Final European Excursion

Our time in Europe is slowly winding down. A Baltic Sea cruise was always something we wanted to do so we figured this would be the best time to do it. All our household goods were shipped so staying in an empty house wasn't something that seemed fun and or sustainable. We booked the trip a few months in advance and had been counting down the days. Our good friends Sarah and Colby joined us on the adventure which made it more fun. This would be the last trip we would take before moving back to the USA. I guess we saved the best for last. 

We flew into Copenhagen and took the train to our hotel that was downtown. We spent one night in Copenhagen before jumping on the boat. We left Naples and the 100 degree temperature and landed in Denmark where it was in the 60's. We immediately took out our coats and warm clothes in order to stay warm. It was a nice change though. 

We woke up the next morning to rain and cold. We had great plans to catch a bus that picked up right outside our hotel, but little did we know that was also the plans of the other three thousand passengers. We ended up hailing a cab and had them drop us off right by the terminal. The look on the kids' faces was great. They had never seen a boat so big! 

We put our bags in the room, check things out around the ship and then made our way to the pool decks. After lunch, and after we had pulled out, the weather cleared and it was warm-ish for the kids to go in the pool. The was about 5-6 water slides and 4 pools from what I can remember. Luckily the pools were heated. 

The first day away from Copenhagen and the next full day were all at sea. We spent both days exploring the boat, eating lots of good food and catching a few shows. They also had a kids club that the kids absolutely loved. They made a lot of friends there and each day was themed with different crafts and activities. This was the first sunset... which I think occurred at 10pm or later. 
The ship was really nice and clean and a lot larger then I expecting. Shannon and I have been on a Caribbean cruise back in the day and that is what we had to go off of. This was the fancy area of the boat with the large chandelier. 

Here we are making our way through the Gulf of Finland in route to St Petersburg, Russia. We spent a lot of time on the sun deck relaxing, walking around the ship and swimming in the pools. 

We passed the St Petersburg Naval base on the way to port. 

Here's LC showing off her face paint.

First port was St Petersburg, Russia. I was a little concerned about getting through customs due to being in the military. Luckily they didn't give me too much trouble and we were all set to go explore Russia. The cruise ships have special deals with the Russian government where you could enter the city without a visa but only if you were on a tour group. We booked a tour that visited a lot of the sites. 

We stopped on the Neva River, which runs through the city, and took some pics of the river and the Hermitage which was across the way. We lucked out with a beautiful and warm day. 

Shannon standing by the Neva River with the Peter and Paul Fortress in the background. 

Next stop was to the Peter and Paul Fortress. This was founded by Peter the Great and now contains a museum and a cathedral. 

These are the tombs of Peter the Great and his family. 

We also stopped at a souvenir store. 

This was my favorite stop - The Savior of the Spilled Blood church. It had the classic onion shaped and colorful domes. 

The city was really nice. It was clean and modern and not what we expected. It was also very crowded with tourists.  

Crossing the Neva River back to the ship. We stayed the night on the boat in St Petersburg and pulled out the next morning for Estonia.  

Here is Shannon checking out Tallinn, Estonia from our balcony in the room.  

We were able to walk of the boat and walk into the old part of the city where we passed the old town city walls. 

We climbed up, what seemed like one million stairs, of the St Olaf's Church. The stairs were steep and cramped and not pleasant but fortunately the views from the top (and cool breeze) made the trip worth it. It offered unobstructed views of the city. 

We walked around all day exploring the city. As you probably have noticed, we were kidless. The girls wanted to stay on the boat at the kids club which made our time out in the city a little more enjoyable. 

Shannon and Sarah near the old city walls. 

A brief stop at the Alesander Nevsky Catherdal. 

A nice photo opportunity of the city. 

 We only had the one full day in Tallinn, then it was back on the boat and a brief trip to Helsinki, Finland.

It was pretty chilly in Finland. We wore all the warm clothes that we brought and headed into town. We always hit the highlights of the city and tried to grab some good food and drinks. We strolled through this park to get some coffee. We hit up a cross fit gym in the morning, walked around and found some delicious sushi that was really cheap. 

Finland is known for their Saunas. On the walk to and from the boat, we saw one where people were coming out of the building and jumping in the chilly Baltic Sea. Then they go back into the warm sauna and do it all over again. We didnt try it out although thinking back on it, I would have like to have done it. 

Like Russia and Estonia, we pulled in in the morning and left in the the later afternoon. The girls had a ball at the kids club and here they are saying goodbye to Finland as we pulled out.

Our second to last stop was Stockholm, Sweden. The ship had to start its transit super early in the morning to get us into the city. Shannon and I woke up before the kids and had coffee on our patio watching the beautiful scenery pass. We did sign up for the hop-on-hop-off pass which made it easy to get to and from the sites. 

We visited the Vasa Museum and checked out the old ship that was brought back from the bottom of the sea. If you dont know the story of the Vasa (like myself) you should google it -- its a pretty neat story. 

We took the guide tour throughout the museum and learned a lot of good information. It was actually really neat and amazing how preserved the ship was for how old it is. 

Shannon is the best travel buddy! 

The vibe in Stockholm was pretty awesome. The beautiful weather also was a bonus. We learned about fika and ended up having multiple stops for fika. Fika is relaxing coffee and cake break -- its a state of mind. 

We walked around the Old town which was beautiful. 

The buildings were very Scandinavian looking with all the colors and their design.

The Sixth Fleet Command ship, USS MOUNT WHITNEY, was also in Stockholm for a port visit. 

We overnighted in Stockholm and pulled out the next day. Ellis and I were on our way to the ropes course. The boat had just about everything you can think of. A trampoline, rock climbing wall, putt-putt golf, a ropes course and more. We stayed very busy with the kids and we did just about everything every day.  We even went to a magic show where the kids were blown away with some of the tricks... hahaha. It was pretty funny to watch their expressions. 

As I mentioned before, the food was actually very very good. There was a ton of variety and everything was delicious and plentiful. We had a nice view while we left Stockholm, admiring the beautiful scenery. 

Our final stop was the town of Visby on Gotland Island. Our boat was the largest ship to ever pull in and it was the first time they had ever visited. So we were a part of history. 

We checked out all the old churches and learned about some of their history. We were also blessed with another gorgeous day. 

Shannon wanted me to take a photo of her by the old wall. 

We visited the Vizby Cathedral. 

Making our way back to the ship.

We had one more full day at sea before pulling back into Copenhagen. We hit the pools and enjoyed all the activities. 

The boat pulled back into Denmark early in the morning so we made our way to the airport and killed time on this cool structure.

We had a great time and were able to briefly see Russia, Estonia, Finland, and Sweden. It was also something different and a neat way to travel around. The kids thought it was THE coolest thing ever. They loved the ship and loved the food and the kids club and all the activities. LC was sad to leave the kids club for the last time and say goodbye to the friends she made. Shannon and I agreed that this cruise scratched the cruise itch and were probably good on cruises for a few year to come. We had a good time but were ready to get off. But this trip wrapped up our three years in Europe! We would get back to Italy and a few days later be on the plane, on the move, back to the USA. We will absolutely miss the travel opportunities in Europe and miss our dear friends in Italy that we left behind. The highlights of this overseas tour was the trips we went on together. We were blessed to have been able to hit up a handful of places and learn about other cultures and ways of life. But, all good things must come to and end and we find ourselves heading back to sunny San Diego. 

Slovenia and Croatia = Fun and Sun!

Our trip to Slovenia and Croatia was always on our list of places to go. A lot of our friends had been to both places and had nothing but good things to say about it. We found a good week to go and booked our adventure. Here are some pictures:

Loading up on the plane for a quick flight to Trieste, Italy. We rented a car there and drove to Lake Bled, Slovenia for our first stop.  

We found our hotel, parked and unloaded the car and made our way to the lake. 

It was a little on the warm side so the cool temps of the lake were welcomed. 

There is an island in the middle of the lake. There is a church on the island named Pilgrimage Church of the Assumption of Maria. The only way to get there is by boat. No motors are allowed on the lake so you have to take a row boat. The previous photo had one of the unique boats in it. The boats are called Plenta boats. You can also swim out to the island which we saw plenty of people doing. 

There are 99 steps to get from the boat dock to the church. There is a Slovenian tradition where the groom must carry his wife up the stairs to the church while she remains completely silent. This will ensure a long and happy marriage. I totally would have done it but I dont think Shannon would have kept quiet. 

The main reason for visiting Lake Bled was to stay in the treehouse village. This was something we had heard about from our friends. We booked the room about 4 months in advance. It did not disappoint and it was really unique. 

It was so peaceful and everything was themed around nature. 

They had a awesome spring-water pool that tadpoles swimming in it. The girls spent hours on end enjoying the water and cooling off. They also had a delicious restaurant where most of the veggies and fruit were grown on the property. Farm to table! 

We also took a dip in Lake Bled. It was a little chilly but was very refreshing. It was extremely clear and we saw lots of fish. 

Slovenia is also known for their honey. One of the first bee keepers, Anton Jansa, is considered one of the first modern bee keepers. Slovenia is also the only European country that has protected the bee. We visited one of the local bee keepers and she took us on a tour of their place. 

We tasted delicious honey treats, learned a lot about bees, got to see them up close and saw them buzzing around in action. Another thing unique to Slovenia is the painted panels of the bee houses. They believe that the bees know which colors are their houses and will return to their house throughout their lives. 

Lake Bled, Slovenia was absolutely beautiful, scenic, and nice to be in nature.

Our next stop was Croatia. We drove a few hours down to Split, Croatia to see what it is all about. One thing we found out first hand was the heat. It was very hot so the first thing we did after getting settled in the apartment was hit Bacvice Beach along with many others. 

Sailing in the crystal clear waters of the Dalmatian coast was one of the goals. The company cancelled our sailing excursion the night before due to the forecasted winds. Luckily, we were able to find a tour on a power boat that took us island hopping throughout the coast. 

Croissants always make mornings better! 

We departed Split and made our way to the island of Otok Drvenik Veli. 

First stop was the blue lagoon. We were one of the first boats to arrive so we were able to swim and play before it got busy.  I do not know if we will ever see clearer water then the water in the lagoon.  

We snorkeled and watched the schools of fish swimming around. 

We departed the lagoon for Trogir, Croatia. Parts of the medieval town remain intact along with modern buildings. 

The 13th century Cathrdral of St Lawrence is on the right. 

We stopped in Trogir for a bathroom break and snacks and a quick visit to the beach. 

The beautiful waters of the Dalmatian coast and Ellis! 

The next stop was back towards Split where we were able to swim around and jump off these rocks. 

The girls picked up snorkeling very fast. 

We were able to salvage a day out on the sea and got to experience a bit of the Dalmatian coast. 

It was back to Split were it was hotter than a two dollar pistol. 

We had to wait around until evening time to be able to go out and explore. It was was just too miserable to walk around in the heat of the day. We took a brief stroll through the Diocletians Palace which is a huge fortress-like palace that served as a residence for a Roman emperor and the military garrison.  We found some good sea food places and topped it off with ice cream. 

This was our view from our apartment -- not too shabby. 

The next morning we drove to the Krka National park in order to play around in the water falls and tide pools. 

There was a nice boardwalk that traversed the park but we made a beeline to the pools to cool off. It was another scorcher of a day. 

He are the girls and I making our way out to the falls. The water was bone chilling cold but again, felt refreshing due to the heat. The brown area is calcified rocks that you had to navigate to get to the deeper pools. 

The water felt amazing and the scenery was fantastic. 

After cooling down our core temperature, we made our way back out of the park and stopped to view the other water falls. 

The next stop was Zadar, Croatia. We walked around the city and checked out the sea organ. 

The sea organ is an architectural sound-making piece of art. There are pipes built into the marble steps that play sounds as the waves crash into them. 

We enjoyed the organ for a few minutes but called it early due to the heat. The girls wanted to jump in and swim, but the water was a bit choppy. Meanest parents ever! 

Our final stop was Nin, Croatia where we hit the beach, relaxed at a beach-side cabana, and ate a good pizza. 

Walking back to the apartment after a long day of exploring and swimming.

Another trip in the books. It was a good time but we could have done without the heat. There was a heatwave going through Europe that week so we couldn't escape it. Luckily we had a lot of beaches and pools available to cool us down.