Mid August 2013

 

My Scandinavian cruise 

Our flight from Dubai to Copenhagen took us around seven hours. On reaching our destination, we stayed in a hotel in the center of the city, close to everything there was to see and do. We decided to discover the city by foot, starting with the zoo and Tivoli.

There are some countries that I have visited, where there is a lot to do; but the locals make you feel like you don't want to come back, because of their treatment towards us. But Copenhagen was distinctive - this is a place where the people would want you to come back as they were kind, helpful and friendly. 

We took the cruise ship - The Royal Caribbean, and sailed in the Baltic Sea. It was a beautiful ship with a lot of things to do - there was a climbing wall, a gym, a pool, you name it and above all, it was nice to see many nationalities and cultures on one boat. On the first day, however, there was a mix-up about dinner tables as they had seated other people on our table and two of us had to sit elsewhere. We tried to be nice about it and asked the guests next to us if they where Arabs as they looked like Arabs. But they turned out to be from Israel. There was a few seconds of awkward silence after they revealed their nationality, but then we continued our conversation.

For two days, we sailed with no stops and on the third day we stopped in Tallinn – Estonia, a beautiful country with very nice streets to walk through from the medieval ages; the people were pleasant as well. Estonia used to be under the Soviet rule until 1991. Over the years they where ruled by many empires - including the Arab Muslims. A person called Al Idrissi went there in 1154 and ruled for while.

 

The country was a scenic wonder full of parks, rivers and forests. And they have wolves there as well - European wolves that traveled from Russia because of lack of food cross over to Estonia to hunt.

Estonia is known for its limestone deposits and Amber.

Historically, Estonia was under water during the ice age until about 10,000 years ago. I think many parts of the Middle East were as well, or at least they looked different. When we go hiking in the UAE or Oman through mountains we see shells and rocks that look like they belong in the sea. In the wadis we can see where the river used to flow and how deep it was – I think there was different kind of species, life and landscape that have disappeared though ages. 

 

Day 4. After Tallinn, we sailed to Saint Petersburg – Russia, a beautiful city with lots of history to experience, including old architectural buildings, castles and churches. When you see those building with intricate architecture, one can just imagine how they were built hundreds of years back, with no machinery - with bare hands - and the beauty of it is that they still look nicer than the ones that are getting built now, with all those machines. Another fact that surprised me is that years ago all the Russian locals where slaves and the kings, queens ruled everything along with some nobel families thats when they all used to scream freedom of course in many countries till now.

 

Day 5. We sailed to Helsinki, the capital of Finland, the birthplace of Nokia. Years ago, it was owned by Sweden and gained independence in 1917. I thought Sweden was much better than the previous countries I have visited; nice people, wide streets, greenery, just comfortable in every way. We drove around the city and saw that they had parks everywhere, it was beautiful. A visit to an indoor ice dorm was organized where you try the ice sled with huskies and interestingly, it was built in a warehouse, similar to what we have in Dubai. We visited the fish market as well. Well, it was a market. But they didnt only sell fish. 

 

Day 6. We arrive in Stockholm in Sweden, the land where Ericsson is made and where Volvo first started before selling it to China. It consists of 14 islands and is known as the city of Opera and cutting edge crystal. We drove around the city and visited a tower that was once a TV station. On the way back, we visited the ABBA museum, where all their costumes were displayed. We also discovered how they started and how they ended etc. It’s a must visit museum if you are into music.

 

Day 7. We sailed back via Copenhagen, where we stayed for couple of hours before heading to Malaga, Spain. It was  just enough staring at the endless sea for hours during the day and the full moon reflecting on the water at night.