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

Tasha's Graduation

On Saturday, April 30th, Tasha wore her cap and gown and participated in the graduation ceremonies at Western Seminary -- even though she won't actually finish her course work until her summer session concludes in August. At that time she will formally receive her Master's Degree in Counseling from the seminary. Involved in Tasha's journey toward her master's degree were courses from the seminary both in counseling and biblical studies. Pictured with Tasha is Maggie, her good friend, strong supporter, and also her landlady.

Even though Nancy and I regretted being so far away, we were gratified that Levi and Ramona Willits were there, along with my sister, Elaine Penn. Elaine had synchronized her trip (from Lincoln, NE) to see our mother with Tasha's graduation. And, Levi and Ramona had arranged the timing and the itinerary of their trip from Tucson, AZ back to Iowa to include the graduation. -rw