Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: OVERSEAS VACATION (08/13/15)
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TITLE: P & O Aurora | Previous Challenge Entry
By Robyn Harbour
08/18/15 -
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To complete our overseas holiday in the UK, my husband had booked us a Baltic cruise on the P & O ship, Aurora. I was determined not to let my fear ruin my experience.
Then... a few months before we were to leave ....the Costa Concordia ran aground and thirty-two people trapped in their cabins drowned. The thought of their last minutes was horrifying. Imagine what it would be like, trapped in darkness with the water rising and no escape, a slow and terrifying death.
I determinedly walked onto the ship feeling very nervous. We had an inside cabin, that alone caused me to panic. I imagined the unimaginable, being trapped and not being able to escape. The safety drill did nothing to allay my fears.
I quickly adjusted to life on the ship, I was fascinated by its opulence. I enjoyed the meals, attended live concerts, lectures, and movies. We spent a lot of time in the crows nest, watching other ships and the oil rigs in the North Sea.
Our first port of call was Copenhagen, we walked past Princess Mary’s palace, called out ‘Hi Mary’ but saw no sign of her. We cruised down the canal, took lots of photos, and sampled Danish pastries. It was a Sunday, so we walked into a nearby church, sat in a pew and contemplated how fortunate we were to experience this cruise. By now my fear had totally gone.
The ship wove through more than 12,000 islands on our approach to Stockholm. Stockholm itself sits on fourteen islands and is a fascinating city. We stopped at the Palace to watch the changing of the guard. We spent most of our time in the old city; walking through narrow lanes and enjoying the architecture.
Tallin was our favorite city, especially the old part that was inside the thick stone walls. The market was in full progress when we arrived. We heard singing and walked into a church where an acapella concert was in progress. It was in Tallin that we saw an honest beggar, his sign in English that read: I need money for wine and beer. In front of an orthodox church were three professional beggars, women who came to the church each day to beg from the tourists.
The highlight of our trip was two days in St Petersburg. This was the only place we purchased tours. We were told most people did not speak English and it was not the safest place to be. We lunched at a restaurant and visited The Hermitage; the grandeur of the Jordan Staircase and the many works of art were astounding. There were twenty-six paintings by Rembrandt; our favorite, The Prodigal Son.
The second day was spent at the markets and we traveled on the underground railway. We enjoyed afternoon tea with a local in her very small flat and realized just how well off we are in Australia. We asked our tour guide what was the best thing about Perestroika, the movement towards freedom that was begun by Mikhail Gorbachev. Her reply, ‘It was good to have our religion back’
On the negative side she told us that health and education were now expensive as they were not free for all as they had been under the communist regime. The most colorful church we saw was ‘The Church of Spilled Blood’. The highlight in this city was a concert by the State Acapella Choir, sixty-two voices perfectly harmonized.
It was freezing in Helsinki, we wandered around the city, visited the church of St. Nicholas, the shops, market and took in all the major landmarks.
In Brugges we traveled on a boat around the city canals. We learned about window tax; people boarded up their windows to save paying taxes on them. The lacework was beautiful, and the chocolates the best in Europe. This was our last city.Overnight on the sea brought us back to Southampton where we had started the cruise.
Am I still afraid of ships? Not exactly; but the thought of leaving for Tasmania in three weeks time to visit our daughter still has me nervous as the seas can get very rough, especially in winter.
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