During the summer of 2017 my family and I went on a great adventure! Over the course of 12 days we got to explore the baltic sea and 5 different countries. This is my virtual scrapbook of our journey!
The Flight Over
My family and I flew from the Portland International Airport to the Heathrow Airport in London, then to the Copenhagen Airport in Denmark. In total, our flight took about 14 hours. The cruise ship departed from Denmark the morning after our long plane ride.
The Ship
The "Getaway" was the name of our cruise ship, it is part of the Norwegian Cruise line. I've never been on a cruise before, so the boat was just as exciting as the destinations for me.
The ship had 28 different dining options, 5 water slides, a miniature golf course, a ropes course, a theatre, and much more!
Wismar, Germany
Wismar was our first stop on our adventure. The ship did not port in Wismar, so we were able to take the Autobahn in our tour bus.
When we reached the town, it was absolutely gorgeous, filled with colorful buildings and cobblestone streets. The first stop on our tour was at the Ruin of St. Mary, once the main parish church of Wismar. It suffered from heavy damage in World War II and only the tower is left standing.
Just behind the tower there was a man demonstrating how to make the bricks that the church is made out of, all by hand. It really put into perspective how much time it took to construct a structure like the church of St. Mary, and just how devastating it was when it was demolished.
The next stop was at the Medieval Gothic Georgenkirche (St. George's Church), originally completed in 1594. This was also damaged in the air raid in April 1945, but it was finished being reconstructed in 2010. In total, more than 40 million Euros were invested in its reconstruction.
The last stop in Wismar was a brewery built in 1452 called Brauhaus am Lohberg zu Wismar. Each of us got to try three different samples of their "bier", along with fresh pretzels. This was one of my favorite stops because the building amazed me. It is still standing yet it was constructed in 1452 and it survived an air raid. This place was truly remarkable.
Gdansk, Poland
Gdansk was the second destination on our journey, and it was absolutely amazing. The town ran along the Motlawa river and had a long market street. The tour took showed us the historic Green Gate, Neptune's Fountain in the city center, the medivieval port crane over the Motlawa river, the Highland Gate, and it ended in St. Mary's church. After the first tour we had about an hour to walk through the shops and cafes.
The second part of the tour took us to Stutthof concentration camp. Stutthof was established in a secluded, wet, and heavily wooded area near to the town of Sztutowo in September 1939. It was the first Nazi concentration camp set up outside of German borders, and it was the last camp liberated by the Allies in May 1945. They estimate the camp had about 110,000 inmates. It was a chilling experience, walking through the barracks and past the gas chamber and crematory. It was enlightening but emotional. Today, they have built a memorial on the backside of the camp to remember those who have lost their lives there.
St. Petersburg, Russia (Day 1)
St. Petersburg was the climax of our trip. The ship docked for two days here, so we got to go on four different excursions as opposed to one. Let me tell you, there was plenty to see!
Our first stop in Russia was Peterhof Palace. Peterhof is nicknamed the "Russian Versailles" because of its extensive palaces and gardens, this is where Peter the Great lived. Not many people know that Peter the Great loved playing tricks. All throughout the gardens he had hidden fountains that could be triggered to soak his guests. We had the amazing opportunity to tour the palace grounds.
That evening we went to a Russian ballet! We got to see Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. It was truly amazing.
St. Petersburg, Russia (Day 2)
St. Petersburg, Russia (Day 2)
The second day in St. Petersburg was just as exciting as the first! Our first stop was at the Catherine Palace, which was the summer residence of the Russian tsars. This grand palace was constructed in 1717.
Our second stop was a tour of St. Petersburg from the Neva River. We sailed around for about an hour with a tour guide, and she pointed out significant buildings and told us a little history about them.
The last stop in St. Petersburg was the Church of the Savior on Blood or "Church of the Spilled Blood". This church was built on the site where Emperor Alexander II was assasinated in March 1881. What I found interesting is that all of the artwork covering the walls are mosaics instead of paintings. When building the church, they wanted it to last for a long time, and they knew the climate (humidity) would damage the paintings, therefore; they covered the walls with mosaics. This building was surreal!
Tallinn, Estonia
To be honest, we picked the worst tour in Tallinn. We decided on a bus tour, but we didn't realize that busses are not allowed in the medieval part of Tallinn, so we got to take pictures of modern day buildings and the back side of the medieval castle. We did have a good time shopping, but I would love to go back and explore the actual city. Sorry I don't have much to show for this stop!
Stockholm, Sweden
Stockholm was probably my favorite destination. I could have spent the whole trip just wandering the city. We had a few hours to just roam because we didn't sign up for a tour, so our first stop was a little cafe for coffee. We walked through little shops and art galleries and eventually stopped to listen to some street performers. Stockholm was a fantastic way to end our adventure.
