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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 |
Kensington
Gardens
|
Tower
Bridge
-
London
|
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 |
Old
Village -
Copenhagen
|
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
|
The
Schiros |
Church
and Obelisk |
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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| Examples of Artwork
|
Landmark
|
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 |
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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