Cruise Like a Norwegian

Well, we had a fantastic time aboard the Norwegian Star, from August 5-14. We had port calls in Warnemunde, Germany; Tallinn, Estonia; St. Petersburg, Russia; Helsinki, Finland; and Stockholm, Sweden. There were only two at-sea days; the rest were spent touring ashore. We especially enjoyed our day in St. Petersburg, where we arranged a private tour for our group of six, featuring stops at Peterhof Palace, the “Russian Versailles” built by Peter the Great, and the Peter and Paul Fortress, where all the czars since Peter the Great have been buried.

Peterhof

The food, entertainment and service aboard the Norwegian Star were all great. There was a structured kid’s program, which our kids used on a few occasions, but they were generally happier going to the shows or hanging out at the pool or in our stateroom. We splurged and got a mini-suite with a nice balcony so we could enjoy the beautiful Baltic to the fullest. My parents had a balcony on the other side of the ship, so we could easily enjoy the views on both sides of the ship.

Stockholm, view from our balcony

The kids had been looking forward to the cruise for a long time. Now that it’s over, they are a bit tired of travelling, and would be happy to go back to the USA, if they could. It didn’t help that when we arrived we had an unfortunate incident where Bill and Daniel weren’t able to get off the bus at the stop for our new apartment, and rode on an additional mile to the train station. They didn’t have the address of the apartment, or a way to contact me, so they had to walk back, find an internet cafe, and start emailing me. Caroline and I eventually tracked them down and guided them in. So it all worked out, and served as a good lesson to us to be better prepared!

We will be here in Berlin for five weeks, so we can take it easy, and do as much or as little as we want each day.  Bill and I did a lot of reading about WWII and the aftermath in preparation for our visit here, so we are excited to get out and explore.  We are in a nice apartment beside the River Spree, just north of the Tiergarten, Berlin’s largest park. We have three playgrounds, a train station, and a supermarket within easy walking distance, so we are quite happy with our new temporary home. Bill will have a great opportunity to practice his German, which he studied in High School and College, and Caroline is trying to learn what she can while she is here. I’ve mastered guten tag (hello) and bitte (please, you’re welcome), but not much else. I’m generally content to point, nod, and speak plain English, which is enough to get me through the grocery check-out line. I’m sure I’ll pick up more along the way!

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