I got up at 7:25 and went to breakfast at 8:15. I stopped by to get my last crossword and returned to the cabin to finish packing one bag completely and most everything else will go into the other bag this afternoon. I worked on the crosswords and read until I got ready for the evening and finished packing the other bag. At 4, I went to the last happy hour and trivia. I went to dinner at 5:20 and was seated with the couple from Florida who I had eaten with 2 times prior and was on tour with a couple of times, a man from Las Vegas who I had eaten with 1 time and new couple (to me) from Canada. After dinner, I returned to the cabin since I have a 5:45 wake up call tomorrow. I went to bed at 9.
Friday, May 19, 2023
Day 21 At Sea
Thursday, May 18, 2023
Day 20 Århus, Denmark
I got up at 6:50 and went to breakfast at 7:30 and came back to the cabin to find a new set of luggage tags changed from black 2 to black 3. Filled out the new ones to place on my bags before setting them out the night before Amsterdam. My 3.5 hour tour is at 10:15 and is listed as strenuous, I went down at 9:45 to the World Stage. The tour was called at 9:50 and we boarded a bus to take us to the port entrance where we started our tour. We went on a walking tour through the Old Town. Our guide recounted the city's history, from its
founding sometime in the 7th century to the present day. Århus is likely
the oldest city in all of Scandinavia -- its bishopric dates to the 9th
century and the city is mentioned in the Icelandic sagas. Our first stop was at Århus Cathedral. The cathedral's construction began in 1190 and was eventually completed
in the 16th century. It is Denmark's longest and tallest church -- its
restored bell tower stands 310 feet tall, while the church is more than
300 feet long. The interior boasts frescoes from the 14th and 15th
centuries as well as a 16th-century altar carved by Lübeck master Bernt
Notke. Since it was a holiday with a mass, we were not able to go into the church other than the entry. Next, we strolled through the Latin Quarter
-- the city's oldest district. See the 18th-century merchant houses and
courtyards that were part-dwelling, part-warehouse. It was here that
the city's industrialization commenced -- a process that would bring
Århus to prominence as Denmark's largest port and second-largest city. After a short walk to the Church of our Lady
-- once part of a Dominican monastery and built in the 15th century
over the crypt of a Romanesque church (1060). We walked
down some of the many narrow streets and passed the AROS Art Museum,
which dates back to 1859. However, its modern additions include the
Rainbow Walk, opened in 2004. This was our toilet stop and I passed on the stairway and used the elevator to get to the main entry. We continued to the Town Hall of
Århus, designed by famous Danish architect Arne Jacobsen. It is covered
in Norwegian Marble and is a good impression of Danish architecture and
design. Your guide introduced us o the life of Arne Jacobsen,
whose furniture is quite famous around the world. On our way back to your ship, we stopped by the impressive DOKK 1 -- a new library and service center for the people of Århus. We then walked back to the shuttle bus to take us to the ship. We got back to the ship at 2 and I was back in my cabin at 2:15. I uploaded my photos and got ready for the Festive Orange night before going to happy hour and then to dinner where I was seated with a couple that were on my tour as well as another tour. The other couple at the table lived near the first couple. I returned to the cabin at 7 and updated the blog entry. I went to bed and read at 9.
The view from my verandah
Wednesday, May 17, 2023
Day 19 Kiel, Germany
My wake up call was at 6 and we were approaching the dock. I went to breakfast at 6:30 and I went down for my tour at 7:20 and we had not yet been cleared. at 7:35 they started calling the first tours and mine was called at 7:50. We exited the ship and boarded our bus and left at 8:05. Kiel is the capital of the state of Schleswig-Holstein and is a traditional maritime and naval city. The panoramic driving tour offered an excellent overview of the port city of Kiel as well as the surrounding countryside. The new bridge over the canal was hit by a crane on a ship sometime back and it was only open to light traffic, so we had to take a detour to another bridge. We passed
the famous Town Hall, Kiel Fjord and the impressive Kiel Canal -- the
world's busiest artificial waterway, connecting the North Sea with the
Baltic. Kiel has the reputation of being the unofficial world capital of
sailing, since the city hosted the Olympic sailing competitions in1936
and 1972. We had a 15-minute stop at the Kiel-Holtenau locks. The
observation deck there gave a direct view of the new lock.
Interpretive panels offered additional information on the Kiel Canal and
canal shipping. We drove thru Schilksee,
where the Olympic Games took place. We got back to the ship at 10:30 and all passengers had to go to the Lido Pool area to wait until 1:30 when they were finished with the cleansing of the ship. Then I went to my cabin and restored things to the surfaces that we had had to remove to drawers and closets. I uploaded my photos and updated the blog entry. I got ready for the evening and went to happy hour at 4. I talked to a girl that I had sat next to at the bar yesterday and again today. We had a nice chat. I went to dinner at 5:20 and got a table by myself tonight. As I was finishing my dessert, she was seated at a table facing me. I returned to the cabin and worked on today's crossword before reading until I went to bed at 10.
The town hall
The square around town hall, the opera house and other government buildings
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