Tallin Estonia

No internet. I mean, none. That is the down side of ship life for sure, not being to email, call or BLOG for that matter! But here's the reason. We basically sailed to the North Pole. No Santa, no reindeer (if children are reading this, Santa was on a cruise in the Bahamas), and NO nighttime!!!! What the?? It was just unnatural. Watching a sunset that never sets makes you feel like you are on Mars.
Anyways, I'll be back with more on that, but here is my short and sweet little blog about a short and sweet stay in little Tallinn, Estonia.

 Tallinn is an adorable Baltic town that is beautifully preserved. More cobblestone streets, shops, taverns and pubs, but it truly has a medieval feel to it. You know those Renaissance fairs they have in the states? It's like that, but for real. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sights and is the oldest capital city in Northern Europe. 

Yes, they wrecked the entrance to the town with a McDonalds. Or did they?? I love my cheeseburgers.

St. Petersburg Kings and Queens

It’s too much. It’s all just too much. I can only update one country at a time at this point as it’s gotten completely overwhelming.

St.Petersburg Russia is a complicated port, as one needs a specialized visa to get into the country. Jason and I opted to take two ship excursions (where you don't need a visa), one to the Hermitage and another to the palaces of Catherine and Peterhof. The Hermitage tour was like trying to see all of New York City in a day, it was the most intense museum either of us have ever been to. As it was only an “intro” tour we whipped though the place in 2hrs. NOT enough time, and I don’t think my eyes have popped back into my head since. Read more about the Hermitage here.

The palaces were also spectacular, one room out-doing the next. Both palaces were completely destroyed by the Nazis, but not before the caretakers buried the palace treasures to unearth them later and painstakingly restore them bit by bit.  I just found out I will be taking a tour back to Katherine’s Palace tomorrow for dinner and a concert. A once in a lifetime experience that guest pay hundreds of dollars for I will be doing for free. These are the moments when my job is truly awesome.