Speyer, Germany

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Today, when we got off the ship, it was below freezing, and there was frost and ice everywhere. They even announced a warning about how slick it was outside and to be careful. At 9 am, we took a bus to Speyer and had a walking tour. We went into the cathedral, and it was pretty. Someone said we were doing an ABC, standing for Another Bloody Church! This made me laugh. Then we walked around town. We passed a phone booth for children to call Santa Claus. They talk privately in the booth and teel what they want for Christmas. It is recorded and the next day, it is written in the newspaper so parents can look for their child's name and age and find out what they want for Christmas. 

We had an hour after the tour to go shopping. Barb, Beth, and another lady from Pennsylvania joined us as we explored. Then we all took the bus back to the ship. We heard Elliot talk on the phone that another cruise ship had lost 2 of their guests and was looking for them.

After lunch, we returned to Speyer on a bus at 2 pm. It was a 20-minute ride to the town from Germersheim, where we were docked. As we were walking, we came across another yarn shop and I just had to buy yarn! Then we found a store that sold mittens that reminded me of the thrummed mittens I had knit for Don. They were so nice and warm that I bought them. At 5 pm, we took the shuttle bus back to the ship.

 

At 6 pm, Elliot talked about the disembarkation procedure. All that information was very overwhelming! Our orange tags were waiting for us in our cabin, along with instructions about the day we leave. At 6:30 pm, he gave a port talk about Strasbourg, France, where we will visit tomorrow.

For dinner, we joined Barb and Beth (from Lebanon, PA) and Joyce and Myron (from Canada), and we had a great dinner. We really enjoyed talking with all of them!

Original photos by Pat Hensley

Mainz, Germany

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We met our tour group at 9:15 am and had a walking tour of the old city. 80% of the city was destroyed in WWII. The market, which is held 3 days of week, was occurring and there were a lot of people in town. We went to the Guggenheim Museum, which was held at the Museum of Natural History since the original museum was being renovated. We got a demonstration of how the press worked, and we saw four of the original Bibles that were printed. After the tour, we went to 2 yarn shops and I bought some yarn.

Around noon, we returned to the ship for lunch, and it was very slow, but eventually we finished lunch. Then we walked back into town, and we stopped at the department store where we bought 2 boxes of chocolate-covered cherries: one with vodka and one with wild punch. Don also bought some wild peach rose wine. We walked around town and enjoyed seeing the architecture.

We returned to the ship around 4 pm and signed up for an appointment with the program director, Elliott. We had time to eat 2 of our cupcakes and they were delicious! Elliot connected us to the Viking rep, whom we talked to over the phone in our cabin. We ended up buying 2 certificates for future cruises and booked a cruise for next year, and only had to give a $50 deposit.

Around 6, we had a cocktail party and then a port talk. For dinner, we sat with Jayne and her mom, Betty (Charlotte, NC), and Barb and Beth (Lebanon, PA). We had such a great time talking with them! After dinner, Jayne invited us up to their room to see what a verandah suite looked like. It was 2 rooms, where one room was the bedroom and the other room was a sitting room. The sitting room had a balcony that you could sit out on, and the bedroom had a French balcony (door opened, but no room to sit).

Original photo by Pat Hensley

Koblenz Germany

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We finished breakfast early, and since we didn’t have to meet for our tour until 9 am, we got off the ship and wandered a little. We walked to the big statue of Wilhelm I at the German corner. It was an impressive, huge statue! The corner is where the Moselle River joins the Rhine River. We went through 19 locks to get here.

At 9 am, we met our tour guide, Michael, who retired from the German army, and he was a fabulous guide. We walked around the old city of Koblenz, which had been 99% destroyed in WWII. The cutest thing we saw was the rolling eyes clock, where the eyes of the face move constantly. On the hour, the tongue sticks out! We also liked the thumb statue! Barb took our picture, and then we took a picture of Barb and Beth at the thumb. Later, we exchanged picture,s which is much easier than trading phones. 

After the tour, we had 90 minutes to explore, so we went back to the Omas Kuchen and bought 6 cupcakes. The guide recommended this place, and it looked delicious. Then we went to an arts and crafts store where I found some yarn! The 100g balls of yarn were wool, cashmere, and nylon for 13 euros each! I picked one, and I had Don pick one so I could make us more socks.

We got back on the ship in time for lunch, which seemed to take a long time. Then we bundled up so we could sit on the sun deck as we sailed down the Rhine River. At 2:30, Elliot was going to narrate what we were seeing. Jayne and her mom, Betty (from Charlotte, NC) sat with us. The wind made it so cold up there, but we had beautiful views of the castles on each side of the river. Eventually, I went and got our bath towels to put over our legs. I tried to knit, but my hands got too cold. At about 5 pm, it got too dark to see anything, so we went to the lounge to hang out. I was able to knit the heels into my socks.

At 6 pm, Elliot gave his port talk and talked about future cruises until dinner time. I enjoyed having my rib-eye steak for dinner. At 9 pm, we went to the lounge to hear a duo playing medieval music on the bagpipes and drum. I was so tired that as soon as we got back to ur cabin at 10:30, I went to bed!

Original photos by Pat Hensley

Cochem, Germany

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After breakfast, we got off the ship for our tour in Cochem, Germany. There were three parts: first, we walked into town and took a city tour, then boarded a minibus that took us up to the Imperial Castle. After the tour of the castle, we got on a tour bus and had a winery tour in another town.

It was really cold when I got up in the morning, and my watch said it was snowing. Yet, when we started the tour, it was just cold and rainy. The tour guide, Silvia, said that it only snows about 5 times a year, so I guess this morning was one of them!

The Imperial Castle was very old and was almost demolished by Louis XIV in 1689. Then Louis Ravene bought the castle in 1866 and renovated it. It took 10 years to renovate it, and he only lived in it for 2 years before he died. In each room, his initials, LR, were hidden somewhere in the room. There was a witch’s tower that was one of the only things not demolished by Louis XIV, and legend is that a witch protected it.

After the castle tour, we went to a wine tasting in another town, and it was fun. We had 2 glasses of Riesling wine and a red vinegar peach aperitif. After the wine tasting, we returned to the ship in time for lunch. In my rush to get on the ship to use the bathroom, we forgot to scan our cards, so during lunch, they asked that a couple of guests from specific rooms report to guest services. Imagine my shock when I heard our cabin number called. I left the table and ran to the check-in scanner, where they scanned our cards.

After lunch, I took a shower while Don went to the sun deck and watched as we sailed down the river. At 3:30, the captain showed a video about how the ship operates. Then we were able to go to the wheelhouse and walk inside. There were 2 groups, and I was in the first group, and Don was in the second group. While he was in the wheelhouse, I stayed on the sun deck and was able to watch us go through the lock. After that, we sat in the lounge until it was time for Elliot to give his port talk.

After the talk, it was time for dinner. They had wedding soup and a charcuterie selection on the table. Then we got dinner from the buffet featuring German food. The chef also walked around giving out big soft pretzels.

We were docked in Winnigen, and people went on a wine tour after dinner, so I thought we would go ashore to visit the town. But after dinner we went up to the sun deck to look at the town, and it was really dark, so we didn’t see anything that we wanted to go ashore.

Original photos by Pat Hensley

Trier and Bernkastel

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Trier is Germany’s oldest city and is full of Roman ruins. Before breakfast, we walked out on the deck, and there was frost everywhere. We had a delightful breakfast and then met for our tour at 8:15. We took a bus to a church and started our tour. It was very cold! A lady with another group had slipped and hit her head, so an ambulance was called. We saw a lot of nice architecture, and luckily, our tour guide was a retired architect. We also saw the childhood home of Karl Marx. The highlight of the tour was the Black Gate, known as Porta Nigra. Then we had 45 minutes of free time, so we walked around the town. We visited a department store that had four floors, but it was quite warm. When we met back to get on the bus, we heard the lady was okay and would return to the ship.

When we got back to the ship, we had lunch. I had curried cauliflower soup, penne pasta, and a chocolate chip sundae. It was delicious. While we were at lunch, our ship went through a lock, and it was fun to watch it out of the dining room window. We were only inches from the wall on each side!

After lunch, we went up to the lounge and hung out for the afternoon. We saw the beautiful countryside full of vineyards as we traveled down the Moselle River. I knitted on my socks while I visited with Jane and her mother, Betty (from Charlotte). Then we sat and visited with 2 ladies from Pennsylvania, whom we had lunch with. At 4:45 pm, Elliot gave a talk about Bernkastell and tomorrow’s visit to Cochem.

At 5:30, we got off the ship in Bernkastell and walked around the town. Most of the stores were closed, but we found the pointed house (Wider on top than on the bottom). We also so the castle way up at the top of the mountain, but we didn’t go to it since it was dark. We got back to the ship around 6:30.

We had dinner at 7:15 and sat with Patty and John (Denver, CO), Judy and Mike, and Dell and Randy (Albany, NY)

Original photos by Pat Hensley

Reims Cathedral, Luxembourg Cemetery, and the Viking Herja

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We had to get our suitcases out in the hall before 6 am. I woke up at 5 am and fell back asleep. Thank goodness, I set my phone alarm and requested a wake-up call at 5:30. We put our suitcases out and went to breakfast at 6:00 a.m. At 7:40, we went to the lobby to identify our suitcases. Once we identified our suitcases on the sidewalk, we were allowed to board the bus.

We had a 2-hour bus ride to Reims, where we got a tour of the cathedral. It was a beautiful cathedral. The weather was very windy and very cold! After the tour, we had time for lunch, but when we tried the bakery, we would have had to sit outside. Instead, we decided to hit McDonald's. The food was served in reusable plastic containers. After that, we stopped by the bus to get our gloves and for Don to get his knit cap. We had 30 minutes to explore, but it started to rain and sleet. At 1 pm, we found Elliot, who told us that we could go to the bus. We had a 2 ½ hour bus ride to the Luxembourg American Cemetery, and we saw where General George Patton was buried. We had a 30-minute stop here and then headed to the ship.

 
We arrived the the Viking Herja in Trier at 5:30. We got on the ship and a crew member escorted us to our room (104). Our suitcases hadn’t arrived yet, so we went up to the Viking Lounge for a drink, and at 6:30, we had the Welcome Aboard speech. There are 54 crew members for the 176 passengers. We met the senior officers and told them what to expect for dinner and the safety talk. Then we had the port talk before we headed for dinner.

At dinner, we sat with Dell (attorney) and Randy (nurse practitioner) from Albany, NY, and Jack (geophysicist) and Wendy (opera singer) from California. I had a rib-eye steak, and Don had mahi mahi. For dessert, we had creme brulee.

When we got back to our room at 9 pm, we found our suitcases and we unpacked. It was a really long day!

Original photos by Pat Hensley

HAL Zuiderdam –Jewels of the Baltics Part 1

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We recently sailed on the HAL Zuiderdam for the third time in May 2019. Our captain is Wouter van Hoogdalem,  the hotel director is Ron Bontenbal, and  the cruise director is Andy Levitt. Our cabin is 4078 and our cabin stewards are Ketut and Eka. Our dinner table is #59 and our servers are Sarino and Catur.

Tuesday, May 7, 2019 - Embarkation (15166 steps/5.81 miles)

We went for breakfast, with our suitcases in tow and that is when my hubby agreed with me that maybe he overpacked. I used a much smaller suitcase and packed half the amount that I usually do for a cruise and it was so easy to manage. After breakfast, we took a bus to the cruise terminal and dropped off our bags. We still had a couple of hours, so we took the bus to The Citadel park and walked around before returning to the terminal. We were on the ship around noon and in time for lunch.  Our ship left Copenhagen around 5pm. We are seated at a table for 6 but only one other couple showed up, David and Emily from Virginia. She arranges for Au Pairs to work in our country and he works for the Treasury Dept. in DC. After dinner, which started at 8, we went back to our cabin and watched a little of Aquaman but by then I was so tired it was time for bed.

Wednesday, May 8, 2019 – At Sea (12947 steps/5.02 miles)

After breakfast, we went to a couple of talks. One was about the shore excursions. The other given by Bonnie was about getting around and what to see in Estonia and St. Petersburg. She did an excellent job. After lunch, we did our exercise walk around Deck 3. Then it was time to go to another talk about Helsinki and Stockholm. Happy Hour was at 4 and the second drink was only $2 so we had Bloody Marys. Before dinner, we went to the show which featured the pianist, Martin Kaye from Manchester, who was excellent. It was Gala night at dinner. Before going to bed, we watched a little more of Aquaman.

Thursday, May 9, 2019 – Tallinn, Estonia (22331 steps/8.69 miles)

We had a wonderful day in Estonia. We got off the ship around 11am and it was a 15-20 minute walk into Old Town. We walked to St. Catherine’s Passage and found 2 yarn stores. Then we walked to the Town Square and found the Visitor’s Information place to get maps and information. Then we walked to Kiek in de Kok (which means Peek in the Kitchen) and to several cathedrals. Along our walk, we found some artists and Don bought some etchings of mermaids from one of the artists. Then we found an antique store where Don bought some Soviet and German-occupied money for 1 euro each. We got back to the ship around 4pm and saw the Captain so I took a picture with him. Then we had a late lunch. We went to the show to see the dancers before dinner. After dinner, we finished watching Aquaman and Don watched the movie about Ruth Ginsberg but I fell asleep.

Friday, May 10, 2019 – St. Petersburg (8324 steps/2.9 miles)

Since we didn’t have an excursion booked, we couldn’t get off the ship because we didn’t have a visa. After breakfast, we sat on the deck and used our binoculars to look around town. We relaxed and read until it was time for lunch. After lunch, we relaxed and watched movies on TV. We ate dinner in the Lido restaurant because we thought we would see The Mule in the main stage theater, but it was canceled. So, we went back to our room and watch movies until bedtime.

Saturday May 11, 2019 – St. Petersburg (15327 steps/5.85 miles)

We got up at 4:30am so we could eat breakfast before our shore excursion. We had to meet at 6:30 and at 6:45 they sent us to the bus. First, we had to go through Passport Control. When Don went through, the guard had to make a phone call. After many long minutes, his passport was stamped, and he was allowed to go through. I went through quickly.  We got on the Bus 22 and our guide Marina and our driver Maxim took us on an 11-hour tour of St. Petersburg ($229 pp).

First, we made an unscheduled stop to take photos of St. Isaacs Cathedral with huge columns. Then we drove about an hour to Catherine’s Palace in Pushkin. It was an amazing palace. I took tons of pictures, but we weren’t allowed to take photos in the Amber Room. After the palace, we had lunch at the Home Café. Lunch was some kind of salad, beef stroganoff, green beans, and mashed potatoes, and apple cake. We were also given a bottle of water, a glass of wine, and coffee or tea. Next, we went to Peterhof Gardens which was a huge place. We only saw the East part which our guide said was more luxurious. There were beautiful fountains and gardens.  At 2:15 we went to the Hydrofoil and at 2:30 it took us back to St. Petersburg. When we arrived, it was pouring down rain and we all got wet running to the bus. Then they took us to a souvenir shop where we got to taste vodka and cherry liqueur. We got back to the ship around 5:20 and the ship was leaving at 5:30. We had to go through Passport Control and once again, the person had to make a phone call when they were inspecting Don’s passport. After more long minutes, he was allowed to go through.

It was a wonderful day in St. Petersburg! The guide gave each of us a radio receiver and headset so she could talk into her small microphone and we could hear everything she said. She talked nonstop from the time we left until we returned.

Sunday, May 12, 2019 – Helsinki Finland (15622 steps/6.02 miles)

All night long the fog horn sounded! When we woke up, the fog was so thick! We didn’t know what to expect when we got off the ship even though we read about the area. When we got off the ship in (Hernesaari port), there was a cruise ship shuttle (10 euros or $12 USD each) and there were Hop On Hop Off buses for 30 euros each. We decided to give the HOHO bus a try and felt it was well worth the money. First, we did a full circuit of the route and then on the second circuit we stopped at a local flea market. After the flea market, we walked to Hard Rock Café. Then we walked to the Open-Air Market near the water which was nice. We walked back to the area where the flea market and got on the HOHO bus. We thought about getting off at another place but by then it was getting late and we had to get back to the ship by 3:30. We got back around 2:30 and had lunch. After lunch, we went to the Crows Nest to hear the commentary about the surrounding area. Then it was time for happy hour. After that, we went back to the room to watch The Mule with Clint Eastwood.

Monday, May 13, 2019 – Stockholm Sweden (18054 steps/7.16 miles)

Our pilot got on around 2:15 am and guided us into the port. At 8am. we got off the ship and got on another HOHO bus for 32 euros each. Hubby doesn’t think it was worth the money but I do. There were 22 stops and one of the stops took us pretty far away and only a mile from Hard Rock Café. Since Hard Rock didn’t open until 11:30 and we got on the bus at 8, we rode the bus the entire route which took two hours. Then we got off in the Old Town and walked around. Around 11:30 we got back on the bus and took it to the Concert Hall. From there we walked to Hard Rock. Somewhere around the Concert Hall, I lost a mitten. Then we went back to the bus and went back to Old Town. We got back to the bus stop around 2:30 and it was packed. People were cranky and pushy. Don and another man had nasty words because the man thought he would cut in front of us. We watched the ship pull out and would have the pilot until after 10pm as we went through the archipelagos.

Tuesday, May 14, 2019 – Sea Day (9413 steps/ 3.41 miles)

We had a nice day at sea. After breakfast, we relaxed until it was time to go to our Mariner’s luncheon. We sat with 8 other people and enjoyed lunch. After lunch, we went to the showroom to listen to the Captain and ask him questions. After that, he opened up the bow on the 4^th deck so we can experience the drill he was having. It was an Emergency Crash stop and he stopped the ship in 2 ship lengths, but the vibrations were strong. After that, we went to the lido deck for a snack and to get Don on the internet. In the afternoon we relaxed in our cabin and watched movies while I worked on some stuff for my summer class. Before dinner, we went to the show featuring The comedy and variety of Goronwy Thom, who did juggling and comedy. We had Gala night for dinner.

Wednesday, May 15, 2019 – Rostock, Germany (17940 steps/7.08 miles)

We arrived around 6am but we didn’t go ashore until 8:00. There was a free cruise shuttle into town which was 20 - 30 minutes away. The bus let us out in front of the Radisson Blu Hotel and we walked around town. I found two yarn stores, so I was happy. We found the town square and tourist information where there was a free bathroom. We went to the park and had some bratwurst which was wonderful. Then we had a pretzel and a pastry later in town. On the way back to the bus, Don found a Philately shop where he bought some stuff. We were back on the ship around 2pm and had lunch. In the afternoon we watched movies in our cabin. At one point, they interrupted the movie to announce that first responders were needed on the Lido deck across from the Pasta station. We found out later that it was a woman who had a stroke and was unresponsive. 

Thursday, May 16, 2019 – Kiel Germany (20253 steps/8.06 miles()

We got off the ship around 8am and walked right into town. Since it was early we strolled through a non-touristy area and found a grocery store. We found a dollar store and bought some great souvenirs. We also found City Hall where there were free toilets. Then around 11am, we walked through the main tourist area with lots of shops. We even found tourist information. Around 1pm, we returned to the ship for lunch. The rest of the day we relaxed since we didn’t have to pack to leave the ship like other people had to. At dinner, we said goodbye to our dinner mates, Emily and David.

Things I Learned:

1.     Copenhagen, Denmark

a.     There are 6 dkk to 1 USD approximately.

b.     Thanks in Danish is Tak (Tock).

2.     Estonia:

a.     Thanks in Estonian is Tänan.

b.     Taxi - 20-30 euros 

c.     Tere hommikust - good morning 

d.     Please - palun 

e.     Goodbye - Head aega 

f.      $1.12 = 1 euro

g.     City train for 6 euros 

h.     Look up at architecture 

i.      Skype was invented here

j.      Free wifi in town square 

k.     Kohuke - cheese curds covered in chocolate 

l.      Sport - wife carrying; Finland - wins wife’s weight in beer

m.   Language- Russian, Ukranian 

n.     2.357 miles of coastline 

o.     Is about 50% forest 

p.     Occupied from the 13th century to the 20th century.

q.     Regained independence in 1991. 

r.      50 miles across from Finland 

s.     Look for Old Thomas at top of spire; Original in city hall 

t.      Town wall still standing about 1.2 miles; Wall from 14th century 

u.     Toompea Hill - highest point in Old town, seat of Estonia parliament 

v.     Alexander Nevski Cathedral built in 1900; Put in spot where there used to be a statue of Martin Luther

w.   St Mary’s Cathedral - built in 1233, can climb bell tower 

x.     Kiek in the Kok - “peek into the kitchen”

y.     Town Hall Square - souvenirs and restaurants, oldest running cafe, free walking tours on the hour at tourist information. Round stone, compass rose - see all 5 spires of the churches

z.     Worlds oldest pharmacy - check out restrooms 

aa.  Olde Hansa - house schnapps is called Monks Bride

bb.  St. Olaf’s Church - used to be tallest building in the world. Great view of city. 

cc.  St. Catherine’s passage - neat passageway, craft shops

dd.  Song festival grounds - revolution happened here

ee.  KGB museum at hotel 

ff.    Freedom Square - Europe Day 2019 is happening, free tours of embassy

3.     St. Petersburg, Russia:

a.     Thanks in Russian is Spasibo.

b.     Largest country in the world 

c.     St Petersburg - 5 million inhabitants 

d.     St. Petersburg is the 2nd largest city in Russia 

4.     Helsinki, Finland

a.     Thanks in Finnish is Kiitos.

b.     The HOHO bus in Helsinki was well worth the price.

c.     317 islands in Finland 

d.     5.2 million people 

e.     Summers - sun doesn’t set for 73 days 

f.      Language - Finnish, Swedish, Russian

g.     Gustav Eriksson of the Vasa - found Helsinki 1550

h.     “Daughter of the Baltics”

5.     Stockholm, Sweden:

a.     4 million people 

b.     4350 miles of coastline 

c.     Language - Swedish, Finnish, Sami dialects 

d.     Currency - Swedish krona  $1 = 9.58kr

e.     15% of Swedes are foreign born

f.      2000 lakes

g.     220,000 islands 

h.     57 bridges

i.      Old Town - Gamla Stan 30 minute walk 

j.      The iron boy - behind Swedish church (5.9 inches) 

k.     City Hall - spire has 3 golden crowns, 18 million gold tiles. - 45 minute walk from ship 

l.      Royal Palace - 600 rooms; one more room than Buckingham Palace, 5 museums

m.   Ice bar 23F inside 

n.     National museum - art and design ; free

o.     Skansen - oldest open air museum, zoo,

p.     Nobel museum 

q.     Nordic museum - largest cultural museum 

r.      The Vasa Museum - old ship 90% original 

s.     ABBA Museum $30 USD

t.      Coffee is around the idea of a break

u.     The only free bathroom we found in Stockholm was at Hard Rock Café.

v.     Tack is thank you in Swedish.

6.     Downloading Google Maps of the cities we were in was very helpful. I didn’t need internet connections to find locations on the maps.

7.     Germany

a.     uses euros for currency. Euros to USD was about 1:1 at this time.

b.     Danke is thank you in German.

Original photo by Pat Hensley