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Baltic Cruise Day Eight: Klaipeda, Lithuania
Klaipeda is an important port city because it is almost always ice-free. Before 1945, it was known as Memel.
Our tour choices were rather limited, so we chose “Fairy Tales & Legends of the Witches Hill and Amber Bay”. Sounds interesting, right? Well, if you were looking for excitement– the title was about as exciting as it got.
The Baltic Sea in Lithuania from the top of a sand dune.
We stopped on the way to Witches Hill at a secluded public beach for a view of the Baltic Sea. Wait!? Haven’t we been cruising the Baltic Sea for eight days now? In spite of my sarcasm, it was a beautiful spot and I wouldn’t have minded just laying in the sun all day. To get to the sea, we had to climb slippery and steep stairs to the top of a dune to see the beach. I just thought it was odd that we stopped there and then climbed all those steps to take a quick look and then leave abruptly. (This got the complainers in the group going, right off the bat.)
One of the hand-carved statues on Witches Hill.
We took the bus to our next stop and we went on a two mile walk through the forest of Witches Hill, that was absolutely beautiful. Most of the people in our group were complaining about all the walking and I think they missed the beautiful landscape in the process. There were huge hand-carved wooden statues of mythical creatures scattered throughout the paths but our tour guide didn’t do a very good job of telling any stories behind them.
I just really enjoyed the walk and the sweet, fresh air.
The forest of Witches Hill.
Row houses near Witches Hill.
After that, we had a short break and I snapped a picture of some simpl, modern dwellings by a small garden and shop. The raised apartments didn’t look very big or very safe.
After that, we headed to Amber Bay for a brief talk with a pastor of a small church about the local community. This really got people’s eyes rolling. The bottom line was that it was an opportunity for him to solicit donations for the church. A church that only has five parishioners. I think our group was just happy to be able to sit in the church pews after the long walk.
Then we visited a weathervane museum that looked like a store, only none of the weathervanes on display were for sale. They did have other things you could buy though. We were offered shot glasses of syrup-thick amber tea and then we walked about a quarter mile along the bay.
A cottage along Amber Bay.
It was a relaxing day but a rather disappointing visit to a country I doubt I will ever visit again. What I saw was beautiful. I just wish I would have seen more.
Baltic Cruise Day Six: The Hermitage and Saint Petersburg Canal Cruise
My admission ticket to the Hermitage.
Last day in Saint Petersburg, Russia and we’d be spending it on two more excursions, “The Hermitage: A Wealth of Art and History” and “Canal Cruise and Shopping“. What a beautiful city!
The Hermitage or State Hermitage, is one of the largest and oldest museum collections in the world. The complex that houses it is made up of six buildings including the Winter Palace, the former main living quarters of the Russian tsars. Catherine the Great started the collection in the late 1700s but it wasn’t open to public until the mid-1800s.
Entering the Hermitage.
My numbers could be wrong but I believe our guide told us we only saw about 1% of the collection and that only about 15% of the collection is ever on display at any one time. In all, there are more than three million pieces in the Hermitage collection!
We viewed works by Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Monet and Picasso to name a few. I recognized several pieces I’d seen in books or as reproductions over the years and found myself drawn to the larger murals and sculptures the most.
A sculpture wing in the hermitage.
I think overall, I was as intrigued and impressed by the Hermitage architecture and the layout of the gallery displays as I was the actual art collection itself. We viewed room after room of gorgeous, grand halls beautifully restored and elegantly decorated with art by the Masters. Too much to see in a short period of time.
At one point on the tour, we were passed by workers pushing two carts of painting through the halls. The paintings were unprotected, bouncing and rubbing against each other and I was a little shocked that greater care wasn’t being taken with the priceless art.
Priceless beauty of the Hermitage.
Once the museum opened to the public for the day, we could barely move. The line outside to get in was ridiculously long as well.
My favorite gallery space in the Hermitage.
I love the almost ghostly, figure towards the end of the hallway.
Picasso anyone?
I love this painting.
That afternoon, we met for our canal cruise and shopping. It was a little overcast so we took umbrellas, just in case. Our guide took us shopping first.
Our bus pulled up to the equivalent of a strip mall and our guide, Alexey, told us what store we were going to shop. Now I realize that many people have different interpretations of shopping but let’s be real here. Michael and I assumed we’d be going to an open air market or shopping district that would have, among other things, souvenirs. Others on our tour thought we’d be going to a street with designer shops. We were all wrong.
The shop we entered was basically a small overpriced souvenir warehouse that was laid out like a small American dollar store. I was only interested in purchasing matryoshka (nesting dolls) and maybe a t shirt. Well, they had one small rack of ugly, cheap looking t shirts (for around $30 USD a piece) but they had lots of nesting dolls. Only they were marked up about 400% to 1000% in price. So shopping was a joke. We were there quite a while, most of the women on our bus bought something, while most of the men stood outside the bus shaking their heads. For a moment, I thought I was back in America.
Along the canal in Saint Petersburg.
The weather cooperated as we boarded our small boat for the canal cruise. Just in case, the boat had an open, upper deck and an enclosed lower deck if it rained. Michael and I sat in the back of the upper deck and I was on a raised storage box that doubled as a seat, so I could take pictures. I literally had to duck every time we went under one of the many bridges we passed under.
There was a nice breeze and it was a relaxing ride. I loved seeing the city from this different perspective.
Russian workers taking a break along the canal.
I have to say something about our guide, Alexey. He was a young, tall, skinny guy, probably in his 20s and he spoke with this sort of Russian-French dialect. Michael refers to him as Pepe le Pew. Alexey spoke with a very breathy voice and ended each phase with a breathy chuckle or laugh. This was our second tour with him, so we knew what to expect. It was funny to watch all the first-timers’ heads turn, open jawed and bewildered as he started this second tour. He certainly entertained us. Michael and I still find ourselves imitating him, randomly, to make each other laugh.
On the canal in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Taking in our last glimpse of Saint Petersburg.
After the canal cruise, it was back on the bus, crossing through passport control one last time, saying proshchaniye (farewell) to Saint Petersburg.
Tuesday Day Five in New York
Another day spent exploring and wandering the culturally rich and diverse streets of New York. Some neighborhoods that have survived more than a century are shrinking and others are swallowing them up. We took the subway down to SoHo in the morning and then walked around many of the historic neighborhoods. Little Italy is now only about three blocks long, having been overtaken to a large degree by Chinatown.
Lombardi's in Little Italy.
I found it interesting to see representatives from each of the Italian restaurants, on the street, enticing customers to come in for lunch. This was done in a much classier way than what we’ve come to expect from street marketers. Keep in mind these are all white linen table cloth establishments, not fast food.
We wandered out of Little Italy, into Chinatown and leisurely walked along Canal Street. Most tourist know Canal Street as the knock-off shopping meca. Not much has changed. Although, the strip we walked seemed less claustrophobic then I remember from the past. Stall after stall of scarves, purses and perfume. Jewelry and watches galore… but many people were offering to take you to secret rooms for most of the knock-offs. A few years ago they were out on the open street– everywhere.
We had an enjoyable lunch, back in Little Italy at the historic Lombardi’s Coal Oven Pizza. It was very good. I have a fondness for New York pizza over Chicago pizza. I’ve never had bad pizza in New York. Lombardi’s was good but I still think I prefer John’s Pizza the most.
A view of the High Line.
After lunch, we stopped for dessert at a little shop called Rice to Riches, with an amazing array of rice pudding options. Who knew?
Our target destination for the day was a relatively new attraction called the High Line. First, we explored the world famous Chelsea Market. Michael ended up buying an interesting array of handmade soaps there.
The High Line was a unique and new find for us. It is basically a reclaimed strip of historic, elevated freight train track, re-purposed as a park and green space. It runs from Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District to West 34th Street, between 10th & 11th Avenues on the west side. It’s an excellent relaxing alternative to Central Park with some excellent views of the city. There are spaces for concerts, benches for relaxing and viewing, and miles of peaceful walking.
We headed back to the theatre district for our Tuesday night show, Priscilla Queen of the Desert. This was not a show we’d originally put on our list but after several friends had recommended it, we added it to our schedule of shows. Its been running for a while and we thought we should see it now rather than taking a chance of missing it, if it were to close before our next visit.
My quote: “With a four foot mirror (disco) ball and flying divas… how can you go wrong?” Adapted from a movie of the same title, Priscilla is an entertaining production full of tunes from the 80’s and 90’s. It’s a jukebox musical– with a plot. High Art– it’s not. This is just pure, good, foot-tapping entertainment.
New York 2012 Saturday- Day Two
I’m going to try to write this using the free Wi-Fi in Times Square. It’s a little nippy out, about 54 degrees, but can’t resist sitting and writing in the middle of one of the busiest and most visual places in the world.
Saturday was a pretty hectic day. We left our room about 8:30 am and didn’t return until about 1 in the morning.
Our brunch spot.
Our day started with a bonus we hadn’t anticipated when we planned our trip to New York. Our friend Kathy was in town visiting her daughter Carrie, arranging final wedding plans for Carrie’s May wedding. So we were lucky enough to join them for brunch at Jeffrey’s Groceries in the West Village before starting our three-show day.
What always amazes me about true friendships (our extended family) is that no matter how much time passes between connections, it always feels like home. I’m not even sure how it started but back when we did shows with Carrie, we became her “Other Dads“. Carrie, her Mom Kathy, and Gary (her Dad) have always been some of the most special people to us. We’ve always had a great time with them and developed a special bond. Carrie’s fiancee, Joel was a welcome addition to the clan.
So Michael and I headed down to the West Village early and Michael got his “New York haircut” while I enjoyed the Spring morning in McCarthy Park. Then we met up with Kathy and Carrie for a memorable brunch… reminisced.. and talked about the exciting wedding plans.
When we said our good-byes and Carrie and I hugged, she looked into my eyes and said, “I love you.” I melted. Our daughter, who we’ve know since she was 12, is all grown up…sigh… and I’m getting old (smile).
Other Desert Cities marquee.
We hopped on the subway and made our way back to 46th Street for our first show of the day, Other Desert Cities. It was an enjoyable play that packed a punch but I thought it was trying too hard to be a classic like Arthur Miller’s All My Sons— it felt a bit forced. For me, the best part was finally seeing Judith Light on stage.
From there we went to see a little off-Broadway piece called, Miss Abigail’s Guide to Dating, Mating & Marriage. It was a fun little piece but a bit of a disappointment. I felt the production values were severely lacking– but the resources were there. Definitely a tourist-type show, not aimed at the serious theatre-goer.
Our final show of the day was the musical adaptation of the movie, GHOST. I’d listened to the cast recording in advance and thought is sounded promising. Our Chicago friend, Amy was able to join us. It was our first great production of the trip. Beautifully staged and performed, it was a visual wonder. Anyone obsessed with the movie would be pleased and the musical stands on its own as a solid entertaining piece of theatre.
The new musical adaptation, GHOST.
Afterwards, Michael went back to the room exhausted and Amy and I went to Starbucks to chat before I walked her back to the subway. When I got back to the room, Michael was asleep. I know this because after knocking and jiggling the door for 15 minutes, I had to go back down to the front desk to try and call the room. He didn’t answer. The desk clerk scrambled to try and find a key– with no luck. (Keep in mind they use real keys and suggest you leave them at the desk when ever you go out because they don’t have replacements.) The clerk ended up waking the security guard and sending him down to get the only other key from housekeeping so he could let me in. When I got in the room, Michael was suddenly awakened– groggy but awake.
How Do You Measure 525600 Minutes? 