For our fifth wedding anniversary, we took off on a cruise to Scandinavia and Russia.
We headed out from Harwich, England–just a quick train ride away from London.
On the deck in cloudy Harwich, England.
First stop: Copenhagen, Denmark where we toured a Design Museum, saw some churches, and enjoyed the RedBull Cliff Diving Championships.
First stop: The Design Museum. The Danish are famous for their design skills.
John checking out some of the unique designs.
We happened upon the RedBull Cliff Diving Competition. They were diving off of the Opera House into the harbour!
Picturesque street in Copenhagen.
Watching the Cliff Diving Competition from our perch on a fountain
That night, en route to Stockholm, the ship went under the Oresund Bridge, the bridge that connects Denmark and Sweden.
Beautiful bridge.
Next stop: Stockholm, Sweden where we toured an old Cathedral, the Nobel Museum and took a lovely walk along the waterway.
St. George and the Dragon. A common theme in Stockholm.
St. George and the Dragon in Stockholm Cathedral (made of antlers)
The Nobel Museum: home of the Nobel Prize!
Picturesque Stockholm
After leaving Stockholm, we sailed through the Swedish Archipelago to get back to open ocean. It took us HOURS to get through it and it was absolutely gorgeous!
On the front of the ship enjoying the view
Simply beautiful
Next stop: Helsinki, Finland! While here, we toured several churches, visited a very cool modern art museum and shopped at a local street market.
Temppeliaukio Church (built into a rock)
The Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma
Trying out the artwork
Snack in the market!
Uspenski Orthodox Church
When we got back to the boat, we got to enjoy some Wimbledon from the hot tub! This became a regular occurrence 🙂
Wimbledon 2013: Best seats in the house!
Next stop: St. Petersburg, Russia! We did something we don’t normally do in Russia: we went on a guided tour. Typically, as Americans, we would need a tourist visa to enter Russia, but on a ship guided tour, this wasn’t the case. That being said, we are SO glad we did the tour. Our guide was knowledgeable and we got to see so much more than we would have otherwise!
Catherine Palace at Pushkin. I decided to match 🙂
Very ornate
Be sure to check out our awesome shoes!
Exterior
When in Russia…enjoying some vodka shots with our lunch. They were included 🙂
Saint Isaac’s Cathedral. Look at all that gold!
Peter and Paul Cathedral
Tombs inside Peter and Paul Cathedral, where the emperors and empresses of Russia are buried (Nicholas II, the last Russian czar is buried here).
Church on Spilt Blood. Unique and beautiful!
Our favourite sight of the day.
At the “White Night Party”. At this point it’s almost midnight!
The fountains and Gulf of Finland at Peterhof Palace
The fountains are all gravity powered. This was in the morning just before they were all turned on
This palace was as beautiful as Versailles
The fountains were unreal!
Matryoshka dolls. We like to call them Babushkas, but apparently that is an incorrect usage of that name.
Next, we toured the Hermitage museum, which used to be the Winter Palace of the Czars. As a result, the building was gorgeous as was the art work. This museum definitely exceeded our expectations!
A beautiful palace AND artwork? Yes please!
Inside the Hermitage Museum. Checking out some paintings that were discovered in an attic somewhere a few years ago.
John discovered the veduta style of painting at the Hermitage. It’s now one of his favourites!
If we had to choose one museum in the world as our favourite, this is the one. So, we had to stop for a photo.
Next stop: Tallin, Estonia!
Tallin was a charming city that had a medieval feel to it. We enjoyed the storybook streets and delicious food and drink!
First, we opted to climb a tall church tower to get the lay of the land.
Tallin, Estonia
Former KGB Headquarters. Notice the bricked-in basement windows.
The “most romantic street in town”
The Old Square
Snack time! John is fishing a pickle out of a barrel.
Trying the elk stew the traditional way: no spoons. Drink straight from the bowl!
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
Trying the local dessert wine made from apples at the cosy wine bar Gloria Veinikelder.
That night on the ship, we went to our first “Silent Party.” Everyone is given headphones and the music is played through those. If you aren’t wearing headphones, it’s hilarious, because everyone is dancing to what looks like no music!
On the dance floor: our first silent party!
Our final stop: Gothenburg, Sweden. After touring so many towns, we decided to take a break on this day and stay near the port. Fortunately for us, this is where the Volvo Museum is located! I drove a Volvo in high school and college, so it was fun to come to where the company started. The museum was interesting and focused on more than just cars. John’s favourite part was the Volvo Ocean Race!
I’m a Volvo girl!
Cool exhibit on the Ocean Race
Enjoying the classic cars!
One final shot in front of our ship!
We loved our time in Scandinavia and found cruising a great way to see this part of the world. It was also great that we left a short train ride from our home in London. What a fantastic anniversary holiday!!
John and CB's Most Excellent Adventure 
I think I liked this trip the best of all those buildings were gorgeous! CB, did you get John to pose as St George wielding his sword on horseback? :)Love you both so much Keep the excellent adventure going Come to our beach for your next adventure!!! Mom at Beach