Kids all over the world are getting ready to return to school this week & am I EVER glad I will not be at the schoolroom door on that first day. This was a wonderful trip. Hard to believe that I have been now to every country in Europe...13 trips for a total of 6 mos. So much to be grateful for & I am. Thank You, God.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Farewell, St. Petersburg
Kids all over the world are getting ready to return to school this week & am I EVER glad I will not be at the schoolroom door on that first day. This was a wonderful trip. Hard to believe that I have been now to every country in Europe...13 trips for a total of 6 mos. So much to be grateful for & I am. Thank You, God.
Y'all Come Back Now!
This is the Red Throne Room of the Hermitage. Is that why they call it the "Red Army?" I missed that lecture. Back to the hotel for our fantastic farewell lunch (just the two of us): wine, osso bucco. Melt in your mouth delicious. A terrific Russian folk Show tonight...the "crescendo" of the trip w/out doubt...fantastic dancing...a farewell dinner (9:30) in the hotel :caviar, vodka,chicken kiev. A lovely farewell toast from Oivind.
Cezanne
When Laurie & I went to Provence, we saw Cezanne's studio...including this pitcher, the bowls, the table.
Rembrandt
His first wife...I think she is beautiful as did the 10 mill. visitors in front of me. I was lucky to get her picture.
Renoir
Isn't she lovely? I just sat & looked at her for about 10 min. - a luxury as our time w/the Impressionists was limited.
Catherine's cont'd
Perhaps, you could dust some of the chandeleirs as you make your tour. I do so like to keep them "shiny" & sparkly.
Welcome
I, Catherine the Great, would like to extend the most cordial of welcomes to you to spend a little time in my home...7 years if you need it.
The Winter Palace
The day we've been anticipating...a trip to the Hermitage, which would take 7 years of a person's life to see everything in its multiple buildings...all belonging to one woman.
Beautiful Theatre - Terrible Ballet
Did I mention how much we hated "Spartacus?" But, the theatre had 6 tiers w/gilding all over the place...truly beautiful.
Pushkin Park
After this park in the near the Czars' Village, we headed "home" for a yummy lunch in the hotel of cream of chicken soup. A short nap then early dinner at a restaurant that has been there nearly 30 years. IT WAS DELICIOUS! Cole slaw, borscht, beef stroganoff, mashed potatoes,ice cream & cake. The to the ballet...beautiful theatre but THE WORST ballet ("Spartacus") I have ever in my life seen. It lacked scenery, costuming, music, choreography, & dancing. Now, isn't that what ballet is supposed to be about? Perfectly terrible. But we would have missed the dinner had we not gone & that was outstanding.
Catherine's "Jogging" Path
All it takes is a crown & all the money of the kingdom to create such an oasis. Sadly, 2 people on our trip were pickpocketed. Nancy & I were extremely cautious but we were warned to be careful everytime we got off the bus. We are in a very luxurious hotel w/very comfy beds. Dinner was great our first night: meat, mashed potatoes,, carpese, flan. A river cruise after dinner but too rainy to go outside.
Catherine, the Fashionista
Catherine loved her clothes...changing sometimes 5 x a day. When she died, she had 15,000 outfits in her closet. Charity Guild could have used a few of them!
Floor Protection
The summer palace is all parkay floors so we had to wear these slippers so as not to damage them.
Czar Village
Catherine's "summer home," consisting of many palaces. It just is mindboggling the way they lived.
St. Petersburg...Too Grand!!!
Who knew St. Petersburg was so glorious...all the results of war & plunder & serfs barely able to live but it is indeed one magnificent city that Peter the Great founded & Catherine the Great (his granddaughter-in-law) made opulent. Our first night was another canal tour.
Last Day in Helsinki
A lovely day of leisure as we did not take the optional 10 hr. $100 tour to Estonia. NO REGRETS. Spent time in the bar in the a.m. reading. Then, back to the waterfront for a yummy lunch (cheese crepe & lingonberry crepe). We shared one each, which was perfect. Had fun walking around & people watching. A nice quiet dinner (Caesar salad) just the 2 of us in the hotel & early lights out.
Not Yet, St. Petersburg
Oops...totally forgot about Helsinki. This is the Olympic Stadium from 1938. We had a nice restful visit in Helsinki w/a LARGE hotel room. Off to the railway station to exchange all our money for Euros. nancy will buy my extras for her trip to Paris next spring. Then we walked down to the Farmers' Mkt. on a beautiful, sunny afternoon. Bought 2 vintage Mary Mekko pot holders & had a soda at the mkt. Visited w/a local who said this is the warmest summer in 75 years. Nice dinner at the hotel:asparagus soup; sea bass; ice cream topped w/lingonberries (TART).
Sailing!
From Stockholm to St. Petersburg...toasting the voyage w/a beer. Nice ship, smooth sailing, fair smorgasbord but good caviar.
Stockholm: Changing of the Guard
Great people watching. This costume continued on to black tights, high heels, & all on a motorcycle.
A walking tour of Old Town on a beautiful sunny morning. We saw many bridal couples thru'out the trip having photos taken. May these two have a long & happy life together. Our best lunch of the trip after the walking tour; in the communion cellar of the old cathedral of Stockholm: delicious Swedish beer; flounder; potatoes; raspberry cake chased by a NAP!!! We had dinner in the hotel: ghoulash soup. Also, delicious. Finished by first book: Sacred Hearts.
Swedish Horse
This horse is a symbol of Sweden & they are found everywhere on everything for every tourist to BUY.this one lives outside the Stockholm Town Hall, which is where all the Nobel Prize banquets are held in a room entirely made of gold mosaics. It is unbelievable but I did not get a photo of it...too much reflection.
Stockholm...Our Favorite City
Another long bus ride arriving Stockholm about 4:30.Got our bearings & walked over to the Old Town area(about 1/2 mi.or so from our hotel). Another charming area to browse in. The architecture is very European & just lovely. We ate dinner in a midEast cafe (kabobs) outside on a patio under beautiful trees. Double cone for dessert. Great night's sleep.
Can You Come for Dinner?
I love this dining room table in the Oslo City Hall & just couldn't help fantasising about having a wonderful dinner party here.
Ships of Norway
The afternoon was spent at 3 ship museums: the Fram, which had a ship that explored the Arctic at the turn of the 20th century; the Kon-Tiki, which has Thor Heyerdahl's RaI & RaII (Ra I in the photo) ; & finally the Viking (VEEking) Museum w/3 old Viking ships. Oivind is from Norway so he was quite pleased at how much we enjoyed Norway. Dinner on our own so, of course, Nancy & I found a Chinee restaurant (our 2nd of the trip)...chased by a scoop of chocolate ice cream & another delicious Scandinavian beer.
Oslo City Hall
This was a highlight of the trip for me...Oslo City Hall where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded annually. To think I was in the same room where so many great people have been honored...those who have simply tried to make the world a place of peace for all peoples. will this ever come to be?
Testosterone Everywhere
From time to time Laurie mentions that her living room is just a pile of boys engaged in warfare. It seems this is a world wide "phenomenon" as evidenced by this sculpture of 6 boys from the early 20th century. There now. Isn't that a comfort!!!
Oslo...a Pleasant Surprise
Thurs. 8/19/10...We began at Frogner Park, a sculture park featuring the work of Gustav Viegland...193 scultures taking a lifetime to carve...all in granite. I cannot say I liked his work but I love the story of the scupltures. They depict "The Circle of Life" from birth through youth thru' marriage...old age...death...& beginning again. It was a terribly overcast day but we never had rain.
Gothenburg cont'd
A charming town...after lunch we had an hour to stroll around, souvenir shop (purchased nothing, which was my intention for this whole trip), & admire the quaint beauty of this gem of a town.Arrived Oslo in time for dinner (lamb & potatoes) & early to bed after this long day. Fortunately, our longest day on the bus & over early in the trip.
Gothenburg, Sweden
A 5 hr. journey to Gothenburg, Sweden, such a charming town w/this beautiful market. nancy & I had a yummy lunch of shared goat cheese quiche & salad. Later in the afternoon at a rest stop, I had a "dreamsicle!"
Now
Many people do not like these windmills of today but I think they are quite sculptural. Plus, we need alternative sources of energy. Europe abounds with wind power in the fields, in the sea.
Then & Now...the Road to Oslo
Left Denmark at 7:15 a.m. Yikes! But had to catch the 8:00 ferry to Sweden...lovely drive through the Swedish countryside.
Touring Denmark con't
Thought I could do all the photos of Copenhagen & then comment but guess not. The canal picture was a boat trip we took in the early afternoon followed by a typical Danish Christmas dinner, which was delicious: beets, roast pork, cabbage, & that delicious Danish beer Carlsberg
(nice & cold!). A very skinny Santa greeted us w/lots of ho-ho-hoing. Of course, a few rounds of "Jingle Bells." After dinner to Tivoli Gardens, a beautiful & magical spot which turns out was Disney's inspiration for DisneyLand. The Little Mermaid statue in the park is an exact replica of the real one as SHE is in Shanghai at some world exposition & will not return to Copenhagen until October. Too bad.
Denmark 8/16/10 Oivind
Oivind is by far THE BEST tour guide we've ever had. He was courteous, helpful, knowledgeable everyday & everyplace we went. There was only one cranky person in our group of 44 but he never acted impatiently towards her. He truly made the trip. My favorite quote from him: "You, as travelers, are the best ambassadors for world peace because you see how people the world over are the same & that we can really all get along." OH, another one: "When you go someplace, leave the beat of yourself there & take the best of us home with you." How true for anyplace, not just foreign travel.
Denmark
Early arrival in Copenhagen w/time to explore the Old Town...drizzly but nice to have a walk on our own. We probably averaged a mile a day. We were very proud of ourselves for learning ho to navigate each city. naturally, most people ride bikes...lots & lots of them + bike lanes.
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