The town square in Coburg. Oh, how I LOVE Europe!
Stockholm, Sweden
Stockholm, Sweden
This is a city that I would definitely visit again. There just wasn't enough time to explore everything I wanted to explore. There was a marathon happening in the city on the day we visited and we weren't able to use the bus system which cut our touring time drastically.
Our first destination was the Vasa Museum, where a 17th century warship at the bottom of the sea is now inside a museum. These pictures are NOT of the Vasa Museum. I think every single tour bus was at the Vasa Museum this day. There was a 2 hour wait when we got there ... we decided to tour Stockholm instead. These pictures are of the Danish Renaissance palace turned into the Nordic Museum located right next door to the Vasa Museum. We didn't go inside here either, because our 5 kids would rather not see 5 centuries of traditional Swedish lifestyle.
The Royal Dramatic Theater is pictured on the left. I took this picture when the tram stopped and opened it's doors. It isn't the best picture, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity I was presented because the building is beautiful.
Tallinn, Estonia in a few hours
Here is a look at our cruise ship since you always have to have one of these.
A little map of what we have on the agenda here in Tallinn, Estonia.
Here is the Town Wall and 1 out of 26 defence towers built in the 16th century. In its day the walls were 3 meters thick, 16 meters high, and stretched around the city 4 km long.
St. Petersburg, Russia (Day 2)
just a side note ... to bypass getting a visa to enter Russia we had to do excursions through our cruise. We usually do not do excursions because we like the freedom we have otherwise, especially when it comes to taking pictures. I am so sad that we weren't able to explore more and get the perfect shot. If you google these sights you can find some amazing pictures, I highly suggest doing so in order to get a better feel of what it is suppose to look like, especially St. Isaac's Cathedral.
Church of the Savior on Blood
(also known as the Church of Spilt Blood)
Walking down this little canal you turn around and you see this amazing church
The Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia
The Hermitage in
St. Petersburg, Russia
Here is what the entrance to the Hermitage looks like. Don't be deceived though, this place is HUGE!
To get a better idea of what this place actually looks like and how huge it is there are a bunch of youtube videos ... here is just one of them
the Grand Entrance
the Throne Room
Helsinki, Finland
Helsinki, Finland
We basically did a tram tour throughout Helsinki.
This little statue/fountain is across the street from the Market Square. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to visit the Market because we were a little lost trying to catch the tram in the right direction.
Riga, Latvia
These are just some shots we took while walking around Riga trying to find the TI (tourist information center). I love the little side streets, the rod iron on the windows and the door to the Cathedral. I love all the details that are everywhere.
Klaipeda, Lithuania
Klaipeda, Lithuania
This little port wasn't nearly as exciting as all the others but it is still neat that I've been to Lithuania
Gdansk, Poland
Gdańsk, Poland
I seriously LOVE these buildings! Just some random street to walk down.
The Front of the Armory (Zbrojownia) in all it's Dutch Renaissance architecture glory.
I don't know if you can zoom in or not but at the very top of the turrets there are exploding cannonballs made out of stone.
Bornholm, Denmark
Bornholm, Denmark
A typical street in Borholm, Denmark. We were trying to catch a bus out to some family history sites.
Isn't this cute? It was just handing on the side of a grocery store in Nyker, Denmark.
A Taste of our Baltic Cruise
Bornholm, Denmark
Gdansk, Poland
Klaipeda, Lithuania
Riga, Latvia
Helsinki, Finland
St. Petersburg, Russia
Tallinn, Estonia
Stockholm, Sweden
My Uncle Gibb
My grandmother's younger brother was Wells Gibb Mendenhall. I know him better as my great uncle Gibb. Gibb fought in the Royal Canadian Air Force during WWII. He was an Air Gunner. On 21 February 1945 at 01:55 hrs. he was shot down over Oberhaussen, Germany. I was privileged and honored to be able to visit his gravesite in Reinburg Germany.
Delft, Netherlands
This cute little city is Delft. We just so happened to come when there was a HUGE flea market going on. Yup, I had to get me some Delft! Isn't it fun?!
Tulip Festival, Netherlands
Have you ever wanted to go to the Tulip Festival in the Netherlands?
I Have! I still can't believe I was actually able to go!
It was a little late in the season, but we still got to see the fields of tulips and the beautiful flower exhibits that were there. It was amazing!
For more information on the tulips, when the festival is, and the prices go here:
This is the River - the blue flowers represent the water of a river
Fourth Stop: Dubrovnik, Croatia
Oh My Goodness, I loved Dubrovnik!!! How can one person fall in love with a place when you are only there for a few hours? It is beautiful with so much charm! I took WAY too many
Third Stop: Istanbul, Turkey
ISTANBUL, Turkey
Colorful pottery, like this, was everywhere. It was charming with
Second Stop: Ephesus, Turkey
EPHESUS, Turkey
a.k.a. one of the seven wonders of the ancient world
This place was HUGE!! In the Roman period it had a population of 250,000, making it one
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