Category: 2009

Sunday July 5, 2009 I’m sitting in Heathrow Airport, along with at least five million other people. It’s unbelievably crowded here in Terminal 3, and unbelievably chaotic. But it doesn’t seem to matter, because I’m in a bit of a...

Thursday July 2, 2009 All too quickly our Grand Baltic Adventure is drawing to a close. We’ve spent yesterday and today resting up, catching up, living it up, and eating up aboard our floating hotel, while sailing south through...

Tuesday June 30, 2009 Norway’s capital creeps up on you and makes you very glad you came. Set four hours sailing-time up the end of the magnificent Oslofjord, it was founded way back in the 11th century by the cheerful-sounding...

Monday June 29, 2009  Wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen  Friendly old girl of a town ‘Neath her tavern light On this merry night Let us clink and drink one down To wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen Salty old queen of the sea...

Sunday June 28, 2009 While we were eating breakfast this morning, the Prinsendam was dropping anchor just outside the port entrance of Visby, on the Swedish island of Gotland (100 kms west of the mainland). And the crew were...

Saturday June 27, 2009 Today’s port-of-call is another of Europe’s most beautiful cities. Stockholm encompasses several peninsulas and 14 islands, interlinked by canals and bridges, with parks, fine squares, an impressive Royal...

Friday June 26, 2009 Tallinn (according to websites I’ve read) is highly rated amongst the world’s most beautiful old cities. And we Kiwis got to sample it this morning, on yet another glorious midsummer day. (A word about...

Thursday June 25, 2009 Have you read the book, ‘The Bronze Horseman’? Well, guess what? We saw him today, up there on his rearing stallion – Tsar Peter the Great, without whom there would be no St Petersburg, and without which...

Wednesday June 24, 2009 We docked this morning in what some regard as the most beautiful city in the world. St Petersburg was built by Tsar Peter the Great in 1703 as Russia’s ‘Window to the West’ …...

Tuesday June 23, 2009   We were spoilt again today. We woke to glassy seas, clear blue skies and bright warm sunshine. “The kind of weather Helsinki enjoys only 10 days a year!” joked our guide. It’s midsummer here at the...

Saturday June 20, 2009 We cruised all night, slept like babies, and stayed onboard all day today watching endless farmland and onshore activity as the Prinsendam made its way through the waters and locks of the world’s busiest...