Dear Readers:
When last I wrote, we were headed for Helsinki, Finland. We spent yesterday
there. Sad to say it was an unimpressive city. The most interesting thing
we saw was the “Rock Church”; it’s called this because it’s a church that
was built into a rock; very unusual. We walked through the town; saw
several squares, a market, an esplanade, another huge department store, etc.
Then we took a ferry to one of its islands (all of these cities along the
Baltic Sea seem to consist of several islands connected by bridges) where
there was an old fortress and a fairly interesting museum; we spent some
time there and then went back to the ship. I would have to say that Finland
is not a place I would recommend visiting.
Today we were supposed (key word here) to visit Visby, Sweden which is a
medieval town on a small island (Gothenburg). Because it’s so small, the
ship couldn’t anchor close enough to put down a gangway so we were scheduled
to disembark via tenders. Unfortunately, the sea which has been very calm
was not calm at all; in fact, it’s been quite wild for the past 24 hours
although the ship itself remains fairly steady. Thus, it was deemed not
safe to disembark via tender and we lost out on seeing this town. Ah well.
So we had a day at sea; we managed to keep ourselves busy with various
activities on board (massage, bingo, the gym, etc.) and with planning our
sightseeing activities in Copenhagen.
So, what’s my take on cruising? It’s a mixed bag. If you’re going to go on
a cruise, the Regent Seven Seas line is definitely a line to consider; it’s
a top of the line luxurious cruise line. The service was top notch; your
every wish was carried out with a smile and they anticipated your needs.
Here’s one small example: Joyce had read that they would supply kosher
meals so she decided she would have a kosher dinner tonight; she ordered it
prior to the cruise; when we arrived on board, in her cabin was a letter
indicating that she had expressed an interest in a kosher meal and here was
a list of other kosher meats she could have whenever she wanted; so several
times during the course of this week she had kosher meat which she said was
very good.
The rest of the food was quite good; not as exceptional as I had been led to
believe but not bad at all. There were 2 main dining rooms (one a buffet)
and 2 specialty restaurants (French and Asian); the specialty restaurants
were outstanding (and they brought Joyce her kosher chicken–a whole
chicken!!–while we had our Asian meal).
As much food and beverages (including all liquor all the time including
wherever you happen to be on the ship) as you want is available all the time
(plus room service). As you can imagine, this is a plus and a minus. I’m
sure you can figure out why.
The biggest drawback from my perspective is that in order to take advantage
of the excursions offered you have to get up very early and then you’re on a
tour; you go where they go when they say. I’m mostly much too independent a
spirit for that! However, it was clearly the most efficient way for us to
visit St. Petersburg.
There’s certainly something to be said for someone else doing the driving
(so to speak) and getting you from one place to another while you sleep. We
had a wonderful time on the cruise, met lots of people (traveling with Joyce
and Marty, how could we not meet lots of people!) and saw many exciting
sights. I guess, however, that I probably wouldn’t go another cruise unless
it was a similar situation (i.e., a place I couldn’t get to any other way)
or when traveling by ourselves becomes burdensome.
Well, our cruise may be over but our journey continues. We arrive in
Copenhagen in the morning and will be there until Tuesday. So until then,
keep well and keep in touch.
Much love,
The Wanderer
Irene
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