Journal Entries
Berlin 19-10-2005
Posted Oct 19, 2005
What great strides this city has made since the wall came down – not that I visited whilst the wall was up but the changes are evident. Apart from the general rejuvenation post-Cold war there is currently a lot of work being done to tidy up and modernise in preparation for the 2006 Football World Cup as Berlin will host 4 matches including the final. Will leave my next visit until after then but there will be a next visit.
Spent the morning visiting touring what was East Berlin. Points of interest include Gendarmenmarkt, Check Point Charlie and the 3 remaining sections of The Wall.
Gendarmenmarkt is a beautiful Square with the German and French Cathedrals. The German Cathedral is modelled on St Peter’s in Rome and was at one time meant to be the centre of the Protestant world in the same way that The Vatican is the centre of the Roman Catholic world. Across the Square is Hackescher Markt – described in guide books as “ a sophisticated gastronomical culture and a first-rate nightlife district”. Must visit in the evening.
Checkpoint Charlie is now a tourist trap, strange to think it was once the gate between the American and Russian Sectors where captured spies were exchanged ( or is that just an illusion created by Le Carre ). The real thing has gone to be replaced by a replica complete with “American soldier” who will pose for photos so long as €1 changes hands.
The Wall – There were in fact 2 parallel walls enclosing East Berlin with “Strip of Death” between. Bloody ugly things and very imposing constructions they were too. One small section remains as the official Wall memorial at what was the Berlin Senate, and another 200m section remains at the site of the Gestapo HQ and is known as the Topography of Terror. Strangely the Topography of Terror is now protected from souvenir hunters by a metal fence– pieces of wall being collected using hammer and chisel that could be hired by the hour from locals. I had mistakenly thought that Germany tried to hide the Nazi atrocities from it’s youth but the documentation at this section of the wall put a lie to that. As does 2005 Holocaust Memorial which is an enormous expanse of stone blocks arranged in a maze effect – can’t really describe in words but the mere fact that it is there must mean something. The final and most imposing remaining section of The Wall is the East Side Gallery. This 2 km section is now adorned with friezes. Where the Wall has gone there is a permanent reminder of where it stood in the form of white paving blocks.
Over 200 people were killed in the “Strip of Death” trying to cross the Wall from East to West. Successful escape plans include windsurfing across the Baltic to Sweden and taking the innards out of your car seat, stuffing your girlfriend in the resulting void and simply driving her across the border. The ingenuity of man.
Passed the site of Hitler’s Bunker which is marked only by a huge Poplar Tree. No other markings lest the place becomes a shrine for Neo-Nazis. Was interested to hear that found amongst Hitler’s papers in the Bunker were communications with the Japanese which showed there was an agreement that after WW11 the German-Japanese Border would be along the line of The Urals.
Lunch was taken onboard a cruiser on The Spree whilst sailing through Old Berlin. The sun was shining so we ate on deck and a wonderful time was had by all.
Visited the English Sector and notably The Reichstag in the afternoon. The magnificent pre-War exterior has been recreated but with a very modern interior which is now home to the German Government. Compares very favourably with the decaying 60’s concrete edifice that was the seat of the East German Government. Sat on the rooftop terrace drinking champagne and admiring the views across Berlin before climbing the rooftop cupola with even more magnificent views. On to The Brandenburg Gate another must see. Not quite such a must see is the Hotel ( name forgotten) window across the Square from the Gate – infamous for being the window from which Michael Jackson dangled his baby son.
Last port of call was the Sony Centre ( entertainment rather than commercial use ) which is at the heart of a multi-billion € redevelopment of Potsdamer Platz, Berlins Commercial Centre which is sponsored by Daimler and Sony. Of particular interested is the louvre style roof which is open at the top but designed in such a way that rain doesn’t actually fall through the hole. Wasn’t raining so I can’t swear that this works. Clearly there is more modernisation to come.
There is tons to see in Berlin and must be worth at least a long weekend of anyone’s time.
Was still stuffed at dinner time so didn’t eat. Sampled my one and only onboard supper instead – a German sausage buffet. Very nice it was too.
A full day at sea tomorrow. Time to practise my shuffleboard skills – maybe this time I will be able to propel the damn puck, or whatever it’s called, past the start line !
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Latest reply: Oct 19, 2005
Tallinn 17-10-2005
Posted Oct 17, 2005
At last I have time up to catch up with the holiday journal after a week of long days at work, domestic disasters ( including boiler going bump and oven not going at all ) and spending some time with my Mam. I am currently awaiting a visit from Oven Repairman and then home should be in full working order again.
Tallinn – spent the morning walking around Tallinn Old Town. Little tip : Sunday morning with 2 cruise ships in is, I have to say, not the best time to visit Tallinn if you like meandering around empty streets.
Tallinn Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and you don’t have to be there long to understand why. It’s packed with Medieval Buildings and the views over the rooftops from the Upper Town are magnificent. I had the feeling that I’d stepped into Fairy Tale Land. I can’t think of anywhere else I’ve visited where a Knight, complete with shining armour, strolling down the street wouldn’t attract comment – the only thing that distinguished him from the Medieval equivalent was the back pack. Apparently, I didn’t witness this myself, Sunday morning is the time for the youth of Tallinn to go to the park and practise jousting, archery, hand-to-hand fighting and other such Knightly pursuits.
The feeling of release the Estonian people feel now that they are no longer under Russian rule was clearly evident. The general atmosphere is completely different from St Petersburg and you certainly see a lot more smiles on the faces of locals than was evident in Russia. One local very proudly pointed out that despite religious worship being banned the statue of Martin Luther that decorates the St Canute’s Guild building had looked down on the Russians throughout the period that they ruled without being noticed. The mischievous laugh that accompanied the story being a clear indication that this was a great local joke.
Went into the Guild of Black Heads for a cup of tea, local cake and a display of local folk dancing. The dress and style of dancing reminded me again of Fairy Tales as they resembled those little dancing figures that come out of clocks. Then had a look around the main Town Square and along St Catherine’s Passage ( a narrow Medieval Passageway lined with underground shops in case you are wondering ) popping into a few shops to buy small souvenirs.
All in all a wonderful way to spend Sunday morning. Full of tea and cake I skipped lunch again.
In the afternoon I visited Rocca Al Mare Open Air Museum. The museum attempts to recreate rural life in Estonia during 18th and 19th Century. The exhibits are buildings brought together from all parts of the country . The setting is a beautiful forested area along the Baltic Coast about 5 miles from the centre of Tallinn. I was right in the centre of Fairy Tale Land again – there’s the Wood-cutter’s hut and it wasn’t difficult to imagine Hansel and Gretel disappearing into the surrounding woods.
Spent a lovely afternoon wandering around and visiting the various exhibits that include farmhouses, pub, school house, chapel and windmill. Really enjoyed the fresh air too.
Estonian needs tourists to bring in much needed funds and in almost every shop I was asked to tell my friends to come for a visit. I can thoroughly recommend the experience although I suspect a long weekend might suffice if you don’t intend straying far from Tallinn.
Back on board for yet another magnificent evening meal. Dare I say that by now I was getting a little fed up with smoked salmon and caviar and had moved on to the iced fruit medley to start.
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Latest reply: Oct 17, 2005
St Petersburg Day 2 9-10-2005
Posted Oct 9, 2005
Things have been pretty hectic at work this week - 11 hour days have been the norm - and I haven't much felt like coming home and starting a journal entry. Today I have listened to TA Omnibus whilst ironing ( as usual) and that's it chorewise so time to catch up with the Baltic adventure.
Having seen the main sights ( briefly I admit ) on the first day I decided to get off the beaten track and indulge my interest in the political history of St Petersburg.
The day started with a visit to the Piskarev Memorial Cemetry. This is situated in the outskirts of the city and the drive there was an eye opener as I got to see the tenament blocks that are home to so many Russians. I knew that conditions during the cold war period were not good for your average Russian but they really are more depressing buildings than I had imagined and the best way I can describe them is to say they look like the very worst of British 1960s Tower Blocks only 10 times worse. I certainly would not want to live in one of these things and it's not long since 2 or 3 families lived in each flat. I did, however, see a number of post-Glasnost developments and these look infinately better.
The cemetry is a memorial to those whose perished, mostly from starvation or cold, during the 1941-1944 Seige of Leningrad which lasted almost 900 Days. There are about 650,000 people buried in the cemetry's graves - each of which contains about 1,000 bodies. It struck me that there are British people who are still trying desperately to trace the grave of a loved one who perished in WWII because they need "closure" ( I wish them all luck with their search ) - now I was standing in the presence of almost three-quarters of a million lost souls who would be forever "unknown". A very humbling experience.
On to the Museum of The Seige of Lenigrad. A few words here can't do justice to what the people of Lenigrad went through whilst Hitler tried to break them but a couple of things stand out to me. The early months of 1942 saw temperatures of minus 54 degrees - how anyone survived that whilst having little or no food or heating materials is beyond my comprehension. Almost 1 million people didn't of course. Bread ( not that we would recognise it as such ) was rationed to 250 gram per day for workers and half that for others. There are stories of people boiling up leather briefcases to extract what nourishment they could.
Yet the citizens were busy disguising all the beautiful buildings so that the German guns couldn't be trained on them and the contents of the Hermitage were either hidden away or smuggled out of the city. Amazing.
I skipped lunch - now there's willpower for you !
In the afternoon I visited the Smolny Institute and Kshesinskaya Mansion as both of these played important parts in the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution. The Smolny, former Girls Finishing School and Bolshevik HQ, is now the offices of the Mayor and tourists ( by appointment only ) are accompanied by a Russian Soldier - shades of the Cold War. After passing through a number of very long and high corridors, remarkable only for any lack of decoration which I couldn't see Ken Livingston putting up with, I arrived at Lenin's Apartments. In fact 2 very small rooms in which Lenin and his wife lived during the very early days of post-Revolutionary Soviet Russia. Remarkable for the simplicity. The Kshesinskaya Mansion is now the Museum of Political History and the very enthusiastic Curator ( speaking through a translator ) will long live in my memory for his very animated presentation skills. The interior of the Mansion has been restored to its pre-Revolution splendour ( when it was home to the prima ballerina who was once Mistress to the last Tsar) and there is an obvious contrast with the many political exhibitions it contains. The "must see" is the balcony from which Lenin gave his famous speech in April 1917 and which appears on so many posters.
Another very full day every second of which I thoroughly enjoyed. I have now walked in Lenin's footsteps - I can't believe it really.
Another healthy evening meal in good company. 
Went to the pictures - saw Hotel Rwanda - continuation of the political history theme. The ship's theatre/cinema has (I guess) 200 seats and there were about 20 people at the film. Why oh why then did the 2 people who wanted to talk all the way through seat themselves right behind me ? 
... and why oh why didn't I move elsewhere. These things will forever be a mystery.
Tomorrow - Tallinn.
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Latest reply: Oct 9, 2005
St Petersburg Day 1 30-9-2005
Posted Sep 30, 2005
How can I adequately explain the shear joy and amazement I felt during my visit to St Petersburg into words I wonder. Well I can but try.
First a Top Tip - Never ever under any circumstance attempt to cross the road in St Petersburg during rush hour. Those people I saw who were rash enough to try ended doing a very good impression of Munch's "The Scream". I don't know if there is a driving test in Russia but if there is I don't think it includes anything about giving way at road junctions, stopping at red lights or not hitting pedestrians who happen to get in the way. Total gridlock seems to be the norm as crossroads as no-one is prepared to leave a gap between themselves and the vehicle in front. A good number of drivers have hit on an obvious solution to this - if the road is blocked simply drive on the pavement.
The drive from the docks to the historic centre of the City takes you (very slowly ) through streets lined with buildings which have seen better days. It's understandable that what public money there is for building restoration is spend in the area that attract tourists but it is a shame that some splendid buildings have been allowed to go to seed.
It is difficult to describe the sheer magnificence of the many of the buildings in historic St Petersburg. I had seen photographs of course but hadn't really appreciated the scale of such places as The Winter Palace which is a truely magnificent building. More later.
St Petersburg was founded by Peter the Great in 1703 which makes it new in comparison with other European cities. At the heart of the historic city is the Peter and Paul Fortress situated on one of the many islands in the Neva River. This was the first stop on the tour. Of particular interest within the fortress is St Peter and Pauls' Cathedral which contains the Tombs of Russian Emperors, including Peter the Great and is where the remains of Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra and their children where finally laid to rest after they were recovered in 1991. Rumour has it that when Prince Michael of Kent visited to pay his respects in 1992 people were collapsing all over the place because he so resembles the last Tsar that he was thought to be Nicholas II come back from the grave.
On past the Cruiser Aurora which fired the blank round at the Winter Palace as a signal to start the 1917 revolution and views of the Winter Palace, The Admiralty and much, much more to the next stop at St Isaac's Square which contains St Isaac's Cathedral and the Monument to Nicholas I. The Cathedral is yet another maginificent building topped with a giant golden dome surrounded by 4 smaller golden cupolas which cover bell towers. Unfortunately no time to go inside the Cathedral. The many freezes that adorn the external walls are a joy to behold so I can only imagine the magnificence of the interior.
The final stop before lunch was at The Cathedral of the Resurrection known as The Church of Spilt Blood because it is built on the site where Emperor Alexander II was mortally wounded by a bomb thrown by a Polish dissident in 1881. When I first saw this Church I swear that my eyes popped out on stalks - it truely is incredible. It is topped by 9 of the familiarly shaped onion domes - each of which is a different size and pattern. I really can't do it justice in words so I will post a picture in the lockin - although probably not one of my pictures as even with the wide-angled lens I couldn't produce an image to do the building justice.
Those of you who have been following me around the Baltic will by now be wondering how I could possibly have gone so long without any mention of food. You need not concern yourself any longer as the next stop was at the Russian Club for a 3 course meal ( I had by now forgotten that meals come in any smaller size ) accompanied by a small band in national costume performing what I assume to be Russian folk songs and dances. A very pleasant experience.
The afternoon was spent visiting The Hermitage which is situated in The Wnter Palace and 3 adjoining buildings. There are over 3,000,000 exhibits in the Hermitage so just to spend one minute looking at each it would take over 5 years to complete a tour - I spent just over 3.5 hours there so I could only hope for a taster...and what a taster it was. From the splendour of the buildings and personal collections of Catherine the Great and other Russian rulers, to the magnificence of paintings by Reubens and Gaugin amongst others and numerous sculptures, carvings and jasper stonework it is mind blowing. It does have to be seen to be believed so anyone who gets the chance to visit should grab it with both hands. It is very busy though so be prepared for aching feet. I understand mid-Winter is less busy but as the outside temperature could be 20 below
you would have to be prepared to run from the hotel to a taxi and then from the taxi into The Hermitage but it would be worth it.
Well that's just about it for my first day in St Petersburg. No need to mention the delightful evening meal and post-prandial drinks back onboard ship. Best of all another day in Russia to look forward to tomorrow.
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Latest reply: Sep 30, 2005
Helsinki 28-09-2005
Posted Sep 28, 2005
Left Stockholm slightly late which meant that we had to sail a different course to Helsinki than planned as the normal route through the Archipeligo closes early due to shallow waters or something. I only mention this as the result was a rather bumpy ride. My sea legs held up though and no greening of the gills to report.
Some of my fellow passengers were not so lucky though and lots of empty tables in the dining room for dinner.
Helsinki appeared on the port side the next morning. The berth was very close to the City centre and the first thing I remember seeing is a large food market on the quayside. (Annie I think this must be the one you remember.) Didn't have a lot of time to look around but was informed that the market is very popular not only because the food is cheaper than the Supermarkets but because the Finns love to take the opportunity to chat with the stall holders and prefer the personal service to more impersonal self-service.
Visited Senate Square which is dominated by the Lutherin Cathedral on one side and has old University buildings on the other three. I assume that the London bus parked in the Square is a tourist bus. Did a short walking tour around the city centre and again was impressed by the beauty of the buildings and cleanliness.
In an effort to see something of the countryside I chose to take a trip out to Porvoo, Finland's 2nd oldest town, which is about an hours drive out of Helsinki on the St Petersburg Road. Saw numerous car transporters moving new Japanese cars from the Helsinki docks to Russia, apparently this is much safer than moving them by road through Russia where there is a tendancy from them to disappear. The Elk fence was very noticable through out the journey and where there are gaps in the fence there is a system of movement sensitive cameras which set off warning lights when a Elk ( or anything else large enough to set of the sensors I suppose ) is about to cross the road. Never saw an Elk ( except in Porvoo - see photo ) as they only show themselves at dusk.
Porvoo Old Town is very picturesque and consists mainly of wooden warehouses and other buildings mainly painted red. There is a small (?)Cathedral where Mika Häkkinen was married. Spent a very pleasant hour or so exploring the narrow lanes and querky shops. Went on to the nearby Haiko Manor ( where Mika Häkkinen held his reception ) for a splendid lunch - as if I needed more food. Enjoyed exploring the gardens despite the fact that it had started to rain.
Back to Helsinki where we called at Sibelius Park and explored the monument to the composer. Looks like a large collection of organ pipes but according to the sculpter isn't. A "head" of Sibelius was added later following complaints that the sculpture was too abstract. Final port of call was the Church in the Rocks. It literally is a Church in a a man made cave ( curtesy of Alfred Noble who invented dynamite having killed 14 of his friends in the process - although I think that was actually in Stockholm.) with an extraordinary glass roof.
Another thing I remember about Helsinki is the number of people who practice Nordic Walking - a form of walking that is based on Nordic skiing movements and involves using ski poles like 2 very long walkng sticks. Apparently very good for cardio-vascular stimulation. Certainly not practised at a strolling pace. 
Another extremely pleasant day and after another healthy meal and one or two drinks I went to bed very excited because I knew that I would be waking up in St Petersburg - the place I was most looking forward to visiting. It did not disappoint but that will have to wait for another day. 
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Latest reply: Sep 28, 2005
Polly Tunnel
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