Melsea's missing last report??!!!

#1

Hello Sailing folks
I truly thought I had posted this blog but realised when I logged on here that actually I didn't. Several things clearly hampered my brain. Various family commitments came up, one of which was a beautiful wedding in St.Andrews, Scotland that was a three day affair it was my husbands Nephew who was getting married. The weather I have to say was brilliant as too was the sight of the beautiful bride and the tartan clad groom as were many of the guest. Both myself & Bill have Scottish connections, his was his own father who was Scottish and his ancestor was David Livingstone, well, through David's brothers side actually. So the family tartan was worn with pride that day.
My other commitment was something to do with the Glasgow Commonwealth Games! I was a volunteer at two venues Hampden Park & at Ibrox. I was involved in the transport section which was to help with the arrival & departures of Athletes, technical officials & members of the press. I met a lot of people and had photos taken with various Athletes past & present.
So I was somewhat preoccupied and thought I had posted my last report. So here it.

Melsea's Adventures of 3 boats & a Baltic Heatwave Part 9

Sea Day. 26th May

A day chilling out and resting from the 3 days of a ports. Went to the Art class which was good, a spot of lunch then in the afternoon I went to my final day access to the Hydropool & spa which as on previous visits was super duper, I wish all the ships had it!
The evening dress code was Black Tie, with theme of Black & White. As per usual it was adhere very well and everyone looked lovely. It's one of my favourites and it's the easiest one to do. After the meal we went to the syndicate quiz where we came second with two teams coming in first even though one of those teams exceeded 6 people. No one else noticed as the team were tucked away next to us. We were not bothered and no one else bothered to check anyway, what was worse they won the tie break!

27th May. Copenhagen.

A cooler sunny day.

I got off as soon as I was able to. I didn't bother with the shuttle as I knew where I wanted to go and how to get there having been here last July. I was heading towards where the canal boat trips run from. On the way I came across the famous statue of the Mermaid with the many tourist alike getting a closer look for a photo. I made a bit of a detour and visited the Amalienborg which is where the Royal Palace is and when I got there they were doing the changing of the guards. Very nice too. Continuing my mission to where I want to get to which I finally got to at just after 10.15. There was just one other person in the queue for the boat trips. The next trip out was to leave at 10.40. I got my ticket which was 75Kr this coverts to just over £8 for a trip lasting an hour, i was one of the first people to board the boat so I a choice of where I could sit so I sat at the back, this way I had no one behind me or to my right, perfect. I have to say it was a brilliant tour, one of the buildings that was pointed out to us was where the Eurovision Contest was held, it's an impressive building too. As you would expect we went under a number of bridges and a good number of them were extremely low. On a few occasions you could touch the ceiling of the bridge as you went through. The lady doing the commentary, who was extremely good, would warn you in plenty of time to make saw you were seated when approaching the bridge. There was one guy who was really close to the wind and my heart was in my mouth when he seemed to be oblivious to the fact he really should not stand up. The weather was brilliant just as it has been on this entire cruise. Just after the hour my 3rd boat trip came to an end. Definitely something I would recommend.
Thinking of what to do next I suddenly felt the need of going to the ladies. Fortunately, as I had been here before I knew where to visit for free that was not too far away. As you vacate the canal boats you make your way left towards a big square which at present is having major works done which was still in progress last year so it's clearly a big work in progress project, I can't remember what is being done here. There is an Opera house on one side and a department store on the other which is where I was heading. I had a look around and I bought a purse that was in the sale. I have been looking for a purse that easy to use in that when I put credit cards in it I can actually get them out and the coin section is a good one too, it was actually not expensive which for this part of world is quite something.
I made my way back to ship going the scenic route which at the start was a walk through a smallish green space that runs parallel to the water, I continued to walk along the quayside which is a very pleasant walk. On the way I came across a huge wooded structure that resembles Noah's Ark, well actually it was and it's a museum which at this time was not open. Just before you get to what is the castle fort there is a church which looks very English and it fact that is exactly what that is. An Anglincan Church which sits on the edge of a park that has a bronze bust of Winston Churchill and there is a road named after him too. Not too far from here there should be a museum about the resistance during the WWI unfortunately the museum is closed. The exhibition of The Museum of Danish Resistance remains closed due to a fire on April 28, 2013. The damage was so extensive that the building had to be demolished. All museum objects and archives were saved. The damage was to the building only.
A new exhibition building will rise on the same spot. This new building is however not likely to be completed until the end of 2018. But there are a couple of memorials one is of a Major Anders Lassen, 22 September 1920. Victoria Cross, Military Cross and Two Bats. Faldet for Danmarks frihed I allieret tjeneste 9 April 1945. Which translate to 'Fallen for Denmark's freedom in allied service' if you want to know more about the man, look him up he was a very brave man as too were so many who did not return & those that did. I salute them all.
Literally a stones throw away there is a build that looks a little out of place but has a remarkable history and it stands on the edge of a small park called Churchill Parken in honour of him. The remarkable building I speak of is in fact 'St.Albans Anglican Church' the project to have this church built was Queen Alexander, wife to Edward VII, and Princess of Denmark it is thanks to their untiring efforts it became possible in the end to procure the necessary funds, and on 19 September 1885 Princess Alexandra laid down the foundation stone. If you want to know more about this just google St.Albans Church Copenhagen. It's a fascinating story of how how the church came into being and how we take it for granted that those of faith did not have a simple passage to have the right to their own faith.
Having visited the inside of this lovely church I continue to make my way back to the ship. It's a really nice walk and even more so with the lovely weather we were experiencing. At the port there are some shops that line the port areas where several ships can dock and these shops range from souvenirs to up market boutique type shops. Something for everyone. I went into most just to see what was on offer. I had not visited them much the last time we were here so I thought since I still had time before getting back onto the ship I thought I would. One shop had fairly high end kitchen things mixed along side non kitchen items, jewellery, bags and souvenirs. On the counter something caught my eye. There were three bags which were made of comics, old ones that I used to read. They were made in a wicker basket interwoven style which were varnish or laminated I could not tell. The bag that I liked was a small clutch bag type and so I bought it, really quirky but functional, I do like to buy something unusual and this was it. It was almost time to be back on board. Just got back on when there were a coach load of people arriving, phew did that just in time.
As this was the last port I went to the sail away and had my free drink, this time I swapped it for an elderflower presse drink. The sail away wasn't up to much I think I am loosing the interest of going but I will watch the scenery of where we are leaving if it's a good one.

This evening we had a good evening meal and we laughed until cried type of meal with the jokes and the happenings of people's day. The entertainment in the theatre was a new act called 'The Spinettes'. They came together through theatre work and other international performances. They do a singing act of re visiting the 1940's, think of the Andrew sisters and you may have an idea of what they do. I stood at the back as I kind of knew that it wasn't going to be something I was going to enjoy. Good that they were it was not my kind of thing and certainly it was aimed at the elder cliental and not for anyone young unless of course it was an interest of yours.

The two sea days were chilling out days and of course there is that activity we all dread, the packing!!! On our last sea day, those of us that did the art classes were to have on display some of the work we have been doing. I got there early and and put mine up in a place I thought was good, in no time at all everyone else from both classes began to turn up and pin up theirs. Some people put prices next to their pieces which the teacher & his wife encouraged us to do. In turns out this was a good thing to do and I think 3 people sold some of there paintings & one lady sold 3 of hers! Alas I did not sell a thing which didn't surprise me. Mind you I was at a bit of a disadvantage in that that one of the ladies who put hers next to mind proceeded to stand in front of mine so that no one could see them. I had put them at eye level and so I had to move them higher so people could actually see them. I will remember that next time.

I have to say this was a really enjoyable cruise made all the better that the sun shone all the way. Arcadia is a lively ship and I cannot work out why it has had such bad reviews. I would definitely
sail on her again.

#2

Thanks Mel.......finally

Enjoyed all the instalments and good to see you had a great time

#3

Thanks Mel, very enjoyable read, worth the wait!

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