This year, in May 2016 we've reached another milestone via a memorable 12 days cruise on Regal Princess to Scandinavia and the Baltic which starts at Copenhagen sailing to Oslo, Norway, Tallinn, Estonia, St. Petersburg, Russi (see Church of Spilled Blood photo below), Warnemunde (Berlin), Germany, Nynasham (Stockholm), Sweden and Helsinki, Finland ending in Copenhagen.
But first, having found that Copenhagen flights are dearer, we have made a wise decision getting flights out of Sydney (I started mine from Hobart, Tasmania where we now reside at the picturesque Huon Valley) to Paris (via Hong kong) where we visited top attractions we'd been raring to see for a while now!
Indeed, Paris did not disappoint- our fave museum, the Louvre, was full of amazing collections of art, sculpture and historical artefacts. It was a whirlwind visit yet, to our luck, we managed to score a few days' stay at the posh Mercure Tour Eiffel Hotel which was walking distance to the famous icon. So we enjoyed the magnificence of the Eiffel Tower a few times, at various angles and different times of the day and night.
Another highlight of our Paris trip was our visit to Chateau Versailles, which contrary to what I've read in many posts and travel reviews is not too far from Paris. We rode the train, which was not only cheaper but was readily accessible from our hotel and after just under half an hour, we were enchanted with the awesome palaces and gardens at Versailles (See photo below of one of its grandest ballrooms.)
We bought our tickets at the hotel to avoid long queues at the attraction which proved very clever as well, regardless of the small difference in the price, just a tad more expensive but well worth it as we saved valuable time.
Scandinavian Cruise
Flying from Paris to Copenhagen, we stayed one day at a nearby hotel then the next day, we embarked on our great Scandinavian adventure! Being a Platinum member of Princess Cruises, I got preferred check in so it was not as chaotic though there was a bit of a wait getting on the ship. It was in comfort so not as bad, with pastries, breads and hot and cold drinks offered to us. I would be talking about Copenhagen later on as we took a bus tour of its attraction after the cruise.
Once on the ship, it took a while to get in our balcony stateroom (it was another lucky spell for me and my cruising partner as having booked an Inside stateroom, it was a pleasant surprise to find days before the cruise that we've been upgraded to a balcony cabin, thanks very much Princess Cruises!
Our first port was Oslo, Norway which was a pretty city. We docked at the harbour which was calm and quietdespite the many yachts and boats there. It seemed we were the only big cruise ship visiting that day, 2nd May. The weather was cloudy and cold but I loved Oslo! It was full of grand buildings, wide open spaces and quite a good collection of museums. One of these was the Vikingship Museum which we visited and enjoyed immensely with its authentic collection of Viking treasures dug up from several burial sites in Scandinavia.
For the next post, watch out for Russia, which was a remarkable city of enormous historical and cultural significance. I was in awe of its opulent palaces and grand architecture either in the city centre or outside St. Petersburg!
Stay tuned for Part Two of this great odyssey! Cheers!
But first, having found that Copenhagen flights are dearer, we have made a wise decision getting flights out of Sydney (I started mine from Hobart, Tasmania where we now reside at the picturesque Huon Valley) to Paris (via Hong kong) where we visited top attractions we'd been raring to see for a while now!
Indeed, Paris did not disappoint- our fave museum, the Louvre, was full of amazing collections of art, sculpture and historical artefacts. It was a whirlwind visit yet, to our luck, we managed to score a few days' stay at the posh Mercure Tour Eiffel Hotel which was walking distance to the famous icon. So we enjoyed the magnificence of the Eiffel Tower a few times, at various angles and different times of the day and night.
Another highlight of our Paris trip was our visit to Chateau Versailles, which contrary to what I've read in many posts and travel reviews is not too far from Paris. We rode the train, which was not only cheaper but was readily accessible from our hotel and after just under half an hour, we were enchanted with the awesome palaces and gardens at Versailles (See photo below of one of its grandest ballrooms.)
We bought our tickets at the hotel to avoid long queues at the attraction which proved very clever as well, regardless of the small difference in the price, just a tad more expensive but well worth it as we saved valuable time.
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