31 July 2019: Copenhagen

Well today was a bit of a disappointment for it was pouring with rain when we arrived this morning and kept going for the rest of the day, so i only got off late and then decided to stay in the terminal building. Did not feel like walking around in pouring rain and waiting for a bus. Even the hop on hop off buses were not doing good business for the day because of the weather. Thank goodness the Wi-Fi was working for a change or should i say one could download things so that helped a lot. Looking forward to my visit to the Hermitage in St Petersburg where there are thousands of art works to see and they say that if you spend 1 minute at each one, it will take you 7 years to see everything!!! Our visit to Stockholm might also be out because of bad weather that is on its way and going through the channel is a problem in bad weather and rough seas, because it is very narrow. So only time will tell.

3 August 2019: St Pietersburg Russia

In this place you have all 4 seasons in one day and you always hear things like that and think aaahhh ,not really maar wragtig dis presies so ,dit het ek nou met my eie oe gesien en beleef. My tour only started at 12.15 and the rain stayed away until we stopped at the Hermitage museum after being stuck in a traffic jam with a Harley motorbike rally that only happens once a year and today is the day!!!!
So out came the umbrellas and thank goodness we only had to stand in a very short line to enter this museum. We were warned that the line can go on for ever but luck was on our side maybe we were to early for the afternoon rush hour.
Well what an amazing experience this was, definitely one of my highlights on this very special trip to the Baltics. Everything is huge not big but HUGE and beautiful, it really blows you away.
This was the Hermitage Museum the biggest art museum in Russia and ranks among the most prestigious in the world. The Western European art is second to none. It was founded by Catherine the Great in 1764,dis was vir my ongelooflik is dat sy die visie gehad het in daai tyd, net ongelooflik.
The Hermitage Museum occupies the Winter Palace the winter residence of the Russian Tsars and four other buildings, the Little Hermitage, Catherin’s original collection, the Old Hermitage, The Heritage Theatre where i went to see the ballet, Catherine’s private theatre and the New Hermitage. We also went to the Gold Room but were not aloud to take any photos in there and that was also amazing, the collection and all these ancients pieces of jewelry, gifts ,dis diamante,robyne,ag noem maar op en dit was daar. geskenke van konings van reg oor die wereld aan haar.Dat hulle ook in daai tyd sulke mooi goed kon maak ook vir my ongelooflik,so jammer mag nie van hulle fotos neem nie net om te wys wat ek bedoel.
The pieces are all  shapes and sizes, from Rembrandt, Rubins, Van Dyck en  Leonardo da Vinci.
Forgot to say when we entered the museum all big jackets and coats have to be left in the cloakroom and no liquid is aloud in for a few years ago a guy went in with what they thought was water and it was acid in a bottle and he sprayed it over one of the precious pieces and stabbed the painting with a knife, so also go through security and metal detectors. It took them 13 years to fix the damage, you get some crazy people.
Then we got to the peacock clock dis gemaak deur n ou van Engeland in 1766 en hy werk nogsteeds!!!!As hy opgewen word dan beweeg die al die diere,die pou se stert vere gaan oop en sy kop ,nek en pote beweeg.Die uil draai in die rondte amazing maar die word nou net opgewen as belangrike mense daar besoek afle.
Die skildery wat vir my uitgestaan het is die Madonna and Child van Leonardo, Rembrandt se Christ and the Women and Child, en die Verlore seun wat terugkeer na sy pa se ope arms,hy praat sommer met jou .
By this time the place is packed with hundreds of tourists, our guide told us 3 million visit each year en dis warm en bedompig en mens is stok flou na 2 ure se gestap op en af, heen en weer.
Toe ons verby die museum winkel stap vang my oog n skildery van rose en dit laat my onmiddelik dink aan my ouma se roos skildery wat my oupa vir haar gekoop het met een van sy oorsee se reise en dit was nog altyd vir my iets besonders maar hier raak jy nie geskei van jou toergids nie want dan is dit nag so dit was net verby stap en wens kon stop. Wel, kon my geluk nie glo toe ons toergids n entjie verder vir ons se ons het 10 minute vrye tyd en kan gou alleen rondloop ,wel ek is toe dadelik terug na die winkel en binne 5 minute is ek daar in en kom ek daar uit met my eie afdruk van Roses in a Vase van Pierre- Augusta Renoir,was in ekstase en nogal gekoop by hierdie amazing plek,so opgewonde ,gaan geraam word en n spesiale plekkie in ons huis kry waar ek dit elke dag kan sien.
Hierdie besoek was beslis een van my bestes en sal dit vir enigeeen aanbeveel en as jy van kuns hou nog beter.

4 August 2019: Helsinki

Vandag is ons in Helsinki en dit was tyd vir ernstige wifi en updates. Omdat die skip sin so duur is kan ek glad nie meer enige tydskrifte of koerante aflaai nie en dis n geval van net vinnig op en af om emails te kry. Moet erken dis vir my die grootste ergenis, maar nou ja dis hoe dit is.
Het vroeg by ons kuier plek aangekom en toe het ons onsself bederf met heerlike kos ,rooiwyn ,shampanje en skaken , n Deense dis met mayonaise en garnale,was heerlik en gaan beslis weer van dit eet.
Daarna was dit tyd vir buite in n le stoel sit/le met n uitsig oor die see en net chill tot dit tyd was om weer terug te keer skip toe. Vandag was net n rustige dag en was glad nie lus vir rondloop nie.More is dit weer Tallinn en dan wag Stockholm as ons daar kan uitkom met die slegte weer wat hulle voorspel wat oppad is en daarna die eiland Visby .

5 August 2019: Tallinn Estonia

We have been lucky with the weather and another perfect day in the Baltics! They said 16 degrees but a chilly wind was blowing and when you were in the shade the jackets came out.
This port was busy with 2 ships in port for the day and the old town was packed with tourists. Our first stop was at the angel wings window for a quick photo and then i went to show hubby some of the beautiful very old places and the pharmacy, which was open today and is still in use to this day, amazing
Then it was time for some of those tiny round very delicious pancakes and some ice cream. Going to see if i can make those same small pancakes at home!! So till tomorrow.




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