Hey everyone! I decided/had to post the second part of the cruise experiences today (Sunday) for a couple of reasons. 1: This weekend has been really busy since it's my last weekend before school starts ;( and, 2: On Friday when I had just sat down to work on it, I realized our connection was down because we were switching cable boxes! Lastly, number 3: I wanted to start my back to school series the week I start school so that it blends together a bit better :)
Anyways enough of that off-topic chit chat. Today I am sitting at my desk and writing to you about the second part of my very exciting cruising vacation this summer. If you haven't looked at the first part of my experiences make sure to continue scrolling down and take a look! I've enjoyed these posts and feel like viewers will too because they both consist mainly of pictures. When I read my blogs and I think most people will agree with me..I love looking at the pictures and sometimes don't have the effort or time to read all the stuff in between. Now that I'm actually blogging and take
a lot of time writing and perfecting each post I publish I think that it's actually kinda disappointing if people don't read what I write; so, I'm trying to cut down on the lengthiness of my posts, however I'm a very wordy person so it is quite the challenge for me. Okay, now onto part 2 of my summer cruise experiences with some of my favorite cities we visited on this long voyage!
Stop #5: Tallinn, Estonia
This fifth stop is one most people have probably either never heard of or never considered visiting especially if you're living in the US and just stopping in Europe to see main cities. Tallinn was actually so cute and special and stood out to me as one of the most diverse and classic cities on the trip. It is from the Medieval Era with knights and serfs and still had that vibe to it. The old town was so beautiful with lots of stone buildings and floors and just an overall charming feel to the city that pulled you in. We had another tours by local guide take us around the petite city and finished off Tallinn by ourselves having a very traditional lunch, shopping at a small, court side market and ending the day with a walk down the famous Katariina Käik street!
Stop # 6: St. Petersburg, Russia (2 days)
Russia! St. Petersburg was definitely one of my all-time favorite stops that we made along this journey. I thought it would be a bit cliché because everyone always says it's their favorite city but there was something about it that was just so spectacular. A country unlike any other with so much jaw-dropping architecture and history. It was 2 of the busiest and longest days but they were well-worth the exhaustion. My favorite sight in St. Petersburg would probably have been the Russian Orthodox Cathedral that we visited with all the onion shaped domes. I had an idea of what Russian cathedrals looked like but when I saw this one I was blown away. It was so traditional and amazing and the inside was even more eye-opening with small tiles/mosaic covering every inch of the walls.
We saw so much in Russia and visiting here wouldn't have even been possible if we weren't on a cruise ship because you cannot just visit Russia, you need a visa, etc. So not only did we tour the city with our cruise excursion guide; we also got to go to a real Russian Ballet! The performance we watched was Swan Lake and it was truly a night I'll never forget. Overall, Russia was great and such a cool city with so much to see and do.
Stop #7: Helsinki, Finland
Our next stop was Helsinki! Today was actually my mom's birthday when we went here so she got to choose our excursion. We ended up going to a cute horse farm in the morning, followed by a quick stop at a super pleasant and quaint little town to walk around and see more 'off-the beaten path' places in Helsinki. For the final part of our relaxing day we stopped in the city centre of Helsinki for lunch at the Hard Rock and a rushed souvenir shop. We weren't given a huge amount of time again so had to hurry back to our bus which would drive us back to the harbor. It was a really nice day and ended up feeling perfect after our 2 crazy days in Russia.
Stop #8: Stockholm, Sweden (Final stop :( )
Stockholm was our final stop and a great way to end the trip. This city turned out to be something I did not expect and I loved it! Not only were parts of Stockholm pretty, but
all of it was! It is such a stand-out city that I will make sure to visit in the future. Our main activity in Stockholm was a two-hour bike tour to take us around the city. It was awesome and took us over to 3 different islands all in Stockholm-gorgeous places that we wouldn't have been able to get to if we were alone with the added time constraint. Before the bike ride we visited the famous Ice Bar! Luckily we got in with no reservation and it was an unforgettable yet cold experience! In the Ice Bar everything is made of ice and so you're given some ice drinks and a parka and you basically sit in there, take pictures and enjoy the unique ordeal.Then, after the bike ride we quickly stopped at Brandy Melville to pick up a few things and then came back onto the ship for the evening. I loved Stockholm and thought the city had a perfect blend of old-fashioned and modern styles.
I really hope that you guys liked this summer cruise experiences and found them interesting and fun! My goal was that you could have an outside glance at some amazing cities to give you future travel ideas or to just broaden your interests.
Next week is my first week of high school :o so with that will be my back-to school series to last over the course of some weeks. Since school is beginning and I will be a lot busier with work, dance, and after school activities I will be posting something once a week during the school year! You can expect posts mainly on Sundays, however, they may also fall on any of the week days depending on my schedule :) Thanks for viewing this post today and be sure to check out my whole blog where you'll find some really helpful and interesting posts! <3
