Well, yesterday we were supposed to be in Nynashamm, but we didn't make it. The captain came on the tannoy system at about 10.30 on Monday night to tell us the weather was too bad and we wouldn't get into port. So that's the second time we've come this way and that's happened - Nynashamm doesn't seem to want us to visit does it?
So we waited until yesterday lunchtime to find out where we were going, and the Captain announced "Aarhus" in Denmark. Every time I hear the name, I want to break out into the Madness song "Our house..... in the middle of the street..."
The write up of the city sort of gave us the impression that it's a new modern hip and happening place, and once we'd got off the ship (sporting my new woolly hat with giant pom pom), and had a look around, we realised we were exactly right.
We found the cathedral - which is the longest one in the world I think. Very impressive.
It's a lovely place, with plenty of opportunities to part with your money. It seemed full of designer shops and wares to us. Very nice, but way out of our price range to be honest. I think I remember our tour guide in Copenhagen explaining that VAT here is at 25% - whatever the reason, Denmark is an expensive country.
We did find the Modern Art Museum, but (perhaps down to bad maths), didn't think it worth spending the money for the short time we had, so we sat and enjoyed a cup of tea and a cookie instead.
Other highlights of the day included this awesome sculpture. It has three joints and moves in the wind. You could watch it for hours.
We also had a look around the small viking museum near the cathedral. For such a small place, it was interesting, and we even learnt a few things.
And then it was back to the ship at the end of our last port for afternoon tea (we had missed lunch, and I don't count the giant cookies in the art museum as a substitute). It is formal night tonight. It's not compulsory, but Peter and I do make an effort. I let him off black tie though, and he wore his blue suit and his sheep tie. (I must take a photo of it sometime).
There was a little bit of drama in the evening as one of the passengers became quite ill and had to be airlifted off the ship. The noise of the helicopter above the rear deck was interesting. I was torn because I wanted to go and watch the airlift, but then felt that I would be intruding on the privacy of the guy who was ill. (I wouldn't want everyone watching if I was in that situation). We didn't stand and watch, we chose to eat dinner with the noise of the rotors going on for what seemed to be a very long time behind us.
Tomorrow is a sea day. Peter will be running his two classes and then there will be a exhibition on deck 9 outside Sinatra's Bar. Everyone has seemed to really enjoy his classes, which is good.
I've enjoyed this cruise. The ship seems to handle the bad weather better than the others I've been on, perhaps because it is quite a lot bigger. I really like the spaciousness of the ship and the food has been pretty good. The deck space is good as is the lounge space and the ship has never felt crowded or been subjected to any real queuing. The Magellan does not have all the facilities of some of the bigger ships (climbing walls, wave machines, multiple restaurants etc), but it does what it does very well. I'll be very glad to come back next October when we are due to join it for a Fjords cruise.
So that's it for the Baltic. Next we are due a bit of a climate change as we head for Sri Lanka and India in November. So that'll be the next series of blog entries then.............
So we waited until yesterday lunchtime to find out where we were going, and the Captain announced "Aarhus" in Denmark. Every time I hear the name, I want to break out into the Madness song "Our house..... in the middle of the street..."
The write up of the city sort of gave us the impression that it's a new modern hip and happening place, and once we'd got off the ship (sporting my new woolly hat with giant pom pom), and had a look around, we realised we were exactly right.
We found the cathedral - which is the longest one in the world I think. Very impressive.
It's a lovely place, with plenty of opportunities to part with your money. It seemed full of designer shops and wares to us. Very nice, but way out of our price range to be honest. I think I remember our tour guide in Copenhagen explaining that VAT here is at 25% - whatever the reason, Denmark is an expensive country.
We did find the Modern Art Museum, but (perhaps down to bad maths), didn't think it worth spending the money for the short time we had, so we sat and enjoyed a cup of tea and a cookie instead.
Other highlights of the day included this awesome sculpture. It has three joints and moves in the wind. You could watch it for hours.
We also had a look around the small viking museum near the cathedral. For such a small place, it was interesting, and we even learnt a few things.
And then it was back to the ship at the end of our last port for afternoon tea (we had missed lunch, and I don't count the giant cookies in the art museum as a substitute). It is formal night tonight. It's not compulsory, but Peter and I do make an effort. I let him off black tie though, and he wore his blue suit and his sheep tie. (I must take a photo of it sometime).
There was a little bit of drama in the evening as one of the passengers became quite ill and had to be airlifted off the ship. The noise of the helicopter above the rear deck was interesting. I was torn because I wanted to go and watch the airlift, but then felt that I would be intruding on the privacy of the guy who was ill. (I wouldn't want everyone watching if I was in that situation). We didn't stand and watch, we chose to eat dinner with the noise of the rotors going on for what seemed to be a very long time behind us.
Tomorrow is a sea day. Peter will be running his two classes and then there will be a exhibition on deck 9 outside Sinatra's Bar. Everyone has seemed to really enjoy his classes, which is good.
I've enjoyed this cruise. The ship seems to handle the bad weather better than the others I've been on, perhaps because it is quite a lot bigger. I really like the spaciousness of the ship and the food has been pretty good. The deck space is good as is the lounge space and the ship has never felt crowded or been subjected to any real queuing. The Magellan does not have all the facilities of some of the bigger ships (climbing walls, wave machines, multiple restaurants etc), but it does what it does very well. I'll be very glad to come back next October when we are due to join it for a Fjords cruise.
So that's it for the Baltic. Next we are due a bit of a climate change as we head for Sri Lanka and India in November. So that'll be the next series of blog entries then.............