Europe

May

2014

Helsinki Finland

Those of you who know us might know that we’re not city folk in general. We’ll go to a city and spend time occasionally, but we wouldn’t pick a city as vacation destination. Having said that, it isn’t a surprise that, while we were impressed with Helsinki, it wouldn’t necessarily be a destination for a vacation to Finland. Rather, we would probably fly in and spend an afternoon seeing the sights; maybe have coffee and a pastry in a coffee shop somewhere and then make our way north to Lapland to see some reindeer.

Continue reading →

May

2014

Tallinn, Estonia For Just a Day

When cruising, there are places you visit that you’re glad you’re on a cruise and only have to spend one day seeing. It’s either because it simply doesn’t interest you or some other underlying reason. For us, we thought Estonia was going to be that kind of place. It was, in our view, something to do while we marked time waiting for the ship to get to a better port. As it turns out, Tallinn was one of the highlights of our cruise, so far. We thought Germany was the highlight, and to be truthful it was big on our list to come back and see more, but much to our surprise, Tallinn, Estonia was up there too. What we saw in our one day visiting the city left us craving more. Continue reading →

May

2014

Warnemuende and Schwerin Germany

Germany is probably going to be the high point of our trip, at least the high point of our cruise. We arrived in Warnemunde along the Baltic Sea on Tuesday, May 20th. The day was about as perfect as you could imagine for a warm spring day.

We traveled by bus for about 1 ½ hours from Warnemunde to a little town called Schwerin for the purpose of viewing the Schwerin Castle, which has been in existence in one form or another since at least 973 AD when it was controlled by The Polabian Slav Tribe. It was primarily a fort at that time rather than a “castle”. Around 1160, it was targeted by Germanic Nobelmen under the leadership of Henry the Lion. From then on, the Schwerin Castle has had a rich history, serving as a castle and home for many nobles, a military barracks, and even a nursing college during the time of the German Democratic Republic after WWII. Presently, Schwerin Castle serves as a museum and the seat of the local state parliament. Continue reading →

May

2014

Copenhagen

Today was a lazy day in Copenhagen, Denmark. We left the ship at around 9:00 AM and were guided by a tour guide to all the various sites of the city, including the palaces of the royals of Denmark, the Parliament building, the Old Stock Exchange, and even passed an amusement park. Continue reading →

May

2014

Helsingborg Sweden and Helsingor Denmark

It’s mid May as we write this little article about Helsingborg and already the sun sets at 9:41 PM and rises at 4:55 AM in this part of the world. For us Americans, this kind of behavior is reserved for our Canadian and Alaskan friends almost exclusively, but for Sweden, Denmark, and the rest of the folks up around the Baltic Sea and the North Atlantic, this is how life is, and how it’s always been. Temperatures are in the mid 50s’ and low 60s’ today, which seems to be normal for this time of year. What a hardy bunch of people they must have been in the earlier times when life wasn’t so easy.

Continue reading →

May

2014

Canterbury Cathedral

Canterbury is a small medieval village located in the southern part of England near Dover . It’s believed that this area has been continuously inhabited since “prehistoric times”. Today, as a tourist destination, Canterbury is one of the most visited cities in the United Kingdom; probably because of the Canterbury Cathedral and the popularity of Geoffrey Chaucer’s 14th century collection of stories, The Canterbury Tales. Continue reading →

May

2014

Ponta Delgada

Ponta Delgada is a small city of around 70,000 people located on the island of Sao Miguel in the Azores. Situated west of Portugal in the Atlantic Ocean, this area has been continuously inhabited since at least 1444, when small fishing villages were established around the islands. In the early part of the 19th century, Ponta Delgada was of significant economic importance to Portugal and at one point was actually considered the third largest city based on economic strength and population. The farm land surrounding the city at one point had a major citrus industry, trading extensively with the United Kingdom. Continue reading →

May

2014

Driving on the Left Side

I don’t know how many times I’ve heard someone from the US ask if a particular country drives on the wrong side of the road. When they say that, they are of course referring to driving on the left side rather than the right side of the road as is the rule here in the States. Often, I’ve heard them say it in the presence of someone who comes from a country that drives on the left, not realizing how that kind of question, phrased in that way, could leave another person feeling a little put out. Continue reading →

Europe

Helsinki Finland

Tallinn, Estonia For Just a Day

Warnemuende and Schwerin Germany

Copenhagen

Helsingborg Sweden and Helsingor Denmark

Canterbury Cathedral

Ponta Delgada

Driving on the Left Side

More Posts

Follow Us