Monday June 12th. Sea morning en route to Gotska Sandön (Gotland Sand Island). This is basically a glacial moraine in the middle of the Baltic...a giant sand dune!

 

We slept in and didn't get moving until 9AM. Some coffee in the Panorama while we enjoyed the smooth seas and beautiful warm sunny weather. 

 

We booked two more cruises this morning! The Kimberly for next June on Silver Cloud, and Hong Kong to Singapore in January 2025 on Silver Dawn (that is a WC segment).

 

Then time for briefing and recap. Today we'll just hop a zodiac to shore independently and hike on our own. We have bug spray so we should be good to go. 

 

Lunch on the pool deck under glorious sunshine. There was an Asian buffet with all sorts of tasty treats including a very spicy peanut sauce that tasted great on everything. 

 

Interestingly we were buzzed during lunch by a fighter jet! It flew by, low and close, on the port side. Then it made a tight turn amd buzzed the starboard side even closer!

 

We all ran up to the walking track but it was long gone and did not return. Wow! What was that about? 

 

More this evening. Hopefully off soon for some nice hiking. A quick teaser shot of the island. 

 

 

Look at that smooth water! Should be a beautiful zodiac ride.

[dawntrdr]

Did you folks now on the Wind hear anything about a protest at Dournenez, France on May 6 which prevented some pax from going ashore?  It sounds like the Finn citizens have been much friendlier.

[Daveywavey70]

22 minutes ago, dawntrdr said:

Did you folks now on the Wind hear anything about a protest at Dournenez, France on May 6 which prevented some pax from going ashore?  It sounds like the Finn citizens have been much friendlier.

Well I suppose it keeps them away from the Bastille.

[Lauranne]

Finally had time to read this thread. Fantastic commentary and pictures. Made me add our Silversea inner jackets for extra warmth. We are finishing our packing and will be pickup by Blacklane this afternoon. Flight to Hamburg tonight to join Silver Wind on Friday. Looking forward to a few days to explore Hamburg. Keep the ship, “ship shape” for us and enjoy your remaining days onboard. 
Laurie

[jpalbny]

48 minutes ago, dawntrdr said:

Did you folks now on the Wind hear anything about a protest at Dournenez, France on May 6 which prevented some pax from going ashore?  It sounds like the Finn citizens have been much friendlier.

 

Yes our friends were on board at that time. Protest is a national pastime. The Finnish people are indeed lovely and welcoming. 

[jpalbny]

Monday June 12th, Gotska Sandön.

 

We debated signing up for the long hike but the DIY option won out. So we waited until they had called most of the guided hikes and went to the zodiac launch deck, where we snuck on with the last group of birders.

 

There was a delay at the shore, as disembarkation was complicated. But the view was very nice! And such a smooth ride.

 

 

This beach landing could have been wet. But our SS expedition crew took excellent care of us. They went to Ikea and bought a DIY dock, assembled it, and had it ready to go. Dry feet all around! 

 

 

We slogged up the sandy beach and into the forest. We had a rough idea of where we wanted to hike from a map I'd downloaded but we double checked against the map they gave out at the landing site. 

 

The terrain was more challenging than it looks. Since the whole island is a giant sand dune, there's no good place to get solid footing. Unlike the Finnish forest, no bedrock here.

 

We set off on the green trail. 

 

 

A few setbacks where we got stuck behind the walking groups but eventually we passed by them and broke out on our own. We made it to the opposite coast and this oystercatcher was there to squawk at us.

 

 

Deserted but beautiful just the same. Not a resort beach for sure! We like it that way.

 

 

Now our trail turned back inland and climbed mercilessly. In the sand it was one step back for every two steps forward. I didn't sign up for this!

 

 

 

After a tough up.amd down slog through 40 meter sand dunes, and an occasional detour to make sure we were on the right route, we found an easier connection back to our beach. This gentle trail was just what we needed. 

 

 

As we approached our destination, a chapel appeared! 

 

 

We got back to our starting point in time to climb the lighthouse. More climbing? Sure, where do I sign up? 

 

 

But you know we wouldn't leave a tower unclimbed. From the top, we could see Silver Wind. 

 

 

 

 

And a bonus ladder we could climb, to see the lens of the lighthouse. 

 

 

On the way down, Chris stopped for a photo. I liked the photo opportunity as well.

 

 

Now a trudge back to the beach for our zodiac ride back. The total was about 4.5 miles. In this deep sand that should count double! 

 

 

We were back on board soon, and had plenty of work to do. So much sand to clean out of our shoes. And we had missed trivia because of our long walk. We found out later that LAexNY had kept up our strong team showing,  and won on our behalf while both we and RachelG were ashore. Kudos!

 

Time for dinner! We've earned some, I hope.

 

[WesW]

Terrific DIY hiking post with photos that complement Chris and your hiking joy.

[RachelG]

June 12, 2023–Gotska Island, Sweden

 

At last, we were able to have a nice sleep in as we were not to arrive at Gotska Island until afternoon.  We were sailing south, on a smooth sea with tiny ripples.  The sun was out brightly, and the temperature was very comfortable in the upper 60s.  

 

Our destination for the day, Gotska Island, is mostly uninhabited, with a white sand beach on the perimeter and dense pine forest in the center.  It is home to a lot of birds and also grey seals.

 

They offered the usual assortment of lectures during the morning then had early recap and briefing at 11:00.  For lunch, an Asian Fusion buffet was offered on the pool deck.  It was the perfect day as it was sunny and not cold, but the food was disappointing.  Not a lot of choices and not nearly as good as the one on Regent.  We went inside and got ice cream for dessert.

 

But while we were sitting outside, all of a sudden we hear this loud roar, and were buzzed by an F16 not once, but twice.  Not sure what lol that was about, but he was very low and close to the ship.

 

About 1:30 pm, we could see a long low island just ahead, with white sand beaches all around and forest in the middle.  Shortly afterward, the anchor was dropped.  We were on the first zodiac over, very smooth ride.  The staff had made a makeshift dock from pallets on the sand.  We did the long hike, which was a proper hike, 10 km over mostly sandy terrain with some steep hills thrown in.

 

But before we took off, we were again buzzed by the jets, 3 times.  Someone said they are doing some sort of NATO operations in the area, not sure why they are buzzing cruise ships.  

 

Then I heard our guide from the ship calling my name.  I looked over, and there is George, driving one of the tractors the rangers use to keep the landing and paths in order. 

 

After we pried him off the tractor, we hiked through beautiful pine forest, then birch.  There was a little chapel in a meadow. Apparently you can rent it for weddings and the like.  We ended up at the little village which is where the rangers live and where there are some cabins you can rent in the summer.  There is also a campground.  The lighthouse was open, and one of the rangers was there giving commentary.  George climbed to the top.  

 

We were ready to go back to the ship after all that.  We had dinner in La Terrazza with friends.  I felt my lamb was over cooked as did George , but we had plenty of food.