![\"Mary\"](\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Mary.jpg\")
<\/a>John & Mary at Peterhof, Russia<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/a>Jack & JJ in Tallinn, Estonia<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>John & Judy in Copenhagen<\/p><\/div>\n
visiting six very interesting and diverse countries, \u2018sneaking\u2019 into Russia, cruising on a great ship with so many restaurants that we couldn\u2019t get to them all, imbibing on the \u2018Unlimited Drink Package\u2019<\/strong> and of course, meeting up with our former Finish au pair, Mira<\/strong> in Helsinki.<\/p>\n Photo of the ‘No Photos’ sign at Russian customs<\/p><\/div>\n We enjoyed such a variety of experiences, from our two pre-cruise days in Copenhagen<\/strong>, to the sobering experience of visiting a concentration camp in Germany<\/strong>, to the antiquity of Tallinn, Estonia<\/strong>, to the historical grandeur of St. Petersburg<\/strong> and the pristine waterfront cities of Helsinki<\/strong> and Stockholm<\/strong>.<\/p>\n But if you\u2019re planning a Baltic cruise in the near future, I\u2019ve asked my travel mates to help me put together a list of \u2018Don\u2019t and Dos\u2019<\/strong> to help make your trip more enjoyable. Here you go . . .<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Don\u2019t:\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0 Bring your workout clothes<\/p>\n Do:<\/strong> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Buy and bring clothes a couple of sizes larger; you\u2019re going to gain weight<\/p>\n Me getting an up-close look at a cannon in Finland<\/p><\/div>\n Don\u2019t:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0 Go to the public WC (Water Closet)(bathroom) in Estonia \u00a0– it cost me 2 Euros \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Do:<\/strong> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Go in Stockholm, it\u2019s free (if you can hold it that long)<\/p>\n Don\u2019t:<\/strong> \u00a0 Expect the Russians to understand anything you say<\/p>\n Do:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Understand that they started learning English in the first grade; they just don\u2019t want to give you the satisfaction of knowing that they learned our language. Yes, the old Cold War is heating up.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t:\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0 Fret over what you should drink next or what it will cost<\/p>\n Do:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Get the \u2018Unlimited Drink Package\u2019 and try everything<\/p>\n Don\u2019t:<\/strong> \u00a0 Get Tatiana, the Alla Tour guide, for St. Petersburg, she walks and talks too\u00a0fast<\/p>\n Do:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Get Slava, who took our friends the Houstons<\/strong> and Despies<\/strong> to the top vodka bars in St. Petersburg<\/p>\n Don\u2019t:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0 Be an ugly American<\/p>\n Do:\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When you\u2019re going to do something rude or stupid, say your \u2018outs\u2019 and \u2018abouts\u2019 funny and tell them you\u2019re from Canada<\/p>\n Mira and Dana circa 1985<\/p><\/div>\n Finally, a couple of THANK YOUS . . .<\/strong><\/p>\n Thanks to Suzanne<\/strong> for editing and putting photos in my blogs. Because she was in Nipomo and away from her computer, she had to use her iPad to laboriously insert photos into my blogs; I thus limited the blogs to one picture, which is why I\u2019ve included some more here.<\/p>\n Thanks to Louise<\/strong> at Alla Tours<\/strong>, who, when I was apoplectic about getting my passport Russian-ready, made multiple calls and ultimately assured me that I was good to go.<\/p>\n I really love to travel AND I really love getting home, albeit with a pocket full of change in rubles, krona and Euros. Oh well, great ball markers for golf.<\/p>\n Hope you enjoyed the trip.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Bob Sparrow Home at last after 13 fun-filled days \u2013 OK, maybe only 11 were fun-filled; the getting there and coming home weren\u2019t that filled with fun. But the fun included traveling with three most enjoyable couples (Billhams, Budds … read more<\/a><\/a><\/a>