22 June 2019: Helsinki Finland

Well our morning started with a bang!! At 6 hubby,s phone rang with a code alpha message so that had him from sleeping to sitting straight on the bed in seconds, skrik my elke keer morsdood!!!

Then it was a false alarm but the damage had been done and we were both wide-awake, so he decided to visit the gym en ek het bly le.

On my first visit to Helsinki, so had breakfast and then it was time to go exploring all on my own.

The area where we dock was disappointing for has nothing only the busses to collect people and no maps or information places, seating or tents nothing, so had to go on instinct.

Walked all along the waterfront and when i got to dustbins with rubbish scattered all over the place was not a good feeling. There were lots and lots of ducks everywhere so don’t know if they were the culprits!!!

Then the dark clouds started gathering and i knew i was going to be caught in rain, thank goodness was prepared but walking around in the rain and a strong wind not really pleasant. Die sambrieel wil mos elke nou en dan opstyg met elke rukwind en jy moet klou vir al wat werd is.

Then i started walking back and popped in at the Loylin, which is the local sauna place and has a restaurant, was good to get out of the rain, have some coffee and free Wi-Fi at last, felt like i had found a pot of gold.

There i got stuck until the heavens cleared and started chatting to some South African guests who were also on the cruise, they had just come out of the sauna and a icy dip in the Baltic sea, said it had been an amazing experience.

That’s where i got the idea of also doing it but when i told my dear husband he did not sound so excited about getting into the cold sea afterwards, so only time will tell if he caves in, to my plan.

Next week i want to try and visit the Temppeliaukio Rock Church that is blasted into solid rock  and the local market, hope the weather is better.

After my very long walk it was time to get back for some nice hot soup and a afternoon sleep. We left port at 4 and are rocking and rolling, die see is omgekrap.,so vanaand slaap ons te lekker.

23 Junie 2019: Stockholm Swede

 Vanoggend vroeg ingeseil oppad na Stockholm Swede,

Om by die hawe uit te kom is ons al langs die kus so tussen klein eilandjies deur,of moet ek se kanale want jy sien aan albei kante van die skip die land.

Dis prentjie mooi met klein huisies so al langs die kuslyn,moet se sou glad nie omgee om so n ou huisie hierso te he nie,dis beautiful.

Neem aan vrek koud in die winter so op die waterkant maar dan is daar seker n lekker groot hout kaggel om mens warm te hou.

Ons het vandag eers die area om die terminaal gaan verken en was nie juis iets om te sien nie so volgende keer sal ons defnitief eerder die shuttle stad toe moet vat of op die hop on hop off busse ry.

Volgende besoek aan Swede is glo n kleiner plekkie en n vissersdorpie so ons sal maar sien.

Ons probeer om in die meeste plekke self rond te loop maar in party plekke nie moontlik nie of jy loop vir kilometers en dis net in dokarea.

Nog so n plekkie is Coperhagen ,daar het liefie gaan hardloop en na 5 km het hy omgedraai want was nogsteeds in dokarea met niks om te sien nie.Ek moet nou eers moed kry om die bus op my eie te vat want dit baie goedkoper as die taxi het op n vorige inskrywing n fout gemaak dit het my 410 krone gekos tot by die terminaal wat omtrent n duisend rand is, so taxi ry is net as jy nie anders kan nie.

Gaan ook probeer om dalk op die hop on hop off busse te kom,sal maar sien want hier wag die skip mos vir niemand en dis nogal stressvol.

Heerlik as jy orals kan stap want dan is jy nie afhanklik van ander en vervoer nie maar net jou eie beentjies!!!

Moet se die uitseil diepsee toe het my nogal aan Alaska laat dink veral in die Fords met die land sigbaar aan albei kante van die skip,dink dis n stresvolle tyd vir die ouens op die brug van die skip,so almal op high alert want moet jou seilery ken met al die gevare en stukkies rots en land wat orals kop uitsteek!

Gelukkig seil ons hierso terwyl dit nog lekker lig is. More is ons op die see en dan wag Copenhagen vir die volgende rondte gaste.

Moet se is nou spyt het nie n zoom kamera nie want sou die pragtige plekkies teen die kuslyn kon vasle op kamera, sal dit nie te hard se nie  want liefie se al lankal ek moet kamera bring met n nice zoom maar ek te lui vir die draery van al die goed,verkies om lig te travel, nou tyd vir aandete ,sien daar is heerlike switserse kaas uitestal om op te smul tot volgende keer .

24 Junie 2019: @ SEA

Today is a sea day so lots of time to gym and do things slowly!! Was in the gym at 8.30 and there i got stuck for a long while which was a first on this cruise. Very lazy to go to the gym when we are in a new port, to scared i miss something and want to explore, always tell myself wil go and gym after i get back but i am definitely a mornings gym person, don’t like going in the afternoons .

Kry ook skelm mense gister n vrou gehad wat buite geval en haar arm seergemaak het,,die kom vertel toe nee syt op die skip geval want dan is die behandeling verniet en toe hulle op die sekuriteits kamersas kyk toe sien hulle sy het nie op skip geval nie en is dadelik toe sy opgeklim het met haar seer arm medies toe en toe hulle haar konfronteer toe kom die waarheid uit sy het buite geval en haar arm gebreek!!!!

So hierso is jy heeltyd onder ogies wat jou dophou,dis verseker,ook maar goed so.

Hoop ek kan more darem Copenhagen bietjie verken, heelwat back to back gaste (dis nou gaste wat vir 2 weke saam seil)en dink hulle het dieselfde plan.Die hop on hop off busse is net hier in die hawe area as daar n skip gedok is.

So ons sal maar sien wat more inhou nogal opgewonde want volgende week besoek ons weer 2 nuwe plekke met vreeslike name om te onthou,haa haa.

25 June 2019: Copenhagen Denmark

Thank goodness did not have to get up at the crack of dawn, so could have a nice breakfast before i had to get off the ship this morning. I went straight to the Hop on Hop Off bus and was glad that i could do the Classic Copenhagen route and  get a shuttle back to the port after my rondloping,for the bus routes do not include the portarea.

There is a lot of building going on in the port area and must say very confusing with roads going left and right, winding this way and that way. Also have area just for the cyclist’s so dis kop hou tussen kar,stappers and cyclist’s.

Not easy to find your way around.

I got off at the Little Mermaid and there i went walking about and had some coffee from a piep klein karretjie met die lekkerste koffie.

Must advise with all the cobblestone paving around comfortable tekkies are the best otherwise you could brake an ankle !!!

Also had 2 musicians playing the most beautiful music while i was having my coffee and then a couple paid them to play a beautiful song and they danced for us, that was really very special, had time to video it, that made my day.

Thank goodness i left enough time to catch my shuttle back to the ship for had to wait for an hour and was only told when i asked that they only come after 12, so have to very careful with allowing enough time to get back and not get carried away while rondloping.

a Lot of tourists were carting all there luggage around with them but don’t think i will be doing that, looked so tiring and in 31 degrees not lekke. Dan is dit nog daai swaar tasse oplig om in die bus te kry,when the shuttle arrived no wander the faces were not so friendly and a bit of a bun fight to get onto the bus.

 Told us that they have a negative birthrate and that when you turn 25 they have a special cinnamon blessing and if you don’t have a partner by 30 they get hold of you with pepper!!!!  Haaa haaa

Lyk my ook hierso het almal werk,,hoe amazing.

Fiets ry ook groot hierso net fietse waar jy kyk en hulle moedig dit aan, voel baie sterk  vir groen gaan.

Karre word ingevoer en vreeslik duur, betaal dat dit bars vir hulle,so lyk my n fiets die beste opsie,nogal weird om vrouens te sien fiets ry met grand werks klere

Tomorrow night we have a dinner date so really looking forward to that and a nice glass of wine.

In Warnemunde Germany we want to try the local beer and a real German hotdog or crepe, so we will see how things go, hubby off, so we can explore together, which is so much nicer.Until next time ,bye

26 June 2019: Warnemunde Duitsland

Vandag moes ons regmaak vir erge hitte!! Lyk my die hele Europa het n hittegolf wat pla. Gister het ons ook warm gekry maar dink vandag was erger gewees.

Het eers na 11 afgeklim en toe is dit eers na die supermark om ons voorrade op te vul want wraggies gister geen seep in die crew winkel gehad nie net shower jel en ons verkies seep.

Het nie lank gevat om al wat Fillipyn is dop te hou wat met groot sakke aankope rondloop nie toe lei daai pakkies ons na die local supermark.

Hyt omtrent uit sy nate gebars en ek dink die locals het nie geweet wat hulle tref  nie.Daar het ons n heerlike pakkie vars kersies gekry en ons is so eet eet strand toe.

Sulke weird huisies waarin die mense op die strand sit en dan ook baie met sambriele en tente en afskortings. Ons verkyk aan die mense meeste  hulle trek ook so op die strand uit ,een ou oom het sommer net so kaal stert uitgetrek rustig sy swembroek aangetrek en toe die see in.

So lyk my dis hoe hulle dinge hierso doen,het ons ook op die skip gewaarsku van n nudiste strand maar nie by hom uitgekom nie!!

Het die water gaan uittoets en was heerlik so volgende keer gaan ons voorbereid kom met ons swembroeke aan,,geen uitrek vir ons op die strand nie.

Toe was dit tyd vir winkles en het darem vir liefie n swembroek gekry.Teen die tyd was ek al so lus vir n lekker yskoue Duitse bier en dit het ons oppad terug skip toe gekry. Het heel goed afgegaan maar toe was ons vaak en lus vir n stort na die gele in die sand en reg vir n middag slapie.

Vanaand is ons eerste dinner date vir die kontrak en sien baie uit,gaan eet by n seekos restaurant. Daar gaan ek beslis weer die warm oesters voorgereg probeer,en sien Alaskan King Crab is op die spyskaart!!

So tot more mooi bly