Day 1 Oslo, Norway
On Bygdøy, a short ferry ride from the city centre, you find the Fram museum, where the original explorer ship Fram is placed. We recommend you to acquaint yourself with Oslo and the first Fram before you check in to your comfortable cabin, and the voyage begins.
Day 2 Copenhagen, Denmark
Copenhagen was once a little fishing village whom no one had heard of, and today it is the modern capital of Denmark. In Copenhagen, one can find reminders of the settlement Havn that existed around 6000 years ago, but the first written material is from the year 1043. In 1160, the Archbishop Absalon was an adviser for the great King Valdemar. They started many projects, among them a castle where one today can find Christiansborg. Business became more important than fishery, and Havn changed name to Købmandshavn. In 1443, it became the capital of Denmark.
Day 3 Baltic Sea
We spend the day sailing in the Baltic Sea. The Baltic Sea is about 1600 km long, an average of 193 km wide and the surface area is about 377,000 km². About 85 million people live in the Baltic basin, 15 million within 10 km of the coast and 29 million within 50 km of the coast. In addition to fish the sea also provides amber, especially from its southern shores. The bordering countries have traditionally provided lumber, wood tar, flax, hemp, and furs. Sweden had from early medieval times also a flourishing mining industry, especially on iron ore and silver. Poland had and still has extensive salt mines. All this has provided for rich trading since the Roman times.
Day 4 Helsinki, Finland
With the Russian coastline visible just across the Gulf of Finland, Helsinki has always maintained a unique relationship with its neighbours. Shipbuilding is a tradition and the fine floating crafts of the Finns were built for both the East and the West. Helsinki is laid out with spacious streets interspersed with many gardens and parks. Architecturally, the city is a mixture of old and modern styles, with the senate house and the Suurkirkko, or Great Church, representing the older buildings, and the railroad station, designed in 1918 by the Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen, as a notable example of 19th Century architecture.
Days 5- 6 St. Petersburg, Russia
Though the name has changed several times throughout history, the charm and beauty of this city situated on the river Neva has remained. Gracing the shores of the Baltic, St. Petersburg is a living monument to its founder, Peter the Great. Among the more than 1,000 architectural and historical monuments is the former imperial palace – The Hermitage – which houses the great treasures of the Czars and is one of the world’s largest art museums. Culture has always flourished in St. Petersburg due to the influences of Pushkin, Dostoyevsky, Pavlova, Nijinsky and Fabergé.
Day 7 Tallinn, Estonia
The capital of Estonia, Tallinn, was once an important port in the Hanseatic League. The Danes, Germans and Russians have all left their imprint on Estonia. Tallinn fronts a bay on the Gulf of Finland dominated by Toompea, the hill on which it has been built in the Middle Ages. The aura of the 14th and 15th Century still remains intact in central Tallinn's medieval streets and picturesque houses; many of these are beautifully restored and fascinating to explore. But Tallinn is also a modern capital with government buildings, a university and entertainment.
Day 8 At Sea
With our bow pointing west again, we sail towards our next port of call in Bornholm. Enjoy the relaxed on board life and our interesting lecture programme.
Day 9 Gudhjem, Bornholm
For centuries, the small cliff coves at Gudhjem have given a calm sea to the landing of the fishermen's haul. In 1684, the town first became a ferry station for the building of the fortress on Christiansø and in the middle of the 19th century, the construction of a real harbour started. At that time, the technique of herring smoking was developed, and Gudhjem alone had 50 smoke chimneys. Today, there is only a bit fishing industry left in Gudhjem and one single smokehouse. In return, the town is busy with the tourists, which has become the principal industry of the town.
Day 10 At Sea
Today we will be heading back towards Oslo, with many new pages in our book of memories.
Day 11 Oslo, Norway
We arrival Oslo in the morning hours, and our Baltic Adventure ends here.