We hoped for the best and that's what we got

Beautiful skies and hungry seagulls as the Norwegian Star departs Stockholm

In making plans for a trip, one usually hopes for the best.

But it is also prudent to prepare for when things don't go exactly right.

Travel insurance should be included in one's expenses especially on roundtrip flights to Europe and a cruise to the Baltic states.

I’ve never taken out travel insurance before, but this trip was taking us far, far away. And we had a lot of money tied up.

There were three or four issues of which I was concerned and which insurance could help if needed.

One was making all the airline connections that would insure a good time and arriving at the dock in time to depart.

Another was the weather  -- before leaving the US and then once there.

And oh, I kept up on the news of the day surrounding Russia and the other countries that we were scheduled to visit. 

Was something going to happen that would cause our ship, the Norwegian Star, to have to skip a port or two? I had hoped not, especially not wanting to miss St. Petersburg, Russia, my priority stop.

And another issue, not anything to do with travel insurance, was how my wife, who is a stroke survivor, and I would make it through the airports.

There was also the matter of getting around the different cities, whether walking or pushing my wife around in a transporter.

We’ve been back almost two weeks, and its hard to believe that things went as smoothly as they did.

We missed one air connection, but was booked on the following flight and kept on schedule.

The weather also concerned me. I checked the reports for the Baltic area, and a week before the trip (early May), the forecast called for rain almost every day.

That wasn’t the case. There was a smidgen of rain in Warnamunde, Germany and a light rain in Stockholm, Sweden. The rain in Sweden was so light that I managed to take a two-hour walk throughout the city and barely got wet.

The temperatures were on the cool side with nighttime readings in the 40s and 50s and daytime readings in the 50s and 60s. Those are the kind of readings that I like.

Mostly, skies were clear to partly cloudy. But very windy at times.

Before leaving, I was concerned about the tropical low forming off the coast of South Carolina. But it didn’t have any effect on our plans.

The politicians managed to keep the status quo, for the most part, and there weren’t any so-called uprisings in the nations surrounding the Baltic Sea. 

The Finnish navy was investigating an underwater object, but it didn’t turn into an issue that would cause any problems.

Wife Linda on her way through the Paris airport

When booking our flights, we indicated that my wife would need assistance at each airport because she can’t walk long distances. 

I can’t believe how well prepared airports are for assisting the handicapped. Connections, although one was pretty close, were made conveniently with representatives meeting us at the plane and ferrying us to the next location.  I appreciated that.

Quaint cobblestone streets sound inviting. They aren’t for the handicapped or those assisting them. The going was also rough when one was pushing someone in a transporter over these “cute” roadways.

The 9-day cruise, and touring of the different cities was a challenge. But it was something we wanted to do and felt like we were up to the challenge although we were “challenged out” after two days on the go in a busy St. Petersburg tour.

Nine nights on the boat and six countries. It all seems a blur now. But a blur that was well worth the effort.

Next post: June 9, 2015

Nine-day Baltic Sea cruise worth the challenge

Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg, Russia, built where Alexander II was killed by terrorist. (Photo by Walter Skupien)

As with any vacation, if we could do away with the first day and the last day, the adventure would be more enjoyable.

In our trips going camping in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, getting packed up and making that 600-mile trip the first day out, and sometimes the same routine the last day back, can be challenging and tiring.

Such was the case on our recent trip that included a 9-day cruise of the Baltic Sea wherein we set foot in Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Russia, Finland and Sweden. On the way over, we had a brief stop in Paris, and on the way back, a stop in Amsterdam.

Getting there was an adventure, with a circa 6 a.m. takeoff from Gulfport, followed by a six-hour layover in Atlanta and then an overnight flight into Paris, which arrived too late to allow us to take our scheduled flight into Copenhagen (the flight schedule was too tight even if we had made it on time). We were booked on the next plane out and got there in plenty of time to board the Norwegian Star.

Our first experience with Norwegian was earlier this century with a trip out of New Orleans to the Caribbean. I liked the idea of “free-style” dining where one could eat almost anytime and select a “table for two.” On such trips, I like to be with my wife as opposed to a lot of other people.

After all, its “our” vacation, and we want to do it our way.

Even after booking the Star, I checked out some reviews. Most were good, some, not so. I found the accommodations to be great and the dining options exceptional.

I just didn’t have enough time to spend at the Java Cafe where my drink of choice was a vanilla latte. The first day I asked for a vanilla latte, but they didn't have it. I settled for a hazelnut latte. But then a day later, some vanilla flavoring showed up, so we were good to go.

The drinks were great as was the entertainment at that spot.

I had always wanted to visit Russia, so I guess I would say that the stay in St. Petersburg with the two-day tour was the highlight of the trip.

Linda always likes the museums and cathedrals with their artwork and beauty. I do too, but for this trip, I was also interested in the somewhat morbid side of Russian life. 

Did somebody say — Emperor Nicholas II and his family (the last reigning monarch who, with his wife, children and staff,  were assassinated); Rasputin, the mystical “holy man” who was venerated by Nicholas II and his family. He was also murdered.

And then there was Alexander II who was killed by a terrorist. The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood now sits at that location.

To wrap up the so-called morbid aspect our trip we visited the Peter and Paul Cathedral where all the czars since Peter the Great are interred.

St. Petersburg is just too great a city to do it justice in two days, but Linda and I tried covering as many of the sites as we could on our tour.

This is just a tidbit of what we'll cover over the coming weeks.  

Other topics will include a bit about Warnemunde, Germany; Tallin, Estonia; Helsinki, Finland and Stockholm, Sweden.

I’ll also hit on traveling with a challenged wife (and a husband who was challenged), the different dining experiences on the ship and other tidbits that may crop up.

Next post: June 2, 2015

And a nice day to ya'll

"God morgen"

"Guten Morgen"

"Tere hommikust"

"Доброе утро"

"Hyvää huomenta"

"God morgon"

The phrases all spell, according to an internet search, "good morning" in various languages of countries that we will be visiting soon.

They phrases are, from the top, 

Dannish

German

Estonian

Russian

Finnish, 

and

Swedish

Traveling to one country and learning a few phrases isn't that bad. But when one is going to hit six new countries, learning the language is really a challenge.

Maybe we will be up to it.

It is expedient that one learn at least a few phrases so as to not be totally out of the loop in conversing with local natives.

Our upcoming trip will preclude blog posts for the next couple of weeks due to being in a place that doesn't have internet or is at a price that I don't want to pay for the connection.

Next anticipated, scheduled post: May 26, 2015