The Adventure continues…
THE DARE TO BE CURIOUS JOURNEY CONTUINES…
THIS SEGMENT OF SHERRILL’S JOURNEY IS A MOTHER DAUGHTER TRIP……AROUND THE WORLD IN 140 DAYS…..
We know that you are going to enjoy this Dare to be Curious blog and segment of our travel journey.
In Sherrill’s adventure and next segment on the Silversea Dawn, she is joined by her daughter Heidi, for a mother-daughter adventure.
Debi has returned to Chicago and shares her thoughts of ports and portals in her published article, “Silversea Wanderlust,” published by Classic Chicago Magazine.
SHERRILL’S MOTHER-DAUGHTER TRIp
For me traveling is my lifeblood – traveling with loved ones is an infusion of joy.
Joy was endless when through unforeseen circumstances and generosity, my oldest daughter, Heidi, was able to join me during a month of my Around the World Cruise. I am delighted to share some of the highlights in this blog and even more fun in our Dare to be Curious YouTube.
The adventure began when Heidi boarded the ship in Southhampton, UK – home of the ill-fated Titanic departure.
Nothing ill-fated about arriving the next day in Rouen, France for a two-night stay.
We strolled the North bank of the River Seine, which has stirred the souls of great writers and inspired painters in the past before we headed to the Hotel Dolec outside the town of Versailles. There we changed for “An Evening with Marie Antoinette.”
Yes, we journeyed back in time for a lavish evening at the Court of Marie Antoinette.
Our after-hours arrival and wander through the Palace of Versailles took us to the majestic Galerie des Batailles where champagne, Rococo minutes and opulent gastronomy prepared by France’s original caterer of kings awaited. Certainly, a night never to be forgotten.
The following morning, we took the sixty-minute drive to the center of Paris where we explored and had lunch with a dear friend who has liven in the city for the last several years. Nothing like seeing Paris through the eyes of a Parisian.
We said good-bye to France on the River Seine, heading to open water and the Netherlands.
Amsterdam is not just about its rich history and charming architecture. It is also a city of vibrant culture and modern innovation. This “Venice of the North” is renowned for its artistic heritage and strong ties to legendary artists like Rembrandt and Van Gogh, both of whom lived and worked in Amsterdam. Their legacies can be found at the Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseum, which house countless masterpieces that attract art lovers from around the globe.
What also attracts visitors for 7 weeks a year is the Tulip Festival and we were so very fortune to visit during this time. The Tulip Fields are a masterpiece of nature not to be missed!
The Hanseatic City of Hamburg is not only German’s second-largest metropolis and one of Europe’s biggest ports, but also home to the hamburger! I know, surprising, right??
It is also where the Beatles got their real start. How could we resist a tour titled, “Beatles, Beer and Bratwurst” and a Peep into Hamburg’s Red-Light District.
We loved eating brats on the street and it was much fun for me to drink my first beer ever in a loud energetic Hamburg Beerhall!
Our days in Germany were also somber as we visited Bergen-Belsen, the concentration camp where Anne Frank and her sister Margot were interned and died. A visit of deep reflection on history and the power of the human spirit.
We continued on to Copenhagen, Denmark which has long been one of my favorite places to visit. It was a delight to show Heidi the oldest and most charming parts of this effortlessly cool city.
Of course, a photo stop at the Little Mermaid is a must before driving through the bustling Nyhaven area, stopping at Kings Square where the Royal Theatre, embassies and many fashionable shops are located.
No time for shopping as we visited Tivoli Gardens, founded in 1843 and was the inspiration for Disneyland after Walt Disney visited its mix of attractions mingled with charming flower beds, relaxing gardens and a small lake.
Since the fairy-tale writer Hans Christian Andersen is Danish, we could not resist the lure of Denmark’s Fairytale Castles.
Frederiksborg Castle, built in the early 17th Century by the legendary Danish King Christian IV, incorporates the finest Renaissance architecture and craftsmanship I have ever seen. Its magnificent halls, impressive chapel, portraits, paintings and furniture explores five hundred years of Danish history.
Do not miss visiting this masterpiece!
Helsinki lies across a confetti scattering of three hundred islands and skerries in the Gulf of Finland.
Helsinki Cathedral is the crowning glory – rising high over the city’s waterfront with its pearly white dome gleaming.
Market Square is the city’s most international and famous market. The booths sell traditional foods and treats. For handicrafts and souvenirs visit the outside booths. It is the best shopping in town.
Tallin, Estonia boasts one of the best-preserved UNESCO listed old towns in Northern Europe.
We explored the fascinating castles, squares, cathedrals and streets of medieval Tallinn.
Walk to the Dome Church, the oldest in Tallinn. Known as St. Mary’s Cathedral, it has served as the burial site for nobility since the fifteenth century and has a fascinating collection of noble tombstones and stone sarcophagi.
Next head to the Palace Square site of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. Step inside this Russian Orthodox Basilica to view the icons and mosaics lining the walls.
Leaving the Cathedral, walk to a viewing platform to amaze over the spires of Tallinn’s Lower-Old Town.
Stroll through the Lower Old-Town and St. Catherine’s Passage, a medieval walkway that is home to St. Catherine’s Guild, a collection of artisan studios featuring Baltic glassware, quilts, hats and other traditional crafts.
I urge you to take the Tallinn Ghost Tour by foot – the guide is worth the time and price!
Stockholm Sweden is home to the Noble Prize and so much more!
Go through the City Center to Djurganden Island, once the royal family’s private hunting grounds, now regarded as the city’s outdoor recreation center. Visit the Vasa Museum, home to the seventeenth Century warship which sank on its maiden voyage and its salvage in 1961 is an important event in marine archaeology.
Want to dance and sing with ABBA? Do it at the ABBA museum!
That evening we were invited to Winterviken – once Albert Nobel’s dynamite factory, now transformed into Stockholm’s most elegant event space. We savored Swedish delicacies crafted by rising Scandinavian culinary talents and were entertained by the iconic sounds of ABBA performed by stars from London’s West End hit musical Mama Mia. We were both Dancing Queens!
Oslo, Norway’s Capital is a beautiful stirring city, blending old and new.
The MUST sights are the Vigeland Sculpture Park, which features two hundred sculptures in bronze, granite and iron, a monolith with one hundred and twenty-one figures carved from a single block of granite and thirty -six statue groups surrounding
the monolith. The Fram Museum to see the world’s most famous polarship. It is displayed in its original condition and visitors are welcome onboard. It was truly a thrill!! Take a step back in time at the quaint Open-Air Folk Museum.
On to Norway’s Gate to the Fjords, picturesque Bergen. The crooked pastel-colored warehouses of Bryggen Wharf, A UNESCO World Heritage Site, is THE place for wandering, shopping and fine dining.
We left Europe heading to Torshavn, Faroe Islands. Titanic scenery, mist-whipped mountains and staggering oceanic vistas awaited us in this far-flung archipelago of immense natural beauty.
Akureyri, Iceland’s Capital of the North, is the gateway to a thrilling land of roaring waterfalls, soaring volcanoes and wildlife as it lies a mere sixty miles from the Artic Circle.
Tiny Isafjordur, with only two thousand six- hundred inhabitants, is up a deep fjord. We celebrated “Mother’s Day” there at a tiny restaurant with delicious homemade bread. While shopping at artisan shops, where everything is made by fifteen women artists in town, we enjoyed tea and tales rich in troll-inspired folklore.
Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital, stands as a testament to the resilience and ingenuity of its people. This is truly a land of fire and ice.
