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VISITING
AUTHOR-ARTICLE
OCTOBER
2009
Fundraising
Cruise
Donauschwaben
Foundation
Forwarded
by Robert Filippi
Chairman
of the Board, Donauschwaben Foundation
Liz and I flew to London on May 26th to
meet our travel group for a few days of adjustment to the
time change. Upon our arrival we met Duncan, our tour guide
for the
London
stay. He herded all the morning arrivals into one spot as we
waited to board our bus for the trip to Harrington Hall, our
hotel for two nights. Most of us had not slept much as we
flew over the ocean, but as
Duncan
reminded us, we needed to stay awake that first day in
London
. Following check-in most of us went our separate ways to
explore Kensington, the posh section of
London
we were staying in. Liz and I grabbed a bite to eat and an
ale at the Stanhope Arms around the corner. A sign in front
proclaimed:” Famous for the best Fish and Chips around!”
Later, after a brief nightcap, most of the weary travelers
went off for a good night’s rest to prepare for the city
tour in the morning.
Our stay at Harrington Hall came with the most
wonderful buffet breakfast. A wide assortment of fruits,
cereals, meats, lox, and beverages gave us a much-needed
boost for the day ahead. As we drove through Kensington,
Duncan
mentioned that the city placed placards on the homes of
notable citizens to recognize them. We were approaching one
such residence when he asked us who we thought the first
notable might be. “Benny Hill” I said! Sure enough, to
my surprise I was right. Soon we drove past palaces,
museums, Big Ben, and many more
London
sights on our way to the
Tower
of
London
. Our brief visit to the Tower gave us a wonderful view of
the
Tower
Bridge
over the river
Thames
. Changing of the guard at
Buckingham
Palace
was another highlight of our tour.
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Changing
of the Guard
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Kensington
Gardens
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Tower
Bridge
-
London
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Rather than take the bus all the way back to
Harrington Hall, many of us opted to leave the tour at
Harrods. Harrods is one of the world’s largest department
stores and is owned by Mohamed Al-Fayed, father of Dodi
Fayed. A memorial to his son and Diana is found on the lower
levels of the store. Liz and I enjoyed another highlight of
the store, the food court. It was there we tried some
Russian caviar, Vodka, champagne, and Harrods Bier. I have
now acquired an appreciation for this delicacy. Our group
also had dinner in the stores dining room. An extensive
prime rib buffet complemented an exhaustive menu. Everyone
indulged to excess with exotic coffees and high-calorie
desserts. Later, on our long walk back to the hotel, we
visited
Kensington
Gardens
and the Stanhope Arms. That evening, the battle between
soccer rivals Manchester United and
Barcelona
took center stage as our group mingled in Harrington Hall.
Our cruise boarding came the following morning after
a leisurely bus ride to Harwich (pronounced hair-itch). This
port on the southeast coast of
England
was our launching point for the wonderful 12-day cruise
through Scandinavia which included stops in
Copenhagen
,
Denmark
;
Stockholm
,
Sweden
;
Helsinki
,
Finland
;
St. Petersburg
,
Russia
;
Talin
,
Estonia
; and
Oslo
,
Norway
. The weather in this region at the end of May-beginning of
June featured daytime highs in the 50’s and 60’s with
sun and rain interspersed. Boarding of our cruise ship, the
Jewel of the Seas, went smoothly and we were soon on our way
to
Copenhagen
. The first day was spent cruising the “Nord See .“
Liz and I quickly realized that our “at sea” days
would not be spent sitting by the outdoor pool sunning
ourselves. The temperatures were not the same warmth as
those on the
Mediterranean
in July. We needed to enjoy some of the ships many
amenities: the state-of-the-art fitness center, the spa, the
casino, the multi-story atrium with its many lounges and
coffee shop, the indoor pool, the dining rooms, and the
theater.
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Harwich
Harbor
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Old
Village -
Copenhagen
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The
Mermaid - Copenhagen
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Our first stop was Copenhagen, the capitol of
Denmark. Many of our Schwowe cruise participants had booked
a variety of shore excursions. Our bus tour took us to a
small, restored fishing village on the outskirts of the
capitol. On our drive back into
Copenhagen
, Liz and I got off the bus and strolled through downtown.
We met some of our California Schwowe at a sidewalk café
where two beers cost $23.00! This country of 5 million
people endures one of the highest tax rates in the world,
said to approach 70%. Just north of
Copenhagen
sits the Oresund bridge to
Sweden
. This bridge has a total length of nearly five miles,
although the longest span is only 1600 feet. Despite a 36
Euro fee to cross by car, about 15.2 million made the
crossing by car in 2007. Upon our departure from
Denmark
we spent another glorious weather day at sea, this time on
the Baltic.
Sweden and its capitol, Stockholm beckoned. As
morning broke, the Jewel of the Seas navigated the
fjord-like approach to this world renowned island city.
One of the true highlights of the cruise was the 70th
birthday celebration of our Ehrenprasident, Leo Mayer. Leo
arranged a cocktail party at the Odyssey lounge at the top
of the ship. Congratulations Leo!
Tony Schiro also celebrated his special day on the cruise.
Sweden and its capitol, Stockholm beckoned. As morning
broke, the Jewel of the Seas navigated the fjord-like
approach to this world renowned island city.
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Ships
by
Stockholm
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The
Schiros
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Church
and Obelisk
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Our arrival in Stockholm triggered the usual bevy of
busses that came to cart all of us tourists around their
beautiful city. As we meandered through city streets it
became apparent that we had come on a very special day. Dump
trucks of all sizes were filled with graduating high school
students celebrating the end of their school year. Horns
honked as these youths sang joyous songs marking their
transition to adulthood. What a glorious sight and sound! We
were able to get off the bus briefly and our guide showed us
“the world’s smallest statue!”
We walked past the famed Nobel museum. Alfred Nobel,
the inventor of dynamite in 1866, left most of his fortune
to a foundation dedicated to peace. This year, a Schwob
named Herta Müller won the Nobel Prize for literature. Later,
we stopped at the Vasa Museum where a 17th century warship,
the Vasa, has been restored and displayed.
St. Petersburg was a two-day stop. Naturally, our
border control into Russia was under slightly tighter
controls than we’d been accustomed to in the other
countries. Highlights of the two day stay in St. Petersburg
included Petershof, the Hermitage, and a wonderful lunch
complete with Russian vodka. The ladies were able to shop
for the famous Russian painted eggs on the way at
Dostoevsky Exhibition, a souvenir shop that must give
the tour guides a “kickback!” It’s remarkable the
restoration that’s been done to some of Russia’s most
noteworthy treasures after the damage inflicted during WW
II. The Russians are doing a better job restoring their
historical buildings than constructing their new ones. It
seems everybody from police to bldg.inspectors are on the
“take” because of the poor economic conditions prevalent
in today’s Russia. The city’s mass-transit system is one
of the world’s most extensive. Many of the city’s
streetcars date back to an earlier time and appear to be in
need of repair. Not surprisingly, our guide said that their
summer weather only lasts a very short time and is marked by
many cloud-filled days. We experienced this for ourselves on
our visit as it rained extensively on our wait to get into
the museums. All-in-all, St. Petersburg is a true
“must-see” destination!
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Palace Gardens
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Palace
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Petershof
Fountains
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Golden
Peacock
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Throne
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Massive
Chandelier
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Architecture
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Examples
of Artwork
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Landmark
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Waiting
for Shoppers
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Our fifth port on this cruise was Tallin, Estonia.
Naturally, street vendors on the dock were excited to see
the ships come in. We began the day with a guided tour of
the city, its old restored fortifications and its churches.
Shopping was again included; surprise!! Our bus and tour
guide took us into the countryside to the town of Rakvere.
It was here we were informed as to the process for making
Vodka. Selected members of our tour were immersed in a Vodka
comparison which featured Russian and Swedish brands versus
the local products. Rakvere Vodka proved to be the
“clear” winner among our experts. We then proceeded to
explore the restored medieval fortress. This castle
contained workers dressed in period garb and livestock. We
were exposed to a “period” meal for lunch and an ale to
wash it all down. Our tour guide said that the winters in
Estonia are so long and cold that she, and all of her
countrymen that can afford it, heads to southern climates
like southeast Asia. Following the hour-long drive back to
our ship we began the two-day cruise to Oslo, Norway.
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Rakvere
Castle
Courtyard
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Vodka
Tasting
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While at sea, our Schwowe group gathered for more
camaraderie and fund-raising. Ingrid Dorr, courtesy of Wolf
Urban, had provided us with four CD’s of Volksmusik.
Martin Koenig insisted that this was not enough to raffle
off and cajoled most every couple to purchase a raffle prize
for this event. Then we had to buy our raffle prizes back!
Mrs. Katie Krist and Mrs. Elisabeth Schmidt sold raffle
tickets. When Martin saw that “only” $500 had been
raised, he went around again and sold some more. This raffle
generated a donation to the Foundation of over $700. Our
thanks to all cruisers for their generosity! I’ve included
pictures from the event. Unfortunately, I had camera issues
and several pictures that I took during the trip were
randomly damaged. Consequently, I have placed substitute
pictures of the Krists in this collage. Why their portrait
did not work like the rest only God knows. Hopefully, some
of the other participants also took their picture and can
send me a copy.
All
Pictures Courtesy Robert
Filippi
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02/24/13
