Click on any picture to see it full size; use the back arrow to return to this page
Cruising the Baltic Sea
Carol Dennis
Starting from Copenhagen, my husband, Jerry, and I set out for our first port of call, Warnemünde, Germany, not too far from Berlin. Gale-force winds prevented us from docking, so on we sailed to Tallinn in Estonia, and St. Petersburg in Russia. Both cities are enjoying freedom with gusto and are crowded with tourists!
Estonia is part of the Eastern Bloc once controlled by the U.S.S.R. With great passion, our guide told us how she stood arm and arm with her compatriots as they faced the armored Russian tanks in 1991. We saw the TV tower protected by Estonians so that it never fell to the Soviets but broadcasted live to the world the frightening confrontation as it was unfolding.
We learned of Estonia’s love of choral music and saw the immense amphitheater at the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds where international choral competitions are held. We learned also of The Singing Revolution that began in the late 1980s as Estonians publicly sang their beloved folk and patriotic songs despite the ban of the Soviet Union. It was a very moving visit.
Carol and Jerry Dennis in Tallinn Park, Estonia
St. Petersburg has approximately 40 days of sunshine a year. We had two of them, so everyone was outside. It was also hot without much air conditioning! Despite that, we persevered, learning about the tsars, notably Catherine the Great and Alexander II. In among the boxy Soviet architecture stood remarkable gems of palaces and churches along the bustling Neva River. We wisely visited the Hermitage Museum in the evening. Even though officially closed, other guided tours were being held and there was no air conditioning. It would have been brutal during the day. We walked through rooms filled with so many famous works of art we could not keep count. What a fantastic experience!
The next day, we visited several churches. Some are museums, but after years of abuse and neglect, they are gradually being returned to the Russian Orthodox Church. Among others, we saw the Church of the Resurrection on the Spilt Blood built on the very spot where Alexander II was assassinated in the street. The interior is totally covered with murals of Christ and the saints. The Russian fairytale exterior is topped by colorful onion domes.
Helsinki’s serene Sibelius Park features a magnificent sculpture of pipes honoring Finland’s most famous composer. Listening to breezes blowing through the pipes, I could almost hear “Finlandia.”
Later, we mounted the steps to the Lutheran cathedral that dominates Senate Square. Although plain in decoration, it has a splendid neo-classical pipe organ.
Another highlight was the famous church built within walls of solid rock and bathed in natural light; one sensed the holy despite the milling tourists. A young woman was practicing on the pipe organ, and the acoustics were marvelous.
In Stockholm we visited Drottningholm Palace. Although we have enjoyed Sweden’s capital many times, we had never journeyed to the summer palace that now serves as the home of the royal family. We knew of the renovation of the Royal Theater building to its original 18th century style and were disappointed that we could not enter.
However, we enjoyed the palace by the lake and the charming Chinese Pavilion tucked away in a forest.
Kiel, Germany, was our last port of call. We rode into Lübeck where we would have several hours on our own. Most of Lübeck was leveled during World War II, but the town has been almost completely rebuilt in the original style. It was a lovely day, and we headed for the Marienkirche where Buxtehude had played for more than 35 years. Bach as a young man walked 250 miles from Arnstadt to Lübeck and stayed three months to listen and learn from the great organist. A plaque in the church commemorates that occasion.
The Grosse Orgel and Totentanz Orgel have been replaced and the famous mural of robed skeletons adorns the wall.
From there we strolled to the Niederegger candy store for their famous marzipan. We also visited the Herz Jesu Catholic Church and discovered the inspiring story of The Four Lübeck Martyrs – four priests, three Catholic and one Lutheran - who spoke out against the Nazi regime and were murdered together in 1943. At the Lutheran cathedral we witnessed a christening processional complete with organ music as parents and infant, children holding flowers, and friends walked to the baptismal chapel led by a lady minister dressed in the long black robe and elaborate ruff of earlier days.
The next morning we arrived in Copenhagen to be met by our son, John, and his wife, Anna, who had come to whisk us across the Öresund Bridge to Malmö, Sweden, where they live. And that is a story for another day!
The Little Mermaid Statue, Copenhagen
Carol, her son John and John's daughter Julia at Nyhavn
Summer house at Ljunghusen
Pernilla's Sofa
Skanor Harbor
Oreson Bridge from Limhamn
