Today was markedly better.

We took the shuttle bus from the port to downtown by the waterfront. From there we followed Rick Steves’s walking tour around the city, starting in Senate Square:

This square also houses the Lutheran cathedral:

From there, we rambled along the Esplanade, which is lined with some of Helsinki’s high-end shops and restaurants:

We then visited the art nouveau train station, which houses the most fabulous Burger King in the world (architecture, not food):

We then checked out some more modern Finnish design, including the famed Aalto’s Finlandia Hall. Emerson also got a chance to play in the nearby park after we ate a snack/lunch of fresh fruit that we’d purchased earlier in the day. 

After taking in a few more sights, we did a bit of shopping, especially appreciating Finland’s design culture (which greatly appeals to my minimalist and geometric tendencies).

We returned to this ship by late afternoon and packed for our early disembarkation tomorrow in Sweden. 

En route to the museum, we witnessed the gruesome aftermath of what we assume to be an accident (car vs. pedestrian). For some reason, the authorities failed to cover the body of the victim, who’d sustained extensive head trauma. While I’ve seen that sort of thing, it came as an unpleasant shock to Libby. Thankfully, Emerson was looking in the opposite direction and didn’t notice the accident. All in all, not a happy start to a tour. 

But, life goes on…

The Hermitage was unsurprisingly crowded with visitors and tour groups:

However, it’s still a spectacular space with amazing art and artifacts. 

This is actually a clock, which moves moves mark time (e.g. the peacock displays its tail, etc.):

The room that contained it was pretty spectacular (though crowded):

More lavish interior:

I really liked this Ribera (not that it’s anywhere near the most famous / important work):

After the museum visit, we were brought to a large shop for Russian trinkets and trash. 

This made it totally worth the visit:

Like the rest of northern Europe, we last visited St. Petersburg for a single day six years ago when Emerson was only a little more than a year old. Due to Russian visa requirements, it’s generally easiest to do a shore execursion arranged by the cruise line. So, we did a brief panorama tour but didn’t really get in to see any major sights–that seemed like the best compromise at the time.

On this trip, we opted instead for two in-depth tours: one of St. Petersburg’s major cathedrals (today) and another of the Hermitage museum (tomorrow). Today’s tour departed around noon for the city center. 

First, we visited the Church of the Spilled Blood. It was built in the neo-Russian style on the site of Alexander II’s assassination. 

The interior is festooned with mosaics. 

Next, we drove to the Peter and Paul Fortress, which is both the birthplace of St. Petersburg and home to the cathedral of the same name. 

Here the interior is festooned with dead Czars and Czarinas.

Last, we visited the neoclassical St. Issac’s Cathedral, which is reported to be the fourth largest in Christendom. 

What’s interesting is that all of these churches, aside from a small chapel at St. Issac’s, function as museums and aren’t used for religious services. 

We returned to the ship around 6:30 for dinner at Ocean Blue, which was rather delectable. Emerson and I especially liked our lemon tart:

One highlight — for lunch, we tried the Margaritaville at Sea, which brings Jimmy Buffet’s restaurant to cruise ships. It was fun with decent food and good “boat drinks.” Clearly, as an open air venue, it would be perfect in the Caribbean, but it was a little out of place in the Baltic on a cool-ish day. No matter — wasting away in Margaritaville is a state of mind. 

We spent a happy morning and lunch in this seaside village. It’s really a very charming place. We strolled about the city, took in the canals and beachfront, and also tried to enjoy as much as Germany has to offer–all in half a day: fresh strawberries, a Berliner (donut), a pretzel stick, fried seafood & chips (mit sauce), dark German beer, and an “eis” treat. 

Wunderbar! Wunderbar! Wunderbar!

Canal view:

The girls at the lighthouse:

Beach:

Charming cottages and shops:

Delightful town:

Cool seafood boats along the canal:

Serving a great lunch:

Happy Libby:

Local dunkel beer (happy Paul):

Of course, NCL couldn’t get the logistics right (again) — making us stand in line to board for well over an hour (surprise — more irate guests!).

Speaking of which, I didn’t want to waste another day at sea, and I’ve just grown tired of these morons. Sooo… I made a game time decision to abandon the cruise at our last port of Stockholm (actually a port an hour outside of Stockholm–they changed it shortly before we left for the trip!). 

So, I booked us two nights of hotel rooms and train tickets back to Copenhagen. That’ll give us a full extra day (really day and a half) in Stockholm. Why? I value my time more than I value a few dollars. So this 9-night round trip cruise is becoming a 7-night one way journey. And, I’m once again at peace, even if we’re missing Estonia. 

Happily back aboard the Norwegian Getaway:

Afternoon update:

We’re still sailing around in circles with no hope to dock anytime soon. I have taken to watching French movies with subtitles. All hope is lost. 

Evening update:

During dinner, the captain informed us that we wouldn’t be docking at all today. Instead, our official arrival has been pushed until tomorrow for a shortened visit (so folks wanting to go to Berlin still cannot). That means we’ll also now miss our visit to Tallin, Estonia — the only new country on this trip for Emerson, Libby, and me. 

Why didn’t we just skip Germany altogether? Well, we couldn’t because it’s an alternative port of embarkation / disembarkation for NCL, as well as where we’re picking up our food for the rest of the cruise. So, basically, the vast majority of paying passengers get screwed because of weather and (more specifically) to accommodate NCL’s logistical needs. 

What is NCL going to do about it? Nada, it seems. 

On top of that, we returned from dinner to learn our second day’s execursions in St. Petersburg have been cancelled. Now pissed off to the point of not seeing straight, I went down to the (closed) shore execursion desk where I proceeded to bitch loudly at staff until they grudgingly fetched me the ShoreEx manager. He thankfully was helpful and rebooked everything in Russia, but really they ought to have had more than banker’s hours given the volume of people with issues on this ship at this point. 

So, in summary, Admiral Paul sends the captain (and really all of NCL) greetings and suggestions on how to dock this ship in his (their) derrière. 

Note: I’m posting this from Germany on Wednesday morning. Due to being back at sea early today, all day tomorrow, and then in Russia for two days — expect no further updates from me until Sunday. 

Got photos working in Germany on 4/14.

We more or less retraced our route back to the hotel, stopping in a few shops along the way. The stretch of the Stroget close to Nyhavn is populated with the shops of international, high-end, luxury brands. Toward the City Hall, the retailers seem to be a bit more local, as well as targeting the tourist trade. This included a pretty awesome Lego store, which pleased Emerson greatly. 

We checked out of the hotel a little after 11am and took a taxi to the ship, the Norwegian Getaway. 

We spent the remainder of the day doing what one does on the first day of cruise: check-in, having lunch, exploring the ship, making plans (dining reservations and shore excursions), muster drill, etc.