Baltic Cruise - Day 4, Tallinn


Map of our Baltic Capitals Itinerary 
Viru Gates from 15th Century
This is the day we did the most walking, and most of it was on cobblestones (which I don't recommend 3 1/2 months after rotator cuff surgery.)  Tallinn, Estonia is a walled medieval city that used to be part of the USSR. I did enjoy the architecture.
View from Viewing Platform
View from Tower at Tallinn City Museum, Alexandr Nevsky Cathedral in background
The City Museum is located in a medieval merchant's dwelling in the center of the Old Town. There is a cafe at the top of the tower.
Inside the Bastion Passage, below the City Museum
We toured the museum, went to the Maritime Museum, then ran back to the City Museum for the Bastion Passage tour in English. It was very interesting, except for the hokey ride to the future at the end of the tour. The wall was used as a bomb shelter during World War I.

Cannon inside the Maritime Museum

Ship in the Maritime Museum
Early Diving Suit in Maritime Museum
Blend of Medieval and Modern architecture


We are not sure what this large building is, but it is about the size of a city block, and has LOTS of steps (more than I care to remember.) If you visit Tallinn, the Maritime Museum is near the entrance to Old Town, not far from the cruise terminal. You can get a combo ticket to the Maritime and the Seaplane Harbor Museums, where you can go under a submarine. It is only about a 15 minute walk from the Maritime Museum, but in the opposite direction from the City Museum with the Bastion Passages. In case you haven't figured it out, we walked past the Maritime Museum, to the furthest corner of the town (City Museum), then back to the Maritime Museum, then back to the City Museum for the Bastion Passage tour, then we tried to make it to the Seaplane Harbor Museum before boarding the ship. We might have made it, but I think we got a little turned around, and someone decided we'd only have 15 minutes at the Seaplane Museum before sprinting back to the ship (you guessed it, that would be me.)

Baltic Cruise - Day 3, Germany

On Day 3 of the cruise our ship docked in Warnemünde, near Rostock, Germany. We rented a van, and we were planning to drive to Wittenberg where Luther was a monk. When we got there, we were confused because we couldn't find anything, but when we talked to the woman at the information desk, we found out we were actually at Wittenberge, a town ~150km away from Wittenberg. They are both even on the same river, and have a college in them.
Examining a map
A bell tower of the Protestant Church
While at Wittenberge, we visited the Stadtmuseum(City Museum). The museum was mostly about the Singer sewing machine manufacturing plant in the town, operational from 1905-1991. There were also exhibits about the history of other industries, as well as the shutdown of plants during the Marxist rule.
A museum about the history of Wittenberge
From there we drove to Putlitz where we ate lunch at a bakery (rolls and donuts.) We went to an old tower, which was part of the town's wall at one point, but we could not go inside.
A tower which used to be part of the Putlitz town wall
On our way back to the port, we stopped at Wittstock, a fortified town which was sieged during the 30 year's war.
A church in Wittstock
At the end of the fortified town, there was a castle, the keep of which now houses a museum on the 30 Year's War. The museum had some really nice exhibits.
A model of what Wittstock looked like at the time of the 30 Years War
The keep of Wittstock
A firearm of the type used in the 30 Years War
A Plague Doctor. The beak was filled with aromatic items to ward off the "bad smell" thought to have caused the plague
A sword hilt of the era
A view from the top of the keep
The Castle Wall
 After the museum closed, we drove back to Warnemünde. Since we had time before the cruise ship left, we took a walk along the beach and through part of the town.
A view of the Baltic
A lighthouse on the Warnemünde beach

Memorial Day Celebration 2013

This year our church had it's annual Memorial Celebration. It was a great time to honor the veterans, remember what God has done, and minister to the community. Here are some pictures:


Interviewing World War II veterans


Colton McLeod
Stephen
Music
Dan the Animaml Man with an Owl
Porcupine
Lemur
Alligator

Baltic Cruise - Day 2, At Sea

Just one of the many beautiful sunsets over the Baltic.
Our living room and dining room. The master suite is behind the mirrored doors on the left.

The boys started a game of Axis & Allies, which fascinated our butler. He mostly just brought us snacks in the afternoons, like canapes with caviar and shrimp, fancy sandwiches, or cookies and fruit. We played cards with Grandma & Grandpa, and Dan & Kendra went swimming at the spa twice today. Kendra actually only did exercises in the hot tub, but her arm was much stronger by the end of the cruise.