MAY , 2015
Off again .... This time to Russia and Scandinavia !
WE departed the Newark Airport on SAS Airlines on Thursday May 21st at about 6pm, with a stop in Copenhagen. We finally arrives at out Hotel, the Four Seasons "Lion Palace" Hotel in St Petersburg
on Friday afternoon at about 2pm..... Hungry and tired!
First thing we did was eat and sleep. WE had lunch in the Russian restaurant at the hotel. Blinis, Beef Strogonoff and a Russian Festive Salad. Washed down with a good Russian Beer, then off for a long nap!!!!
WE woke up just in time to go out for Dinner. This is called Jet Lag! We dined our first night in a Russian restaurant called DOM. We walked from The hotel past the St Isaac's Cathedral and the Statue of Nicolas the First, and over the canal Bridge to our dinner. Delicious veal medallions and roast Lamb and vodka!!!
This is the city founded by the Russian Emperor Peter the Great in 1703 on a marshland. But it was the closest location in Russia to Finland, Sweden, and the rest of Europe. Peter fought the Swedes in the "War of the North" for 21 years to gain ownership of this land, and other things I'm sure.
Ray forgot the cable to connect his computer and download his photos, so the pics will come in the next couple of days.
On Saturday morning, we met our English Speaking Russian Guide, Nina Kazarina of "Tzarina Tours" and set off for our orientation and tour of the city. We drove to lookout point on Vasilyevsky Island to learn about Peter the Great and his founding of the city in 1703. We drove by the fortress he built which still stands , and the small wood cabin where he lived during fortress construction.
St Petersburg is a city of rivers and canals opening to the Bay of Finland on the Baltic Sea. There is water and bridges everywhere.
Then on to a Famous Church here, The Cathedral of the Resurrection . Also known as "The Savior on the Spilled Blood", this is a remarkable icon of the city. In 1881, a terrorist exploded a bomb that mortally wounded the Emperor Alexander the Second. A church was ordered to be built on the site of that event to commemorate the Emperor. It took 24 years to build and it is an explosion of color, mosaics and stone.
We had lunch near the Cathedral at an Asian place called paradise. It was a beautiful day and we sat outdoors.
We spent the afternoon with Nina at the State HERMITAGE, an amazing art museum that everybody's heard of, right? Google this place. It is incredible. Originally constructed by Elizabeth, Peter's daughter as a Winter Palace, it was expanded by Catherine the Great and she began the art collection. Buildings and works of art were added over the generations, and today it houses as many as 3 Million works of art. We accomplished the impossible: saw most of the buildings in 2 hours and took a look at the top art treasures in there. Now this is not fair. We cheated a lot, but we only have 2 1/2 days in this town and Nina made sure we saw the most prized treasures ( the "pearls" of the collection) . The buildings themselves are very impressive and on that Saturday were pretty crowded, but not horrible.
Dinner Saturday night was at an elegant restaurant called "EUROPE". There was a trio with a vocalist doing wonderful American Standards and I hummed along during a beautiful dinner.
Walking home a guy leaned against Ray and stole his iPhone out of his shirt pocket. Those guys are really skilled. We were warned about the pickpockets! Luckily he brought a backup phone.
Sunday we drove out to the countryside town of Pushkin to visit a really fancy Summer Palace.
Originally called "Tsarskoye Selo" meaning The Tsars Village , it was passed down from Peter the Great and later became a favorite Palace of Catherine the Great, and she made it truly GRAND,
extending it and adding gardens and pavilions and gold everywhere. There is a stunning room made entirely of Amber.
After lunch we drove to Peterhof, An earlier palace that was all Peter's idea. Grand palace with gardens full of fabulous fountains. We didn't stay too long here because we needed to get back to the hotel for Spa time and dinner.
Monday morning I slept in and Ray took a long walk ....Then we packed and headed to the airport to fly to Stockholm for Ray's Board meeting and the events surrounding a special Company celebration.
We arrived at THE GRAND HOTEL in STOCKHOLM on Monday afternoon. Just in time to settle in and go look for dinner. We chose an Asian Fusion Restaurant about a 10 minute walk from the hotel.
It is the original Asian place in town that was started when a Chinese Circus got stranded in town during WW11. They stayed a long time because the locals liked their food.
Tuesday morning Ray worked and I took a couple of hours to go shopping at the local Department Store, NK. Really nice, and a lovely walk over.
After lunch at the Hotel, we took our first guided tour to "Waldermarsudde", the lovely mansion of a former Prince Eugen on the island in central Stockholm called "Djurgarden". We took a VINTAGE TRAM to get there, a group of about 12 of us. The prince was a painter and patron of the arts and he left the property to the state when he died, requiring them to leave it completely intact as he left it. Down to the fresh flowers everywhere which he loved. It was a delicious way to start exploring Stockholm.
And we were happy to be reunited with our friends from California, Morgan and Sandy.
This is an amazing city with great buildings, lots of water, very clean, many bridges, and over 24,000
islands outside town. Only about 150 of them are inhabited, and many people own Summer homes and permanent homes out on the islands. Everybody takes boats and there are a lot of Ferries and water Taxis.
Dinner Tuesday was at a city restaurant called Gondolen, on the 12 floor of a tall building with great city views.
Wednesday Morning: The Stockholm City Hall is one of the City's most famous Buildings, and one of the Capital's most visited tourist attractions. You can only visit with a guide. It houses offices for 200 people, including the Municipal Council, and is also famous for it's grand ceremonial halls and unique art pieces. It is the grandest City Hall we have seen anywhere!
Next we took our bus to see the oldest part of town and visit the famous Nobel Museum. This is all about Alfred Nobel and the many people who have been awarded the prize in his name. The prizes are chosen each October and in December, all the winners come to Stockholm for a ceremony and a huge banquet in City Hall. We had lunch in the Museum Cafe and they served us the same dessert that is served each year at the banquet. It was an amazing concoction with cotton candy at the bottom.
Then we made a brief stop at the Royal Armory to see carriages from the 16th and 17th centuries,and some costumes from royal events in the past, followed by a brief but informative walking tour of OLD Stockholm . Our guide is Leslie, an American who married a Swede and has been here since 1982.
Wednesday evening was a special celebration at an island restaurant and art gallery called "Artipelag". There was a photo exhibit called "Where the Land Meets the Water", which we all previewed. It opens tomorrow. Then dinner in the upstairs restaurant. We had a big group of over 50 that evening with a 4 piece band playing great jazz for us. What a treat!!!
Thursday morning.....A group of 5 ( Mary, Domenique, Sue, Myself, Susan ) plus our 2 guides, Linea
and Leslie rode a water taxi to visit the island of Fjaderholmarna. This is the closest significant island to the city, about a 35 minute boat ride. We passed the big "rainbow" fountain, and a few large cruise ships coming and going. Our destination was a restaurant by the water where the chef gave the 5 of ua a cooking lesson. We learned how to prepare a fresh salmon fillet for "gravlax". Its a simple method but you have to know the steps. And the result is excellent if you like salmon, which I do very much. So we strolled the nearby boutiques : glass blowers, ceramics and funky handmade items.
Then chef served us lunch on the outdoor patio at a very nicely laid out picnic table. Salmon tartare,
the salmon lightly grilled over a bed of fresh veggies. and dessert and coffee. Very pleasant time.
We sat around and talked for quite a while.
The rest of the afternoon Ray finished his board meetings and attended a reception for the entire staff of the Swedish Company he is here to meet with. I rested and worked on this blog......
Dinner was at the island restaurant called Ekensdal. This is a special group place, not a public restaurant, in a nice yellow building by the water. We had a super meal and entertainment by
A trio of musicians and acrobats. All through the evening the cruise ships kept gliding by the picture window. Cool..... We were celebrating the 70 year anniversary of our Swedish Company, 30 years since Rays company IPO, and the retirement of the Swedish CEO and his successor's launch. ( And a female CEO at that!) It was a BIG week for business...... At this point we were getting pretty tired of touring, meetings and dining, so Ray and I planned to take the following ( and final) day off from everything except the last dinner with members of our group. Spa, shopping, relaxing, enjoying the Grand Hotel a bit. YEAH!!!!
Ray was invited to the Swedish company Branch Managers meeting, but he thankfully declined.
Our final dinner is to be with a much smaller group ( maybe 20) at a nearby restaurant called Wedholms Fisk in the private dining room.
Saturday morning is our flight home on SAS back to Newark. Hopefully it will be nonstop!
Off again .... This time to Russia and Scandinavia !
WE departed the Newark Airport on SAS Airlines on Thursday May 21st at about 6pm, with a stop in Copenhagen. We finally arrives at out Hotel, the Four Seasons "Lion Palace" Hotel in St Petersburg
on Friday afternoon at about 2pm..... Hungry and tired!
First thing we did was eat and sleep. WE had lunch in the Russian restaurant at the hotel. Blinis, Beef Strogonoff and a Russian Festive Salad. Washed down with a good Russian Beer, then off for a long nap!!!!
WE woke up just in time to go out for Dinner. This is called Jet Lag! We dined our first night in a Russian restaurant called DOM. We walked from The hotel past the St Isaac's Cathedral and the Statue of Nicolas the First, and over the canal Bridge to our dinner. Delicious veal medallions and roast Lamb and vodka!!!
This is the city founded by the Russian Emperor Peter the Great in 1703 on a marshland. But it was the closest location in Russia to Finland, Sweden, and the rest of Europe. Peter fought the Swedes in the "War of the North" for 21 years to gain ownership of this land, and other things I'm sure.
Ray forgot the cable to connect his computer and download his photos, so the pics will come in the next couple of days.
On Saturday morning, we met our English Speaking Russian Guide, Nina Kazarina of "Tzarina Tours" and set off for our orientation and tour of the city. We drove to lookout point on Vasilyevsky Island to learn about Peter the Great and his founding of the city in 1703. We drove by the fortress he built which still stands , and the small wood cabin where he lived during fortress construction.
St Petersburg is a city of rivers and canals opening to the Bay of Finland on the Baltic Sea. There is water and bridges everywhere.
Then on to a Famous Church here, The Cathedral of the Resurrection . Also known as "The Savior on the Spilled Blood", this is a remarkable icon of the city. In 1881, a terrorist exploded a bomb that mortally wounded the Emperor Alexander the Second. A church was ordered to be built on the site of that event to commemorate the Emperor. It took 24 years to build and it is an explosion of color, mosaics and stone.
 |
| The Savior on Spilled Blood Cathedral. Total splendor inside. The overall area of mosaics is more than 7,000 square meters. |
 |
| The Admiralty. This splendid building is the home of the Russian Navy |
We had lunch near the Cathedral at an Asian place called paradise. It was a beautiful day and we sat outdoors.
We spent the afternoon with Nina at the State HERMITAGE, an amazing art museum that everybody's heard of, right? Google this place. It is incredible. Originally constructed by Elizabeth, Peter's daughter as a Winter Palace, it was expanded by Catherine the Great and she began the art collection. Buildings and works of art were added over the generations, and today it houses as many as 3 Million works of art. We accomplished the impossible: saw most of the buildings in 2 hours and took a look at the top art treasures in there. Now this is not fair. We cheated a lot, but we only have 2 1/2 days in this town and Nina made sure we saw the most prized treasures ( the "pearls" of the collection) . The buildings themselves are very impressive and on that Saturday were pretty crowded, but not horrible.
 |
| The Facade of the Winter Palace Hermitage Museum |
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| A Hermitage master Staircase |
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| One section of a masterpiece at the Hermitage |
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| A Grand Hallway with art Everywhere! |
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| A good example of the grandeur and scale of many of the exhibition Halls |
Dinner Saturday night was at an elegant restaurant called "EUROPE". There was a trio with a vocalist doing wonderful American Standards and I hummed along during a beautiful dinner.
Walking home a guy leaned against Ray and stole his iPhone out of his shirt pocket. Those guys are really skilled. We were warned about the pickpockets! Luckily he brought a backup phone.
Sunday we drove out to the countryside town of Pushkin to visit a really fancy Summer Palace.
Originally called "Tsarskoye Selo" meaning The Tsars Village , it was passed down from Peter the Great and later became a favorite Palace of Catherine the Great, and she made it truly GRAND,
extending it and adding gardens and pavilions and gold everywhere. There is a stunning room made entirely of Amber.
 |
| Exterior of Catherine's Palace |
 |
| Inside "Catherine's Summer Palace" with Nina, our guide. |
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| The Ballroom.... Gold a bit much..... |
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| The other side of the Ballroom with Russian ceramic room heaters |
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| We are outside the palace enjoying the Gardens |
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| One section of the Palace houses the Chapel for the family. These domes mark that chapel. |
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| Nina and her Carriage |
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| Ray's photo of the front of St Isaac's Cathedral with our hotel in the background |
After lunch we drove to Peterhof, An earlier palace that was all Peter's idea. Grand palace with gardens full of fabulous fountains. We didn't stay too long here because we needed to get back to the hotel for Spa time and dinner.
Monday morning I slept in and Ray took a long walk ....Then we packed and headed to the airport to fly to Stockholm for Ray's Board meeting and the events surrounding a special Company celebration.
We arrived at THE GRAND HOTEL in STOCKHOLM on Monday afternoon. Just in time to settle in and go look for dinner. We chose an Asian Fusion Restaurant about a 10 minute walk from the hotel.
It is the original Asian place in town that was started when a Chinese Circus got stranded in town during WW11. They stayed a long time because the locals liked their food.
 |
| The red colored building is the Grand Hotel with Ferries in front of it. |
After lunch at the Hotel, we took our first guided tour to "Waldermarsudde", the lovely mansion of a former Prince Eugen on the island in central Stockholm called "Djurgarden". We took a VINTAGE TRAM to get there, a group of about 12 of us. The prince was a painter and patron of the arts and he left the property to the state when he died, requiring them to leave it completely intact as he left it. Down to the fresh flowers everywhere which he loved. It was a delicious way to start exploring Stockholm.
And we were happy to be reunited with our friends from California, Morgan and Sandy.
 |
| The Vintage tram that took us to Waldermarsudde, Prince Eugene's mansion. |
 |
| The view from our hotel room across the Harbor |
This is an amazing city with great buildings, lots of water, very clean, many bridges, and over 24,000
islands outside town. Only about 150 of them are inhabited, and many people own Summer homes and permanent homes out on the islands. Everybody takes boats and there are a lot of Ferries and water Taxis.
 |
| A Beauty.... The oldest church in Stockholm |
Wednesday Morning: The Stockholm City Hall is one of the City's most famous Buildings, and one of the Capital's most visited tourist attractions. You can only visit with a guide. It houses offices for 200 people, including the Municipal Council, and is also famous for it's grand ceremonial halls and unique art pieces. It is the grandest City Hall we have seen anywhere!
 |
| Italian style courtyard at City Hall |
 |
| City Hall Cieling of the city council meeting room |
 |
| Huge mosaic in the central Hall |
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| Huge mosaic in the central hall |
Next we took our bus to see the oldest part of town and visit the famous Nobel Museum. This is all about Alfred Nobel and the many people who have been awarded the prize in his name. The prizes are chosen each October and in December, all the winners come to Stockholm for a ceremony and a huge banquet in City Hall. We had lunch in the Museum Cafe and they served us the same dessert that is served each year at the banquet. It was an amazing concoction with cotton candy at the bottom.
 |
| The central Square in the old town. The Nobel Museum is on this Square. |
Then we made a brief stop at the Royal Armory to see carriages from the 16th and 17th centuries,and some costumes from royal events in the past, followed by a brief but informative walking tour of OLD Stockholm . Our guide is Leslie, an American who married a Swede and has been here since 1982.
Wednesday evening was a special celebration at an island restaurant and art gallery called "Artipelag". There was a photo exhibit called "Where the Land Meets the Water", which we all previewed. It opens tomorrow. Then dinner in the upstairs restaurant. We had a big group of over 50 that evening with a 4 piece band playing great jazz for us. What a treat!!!
Thursday morning.....A group of 5 ( Mary, Domenique, Sue, Myself, Susan ) plus our 2 guides, Linea
and Leslie rode a water taxi to visit the island of Fjaderholmarna. This is the closest significant island to the city, about a 35 minute boat ride. We passed the big "rainbow" fountain, and a few large cruise ships coming and going. Our destination was a restaurant by the water where the chef gave the 5 of ua a cooking lesson. We learned how to prepare a fresh salmon fillet for "gravlax". Its a simple method but you have to know the steps. And the result is excellent if you like salmon, which I do very much. So we strolled the nearby boutiques : glass blowers, ceramics and funky handmade items.
Then chef served us lunch on the outdoor patio at a very nicely laid out picnic table. Salmon tartare,
the salmon lightly grilled over a bed of fresh veggies. and dessert and coffee. Very pleasant time.
We sat around and talked for quite a while.
 |
| Boats took us everywhere |
The rest of the afternoon Ray finished his board meetings and attended a reception for the entire staff of the Swedish Company he is here to meet with. I rested and worked on this blog......
Dinner was at the island restaurant called Ekensdal. This is a special group place, not a public restaurant, in a nice yellow building by the water. We had a super meal and entertainment by
A trio of musicians and acrobats. All through the evening the cruise ships kept gliding by the picture window. Cool..... We were celebrating the 70 year anniversary of our Swedish Company, 30 years since Rays company IPO, and the retirement of the Swedish CEO and his successor's launch. ( And a female CEO at that!) It was a BIG week for business...... At this point we were getting pretty tired of touring, meetings and dining, so Ray and I planned to take the following ( and final) day off from everything except the last dinner with members of our group. Spa, shopping, relaxing, enjoying the Grand Hotel a bit. YEAH!!!!
Ray was invited to the Swedish company Branch Managers meeting, but he thankfully declined.
Our final dinner is to be with a much smaller group ( maybe 20) at a nearby restaurant called Wedholms Fisk in the private dining room.
Saturday morning is our flight home on SAS back to Newark. Hopefully it will be nonstop!
