November 7-8, 2024: New Orleans, LA

We flew from ILM, landing in New Orleans, excitedly anticipating joining Kathy and Michael as well as exploring a city we’ve not visited. We had the afternoon to ourselves to search for a quick lunch (Vampire Grill, of course!) and strolled around the streets before heading back to the Westin to await our travel companions’ arrival.

We joined a panoramic city drive the following morning, enjoying a running commentary from our guide who impressed us with the famous, infamous and quirks of NOLA. Our first stop was at Cemetery #3 to discuss the rationale behind the above ground burials (the water table level is an issue) as well as the history and sayings we still use today. “Wouldn’t touch that with a 10-foot pole” came about as bones were pushed back from the front of the mausoleum to make room for another body. The “skeleton key” fit into the lock of the mausoleum’s door to open it for removal of the bones.

The bus took us past the Super Dome, leading to a discussion of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Mary Margaret had volunteered with the American Red Cross just after Hurricane Katrina made landfall and before the arrival of Hurricane Rita a couple weeks later. It was an experience she would not soon forget. We were aware that another hurricane was heading to the Gulf Coast but, fortunately, Hurricane Rafael turned south, away from the coast.

Our last stop was spending a delightful 1.5 hours at the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) with its myriad of fantastic exhibits. Kathy and Michael had joined the Jazz Experience tour and after both were over, we met up at the Café du Monde for the famous beignets and lattes. Delicious!

Later that evening, we headed to the Crescent City Brewhouse, highly recommended by our concierge—it did not disappoint! We followed a parade to the restaurant in the French Quarter and enjoyed live jazz music with our meal. Strolling back to the Westin, we did a bit of window shopping, surrounded by music and crowds. What a fantastic city!

We received a call from Kathy O’Dowd in August 2023, asking us if we would be interested in joining her father, Michael O’Dowd, and herself on a Mississippi River cruise. He will be turning 70 in December 2024 and she was planning a surprise for him. Why this cruise? Michael had briefly lived near New Orleans when Kathy was a mere infant (her mother, Olga, and brother, Dennis were also there) working as an employee of UOP in the oil refinery business. Kathy thought that November would be a perfect time of year and a way to spend some quality time with her dad. This cruise is most likely the one planned the furthest in advance than any of our other adventures. We agreed to join this cruise as it would be our first in the USA and also the very first Viking experience.

Two weeks prior to the beginning of our adventure, Mary Margaret broke her right big toe when performing a Bulgarian Split Squat in her HIIT class. Fortunately, it did not require surgical intervention, only that she must wear a “shoe” for the next 6 weeks. This did not impact her ability to participate in walking tours or enjoying herself on this amazing adventure!

October 14-21, 2023:

Our last stop before cruising 6 days to the US was scheduled to be the lovely Punta Delgada. As we left France and headed into the North Atlantic, we were treated to a glorious sunrise, promising a fabulous day. 

We have visited this port in the Azores a couple of times during our previous cruises so we were planning on exploring the town on our own.

As the Rotterdam finally approached Punta Delgado after 2 sea days, there was a change of plans due to the remnants of Tropical Storm Sean. After 3 failed attempts at entering the harbor, the captain made the decision to cancel this port and modify the trajectory of our cruise.

The captain made the right decision and kept us informed daily as to the ship’s location as it cruised south by southwest, altering our course but not losing time regarding our scheduled stop in Half Moon Cay. We spent our time on the ship catching up on sleep, attending lectures, indulging in spa treatments and delicious meals and spoiling ourselves before reality sets in! Sea days are wonderful in that they make you relax. No rushing to catch an excursion or missing any Mah Jongg opportunities.

We were entertained by a group of peregrine falcons who may have been blown off course when near the Azores. They stayed with us for a full 6 days, hitching a ride and fishing for their meals.

We sailed into Half Moon Cay, Bahamas in the early morning hours of October 21, observing the tranquil sunrise and brightening turquoise waters lapping at the white sand at the shore. Gorgeous!

We had scheduled a shore excursion that would have us in a trolley for about an hour, exploring the island highlights. Mary Margaret had secured a cabana that provided shade and shelter for 2 beach chairs that we would set up before our trolley tour.

Have Moon Cay is owned by the Holland America Line and gives its guests a true island experience with no hassle. We took a shuttle from the ship to the island, checked in and went straight to the beach to set up our cabana. That task completed, we returned to the meeting area in the small shopping square for our trolley excursion. It was such a lovely location with most of the passengers being quite jolly (did it have something to do with the island beverages?).

The island is quite small so our trolley tour took less than an hour to complete. In that time, we watched manta rays being fed, horses being saddled and ridden by our fellow passengers and a tour “behind the scenes where the island employees live.

Back to the beach to swim and nap before lunch.

Holland America put on a huge spread, up to the challenge of feeding nearly 2,400 passengers! There was an abundance of food, drink and places to sit and eat spread throughout an acre of lush greenery.

All aboard happened all too soon. We were shuttled back to the ship to shower and change for our last evening on board. Looking around our “home” for the past 36 days made us realize we had lots of organizing to do, making room for purchases and time for a last show in the Main Stage. Ft. Lauderdale was a short cruise away and we had to be off the ship by 8:30 am the next morning.

October 22, 2023: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and the cruise end

The Rotterdam slipped quietly into Port Everglades, well before sunrise. We stood on our stateroom veranda for the last time, watching as small boats floated past. There were egrets on shore and a crew team practicing their strokes. In the distance we could see container ships cruising with their cargo to places unnamed.

Leaving the ship and flying back to Wilmington, NC, was largely uneventful. There was a bit of a process taking a shuttle bus from Port Everglades to the airport, which we could see off in the distance. We decided that, next time, we would either take a taxi or Uber leaving a cruise as it would be better coordinated.

Overall, it was a fabulous cruise with so much to see and learn! We appreciate our ability to travel despite heading into our “Go Slow” years, recognizing the need to have others plan sightseeing adventures, such as can be found on cruise ships or land tours. Despite all our travels, there is still so much more to see. Postpone nothing!

Wednesday, October 11, 2023: Brest, France

We arrived in Brest late morning on a partly sunny, cool day, ready to explore on our own. This was really a “working” port for us as we had toured Brest in 2018, arriving on a rainy, cold day with gale force winds, fighting our way to a few of the most notable locations with a energetic guide. Those memories behind us, we needed to focus on finding reliable Wi-Fi as it has been miserable trying to upload photos into the blog, surrendering to Facebook as our only way to update friends and family on our shenanigans. 

The Rotterdam tied up in the industrial port and we headed out as soon as allowed, joining a very long line waiting for shuttle buses into the city center.

Once there, we headed to the Tourist Information center to purchase an all day pass covering bus, tram and cable car for a mere 4.50  euros per ticket. On the tram, over to the cable car landing and up to the top of the Plateau des Capuchins where we arrived in the huge industrial workshop converted from the 1695 Capuchin monastery.

Our trip was ostensibly for Wi-Fi in the newly constructed Les Ateliers des Capuchins, however were distracted by Napoleon’s Imperial Barge! It was constructed in 1810 and used briefly for him to cruise around Antwerp to visit the French Naval Fleet. It was not built to last. It had several moves, back and forth from Brest to Paris and back to Brest with some additional embellishments added.

It was magnificent! We were able to look at it in an enormous arena-type room where it’s 62-foot length was easily accommodated. There were picnic tables scattered around the large space that included a library and huge machinery used in the ship building business. We watched as youngsters roller-skated and biked around this level creating a family atmosphere.

Photos easily uploaded with plans to edit the posts once back on the Rotterdam, we walked back to the upper level and to the cable car, enjoying our ride over the river and dry docks, landing near our tram stop. Instead of boarding the tram, we had to find a store that sold batteries as our little votive candle, used as a nightlight in our dark stateroom bathroom, was running quite low. We found a Monoprix, a large department store, and had help locating a battery. Mary Margaret was able to use her limited French which seemed to delight the clerk. She was kind enough to change it and recycle the battery as well.

Up to street level and into another chocolate store to rid ourselves of euros before cruising 2 sea days to the Azores. Mission accomplished!

The Rotterdam left Brest, France with one last view of the German submarine bunkers, still untouched but now used for a different purpose.

Tuesday, October 10, 2023: Portland, England

A gloomy day greeted us the Rotterdam tied up in the Port of Portland, on the English Channel, located in the southwest of England in an area known as Dorset. It promised to be relatively cool and no rain. Most of the onshore excursions took passengers places we had already explored during our 2015 stay in England, so we opted for an hour’s drive though the countryside to the ruins of Corfe Castle.

Our guide, Susanna, gave us a geological lesson as we drove from the port along a sea wall known as Chesil Beach. This 18-mile long stretch of “shingle” was created by actions of the sea as it pushed loose rocks and stone onto the shore during storms. The rocks range in size from the tiniest pebble to large rocks depending on the location.

Chesil Beach connects the mainland to the island where the port is located and protects the village of Weymouth from storms. The height of the sea wall can reach up to 50-feet in places. Another interesting fact is that this area is also known as the Jurassic Coast due to the number of fossils found here, specifically ammonite. It has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The countryside proved just as charming. House upon house with thatched roofs, green fields with grazing horses, cows and sheep, rolling hills, narrow roads and small villages. Aside from the thatched roofs, it reminded us of Upstate New York. One surprising site was the image of King George III etched into the chalky soil on a hillside outside Weymouth, his favorite seaside resort.

We reached Corfe Village, located in a gap in the Purbeck Hills, and walked about 15 minutes from the parking area to the village center.

The walking path meandered along a river and climbed steeply to the village that sits below the castle ruins.

Corfe castle has a remarkable history. This is where the Saxon King Alfred the Great laid the foundation stone in the 9th century and where King Edward the Martyr was murdered by his stepmother in 987 as she wanted her son to step into the role of King. William the Conqueror made his way here in 1086 and significantly expanded the size of the castle.

Unfortunately, during the English Civil War, it was targeted for destruction as it was a Royalist stronghold. Much of the castle was blown up but several massive walls remain.

The castle location, high on a hill, overlooks much of the countryside, emphasizing its strategic placement.

Left on our own for 2 hours, we explored the castle, indulged in cream tea in an 18th century tea room and walked to the train station where we watched a steam locomotive pull in.

The village is charming with many of original 16th century structures preserved.

The National Trust shop has an original fireplace from the castle acting as a archway into one of the shop rooms. It was a very relaxing day, making our way through 1,000 years of history and back to the bus.

We returned to the bus, having learned more about the history of this scenic part of England. After reaching the Rotterdam, we were entertained by a local band and, on our way out of the port, received a cannon salute! Definitely a first for us!

A last, iconic view of the coastline revealed the chalky white cliffs as we sailed to France.

Monday, October 9, 2023: Le Harve and Giverny, France

The weather has been exceptionally delightful these past few days and today promises to be another sunny, warm October day. Overnight, the Rotterdam had cruised into the English Channel and into the port of Le Harve early morning, in time for us to ready ourselves for a long bus ride through Normandy and into Giverny, the location of the home and gardens of Claude Monet. 

We met our tour guide, Lana and joined thirty other people interested in the Impressionist painter, Oscar Claude Monet, his life and his environment. Or maybe they just couldn’t get on another excursion and found themselves unwilling to hang out in Le Harve that had been heavily bombed during WWII, leaving it without charm. That said, Lana told us that the city center was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005 due to the rebuilding by famed architect, Auguste Perret and his team. Maybe another time.

The 2-hour ride went by quickly as Lana gave us details on Monet’s life as well as drawing our attention to the scenery outside the bus. Normandy is relatively flat and mostly agricultural as it is the most northwestern region of France. Its name is from having the Vikings or “Northmen” settle here in the 700s.

The attraction for artists is the light reflected from the North Sea and the River Seine. Monet was born in Paris but his parents moved the family to Le Harve when he was 5 yrs old, growing up on the shores of the English Channel. He became interested in art and would paint grimy street scenes as the busy harbor used coal to power steamships and factories. Later, he was influenced by Eugene Boudin, the “plein air” painter who became his teacher. Monet was encouraged to “paint outside in the fresh air” and developed his radical style that was labeled “Impressionist” by a disgruntled art critic after viewing the painting “Impression: the rising sun” in an 1874 show.

Monet lived in Giverny due to its rural environment that inspired him to paint nature. He is very well known for his paintings of lily pads on the pond in the Water Garden with its Japanese bridge.

We arrived in Giverny with its population of 496, only slightly overwhelming the inhabitants who must be very used to tourists at this stage. The village is very small and retains its charming rustic character with old homes, cobblestone streets, a village church built in the 11th century and, of course, Monet’s home and gardens.

It is easy to see why Monet was attracted to this place and so inspired by his surroundings! We walked to the restaurant for lunch that included a delicious Normandy stew, crusty bread, a crème brûlée and wine. It almost felt as if a nap was coming on but then we were off to the gardens, the reason for our visit!

There are two gardens on his property: The Clos Normand or the Norman Garden, and the Water Garden, both joined by a tunnel leading from one to the other under a road. Monet, also a passionate gardener, designed these gardens with an artist’s eye for color, texture and shape.

Photos cannot do it justice! We were told there are over 200,000 flowers and other plantings creating this paradise. After walking around the Water Garden, we headed to the Clos Normand where we strolled a bit before entering Monet’s home, where he lived and painted until his death in 1926.

He had lived there with Alice and her children although she was married to someone else. Eventually, they married after her husband died although his relationship he had with Camille Pissaro, his muse and former art school classmate, seemed complicated.

It was difficult to leave this “living museum” but the Musée Giverny Impressionnismes was our next tour and just a short walk from Monet’s home. “Flower Power” was the theme of the artworks being exhibited; small but delightful!

Our last discovery was the Church of Saint Radegund, built during the 11th and 12th centuries and enlarged in the 15th century with a major renovation post WWII. It was a 10 minute walk from Monet’s home with his final resting place in the family plot of the church’s graveyard.

St. Radegund was an unknown saint for us but her story made for interesting reading. She was born in 519, the daughter of Berthair, King of Thuringia. She wanted to become a nun but was forced to marry the nasty Clothaire, king of the Francs. After he murdered her brother, she left him, entered a convent and created the abbey of St. Croix where she died in 587. She is the patron saint of people with skin diseases. Unfortunately, no photos in the church but Monet’s grave was found, covered in flowers with a crowd around the pathway.

A glorious day to explore a place that inspired genius.

Sunday, October 8, 2023: Ghent, East Flanders, Belgium

The Rotterdam cruised into Zeebrugge, Belgium, an international port located in a small village between Brugge and Antwerp, Belgium. We had spent a week in Brugge in 2018, exploring this fascinating city, leading us, today, to select an onshore excursion away from the port, to Ghent.

Our hour long bus ride was made more interesting with our guide, Jesse, educating us on the “little known facts” of Brugge, Ghent and the country of Belgium. For instance, the Belgians love their waffles and there are 3 common varieties, all of which can be consumed while walking. The Belgians invented frites, incorrectly known as “French fries”, and love their food and beer. Ghent and Brugge were rival cities in Medieval times, however Ghent pulled ahead as an economic powerhouse with the onset of the Industrial Revolution. A “spy” had brought back the plans for a weaving machine when in England and the workers in Ghent ran with it! The buildings in Ghent reflect this wealth but, over time, the rivers silted in and the center of trade moved to Antwerp.

Ghent has an early history, with archeologists uncovering evidence of Stone Age, Iron Age, Roman and Viking settlements at the convergence of the Rivers Leie and Schelde. It grew from the 11th to the 15th century due to grain trade. Merchants were given permission by the king to confiscate 1/4 of all grain that passed through Ghent. It was then sold to breweries and bakeries with the remaining grain ships allowed to leave after paying a fee.

We walked from the bus to St. Michael’s Bridge for a stunning view of Medieval Ghent with magnificent church spires, merchant homes and boats filled with tourists on the River Leie. Jesse led us to the former medieval port that serves as today’s charming boat launch. Our entire group filed into a river boat and were treated a running narrative on the history of Ghent from a river view, much of which we learned from Jesse. 

In the 1300s, Ghent was larger than London with a population of nearly 60,000. As our boat cruised along the River Leie, we passed a former Dominican monastery; guild houses with the oldest being a Grain House from the 1200s with stepped gables; the impressive Gravensteen or Castle of the Counts built in 1180 and now a museum.

We passed large willow trees, traveled under pedestrian bridges and turned around in front of a 15th century double turreted “castle”. Everywhere we looked was steeped in medieval history, making this 45-minute ride a fascinating trip through time.

After leaving the boat, we had free time to shop and explore. The famous Ghent Altarpiece in St. Baafs Cathedral was a 10 minute walk from the boat launch so off we went, arriving at the cathedral only to see a very long line. We spotted a poster, downloaded the QR code, went online and guessed at the altarpiece-only selection “Lamgods”, paid via credit card and got us in within 10 minutes. It was amazing! This polyptych is encased in glass and is much larger than we imagined. Only one of the panels is a reproduction as the original was stolen years ago.

This masterpiece, also known as “Adoration of the Mystic Lamb”, was thought to be painted by Hubert and Jan Van Eyck, beginning in 1420. Unfortunately, we could not stay very long as we had to make it back to our tour meeting place. Just prior to exiting, we managed to view a few areas of this historic cathedral allowed with our ticket. We marveled at the fact this structure was built between the 13th and 16th centuries, beginning in 1274.

It was definitely worth the side trip! Off to buy chocolates then back to the ship. What a wonderful day!

Saturday, October 7, 2023: Amsterdam

Our arrival in Amsterdam marked the end of our Baltic Sea cruise and the beginning of our English Channel/Trans-Atlantic cruise. Passengers on the Rotterdam would be disembarking in the early morning hours and new passengers would board well into the afternoon. We joined a tour taking us outside of Amsterdam to the Zaanse Schans Village, an open air museum with several windmills and homes dating back to the 1600s. On the way to the village we were treated to views of flat, green fields, dams and multiple canals.

While on the bus, we noted that a large canal was above us and rectangular swaths of fields and canals were below! One area of interest was a village that had been built at the bottom of a drained lake. Over 42 windmills were used to drain this lake in 1612, creating a retreat for the wealthy of Amsterdam, allowing them to build large country homes to escape the “filthy” city. Surprisingly, up until 2009, Amsterdam was dumping sewage into the river! Unfortunately for the wealthy land owners, the bottom of the lake was not fertile enough for crops so most land was developed into small trading villages and grazing land for cows and sheep. It was fascinating to see the dramatic change from villages at the lake bottom to canals flowing above fields!

Zaanse Schans was a charming village, purpose developed as an open air museum as a peek into the 17th and 18th centuries. We were treated to a wooden shoe making demonstration and walked through the village with our guide, Anna.

The smell of chocolate filled the air as the JS Chocolate factory was just across the highway, in the 21st century. We learned about the importance of willow trees and why many of the trees were severely pruned.

The willow branches are used to reinforce the dam walls along with other materials with layer upon layer for stability. Cows are not allowed to graze on the dams, only sheep, as the weight of cows would damage the dam.

Walking past the houses along the canals, we noticed many had reinforced foundations. These homes are actually on wooden pillars that are submerged so as not to rot.

The brick walkways in the small village area were installed using 2 different colors; the yellow color signifies the village streets and the red is used for private property. This was done so the citizens wouldn’t “steal” bricks from the village for their own use.

There were several windmills in the Zaanse Schans, most original and a couple that had been reconstructed using salvaged parts.

In the Netherlands, there were 10,000 windmills at one time, with about 4,000 used for industry (spice grinding, flour, etc.) and 6,000 to maintain the water level. Today, there are about 1,000 windmills throughout the Netherlands as electric pumps and 10,000 employees regulate the water levels, a seriously important job! There is a separate water tax in the Netherlands just for this purpose.

The last stop in Zaanse Schans was the cheese museum where we learned more about the pre-industrial age in cheese production and sampled delicious cheese. Mary Margaret purchased a small wheel of Baby Edam and a tiny cheese plane for semi-soft and semi-hard cheeses. 

We left Zaanse Schans and headed to the charming village of Edam, best known for its delicious cheese. The cheese industry came about quite by accident. In 1592, the town council proposed building a lock as they wanted to increase trade. The citizens were against this as they were worried by damming up the harbor that it would cause silt to build up. The town council won but the citizens were right—the harbor was silted in causing any water traffic to halt. The citizenry turned to their livestock to improve their financial situation, developing the cheese industry that has become so famous.

Edam cheese became famous and quite valuable as a source of income. Farmers would transport the cheese into Edam where it would be weighed and purchased. Anna stopped our group in a square where the oldest cheese-purchasing business is still functioning and where we were entertained by movers using a lift to transport furnishings from the truck through a window on a second floor. Amazing!

The village is quite small with unique buildings and narrow cobblestone streets. There were plenty of shops selling the famous “Edam Cheese”, including one that told the cheese-making legend here.

We came to a bridge in the town square that had been built over the failed lock. The bridge is very steeply rounded and a little tough to walk over. It was built this way to “protect” the lock so the angry citizens wouldn’t tear it apart. Well, the lock is gone and the bridge remains.

We walked past an enormous church, built when Edam was a busy harbor city and the city fathers envisioned a massive growth in population. That never happened and, unfortunately, the church was not open for touring today.

Anna led us through Old Edam, pointing out interesting buildings and giving us background information on each. One such building was an old orphanage; another was a wooden home that is quite unusual as most were constructed with brick. Various homes had decorated doorways and stepped roofs.

What really impressed us was seeing this area of the Netherlands, less than a half hour’s ride outside of Amsterdam, making it abundantly clear that controlling the water level is crucial to a country with 30% of its land below sea level. 

We returned to the Rotterdam in time for all aboard, preparing ourselves for the last leg of our adventure, heading away from the most southern part of the North Sea, into Dover Strait, through the English Channel and, eventually, out into the Atlantic.

Thursday, October 5: Århus, Denmark

Last evening was filled with entertainment. We decided to take in a show as it was the last for the dance troupe (at least for this leg of the cruise). After the show, as we were walking by the BBKing music club, we decided to listen to Isiah and his musicians. A great, joyful show! 

The Rotterdam sailed from the Baltic Sea, down the Århus River and into the port, tied up and ready for onshore excursions to begin around 10am. While waiting for our tour, we stood looking at the Old Town from our veranda.

There was no mistaking the Århus Cathedral as it was the tallest building in the old town, with its spire reaching over 310 feet. It certainly appeared to be within walking distance from the port so we knew we would be getting our steps in!

This 3.5 hour walking tour was one of the most fascinating excursion to date. We were actually walking in the steps of the Vikings in one of their earliest settlements from the 700s. Our guide, Joanna, led us from the port and stopped in front of a bronze sculpture of several dock workers, laboring under heavy sacks and performing other tasks.

This sculpture was commissioned by Queen Margaret II, an artist herself, to commemorate the people making the city prosper and the importance of this harbor.

Our guide, Joanna, led us to the Doxx 1 building, just across from the Rotterdam.

This building houses the largest library in Europe, two event halls, offices, a café, a film studio and underground parking. We stood under an enormous art installation in the center of the garage and then watched as a car drove in to an elevator and disappeared underground after the driver keyed in a code. A very efficient way to store a vehicle!

We headed to the Old Town and learned more about Vikings and their impact, even today.

First of all, they never referred to themselves as “Vikings” as this was a term from Old Norse meaning to pillage (or something like that). In Århus, strategically located on the Jutland peninsula, these Norsemen settled here and were overall peace-loving farmers and craftsmen, interested in increasing trade and receiving goods from trading vessels. Of course, there were Germanic tribe invasions and disgruntled groups but in 958, King Harald I or Harald Bluetooth, unified the countries currently known as Norway and Denmark, and ruled until 985. He was the first Christian King which was most likely a “might just as well join the club” move as this decreased the need to “conquer the pagans”. It was a peaceful transition to Christendom but as we would later see, the Norsemen kept much of their gods as symbols in the church. Even today, “Bluetooth”, in our cellphones, use the runic description of Harald Bluetooth’s name as it’s symbol.

Check it out! Days of the week? Thors-day (Thursday); Freya-day (Friday). They’re with us always!

Continuing our walk and avoiding bicycles, we crossed a road and entered the Old Town. As we crossed, we noticed the pedestrian green “go” figure was actually a Viking holding an axe! The red “stop” figure had the Viking holding up his axe and shield. Amusing!

We passed the impressive Royal Custom House built in 1897 and entered the Bishops Square (aka: Large Square) that has served as the center of religious ceremonies, both pagan and Christian, for a thousand years.

The massive Århus Cathedral anchored one side of the square. It is Denmark’s longest and tallest church, starting from a humble stone church in 1190 and continued to grow until the 15th century.

The centerpiece of the cathedral is the altar, carved by Bernt Notke, a well known sculptor from Lübeck, and covered in 24k gold. It was installed in the cathedral in 1479, before the Reformation.

There are frescos from the 15th and16th centuries that have been preserved as well as a 17th century ship model hanging from the ceiling. 

Walking further into the Old Town, we passed a hotel where past and present notable celebrities have stayed, including Hans Christen Anderson. The Latin Quarter is the oldest section of Århus, with a few streets with buildings from the 16th century. There was a move in the 1970s to preserve homes and commercial buildings from this era, for which we are thankful for, as we strolled into a tiny alley and into a courtyard.

The front of buildings hide the fact that they are half timbered. The interior courtyards tell a different story as the half timbered homes retain their charm. Cobblestone streets and colorful homes made this a picture perfect location.

Leaving the Latin Quarter, Joanna brought us to The Church of Our Lady with an interesting history.

The building is comprised of 3 churches: The Abbey Church, the Crypt Church and the currently named, Church of Our Lady. The Dominican friars were here from 1239 to 1530, living by a set of regulations and strict discipline. An example of one of the rules of conduct: “Chapter 16: In the monastery, in the cells, in the refectory and chapel there shall be silence…However if anyone purposely breaks the silence or permits others to speak during the meal, he shall only drink water..And shall receive a blow to his back.” Harsh!

We entered the small, one room Abby Church by a door that was used to enter the Dominican monastery, to admire the murals, then stepped out into the former cloister, a grassy courtyard, before entering the large Church of Our Lady.

After the Reformation, most of the artwork was painted over and statutes removed. However, during renovation a few of the frescos were uncovered and on display along with paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries.

The altar was amazing as well, wood carved and gilded with overwhelming scenery.

From there we descended a narrow staircase into the Crypt Church with its arched ceilings and simple altar. The show piece is a reproduction of the Åby Crucifix, the original is in the Danish National Museum.

It is unique in that it portrays Christ as a king, dressed in a Nordic manner, with hairstyle and beard characteristic of the Viking Age. It is thought that the crucifix was created around 1050.

Returning to the main church then out the door, walking to Møllestien St., a picturesque cobblestone street with buildings from the 16th century. This area used to be near a water mill as the Århus River is nearby.

We walked down the street, admiring the houses and headed to the Mølleparken to view the wind sculpture “Snake” by Alexandria Robbins. It is fascinating to watch this huge stainless steel sculpture gracefully “slither” through the air.

Behind the sculpture is the Århus River and the modern city. We crossed from the past into the present, walking to the ARoS Århus museum with its glorious rainbow walkway sitting atop the building like a halo. Although we did not tour the museum, we did make a short trip inside to learn more about art in Denmark.

Joanna surprised us by taking us to a location not on our itinerary. The Salling SKYWALK viewing platform was a treat. We entered the Salling Department Store off a busy pedestrian street and rode about 5 escalators up and then climbed two more flights to the top of the building.

Fortunately, it was a gloriously beautiful day giving us a clear view of old and new Århus. It was difficult to leave but we had a ship to catch so back we went to the port, stopping to browse the local crafts, making a small purchase of a woolen bowl.

We loved Århus! Walking around the contained Old Town and realizing what more we could see made us consider perhaps a return trip, on our own, someday in the future. Back to reality and another sea day until we arrive in Amsterdam on Saturday, October 7. We did receive a wonderful surprise on our 10/6 sea day—we became 5-star Mariners!

Fortunately we had a sea day between Stockholm and our arrival in Kiel. Tom had come down with a head cold (not COVID!) and was able to recuperate, feeling well enough after dosing himself on DayQuil and NyQuil, to participate in today’s easy excursion around the Baltic city of Kiel. 

Kiel is located at the end of the 17-mile long Kiel Fjord with depths of 32 to 40 feet, allowing for large cruise and container vessels to navigate these waters. It is also situated between the Baltic and North Seas. Our first stop was the Kiel Canal, a significant construction project during the German Prussian Empire (1871-1918).

The creation of the canal allowed maritime traffic easy access between the 2 major waterways, shortening the distance by about 400 miles. Instead of sailing around Denmark, ships cruised from the North Sea, through the 100 mile canal into the Kiel Lock and out into the Baltic Sea. The canal currently sees approximately 28,000 passengers/year traveling through the Kiel Canal.

We watched from a platform as a large ship entered the lock but our group didn’t stay the half hour required for the water to change its level. Instead, we boarded the bus and had a nearly birds-eye view of the Kiel Canal and Lock as we drove over the bridge.

Despite Kiel being an important Medieval trading center, there are few buildings left from that era. Kiel was heavily bombed during WWII due to its shipyards and strategic location between the Baltic and North Seas. Nearly 80% of the city was destroyed.

There were a couple of surviving buildings our guide pointed out while driving past but there was no walking tour included as there really wasn’t much of an Old Town to see.

St. Nicholas Church’s tower was easily spotted as it rises 348 feet to the sky. It is located in the old Town Square where the Rathaus is located. Not far from the Town Square was the first pedestrian zone created in Northern Europe. It was constructed after 1945 as building were being reconstructed. It is now a busy shopping area, crammed with stores, restaurants, cafés and pedestrians.

We stopped to stretch our legs at the Olympic Village in Schilksee, site of the 1972 Olympic Sailing competition. It continues to be very active with over 800 sailboats of various sizes dotting the area in front of one of the former Olympic buildings where athletes stayed.

The last week in June is Sail Week where 4,000 sailors descend on this area to participate in regattas. In addition to racing, there are city-wide festivities for both sailors and citizens. Schilksee is actually part of the city of Kiel. It has given Kiel its nickname of “Sailing City”. 

On the way back to the ship, we received a bit more information from our guide, Susanne. Kiel is the birthplace of 2 famous citizens: Max Plank, inventor of Quantum Physics and Anschütz, inventor of the gyroscope. The Anschütz company is a presence in Kiel and continues to manufacture maritime equipment. Kiel has acres of agricultural land mostly towards the outskirts of the city center. We noticed fields of sunflowers past their peak. Susanne thought they may be harvested for biofuel which prompted a discussion on the state of energy production in Germany. Not much happening. There is some wind, solar and bio, however the nuclear facilities have been shut down, forcing Germany to import LP gas from the USA. There is legislation forcing buses, ferries and other vehicles to become electric only, but this may be taking things too far. The Green Party is in power at the moment but who knows what will happen.

We entered the port and, just prior to leaving the bus, Susanne pointed out the shipyards across the fjord. Kiel is divided by the fjord so the east side of the city is the industrial side with 2 shipyards. One manufactures electric powered submarines and the other builds surface ships.

Overall, it was a relaxing excursion, learning more about the history of the Baltic Sea area along with its history and current events. We’re back in our stateroom after a late lunch, relaxing and planning on how to spend our evening as we sail away from Kiel and forwards Århus, Denmark.