Northern European Capitals 2023

  This is another of Azamara's signature events. It's a deck barbeque and party, and they ask people to wear white, or at least something white. We really weren't sure if they would be able to hold it outside as the weather was so changeable. But it cleared in late afternoon though it was fairly cold. So we wrapped up in blankets and headed out to the pool deck. We were still going through the lock and the harbour and had some great views of the waves on the breakwater and parasailers. The food at the barbeque was fantastic, and once the music started we got up to dance and warmed up. A fun event.

  This morning we had our first real rain (meaning rain that we were out walking in) Fairly cool as well, about 15C so we weren't in a rush to get going. After breakfast Karen, Aaron and I ventured out to Rembrandt House museum. It was about a 30 minute walk from the pier, and the streets were not busy. Entrance fee was 17.50 EUR (about $26.00CAD) and included locker fee and headsets and audio presentation. It was great to be able to take off our jackets and leave our wet umbrellas behind as we toured the house. They had a great set up showing the rooms as they appeared in Rembrandt's time, and showing many of his paintings and etchings. There was also a demonstration of how he would have made his pigments, and another on how the etchings were done. We learned a lot about his life and what it was like to live in those times. Well worth doing! By the time we got out of the museum the sun was shining and the streets were full. We stopped for a beer, fries with mayonnaise and some...

 We have a lazy morning as we're not getting into Amsterdam until 6pm. The skies are overcast with sunny breaks. And the North Sea is calm as a mill-pond! A light breakfast, then Karen and I walk around the decks for a while. About 19C. Still lots of wind farms and some oil rigs. Lots of freighter traffic. After catching up on some work I went to the "Excom Q & A" where senior officers answer questions from the guests. Always really interesting. Then Ian and I went to a beginners Salsa lesson. It was fun, but I think we'll need more instruction before hitting the dance floor. Then time for a light lunch followed by some work on the blog while I listened to a port lecture I had missed. By that time we were approaching the coast of Holland, so I went back up on deck. The route into Amsterdam is really interesting. We went through a lock big enough to hold us, a river barge and a small freighter. Then about a 2 hour cruise up the river to the port. This is a mainly i...

  The Kiel Canal is 96 km long, and provides a short cut from the Baltic to the North Sea. And it's like we were on a River Cruise for 1 day as we had land on both sides of us from early morning till about 4pm. It's a beautiful sunny morning, a little on the cool side if you're in the wind, but warm enough to have breakfast on the outside deck.  There is a lock on each end, but for the rest of the time we glided along at a top speed of 6 1/2 knots. We passed many small towns and farms, a few industrial areas and larger towns. There is lots of freighter traffic, and many sailboats transiting through. Some areas there are ferries to take cars and people across. The paths along the side seem to be very popular with walkers and cyclists.  There are about 5 bridges that we went under, not much room to spare! As a matter of fact for some the captain had to fold the antenna down. Most cruise ships are too big to go through the Kiel Canal, and I believe that we are the first this...

  Once again it seems to have rained overnight. This morning is cloudy and a bit cool but dry. We started entering Warnemunde harbour around 7am. The MSC Poesia, 3300 passenger cruise ship was already at dock. Another busy harbour, but much more for pleasure craft. And Warnemunde which is a suburb of Rostock is right there as you get off the ship.  Most of the others were on shore excursions, so I had a relaxed breakfast then headed for Rostock. The train station is less than a 10 minute walk. You can buy a single ticket for 2.80 EUR from the machine on the platform, and the trains go about every 15 minutes. The ride itself takes about 20 minutes. On the same ticket you can change to a tram at the main station and in a couple of minutes you're in the Neuer Markt or main square. Rostock was rebuilt in the old style after being mainly destroyed in WW2. There is a long pedestrian street running from Neuer Markt to Kropeliner Tor, a six storey gate. Most of the old city walls are ...

  An 11am arrival at the port in Ronne, so we can have a lazy morning. Overcast and much cooler than yesterday, possibility of rain but it stays dry. The port is quite close to downtown, but very industrial so there is a shuttle that runs every 1/2 hour into the center of town. Karen, Aaron and I did a Shore Excursion called Smokehouse and Round Churches. These are 2 things that Bornholm is known for.  About a 30 minute drive to the little village of Hasle. It used to be a fishing village, but there aren't large herring left in the Baltic. A combination of over-fishing and pollution. Instead the herring come from the North Sea and they smoke it here. There are many smokehouses with their tall chimneys. We didn't see the herring being smoked, as they do it early in the morning, but we did get to eat one. The 3 of us really enjoyed the dish, Sol over Gudhjem. Rye bread, smoked herring, raw egg yolk, radish and onion. There were a few people on the tour that were not enthused! Af...

 Our Azamazing Evening for this cruise was in Gdansk. After an early dinner onboard, we were bused to the Baltic Philharmonic Hall for a performance of Chopin's music. There was a short reception to start with drinks and desserts, and then we were entertained by pianist Rafal Lewandowski and violinist Natalia Walewaska. Both very passionate performers in a beautiful setting. A really lovely evening. Quite a feat of organization to transport all the passengers from the ship to downtown Gdansk for the performance. The captain and the cruise director even entertained us as we were waiting for the buses back to the ship!

 What a fantastic day! We pulled into the extremely busy Gdansk harbour about 8am. Because of the smaller size of our ship we are in Gdansk not Gdynia  where the larger ships dock. There is a bit of rain this morning, but the forecast is for a clear and sunny afternoon.  I had set up a private tour for the 4 of us through Tours by Local, and he met us with his van at the gangway just after 9:30am. The rain had stopped, the skies still overcast and about 19C, great for sightseeing. We started out at the port area of Westerplatte, where the first shots of World War 2 were fired. We are all history buffs, so really enjoyed Sebastian's in depth details of the start of the war. There is one ruined building that they have kept as a memorial, also a Soviet style monument to commemorate those that fought the Nazis. The port area of Gdansk was totally destroyed during the war. Poland has a complicated history, from long ago when they were a huge power in Europe, To the first World...