Saturday, June 28, 2014

Scandinavia & Russia Vacation June 2014

On June 12 Susan and I left on a remarkable adventure during which we visited Denmark, Norway, Germany, Estonia, Sweden and Russia.
This picture was hanging next to the Captains Circle Desk. The entire image is composed of thousands of tiny images. Someone did a remarkable job on this image composition.
Mid ship on the Royal Princess.
A new feature on the Princess Fleet is the Skywalk. The skywalk has a glass bottom and swings out over the open water so you are looking down over 16 stories to the ocean when you are on the skywalk.
Looking down while on the Skywalk.
Movies Under the Stars play on this screen and one of the swimming pools.
The cabana massage area and a small part of the sanctury reflecting pool.
We arrived in Copenhagen one day early so we could see the city before boarding the ship. The people of Copenhagen are very proud of the fact that the water in the canal is no longer polluted and the area is being renovated to include a new convention center, apartments, and other businesses to bring people back downtown.
The dome of the cathedral.
The shopping district.
A tapestry hanging in the tapestry room of the royal palace.
A submarine at the Royal Navy Museum.
In Oslo, Norway we visited Hadeland Glassworks and the Viking Ship Museum. At the glass facory we watched the workers make a plate.
Beautiful sights around Oslo.
A cute little transport vehicle for people needing a ride to town from the pier.
Part of the medieval fort protecting the city.
Another picrture of the fort.
A few pictures of a ship at the museum.
In Aarhus, Denamrk we visited the reconstruction of a traditional Danish Village. Signs hung outside all the businesses - this one indicating the business was a candlemaker's shop.
In Germany we visited Wardemunde; took a cruise on Lake Schwerin, visited Schwerin Castle and finally, toured the medieval town of Rostock. This is a picture of the ferry we rode in to cross Lake Schwerin to Schwerin Castle.
Schwerin Castle
Schwerin Castle Gardens
The cathedral in Rostock
The Rostock Cathedral
The Rostock Cathedral
The Rostock Cathedral
Visiting Lower Old Town in Tallin, Estonia. I loved Estonia, even though we only saw Old Town. It is just beautiful,the people were really nice and the country has a fascinating history..
In St. Petersburg we visited Catherine's Palace and Peterhof Palace. We were not allowed to take pictures inside Peterhof Palace, but we could take pictures of the amazing gardens. In Catherine's Palace every room we walked through had a different clock.

A picture of one of the dining rooms in Catherine's Palace.
Catherine's Palace
The gates to Catherine's Palace were stunning.
Catherine's Palace. These men are holding the weight of the second and third floors of the palace on their shoulders.
While we were at Peterhof, there was a couple having their wedding photos taken in the palace gardens.

 
Peterhof Palace
Peterhof Palace - the extensive grounds were just beautiful.
Peterhof Palace
Peterhof Palace
Peterhof Palace
In Helsinki we visited the rock church. This very unique Lutheran church is built into solid rock.

The organ in the rock church.
In Stockholm we visited the Vasa Museum and the Royal Armory. When they started running out of realestate for apartments, they started connecting apartments between existing buildings.
The tower to the Stockholm city hall.
A guard outside the royal palace.
The Vasa Museum
It was very difficult to pick which photos to post here out of the hundreds of pictures we took, but I hope this gives you an idea of what we got to see on our amazing trip.