I’m finally in Montreal, meaning I’m in the right time zone at last. We’re staying in my brother’s apartment (which should have been for the both of us) so I get to see how much space and comfort I’m missing out on. Basically, the apartment is like 10 times as big as my dorm room (not really an exaggeration). But, the city doesn’t feel like home, so I’m happy I’m going to Boston even more now =) (Although the space I would have had here is.... :( )
Hopefully today I go get my printer and GPS, and then my brother needs house stuff (like sheets mattress etc), and dad arrives tomorrow.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Baltic Stops 4 and 5
Helsinki, Finland: more wet than Tallinn was (but we were prepared so it’s okay).
The city is small and not so alive. I didn’t notice anything about it, except this really nice modern church built in the 60’s into a mountain.
Oh, and their chocolate is pretty good...
Copenhagen, Denmark. Gorgeous weather. Cute city.
I remember my dad telling me how amazing Danishes in Denmark would be. First day, I felt ill (probably from lack of sleep) so we stayed on the ship for most of the day (sorry mom and dad!). We had a tour before that but I felt too ill to focus or leave the bus. Maybe I’ll ask my sister to do a small thing about it and post it up here.
Second day, we disembarked for the last time (byebye Crystal Symphony =( and the friends we made and the amazing food)... One couple we met gave us contact details and want to meet us for dinner here in Montreal =).
We went to the “Imperial hotel” where they had refreshments out for us. Danishes: disappointing. I was beginning to lose faith in them =(.
Then we went to the airport, where we shopped for a bit, then my sister and I lost mom and dad lol, but found them sitting at a cafe getting Danishes. We joined them, and shared the food... Wow did it go fast!!!!! They were... INCREDIBLE!!! Seriously the gate was 20 minutes from closing and mom decided to get us another batch.
So seriously; Danishes at the airport ;)
The city is small and not so alive. I didn’t notice anything about it, except this really nice modern church built in the 60’s into a mountain.
Oh, and their chocolate is pretty good...
Copenhagen, Denmark. Gorgeous weather. Cute city.
I remember my dad telling me how amazing Danishes in Denmark would be. First day, I felt ill (probably from lack of sleep) so we stayed on the ship for most of the day (sorry mom and dad!). We had a tour before that but I felt too ill to focus or leave the bus. Maybe I’ll ask my sister to do a small thing about it and post it up here.
Second day, we disembarked for the last time (byebye Crystal Symphony =( and the friends we made and the amazing food)... One couple we met gave us contact details and want to meet us for dinner here in Montreal =).
We went to the “Imperial hotel” where they had refreshments out for us. Danishes: disappointing. I was beginning to lose faith in them =(.
Then we went to the airport, where we shopped for a bit, then my sister and I lost mom and dad lol, but found them sitting at a cafe getting Danishes. We joined them, and shared the food... Wow did it go fast!!!!! They were... INCREDIBLE!!! Seriously the gate was 20 minutes from closing and mom decided to get us another batch.
So seriously; Danishes at the airport ;)
A Night in Heaven and Hell
So we spent one night in London, transiting from Denmark to Montreal. We stayed in a beautiful hotel called the Petersham (which I’ve referenced before). The view from the balcony was breathtaking! However, the room smelled like dust (which I am allergic to) so I couldn’t breathe well all night, and in turn kept waking up. Oh well.
I just remembered I never finished off how the rest of London last time went.
Lunch at Zizzi (restaurant opposite Hampton Court) was really good. We had a big family thing, and took over the restaurant! ;P My cousin brought her adorable 7-month-old son so he was fun to play around with... Great food, and the waffles are seriously TO DIE FOR!!!!!
Dinner at Blue Elephant was better than I’d think it would be. True, my cousins who were with me were as amusing as always (actually more since there were no parents so they could speak as freely and, well, disgustingly, as they pleased). However, the food was SCRUMPTIOUS!!!!! The chocolate mousse had coconut bits in it... Mmmmmmm....
I just remembered I never finished off how the rest of London last time went.
Lunch at Zizzi (restaurant opposite Hampton Court) was really good. We had a big family thing, and took over the restaurant! ;P My cousin brought her adorable 7-month-old son so he was fun to play around with... Great food, and the waffles are seriously TO DIE FOR!!!!!
Dinner at Blue Elephant was better than I’d think it would be. True, my cousins who were with me were as amusing as always (actually more since there were no parents so they could speak as freely and, well, disgustingly, as they pleased). However, the food was SCRUMPTIOUS!!!!! The chocolate mousse had coconut bits in it... Mmmmmmm....
Monday, August 11, 2008
Olympics
Luckily for me, the cruise has Euronews on their satellite TV... Meaning I was able to watch the opening ceremonies for the olympics live.
They were AMAZING!!!!!! Pixelated screen on the floor; wow!!!! Seriously!!!!
If you get a chance to watch them, do!
They were AMAZING!!!!!! Pixelated screen on the floor; wow!!!! Seriously!!!!
If you get a chance to watch them, do!
Baltic Stop 3
St Petersburg, Russia was a wonderful two-day experience. The weather was perfectly 16 degrees and sunny.
On the first day in the city, we visited the Hermitage and the Gold Room (which they refer to as a “museum in a museum”). Unfortunately, photos were not allowed in the Gold Room... I also noticed the many beautiful sculptures on the outside of all the buildings. Notice the grandeur of the rooms.
I found out that the color Red in Russia symbolizes beauty, hence the red velvet material behind the throne and the coat of arms in the Hermitage. Another interesting fact is that in the old days, women could only smoke with their left hands, since their right hands were kissed by gentlemen (to avoid smelling like tobacco).
The biggest vase in the complex was thought to be used as a swimming pool because of its size (but it was just a vase). It is made from one piece of marble ( a second piece for the base), and they had to break down the wall to get it into the room because it would not go through the doorway.
Later in the evening, we went to a production of Swan Lake in the Alexandrenski theatre (also known as the Pushkin Theatre). It was a great performance. The story line is where Disney go the idea for the movie Swan Princess, so if you’ve seen that you’ll understand what the ballet is about.
On the second day, we visited Catherine’s palace. It was so grand with an amazing amber room; unfortunately no pictures allowed in there either. Luckily, that’s where Google Images come in.
In the next picture you can see chirrups located on either side of the main staircase. The one waking up was on the East side representing East, while the one sleeping represented West on the West side.
We also visited the next-door palace of Alexander (her grandson).
Next, the Peterhov gardens. The fountains in the park could easily be compared to (if they were not better than) those of Versailles, according to dad.
The last two both represent Russia defeating (Sweden I think). In the second one, you see turtles around the main statue, representing the enemy’s allies. (for the exact names try Google because our guide couldn’t remember them either).
Finally, we visited Nicolas I’s home (Anastacia’s father) where the last Romanovs lived before they were taken to Siberia after the revolution.
Commenting on the Disney movie:
1- Rasputin was not an evil man who made Alexis sick (the crown prince). Rather, he was the witch doctor treating Alexis for his Hemophilia.
2- Anastacia did not survive, as the movie tells. The woman pretending to be her was actually a dancer, as found out after her death. The real Anastacia was killed with the rest of her family.
They were told that they were taking a family portrait, and they were arranged accordingly. The picture was taken, and immediately the trigger was pulled on the whole family. (I can’t find the photo online unfortunately).
On the first day in the city, we visited the Hermitage and the Gold Room (which they refer to as a “museum in a museum”). Unfortunately, photos were not allowed in the Gold Room... I also noticed the many beautiful sculptures on the outside of all the buildings. Notice the grandeur of the rooms.
I found out that the color Red in Russia symbolizes beauty, hence the red velvet material behind the throne and the coat of arms in the Hermitage. Another interesting fact is that in the old days, women could only smoke with their left hands, since their right hands were kissed by gentlemen (to avoid smelling like tobacco).
The biggest vase in the complex was thought to be used as a swimming pool because of its size (but it was just a vase). It is made from one piece of marble ( a second piece for the base), and they had to break down the wall to get it into the room because it would not go through the doorway.
Later in the evening, we went to a production of Swan Lake in the Alexandrenski theatre (also known as the Pushkin Theatre). It was a great performance. The story line is where Disney go the idea for the movie Swan Princess, so if you’ve seen that you’ll understand what the ballet is about.
On the second day, we visited Catherine’s palace. It was so grand with an amazing amber room; unfortunately no pictures allowed in there either. Luckily, that’s where Google Images come in.
In the next picture you can see chirrups located on either side of the main staircase. The one waking up was on the East side representing East, while the one sleeping represented West on the West side.
We also visited the next-door palace of Alexander (her grandson).
Next, the Peterhov gardens. The fountains in the park could easily be compared to (if they were not better than) those of Versailles, according to dad.
The last two both represent Russia defeating (Sweden I think). In the second one, you see turtles around the main statue, representing the enemy’s allies. (for the exact names try Google because our guide couldn’t remember them either).
Finally, we visited Nicolas I’s home (Anastacia’s father) where the last Romanovs lived before they were taken to Siberia after the revolution.
Commenting on the Disney movie:
1- Rasputin was not an evil man who made Alexis sick (the crown prince). Rather, he was the witch doctor treating Alexis for his Hemophilia.
2- Anastacia did not survive, as the movie tells. The woman pretending to be her was actually a dancer, as found out after her death. The real Anastacia was killed with the rest of her family.
They were told that they were taking a family portrait, and they were arranged accordingly. The picture was taken, and immediately the trigger was pulled on the whole family. (I can’t find the photo online unfortunately).
Pictures
So posting pictures on to here would be too difficult because internet here is like $.75 per minute, but on my .Mac account I don't need to be connected to the internet to upload them... So here's the link to my .Mac site where all the pictures can be found...
http://web.me.com/nooosa/Site/Life_Until_MIT/Life_Until_MIT.html
http://web.me.com/nooosa/Site/Life_Until_MIT/Life_Until_MIT.html
Baltic Stop 2
TALLINN, ESTONIA was the first official port for us to disembark in.
Basically, we didn’t get to understand much about the city because it was FREEZING COLD and WETTTTTT!!!!! Seriously it was 12 degrees (53 F) and did NOT stop raining. The main thing we understood was that the country basically was not left alone (as in EVERYONE had taken over it lol; Vikings, Germans, Russians, etc) and so they were only independent for a few years.
Look at how dad looked after walking like 3 hours in the rain... Lo0ol
By time I got back to the boat, I think no part of my body was dry (although I was in a thick sweatshirt, a rain coat, and had an umbrella at some points). I was shivering and so I took a nice warm shower, then headed to the Lido deck for lunch; amazing burger and pizza, then went for an ice cream cone (by this time I was warm and fuzzy again).
Basically, we didn’t get to understand much about the city because it was FREEZING COLD and WETTTTTT!!!!! Seriously it was 12 degrees (53 F) and did NOT stop raining. The main thing we understood was that the country basically was not left alone (as in EVERYONE had taken over it lol; Vikings, Germans, Russians, etc) and so they were only independent for a few years.
Look at how dad looked after walking like 3 hours in the rain... Lo0ol
By time I got back to the boat, I think no part of my body was dry (although I was in a thick sweatshirt, a rain coat, and had an umbrella at some points). I was shivering and so I took a nice warm shower, then headed to the Lido deck for lunch; amazing burger and pizza, then went for an ice cream cone (by this time I was warm and fuzzy again).
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