So often in a general conversation, people make the statement that they are surfing the internet and do all their planning and reservations themselves. All very well if it is a standard non-complicated JNB LHR return ticket with accommodation in standardised chain hotels. But the moment you think that you fully understand connecting flight itineraries and know that hotels sell rooms at different rack rates, of which the internet most probably share the rooms not yet renovated, or without views or breakfast, you start to realise that you have been taken for a ride – and believe me, not a joy ride. What was supposed to be a dream holiday of a lifetime, turns out to become the worst dreadful nightmare.

The following three incidents happened to real people, who now have decided to rather let professionals help them plan their next trip abroad.

• Once you have booked and paid your air ticket on the internet, it is as good as if you have bought your final funeral policy – no changes, no refunds, and no communication as to flight schedule changes. Often a connecting flight’s time of arrival changes, and furthermore the actual flight has been delayed. You arrive at the counter, only to be told that only business seats are available on the next flight, unless you want to wait until the last flight of the night or tomorrow’s flight to buy and pay for a new ticket hopefully in the same class as your original fare.

• You have saved for this spectacular cruise of the Mediterranean and booked the cabin (with a balcony) at this special bargain price. When you arrive in your cabin, you open your sliding door leading onto your balcony, only to be confronted with this damp dark corner behind the life boats, called a balcony.

• You arranged for your next summer excursion to Croatia, not realising that you need an additional separate Croatian visa, despite the fact that you have just returned from the personal interview at the German Embassy in Pretoria to acquire your Schengen visa. You start phoning around to get the actual requirements for the visa, and ask your relative to submit the application forms on your behalf. After two weeks of no response, you eventually phone the embassy to be told that they require at least six weeks for issuing of visas; and you have booked your flight, already leaving next week.

BON VOYAGE!

This is our second, follow-up edition of the travel journal on a Baltic Cruise

The REAL joy of a cruise is not necessarily the fun-filled entertainment and the exorbitant display of buffet dinners, displaying the different countries’ cuisine, but the mere fact that you need not have to live daily from a suitcase or travel on difficult roads with hectic traffic. And early every morning the cruise-liner docks in yet another city.

HELSINKI was our fourth Baltic Cruise day’s stopover. To what extent can a country be judged by its ancient heroes? In the case of Finland, however, the idea is quite appealing. The main characters in the Finnish epic, the Kalevala, are patriotic, and the heroes were noble warriors.

The location of Finland, but Helsinki in particular, is almost at the end of the world, at the most northern end of the Baltic Sea. But one should not forget that Russia’s main harbour, Sank Petersburg lies in the eastern corner of the Gulf of Finland stretch; thus the brave naval history of the Finnish people.

Our first visit was some years ago during winter: snow had covered the dome, allowing only a soft veil of light into the building. This time it was summer, but the visit was even more special: the National Finnish Philharmonic Orchestra was busy rehearsing for a musical performance. The acoustics were amazing!

Helsinki is synonymous with the music of the composer, Jean Sibelius.  Although he lived from 1904 in a nearby village, Järvenpää (a must visit for all Sibelius fans), the popular Sibelius Park, contains the stainless steel monument, with his bust and a modern sculpture, resembling a multitude of organ pipes.

For the sport enthusiasts, a stop at the Olympic Stadium will be interesting. Originally built for the 1940 Games, it was postponed, due to World War II, until 1952. The observation platform on its 72 meter high tower provides an excellent panoramic view, not only of the stadium, but also of the city centre in a distance.

To end off the interesting visit, we strolled down Esplanadi Park, a popular green lung stretching from Mannerheimintie down to South harbour. The Kappeli Restaurant, a glass solarium-styled rendezvous, serves good food and wine, with the additional treat of live music from the bandstand during the summer months.

To obtain a tourist visa is still quite an expensive exercise for South African citizens.

But luckily, as passengers on a visiting cruise ship, you are allowed to disembark, if booked on a pre-organised day tour, with only a valid passport. Though you still feel almost threatened and on uneasy alert, the two day visit was all the worth while.

Home to the Russian tsars for over 300 years, St Petersburg, has seen more than any other Russian city in terms of political power struggles since it was founded. More recently we can recall the 1917 Revolution with the storming of the Winter Palace by Communist Revolutionaries as well as the two-and-a-half year blockade by Nazi occupation during World War II. Although many irreplaceable works of art went astray, many incredible pieces are displayed still today within the Hermitage and other palaces in and around the city.

A short drive out of the city centre is Tsarskoe Selo, Pavlovsk, Petershof and Oranienbaum; all beautifully restored palaces. The fountain display at Petershof, based on similar design principles as the Palace of Versailles outside Paris, is something to remember.

We visited St Petersburg on Victory Day in May. Colourful banners were deployed on most of the main streets like Nevsky Prospekt to celebrate the occasion, which also coincided with a stately visit by Vladimir Putin, to his native city. Unfortunately this led to protest demonstrations on the streets: mostly involving elderly people demanding a return to the days of previous law and order.

When capitalism arrived in Russia during perestroika, the older population were very severely disadvantaged as guaranteed retirement incomes were discarded.

Many will try and sell some fake Matryoshka Dolls to earn something for food. Unfortunately many have been forced to beg on the streets to supplement the meagre savings they scraped together over the years.

A visitor can spend days in the Hermitage – and many do. Ranking up there with such museums as the Louvre, the Prado and the Guggenheim, the Hermitage arguably exhibits the world’s finest collection of art. Getting into the complex can be a challenge due to constant queues. Trying to do it in a single day is an even greater challenge that many attempt and fail. After all, there are more than 1000 rooms and 110 staircases in this palace composed of five interlocked buildings. It is said that if you would want to do the whole Hermitage, spending one minute at each work of art, it would take you almost two years to complete the route.

It was springtime when we visited St Petersburg: a sea of all colours of tulips encircled the St Isaac’s Cathedral. Inside, the highly decorative dome attracts thousands of visitors daily. Another sacred stop is the Church on Spilled Blood. The colourful bands of the different onion-shaped domes are a familiar sight on most promotional material of the city. Situated next to the Naberezhnava canal, the late afternoon images on the undisturbed waters offer fantastic opportunities for photographers, as do the different details on the building’s façades.

A visit to St Petersburg will not be complete without ending it off with an evening of ballet at the Mariinskiy Theatre, one of Russia’s most famous venues - where Ana Pavlova and Rudolph Nureyev also performed in Giselle or Swan Lake, on many occasions.
 

TALLINN, capital of Estonia and GDANSK in Poland were our next two ports of call. Once part of the mighty USSR, today both are independent countries. But it came not without fierce struggle and fighting for total independence; of which their resistance could not have been more noticeable than through their unification in labour, song and music in the eighties and ninety’s. (For a complete travel journal on both Tallinn and Gdansk, we refer you to our website @ www.etniquetravel.co.za)
 

We were fortunate that our visit to Tallinn coincided with the Tallinna Vanalinna Päevad, a festival of old town days of fun and medieval games, like jousting, archery and the election of the Count of May, as well as folk dancing. Tallinn’s old town may appear compact on a map, but you can spend hours, if not days, exploring its intriguing nooks and crannies. Your adventure on foot will give you a glimpse of life and the turbulent history of this most interesting unknown Baltic city. This being the main reason why we returned after our cruise for a few more days!

Look at a map of Europe and the Polish port city of Gdansk may not immediately leap out at you as an exciting city break destination. While some of the Eastern Bloc grit remains, the Trójmiasto (Tri-city) conurbation, comprising Gdansk (industrial hub) Gdynia (port) and Sopot (resort town) has cleaned up rather well.

Our last port where we also disembark the Emerald, was Oslo, capital of Norway. A visit to Oslo offers something for everyone. The city itself is modern, while the surrounding scenery of the Oslofjord and wild woods and mountains of Nordmarka is beautiful.

Oslo was once home to playwright Henrik Ibsen, composer Edvard Grieg, artist Edvard Munch and sculptor Gustav Vigeland.

We thought that the station was a short walking distance from the harbour, and decided against taking a taxi. Well, in the end, what seems to be a casual stroll, turned out to be a tiresome exercise. But, on the positive side, by doing this, we could also see the newly completed Opera House, next to the water; and if compared with Copenhagen’s, a much more pleasing piece of architecture.

After locking our luggage away at the station for the rest of the day, Monique decided to stroll down into central town, while I took Tram Line 12 to Vigelandsparken. And for the rest of the morning I could enjoy the remarkable sculptures of Vigeland: a real ode to life!

The contrasts between the vibrancies of youth versus the wisdom of the aged. Everything that life offers: joy and sorrow, excitement and anxiety, boisterousness and peacefulness. It was a weekday-morning.

 
Though the numbers of both local residents and outside visitors amazed me: mothers with prams, fathers kicking balls with their young ones on the lawns, lovers enjoying a quiet corner at the end of a detour, seagulls bathing in the fountains, toddlers splashing and dancing in the shallow ponds; a complete interaction between children and sculptures.

This is an example of a truly public sculpture park, not barred by fences and wire, but truly allows the works of art to be touched, sensed and enjoyed by all. And no sign of any vandalism or graffiti!

 
Late afternoon we took the high-speed train, Flytoget, to reach Oslo International Airport at Gardermoen, some 50 kilometres away.  These trains conveniently run every 10 minutes, taking 20 minutes between city station and airport. And everything is done by credit card and without any manual control whatsoever.

We have recently enjoyed two cruises: the Inside Passage between Vancouver and Alaska, and now this Baltic Cruise. Although totally different in culture and style, both offer a truly remarkable opportunity to enjoy interesting destinations and its people, beautiful scenery and sheer relaxation and enjoyment!

- Johann &  Monique