Jun
27
First set of pictures
Filed Under VWS
My first set of pictures are up – if you click on the link in the Blog Roll you’ll be taken there…
Jun
21
Saint Petersburg
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Today was the first day of Saint Petersburg. This is the first time that Disney has ever overnighted in a port. We arrived late morning and our first excursion was at 1230. Frances and I did the walking tour while Lauren did the Master Ballet class. The walking tour was quite nice as we saw most if the major sites in a short time. Traffic was terrible, though, as the St. Petersburg Economic Forum was there during our visit. During our walk we saw the Blood Cathedral, the Hermitage, and many other spectacular sites. The traffic delayed our return to the ship and we pulled into the terminal area at 5:25pm. Our next excursion was due to meet at 5:30pm. We ran to customs, and some nice crew members let us cut to the front of the line. I had already texted Lauren and talked to the excursion manager so they were aware of our dilemma. We changed quickly and made our way to the excursion. We did the Backstage Experience at the Ballet. We boarded the bus and headed to dinner. Dinner was at a restaurant that was absolutely gorgeous. Unfortunately they didn’t really tell us the name, or if they did I didn’t understand it. Dinner was good, the vodka supplied burned, and the red wine was decent. We were then scheduled to take the buses to the Ballet. The Economic Forum had closed down streets and we had to walk. Lauren and Frances didn’t enjoy the walk in their high heels. Swan Lake was the performance. It was in a theater called the Grand Palace Theater. This theater was a private theater of the Tsars and has been restored. It was a beautiful theater and our seats in the third row were good. The Ballet was quite good but the highlight was definitely being able to go backstage and meet the performers. Lauren and a couple of other teens who were in the Master Ballet class were singled out for pictures with both the Ballerina that taught their class and the lead male dancer. The Managing Director of the Theater “Russian Ballet”, Ludmila Bragina, seemed quite genuine in her enthusiasm for our visit and in particular the girls who were dancers., A quick trip back to the Magic and bed as we have a full day tomorrow.
Jun
18
Warnemunde
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Warnemunde is the port for our visit to Berlin. The Magic docks directly across the street from the train station so that was quite convenient to walk across the street after disembarkation and board the train for our trip to Berlin. The train was quite nice. It was comfortable and clean. We actually had our own little compartment for the three of us. They provided a snack box for us and water. Upon our arrival in Berlin we were quickly directed to our buses for our tour, “Berlin’s Turbulent History”. The first stop on the tour was the East Side Gallery. This is a collection of paintings on the remnants of the Berlin Wall. The paintings were quite interesting as they were done by artists from around the world and seeing their interpretations of the past, present, and future was interesting. We spent five minutes there and then headed off to the Reichstag. The Reichstag is Germany’s parliament and the building is quite impressive. We stopped for a few minutes and then headed off to the Bradenburg Gate. The Bradenburg Gate was nice, but the real interesting part was the collection of people wanting donations to have their picture taken with you. We saw American Indians, Star Wars Troopers, amongst other oddities. We then headed to CheckPoint Charlie. This was the checkpoint between the Soviet and American sectors of Berlin. It was different seeing this relic of the cold war surrounded by a busy city street with no wall to separate the city. After the CheckPoint Charlie we headed off for a typical German lunch that included sausage and sauerkraut. We then headed to the Templehof Airlift Memorial for a quick picture stop. After the memorial we headed to the Allied Museum. This museum is dedicated to preserving the memories of the Berlin Airlift. We watched a short movie about the Airlift which helped out things into perspective. Frances happened to talk to a German woman who was visiting the museum. She was a cild living in Berlin during the Airlift and could remember those dark days. We wandered the museum and the actual CheckPoint Charlie building that was moved here and then boarded the buses for a quick shopping stop before we headed back to the train. We were once again offered a snack box on the return train trip and the opportunity to purchase sodas, beer and wine. It was a long day but quite worth it. I think we all enjoyed our trip to Berlin.
Jun
15
Oslo was an interesting port. We had decided to visit the Haadeland glass factory and the Viking museum. The glass factory was nice and it was interesting to watch the glassmakers at work. The glass was outrageously expensive so we didn’t buy any. The trip there through the countryside was beautiful and we enjoyed it. We did drive up the mountain past the ski jump on the way which we felt was a waste as we couldn’t get out to take pictures. The Viking museum was quite interesting and the brief time we had there was perfect. They have a couple of unearthed Viking ships there that were used in burial mounds but are exactly like the seafaring ships of the 1000s… We didn’t have time to go shopping so we walked through the terminal on the way back to the ship. Lauren did get a t-shirt at the Viking museum.
The Internet is horrible so updates will be difficult to do.
Jun
12
Up fairly early to pack up and head to the ship. Our car is coming at 10am for the trip to Dover. I can’t wait to see the Magic again. I’ve looked forward to this cruise for a long time.
Jun
12
Friday was an exceptionally long day. We rode the Gatwick Express In to Victoria Station where we met our guide Richard. We had decided to make a long day of it. We started by heading off to Stonehenge. It was incredible, although pictures of it make it seem much bigger. We the went cross country to Lacock to visit the Abbey where some of Harry Potter was filmed. Lacock is an interesting town right out of the past. We had a very good lunch there as our guide interpreted what the meals were. Who knew rarebit was a grilled cheese with meat….
After Lacock we went to Oxford to see some of the sights there. We mainly visited Christ Church so that Frances could see the dining hall that The one in Harry Potter was modeled after. Lauren was quite interested in the University and has decided to try and spend at least a semester there at some point. It’s good for her to have such goals…
It was then back to London. We visited some of the sites where Harry Potter was filmed including the Millenium Bridge. We at a a restaurant in Covent Garden called Fuse. It was great sitting outside people watching and eating good pizza and lasagna. A long day – 13 hrs or so – but it was worth it.
Jun
10
Lauren and I had a good day today. Once we checked in we were off on a Beatles walking tour in London. Frances was laying down as she really doesn’t do well with a lack of sleep. The tour started out by visiting some of the sites that were Beatle haunts in the 1960s. It ended up at the Abbey Road recording studio. We got to walk across the famous Abbey Road crosswalk featured in the cover of the Abbey Road album. It was lead by a real Beatles nerd – Richard from London walks (www.walks.com). Frances would have hated it since she is most definitely not a Beatles fan. Frances then joined us and we went to Harrods for a little shopping. We visited Ed’s Diner at Picadilly Circus for a milkshake. We then took the tube and visited the London Eye. It was overcast, drizzling and cool all day, but that’s London. Tomorrow we are doing a Harry Potter tour all day. Visiting places like Oxford and Stonehenge too…. More later!
Jun
9
Lauren and Frances on board the plane.
Jun
9
Lauren relaxing in Charlotte.
Jun
9
Pittsburgh
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Rainy and in the 60s here at the Pittsburgh Airport. A great sendoff since London will be the same. We’re all checked in and I’m sitting in the USAirways Club while they are shopping.
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