Kuopio - Finland to Guernsey - Channel Islands 27th August 2007

We booked onto the cruiser "Puijo" for a 5 hour trip down through the Finland lakes area to Heinavesi. We were boarding the cruiser when our English friend Chris arrived to take the same trip, although Chris took the longer trip and cruised further south. These lakes and islands of Finland are beautiful and particularly when the sky is blue and the sun is shining as it did for us. When we left the ship we went ashore and chatted to the local men sitting beside the lake. One could speak quite good English and told us the train station was 7 klms away so he insisted he drive us to the station. The next train was 2 hours away so we lay down on the seats and soaked up the sun for the next couple of hours. The train ambled its way down to Joensuu where we stayed for the night and then next day headed on down to Helsinki the capital of Finland. Halfway to Helsinki Chris boarded our train after spending the night on the boat.


In Helsinki we again met up with our Korean friend Chan and headed out for dinner together. While in Helsinki we booked onto an open top bus tour - these tours are great as it enables you to get on and off the bus as you like in the 24 hour period and they take visitors to all the great sites of the city. We visited an interesting outdoor market in Helsinki where Pat bought great little pepper & salt grinders (stainless steel of course!). A great part of travelling is the people we meet up with along the way. In Helsinki we said goodbye to Chris who headed off to Sweden and Denmark before heading home to England. We also said goodbye to Chan who headed off to St Petersburg and Moscow and then home to Korea. Perhaps we'll meet up next in Australia - we'll see!


The 3.5 hour crossing from Helsinki across the Bay of Finland to Tallin the capital of Estonia was by ship. We were entertained onboard by musicians, singers and comedians - we were heading into new territory and it did feel different. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland were all previously behind the iron curtain - these countries are now opening up more and more and allowing visitors into their countries. The visitors of course bring the dollars which helps to boost the overall economy. When we pulled into the Port of Tallin we were the 9th large ship in the Port - of course Pat was outside watching the tying up and making sure all was going smoothly! As we entered Tallin the spires of the Old City graced the horizon so we headed up in that direction. The old city is very interesting - we seemed to be walking uphill most of the time over narrow, cobbled streets.


We left Tallin and headed south to Parnu which is the Gold Coast of Estonia. Parnu has huge wide, white sandy beaches where the population flocks to soak up the sun. The shoreline is dotted with restaurants and pubs - of course we had to have a nice cold Estonian beer! The tide goes out a long way so the beaches are very shallow and full of people. Since Estonia has been freed from the Soviets it is doing very nicely. The people of Estonia are reservedly friendly but after a smile in their direction they're fine and enjoy a chat.


Riga, the capital of Latvia also has an Old City where the old and the new are blended very nicely. Latvia has many pine forests which is easily seen travelling through by train. Our Eurail passes are not valid in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland so we pay as we go, however the fares are very reasonable. We travelled through Lithuania by bus to the capital Vilnius. This city is being given a facelift with money being spent in every direction especially in the Old City which has so much character.


We travelled by train to Warsaw the Capital of Poland. When we walked down into the Old City Square we were interviewed by Warsaw Radio - quite a neat experience. We visited the beautiful Cathedral where Pope John Paul II was based as Cardinal of Poland. It is a beautiful Cathedral and an amazing place to visit. At noon we went to a concert in the Cathedral - the organist was superb and the music was out of this world - I loved hearing Ave Maria being played on the organ with its pipes jutting up into the ceiling of the Cathedral. The Old City of Warsaw was flattened during the second world war but the people of Poland have painstakingly restored the buildings to their original brilliance. In the evening the Old City Square was alive with people - the restaurants flow outside onto the cobblestone square and the huge umbrellas are lit up - it is a sight to behold indeed.


We visited Poznan and then headed into Germany once again. When we arrived in the Hauptbahnhof (main train station) in Berlin we walked to the Hotel which ended up being a 4 klm walk, but very enjoyable. We visited Checkpoint Charlie and went to see the remaining parts of the Berlin Wall which are now deteriorating over time. The Brandenburg Gate is wonderful to see, as is the Parliament Building - the Reichstaggebaude. Quite near the Gate is an odd looking memorial (comprised of hundreds of granite blocks of all sizes) to the Holocaust victims.


Our next trip was from Berlin to Halle to visit Ernst and Erna who we actually met at Dingo Beach. The day we arrived at the Halle station there were thousands of people but we didn't have too much trouble finding them - Erna was dressed in white and was carrying a red rose - a lovely welcome to Halle! We went out for a walk along the river and visited a castle. We also visited the birthplace of Haendal. It's great to stay with a family and experience the food, the customs and the language of the country. I was able to brush up on my school German and had a lot of fun doing so. Erna is a great cook and I have written down a few special recipes to try out when I get home.


Ernst and Erna took us to the city of Weimar where we met our personal guide, Klaus who was previously Ernst's English teacher. We visited Goethe's House and the Old City homes of Schiller and Litz. The City of Weimar is a beautiful city with loads of history and its easy to stroll around for hours on end. Klaus spoke wonderful English and we had a great day out with him he was able to give us a lot of history about the city.


We had a very sad visit to Buchenwald Concentration Camp where 50,000 people died or were put to death over a four year period during WWII. The camp is in amongst the forests of trees just a few miles on the outskirts of Weimar where the Nazis had their main base during the war. I won't say too much about this visit except to say that it was the coldest place I have ever visited and thinking about what was done and the way it was done to these poor people is beyond comprehension. This has been our first and last visit to a concentration camp.


After a great few days in Halle we said goodbye to Ernst and Erna - I think we'll be meeting up again at Dingo Beach down the track. We left Halle and headed down along the Rhine River to Koblenz. At Koblenz we decided to head back up the Rhine River on the train on the opposite bank to make sure we saw all the great views. We then boarded a beautiful old paddle steamer and cruised down the Rhine River for a dinner cruise. Vineyards climb from the river to the tops of the mountains - some vineyards are vertical - some horizontal. By the time we arrived back in Koblenz, we had been on two train trips and one boat cruise along this most scenic part of the river.


The following day we boarded a KD cruiser for a trip up the Moselle River in the Moselle Valley. While we were waiting for the boat we met up with a couple of Aussies, Colin and Helen from Adelaide - I just couldn't miss the broad accents! It rained for some of this trip but lifted by about midday so we were able to enjoy this beautiful area which is smaller than the Rhine. We left the boat at Cochem and headed to Trier. We met up with Colin and Helen once again and went out together for dinner together in the evening.


In Trier we visited the old Roman Ruins which are the oldest in Germany. We also visited the Cathedral where robes which (it is claimed) belonged to Jesus Christ and are stored in a glass vault. These robes were put on display in 1959 and will be put on display once again in 2012. Our next stop was the beautiful city of Luxembourg. We locked our bags in a security locker at the station and headed into the city. Luxembourg is a tax haven and many people have money tucked away in this little country. The city is very appealing and once again has an Old City with cobbled streets.


Next stop - Paris! We had tired of eating in Restaurants so went shopping and bought a barbecued chicken and salad and had dinner in our Hotel room with a bottle of wine from the Rhine valley - heaven! The Eiffel Tower is a wonderful place to see - no trip to Paris would be complete without it. We also visited the Latin Quarter, the Arc de Triomphe, the River Seine and the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. We headed to the Louvre and after this visit our legs and feet were wrecked! The Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo are the two biggest attractions which are great to see in reality. We strolled along the Champs Elyses and bought a little present for Kelli's birthday next week. Pat had his photo taken with the French Car Racing Team while we were in Paris - Ooh La La!


Our next train trip was Paris to St Malo on the coast of France where we boarded a ferry for a 2 hour trip to St Peter Port on Guernsey one of the Channel Islands. My cousin Martin and his wife Teresa live and work on Guernsey. Martin left Belfast in 1992 and headed to the Channel Islands to work where he met his lovely Portuguese wife, Teresa. The last time Martin and I saw each other was in 1969 when he was 7 years old and I was 19 years old. Teresa took us out for a walk along the hills of the coastline near their home - the views are beautiful out across the craggy coastline and across the sea.


Guernsey is a beautiful little island and has 65,000 residents. The tax rate on Guernsey is 20% after the first £8,500. Yesterday Pat and I took Martin's car and headed out for a drive - in one hour we had toured around the whole coastline of Guernsey. The coastline is dotted with lovely bays and villages. Guernsey is very beautiful - a quiet and peaceful place.