Scandinavian Cruise

Max and I decided to take our first cruise this year, to Scandinavia! It was just for four nights, which was about the upper limits of what I was willing to deal with should I be nauseous the whole time. (I really enjoy traveling, my stomach does not). It turns out the seas were very calm, so I had no problems. I think we might have gotten lucky, according to the experienced cruisers we dined with.

The voyage started in Oslo, Norway. We chose to arrive in Oslo the night before so we would have some time to explore the city before we boarded the cruise ship. The first place we went to see was the Vikingshiphuset or Viking Ship Museum. The museum houses three viking ships (Oseberg, Gokstad, and Tune) from the ninth century.

These ships were found in burial mounds in the Olso fjords, nicely preserved by the blue clay of the mounds. They once contained the bodies of royal and other wealthy persons along with everything needed to carry them into the afterlife (jewelry, horses, wagons, slaves, etc.), according to the beliefs of the time.

We walked from the museum through a fairly residential neighborhood to catch a ferry back to downtown. From there we walked to the Nasjonalgalleriet (National Gallery) were we saw some paintings by Norwegian artist including those by Edvard Munch. (You may recall his most famous painting, The Scream). Overall, Norwegian art revealed a darker, more tumultuous aspect of life and was actually very interesting.

Oslo is a beautiful town. Really, really expensive, but beautiful. (According to Business Week, Oslo is currently the second most expensive city in the world behind Tokyo...I think we can attest to that). Everything was pristine and so tidy. It was a great place to start out on our cruise.

We sailed overnight from Olso to Copenhagen, Denmark. When we docked, Max and I headed out to Rosenburg Castle, built as a summer residence by King Christian IV. This is also where he chose to spend his final days. The basement contains an amazing collection of crown jewels.

We took ourselves on a self guided tour through Copenhagen, making a stop by the statue of Hans Christian Andersen, author of such tales as The Ugly Duckling, Princess and the Pea, and The Little Mermaid. It turns out the real, non-Disney version of The Little Mermaid is a lot darker than I had realized!

We already knew that the Den Lille Havfrue (or The Little Mermaid statue), symbol of Copenhagen, was going to be in Shanghai, China during our visit. We did catch a glimpse of what Max and I are calling her less popular cousin near the dock of our curise ship. You get the gist of it.

We pretty much ended our tour of Copenhagen in the Nyhavn quarter (above). The boat filled canal was lined with colorful buildings and lots of cafes. It was a very lively, cheery place and it was a lot of fun. Off to Tallinn, Estonia now!

On the way to Tallinn, which took a whole day at sea, we celebrated Max's birthday! He's celebrated some birthday's in a variety of unusal places, but the Baltic Sea was a first and it was a good one.

I was probably most excited to visit Tallinn. It was some place I thought would be different, less traveled, a little "off the map" if you will. I should have realized that when our cruise ship pulled up next to another cruise ship that this would not be the case.

Tallinn was definitely different than the rest of what we had seen of Scandinavia. Both the upper and lower towns of Tallinn are emcompassed by the city wall. (Part of city wall is pictured above). Walking within the bounds of the wall gave us a feel for the more Old World style of life, especially with the people dressed in medieval clothes, playing up the part. I started wondering where all the normal citizens were.

There seemed to be souvenir shops everywhere and most carried the same things. I expected the city to be much cheaper than the rest of the places we had been to, but I was wrong about that as well. I suppose one of the easiest ways for a young country to start gaining some wealth is through tourism. At a glance, the city outside the walls seemed to be fairly modern and is probably where most of the "normal" citizens I was looking for lived.

We ended our cruise in Stockholm, Sweden. The city was still reeling from the wedding of Princess Victoria just four days earlier. Stockholm was a blur for us. Due to our flight schedule, we did not have much time to spend there. We ended up taking a panoramic bus tour, highlighting many of the more "important" sights. We would not have seen as much of the city as we did had we decided to do the tour on our own, espeically since Stockholm is spread out over 14 different islands!

Our tour took us by Stadshuset (City Hall) where the annual Noble Prize banquet is held (above), and by the apartment of Elin Nordegren, wife (or ex-wife now?) of Tiger Woods. Housing seems to be a big problem in Stockholm. There are no apartments for rent, so people must buy them, and often the cost is driven sky high through bidding wars. The government has even discouraged foreign students from studying in Stockholm because there is no room to put them!

Scandinavia is blessed with such natural beauty and I know we didn't even see the half of it. Traveling around this area via cruise ship was a good way for us to see some of the cities and some of the seascape too. (I was really hoping to see a whale, but despite my whale calls, we had no such luck). Either way, this was a unique trip for us. Instead of focusing on one city, as we tend to do, we broadened our scope to a sampling of an entire region. We were able to see that this part of Europe is distinctly different from the rest of the continent, culturally, economically, historically and we're glad we had the opprotunity to experience it.

Summer's (Almost) Here

It's already June, but it has been relatively cool and rainy here. I think we had one day in the 90's so far, but that's been all. I'm not complaining (since, like most of Europe, we don't have air conditioning), it just seems that the summer weather is taking it's time getting here. BUT, the summer produce is appearing in full force at the local market. I'm thoroughly enjoying the in season fruits, such as strawberries. These strawberries were some of the best I've ever had and were worth blogging about...(I don't think Max thought I actually would). It's like someone injected an extra intense dose of natural flavoring in them. So good. It's the small things like these that also make our stay here memorable.

Visitors, We Love Having Them

My cousin Susan and her husband Dave came to visit us on their tour through France which started in Bordeaux and ended in Paris! We were lucky enough to have them for a couple of days, and were able to squeeze in a day trip to Geneva together. Here they are in the North Tower of Saint Peter's Cathedral, overlooking Lake Geneva.

We were able to get really close to the Jet d'Eau, a giant water fountain spurting from Lake Geneva. (See previous posts for more pictures of the fountain). We were lucky the wind direction decided to stay rather constant that day, and not blow fountain water on us. The mist behind this swan is from the fountain.

We took a stroll by the citys' flower clock only to be sorely disappointed. I had built up this clock a little bit as being something pretty cool, but this is what we saw when we got there (top photo). It looked like a bunch of weeds, or like the orginal flowers had been bombed by something. Apparently this new look was created in the name of biodiversity. This (bottom photo) is what we remember the clock looking like. Sometimes, the original is just better.

That night after Susan and Dave left for Paris, we met up with some of Max's co-workers from Granville who were in Chambery for business. It was really nice to see them and to catch up with them. We had a lot of fun that week and it felt so quiet after everyone left town. *Sigh* But, it's never that quiet for too long...

Rome & Vatican City

Rome, where do I start. My expectations for this city were like that of our visits to Paris and London. Mistake. We started the trip weeks in advance, making reservations online to the Vatican Museum and the Borghese Gallery (above). Our reservations for the latter were several hours after our flight landed, giving us plenty of time (so I thought) to check into the hotel and mosey on over for a relaxing evening of art appreciation. However, we were NOT prepared to wait 45 minutes for our luggage at the airport (was everyone on break?), or for the train ride into the city that ran MUCH longer then indicated on the schedule, or for the metro stop that dropped us off in the MIDDLE OF NO WHERE with NO signs directing us to the gallery. We basically ran to the gallery and just barely made our reservations before they were given away to someone else. (Mind you, the gallery was booked for a week). Welcome to Rome!

The next morning we headed over to see the Colosseum! It really was amazing to see what Roman engineering was capable of, especially at such an early point in history. Built in 80 AD, the Colosseum had 80 ground floor entrances, could hold 50,000 eagar spectors, and be evacuated in 15 min. The hallways to and from the stadium seats were called by the Latin word vomitorium. This is were we get the word vomit, since the people could expell themselves so quickly from these halls and out of the stadium. There's a visual image for you. I could think of worse words, but I digress.

The "backstage" to the Colosseum was acutally under the arena floor (above) and consisted of a series of passages, rooms, and elevators. Animals would be hoisted up through one of the 80 trapdoors in the arena floor, often behind a blind, to surprise the figting gladiator. Despite common beliefs, it is unlikely that Christians were killed here, thankfully.

The Roman Forum, now mostly just piles of ruins, was once ancient Rome's main square. There were temples, arches, and a meeting place for the senate. Julius Caesar was cremated here with fresh flowers marking the site. The vestal virgins, priestesses who tended to the flame in the Temple of Vesta (considered Rome's most holy place), also lived here during their 30 year term. If a priestesses were to break her 30 year vow of celibacy, she would be buried alive, which turned out to be the case more times than not.

Next we climed up to Palantine Hill, overlooking the Roman Forum. This is where the emperors built their palaces. Palantine is actually where we get the word palace. From here we could see the Colosseum in the background.

We could also see the dome of St. Peter's Basillica from Palantine Hill with the Tiber river in between. No other building in Rome is allowed to exceed the height of St. Peter's 328 ft dome. We would be checking that out the next day.

Walking from Palantine Hill to the Pantheon, we passed by the Victor Emmanual Monument, dedicated the Italy's first king. Archaeologists are finding that the monument was built on some more ancient Roman ruins. Construction of a new metro line, intended to pass by the monument, has been constantly interrupted due to newly discovered artifacts.

The Pantheon, a church built in second century AD, is the only ancient building in Rome that has been used continuously since its construction. Mass for Ascension Thursday was about to be held there just as we were leaving. The church's only means of light comes from a hole in the top of a perfectly constructed 142 ft tall dome. When the sun is shining, this oculus creates an a pillar of light from ceiling to floor. And when it rains, holes and slants in the floor drain the water out.

Thursday ended up being the only day we had without rain. We took full advantage of the weather and decided to stay out later and do a night walk. It was still early, so we meandered past the Castel Sant'Angelo. It was used as a tomb, castle, prison, refuge for a pope or two, and a museum, basically in that order.

Once it began to get dark, we headed out for our walk to see some sights after the sun went down. This column in Piazza Colonna was particularity interstesting. The reliefs on the column depict the victories of Marcus Aurelius over the barbarians.

Our night walk took us past the Spanish Steps. I'm not exactly sure what's up with the Spanish Steps, except that some famous writers or poets or someone used to live in the area...not exactly sure. This photo was taken a few days after our walk, in the rain, without people climbing everywhere.

Here is the Trevi Fountain, which is a zoo by the way, day or night. And no, we didn't throw a penny in. All water in Rome's fountains come from aqueducts so the pressure in the fountain is determined by the pressure in the aqueducts. Just another marvel of Roman engineering coupled with baroque style art.

The next day, we hit up the Vatican Museum. We have been spoiled in our visits to such museums like the British Museum and the Louvre, where they give you a map including key pieces to see. Unfortunately, as with the Borghese Gallery, we had no such guidance in the Vatican Museum. Luckily we had our guidebook with a map including brief descriptions of important things to see. We ended with the Sistine Chapel where Max and I tried to find a spot out of the way to listen to our podcast explaining the panels on the ceiling and large mural on the wall. However, it was hard to feel completely inspired while we were constantly being bumped and shoved by pushy tousits and loud tour guides. Every two minutes the guards would yell "NO PHOTOS" and "NO TALKING". The experience left me feeling less than love for my fellow man.

From the Sistine Chapel, we took the short cut over to St. Peter's Basillica. The sheer size of this place is hard to comprehend. The dome (above) was designed by Michelangelo, and inspired by the dome of the Pantheon. Below the dome is a seven story bronze canopy by the artist Bernini. Under the canopy is the main altar and below the alter is the site of Saint Peter's tomb. Throughout the church are all the words Jesus said to Peter in the Bible, written in 7 ft tall letters. The entire experence was humbling.

It rained all day Saturday, our last day there. After having seen almost all we had wanted to, we decided to use the other free admission left on our Roma Pass to get out of the rain and see the National Museum of Rome. The museum turned out to be great! It houses an amazing collection of ancient Roman art (including such mosacis as pictured above). The Roman Forum helped me to imagine the architecture of ancient Roman buildings while the National Museum of Rome helped me to picture how the buildings and homes would have been decorated on the inside.

Here is Max navigating us to the restaurant we ate at Saturday night. We ended up eating many of our meals in the Pantheon neighborhood. It is a very charming neighborhood with lots of great restaurants at great values. The only problem was that it wasn't excactly the easiest to get to. That didn't really stop us though.

And this was just breakfast (above) which was less than 5 euros for the both of us, together! Why don't the French stuff their croissants with cream or chocolate? The meals we had in Rome were some of the best I've had in Europe. If you know were to go, the food can be amazing. We tried all sorts of pastas, sampled some wine and desserts, had our fill of gelati (almost) and discovered limoncello (an Italian liqueur). Rome turned me on to food like London turned me on to history, and was probably the most enjoyable part of the trip.

Spring in Paris & Versailles

Max and I headed to Paris for a long weekend and what a weekend it was! We planned to take the TGV there and back on a direct line, however the train strike made that a little difficult. It was a very minor snag in our trip, which is more than a lot of other travelers could say. The ash from the Icelandic volcano had closed the airports in Paris and Northern Europe. The train stations were packed with people trying to find other means of getting where they needed to be. People we left stranded in what is being called the worst air travel disruption since 9/11.

We left Chambery at 5:40 a.m. and were in the Louvre around 10:00 the same morning. We checked our backpacks and started in the Denon Wing, along with every other tourist. This seems to be the most popular and crowded wing. The other wings of the museum were pretty calm and peaceful.

The Denon Wing houses such work as the Mona Lisa, Venus di Milo, and Winged Victory (above). These seem to be the works that most people come to see when they visit the Louvre, as evident by the tour groups and all the people crowded around them. Crazy. We went to the Musee d'Orsay the next day, to pick up where the Louvre left off with paintings from immpressionist artists. It was just as awesome, if not more interesting to us.

The first time we visited Paris, we saw Notre Dame Cathedral but our pictures didn't come out well because of the sun's position. So this time, we went back to the cathedral in the evening when the sun what shining on it and voila, much better, and still amazing.

We wanted to see the Eiffel Tower lit up at night too. So after some crepes and gelato, we headed towards the tower, watching the sun go down by the Seine along the way.

It is so worth staying even just a night in Paris to see the Eiffel Tower when the sun goes down.

The next morning, we took a train to Versailles! We had not planned on going there but after visiting the Musee d'Orsay the previous day, and still having almost a whole day left in Paris, we decided to make the most of our time and see the Palace of Versailles. It was a spontaneous decision made over lunch at McDonald's and a decision I'll always be glad we made.

The shear size of Versailles is daunting. The walk from the palace through the gardens to the Domaine de Marie-Antoinette takes 30 minutes, without stopping, and we stopped...a lot. To fill you in, the Palace of Versailles was the residence of the king (most famously Louis XIV) and the French goverment for 100 years, until the French Revolution. Louis XIV, known as the Sun King, turned the Palace of Versailles into a cultural epicenter and the envy of Europe.

I really admire this fountain in the Palace Gardens. I saw it first on a postcard in the palace museum gift shop. We bought the postcard, then proceeded with the excitment of a kid on Christmas (ok, that was more me than Max) down the long path through the gardens to see the fountain in person. We were able to see it during the fountain show and we were not disappointed.

The fountain I was so obsessed with is called the Bassin d'Apollon or Apollo Fountain. I think I took at least 20 pictures of it; we took about 100 pictures at Versailles, almost all of them in the gardens. I ended up buying a book of photos by photograper Jean-Baptiste Leroux on just the Palace Gardens. Now that's my kind of book. Versailles was the best way for us to end our trip to Paris. It was great to be able to spend more time in city, and see the sights more in depth. Paris...check!