Cruise Chronicles – Day 4 – At Sea on a Very Big Ship

Regal Princess, Nynashamn, Sweden (12 May 2019)

Travels have been rich source material for Images and More. There was a four-part series from Iceland in 2016. Eight stories came out of a five-day trip to northern Italy in 2018. This was a trip of a lifetime…eleven days at sea with stops at seven different northern European ports. I believe fifteen stories will emerge from this adventure but this one will be about the ship itself and the theme is BIG.

Regal Princess Lido Deck (19 May 2019)

Standard cruise ship open air amenities. A pool that nobody 

used since it was a chilly week. Hot tubs on two decks that 

were used. And new since I last cruised – a big screen that 

showed movies and concert films day and night. The sound 

was quite adequate for an outdoor venue (except when 

the ship’s horns blasted the theme from ‘The Love Boat’).

I have limited experience with large-ship, ocean cruises. In 2002, we did a wonderful Inside Passage cruise from Vancouver to Alaska and back. I thought that boat was big…2000 passengers on a 77,000-ton liner.

Regal Princess Sea Walk (11 May 2019)

One of the distinctive features on this boat is a clear-floor 

walkway that loops out over the sea, 16 decks below. 

Some passengers found that stroll to be a bit disconcerting.

I always thought aircraft carriers were the biggest ships on the sea. The mere phrase connotes ‘big.’ The late basketball coach, Al McGuire used to call big centers like Shaq and Wilt ‘aircraft carriers.’ I’m old enough to remember watching the great World War II documentary series, ‘Victory at Sea.’ In it you saw the great naval battles in the Pacific and learned the names of the legendary flat tops.

USS Wasp – 788 feet long; 15,000 tons.

USS Yorktown & USS Hornet - 824 feet long; 20,000 tons.

Over the decades, the carriers grew into the behemoths they are now. The supercarrier, USS Gerald Ford, launched in 2013, is 1106 feet long and tips the scales at 100,000 tons.

Regal Princess Atrium (19 May 2019)

This might be the ‘town center’ in the floating city.

Ringed by eateries, bars and shops, live music 

is often playing for dancing on the open floor

(or drowning out your conversations while you dine).

To that, cruise ship builders say, “Pffft!” Our Regal Princess, launched in 2014, is almost 1100 feet long and displaces over 142,000 tons…twice the mass of our Alaska boat. I joked when I said I’ve seen smaller aircraft carriers. Turns out ALL aircraft carriers are smaller than this ship.

Fountain and Light Show (19 May 2019)

One evening, there was a light and music 

show with dancing waters. The display here 

was played to Prince’s ‘Purple Rain.’

During our short stay in Tallinn, Estonia, we docked next to another cruise ship. The MSC Meraviglia is truly huge…4,500 passengers and 171,000 tons. A floating city. I had to look this up. Google “largest cruise ships” and you’ll find our beast ranks a mere # 28 on the list. The MSC boat at least cracks the Top Ten but the Big Kahuna…until the next Biggest Thing is launched…is Symphony of the Seas…over 6,000 passengers and 228,000 tons.

Big Brother, Tallinn, Estonia (16 May 2019)

I’ll just conclude that it was quite an experience sailing on this mega-boat (our Regal Princess is on the right). It had every amenity one might want and many I had no interest in. We encountered no rough seas and I wonder if we would have felt the rolling waves if we had. There will be more references to the boat as the saga continues.

Cruise Chronicles – Day 3 - Leaving Copenhagen

Our time in Copenhagen was ending and the cruise part was about to begin. After much waiting in the hotel and the bus ride to the docks and the massive screening and check-in of more than 3,000 other passengers, we were in our cabin by early afternoon.

We set sail promptly at 6 PM. Some boats have loud, long horn blasts to announce their presence. The same loud horns on this boat play the theme from the Love Boat…like a honking carillon. I’m sure folks in sleepy little port towns thrill at the sound…or not.

With no city touring before we boarded the ship, today held few photographic opportunities. Of course, there was this gigantic ship I could document but I will save that report for the Day 4 post when we were at sea the entire day.

Wind Turbines and the Oresund Bridge (10 May 2019)

Fortunately, our cabin was NOT on the dockside of the boat and I was able to capture this interesting scene. The late sun shone on a line of wind turbines with the bridge that connects Denmark to Sweden in the distance. Completed in 1999, the Øresond Bridge (and tunnel) accommodates road and rail traffic. Many Danes take advantage of the cheaper housing in Sweden and commute to their jobs from their northern neighbor. I believe this composition looks better cropped to a narrow/panoramic perspective and reduced to black and white.

Amager Bakke Waste-to-Energy Plant, Copenhagen (10 May 2019)

Also visible from our cabin balcony was another thing you rarely find in our narrow-minded, tight-fisted American system. How do you feel about having a big waste incinerator in your city?

Would you like it better if the tons of municipal waste were burned to generate steam heat and electricity? But wait! Since you don’t have anything like mountains in your area, would it be better if the plant added an artificial ski slope, hiking trail and climbing wall?

Also known as Amegar Slope or Copenhill, this facility has all of the above and claims to be the incinerator with the most advanced pollution controls in the world.

God Fingers Over the Baltic Sea (10 May 2019)

This was one of the last views as we sailed away from Copenhagen. Tomorrow night, we’ll be docked in Sweden and the Day 5 story will come from Stockholm.

Cruise Chronicles – Day 2 – Roskilde, Denmark

Roskilde Cathedral (9 May 2019)

Before retiring on our first night in Copenhagen…blessed sleep in a real bed after being up for two days, we sat in the hotel lobby checking out the rack of brochures on area attractions. There were bus and boat tours, various museums, parks and cultural offerings…the usual things one finds in and around a big city…and none were ringing any bells. Then Suzanne saw this little card that identified the town of Roskilde and the cathedral there that just happens to be the traditional burial site of the Danish monarchs.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

I’m happy to report that going there appealed to all, not just this lover of graves and their important occupants. The day began at Copenhagen’s Central Station. I do love the look of classic old European rail stations.

Central Station, Copenhagen (9 May 2019)

The Danish monarchy is the oldest in the world with a lineage that extends back over a thousand years. Curiously, every king since 1513 has alternately been a Christian or a Frederik. Until Queen Margarethe II assumed the throne in 1972 (the first female ruler since Margarethe I passed in 1412), there has been a Chris who begat a Fred who begat a Chris and so on.

Inside Roskilde Cathedral Organ (9 May 2019)

Christian IV Chapel, Roskilde Cathedral (9 May 2019)

The black and silver sarcophagus on the left contains the remains of Christian IV, who ruled for 59 years before he died in 1648. No other Scandinavian monarch has occupied a throne as long. He brought wealth and stability to the country. At the same time, he jumped into the Thirty Years War, a most destructive religious conflict. He also rebuilt the Norwegian capital of Oslo and renamed it Christiania after himself…modest monarch that he was.

Tomb of Queen Margrethe I, Roskilde Cathedral (9 May 2019)

Queen Margrethe ruled at a time when the Danish Kingdom included Norway and Sweden. She died at age 59 in 1412. Some consider her to be the first great European ruling queen. She was very capable and her subjects liked to call her their ‘Lady King.’ She occupies a prime central position in the cathedral. Six hundred years later, that regard holds as the current monarch, the first woman since Margrethe to rule, is Margrethe II.

Tomb of King Christian V, Roskilde Cathedral (9 May 2019)

King Christian V, son of Frederik III and father of Frederik IV, died in 1699. A quick glance at history shows he was one lucky stiff who ruled when European monarchs (conspiring with the clergy) solidified the idea that kings had a Divine Right to rule and no earthly authority could do anything about it. Those were the days.

He started a war with Sweden which he lost. The Danish economy tanked and to add insult to injury, his sister married the king of Sweden. He was not interested in being educated enough to rule effectively but he was popular with the people. Gotta love what he himself said were his main interests in life: ”hunting, love-making, war and maritime affairs.” A real manly man of the people he was, fathering eight children with his wife and six more with his mistress.

I’ll leave you to consider if any of his story reminds you of our modern political environment.

Cruise Chronicles – Day 1 – Copenhagen, Denmark

Thatched Roof, Dragor, Denmark (8 May 2019)

This was a special vacation. The kind retired people (or self-employed consultants) take. Dear friends Frank and Suzanne joined us for a cruise that began in Copenhagen. It was a round trip through the Baltic Sea to the Scandinavian capitals and other ports of call. We then arranged to disembark in Oslo, Norway and stay there a few extra days.

I suppose Day 1 was really getting to Copenhagen, a long slog by itself as all flights to Europe are overnight from the East Coast. Plus, the flight was out of Newark. It’s always a good day when you can drive three hours on I-95 and have nothing to report.

On the other hand, it was as uncomfortable a flight as I can remember. The SAS Airbus was chock-full and the plane’s seating plan seemed to be inspired by colonial slave ships. It was very tight in the steerage compartment and once the people in front of us reclined their seats, we were trapped…immobilized for the duration. Despite the confinement, I still didn’t sleep.

Non-Tourists do it Too (8 May 2019)

Since we landed around 0800, there was no way we could check into a hotel. Tour people gathered up our luggage to transport to the hotel while we were herded onto buses for some local sightseeing. This is a good thing. When one lands in Europe after an overnight flight, you must resist that urge to nap. Too bad you might have dozed for a total of six minutes on the flight. Hit the streets and power through the day. Go to bed a little early. You’ll have no trouble falling asleep and your jet lag should be sorted out by morning…mostly. At least that’s been our experience.

The first stop was a quaint coastal village near the airport called Dragor. It was a quiet morning and not much activity was evident. The little harbor had a few interesting-looking boats and some of the houses have roofs made of the traditional thatch.

Fishing Boat, Dragor, Denmark (8 May 2019)

I thought to name this picture ‘Toy Fishing Boat’ because the craft was so small. 

It takes a hearty soul to go into the open seas in such a craft. 

After Dragor, we were taken to a number of stops in downtown Copenhagen. Founded as a Viking fishing village in the tenth century, Copenhagen has been the capital of Denmark since the 15th century. The largest metropolitan area in the country is the center of the nation’s governmental, cultural, financial and educational institutions. One of the stops we made was in the hippie anarchist Christiania neighborhood. Squatters took over an abandoned military facility in 1971 and created an area apart from the rule of Danish authorities. An uneasy relationship existed where cannabis sales were tolerated until a decade ago. Spray painting seems to be the current activity of choice.

Inside Christiania, Copenhagen (8 May 2019)

Just across the street from Christiania is the Church of Our Saviour. Completed in 1695, the edifice is a fine example of Dutch baroque and modest Protestant design. It is known for the external staircase that winds up the outside of the steeple. Visitors pay to climb the stairs and are rewarded with glorious views of the city.

Church of Our Saviour, Copenhagen (8 May 2019)

The interior walls are almost bare of adornments and the large windows are clear, not stained glass. One of the few elaborate decorative elements is the organ. Below the 1698 inscription is a bust of King Christian V, the Danish ruler at the time.

Organ Facade, Church of Our Saviour, Copenhagen (8 May 2019)

Among the few images I saw of Copenhagen before going there was of Nyhavn. Every tourist brochure and post card stand has some view of this part of town. During the 1670’s, King Christian V (more about him when we visit his grave later) had Swedish prisoners of war dig a new canal from King’s Square to the harbor. It was a busy maritime cargo area until ocean-going vessels became too large to use the canal. Now it is a popular area for tourists and locals who flock to the restaurants and bars that line the waterfront.

Nyhavn, Copenhagen (8 May 2019)

We had a nice fish and chips lunch under the sun. Later, we settled into our hotel and ended the day with a brief neighborhood walk and cup of tea before happily going down for the night. There would be another night spent here before we board the ship.