And now for the final post....

The Schiffergesellschaft, a 14th century building where we had lunch



Ad for Carlsberg beer on a building in Copenhagen



Street in Copenhagen



Park in Copenhagen, Denmark



This will be my last post for this trip as we leave the ship at 8:45 a.m. tomorrow and head to the airport for an 11:15 a.m. flight to Atlanta. It has been a great trip!! Thanks to all who helped us on the home front with dogsitting, catsitting, and housesitting!!

Yesterday morning we docked in Kiel, Germany. We took a trip into Lubeck, which was about an hour and a half ride from Kiel. Lubeck was first founded in 1143, so you can imagine how old some of the buildings in that town were! Only about 1/5th of Lubeck was destroyed in WWII, so it survived better than most towns.

We first saw the Holsten Gate, which was originally one of the entrances into the city of Lubeck; we went on from there to St. Peter’s church, which was started in the 14th century, and was originally Roman Catholic but then became Lutheran. It is no longer used as a church. We also toured St. Mary’s church, which was beautiful inside. At the time this church was built (1200’s) it was believed that the taller a church was, the more it reflected the wealth of the community; St. Mary’s is over 100 feet tall. It is a Gothic style church, containing some of the original Gothic paintings that were once painted over but were restored in 1947. It has two pipe organs, and between the two of them, there are 15,000 pipes (yes, really!) I wish we could have heard them. We did happen to be there at noon when the old clock struck twelve, and 12 little apostles came out and circled around to be blessed. This only happens at noon and midnight, so we were lucky to see it. Reminded me of the old cuckoo clocks!

We had lunch at a restaurant called “Schiffergesellschaft”, which was a 1500’s building that had once been a seaman’s guild hall. It had old wooden models of sailing ships hanging from the ceiling, and long skinny tables with benches. No air conditioning, of course, so it was a little warm, but the food was wonderful. After lunch we went to Niederegger’s, which is THE place to buy marzipan candy. They are world famous from what we were told. We bought some, though we haven’t tried it yet. Lubeck is known for its’ Marzipan, which is made from almond paste, among other things.

Our last stop was the Hospital of the Holy Spirit, which was used as an old people’s home. It contained tiny little rooms that barely held a bed and a table. At one time, up to 170 people lived there, but now only about 85 make it their home.

Our ship sailed at 6 p.m. last night, and we headed to Copenhagen; we arrived around 8 a.m. this morning. We were supposed to have a bicycle tour here, but it was cancelled due to “lack of participation”! We decided to be adventurous and take the shuttle into town, wander around, then walk back to the ship. Copenhagen is another beautiful town, full of lots of tourists, and lots of sites to see. After lunch, we headed back toward the ship…or at least where we THOUGHT the ship was…only to find it was MUCH further than we thought! What a hike we had! But along the way, we got to see the site where the “Little Mermaid” sculpture stands; it is in Shanghai right now for the 2010 World Expo, but they had live video of her from Shanghai, so it was fun to watch people viewing her in Shanghai. Copenhagen is the home of Hans Christian Anderson who wrote the story of the Little Mermaid.

Anyway, we made it back to the ship, finally, and we are now packed and ready to head out in the morning. This was a great experience…but we miss family and are ready to be home once again!

Sizzlin' in Berlin or "There's no extra charge for the sauna"

The countryside between Rostock and Berlin



This double line of cobblestones marks the site of the Berlin Wall throughout the city





Sections of the Berlin Wall



A memorial to victims of war and dictatorship



Checkpoint Charlie



The Brandenburg Gate



The Reichstag in Berlin



(This is yesterday's post...couldn't connect to the internet. The quote in the title is what we heard, quite often, from a man on our excursion to Berlin.)

Yesterday we took a trip by bus into Berlin. Our ship docked at Warnamunde, a port just outside of Rostock, Germany. We left at 8 a.m. and the trip took a little over three hours on the Autobahn, which has a speed limit for busses but not for cars. It was a beautiful drive through a countryside of farms, woods, and wind turbines. Germany gets 15% of their energy from these turbines. We picked up our guide, Markus, in Berlin, and we proceeded to tour the main sites of Berlin. We visited the Museum of Allied History, where we saw a WWII guardhouse, section of the Berlin Wall, WWII plane, plus other memorabilia from the war. We saw Templehof Airport where the Berlin airlift took place. We ate a traditional German lunch at Kempinski Hotel...sausage and saurkraut, pork loin and gravy, and apple strudel for dessert. We drove by a memorial to Holocaust victims, the site where it is believed that Hitler’s bunker was located, and the original location of Checkpoint Charlie. We saw several sections of the old Berlin wall here and there in the town; most of them have been artistically decorated. There is a line of cobblestones in the streets to mark the site of the Berlin Wall. We also saw the Brandenburg Gate (through which Napolean entered the city) and the Reichstag building. It was a long day; we didn’t get back to the ship until after 9 p.m., but it was amazing to see all the history in Berlin. The temperature was also amazing...our bus registered 42 degrees Celcius, which by our calculations was 107 degrees Farenheit!! It certainly felt like it; thank goodness there was a breeze and very little humidity! Our guide stated that this is unusual weather for Berlin; we saw lots of people sitting under trees in the parks, as many of the buildings are not air-conditioned.
Last night we left Warnemunde around 10 p.m. and sailed a short ways to Kiel, Germany. We have an excursion into Lubeck today. Hopefully it will be cooler than yesterday! Happy 5th Birthday to Finley!!

Helsinki by the Sea

Pedestrian paths and bike paths run side by side all over Helsinki



Senate Square in Helsinki



Market Square in Helsinki



A parkway in Helsinki



Feeding the seagulls from our verandah



A monument to Jean Sebelius, a great Finnish composer



Racks by the sea for drying rugs



A Jopo bicycle; these are quite popular in Finland



Riding Jopo bicycles in Helsinki



Uspenski Cathedral, the largest Orthodox church in Scandinavia; 80% of Finnish people are Lutheran


Helsinki, Finland, is a beautiful city...we found ourselves wishing we had another day to spend there. It is a very clean city with lots of parks and trees and flowers. It has public transportation (electric busses and trains, even ferries) but lots of people get around on foot or on bicycle. We took the shuttle from the boat into town, pulled out our map, and wandered around a while. It was so interesting. We found Market Square (Kauppatori), a lively spot just off the water where there was an amazing array of fresh fruits and vegetables and local craft vendors. Then we walked to Senate Square (Senaatintori), where there were some beautiful buildings in the neoclassical style. Native people were quite friendly, more so than in St. Petersburg.

After lunch, we took a Jopo (pronounced Yopo) bicycle tour. Jopo bikes are quite simple, no gears, and foot pedal brakes...just like when we were kids. We rode for about 11 miles, all over the city, which is very bike-friendly (bicycle lanes about everywhere we went!) Our guide was a native, and quite funny. He mentioned that they have a female prime minister and a female president. He jokingly said that the prime minister resembles Conan O’Brian! Not exactly a compliment for a female.... He said that most Finnish families have just one or two children...and we saw a lot of beautiful babies. We saw the site of the 1952 Olympics (which was built for the 1940 Olympics, but those games were cancelled due to the war.) We rode through several parks, by the beach (which was extremely crowded because they don’t have this nice weather very often.) He told us that in the winter, they only have daylight from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (how depressing!) We also saw a place along the water where families can bring their rugs to wash. Our guide said that most Finnish families have wooden floors with many throw rugs. They take their rugs down to the water to wash them, then they hang them on these large wooden racks to dry (we saw several drying in the sun.) As we were looking at these, a man who had been swimming climbed up on the pier (stark naked, I might add!!) pulled on his jeans and walked away. We were all laughing at this...but our guide said it is quite common in Finland, and not thought to be offensive in any way. Oh my.

It was a wonderful ride and a great way to really see the city. Helsinki was a place I would love to visit again someday.

Today we are at sea, sailing toward Warnemunde, Germany. Tomorrow morning we will board a bus for the three-hour ride to Berlin and a tour of that city. There are several speakers we plan to hear today, along with lots of just “being lazy.” It is nice to have a day at sea to relax.

Hope all is well on the home front. Much love to all of you!

A ride through Alexandria Park

Alexandria Park, Peterhof, Russia



The chapel built by Nicholas I for his wife



The gardens in Alexandria Park



The home of Russian President Medvedev



Today was our last day in St. Petersburg, and the weather was wonderful....partly cloudy, mid-70’s...just perfect for a bicycle ride. We left the ship about 8:30, and boarded a van for the hour ride to Peterhof and the Alexandria Park. This park was built during the reign of Czar Nicholas I, who wanted a place to raise his children in the country. It borders the Gulf of Finland. There are cinder and dirt pathways through the park, and we had a great ride on off-road bicycles (with gears, I might add!) There were only 10 of us, including our guides, and it was a great group...no complainers in this bunch! HA We saw the beautiful “cottage” home of Nicholas and family, and a lovely chapel built by Nicholas I for his wife. She belonged to the Catholic and had to convert to the Russian Orthodox Church when they married. He tried to make the transition easier for her by building a chapel that looked like a Catholic church, even though Russian Orthodox services were held there. We rode through fields and forests and enjoyed it greatly.

We have heard some good speakers on our day at sea. Retired Colonel Ralf Vargas, who spent much of his career in Russia, gave an overview of life and politics in Russia. He will speak again on our next day at sea in more detail. We met him on the evening we went to the Marinsky Theater...a very nice, approachable man. He is the father of Elizabeth Vargas (isn’t she on The View or something like that??) Anyway, it has been fascinating to learn more about life in Russia, not an easy life, for sure. Most of the population have been content to trade their freedoms for more economic stability...we were told that Prime Minister Putin enjoys an 80% popularity rate. Hmmmm....

This evening we are sailing for Helsinki, Finland. We are scheduled for another bicycle ride tomorrow afternoon. The seas have been so calm, we have had no problems with sea sickness at all. Helsinki is the farthest north we will go...but tomorrow’s temperatures are predicted to be in the low 80’s, so that will be just fine.

Better sign off for now. We love and miss all of you. Special hugs and kisses to Kennedy, Finley, Davis, and Iyla Jane!!

St. Petersburg, "Queen of the North"

Church on the Spilt Blood



Mosaics in the Church on the Spilt Blood



Interior of the Marinsky Theater



Sunset in St. Petersburg at 11:15 p.m.


St. Petersburg is a city rich in history. We have tried to absorb as much as we can, but there is just so much to remember! There has been so much fighting, unrest, and sadness in their past...we learned that during World War II, the Germans surrounded St. Petersburg (called Leningrad at that time) for nearly three years and cut off all food and supplies. 3500 people died each day from starvation...nearly a million people in all. Living standards are certainly better now, though they still lack so many of the freedoms that we have.

Yesterday morning we took a tour of the city. We spent a lot of time at the Church on the Spilt Blood, built on the site where Czar Alexandar II was assasinated. All the walls and ceilings are covered with mosaics...7500 square meters of them! And the outside of the building is as beautiful as the inside! Last night, we went to a performance at the Marinsky Theater, originally built as a gift for one of the Czar's wives, Maria. It was once destroyed, but was rebuilt about 100 years ago. It was very ornate...and very warm! HA We saw a ballet called "Spartacas"...yes, really. If you have trouble imagining the story of Spartacas as a ballet, well, it was a stretch. It really was a lovely performance, I'm sure; we're just not used to two thirty-minute intermissions, and dying scenes that go on forever. Just how long does it take to die on stage?? The theater was packed; the Russian people really love the theater. It was nearly 11 p.m. when the ballet finished, and we walked outside to....daylight!! We actually watched the sun set at 11:15 p.m. I will attach a picture to prove it.

This morning we took a tour of the Hermitage Museum. It owns over 6 million pieces of art, but only about 3 million of them can be displayed at one time. We saw da Vincis, Rembrandts, Michelangelos, you name it. We didn't have enough time to see even a fraction of it; we were told that if you spent 2 minutes viewing each piece, you wouldn't finish for several years. I do believe it!

Tomorrow morning we are scheduled for a bicycle ride through the parks of Alexandria. We are hoping the good weather holds out. We have seen so many Russian people out sunbathing, because this sunny weather is so unusual for them. Our boat sails at 6 p.m. tomorrow evening for Helsinki, Finland. We are having such a good time, napping whenever we please, eating way too much, and just enjoying all that we see. Hope all is well at home! Much love!!

Beautiful Stockholm

Vacation homes on the water as we were leaving Stockholm



The streets of Old Town, Stockholm



In front of one of the government buildings in Stockholm



At the Absolut Ice Bar in Stockholm



(This post is actually from the 4th of July, but we had no internet access while we were at sea yesterday.)

Today we are celebrating the Fourth of July on the Baltic Sea, somewhere between Stockholm, Sweden, and St. Petersburg, Russia. The weather is beautiful…bright, sunny, and mid-80’s. We will be in St. Petersburg by the time we wake up tomorrow (which is about 9 hours ahead of home.)

Our flights to Stockholm were long, but pretty uneventful. We slept as much as possible. Frankfort airport was old and very confusing, but the Stockholm airport was very modern. Our luggage was about the last to come off the plane…we were really sweating it! HA

Our cabin on the ship is very nice, with fresh fruit and chocolates in the room each day! We don’t get a little “towel animal” but I can’t complain.

Yesterday afternoon we took a tour of Old Town, Stockholm, and went to the Ice Bar. The Ice Bar was small, and VERY cold, but we were given fur lined coats and gloves so that helped a lot. Wearing sandals probably wasn’t a good idea; took quite a while for my toes to thaw out! The walls, bar, seats, and glasses were all made of ice. They gave us samples of orange juice and vodka…not bad! We didn’t stay long; I’m not sure how anyone could!

Stockholm is located on several small islands; Old Town Stockholm is on one of these islands. The streets are narrow and made of cobblestone. We saw the old Royal Palace which is used now for offices and formal functions. We saw the church where Princess Victoria was married June 19th; the people love her because she defied tradition and married a commoner (her trainer!) They think it is the ultimate in love stories....

I will try to include some pictures if I can; internet is spotty while we are at sea. They are fixing a special "American" surprise dinner for us today...I am sure it includes hamburgers and french fries! HA The food has been wonderful, and we have eaten entirely too much of it. The daylight is long...the sun sets around 11 p.m. and is up again before 5 a.m. It actually doesn't get dark, just kind of dusky. When we go to bed, the sun is about where it is at 4 in the afternoon at home...really strange! I guess that is why they call these the "white nights" of the Baltic.

Love to all at home!

And tomorrow we're off!

I'd like to say the bags are packed and waiting at the door...but I'm not even sure they are out of the closet yet!! I keep thinking of "one more thing" I need to do before I start packing...I think it is called "procrastination". It's not that I don't want to go on the trip; I just don't want to pack for the trip!

We leave tomorrow morning for Dallas, where we will spend most of the day wandering the airport before we leave at 4 something p.m. for Frankfort, which is about a 10-hour flight. From there we fly to Stockholm, and board the cruise ship. This is a Baltic Sea cruise with stops in Stockholm, St. Petersburg, Helsinki (Finland), Warnemunde and Keil (Germany), and then Copenhagen. The temperatures are forecasted to be in the mid-70's, and we are looking forward to that!

Thanks to all who are helping us with all the housesitting, dogsitting, catsitting, plant-watering, etc., at home. We couldn't do it without you! We'll post as often as we can, and add pictures if possible.

And now to the packing....

A last post from Egypt...

(Mt. Sinai in Egypt)


(St. Catherine's Monastery, Egypt)


(The Great Sphinx in Cairo)


(Giza Pyramids in Cairo)


(The Citadel of Saladin in Cairo)




(Street scenes from Cairo)




(Sailing on the Nile River in Cairo, Egypt)

This will be my last post...our computer battery is almost depleted and we don't trust the converter here, so I am sure it will run down soon.

We crossed the border into Egypt early yesterday morning. We have a new guide named Noha, and she is really a hoot. She calls herself "Mother Pharoah" and we are all her little pharoahs...sounds cheesy, but she really is great fun and knows her way around. We stopped at St. Catherine's Monastery where Moses experienced the burning bush..and it is still a working monastery. Then we traveled through a sandstorm to Cairo...didn't make it in until about 9:30 that night...boy that was a LONG day. Today we got up early and went to the pyramids...even got to go inside one to the tomb room. That was a little creepy because the passageway was only about 4 feet tall, and we had to go down a long ways and then back up and into the room. It was amazing! Then we saw the Sphinx, had a demonstration on how papyrus is made, saw the tomb of Idut, (a nine year old princess) and went to a rug factory, and I think that was it. Tomorrow we go to the Egyptian museum, the Mohammed Ali mosque and a Coptic church and I don't know what else. Egypt is such a contrast of the old and new combined. We had lunch at a wonderful outdoor restaurant today, and we could have stayed there all day. What fun.

We are on our own all day Saturday, then have to be at the airport for a 1:45 am flight home. We are pooped, but we have had a lot of fun. We look forward to being home again...and washing all the sand out of our clothes! Love to all of you!!

Here, there, and everywhere...

(Scenes from the streets of Old Jerusalem)



(The Western Wall, also called the Wailing Wall, of Old Jerusalem)



(Caves at Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found)


(Ruins on top of Masada)


(Temple carved in the stone walls at Petra)


(The Treasury at Petra, Jordan, used in scenes of Raiders of the Lost Ark)

I would have blogged before now, but I just can't seem to read Hebrew! When we try to open the blogspot, all the instructions are in Hebrew...and I just can't seem to figure them out! So, I'll try to catch up on the last three days.

On Sunday, we returned to the old city through the Dung Gate...called so because this was the gate they used to "take out the garbage"! But on our way from Bethlehem to Jerusalem, we had a little bit of hassle at the border. They made us all get off the bus and walk across the border, checking our passports multiple times, and just generally being intimidating. Well...any young kid with a big gun in their hands is a LOT intimidating. It really just feels like they are acting tough, but I wouldn't want to be the one who provoked them! Anyway, we went to the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem...men to their side and women to ours. It is so moving to see Jewish women rocking back and forth and praying at this wall. All the cracks are filled with bits of paper containing prayers. We were really disappointed to learn that we would not be allowed to go to the Temple Mount. The Israeli government closed the area because of all the unrest going on over their announcement that they would be building more settlements. We have seen some rock throwing, and lots of general unrest. We went to the pools of Bethesda, where people could be healed if they could get into the pool when the waters were stirred. Supposedly, they were stirred when a snake was thrown in...sure would make me stir! Ended the day with a visit to St. George's Cathedral, which St. Paul's in Fayetteville helps support.

Monday we left Bethlehem with minimal hassle at the border and started our drive south. We stopped at Qumran where the Dead Sea scrolls were found. This was once the place where the Essenes lived. They had more rules than you could shake a stick at...for example, if you wanted to use the bathroom, you had to be at least 2000 cubits from camp...which was quite a hike. Problem was, on the Sabbath, you were only allowed to walk 1000 cubits. And the story goes that they just held it. No thank you... not me! We then stopped at the Dead Sea and had lunch and waded around a bit. The water leaves your skin feeling very oily, and the bottom is covered with little balls of salt. Then it was on to Masada, one of Herod's fortresses, and the place where 960 Jewish Zealots committed suicide rather than become Roman slaves. It was quite a place...but the temperature was nearing 100, and a sand storm was blowing in, so it was not as pleasant as we would have liked! Our hotel in Eilat on the Red Sea was a welcome sight that night!

Today was supposed to be a free day just to rest and relax, but....we got an incredible chance to cross the border into Jordan and see Petra...and we just couldn't pass it up. After a little bit of work, we got our visas, and went through the complicated process of crossing the border. Petra was just incredible...Indiana Jones all over again! We were gone all day, but it was so worth seeing!

Now I must wrap this up because we have to be at breakfast at 6:00 and then it will be on to Egypt. Love to all!