Today we went grocery shopping at the local ICA Maxi . This was a huge market, larger than the stores we are accustomed to shopping in. Besides food, it carries all kinds of other goods, including "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" series books and videos (in Swedish, of course). Pippi Longstocking is quite popular with Swedish children, so we saw many books and videos featuring her and her friends. We were impressed with the checkout system: when you enter, you pick up a barcode scanner. As you add items to your cart, you scan the price tag; for produce, you use a scale, select the type of produce and specific item. A label is printed, which you affix to the bag and scan. Kiyomi was fascinated by how easy it was to go through the check out line when all your items are listed in the scanner, and just needs a quick confirmation by the check-out clerk. Then just zip your credit card and you are done!
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
2011-06-22 Kiyomi's nice birthday
Kiyomi had a nice birthday experience, we visited Roland's mother, Wiola. She lives in a very nice condo in the heart of Stockholm. On the way back we visited the Bergius Botanic Garden and Park where we saw a kitchen and herb garden, a Japanese garden and pond and many native plants. We then had dinner with Veronica and Sami, and met their 2 children, Felicia (3) and Victor (1 yr 3 months). The children are energetic dynamos. Johan was there, too; but we hardly recognized him. He had grown up to a handsome young man, quite different from the 10-year old we remembered from our last visit 20 years ago . We had a nice time, watching the kids play and hearing what they have been doing in the last 20 years. Veronica cooked the Italian delicious meal, and for dessert a fantastic chocolate and strawberry creation, with whip cream topping. Roland provided the wine from his company GustaVino, a special Chianti imported from the Italian island Elba that was an excellent companion with the meal. We found the sun still up at 11 pm when we finally went to bed; it set around midnight, then came up about 2 am.
2011-06-21 Stockholm, Sweden
Roland and Ragnhild met us at the port after we disembarked. After a quick trip to their home in Haninge, we returned to Stockholm for an Italian celebration put on by the Italian club that they both belong to. We had a delightful time. There were a variety of Italian cheeses for tasting, champagne, red and white wine, a "little ear" pasta with broccoli and cheese, then the main course, and tiramisu for dessert. Roland's friend Carlo was a dinner companion, and he was a wealth of information and entertaining stories.
2011-06-20 Helsinki, Finland
Today we stopped in Helsinki, Finland. We took a shuttle from the port to the city center. Kiyomi enjoyed going through the Marimekko store. Then we walked back to the ship along the shore, past the Silja "Symphony" we took 20 years ago from Stockholm to Helsinki. This is our last night on board, so Stan enjoyed the string quartet while Kiyomi packed. Then we had an early dinner and retired early so we could get up early to watch our cruise through the Archipelago to Stockholm. It was beautiful watching the many islands go by. The sun had come up at 2 am, so there was plenty of light by 4 am.
2011-06-19 T St. Petersburg, Russia
Today we continued in St. Petersburg, Russia. Our tour was to Catherine the Great's Summer Palace in Pushkin, a few miles outside St. Petersburg. The ride through the city was interesting: among establishments with names I could not even guess at the pronunciation or meaning (they used the Cyrillic alphabet) were very familiar icons: MacDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Subway, Ikea, Yves DeLorme and a few others. The Palace grounds are beautiful green woods, with many flowering shrubs. We were told in the winter, when there is 18 to 19 hours darkness, temperature below zero, and snow several feet thick, it is not so pleasant. But today was sunny and warm, with birds chirping and the sun reflecting off gilded towers. Inside the Palace was very lavishly decorated. There was a spacious high-ceilinged ballroom, with huge windows giving a view of the landscape on both sides. Another section was composed of many large rooms, one after the other, connected by a long hallway that went through each of them. Gilt candle holders lined the wall, and the doorways were elaborate gilt designs. One of the rooms was the throne room, one the paintings room, one the giant portraits of Catherine and Elizabeth, one a dining room, one was the Amber room (wallpapered in real amber). After touring inside, we went outside, past the bath house, which was a very large multi-story structure that reputedly was used for more than just baths. We saw a Turkish bath house across a lake; apparently the Russian nobility enjoyed bathing. We had a concert by some singers inside a chapel that had incredible acoustics. They sounded really good. Then we returned back to the ship along Moscow Prospekt and through St. Petersburg. We enjoyed Tea Time and the string quartet concert, then prepared for our dinner at the Polo Restaurant, which features steaks. I had Surf 'n Turf, Kiyomi had a New York Steak. For dessert I could not make up my mind, so had the Quintet Special, a sampling of five of the eight dessert selections.
2011-06-18 St. Petersburg, Russia
Today we stopped in St. Petersburg, Russia (aka Petrograd or Leningrad). The ship docked on the Neva River, but visitors cannot enter the city without a visa or being with an organized tour. Our first day tour was of the Hermitage, the Winter Palace of Catherine the Great, built in the late 1700s. The architecture is "over the top", competing with the other palaces of Europe for ostentation. There are lots of statuary, parquet floors, marble staircases and columns, chandeliers, gilt and glitter, and of course Catherine's fabulous collection of art from all over Europe. She seemed to specialize in old masters, especially from Holland, Netherlands, and Spain. Unfortunately the Hermitage is a major tourist destination, so it is quite crowded. The tour has to keep moving, to make room for the following groups. It is difficult to appreciate the splendor while being herded along surrounded by other people. I did not bother taking photos; I just gawked at the architecture, decorations and treasures, overwhelmed by the quantity and quality. It was a cold windy rainy day, and we were glad to be indoors. After returning to the ship and taking a brief rest, we enjoyed Tea Time and the string quartet concert. We had dinner at the Red Ginger restaurant, where once again we enjoyed the Asian Fusion menu. Kiyomi reports the sushi plate is satisfactory, and the Chilean Sea Bass is delicious. Stan had the Thai chicken soup with coconut milk and pan-fried noodles, then a delicious tapioca-mango dessert. The show featured the Marina Singers and Dancers in "Swing Time", a retrospective of the music of the 1940s. Again, lots of energy and color made for a very enjoyable show. The second part of the show was the Liars Club, where we had to guess which of three definitions of a word was correct. Des, Cherry and one of the dancers were the "definers" of five words that were unfamiliar (such as tittup, groaking, xhosa). Each definition was accompanied by a very funny story about how the person knows what the word means; but only one definition is true – the other two are lies. The audience guesses which definition is true by applause. Sad to say, we were wrong 3 out of 5 words. Who knew there was a word that means, "fear of having peanut butter stick to the roof of your mouth"?
2011-06-17 Tallinn, Estonia
Today we stopped in Tallinn, Estonia. A shuttle bus took us to the Kanuti Garden and entrance to Old Town (Vanalinn). Kiyomi took one look at the "garden", saw it was just a small park with a flowerbed and fountain, so we walked through it into the town, along the cobblestone streets and up to the Toompea area overlooking the town with a very nice panorama view, where the castle and several cathedrals/churches and museums are located. As we passed one of the churches, we saw a graduation ceremony had taken place, and many people, all dressed up in their finest and carrying flowers, were celebrating. The architecture here was medieval, in contrast to the new, modern part of town. We noticed that here, too, many, if not most, of the young people have cell phones, and use them frequently. We had another very enjoyable meal in the Grand Dining Room, and later saw the show "Groovin", a retrospective of the music of the 60s and 70s, sung and danced by the Marina Singers and Dancers.
2011-06-16 Riga, Latvia
Today we stopped in Riga, Latvia. The ship docked along the riverbank, just a few blocks from the city. We walked over to and along the City Canal, a nice waterway bordered by trees, lawn and flowerbeds. It was a quiet and pretty walk. Then we walked through Old Town, looking at the gothic, baroque, and Art Nouveau architecture, many points of interest (that were marked on the map we brought from the ship), souvenirs shops, pubs and cafes. As we were walking back to the ship, the sky got darker and darker. We just made it back to the ship when a heavy rainstorm passed by. Back on the ship after lunch, Kiyomi got her nails done while Stan got a haircut (not as good as Bob does). After Tea Time and the string quartet concert, we attended a preview of future cruises. We decided the San Francisco to Miami Panama Canal cruise sounded interesting, so we signed up for it. We enjoyed a delicious dinner in the Main Dining Room. The service is first-rate, the waiters are well-trained, and the menu selections are wonderful. It is hard to choose among the 4 or 5 appetizers, soups, and/or salads, 5 or 6 entrees (not to mention 6 or 7 dessert choices!). There is something for every taste, including "healthy:, vegan, and "just meat and potatoes" appetites. The evening entertainment was "The Gypsies' Enchanting Evening" featuring virtuoso violinist Artur Banaskiewicz playing gypsy-inspired music with great flair and excitement. His fingers flew and the bow was a blur as he made his violin sing.
At sea
Today we should have stopped in Visby, Sweden, but high wind prevented the tenders from operating. The ship was too large to dock in the port. The ship continued toward our next port: Riga, Latvia. We had dinner at "Chez Jacques", the French themed restaurant. Stan's escargots were served under a puff pastry shell, and were quite delicious. The evening entertainment was a high energy singing and dancing performance "Con Molto!". It was an enjoyable performance, colorful costumes, and very well executed.
2011-06-14 Gdynia, Poland
There was a shuttle bus into town; from there we walked to the seashore, and a long way beside the beach. Then we walked over a few blocks and passed through a residential area. The differences in architecture were quite distinct: some buildings were pre-war and in disrepair; some were post-war Communist era and quite plain and drab; some were new or newly renovated, and were modern style. The yards were not maintained for the most part: uncut grass, not much landscaping, minimal flowers and shrubs. The evening entertainment was Des & Cherry King, a magic and comedy show. We were sitting in the front row, so Stan was called on to help out, and played a straight man role. Even sitting right up front, it was not clear how some of the illusions were performed – it really looked like magic.
2011-06-13 Ronne, Denmark
Today we stopped in Ronne, Denmark. We walked through the town, admiring the medieval architecture. It was a holiday so everything was closed. The town was very peaceful, no cars and hardly any pedestrians. We walked through a woods to a Radisson Hotel where we had coffee and beer for $15. Then we walked back along the cliff above the Baltic Sea. Then we returned for the 4 pm High Tea and Marina String Quartet. The evening show was Agata Holdyk, an very accomplished pianist, who played a number of classical selections for us.
2011-06-12 Warnemunde, Germany
Today we stopped in Warnemunde, Germany. We walked around the old town for our daily exercise, past many fish shops, selling fresh as well as freshly prepared, smoked, salted, dried, or whatever. We continued on past the port area window shopping, then walked along the waterfront bars, pubs, souvenir shops and hotels to the end of the road, where there were two lighthouses marking the entrance to the harbor, and a beach that was quite popular despite the cool temperature and cloudy sky. Then we returned for the 4 pm High Tea and Marina String Quartet. We had dinner at the Toscana Italian theme specialty restaurant. Stan enjoyed Lobster Fra Diavola, Kiyomi enjoyed a delicious pasta dish.
2011-06-11 Cruise the Oceania "Marina"
After packing and a leisurely breakfast, we took a taxi to the port and boarded the Oceania "Marina", the newest and largest of Oceania's fleet. We were immediately impressed with the luxury and opulence, extending even to our cabin. There are some more photos at Smugmug. We have a tub and a shower, plus plenty of room to move around. The stateroom on the 9th deck has a queen bed, nightstands, a large desk, a sofa and coffee table. Then the veranda has a table and two chairs overlooking the ocean or port. The desk includes a laptop computer, but all it does is email and Internet; and at $0.95/minute(!) we won't be using it. Email is $3.95 per letter (as many cc as desired no extra charge). There is a satellite newspaper service for $6.50/day/newspaper. All of the ship's areas are sumptuously furnished, with modern art and sculpture to enhance the comfortable areas. There are decks 4-16 available to passengers. Everyone was given a deck map/guide along with their stateroom key/boarding card/charge card so we could find our way around. Even so, it is easy to get turned around. After listening to a concert by the Marina String Quartet, we had a delicious Asian Fusion dinner at the Red Ginger restaurant, one of four specialty restaurants we'll try. Kiyomi was very pleased with the Japanese style dishes, and Stan enjoyed Thai cuisine.
