And off we go again! Spent the turn-around day on the ship catching up on emails and editing photos. After dinner the headliner was Gareth Oliver – just as hilarious as the first time; some of the same material, but worth seeing again.
Sunday – at sea – Chic night – Dale followed Graham Sclater talking about Agatha Christie, and did his talk on Copenhagen. It was very well received – lots of people thanked him and said that they would be at his next talks too. After dinner was the Production Show Crystallize in the theatre. It is just as great seeing these shows more than once, as they have so much going on in them.
Monday – Copenhagen – we got tickets for the Hop-on-Hop-off bus and did the full tour – remembering some of the sights and trying to decide what to do the next day as the ship stayed in port overnight. That evening was a Folkloric presentation of local music and songs – unfortunately we did not understand Danish so we got a bit sleepy.
Tuesday – we got up early and took the shuttle bus into the city. We had a lovely walk – the weather was spectacular the whole time – and took a canal boat tour. Our guide was fluent in English, Danish and German, so everyone was happy. After that, we stopped at a little café for a coffee and a Danish (of course) before watching the changing of the guards at the palace. We then walked over to the Citadel before catching the bus back to the ship. It was a very full day with lots of walking. Tanya Nicole Edwards was the headliner after dinner, and she did a wonderful show.
Wednesday – sea day - Graham did a talk about ABBA, then Dale did his presentation on Sweden. Tanya Nicole Edwards did a matinee performance in the theatre. After dinner, the headliner was magician Adam Heppenstall.
Thursday - Helsinki - Dale did his talk on Helsinki and Talinn as we didn't dock until noon. After lunch we caught a Bolt (same as Uber) into town, and did a big walk to cover some of the sights. We were especially enthralled with the Oodi Library; such a modern building with some very interesting features. On the second floor is a learning centre, where you can do projects with the 3D printer, a sewing machine and/or a serger, make a poster, record a song, make crafts/gifts etc. They also have a little robot that collects returned books and takes them where they belong. You can also get lunch and a coffee and sit indoors or out. After that, we walked over to the National Library, which was also very impressive, but in a classical old world style. Passing by the train station, we stopped by the Lutheran Cathedral, the kissing bridge with all the padlocks on it and the Uspensky Cathedral before heading back to the ship for dinner. The evening's headliner was a Cellist virtuoso - Wendy Law.
Sunday - Visby, Sweden - we walked the 1.2 km into the old town which is enclosed within a wall. King Eric of Pomerania (who ruled the Kalmar Union of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden) began construction on the formidable Visborg Castle in Visby in 1411. He was deposed in 1439 and retreated to the castle to begin his life as a pirate. 7.5 km later we returned to the ship after seeing as much as we could of this incredible Unesco site, where new homes are built right into the old walls. The headliner in the Theatre was The Trawlermen - featuring traditional Irish music.
Monday - at sea - Dale gave his presentation on Oslo and Kristiansand and Graham spoke about songwriters. We had a matinee show from the Trawlermen and the evening headliner was a singer/pianist extraordinaire - Claire Maidin.
Tuesday - Oslo, Norway – we only walked 6 km, but it felt like 10! We took in a lot of sights including the Palace, the Parliament Building, City Hall (where they hand out the Nobel Peace Prize), Oslo Domkirke, and Akershus Fortress. The headliner in the theatre was violinist Gary Lovini.
Wednesday - Kristiansand, Norway - On another sunny day, we walked 5 km to explore the town highlights. After passing the Kilden Performing Arts Centre and the park with its unique fountains, we visited the Christiansholm Fortress, the town hall and Kristiansand Cathedral. The cathedral is renowned for its spectacular woodwork. Designed in the early 1880s by architect Henrik Thrap-Meyer, the Neo-Gothic structure features traditional Scandinavian timber-work within a brick frame. Its vast, vaulted ceiling uses heavy pine timber to create warm, natural tones that contrast with the pale grey walls and enhance the building's famous acoustics. We then walked through Posebyen, which is an historic neighbourhood of old white houses. On the way back to the ship we visited the famous Fish Market. The evening's headliner was Salvatore Hasard with a new show - definitely worth seeing/hearing!
Thursday - at sea - Graham did a talk about the Hamburg music scene and the start of the Beatles. Dale followed with his Top Gun talk to a full house. Gary Lovini did a matinee in the Grand Plaza and after dinner was the Production Show Rockumentary.
Friday - back to Southampton and the long flight home!
