Happy Birthday Denise!

OMG... Both of us are 86 years old!!!

From Brugge to Monte Carlo

Brugge hotel roof

Nice

Ladies out to lunch

Dollar Farm

Baltic Trip Part 2

St Petersburg

We set sail in the afternoon, this time our destination was St Petersburg, Europe's fourth largest city after Moscow, London and Paris. The city (founded by Peter the Great Tsar of Russia) is located on the eastern coast of the Gulf of Finland and is built on a delta and a network of 65 river channels requiring 400 bridges.

The ship arrived the next day at eight in the morning after leaving Stockholm. Our vessel "Azamara Journey" (being a small ship of only 600 passengers) was able to navigate the Neva River and dock at the River Neva Terminal. The larger ships must dock at the Baltic Port requiring its passengers to take an hour bus ride to reach the city.

Immigration is very strict in Russia. For instance, Estelle and I had not booked a day tour on our first day but had a concert booked for the first evening and as a  result we were not allowed to go ashore until that evening. In other words, we were confined to the ship during the day.

The first evening was something very special where the entire ship's passengers were treated exclusively to a concert by the St Petersburg Philharmonic. The Philharmonic (which dates back to 1802) is housed in a building constructed in 1839 and has a seating capacity of 1500. A building such as this one by present day standards (which is so over-elaborate) would be costly to build and decorate. The acoustics were perfect.

As for the music, it was pleasing to the audience especially Tchaikovshy's Swan lake and Italian Capriccio. The concert lasted for two hours without an intermission. I would have stayed for another two hours if it carried on further. It was one of the special little perks that a "top of the line" cruise line provides.

The next day we took a seven hour tour which included such highlights as the Peter and Paul Fortress (a monument of military and engineering excellence); Peter and Paul Cathedral (contains burial vaults of many of  the Russian emperors). The Winter Palace (residence of  the Tsars) and the Hermitage (a world class museum containing three million works of art.)


All the buildings visited were very ornamental and were decorated with gilded gold paint. We were told at every location the number of "pounds,  not ounces or grams but pounds" of gold that went into the paint. At $1230 US an ounce for gold, it would cost a fortune to build these icons today. Although the paintings of the various masters were the feature item to view, the surrounding rooms and galleries where the paintings were displayed were equally of interest. Everything in the Hermitage and various cathedrals visited was over-whelming.

Oh, by the way, our tour included a four-course lunch at a first-class dining room.

After our lunch, we were taken to one of the subway stations where we rode from one station to another where our driver was waiting. The subway stations in Russia are really art galleries. They are something to visit at no cost. As for cost to construct the St Petersburg's subway was very expensive as it was necessary it be built 300 metres below ground in order to find solid ground. Remember, St Petersburg is built on a delta. First of all, it required that the ground be frozen to access the solid ground and then carefully drill and blast or make use of tunnel borers. All this is very expensive. Contrast this with the Toronto Subway where it was constructed using the relative easy method of "cut and cover" method of construction which is done all from surface.

It was a two-day tour of seven hours each day. By the second day I was really tired even though we were riding for part of the tour. Never-the-less there was plenty of walking. The second started out with a boat trip up the Neva River and to a couple of its tributaries. This gave us some idea of area that the city covered. As mentioned before there are many bridges which we passed under in our boat.

After the boat ride, we had an excursion to Yusupov Palace including the Rasputin Exposition. A display of how Rasputin was murdered which was contained in the Yusupov Palace. Rasputin, a so called holy man, apparently became a close confident to the Tsarena and therefore there was jealousy at court. Afterward we boarded our van and traveled to Pushkin (an hour's ride) formerly known as Tsarskoye Selo where Catherine's Palace and Park are located. At the palace we were given booties to cover our shoes so as not to damage the wooden inlaid flooring. The palace contains the replicated Amber Room once considered the "8th Wonder of the World".

Regarding replicated...The Nazis occupied this area around St Petersburg (Leningrad) for over three years during World War II. On leaving the area in 1945, they destroyed  parts of the palace including  the Amber Room. The photographs where we exited the palace shows the devastation. Not all of the palace has been restored as this is slow work as there is so much detail that had to be restored. The entrance fee and grants from the State pay for the restoration work. 

The next place of interest visited were the gardens around the palace. Peter the Great  when visiting France wished to build a garden with 150 cascading fountains for his wife that would rival that of Versailles. He succeeded. The park itself covers 300 acres. Another icon that rivals Versailles is the Grand Palace of Peter the Great in Peterhof as shown in the picture on the next page.

On our way back to St Petersburg we were transported on a hydroplane boat at very high speed. There seems to many of these boats employed for sight seeing at slow rate of speed when on the Neva River in town but high speed in the Gulf of Finland.

While at the Hermitage, I noticed a quite number of Muslims there viewing the various religious icons and began to wonder what was going through their minds about the Christian religion.

Apparently, not all the collection of paintings and other items are on display at any one time. There are almost an equal number of the collection are in storage. In order to insure these other works are not damaged, the authorities employ between 30 to 40 cats to control the rat population around the Hermitage.

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Below, I have included a write-up of the Hermitage that was given to all passengers

       

Baltic Cruise

Baltic Cruise & My Impressions

Part 1 Stockholm & Helsinki 

August 20, 2017 (Day 1),  we (Estelle, my travel companion and I), took the plane (s) as we were not on the same flight to Calgary where we were to make connections to London and from there to Stockholm. Our seats were not together on the flight from Calgary to London. (I must change my travel agent as this is the second time she has fouled up. The first time was my flight to Cousin Jim's funeral.) My travel agent on this occasion even had us wait five hours between flights from Calgary to London and six hours between flights from London to Stockholm. Is it any wonder we were tired on arrival in Stockholm?

While our wait in London for the flight to Stockholm, we paid thirty dollars (US) each to stay in the Plaza Lounge as I gave up my Maple Leaf Club Membership when I finally retired at age 75.

Our cruise in the Baltic Sea consisted of traveling to Stockholm, Helsinki, St Petersburg, Tallinn, Warnemunde, Copenhagen, Skagen and Southampton. The cruise embarkation was Stockholm but before the actual cruise we stayed three nights and two days in that city. At the end of our cruise, we disembarked from our ship (the Azamara Journey) in Southampton then traveled to London where we spent three-days before flying home to Victoria.


Our arrival in Stockholm was smooth with a driver meeting us and drove us to our hotel, which was the First Hotel Reisen in "Gamla Stan" (Translation: "Old Town"). This hotel had been upgraded, and for the price, it was a good deal. Like all European hotels, the rooms are small as compared to those at home. Anyway the room was comfortable. The breakfast was included in the price like most hotels in Europe. This one served everything, a true smorgasbord.

The location of the hotel couldn't be better as it was right by the water front (Stromkajen) where the old sailing ship "Wasa" is moored. I should say something about this ship as it has quite a history. The Swedes thought it would be great if a ship could be built of iron instead of wood. The ship was built and launched but disaster hit. It sank right away as it didn't displace enough water for its weight. Anyway it was refloated and revised and now it is anchored in this little bay (Stromkajen) as a museum. Only the Swedes would display a national failure! 

Our first day was dedicated to exploring Gamla Stan which is on one of the smaller islands making up Stockholm. This island can be walked around in about twenty minutes if one walks quickly, but we walked around slowly and into some of the off streets as well. Regarding Stockholm, it is situated upon 20 islands on Lake Malaren, some islands are small, others are quite large. It is a pretty city with little traffic congestion. Perhaps the reason for the little traffic congestion is the good public transportation system as the subway system covers the whole city. Also there is a very good bus and tram facility as well. But mostly, the Swedes (like the Dutch) make use of their bicycles which takes many cars off the streets.

The Gamla Stan houses the Royal Palace and many of the government buildings. But right across a bridge on the north side from Gamla Stan is a tiny island which houses  the Parliament Buildings only. However, by staying in Gamla Stan walking south from the Parliament Buildings one finds the streets become narrower, where one is in the real Old Town. There are many shops of various kind catering to tourists. The usual Scandinavian items such as sweaters with decorated shoulders, fur hats made from reindeer skin, colourful wooden Mora horses, flags and of course Troll dolls. There are a lot of places to eat and drink.

The Palace which commands the Stromkajen bay located on Gamla Stan is not too elaborate as the royalty seldom dwell there as they have four other palaces and castles where they live located outside the city.

After leaving Vasterlanggatan (main street in old town), one comes into the more serious section where the statue of St George slaying the dragon stands. The statue depicts Sweden as St George killing the dragon which is Denmark when modern Sweden gained its freedom from Danish domination in the 16th century. Not far from the St George and Dragon Statue is a famous little restaurant called "Fem Sma Hus" (Four Little Houses). When I first visited the eatery in 1983, it was four houses all attached side-by-side but now it is one large house. I think it has lost some of its quaintness.     
     
On our second day in Stockholm, there was a "Brig" (a two-masted sail boat) that was being ready for sailing docked across from our hotel.  Crew members, boys and girls were climbing the rigging preparing the brig for sailing. We were surprised to hear the sound of bagpipes, as there were half a dozen pipers and a couple of drummers serenading the crowd prior to sending the brig off on its voyage. Apparently even the Swedes play pipes.

The rest of our day was taken up mostly by riding on the "Hop On Hop Off" bus that covered a great part of the city. As well as the many islands in Stockholm, there are many parks and green spaces; more so than what is found in our Canadian cities. Stockholm is quite a beautiful city.

Our ship, the Azamara Journey is one of the smaller cruise ships (600 passenger) which makes it more intimate as compared to those larger ones carrying 4000 passengers. The Azamara Journey was docked in the Garget area at the north-east end of the city, set sail for Helsinki on Day 4 of our vacation. For the first 2 1/2 hours of the voyage it had to navigate though a number of small islands to reach the open water of the Baltic from Lake Malaren. Some of the channels were so narrow that one could see that they had been blasted to make the channels wider in order to accommodate the larger vessels of today.

Helsinki

Helsinki (Helsingforth to the Swedes) was founded by King Gustavus Vasa of Sweden  to which Finland belonged for many centuries and then to Russia until 1917. Finland is bilingual country as both Finish (93%) and Swedish (7%) is recognized. Like Stockholm, there are no high-rise buildings therefore the city is able to keep its small town atmosphere.  As the cruise ship was docked for only a short time (9:30 am to 5:30 pm) we didn't venture too far. The main highlights of our visit were the large Orthodox and the Lutheran The large white building is the Luthera Cathedral. Cathedrals which were visited   were within walking distance from the ship.

I had heard of the "Rock Church" before and we were given the impression by the tour lecturer that this church was completely underground. It wasn't so! The church was excavated into a rock hill where three sides were all solid rock but the roof was glass panels supported on wooden purloins.

We took a taxi to the Rock Church and back and we noticed that the traffic flowed smoothly. Their tram system was quiet and the tram cars were quite narrow as compared to the ones I have seen in Toronto and other North American cities. Bicycles are made use here as well.

There was an open market near the ship that sold all kinds of Lapland costumes, reindeer skins, wood carvings, paintings, as well as food. What caught my eye were the reindeer skins. I didn't buy any. What would I do with a reindeer skin in Victoria?

Other than visit the Lutheran and Orthodox Cathedrals and the Rock Church, we did not tour any other sites that were recommended such as the gleaming Opera House, National Museum, Parliament Building or the Old Railway Station. Time did not permit a lengthy tour and also it stated to rain which always puts a damper on any situation.

Happy 35th Wedding Anniversary!

BC Visit

Deep Sea - Motëm

Wendy and Bill’s Great French Adventures

On August 2nd we flew to Paris via Air Canada and Air France.  Air France, as you might expect, serves excellent food and surprisingly expensive wine (at least in Business Class).  We arrived more than a little sleep deprived mid-morning Paris time.  After a longish walk with a young man pushing Wendy in a wheel chair (Wendy’s walker had been checked through from Ottawa), we were welcomed by AmaWaterways representatives and whisked away to the ship AmaLyra by BMW limousine no less!  Once in the hands of AmaWaterways our luggage was magically transported to our stateroom.

This picture gives some idea of the size of the AmaLyra.  The ship accommodates 154 passengers and has a crew of 45, most of whom were Bulgarians and Rumanians. The meals on board were first class and were paired with excellent French wines but then Amawaterways has a reputation of spending more on food and drink than the other cruise lines.

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On arrival we retired to the spacious lounge where Alan, Wendy’s brother, and his wife Brenda joined us.  While we were sitting there we connected with an American couple.  She overheard Wendy telling Alan and Brenda about our star Weimaraner “Gypsy” and joined the conversation as she had dogs of her own.  Her husband had been an officer in the US Army and so there was an instant bond with me.  Another couple joined us and guaranteed raucous company at meals throughout our cruise of the Seine.  Our new American friends included an economist, a geologist, a meteorologist and a charming stay-at-home mom.  All were very interesting people and definitely not Trump supporters.  Below is a picture of Wendy and her brother Alan at dinner before the wine flowed too too much…

As this was billed as a “Wine Cruise”, we had expected to taste French wines on board representative of the regions we passed through.  I should have known better as the Seine is hardly a place of vineyards.  Instead we were treated to tastings of wines from St Francis Winery based in Sonoma County California.  Thus, most days there was a lecture and tasting of fantastic St Francis wines with a sub text of joining their wine club.  As bottles were $40 and up, it would be too rich for me – I get nervous at spending more than $15 a bottle.

August 4th saw the first stop at Vernon with a short bus ride to Claude Monet’s estate at Giverny.  The gardens were spectacular and I was taken by the pond which is in one of his impressionist works.  I took several photographs but the one I like best is below.

 

The one jarring note was the presence of armed soldiers patrolling the site.  They moved in groups of four and I noted that their weapons had a bullet in the chamber, which was a bit disconcerting considering their evident youth.  As Giverny had hundreds of visitors that day, it being a holiday in France, I could see Giverny being a potential easy target for terrorists.  Also, on the way out, I noted a group of Gendarmes setting up a road block on the road leading to Giverny so perhaps there was some intelligence of a possible attack.

This visit was followed by a bus ride to Chateau de Bizy referred to as the “Versailles of Normandy”.  It was done in the same style as Versailles but much scaled down.  As well as a tour of the chateau, there was a tasting of Norman apple cider, apple tarts and wonderful cheeses.

From Vernon we sailed overnight to Caudebec-en-Caux the nearest port before the open Atlantic.  It is interesting that on the Seine unlike the Danube, the Captain has to watch the tides as well as normal river levels and bridge clearances.  The tide reaches as far up river as Rouen.

From Caudebec-en-Caux we rode the bus to Honfleur.  Honfleur was the port from which Samuel de Champlain set out to found New France.  Wendy and I did a gentle walking tour of the port and then settled into a street side café to people watch.  As you can see below it was a beautiful day. The 16th Century houses were clad with slate but the Governor’s mansion of the same period in the background was of limestone.

That evening we were treated to a French themed dinner starting with Norman delicacies: charcuterie of all kinds plus cheeses galore.  France has a cheese for every day of the year and probably more.  I took a photo of the buffet starter layout before the other courses were served at the tables.

August 6th saw a trip to the Normandy beaches.  Alan and I selected the British Commonwealth and Canadian tour rather than the US beaches where the bulk of the passengers went.  The first stop was the Abbaye d’ Ardenne near Caen, which was the scene of the execution of 20 Canadian POWs by 12th SS Panzer Division troops.  Then we did the Canadian Cemetery at Reviers the first of three we visited that day.  It was all rather depressing and terribly sad when one noted the youth of the fallen.  A highlight was the visit to the Juno Beach and the Canadian privately funded Juno Beach centre.  The centre was very well done and staffed with young and fully bilingual Canadians.

I was a truly ugly Canadian on this tour.  The French guide stated that Canada was unique as it had no conscription in World War II.  I could not let this slip and corrected him publicly that there were three conscript divisions in Canada and that conscripts were sent overseas in late 1944 when the Canadian Army was running out of infantrymen.  He may not have believed me but I am certain he will now do some fact checking before the next tour.

As well as Juno beach, we visited Gold and Sword Beaches.  The highlights were the remnants of the artificial harbour “Mulberry” at Arromanches and Pegasus Bridge at Rainville to the East of the landing beaches.  Pegasus Bridge over the Caen Canal was taken by glider borne infantry.  The glider pilots were magnificent as they landed their huge Hamilcar gliders (Each carried 30 men) within 50 metres of the bridge in utter darkness. You can see the gliders in the background in the photo below.

That night we moved up river to Rouen.  The next day, August 7th, I did a walking tour of the historic parts of the city.  The walk was easy but the constant halting, as the guide explained the sights, was hard on my back.  My old prolapsed disc does not tolerate standing in one place for long.  I did see where Joan of Arc was tried and then burned at the stake – not much to see but I can brag that I visited the sites.  Of the city I rather liked the medieval half-timbered houses still in use of which this is one of many.

August 8th we stayed aboard the AmaLyra still docked in Rouen.  The tours were too strenuous for Wendy and my back was hurting too much to try another walking tour.  (Old age really is all about pain!).  As a result we missed a tour of Chateau Gaillard built by Richard Coeur de Lion then Duke of Normandy.  Also, we missed a visit to Les Andelys a medieval village that housed the Chateau Gaillard builders.

 

August 9th we returned to Paris.  In Paris Wendy and I ventured out on a gentle walking tour of Les Passages Couverts.  These are 18th and 19th century glass-roofed shopping galleries.  The highlight for me was sitting in a café within Les Passages Couverts the very one illustrated below drinking café au lait and eating chocolate filled croissants with our guide and another couple.

August 10th Wendy and I moved on to the next tour but more about that in the next installment.

Two Candles Birthday