My professional life in IT has meant spending much time in airports and on planes, from the mid-80s when you were treated as a welcome guest through today, when you're treated like livestock (yes, EWR/United, I'm looking at you). My recent experiences on AirCanada, IcelandAir and now SAS have been different. The equipment/airports are the same, but the people and practices are different. Every SAS touchpoint was efficient and all staff were friendly and accomodating - really a pleasure.
A few outlets remain powered (useful for charging our electronics over dinner), but the TV and air conditioning are suspended until you return.
When we checked into our Copenhagen hotel, we were offered a room with A/C and fixed windows or one with no A/C but operable windows. Duh. I loved waking up to a view of a 19th century gabled house across the street through billowing white sheer curtains.
In Stockholm, we had sliding doors and a shallow balcony - never touched the thermostat ...
The 2nd photo shows a model of the building (from DAC exhibit) showing the ski slope built into its roof, allowing the locals some winter entertainment. Speaking of garbage, we saw a kayak rental site (I wimpered like a puppy, wanting to dive in) that refunds your fee if you bring back a plastic bag of waste collected during your paddle.
Also from DAC, an exhibit documenting the rise in sea levels over the last 150 years and the effects of Hurricane Sandy on NYC. A dozen monitors simultaneously showed videos of the flooding, the political & physical response and how Green Belts could minimize the damage over a detailed 3-D model of Manhattan. I spent some time speaking with a docent, trying to convince her that it should go on tour - first, to downtown NYC.
Everything you've heard about the horrible vehicle traffic in Russian cities is untrue -- it's worse. Remember all the amateur video of the 2013 Chelyabinsk meteor? There was great coverage because everybody has a dash-cam due to constant accidents and fraud. I consider myself a skilled (and others consider me an aggressive) driver , but I'd avoid renting a car in St Petersburg. Our driver (below) was very impressive as he piloted a full-size tour bus through, between and over traffic. When not behind the wheel, he could be found chain-smoking behind the bus.
Speaking of Russia, the structure below loomed over the St Peterburg port - any guesses?
A lighthouse? A church spire? A tribute to Putin's manhood? No, Gazprom's headquarters and likely a set for some future Die Hard movie ...
BTW, the StPete port was built specifically for cruise ships and their passengers' money, politics notwithstanding. Oh, and every tour leader in Russia mentioned pick-pockets.
But there's hope - not everyone in St Petersburg is after tourist money. As an earlier post described, this young Russian ran a mini-marathon just to wave to us canal-cruisers as often as he could, for no other reason than it was fun for him - and us.
Our ship docked in Warnemunde/Rostock, Germany and the cruise offered a day trip to Berlin. We had excitedly reserved this excursion when we booked the trip, but during our sea day, we questioned a nearly 13 hour excursion (6+ hours by bus r/t) the day before packing/disembarking. Instead, we explored Rostock. A previous post described our tour of the medieval town, but after lunch I took a long walk past the working fishing boats tied to the canal and found this beach.
It was refreshing to see locals enjoying a weekend on the beach, rather than other tourists and hawkers. I'm sure other opportunities to see Berlin will come up. Hmm, I've always wanted to pick up my next car in Munich ... looks like 584km and 6 hrs 14 min ... I can beat that.
Speaking of cars (and I often do), Europeans have a different sensibility about cars. Maybe 5% of vehicles are SUVs and those are full-size/expensive. Almost everyone (including taxis) drives hatchbacks and small wagons. The rest, small/midsize BMW, Audi, Mercedes and VW sedans. Doubtless, the approx US $8/gal cost of fuel and significant auto taxes are big factors in these choices, but I both loved and hated seeing so many cars I can't buy in the US. Except this one - apparently my current daily driver is the choice of the Tallinn, Estonia police department!
We ate very well, both on and off the ship. I've indulged myself with the same breakfast on every Regent cruise we've taken - smoked salmon, capers, onions, cream cheese and (breaking tradition) some mini-baguettes. Sigh. Blocking the daily news summary with my plate added to the pleasure ...
Let's talk about currency. We usually exchange some US dollars for the local currency, but this time it would have been cumbersome. We were in six countries with four different currencies - Swedish krona, ECB euro (Finland, Germany), Russian ruble and Danish krone. No matter, just pull out a chip-based credit card and scrawl a signature (or type in a PIN, mine didn't work).
A passing thought - the people hawking souvenir books at the Hermitage in Russia would hold up a book with prices in rubles, euros and US dollars. I didn't pull out my calculator app, but a quick mental calculation confirmed it was most expensive in dollars ...
Let's talk about tipping - don't. Some of the portable credit card readers (used everywhere) would offer an "Extra" option, but many servers were surprised when I offered a gratuity, especially in Sweden and Denmark. Because it was raining, we took a short taxi ride from our Copenhagen hotel to Restaurant Barr. It came to 60 krone (approx $10) and the driver waved off my offer of a 30 krone tip in return for the short ride. We lingered long enough at a canal-side restaurant one night that our (by then off-duty) server walked over asked why we had offered a tip when they're already paid for their job. It led to a very interesting discussion of comparable employment policies.
EVERY travel guide to Copenhagen says a visit to Tivoli is a must - No, it isn't. Think of it like DisneyLand, but 1/1000th the size. Unless you've got a four-year-old in tow, just walk around it, look through the fence and have a great burger outside at Hereford Haus.
Ah, the dangers of auto-language translation. As we waited outside the Radisson Blue for our HoHo bus, I picked up their outdoor cafe menu (below left). I felt compelled to take it inside to the Concierge and ask what other medical services I could receive while dining with them. He first looked confused, then shocked and finally laughed. (NOTHING, however, can beat the on-line menu of an Iceland restaurant where we ate last year, below right)
As you know, many Scandinavian countries are very bike-friendly and we saw that first-hand in Stockholm and Copenhagen. They seem fearless, commuting to work, shopping, carrying infants and groceries, talking on the phone, etc with very few wearing helmets (yikes). Pedestrians need to be careful, as we almost found out the hard way. Many do not stop for red lights and busses do not leave you at the curb, because there's a bike lane there. Geri stepped off one bus and was nearly run over.
There are other ways that the eastern Baltic recycles and saves energy. Apparently, they've discovered a way to run canal cruises on recycled methane ... we chose a different operator.
Just around the corner from our hotel in Copenhagen, we came across an art glass studio. I saw a small piece I really liked and walked in. We spoke for a while about my addiction to modern Scandinavian art glass and he invited me around back to see his studio.
June 25th was Anthony Bourdain's birthday and we raised a toast to him as we had dinner.
One of his quotes kept going through my head - "Be a traveler, not a tourist"
I really fell for Copenhagen. This place looks nice ...
Great stories of your trip - I especially like the menus!
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