30 August - Helsinki, Finland

The Constellation sailed into Helsinki (Finland) harbour as we were eating breakfast this morning. By 10:30 or so we were on the shuttle bus into the city. Helsinki is an absolutely beautiful city. If you ignore the obvious difference in temperature you might think you are in Paris. Big wide boulevards with grand buildings and parks everywhere. The locals were out in force today - the weather was pleasant and it is Saturday.

One of the most spectacular buildings in Helsinki is the Lutheran Cathedral. The whole building, which is massive, is white and looks impressive from any angle.

After lots of walking we eventually stopped for coffee and pastry in one of the large departments stores here in the city, called Stockmanns. Then we were off again for more sightseeing. Helsinki is a city where you could easily spend a lot of time. We ambled through the markets along the waterfront for a while. One of the largest features along here is a huge pink statue of a man urinating into the harbour. Had to have a picture of course.

By 3pm or so we were all getting a bit weary and footsore and headed for the shuttle bus back to the ship. 

After waiting for John to finish some last minute souvenir shopping we were back on board, resting our feet and having a late lunch.

Tomorrow we have the first of two days in St Petersburg, Russia.

29 August - Stockholm, Sweden

We arrived in Stockholm, Sweden this morning and by the time we had breakfast the Constellation had berthed. The view from the ship was absolutely fantastic. Shortly after breakfast we were able to catch a bus into town and took a tour around all the major city locations. Then it was time to get off in the city centre and explore by ourselves on foot. Challenge one was to find a toilet accessible to the public. A coffee at a McDonalds fixed that. Four coffees, paid in Euro so that we could get change for the toilets in Swedish Kroner. It seems that most toilets in Europe require you to have local coins available. Not sure what you would do if you don't!

Stockholm is a beautiful city and the weather was fine although a little cool.

The old city particularly is studded with historic buildings and beautiful parks. One park even featured a free music performance by an opera singer - very enjoyable. Our walk back to the ship also took us right past the royal palace.

As I'm writing this I can feel the ship just starting to move. We're on our way to Helsinki in Finland and will arrive there in the morning. More updates then.

27 August - Rostok Germany

It is 27 August and this morning during breakfast we berthed in Rostok, Germany.

We left the Netherlands on Monday after spending a terrific week with Conny and Aad and all the family. On Sunday night we had a big family gathering at Bart’s place. He and Annemieke (Robbert’s wife) cooked a wonderful Dutch dinner. As well as them and Conny and Aad we also had Tante Ria and Paul, and Paul’s son Vincent. What a great night and what a great week. On Sunday we also visited my Uncle Dick and he took us to the home where my aunt Ingrid is living.

On Monday morning Conny picked Aad up from his office and then Aad drove us to the Port of Amsterdam where the Celebrity Constellation was waiting for us. Checking in and boarding was quick and painless and before long we were sitting on Deck 10 enjoying lunch. Yesterday we were at sea all day sailing around the top of Denmark. Everything has been wonderful, even the weather is co-operating.

Today together with John and Sandra we caught a shuttle bus into the city of Rostok. A beautiful old city with lots of old buildings and beautiful parks. We particularly enjoyed apple cake and coffee in a beautiful bakery.

About 90% of the passengers on the ship are on an outing in Berlin and the ship is not due to leave until 11:00 tonight. We didn’t feel like a 300 km bus trip - we’ll have enough opportunity to see great cities so we are just spending a quiet night here on board the Constellation.

23 August - Rijswijk - The Netherlands

Have spent a great couple of days with Conny, Aad, Robbert, Jiska, Bart and Paul.
Thursday we went into Delft to find a tobacconist so that I could buy some Dutch cigars to bring home and some for the cruise. Here we are in the cigar shop.

Yesterday Aad took us and Jiska to Slot Lovenstein which was a key strategic castle in the rebellion of the Dutch against the Spanish. It was the scene of important battles and also acted as a prison for political prisoners including Johan van Oldenbarneveldt.

Because this castle is such an important part of Dutch history, it has been set up to be an important educational resource for children and adults alike.

On our way back to Rijswijk we called into Kinderdijk which is features a large number of traditional Dutch windmills. The weather was against us with dark clouds and heavy rain but eventually Aad found a great viewing spot just as the rain cleared up a bit.

Last night Paul, Jiska and Bart joined us for dinner at the Chineese Muur (Great Wall of China) restaurant, where we had a great meal and a wonderful time together. On the way home Paul took us to the most amazing ice cream parlour I have ever seen. Made an absolute pig of myself - ice-cream, fresh raspberries and whipped cream!

20 August 2014 - Rijswijk - The Netherlands

We arrived at Schiphol in Amsterdam yesterday at 2pm after a great flight in an Emirates A380. We were all very impressed with Emirates. Everything from the entertainment to the the food, beverages and service was superb. However, no matter how great the airline it is still a long flight, 13 hours from Melbourne to Dubai and then another 6.5 hours to Amsterdam. It was great to get off the plane and stretch the legs. Then there is the wait for the luggage to arrive and to line up for immigration which in Holland is a very quick process. Then, as soon as we emerged there were Conny and Aad waiting for us. What a great sight! John and Sandra's family were also there and after a few introductions and exchange of telephone numbers it was time to hit the road to Conny and Aad's place. By then it seemed a long time since we had seen a bed and had some real sleep, but the excitement of meeting up with Conny and Aad quickly dispelled the fatigue and by the time we had coffees with Conny's excellent apple tart and then dinner it was 11 pm and definitely time for bed. We both slept very solidly and hardly stirred until 9 this morning.

We were made to feel very welcome, a bouquet of flowers from Tante Ria and a bit welcome sign in the kitchen at Conny and Aad's place.

This morning at breakfast the weather didn't look very promising, overcast and drizzly. By the time we finished breakfast though it had started to improve and we decided to spend the rest of the morning walking through the historic city of Delft which is only a few minutes from Conny and Aad's place. Delft is a very old city with beautiful and historic buildings and canals.

This is the beautiful town hall which dates back a few centuries and is located on one side of a city square surrounded by shops and cafes.

Delft is of course world famous for it's Delft blue pottery and ceramics and here we are sitting on a couch made entirely of broken pieces of Delft blue pottery.

Of course, we're in the Netherlands so an encounter with a large wooden clog was inevitable and so here we are behaving like typical tourists.

Following our walk around the city it was time to visit Conny's mum (my Aunt Ria). We had a very pleasant visit with my Auntie and before long we had the photo albums out to catch up on decades of family history. Very interesting. Then, at 5pm Aad and cousin Paul (Conny's brother) arrived. I had spent a few days with Paul last year and it was fantastic to meet again and catch up on the events of the past 12 months. Paul had arranged dinner for all at a nearby restaurant and we were soon on our way stopping only for a quick photo outside Aunt Ria's apartment block. Of course Aad was there too but had to take the photo.

Paul's choice of restaurant's was great, and we had a very pleasant meal together, and here I am with my Aunt enjoying dinner and catching up on family history.

Time flies when you're having fun and soon it was time to say goodbye and head for home. The first full day of our holiday was one we will remember for a long time.

16 August 2014 Getting ready for a big holiday.

It is Saturday evening and only two sleeps to go before we take off on our next adventure.
On Monday Rosa, Sandra, John and I fly to Amsterdam via Dubai. The Hirs' will then travel on to Spaarndam to spend time with John's family there and Rosa and I will spend a few days with my cousin Conny and her family who live in Rijswijk which is right next door to Delft.

Then on 25 August we embark on the good ship Celebrity Constellation for a cruise to various Scandinavian destinations and St Petersburg in Russia. Twelve days later, we return to Amsterdam but we stay in our floating hotel to depart that evening on a cruise through the Mediterranean and after various ports (including Valetta in Malta) we will leave the Constellation in Istanbul. After a four night stay here we fly to Rome where we will spend time before visiting Venice, Tuscany and the Amalfi Coast.

Altogether we will be en route a little over 7 weeks and broadband access permitting I will post updates and photos to this blog.

So tomorrow, our last day home is time for last minute checks of bags and paperwork etc and then we're off.