The Baltic's on Britannia
Our 1st port of call was Skagen in Denmark, we went on a ship’s tour to visit Voergaard Castle which was beautiful, especially the renaissance part which had lots of artwork including the famous Goya's The Madman. Before heading back to the ship, we had free time in the town. The main street is very colourful and opposite a small marina.
The next day we woke up in Kiel Germany, we had a late start under the impression there was not much to do and see there. This port took us by surprise the most, we had a wander around taking in sites such as St Nikolai Church, Kieler Kloster (monastery) and Kiel’s Opera house. We loved the nostalgia of shopping in Woolworths followed by a traditional currywurst and trying the local beer.
We wanted to do something special on 16th May so we booked to go to the Limelight Club in the evening where you have dinner followed by a cabaret show. We had a scrumptious meal and a fantastic evening listening to Ray Quinn. Ray is an English actor, singer and dancer – best known for his role in Brookside and finishing 2nd place behind Leona Lewis in the 3rd series of The X Factor in 2006. Ray has an amazing voice and listening to his music set was a perfect way to spend the evening.
On day 1 we took a hop on/hop off bus tour which we boarded just on the dock side. Tickets are valid for a 24hr period with departures every 20-30mins. Be sure to check the last bus time that returns you to the ship, alternatively take a note of where the ships shuttle bus departs from in the city centre. It is about 1 hour walk to the ship from the city centre. There is lots to see in Helsinki, places of interest that stood out for me were, Senate Square, Uspenski Cathedral, The Presidential Palace and the Sibelius Monument. The Esplanade had live entertainment with a choice of restaurants and bars to choose from. We had an overnight in port so on day 2 we were booked on a ship’s excursion to Nuuksio Reindeer Park where we had a chance to feed the reindeer and have a drink in their Kota, a traditional Lappish teepee.
Tallinn, wow! For me this was my favourite port and a place I would like to return to for a city break so I can explore some more. On approach to the entrance of this beautiful medieval walled city, the pedestrianised street Viru, has 1 side filled with shops/stalls selling fresh flowers – it smelt and looked wonderful. We spent hours walking the cobbled streets, visiting St Nicholas Church, Kiek in de Kok fortifications museum, St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Toompea Castle and the Cathedral of Saint Mary the Virgin. Then afterwards heading to the busy Town Hall Square to relax and soak up the atmosphere and sunshine in one of the many restaurants/bars that line the square.
I had already done research and decided that I wanted to visit the world’s original permanent Ice bar in Stockholm, built in 2002 and located at Hotel C. We did not prebook this prior to embarking Britannia as we were unsure where the Ice Bar was in relation to the ship docking. It was within walking distance from the shuttle drop off/pick up point, so we planned a route taking in the sights of The Royal Palace, Royal Opera House, Tegelbacken (Swedish Parliament), Central Station, and Concert Hall. The Ice Bar is near Central Station and although on the day the time slot we wanted was now showing full online, we went anyway on the off chance that we could purchase tickets. Because of the temperature -5°C (23°F) not everyone stays inside the Ice bar for the full 45mins and therefore by people leaving early meant we could go in. Your entrance fee includes the use of gloves and a cape along with a drink. The 2 main benefits of going independently for us was 1) it wasn’t as crowded inside as it would have been on a big tour group and 2) we could choose from the drinks menu as opposed to having the choice of only 2 drinks already pre-made. We finished our afternoon off sat in kungsträdgården, a large park area where you can enjoy events in the summer and ice skating in the winter. Fortunately, the time of year we visited allowed us to see the cherry blossom trees. The main shopping street is called Drottninggatan, the market/flea market area is called Hotorget. If visiting Stockholm be sure to get up earlier and watch the sail in alternatively see the sail out. Immense tranquil and peacefulness passing by little islands to/from the Baltic Sea.
After 4 consecutive port days we were glad to have a sea day, we saw the Whitney Houston movie in the theatre and had a chilled afternoon before getting ready for our last formal night. That evening we were off to The Glass House. Whenever I am travelling on P&O Cruises, I always ensure I visit this select dining venue which is headed up by award winning wine expert and foodie, Olly Smith. The Glass House is the perfect location for a light bite, lunchtime tipple, afternoon apéritif or a tastefully informal evening out. The Tempura King Prawns did not disappoint.
Copenhagen our final port call and the only day to have rain! The highlight for me was finding The Little Mermaid statue, a place on my bucket list since starting in travel 23 years ago. You need to keep your eyes peeled though; it is so much smaller than one thinks. The colourful and captivating Nyhavn is a wonderful place to have a stroll, grab a bite to eat/drink along the harbour canal and take in the ambience. If visiting Copenhagen again I would opt for the hop on/off bus tour so that we would be able to cover more ground and sights.
In all my years of cruising this was my 1st Baltic's cruise, we had a wonderful time together. It was great to back on a ship that I was part of the startup team back in 2015.
