Take me out to the ball game ...

... buy me some peanuts and crackerjacks ... Well, we didn't buy peanuts or crackerjacks, but we did go by Metro to the ballpark to see the Nationals play the Seattle Mariners. Even though we left after about six innings, we saw all the scoring (2-1, Nationals) and had a great time on a nice evening in a beautiful ballpark with Mark and the boys (Marta was in class).


One of the features at every home game the Nationals play is the "Presidents Race" where "Washingon, Jefferson, Old Abe and Teddy Roosevelt" race one another around the outfield. The boys are pictured prior to the game with "Old Abe."

Of course, since we were all in the D.C. area for Nancy's birthday, we did celebrate with a beautiful cake that Marta purchased at a nearby bakery, and even managed a birthday dinner at a nice restaurant for the four of us adults! - rw

New Friends in St. Petersburg

Thanks to our good friends from Newberg, OR, Gary & Susan Fawver, who have made many trips to Russia on behalf of Christian Camping International, we were able to connect with their sometimes-guide and translator, Nikolai who was a huge help to us in getting around St. Petersburg, translating signs and interceding for us at ticket windows. His wife, Irina, met us at the Finland Train Station and helped us find our B&B when we first arrived, and then accompanied us to the Mariinski Concert Hall to see a performance of the opera, Aida. We appreciated getting acquainted with both of them and were most grateful for their help in so many ways. - rw

The Home of Dostoevsky & Peter the Great

Our "home" for four nights in St. Petersburg was a very interesting B&B ("Pio") within walking distance of the Neva River and the famous Nevksy Prospekt (think: Broadway in NYC!). As a fan of Fyodor Dostoevsky and his famous Russian novels from the 19th Century, I was delighted to be able to walk through the "Dostoevsky Museum" which was located in within the St. Petersburg apartment where he last lived. The desk that's pictured was where he wrote The Brothers Karamazov. In the Museum we had an audio set that gave us in English much more history than we really had time for. But, it was fascinating to be in the home where he once lived.

Our last big event in the city was visiting Peterhof, the opulent summer palace outside the city on the Baltic Sea, famous for its elaborate gardens and fountains patterned after Versailles. The day was cloudy for the most part, with an occasional light shower; however, the sun came out right at the end of our tour to bathe the church, the fountains and the statuary in their full glory. Nancy bought a ticket to tour the actual palace (no tours or signage in English!) while our guide Nikolai and I just explored the gardens, with a stop at a kiosk for a hot dog! Seeing the splendor of the gardens and trying to imagine the architectural genius that mapped-out the entire area with such symmetry and purpose for the enjoyment of Peter the Great definitely gave us a sense of awe and wonder. - rw

The Hermitage

The "Winter Palace" of the Tsars expanded over the years since construction began under Peter the Great in the 18th Century. It was Catherine the Great who began to accumulate the vast collection of original paintings from famous artists that led to the Hermitage Museum becoming the world's #1 treasure-house of priceless art.



For years we had dreamed of walking through the Hermitage, and I had especially wanted to stand in front of Rembrandt's famous work, "The Return of the Prodigal." The Hermitage was overwhelming in many ways, including the sheer size of the building and the thousands of works of art that are now part of the collection. We spent lots of time in rooms that displayed the works of the Dutch masters, but also took the stairs to the 3rd floor where the French impressionists were displayed. There was way too much to see even if we'd spent the entire day, but the experience was well worth it.

One amazing thing, of course, about the Hermitage was the opulence of the building -- hallways with ceilings that looked like the Sistine Chapel and Greek and Roman-looking statuary throughout. Again, it was a bit overwhelming! Nancy is pictured in another of the long hallways. - rw

On to Russia!

For Americans like us, used to the near-nonexistent rail travel in the U.S., it was a great experience to ride "The Allegro" perfectly on time from Helsinki to St. Petersburg on Sunday, June 12th. We arrived to a continuation of warm, sunny weather and were met by Irina, the young and attractive wife of our guide/translator Nikolai. Irina escorted us by Metro, bus, and on foot to our "Pio B&B" where we're booked for four nights.

Our first full day in St. Petersburg was cloudy and much cooler, but as Nikolai (pictured with Ron) took us around the Nevsky Prospekt area of the historic old city, we were immediately impressed by the similarity of the 18th-19th century buildings, many constructed in ornate Baroque style. In our tour of the area we crossed the Neva and walked through the "Peter & Paul Fortress" (pictured above), constructed by Peter the Great. One cannot visit St. Petersburg without seeing "The Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood," constructed after the pattern of St. Basil's in Moscow by Alexander III on the very site where his father, Tsar Alexander II, was assasinated by a terrorist group in 1881. Inside the church are the most incredible mosaics all over the walls and ceilings depicting biblical scenes from both Testaments. (e.g. - Nativity scene below) - rw

Day #2 in Helsinki

On our second and last day in Helsinki we decided that priority #1 should be a short ferry ride to the island of Suomenlinna—made famous initially as an 18th century fortress to defend Swedish Finland against a Russian attack. (Hundreds of cannons and thick stone ramparts appeared to be invincible against an assault from the sea; however, a Russian attack in the dead of winter—when the sea was frozen—led to the surrender of the fortress and the incorporation of Swedish Finland as a “Grand Duchy” in the Russian Empire in 1808.)

On the island we encountered the largest lilac bushes we’d ever seen and were serenaded by a military band as we toured the island. The Visitors Center gave us the whole scope of Finnish history which was complemented by an hour-long walking tour during which our young guide spoke flawless English.
After the visit to Suomenlinna we took the tram to the “Mannerheim Museum” where we learned the whole history of national hero, Marshall Mannerheim, undoubtedly the one individual not only most responsible for Finnish Independence from Russia after the 1917 Revolution, but also for maintaining the integrity of Finland by placating-and-betraying both Hitler and Stalin during World War 2. (Mannerheim lived into his 80’s and died in 1951 after serving one term as President of Finland.) - rw

It's even sunny and hot in Finland!

Okay, I knew we'd booked a ferry overnight from Stockholm to Helsinki, but I sure didn't expect a cruise ship! But, cruise ship it was -- complete with 12 decks and a delicious buffet dinner at night and breakfast in the morning. Early-on we passed many of the beautiful islands that are part of Stockholm and enjoyed spending time up on the top deck. Our small "stateroom" was very comfortable, and we both slept well.

Since we arrived in Helsinki at 10:00 a.m. but couldn't check into our hotel until 4:00 that afternoon, we deposited our luggage at the train station and used our new "Helsinki cards" to take a 1 1/2 hour "free" bus tour of the city. One stop on the bus tour was the Temppeliaukio "Rock" Church that was literally constructed out of a huge granite rock in 1969.
Also on the bus tour we had another brief stop at the Jan Sibelius Monument where Nancy is pictured. One of the real benefits of the "Helsinki Card" is the opportunity to take any bus, electric tram or Metro train without cost. And then, of course there were other churches to see -- specifically the beautiful white Lutheran Cathedral (The Tuomiokirkko Church) and the onion-domed Finnish Orthodox Church, known locally as the Uspenski Cathedral. - rw

Home to the Nobel Prize

The Stockholm City Hall where city business is transacted with 101 council members (!) is also the site of the annual Nobel Prize Awards Banquet. Atop the city hall is a gold emblem of the "3 crowns" (rich symbolism of Swedish history but of uncertain origin). It was fascinating to take an English tour of City Hall and learn of its history and current usage. The grand stairway (pictured) is where prize winners descend to the level where dinner is served to nearly 1300 guests and members of the royal family. We were told that the one who designed the staircase had several wooden models made with differing heights between steps and widths of each step so that women in long gowns could practice descending in order to determine the best model!
On display was a sample place setting for the grand occasion. We both agreed that the tour of the City Hall was one of the real plusses of our time in Stockholm. - rw

The sunshine followed us ...

... all the way to Stockholm! After a pleasant late afternoon train ride from Copenhagen to Stockholm, we checked into our B&B after 8:30 p.m. amid bright sunshine. On our first day in the city we hiked around the downtown area in order to replace a lost hat of mine and also purchase a "Stockholm Card" for each of us (thus giving us a free pass on all the busses and the Metro + free entry into museums, canal cruises, etc.). I was impressed with the architecture behind the boat with the Swedish flags. A highlight of our day was visiting the Vasa Museum where a huge galleon-type Naval vessel of King Gustavus Alolphus II sank in the Stockholm harbor on its maiden voyage in 1628. Through amazing feats of technology, after 300+ years the Vasa was raised from a depth of about 100', completely restored, and is now displayed in "pristine condition" in a huge museum! Pictured above is the highly-decorated prow of the Vasa.

The evening of Day #1 was capped by a dinner at a Spanish restaurant, "Mama's and Tapas," close to our B&B. - rw

Sunshine in Copenhagen!

We landed in Copenhagen a little before 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 4th, after two long flights overnight from KL. We arrived to clear skies, lots of sunshine and no sign at all of typical Scandinavian rainy weather! The picture above is from the village of Helsingor, picturing the castle, Kronborg Slot, that Shakespeare made famous as the home of Hamlet, the fictional prince of Denmark. (Helsingor is a 50-minute train ride from Copenhagen and was visited on Day #2 of our time in the city.) The picture below was taken from a tower in the castle. Day #1 in Copenhagen found us taking a popular canal tour as well as a 20-minute train ride up to the small town of Dragor which was beautifully situated on the seacoast and had more than its share of nice looking yachts in the harbor.

Tomorrow (Monday) we are scheduled to take a 2:30 p.m. train to Stockholm. Prior to leaving, however, we have at least tentative plans to visit the Rundetarn, the Round Tower constructed by Christian IV in 1642 as well as the grave of Denmark's famous Christian philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard. - rw