Stockholm, Sweden

Posted on August 9, 2011 by Kristen

Swedish icon, the painted red horse

August 9 Our view from the ship’s cabin was dotted with little cottages and small boats as we docked in Stockholm. Another city based on water trade, Stockholm is home to many fishermen and the downtown doesn’t disappoint.

Vasa ship, Stockholm

Tall ships, frigates and numerous cruise lines all make a stop in Stockholm. We disembarked and bought a ticket on a water ferry over to see the VASA ship, a Swedish fighting ship that sank just a mile from shore on its maiden voyage. As our guide said, “it was a very important sinking. Much learning about ship building came about from the failure.” I like to think that statement can be applied to all of life.

Following the museum tour, we headed to old town, Gamla Stan, where we queued up for the Royal Changing of the Guards. This was a long show but we got to hear a marching band and watch soldiers exchange duties in perfect formation.

The highlight for several in our group was the excursion to the Absolut Ice Bar in downtown Stockholm. Imagine drinking delicious cocktails in ice glasses while you’re surrounded by carved ice sculptures not to mention the mittens, heavy cloaks and hoods that we wore to keep us toasty while sitting in the ice bar.

Ice cups

Lindsey and Lilly try to stay warm in Ice Bar

Everything in the bar is made from ice, including the stools to sit on. Lindsey and Lauren wore flip flops and they instantly felt the cold. The kids were served non-alcoholic drinks and the adults had the opportunity to try unusual concoctions with names like Sleigh Ride.

Day at Sea

Posted on August 8, 2011 by Kristen

It’s party time, MSC cruise

August 8 Day at Sea, Kiel to Stockholm
We returned to the ship in fine form after our day of sightseeing in Kiel and got dressed for dinner. We had 2 tables in the L’Hibiscus dining room, a table of 8 and a table of 4. This proved a bit of a challenge because we had 7 adults and 5 children. We decided to rotate who sat at the “little table” with Tim drawing the lucky spot for night number 1. Our servers, Adriana and Lucas, kept us entertained with incredible food and magic tricks throughout the evening. Since MSC is an Italian-owned ship, each evening featured dishes from different regions through Italy. I have to admit, they all started to taste somewhat the same by day 4 but we still enjoyed the opportunity to choose from the menu up to 6 courses, with dessert always being a highlight.

Will organizes family golf

taking the plunge

Our day at sea was absolutely perfect. Lots of sunshine (even on the Baltic Sea), warm temps, refreshing pools and a rousing game of mini-golf on the top deck. Will and Troy spent hours preparing an “Olympic games” competition for our time on the cruise which was great fun until we discovered that supplies for events (like ping pong and suffleboard) were a bit limited. Not to fear…as the sun began to set, all of us were a bit weary from the day’s tiring schedule of sunbathing and drinking tropical drinks. Following dinner each night, the entertainment crew put on a gala spectacular in the ship’s theater. It reminded me a bit of Vegas, a little opera, death-defying acrobatics and even an appearance by the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.

The king of pop! Michael Jackson entertained us

All Aboard!

Posted on August 7, 2011 by Kristen

Rosenberg Palace, Copenhagen

Day 1: Leaving Copenhagen aboard MSC Orchestra Our last morning in Copenhagen was spent touring Rosenberg Palace, the favorite home and place of death for King Christian IV. It is an intimate castle with every room used and designed for comfort. It seems King Christian was a bit of a jokester–he had a chair built that made fart noises and wet the person’s pants when they sat down and he had a room completely covered in mirrors (including the floor) in order to see up women’s skirts. I was most impressed by the King’s throne which was made out of narwhal tusks (first thought to be unicorn horns)…it absolutely glimmers in the light. The Palace is also home to the royal treasury so the kids enjoyed getting an up close view of tiaras, crowns and massive pearl and diamond necklaces.

Following the Palace tour we drove over to visit the Little Mermaid. Lindsey conveniently cued up the Disney song on her laptop as we drove by. The kids and I hopped out to get up close and true to Lauren’s nature, she fell in the water to be super close with her kindred spirit. Surprise to us…the Little Mermaid is actually quite little.

Our cruise ship was docked fairly close to the Mermaid so Tim dropped us off with our luggage and went to find the parking garage for the cruise terminal. This turned out to be about a mile away; sounds close when you’re driving there but then you have to walk that same distance back to the ship. Tim made it in record time and we proceeded to check in to our cabins, find the rest of our party and hit the buffet.

Exploring Copenhagen

Posted on August 7, 2011 by Kristen

The Little Mermaid, Copenhagen

The harbor cruise is a great way to get acquainted with the city’s layout. Some highlights include the Opera House and the Black Diamond, Copenhagen’s public library.

canal runs right through middle of this apartment building

My favorite spot was cruising through Nyhavn where the houseboats and original waterside buildings still stand. Following the cruise, Lindsey, lauren and I climbed the church tower of Our Savior’s Church, a massive spiral tower which has the adventurous walk on the outside of the tower on their way to the top. While the girls delighted in seeing the city from on high, I simply touched the last step with my foot and immediately turned around to go back down.

Following the church climb, we made our way to the Danish National Museum and saw some really cool old stuff. This free museum is chock full of ancient goods including mummies found in old coffins and Runestones, memorials to deceased men with colored runic writing (like hieroglyphics) dating from the 6-7th century. While we first thought Denmark was land of Vikings, we now know that Vikings were much farther north and Copenhagen remains a thoroughly “modern” city having been radically impacted by Christian IV in the 1600s.

Braided hair found in Danish bogs, National Museum Copenhagen

Sun god rides a chariot across the sky

For dinner, we met up with the rest of the Postma gang and enjoyed a meal at an Italian restaurant. We were surprised to learn that the Danish don’t “share meals” and we each had to order a meal from the regular menu. Good thing we weren’t spending more than 2 days in the fabulous town.

Cruising the Baltic

Posted on August 6, 2011 by Kristen

Starting Point: Copenhagen The Postma Family gathered in Copenhagen Denmark for a week-long cruise of the Baltic Sea. Mom and Dad played it smart by first flying to Geneva to visit Bryan and Stephanie and kids and allow jet lag to slow them down BEFORE heading on the cruise. Tim, the kids and I drove to Denmark, taking the autobahn and stopping for the night in Hannover, Germany. We planned to arrive 2 days before the cruise left allowing for some sightseeing in one of Europe’s most expensive cities.

Our “home” in Copenhagen was the Hotel Jorgensen, a hostel/hotel catering to down-on-their-luck tourists. We secured a family room which consisted of metal bunkbeds, a tiny metal cafe table, 2 chairs and a large flat screen TV mounted to the wall. I brought sheets, blankets and pillows to give it the feel of a college dorm. This wasn’t successful. It was still a bare-bones room but at least we had our own space.

Danish wiener

The first evening we headed out on the town. It was a short walk from the hotel to Tivoli Gardens and the Town Hall. We enjoyed watching people, listening to street musicians and eating the long weiners that Denmark is known for.

Annecy France

Posted on July 22, 2011 by Kristen

The great thing about being in Geneva is the proximity to France. We took a countryside drive over the border to visit Annecy, France. The village is nestled at the bottom of soaring mountains and has a lake perfect for recreation. We picnicked in a nearby park then took a stroll to the town, walking by canals and oogling the diners who were enjoying meals at the numerous water-side restaurants. The town boasts the “most photographed prison” in all of France…built in the 12 Century, the Lord of Annecy was the first to inhabit this structure. The old prison was modeled after a Galley ship’s bow to resemble an anchored warfare vessel in calm waters. Convicts were the last residents of the building.

A Moveable Feast

Category Archives: Travel