So we are now truly on our way – we have seen the sites of Stockholm, tested the waters there, had a little lox and some swedish meatballs and started cruising our way to Helskinki (known as the City of the Sea) in Finland and then onto Tallinn in Estonia.  It is so wonderful to leave one country at night and wake up in another country the following morning.   In fact, we noticed at dinner the evening we left Helsinki (on our way to  Tallinn) that we were moving quite slow, very slowly, and then uh oh, we were stopped.  What had happened on our ship?  Did we hit something?  Did we forget something or someone back in Helsinki?  Nope, apparently it is only takes about 2-1/2 hours to cross between Finland and Estonia – so we were taking a leisurely attitude along the route, so we could view pulling into port at Tallinn upon waking up – you just gotta love cruising!    And the cruise line’s thought process on this cool way of starting your morning, just cracks me up!

Helsinki and Tallinn are a bit of a blur as both cities looked pretty much the same: beautiful landscapes, lots of ornate churches that were very regal looking and tons of tourists with their iPhones pointing high up in the air – just like me!   A few pics from Helsinki and Tallinn:

CHURCH OF THE ROCK – Helsinki – A stunning Lutheran church built directly out of solid rock that attracts about half a million tourists each year.  The copper roof looks a bit like a UFO hovering – don’t you think?

OLD TOWN – overlooking Old Town in the City of Tallinn, Estonia.  A very charming little town with twisty cobblestone streets.  Lots of souvenir shops with a large selection of  Faberge-like eggs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

ALEXANDER NEVSKY CATHEDRAL  – Spectacularly ornate orthodox cathedral  (originally Catholic).  Beautiful russian icons and mosaics along the walls inside the cathedral, which was basically abandoned once the USSR took over the town, but was meticulously restored in 1991.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

STARTER – “Green Split Pea Soup” with champagne and whole wheat croutons.  This was a very rich, creamy split pea soup, minus the bacon.  I thought I would miss the bacon, but the champagne gave it a lovely fragrant flavor with a slight citrus twist.   Very different and something I will consider trying to replicate once we enter into Fall.

 

 

 

 

 

DESSERT – “Sugar Mill” butterscotch whiskey gastric with vanilla ice cream and orange shortbread.  A very nice way of serving plain vanilla ice cream for dessert, especially after a heavy meal.