Cruise Diary ~
BALTIC CAPITALS
Tallinn,
Estonia & St. Petersburg, Russia
Medieval Treasures and Royal Majesty
Tallinn
Complete enchantment! We had a
short day in Tallinn and would have enjoyed more time in this lovely
medieval walled city with its charming people. THIS is the shopping
stop for sweaters, beautiful embroidered linens, and a variety of
crafts.
Old and new exist in harmony in
Estonia. A troupe of talented youngsters entertained us with folk
dances and then we were on our way to discover the old town. Home to
nobility, the Upper Town overlooks the sea and affords a view of the
city beneath. The Lower Town housed merchants and craftsmen in
medieval times and is more lively than the Upper Town. This is where
today's vendors sell beautiful handicrafts from stalls along the
ancient city walls, street entertainers perform, and many shops and
cafes are located.
St. Petersburg
As a child of the Cold War, I grew
up in Germany and never thought I'd set foot on Russian soil.
Somehow, St. Petersburg didn't seem "Russian" with its
many palaces and tales of Tsars, Tsarinas, and great wealth and
power. Our two days weren't long enough to see everything--it would
take months--but we toured the city, where our guide pointed out the
many landmarks. I actually gasped as we rounded the corner and I
first spied the richly ornate Spilled Blood Cathedral and its gilded
and colorful spires. After lunch, we headed to the countryside where
we marveled at Catherine's Palace and its many art treasures.
St. Petersburg houses fabulous
collections of art and celebrates the culture of the Russian people
in the exhibits contained in the Winter and Summer Palaces. The
focus is the art, not the way the royalty lived. However, an evening
of opera after a private tour of Yusupov's Palace (one of the
richest) and a tour of Menshikov's Palace (the oldest) offered
glimpses into the splendor with which the upper classes and royalty
surrounded themselves.
Called the "Venice of the
North" the city is crisscrossed with waterways and after a
morning in the Hermitage, where Renaissance R8 passengers were
admitted before the museum was open to the general public, we toured
the Neva and Fontanka Rivers by boat.
The Royal Navy Band serenaded us as
we sailed from St. Petersburg, longing for more and vowing to return
someday.
Stay tuned, we're back in
Scandinavia and visiting Helsinki and Stockholm before we head home.
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