Baltic Experience 2023
A good holiday cruising
INTRODUCTION
Usually, I have posted a series of photos with very little reference to what they represent. There are just photos – some good and some bad.
For your interest and for mine I have established some facts about our stops on the journey.
I have tried to include the normal, the normal, the odd and the funny – not to mention the experimental.
DAY 3 - GOTHENBERG
Day 3 of our Baltic Cruise and we find ourselves in Gothenburg although our guide for the day did not once refer to it by that name. Instead, and he being a local is obviously right – he called it Goteborg.
Although Goteborg is on the mainland – it is intersected by a number of canals and was once dubbed the Amsterdam of the North. There is in fact a strong Dutch influence here. The Swedes joined forces with the Dutch East India Company – something that brought them great wealth.
Surrounding Goteborg are in excess of 3000 islands only 30 of which are inhabited. Our trip was out to the west. Some of the island are reached by bridges and others are reached by regular ferries. We were told that some of the island did not want bridges – heavier traffic and a perceived loss of independence and character.
The day was spent pleasantly exploring the rugged coastline and villages. The stone church that you see in the photo’s dates back to prior to the 15th Century. It is still in use today although there is a more modern church also seen in the photos.
The graveyard is a sad reminder of the ravages of war. Although Sweden was officially neutral there were several casualties. No Swedes but many from all nations that generally were washed up on the shore. The conflict was never far away – this area of Sweden is in close proximity to Denmark and Norway and Germany.
Goteborg itself is a vibrant clean city. It hosts many large sporting events, conventions and conferences.
DAY 4 - GOTHENBURG - VISBY
Day 4 was an At Sea Day transiting from Goteborg to Visby on an island called Gotland not many miles away from Stockholm.
The highlight of a very relaxing day occurred at 6.30 in the morning when we passed under the The Öresund Bridge – it is a combined railway and motorway bridge across the Øresund strait between Denmark and Sweden. It is the longest in Europe with both roadway and railway combined in a single structure, running nearly 8 kilometres (5.0 miles) from the Swedish coast to the artificial island Peberholm in the middle of the strait. The crossing is completed by the 4-kilometre (2.5 mi) Drogden Tunnel from Peberholm to the Danish island of Amager.
An amazing sight!!
It is worth mentioning that the Oresund Bridge has been of great benefit to both Sweden and Denmark with many commuting between the two countries. The bridge and tunnel have greatly reduced the number of ferries that used to ply their trade across the strait.
That said the strait is still one of the busiest shipping lanes in Europe.
DAY 5 - VISBY
Our destination today was the port of Visby on the island of Gotland situated off the Swedish Coast. Despite its location at 59 degrees North (roughly in line with the southernmost tip of Greenland – it has a temperate climate with very little rainfall.
Gotland is a favoured holiday destination for many Swedes and the population of 40,000 regularly doubles in the Summer.
The port of Visby is well served by ferries from the mainland as well as from other ports in the Baltic.
It has been in existence for over 1000 years.
The city is mainly surrounded by a thick stone wall and has never been breached. We were told that the mortar has one vital extra ingredient which makes it stronger. Apparently, the workers drunk a lot of beer and weren’t allowed to leave their posts – I will leave it to your imagination to guess its origin.
The Cathedral has survived from the 13th Century and shows signs of pre and post reformation influences – see the carving up above.
There are the ruins of a Roman Catholic Cathedral within the city walls.
One pleasant surprise was the botanical gardens given as a gift to the city. Although there were none there at the time of our visit orchids grow here.
At the entrance to the gardens there is a strangely coloured tree – alleged to be the inspiration for camouflage.
DAY 5 - VISBY - STOCKHOLM
All week I have been chasing the sunsets. The usual time is about 9.15pm. this coincides with the end of the early evening performance in the theatre. Even a spirited run the cabin or taking the camera with me to the theatre improved the timing.
This evening proved no different. Admittedly the sky was sunset red but there was one difference tonight. On the horizon was the outline of a ship and there is another word for that. Pictures duly taken. Some success.
A picture of the sunset or its immediate aftermath is nothing really without some context. What has pleased me is that one of my fellow passengers said – do you know what that ship is? No of course.
The answer was the Celebrity Silhouette – so the picture had some context after all.
DAY 6 - STOCKHOLM
We arrived overnight in the Swedish capital.
Not sure what time we arrived but it was allegedly in the middle of the night so would not have had the opportunity to see the beautiful but hazardous weaving through the 30,000 islands to reach the port.
We had a trip planned for the afternoon but did not want to waste the morning so took advantage of the kind weather. We had been told that it was an hour there and an hour back but fortunately it was less than 20 minutes.
Small schoolboy error – we did not read our tickets for the afternoon (ROYAL PALACES + OLD TOWN) and we decided to do that in the morning. This was better because there was torrential rain in the afternoon. The old town was charming with many small shops, buildings, and churches plus the Nobel Prize Museum.
Stockholm is built on many islands – 14 with 96 bridges so there is always a waterfront. These were busy with boat traffic both for tourists and local traffic.
Having returned to Stockholm in the afternoon – we continue the Royal Palaces and Old Town Tour. The Swedes clearly love their monarchy, and they celebrate 50 years of their king this year.
The Royal Palace was full of treasures through the ages. Not many photos as the light was poor.
We were told that Stockholm’s weather was unpredictable and from bright sunshine in the morning it deteriorated into a heavy downpour in the afternoon, but it did not last long.
There was so much to do in Stockholm that we could have done with another day. It was strange on the next day that it was a Sea Day as it appeared that it was only really a short hop to Tallin and we spent most of the day sailing backwards and forwards in the Baltic Sea.
Meanwhile back to our departure from Stockholm – this time we could see the thousands of islands as we made our way out into open sea. The scenery was spectacular, but the light was very flat, so you didn’t really appreciate the true beauty of the islands – some inhabited and some not.
Two of the islands were large another to have a ferry running between them. There was a little excitement as we were following the Celebrity Silhouette. We were not too close to them but from the angle I was watching from – it looked as though the ferry was playing “chicken” with the two cruise ships!!
DAY 7 – STOCKHOLM TO TALLINN
A Sea Day as mentioned before and, in my opinion, would have been better spent in Stockholm. The open seas provided no photographic opportunities. The camera did not make it out of my bag and my phone was off.
The last point proves that you should always have a camera of whatever sort with you. An announcement from the bridge told us to watch out and not be alarmed as there would be a low-level pass by a German reconnaissance aircraft. Sure, enough an Orion P3 of the German Navy swept across twice providing an excellent photographic opportunity – if only I had the camera!!
DAY 8 – TALLINN
Today we dock in Tallinn the capital of Estonia – the population of which is 425,000 out of a total population of 1.33 million.
It is situated in a bay not far from the entrance to the Gulf of Finland (off the Baltic Sea). It is almost exactly opposite Helsinki.
Exiting the port, you can see that there is much construction going and appears to be a thriving economy since breaking free from Soviet rule in 1991.
Our tour took us to the memorial to those who had lost their lives during the Soviet Era. Quite a dark and sombre wall of names.
We visited the Olympic Sailing Centre (Moscow 1980) which clearly showed that it was a superb yachting venue.
Turning away from the coast there was a plethora of woods and path interspersed with grand 19th and 20th century summer houses.
After about 3-4 miles we turned back towards Tallinn. This was quite a shock as the area was covered with 5 and 9 storey apartment blocks. These are mainly occupied by Russian emigrees, and the area is poor and decaying. It was intended that links to the main city would be improved by building a high-speed tram link, but this is unlikely to happen in favour of upgrading road links.
Returning to the centre we visited the Old Town which miraculously survived the German and Russian invasions in World War II which devastated much of the rest of the city.
The town within the city wall (2.5 metres thick which probably accounts for that the fact that it has remained unscathed since the 13th Century) is full of quaint narrow cobbled streets. The architecture is charming.
The Upper Town is dominated by the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (Eastern Orthodox) built in 1900. It has survived several attempts to be demolished including plans to turn it into a planetarium. These attempts started in 1928. This and subsequent attempts are mainly down to anti-Russian feeling.
The Upper Town commands superb views of the bay which must have made it easy to defend.
DAY 9 – HELSINKI
Almost directly across the Gulf of Finland from Tallinn is Helsinki. So, we have moved from the Baltic States to the Nordic States.
It is impossible to know which tours to go on to maximise the day in Helsinki – on reflection I think we chose well as there were some unexpected and unusual sights to see. First was the statute of Paavo Nurmi, a legendary Finnish runner who I believe won the 5000 and 1000m titles at the home games in 1952. The statute was outside the Olympic Stadium – meaning I have visited 2 Olympic stadiums in 2 weeks!!
Next was some culture in a park – a statue to the memory of Sibelius, the famous Finnish composer. The visage of him was unusual as was the sculpture – from afar it looked like a bush but on closer inspection it was some wonderfully crafted collection of organ pipes.
It is quite typical of tours, at least in our opinion, that churches are visited, and this tour was no exception. Like Tallinn there is a strong Russian influence and there are both Lutheran and Eastern Orthodox cathedrals in the city. This is not unsurprising in Finland. Finland has only been independent since 1917 – it was under Swedish rule for 500 years (the country is largely bilingual as a result – Swedish is recognisable in English and Finnish isn’t) and under Russian rule for 100 years until its independence. I forgot to mention the Lutheran Cathedral was on a rock hence it is called the “Church of the Rock”. It was actually blasted out of rock by drilling some 20 metres down.
The two cathedrals couldn’t be more different – the Lutheran in its simplicity and the Orthodox in its ornateness.
You pick up some interesting facts on the tours – all the Nordic States – Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark all have crosses on them – this reflects their Lutheran heritage. In addition, all the Government buildings in Finland fly flags with a Government crest in the middle.
Also note I have found a similar photo of a statute with a seagull on its head – the other was taken in Bergen!!
DAY 11 – RIGA
After Day 10, a sea day, criss-crossing the Baltic Sea we arrive in Riga, the capital of Latvia, the second of the Baltic states we have visited on this trip. Demographics – 600,000 out of a total population of nearly 1.9 million.
Latvia like many of the Baltic and Nordic states is significantly Lutheran with a not insignificant number of Eastern Orthodox adherents. This is not unusual as Latvia probably has the highest number of Russian speakers. This has proved problematical since independence in 1991 and the recent high level of support for Ukraine.
This leads me to our entrance into Riga. It is firstly through the Bay of Riga and then along the Daugava River. This river flows 1000kms through Belarus to a place near to the source of the Volga.
Riga is charming, clean, and full of Art Nouveau architecture. It is in fact a UNESCO World Heritage Site. However, there were extensive road works like Estonia where the tramlines are being replaced – a task that would be impossible in Winter.
The Old Town contains some fascinating architecture. The mixture of small and larger shops and restaurants blends very well with each other.
There is a central strip than runs from the Opera House along a small river used for pleasure boats and contains some beautiful gardens. Clearly this is used by Tourists and Locals alike. Note the name of the pleasure boat – it appears our liner has shrunk.
Our departure from Riga was spectacular with a wonderful view of the city. Note the very small tugboat that gave us a helping hand to get going. 2-300 tonnes against 77,000 tonnes. It was because we were fighting a 25-knot wind.
DAY 13 – WARNEMUNDE
After Day 12 we again, we visit a new country – this time Germany. This is a seaside town not very far from the Danish border an across from the Swedish coast. The sand is fine unreminiscent of some beaches in the UK.
The itinerary for today mentioned Warnemunde as our port of call and Rostock as the main go to destination. Before arriving, I was convinced that Rostock was in the old East Germany but dismissed the idea as we were so close to the Danish border.
I was correct and on consulting the maps saw that the Polish border was not very far to the East and that there was only a narrow sliver of Germany abutting the Baltic Coast and this includes Hamburg (West) and Rostock (East).
Rostock was originally a fishing village with a very small population. It gained prominence as a tourist destination after the Battle of Copenhagen when Nelson brought his ship here to be repaired.
Later it gained notoriety after the First World War as the main base to produce Heinkel aircraft. Sadly, nothing remains of the industry today as it was flattened during the advance of the Red Army in 1945.
Although Rostock is a thriving city following the reunification of Germany in 1989 it was obvious that the East still lags being the West in terms of prosperity. Many East Germans have struggled with unemployment and adjusting to a much more expensive cost of living.
We were taught a few German facts that reflect their national psyche.
- Unless you are a close friend they prefer to be addressed as Herr or Frau. Additionally, if you happen to use the informal form of “you” to a policeman you faced a hefty fine.
- They tell you what they really think.
- They always stop at their version of a “pelican” crossing when the man is red – even if all ways are clear.
We were in Rostock on a Sunday Morning. From a British view it was strangely deserted. Good of the Germans – most shops are closed on a Sunday. It was only leisure activities that were open.
We returned to Warnemunde along the river which was largely uneventful.
However, we did encounter two unusual sights.
- A ferry with a very tall funnel – this was an Hybrid ship -which saves 10-20% on fuel.
- A Dolphin – sadly no pictures
On arriving back, we discovered what we couldn’t see from our cabin – a thriving seaside town.
It was obvious from the crowds that Germans enjoy their Sundays by coming to the beach. There were also hundreds of RVs parked along the promenade, so it is also a holiday destination.
DAY 14 AND 15 – AT SEA
This was a surprise and not a pleasant one. Our last two port visits were cancelled due to an impending storm – Copenhagen and Skagen. Very disappointing.
The sea state soon told us why with winds up to Storm Force 12 with a maximum speed of 80mph.
It was the right decision for the Captain and P&O to make. Listening to the news we discovered that there had been widespread flooding and storm damage in Denmark.
Earlier in the cruise we had been told that we were going to pass under the Oresund Bridge at about midnight. That was so but there was no photographic evident – the wind was so strong the camera couldn’t be held still!!
DAY 16 –CHERBOURG
This our unscheduled stop before returning to the UK.
We only had the opportunity to visit the the town and a Mall if we wanted to.
It would have ben nice to have visited some of the cemeteries and the Normandy Beaches.
However in the town there were plenty of references to the D-Day Landings and the French Resistance. There was even the Café Utah!
Cherbourg has a rich Maritime tradition and shouldn’t be regarded as just a ferry port the other side of the English Channel from the UK.
There is a French Naval base to the west of the port and a Corvette moored in the port itself.
We were reminded as we exited the ship through the port buildings that the first transatlantic liner sailed from Cherbourg in 1857 and by 1927 there were 11 companies plying the same route from here.
Who can forget the rivalry between Cherbourg and Southampton for the dominance of the route.
