August 23:  This is our last day on the Wind Surf and it was spent at sea.  Early in the morning we will arrive at Edinburgh, Scotland and will disembark from the ship.  It was a peaceful, relaxing day with reading, eating, visiting, packing, and reviewing preliminary bill.  There was a slight problem with the bill in that all expenses were placed on Ginni’s credit card; I thought that was a good thing but Ginni did not think so <:).  But, through Wind Surf’s great computer system, the purser was able to separate us out and expenses were applied to the applicable account.  Mid-afternoon the crew modeled latest fashions from the gift shop so I watched and learned the current trends.  That evening, we attended a talk on disembarkation given by the Guest Services manager and joined everyone in the lounge for the captain and crew bidding us farewell.  We had dinner with Richard and Sharon, the Canadian couple that we had met earlier in the week.  After dinner, we went to the Compass Rose for an after dinner drink and listened to CC Maxx Duo performance.   Since we had to be up at 4:30 in the morning, we went to the cabin earlier than previous evenings.  We placed our luggage outside our door so the crew could pick it up and take it into the terminal at Edinburgh for our pick up once we disembarked from the ship.

August 24:  The sound of the alarm seem to come very early!  It was approximately 9:30 or 10:30 PM the evening before back home.  We did have a couple cups of coffee before the announcement came for those of us heading to the airport should leave the ship.  Since the Wind Surf only carries 300 passengers and many of them were staying a few extra days in Scotland, there were only about 20 people leaving with us which made it easy to get our luggage picked up after we went through Scotland’s security.  There was a shuttle bus waiting to take all of us to the airport; upon arrival at the airport, I was able to get checked in quickly but it did take some time to go through another security check.  My journey took me from Edinburgh to Amsterdam (where I had to go through another security check) to Detroit (where I went through customs, immigration, and another security check) to Cedar Rapids with arrival at 8:30 PM.  Luggage arrived with no problem and the airport shuttle service took me home; by this time, I had been up for 24 hours and was starting to feel it.  But it was a wonderful trip and am certainly glad I went.  Good things about the trip was Wind Surf’s excellent service; the weather, with an exception of a couple days, was good; the Scandinavian people were quite friendly and helpful; the Scandinavian countries were all exceptionally clean with their laws making sure people do not litter.  Couple things I would of liked different was the itinerary where I wished we would of had more time in Oslo; I felt Wind Star should of made more of an effort providing guests with information regarding Stockholm and how to get around; one less airport stop both going and coming would of been appreciated but I realize coming out and into Cedar Rapids makes more difficult to arrange.  Overall, a great trip and I am looking forward to planning another one next year.

August 21:  At around 8:00 AM,  surrounded by forested hills and small picturesque islands, the ship docked at the end of the stunning Oslo Fjord.  We were anchored  right below the more than 700-year old Akershus Fortress whose construction started in the late 13th century to protect Oslo from outside invaders.    The first stop of our tour was by the water across from the Oslo Opera House; from there, we proceeded to central Oslo where we passed the Royal Palace, the Parliament, and National Theatre.

Ginni and I in front of the library

The Parliament

We walked in front of the Grand Hotel, where the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize is lodged; the only winner who refused to stay in the hotel was Mother Teresa who felt it was too rich.  Since Alfred Nobel came from Norway, he specified in his will that this one prize should be awarded in his country.  At the end of the tour we were able to visit Oslo City Hall where the prize is awarded every year.  We continued on to Vigeland Sculpture Park which is a unique park displaying the life work of Gustav Vigeland (1869-1943) with more than 200 sculptures in bronze, granite and cast iron.

Entrance to Vigeland Sculpture Park

Open window is the room of peace prize winner

The sculpture park was very interesting and our guide had an excellent knowledge of all the sculptures which depicted man going through life from birth to death.  Unfortunately, the battery in my camera died at the entrance and the spare one was on the bus so I did not get any pictures of the rest of the tour.   After walking through the park, we headed to the Icebar Oslo in downtown.  This is the only permanent bar in Norway made entirely of ice and is kept at minus 5 degrees at all times.  Everything inside is made out of crystal clear ice harvested from the frozen Torne River in northern Sweden.  We were given a thermal cape with hood and gloves that we had to put on before entering the bar; once in the bar, we were given champagne in a glass made of ice.  It was a fun, cold experience!  Another walk took us to City Hall where, every December 10th,  the Nobel Peace Prize is presented.  And then the unexpected happened!  We, along with four others, got separated from our tour and the bus, heading to the ship,  left without us.   We ended up walking the mile or so back to the ship and arrived before the bus; since my purse was still on the bus, I was glad to see it appear!  After lunch on board, I went shopping at the terminal by the ship but there was not much good quality items.   The ship left the port of Oslo at 5:00 PM and we were on our way to Kristiansand, Norway.

Another country scene as we left Oslo

Leaving Oslo behind

August 22:   We arrived in Kristiansand around 9:00 AM.  Ginni and I had decided to walk around the area on our own instead of taking a tour so, after breakfast, we headed out on our adventure.  Our goal was to head toward market street for some shopping and picture taking.  The first stop was to take some pictures of the town along the harbor and then on to the Fish Market.  This market has fresh seafood which includes lobster, makeral, and salmon.

Flowers, flowers everywhere

View of town from the harbor

Inside the Fish Market

Outside of the fish market

After making a purchase at the market, we headed toward the center of town and the shopping district.  As information, Kristiansand is the 5th largest municipality in Norway with a population of +90K and it is named after its founder King Christian IV in 1641.    We arrived at the shopping center (it was quite busy); the best part of the shopping is I found a 70% off rack of baby clothes so made a purchase for granddaughter Savanna.  On the way back to the ship, since it was a beautiful, sunny day we decided to have lunch at an outdoor restaurant called Enok.  An interesting note regarding the menu; I ordered the chicken sandwich with toss salad and chips…when it came, the toss salad was actually part of the sandwich and not separate as we would get back here.

Beautiful local church

Chicken and toss salad sandwich

Sand sculpture in park

That evening we went to the lounge before dinner to listen to Deborah Boily, a guest entertainer who sang show tunes; she had a good voice.  Ray and Vicki from Australia joined us for dinner.  The Wind Surf crew took to the stage after dinner and shared their hidden talents; singing, dancing, magic tricks, etc.  Headed to the cabin around 11:30; tomorrow we will be at sea all day.

Talented crew

Wind Surf greeter

August 18 and 19:  We arrived at Copenhagen at approximately 9:00 AM on the 18th.  Ginni and I had signed up for “Wonderful Copenhagen” tour which gave us a great overview of the city.  Copenhagen is one of the oldest kingdoms in the world and dates back to the first Danish monarch, King “Gorm the Old” who established his reign in the 10th century.  The first sight we were shown was the Little Mermaid, the bronze statue of one of Hans Christian Anderson’s storybook characters, which has graced the spot since 1913.

Along the waterfront of Copenhagen

Little Mermaid

On our way to the Royal Amalienborg Palace, we saw the inner city’s Old Quarter.    Once we arrived at the palace, the guide gave us a brief history of its origin;  it is the winter home of the Danish royal family.   It consists of four identical palace façades with rococo interiors around an octagonal courtyard and in the center of the square is a monumental statue of Amalienborg’s founder, King Frederick V.   We finished up the tour by passing by Tivoli Gardens, Glyptotek Art Museum, City Hall, and the Stock Exchange.

Building in Old Quarter

Palace view from the waterfront.

View of the palace and courtyard

After lunch on board the ship, I read for the rest of the afternoon.  At 4:00, we met up with Anne,  a friend of Ginni’s who resides in Stockholm.  Anne took us on a canal boat tour where we saw many sights; the Theatre for Performing Arts, Stock Exchange with entwining dragon tails, sand sculptures and Stockholm’s Opera House.

View of Copenhagen’s waterfront from the boat

Theatre of Performing Arts

Sand sculptures

Stock Exchange with entwining dragon tails

Once the boat tour was completed, Anne walked us through a major shopping district on our way to Tivoli Gardens.  The gardens, which opened in 1843, is a mixture of exotic architecture, beautiful gardens and scenery, theatres, open air stages, restaurants, shops, and 26 rides ranging from ones that twist and spin to very gentle ones.  This amusement park is the third largest attraction of its kind in Europe.

Anne, Ginni, and I having dinner at restaurant in Tivoli Gardens

Inside Tivoli Gardens

Entrance to Tivoli Garden

We wandered in some of the shops and I found a Christmas present for granddaughter, Savanna.  While in one of the stores, we came across a couple from the Wind Surf who told us there were two buses of people from the ship and the buses would return to the ship at 9:45 PM.  We were able to locate one of the Wind Surf’s crew members who was agreeable to our “hitching” a ride back with them.  We had a night cap in the Compass Rose where the duo was performing a vast variety of music which we both enjoyed.  Went to bed with thought of getting some rest for another day in Copenhagen tomorrow.

August 19:  After breakfast, we took the shuttle provided by the Wind Surf into Copenhagen in search of the Stroget shopping area.  When we got off the shuttle, we made sure to write down the street we were on so location of the shuttle for the return to the Wind Surf would not be a problem later in the day.  After taking a few wrong turns, we were able to find the major pedestrian walkway to all the shops.  What fun it was with my finding more Christmas presents!!  We had lunch at a restaurant wedged between two 18th century buildings; it was a nice day so it felt good to eat out in the open air but the service was quite poor because of 4 employees calling in sick.

Along Stroget shopping area

After lunch, we made our way back to the shuttle and returned to the Wind Surf.  Later in the afternoon, I teamed with three other passengers for Team Trivia in the Compass Rose; we did not do very good but it was still fun.  The Wind Surf set sail around 5:00; with music playing, it is always invigorating pulling away from a port.  Maureen and Rowy were in the Compass Rose having champagne provided by Windstar for signing up for another trip and they asked Ginni/myself to join them; we had dinner with them.  Tomorrow we will dock at Skagen, Denmark.

August 20:  This morning we docked at Skagen, the northernmost town of Denmark.  It was a very picturesque area with low, yellow houses whose roofs were red tile.  Port of Skagen is the largest fishing port in Denmark and a very popular yachting port attracting around 16,000 yachts and leisure boats every year.  Ginni and I went on the “City Tour of Skagen” in which we visited Denmark’s most northerly point, Grenen, where the Baltic and North Seas meet.  In order to get to the spit where we could view the point of meeting, we had to board a tractor trolley which drove us through the sand.  While on the spit, we were able to see many of Skagen’s collection of lighthouses dating from 1627 to still active one built in 1858.

The spit where the North Sea, to my left, meets the Baltic, to my right

A tractor trolley waiting to take us to the spit

World War II bunkers

Lighthouse with Wind Surf in background

Upon leaving the spit, we journeyed to Skagens Art Museum.  Between 1830 and 1930 a group of artists were drawn to Skagen for the very special light found only in its part of the country.  These artists produced some of the finest works of Danish golden age paintings, most of which were on display in the museum.   PS Kroyer,  one of the best known, beloved, and undeniably the most colorful of the Skagen Painters,  works were prominently displayed along with his wife’s, Marie.   We then were shown one end of Skagen to the other, with the guide providing details of what we were seeing along the way.

View of one part of Skagen

Church in Skagen

At the completion of the tour, Ginni and I decided to stay in Skagen for lunch and shopping.  We had lunch @ Casa Blanca Cafe; each of us ordered one of the local beers and we sat outside because it was a very nice, sunny day.  We wandered the streets of Skagen and found that the shops had quality merchandise at a high price.  What a delightful day we had in Skagen; it was a very good tour with an excellent guide and the exploration of the town was made easy by friendly local citizens.  The ship departed Skagen around 4:00 PM and we were underway for Oslo, Norway.  Ginni and I were invited to join the captain for dinner which we did along with 6 other women; as usual, the food and service was excellent but it was a long couple hours of forced conversation.  Before going to my cabin, I decided to take a walk on the deck and saw the below sight.

Full moon reflecting on the water

August 16:   Today we sailed the Baltic Sea and would not dock until tomorrow at 7:00 AM.  It was great to sleep in without worrying about being in the departure lounge in time for a particular tour.  The morning went quite quickly with my walking around the outside decks in order to get some steps; I believe 7 times around on the Wind Surf equals one mile.    I did break down and purchased the internet connection which made me feel better about being able to  contact people back home.   After a late lunch, I spent the afternoon at the Compass Rose  reading, sending emails,  watching the kitchen crew carve flowers from vegetables and make animals from dough, and listening to a very spirited Team Trivia competition among the passengers.   In the evening, Ginni and I went to the Captain’s reception given to those who were repeat customers of WindStar (of the 290 passengers on board, 150 were repeat customers).   We had dinner with two gals from North Carolina, Maureen and Rowy,  who have been traveling together for quite a few years.  After connecting to the internet and getting a night cap, it was after 11:00 and time for bed.

August 17:  This morning we docked at Warnemunde, Germany best known as the jumping-off points for Berlin, which is three to five hours away by train.  Still an operational fishing port, Warnemunde is a seaside resort with vast dunes and stretches of sand on either side of the Warnow River.  Many of the passengers signed up for the bus tour to Berlin but, because we did not want to ride 6 hours in a bus and only spend 5 or 6 hours in Berlin, Ginni and I signed up for the tour of an amber factory established in Ribnitz-Damgarten and a hunting lodge located in Gelbensande.   After a narrated tour of the amber factory, each of us was given the opportunity to select a piece of amber  which we  ground down, polished, and made into a necklace that we were able to bring home.

Amber tree at the entrance of the factory

Outside of the amber factory

Next on the tour was the Gelbensande Hunting Castle  erected between 1880 and 1885 as a summer residence for Grand Duke Friedrich Franz III of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.  After 1887, it was used as a base for hunting in the surrounding forest, the Rostock Heath. Because of the duke’s marriage to one of the Russian Tsar‘s granddaughters, the Mecklenburg-Russian relationships can still be seen inside the castle today. The hunting castle remained in the Grand Duke’s use until 1944. It was subsequently used as an army hospital, a sanatorium for tuberculosis, public library, veteran’s club and a sort of hostel for construction workers; since 1989/1990, it is owned by the town of Gelbensande and open to the public as a museum.

Another room in the hunting lodge

One of the rooms in the hunting castle

Outside the entrance to hunting castle

It was after 1:30 when we returned to the ship and I had planned on going back into Warnemunde to shop.  However, there were two LARGE cruise ships that had pulled into dock and the streets/stores were packed so I decided to stay on board and spend the rest of the afternoon reading.   In the early evening, I went to the lounge to watch a German Folkloric group perform; they played typical German music and danced.    After the performance, I listened to the tour manager give a talk about our next stop which will be Copenhagen.  This was the night for the BBQ Dinner on the decks; we ate under the stars and watched as the crew line danced the night away.  It was a great amount of fun!

August 14:  Got up early this morning so was able to watch the ship pull away from the dock at Stockholm at 8:00 AM.  Our destination for the day was Sandhamn, Sweden which is a resort island where sailors and yachters meet.  All shops, restaurants and tourist information are located in one centralized area; there are no cars allowed on the island.  The area is very clean (the Swedish take clean environment very seriously), and the people quite friendly.

Front of a home at Sandhamn

The waterfront at Sandhamn

Heading to Sandhamn

While we were on the island, a storm came upon us with lightning and thunder; looking at one of the above pictures, you can see the dark clouds in the distance.

Another view of Sandhamn

There was not much to see in Sandhamn but I enjoyed walking the narrow paths and looking at the various home fronts.  The Wind Surf set sail for Visby, Sweden at 6:00 PM so all were on board by 5:30.  That evening we attended the Captain’s Cocktail Reception and had dinner with a couple from Australia, Ray and Vicki.  Was very tired this evening so went to the cabin around 9:30.  Tomorrow  I will be going on my first Windstar tour of this trip called “City Sightseeing in Visby”.

August 15:  After breakfast, the group going on the sightseeing tour of Visby gathered.  The tour began with a drive up to Hogklint, a steep cliff south of Visby, for a spectacular view of the Baltic Sea and the walled city of Visby.  The guide explained that the cliff has been called the Elderly Steep because throwing off the cliff was Vikings way of getting rid of the elderly.

A view of Visby from the cliff

View of the Baltic Sea from the cliff

I’m standing by the edge of the cliff

Upon leaving the cliff, we proceeded to the Visby Ring Wall which was constructed in the 13th century and is now a World Heritage site; it is the best-preserved city wall in Northern Europe and surrounds many ancient stone churches and houses.  On our way to the wall area, we walked through the botanical gardens which is considered one of the best in Sweden.

Close up picture of the wall area

Beautiful garden area with wall in the background

A house along a narrow street in Old Town Visby

Narrow streets of Visby

Looking over the roof tops @ Visby with Wind Surf in the distance

We returned to the ship after the tour and had lunch.  Today is the one year anniversary of Tom’s death so I had a chocolate fudge ice cream sundae with peanuts in his honor.  After spending the afternoon reading and visiting with other guests, Ginni and I had dinner with a couple from Canada Sharon and Richard.  After dinner, we got a drink in the Compass Rose Bar where there was a talented jazz duo playing/singing.  I ended the evening by raising my wine glass and giving a silent toast in Tom’s memory.  Tomorrow we will be at sea without any stops on land.

August 10 thru 11:   I left Cedar Rapids on a flight to Stockholm, Sweden where I met up with a friend out of St. Louis, Ginni.  We were spending a couple days in Stockholm before boarding Wind Surf, one of three sailing ships owned by Windstar Cruises.  We had signed up for the “Scandinavian Tapestry” trip and would board the ship on the afternoon of the 13th.  Upon arrival, I was met by a Windstar representative who assisted in getting my luggage loaded into a taxi and directed the driver to take me to the Scandic Anglais Hotel.  Ginni was waiting at the hotel and, after I settled into the room, we ventured outside and started walking toward the water front.  Our objective was to acquire a 24 hour Hop On – Hop Off  tour voucher for both land and water.  Upon purchasing the voucher, we got on the Hop On – Hop Off boat for a tour around Stockholm via water.   We did not get off the boat but rode through all eight stops which consisted of Nybroplan, a shopping district with many restaurants; Vasa Museum, the world’s only surviving 17th century ship; Skeppsholmen, the island home of the Modern Art Museum and the Swedish Museum of Architecture; Tivoli Grona Lund which houses an amusement park with the world’s biggest Zac-Spin coaster along with Skansen, an open air museum depicting a miniture Sweden with historical quarters; Cruise Berth which is the port for cruise ships; Fortografiska which is a museum that presents exhibitions by famous photographers; Old Town which is the original heart of Stockholm; Royal Palace which is the Swedish Royal family’s official residence.

Tivoli Grona Lund, the amusement park

Ginni ready for the hop on – hop off boat tour

Photographers museum

Once we rode all the stops made by the boat, we made our way back to the hotel.    We got a
recommendation from the hotel staff to eat dinner at Sturehof, a restaurant with Swedish dishes.  The food was okay but the noise level was quite disruptive.  After a nightcap in the hotel bar, Ginni and I retired to our room in hopes of getting a good night sleep so we would be ready for the next day’s adventure.

A street in Stockholm

August 12:  We really had a great night’s sleep with neither of us waking up until 10:00 AM which meant we missed breakfast that was included in the room charge.  An employee of the hotel directed us to a nearby coffee shop where we got coffee along with some fruit and granola.  The bus stop for the Hop On – Hop Off was right down from our hotel so it was easy to find.  Our first point of departure from the bus was at City Hall, the home of the Nobel Prize dinner, where we purchased a ticket for a tour.  The City Hall was built 1911-23 and is the center of Stockholm’s local government; the Blue Hall is the venue for the annual Nobel Prize Banquet and its walls are constructed from handmade red bricks which the architect determined was too beautiful to paint blue.  The Golden Hall, with 19 million pieces of gold leaf and glass, depicts Stockholm as a bridge between East and West.

Backside of city hall

Exterior of city hall

An inside room at City Hall

After City Hall, we took the bus to the Vasa Museum which houses a massive warship built in 1628 that sank on its maiden voyage before it left the harbor; it has been recovered and restored.  Sadly, there were 4 or 5 large groups of people wanting in at the same time so we decided not to wait in the LONG lines.  By the time we found a place and ate lunch, it was late afternoon and time to get the bus back to the hotel.  That evening we went to a delightful,  small Swedish restaurant called Nalen where the atmosphere was quiet and the food delicious.

Ginni and I relaxing at Nalen’s

August 13:  Today we are to board the ship so, after breakfast, we put our luggage in the hallway for Windstar to pick up and transport to the ship.   After checking out of our hotel, we decided to walk to Skansen (an open air museum founded in 1891) where buildings and farmsteads from all over Sweden create 75 acres of living history in the heart of Stockholm.   However, we were very disappointed; it seemed to be more of a “tourist trap” which caters to families with young children.  We decided to take the ferry to Gamla Stan (or Old Town) which is where Stockholm was founded in 1252; of particular interest to us was the Royal Palace, Stockholm Cathedral, and Old Town.

Wind Surf waiting for its passengers to arrive

One of many views of Stockholm from the ferry

As we got off the ferry, we saw a restaurant alongside the Wind Surf (the ship we will be traveling on) so we had our lunch and then boarded the ship.  Once all necessary paperwork was filled out, we went to our cabin to deposit some packages and make sure our luggage had been delivered.   All was okay so we headed out to explore Gamla Stan using the self-guided walk provided by Rick Steves who we were pleased to have met before boarding the ship.   Gamla Stan (or Old Town) was where all of Stockholm fit until the 1600’s.

Royal Palace at Gamla Stan

Stockholm Cathedral

City square in Old Towm

We boarded the ship and changed for dinner.  The crew was introduced in the lounge so we went there for drinks and appetizers; a couple from Manhatten joined us.   After dinner, we listened to a group perform in the lounge but they were not the best so hope the entertainment in the other bar area will be better but will not find out tonight since it is time to turn in.  Tomorrow the ship will depart for Sandhamn, Sweden.