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Ports of Call on Western Caribbean Cruise – Part Two

Ports of Call on Western Caribbean Cruise – Part Two

After leaving Grand Cayman, we sailed to Cozumel, Mexico. We had booked a shore excursion, Tulum, Lost Civilization of the Mayans. We took a ferry from Cozumel to Playa del Carmen where we met our guide. Before exploring the ruins, we saw The Danza de los Voladores, or the Dance of the Flyers. It is an ancient ceremony still performed in parts of Mexico and Guatemala. The ritual was recognized as an “Intangible Cultural Heritage” by UNESCO in 2009, a few…

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Ports of Call on Western Caribbean Cruise – Part One

Ports of Call on Western Caribbean Cruise – Part One

We took a Western Caribbean Cruise in January of 2009 on the Ruby Princess. It was the inaugural year for this ship. We left from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale; our ports of call included Ocho Rios in Jamaica, George Town in Grand Cayman, Cozumel in Mexico and the Princess Cays in the Bahamas. These are pictures of the Ruby Princess, some of its public spaces and a sunset. Our first stop was Ocho Rios, a city on the northern…

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Gdansk, Poland

Gdansk, Poland

After leaving Estonia, we sailed to Gdynia, Poland. It was from here we left with others from our cruise ship to visit Malbork Castle which was the focus of my last post. In this entry, I am going to tell you about the time we spent in Gdansk which is about twelve miles from the port city of Gdynia. Gdansk is a major seaport of Poland and has a very busy harbor. After World War II, Poland was part of…

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Poland’s Malbork Castle

Poland’s Malbork Castle

Our next port of call was Gdansk, Poland, where we would be able to spend most of the day. In this post, I will focus on Malbork Castle, which was a highlight of our shore excursion. Malbork Castle was established as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. The UNESCO website has interesting information about the castle, some of which I will quote here. First, here is a very concise history of the castle: This spectacular fortress bears witness to…

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Tallinn, Estonia

Tallinn, Estonia

After leaving St. Petersburg, we were headed to Tallinn, Estonia. We really didn’t know much about Estonia and thought it was probably a convenient stop between St. Petersburg and our port in Poland. But Estonia was much more – we could only spend a few hours here as we were due back on the ship around lunchtime. For our shore excursion, we chose a walking tour that would give us an overview of Tallinn. Estonia likely dates back to the…

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Peter and Paul Fortress and Cathedral

Peter and Paul Fortress and Cathedral

The last church we would visit in St. Petersburg was the Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, located within the Peter and Paul Fortress. Before I talk about our visit to the cathedral, let me give you a little history. During the Great Northern War (1700-1721), Russia challenged Sweden, regaining some of its land, and giving the Russians access to the Baltic. In 1703, Peter the Great established St. Petersburg. He ordered that a fortress be established on Zayachy (Hare) Island…

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St. Issac’s Cathedral

St. Issac’s Cathedral

We would visit two more churches before leaving St. Petersburg. This post will focus on St. Issac’s Cathedral which is the second largest Orthodox church in the world. It can accommodate 14,000 standing worshipers. Members of the Russian Orthodox Church believe that Jesus is present in the church so do not sit out of respect for Him. The first St. Isaac’s was a small wooden church ordered by Peter the Great. The church was dedicated to his patron saint, Issac…

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The Hermitage

The Hermitage

The Hermitage is the world’s second largest museum. The museum’s collection is housed in five connected buildings, the largest being the Winter Palace. We visited the Hermitage with our guide, Anna, who was on summer break as a high school history teacher. She would show us some of the highlights of the museum as it would be impossible to see everything. I thought this quote put the magnitude of the Hermitage in perspective: With over 3 million items in its…

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Views of St. Petersburg by Boat, Foot and Bus

Views of St. Petersburg by Boat, Foot and Bus

Part of our shore excursion in St. Petersburg was a Canal Tour which would take us on three rivers: the Fontanka, Moika and Neva. The rivers are an integral part of the city together with a canal system that connects them. The Neva runs through the center of the city and connects to the Gulf of Finland. It is part of a major shipping route. Two of the canals are the Griboedov, along which the Church of the Savior on…

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Savior on the Spilled Blood

Savior on the Spilled Blood

We left Yusopov Palace, had lunch and then walked to a church commonly known as The Savior on the Spilled Blood. Before I talk about the church, I want to tell you about the danger of pickpockets in Russia. They are on the streets and also at tourist sites, posing as other tourists. They often work in pairs. Our guide cautioned us about pickpockets as we walked to the church. She frequently told us to be mindful of our purses…

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