I have been to … Germany, Finland, Estonia, Sweden, and Denmark

Sue and I first visited the Baltic in July 2008, and since then we have been back four times in July 2009, July/August 2013, June/July 2017, and September 2019. Now that my mobility problems seem to have stabilised (i.e. they do not appear to be getting any worse) and I can get assistance getting onto and off a cruise ship, we decided that it was time to return there.

Unlike our previous cruises to the Baltic, this one will not be visiting St Petersburg in Russia. Considering the current international situation, this is hardly surprising. Instead, the ship should be staying overnight in Tallinn in Estonia and Copenhagen in Denmark. We should also be visiting Visby on the Swedish island of Gotland … a place that we have only been to once before. (We were supposed to go to Gotland for a second time on a previous cruise, but bad weather and heavy seas prevented the cruise ship’s tenders being able to land passengers ashore.)

Friday 19th September: Southampton

Sue and I were awake by 6.30am and had washed and dressed, had our breakfasts, and loaded the car by just after 8.15am. We stooped at the nearest postbox to post the latest issue of THE NUGGET (N374) and by just after 9.00am we had reached the interchange of the A2 and the M25.

Our journey around the M25 was the usual mixture of fast and slow driving, mainly due to the sheer volume of traffic and at least one broken-down vehicle. That said, we still managed to get to Junction 12 – the interchange with the M3 – in just under an hour, and by 10.30am we had reached Winchester Services, where we took a short comfort break.

We then drove on the Southampton, where we found the traffic to be far heavier than normal. It appears that this was due to the Southampton Boat Show being staged along the waterfront and it being the day on which students were either returning to or starting at the universities that are based in the city. (These are Southampton University and Solent University.)

We finally reached the valet parking area near the Ocean Terminal at just after 11.30 and were processed by them in less than fifteen minutes. Because I registered for assistance with boarding, the valet parking staff called over a porter, and with their help our luggage was quickly on its way to the appropriate luggage check-in point.

Once that was done, Sue and I made our way to the terminal building. A lift took us up to the first floor, where we were directed to the assisted boarding area. We were swiftly registered and within a matter of minutes we had gone through the check-in process and security and were aboard MV Britannia. Having checked in at our muster station (Sindhu Restaurant, Deck 7 Aft), we made our way to the Meridian Restaurant (Deck 5 Midships) for lunch.

The menu included:

Starters

Oak-smoked Duck Breasts with Pickled Carrots, Coriander, and Sour Cherries (both of us)

Main Course

Pan-roasted Barramundi Fillet with Tarragon Crushed New Potatoes, Fine Beans, and a Sauce Vierge (Sue)

Carved Sirloin of Beef with Tomato and Bacon Jam, Sweet Potato Fondant, Tobacco Onions, and a Béarnaise Sauce (Me)

Desserts

Selection of British and International Cheeses with Banana Bread, Black Grapes, Mulled Apple Jelly, with Fine Cheese Biscuits (Sue

Sticky Muscovado Pudding with Candied Orange and Rose Petal and Mascarpone Cheese Me)

Just before 2.00pm an announcement made us aware that all the cabins were ready for occupation. Sue and I decided to wait for the initial rush of people to die down and spent about fifteen minutes on the open deck area near the Java Café (Deck 7 Midships). From there we made our way to the central lifts and thence up to our suite on Deck 14.

Our butler – Ashley – popped in to see us even before our luggage had been delivered. He introduced himself and explained all the things he could do for us. Soon afterwards, our luggage arrived and we began unpacking. We had finished this by 4.00pm, by which time our room steward – Jorgy – had come to see us and checked that everything was alright.

During a short break in the unpacking, I looked across the harbour. From our balcony I could see two other cruise ships, one belonging to Fred Olsen Cruises and another, the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line’s Independence of the Seas

Moored across the harbour at Matchwood, the military port, was the Ro-Ro ferry Hartland Point.

By this time we were feeling in need of some refreshment and went up to the Horizon Self-Service Restaurant (Deck 16 Aft) for a cup of tea and a cake. We then returned to our suite … and spent the next couple of hours resting and reading.

Sue and I had booked dinner in the Epicurean Restaurant (Deck 16 Forward)…

… and had a pre-dinner drink in the Crow’s Nest Bar (Deck 16 Forward) before making our way to the restaurant.

Starters

Alaskan Snow Crab, Langoustine and Salmon Caviar Cocktail with Pea and Chervil Custard, Parchment Bread, and a Cucumber Mojito (Sue)

26-hour Slow-Cooked Ox Cheek in a Bone Canoe with Parsley Sponge and Beef-flavoured Mayonnaise (Me)

Main Course

Black Cod and Canadian Cold-Water Lobster Tail with Avruga Caviar Gratin , Bouillabaisse Fondue, and Bee Pollen Dressed House Salad (Sue)

Sirloin Steak with Onion Rings, Thick-cut Chips, Mushrooms, Wilted Spinach, and Bordelaise Sauce (Me)

Desserts

Crêpes Suzette with Vanilla Pod Ice Cream (Both of us)

We finished eating not long after 9.30pm. Sue and I then returned to our suite, where we read until it was time to go to bed.

Saturday 20th September: At sea

Sue and I were awake by 8.00am. Britannia was already off the coast of the Netherlands, well on her way to Kiel, her first port-of-call.

We were in the Epicurean restaurant eating breakfast by 9.00am, and I noticed a warship sailing on the opposite course some distance off.

(At the time I had no idea what ship she was, but a subsequent search indicated that it was an Italian/French-designed FREMM-class frigate.)

After breakfast, Sue and I went down to the Headliners Theatre (Decks 6 and 7 Forward) to listen to a talk by retired Detective Chief Inspector Rod Repton.

This was the first of three talks he would be giving during the first week of the cruise and this one dealt with his thirty-five-year career in the police, mainly – but not exclusively – in Derbyshire.

He finished his talk just after 10.45am, and Sue and I went for a short walk along Deck 7 before returning to our suite. After doing the daily crossword puzzle and some reading, I went to the Oasis Spa (Deck 5 Forward) for a haircut whilst Sue went out onto the open deck and then to the Future Cruise and Loyalty Desk to book a cruise for Christmas in 2026.

We were both back in our suite by 1.30pm and then went to the Headliners Theatre to listen to Marco Pierre-White talk about his life. Unfortunately, by the time we got there, the were no empty seats left and so we went for a snack lunch and a drink at the Lido Grill (Deck 16 Midships). We then returned to our suite to read and rest until just after 4.15pm, when we went up to the Horizon Self-Service Restaurant for some tea and cake.

Soon after we had returned to our suite, our butler arrived with a plate of canapes as it was a formal evening. We managed to have a short chat to him before he had to go to deliver canapes to another suite. We discovered that he had sixteen of the ships suites to service … and that Britannia had more suites than any other ships in the P&O fleet.

Before going to dinner in the Oriental Restaurant (Deck 6 Aft), Sue and I attended a short reception hosted by the captain – Captain Patrick Maguire – and the ship’s senior officers in the main atrium (Decks 5, 6, and 7 Midships). This finished just before 8.30pm, and within five minutes we were seated in the Oriental Restaurant.

The meal was excellent, and by 9.45pm we had finished eating and went up to the open deck area near the Live Lounge (Deck 6 Aft). The weather was warm for the time of day, and we spent a pleasant time there before we returned to our suite to get ready for bed.

Sunday 21st September: At sea

Overnight, the ship’s clocks were put forward an hour, and by the time we woke up at 8.00am, Britannia was off the northwest tip of Denmark.

After breakfast in the Epicurean Restaurant, Sue and I went to the Headliners Theatre to listen to the second talk by former Detective Chief Inspector Rod Repton. This was entitled ‘Murder Most Foul’ …

… and looked at the ways in which murder investigations have developed since the 1960s. In particular, the use of DNA and the improvements in crime scene analysis had changed the range of evidence available to investigators and even made previously unsolved murders solvable.

The talk finished at just before 11.00am, and Sue and I decided to go somewhere to have a drink. After trying every bar on Deck 7 – including the Java Café – and finding nowhere to sit, we went out onto the open deck area near the Live Lounge to sit and discuss our options. In the end we walked to the other end of the ship to see if the Crow’s Nest bar was open … only to discover that it wasn’t!

In the end, we walked back toward the middle of the ship along Deck 16 and found a vacant table and chairs near the ship’s swimming pools and Lido Bar (Deck 16 Midships) where we could sit.

Within a matter of minutes one of the bar stewards had taken our order and we stayed there soaking up the sun and drinking until after the noonday announcements by the officer-of-the-watch. We then returned to our suite and spent the next thirty minutes struggling to complete the daily crossword puzzle.

(It is worth noting that the crossword puzzles seem to have been compiled by someone who uses a Thesaurus … and one that seems to favour American English usage. As a result, Sue and I are often stumped by a clue, only to discover that the expression or word that is the answer is more commonly used in the United States that Great Britain.)

At just after 2.00pm, Sue and I went to the Horizon Self-Service Restaurant for lunch, followed by short spell on the open deck near the Live Lounge. We then returned to our suite and spent the rest of the afternoon reading and writing about our day’s activities.

During the afternoon, Britannia sailed past a large number of ships, including a large tanker.

(Whereas I write a blog, Sue writes a proper cruise log that includes all sorts of things that she cuts out and sticks in.)

Our butler paid us a visit not long after 4.30pm, and after a brief chat he reported our cabin’s air conditioning system to the electrical engineering department because it was only blowing out very cold air, even on the highest temperature setting. He came back some thirty minutes later to check that it had been fixed, which it had.

At 7.30pm we set off to go to a bar for a pre-dinner drink and then a breath of fresh air on the open deck, but when we got to Deck 7 we could not find anywhere to sit and the open deck area was closed off due to high winds. In the end we went to the Sunset Bar (Deck 16 Aft) where we could find a seat but where it was so windy that we could only stay there for a matter of minutes.

We returned indoors at 8.15pm, and after a short wait on Deck 7, we went down to dinner in the Oriental Restaurant. The restaurant was half empty, and the service and food were excellent … as usual. It took us slightly less than ninety minutes to dine, and by 10.00pm we had returned to our suite to rest for a short while before getting ready for bed.

Monday 22nd September: Kiel, Germany

By the time we woke up at 7.45am, Britannia was already moored alongside in Kiel.

Sue and I ate our breakfast in the Epicurean Restaurant before getting ready to go ashore at 10.00am. It took us only a matter of minutes to cross the air bridge to the cruise terminal and then to set off toward the centre of the old town. We crossed the Düsternbrooker Weg and walked towards the Ratsdienergarten, from where we had a great view of the ship and the cruise terminal.

Sue and I then followed the route towards the main shopping area. Along the way we passed a statue which we understand was dedicated to the spirit of the City of Kiel.

Our route took us along Dänische Strasse …

… and past the Keiler Kloster monastery.

We then made our way through the Old Market Place (Alter Markt) and along the Hostenbrucke …

… where we found the Warhammer shop! (They get everywhere, don’t they!)

This took us the one end of the Kleiner Kiel lake …

… where we crossed the river that connects the lake to the harbour. From there we made our way down Andreas Gayk Strasse …

>Our route back took us past the local nautical museum which was shut. (It was Monday. and most European museums seem to shut on a Monday.) However, the museum’s collection of vessels was moored along the seafront and I was able to take photographs of the one hundred and twenty-year-old steamship Bussard, …

… the fireboat Feuerlöschboot, …

… the launch Sprott, …

… a rescue boat/lifeboat, …

… and last – but by no means least – a reproduction of a Hanseatic Cog.

I was also able to photograph the small cruise liner Colour Fantasy (which had arrive in Kiel just after Britannia had docked) …

… and the stern of Britannia.

Britannia left Kiel at just after 5.00pm, and as she sailed towards the open sea, she was passed by a local ferry, Wellingdorf.

We then sailed passed the naval base. As we did so, I was able to photograph two submarines that were being refitted, …

… the redundant frigate Karlsruhe (F212), which is currently being used as a trials and target ship, …

… a small coastal tanker, …

… two tugs, …

… and numerous smaller warships.

Sue and I stayed in our suite until it was time to go to dinner. We had a pre-dinner drink in the Crow’s Nest Bar before going to the Oriental Restaurant for dinner. Over dinner we were able to have a chat with the two people sitting at the next table, and as a result we did not leave the restaurant until almost 10.00pm.

We went out onto the open deck area near the Live Lounge for some fresh air before returning to our suite to get ready for bed. We knew that the ship’s clocks were going to be advanced by another hour as we moved into a different time zone and decided to try to get as much sleep as we could before the morrow.

Tuesday 23rd September: At sea

Overnight Britannia sailed towards Helsinki at a speed of 20 knots, and by 7.45am she was approximately midway between Polish Pomerania and southern Sweden.

As usual, we ate breakfast in the Epicurean Restaurant and then went down to Deck 7 to sit on the open deck area near the Java Café. There were several ships sailing some way off on the same course as Britannia.

We stayed there until 9.40am when we went to the Headliners Theatre to listen to the third of retired Detective Inspector Rod Repton. This was entitled ‘The Killing of Julia Wallace’ and was an examination of a murder cold case that dates from the early 1930s.

He presented the evidence and then asked the audience of their opinion as to the identity of the murderer.

(Julia Wallace was murdered in her home whilst her husband, William Herbert Wallace – a Prudential Insurance salesman and premium collector as well as an avid chess player – was trying to find a client’s address elsewhere in Liverpool. The address turned out to be fictional and the husband seemed to go out of his way to talk to people so that he could establish an alibi. The husband was put on trial, found guilty by the jury, and sentenced to death … but the conviction was overturned on appeal, and he walked free. There were other suspects – including Richard Gordon Parry, a former Prudential Insurance premium collector who had been fired for stealing insurance premiums from the company and who was well-known to Mr Wallace – but they were never seriously considered by the police. In my opinion, Julia was murdered at the instigation of Mr Wallace by the disgraced Richard Parry, who was acting under duress … possibly as part of a cover-up of further thefts of insurance premiums that Mr Wallace had discovered. The whole thing seemed to have been planned by a scheming and analytical mind; in other words, the mind of a gifted chess player.)

The talk ended just before 11.00am, and Sue and I went out on the open deck for some fresh air. We then returned to our suite to get ready for the Peninsular Club Lunch at midday.

The menu included:

Starters

Crispy Haddock and Leek Fishcakes with Pickled Cucumber Salsa, Mature Cheddar Cream, and a Wholegrain Mustard Vinaigrette (Sue)

Oak-Smoked Duck Breast with Toasted Hazelnuts, Chicory and Orange Salad, Dried Cranberries and a Toasted Hazelnut Crumb (Me)

Main Course

Pan-fried Salmon Fillet with Brown Butter Potatoes, Broccoli Purée, Roasted Cauliflower, and a Tomato and Kalamata Olive Sauce (Sue)

Lamb Rump Roasted with Harrisa with Moroccan-spiced Potato Press, Cumin-roasted Carrot, Date Purêe, and a Chermoula Dressing (Me)

Desserts

Saffron-infused Rice Pudding with Lychee and Galangal Jelly topped with a Praline made with Pumpkin Seeds (Sue)

Pecan Pie with rich Salted-caramel Sauce finished with Pecan Clotted Cream Praline (Me)

Lunch finished just before 2.00pm, and after a short spell on the open deck area near the Java Café, we returned to our suite to read and rest until it was time to get ready for the second formal dinner of the cruise.

During the afternoon, Britannia was briefly ‘buzzed’ by a Russian-designed helicopter. It was too far away to see the national markings but it was the type of aircraft operated by some Russian warships as well as from land bases.

As usual, we had a pre-dinner drink in the Crow’s Nest Bar and then ate a Marco Pierre-White-inspired dinner menu which featured two of his signature dishes, Beef Wellington and Wally Lad trifle. Sue and I ate both … and we very pleased that we did.

After dinner we were going to go out onto the open deck area near the Live Lounge but due to high winds it was closed to the public. We therefore went back to our suite to watch some TV before getting ready for bed.

Wednesday 24th September: Helsinki, Finland

Britannia was entering Helsinki harbour as Sue and went for breakfast in the Epicurean Restaurant, …

… and by the time we had finished, she was secured alongside and passengers were already disembarking to go on excursions or to use the shuttle-bus into the centre of the city.

As we had booked an afternoon tour, Sue and I were able to have a very relaxing morning wandering around the almost deserted ship. We did the crossword in our suite before having a café latte in the Java Café. Sue and I usually cannot find anywhere to sit there when the ship is at sea, but because so many people had gone ashore, we had a choice of tables to sit at!

Our tour – ‘Panoramic Helsinki’ – was due to leave at 1.45pm, so by just after 1.00pm we had disembarked, and we were waiting on the dockside to board our coach. In fact, so many people had done the same that the coach was full by 1.35pm and set off early.

Our tour took us into the centre of the city and then outwards, passing the main railway station, the Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art, the Musikkitalo concert hall, the Finnish National Opera and Ballet, the Helsinki Olympic Stadium, and the Sibelius Monument and Park, before stopping near the Helsinki Cathedral and Senate Square.

We were able to have a comfort break there, and had sufficient time to visit the old National Library Building …

… and photograph the exterior of the Lutheran Cathedral.

The latter was built by Tsar Alexander II, whose statue dominates the centre of the Senate Square.

Many of the buildings around the Senate Square house the Helsinki University or government offices, and were used to represent Moscow in David Lean’s film, Doctor Zhivago.

The coach returned us to the ship two hours after we left, and after visiting the local souvenir shop, Sue and I reboarded Britannia. By then it was past 4.00pm and as we had had no lunch, we went straight to the Horizon Self-Service Restaurant for a snack comprising leek and potato soup, bread rolls, and cheese, washed down with a cup of tea.

The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and rather than go back to our suite we went out onto the open deck area near the Live lounge for some fresh air. We stayed there for some time and did not finally get back to our suite until just before 5.00pm.

We spent time from then until we had to get ready for dinner reading and writing our respective blog/cruise log. Our evening then followed what has become our norm for this cruise; a pre-dinner drink in the Crow’s Nest Bar, followed by a short spell on the open deck (in this instance, the open deck area near the Live Lounge) before eating dinner in the Oriental Restaurant.

After dinner – during which Britannia set sail for Tallinn

– we retired to our suite to read before it was time to get ready for bed.

Thursday 25th September: Tallinn, Estonia

Britannia sailed the short distance between Helsinki and Tallinn at high speed and was moored alongside the dock by 3.00am.

Sue and I awoke just after sunrise …

… and just before we went for breakfast, TUI’s Mein Schiff 7 moored across the pier from Britannia.

Sue and I decided to go ashore once the initial rush was over, and by 10.45am we had boarded the shuttle-bus that took us to the centre of the city. It dropped us off almost at the end of Viru, and a very short walk took us to the twin towers that mark the entrance into the oldest part of the city.

After passing through the entrance, we were able to get a glimps of a section of the old city wall that has been preserved.

We then walked up the steep, cobbled streets …

… toward the city’s central square, which is dominated by the Town Hall.

By this time Sue and I were in need of a drink, and we stopped for a café latte in one of the many cafés and restaurants that line the edges of the Town Hall Square.

Suitable refreshed, we explored the area surrounding the square, including the street corner where what is reputed to be the oldest café in Tallinn is located.

We then made our way back downhill to the twin towers, and by 2.00pm we had taken the shuttle-bus back to the ship and were back aboard Britannia.

(A quick comment about Tallinn and its accessibility to those with mobility problems. It is a wonderful place to visit, with lots of historical buildings and streets to investigate. It has numerous museums as well as a wide range of cafés and restaurants that will meet needs of most people … BUT in no way can it be described as user-friendly to anyone with mobility problems. Most of the streets in the old part of the city are cobbled, which makes walking with sticks or a stroller difficult … and I suspect that wheelchair users find it nearly impossible to get around without considerable assistance. There are very few instances of dropped curbs, and the curb stones tend to be higher than they are in the UK. Most shops, cafés, and restaurants have steps one has to negotiate to enter them, and toilet facilities tend to be either in a basement or upstairs, and only accessible by steep stairs that don’t have rails to hold onto. The only disabled toilet we found was barred and padlocked. Finally, the ‘accessible’ bus that was being used as a shuttle-bus had space for a wheelchair or stroller … but one had to climb up three steep steps to get to the space and rely on someone else to carry your wheelchair or stroller up for you.)

Once we were back aboard, Sue and I left our bags and coats in our suite and went up to the Horizon Self-Service Restaurant for a snack lunch. We stayed there until 2.45pm, at which point Sue and I had a drink in the Riviera Bar (Deck 16 Midships), which is next to the larger of the ship’s two swimming pools.

We were back in our suite by 3.30pm, and other than a visit by our butler at 4.15pm, Sue and I read and rested until it was time to get ready for dinner.

Our evening followed the same routine as it had on most previous nights; a pre-dinner drink in the Crow’s nest Bar, a spell out on the open deck, and then dinner in the Oriental Restaurant. We followed this with another visit to the open deck area near the Live Lounge before we returned to our suite to sleep.

Friday 26th September: Tallinn, Estonia

As the ship had spent the night moored alongside in Tallinn, Sue and I had an excellent and uninterrupted night’s sleep.

During the night, the Mein Schiff 7 Sailed to her next destination, but as we were getting ready for breakfast, her place was taken by Holland-America’s Rotterdam.

After Sue and I had eaten our breakfast in the Epicurean Restaurant we went down to the open deck area near the Live Lounge to sit in the sun and watch the passengers from both cruise ships scurrying ashore. We then returned to our suite, did the daily crossword, read for a while, and then began to get ready to go ashore ourselves.

We disembarked at 11.15am and strolled along the quay to the cruise terminal. We had a look around and it gave us the opportunity to see that a third cruise ship had joined Britannia and Rotterdam in Tallinn’s cruise port.

The third cruise ship was the AIDAmar …

… and she was moored on the second and more westerly of the cruise port’s jetties.

Sue and I decided that rather than return to Britannia, we would go into Tallinn for a second time on the shuttle-bus. The journey took less than ten minutes and by midday we were walking through parts of the city we had not visited before.

During our stroll we visited a local supermarket – Rimi – where we stocked up on sugar-free Coke and salted crisps. (We could have bought both aboard the ship but at twice the price we paid ashore!)

We then returned to Britannia by shuttle-bus and were back in our suite by 1.30pm. By then we were both feeling in need of a drink and went to the Java Café for a very refreshing Costa Coffee café latte.

Suitably refreshed, were went out onto the open deck near the Java Café for some fresh air before going up to the Horizon Self-Service Restaurant for a snack lunch. We then returned to our suite to rest until it was time for the ship to set sail for its next port-of-call – Visby on the Swedish island of Gotland – at approximately 5.00pm.

The ship left a few minutes later than expected, but made good speed towards Visby as Sue and I began to get ready for dinners. We went up to the Crow’s Nest Bar at 7.30pm to have a pre-dinner drink and then walked the short distance along Deck 16 for dinner in the Epicurean Restaurant.

The menu had changed since our last dinner there.

Starters

Duo of Cured Smoked Salmon which comprised Aged 21-yrea-old Malt Whiskey Loch Fyne and H. Forman & Sons London Cure Oak Smoked Salmon(Both of us)

Main Course

Whole Dover Sole á la Meunière with Maître D’hôtel Butter (Sue)

Redman Limousin Irish Beef Fillet and Ox Cheek with Smoked Potato Croquettes, Cabernet Sauvignon Glazed Grelot Onions, and Salt-baked Heirloom Carrots (Me)

Desserts

Elements of Summer Trifle which comprised Blackberry Jelly, Tarragon Meringue, Raspberry Roulade, Clotted Cream, and Fried Custard (Sue)

Banana and Peanut Butter Cannelloni with Muscovado Sugar Ice Cream, Rum Jelly, and Key Lime Pie (Me)

We finished eating not long after 9.45pm, and after a short spell on the open deck area near the Live Lounge, Sue and I returned to our suite, where we read until it was time to go to bed.

Saturday 27th September: Visby, Sweden

Overnight the ship’s passed westward into a new time zone and the clock were turned back an hour, thus giving us a much-needed extra hour of sleep.

Britannia was moored alongside the new cruise ship dock in Visby by 7.30am, …

… by which time Sue and were almost ready to go for an early breakfast in the Epicurean Restaurant. We had to eat earlier than normal because we had booked on an excursion that was leaving the dock at 9.30am and had to be at the coach by 9.15am.

In fact, everyone who was booked on ‘Visby at a glance’ was aboard the coach by 9.20am and the guide decided to set off ahead of schedule. The tour first took us to Visby’s famous Medieval gallows, which are on a hill outside the old city walls.

These are the most complete gallows of their type in Europe and were used on 5th March 1845 for the execution of Ander Johan Hasselberg for the crime of murder.

Our next stop enabled us to see long sections of the city’s limestone fortifications, which were built to protect the city from attacks when it was a major trading hub for the Hanseatic League.

They have not been renovated or preserved and the fact that they are still standing and are in very good condition is a testament to the quality of their construction.

Our final stop was in a park in the middle of the old city. This gave us excellent views of some of the city’s oldest buildings, including the Church of Santa Maria with its unusual trio of black spires. (The church was originally a Roman Catholic one, but when Gotland converted to Protestantism, the church kept its original name.)

It is interesting to note the mixture of building styles, including very traditional Hanseatic-style gable-ended houses alongside more modern Swedish-style buildings.

Our tour ended back at the cruise port by 11.00am, and after a short visit to the souvenir shops there, Sue and I began our walk back to Britannia. This gave us the opportunity to see the other cruise ship that was docked in Visby, TUI’s Mein Schiff 3.

She was taking part in five-night heavy rock themed cruise and the centre of Visby and the area around the cruise terminal was full of middle-aged, black-clad heavy rock fans. We were told that there were over thirty bands performing during the cruise and that the music could be heard five kilometres away!

Before going up to our suite, Sue and I decided to each have a much-needed café latte in the Java Café. We then returned to our suite to rest, look at the phots we had taken, and do the daily crossword.

We were feeling hungry by 1.45pm (breakfast seemed to have been a long time before!) and we went up to the Horizon Self-Service Restaurant for a snack lunch. We then spend some time on the open deck area near the Java Café basking in the sun before going back to our suite.

Looking through the list of films available online, I saw that the recent film about the Battle of Midway was available, and whilst Sue read and dozed, I watched it. The CGI effects were very impressive – if a little overdone in places – some of the acting was a bit wooden, and the history and background to the battle seemed to have been overly simplified … probably because the projected audience would have the real story a bit tedious and too complex. For example, the wargame played by the Japanese before the attack did not seem to reflect recent research into it, but as a narrative I suppose it had to be portrayed that way to make the film work.

At 4.15pm we had a visit from our butler, and soon afterwards Britannia set sail for Copenhagen. It was quite pleasant on our suite balcony whilst the sun was still shining, but as the ship increased speed the wind began to increase, and the air temperature seemed to drop. By 5.20pm, Sue and had returned inside and we stayed there until it was time to go to dinner.

After a pre-dinner drink in the Crow’s Nest Bar, Sue and I went out onto the open deck area near the Java Café before going to dinner in the Oriental Restaurant.

The restaurant was even less crowded than usual, and we had finished eating by 9.45pm. As we were not feeling very tired, we went out onto the open deck near the Live Lounge, but they had just washed the deck and everything – including the chairs – was soaking wet. In the end we retired to our suite and read and watched TV until it was time to get ready for bed.

Sunday 28th September: At sea

During the night, Britannia sailed south-westward from Visby, and by 8.00am she was off the coast of southern Sweden, heading towards the Great Belt.

Sue and I had already decided to attend the first talk by the new guest speaker, and after breakfast in the Epicurean Restaurant, we went down to the Headliners Theatre and found some seats near the front. The speaker was Dr Chris Martin, who is both a qualified medical doctor specialising in DNA research and a lawyer. His first talk was entitled ‘DNA Forensics and the Law’ and proved to be far more interesting than its title implied.

The talk finished at 10.45am, and after walking along Deck 6 to the central lifts, Sue and I went up to Deck 7 to have a look around the ship’s shops. Our window shopping proved disappointing, and we returned to our suite to do battle with the daily crossword.

The weather was very calm – as it has been throughout the cruise – and at one point before lunch we were able to have the balcony door open so that we could enjoy fresh the air.

Sue and went to lunch in the Horizon Self-Service Restaurant at just after 2.00pm, and then went down the Reception (Deck 5 Forward) because the Wi-Fi package that Sue had bought had stopped working. They were very helpful and reset the connection and it began working again.

As we were both feeling a little thirsty, we went up to Deck 7 and had a café latte in the Java Café which was – for once – not too crowded. (It is often full on sea days with people who want to sit and read, play cards, or do puzzles. They buy a coffee … and then sit there for hours, thus stopping anyone else from sitting there.)

From then until we had our daily visit from our butler, Sue and I struggled to complete the crossword … which proved to be impossible! We think that the crossword setter is American as they often use words and expressions that are commonly used in the United States but that are less well used in the UK.

As it was the third formal dinner of the cruise, the butler brought us canapes as well as the dinner menu for the following evening. On seeing the latter, Sue and I decided to book dinner in the Epicurean Restaurant for the next evening as there was very little on the Oriental Restaurant’s menu that appealed to us.

Sue and I were dressed in our formal clothes by 7.30pm, and as usual, we went for a pre-dinner drink in the Crow’s Nest Bar. We stopped off on our way to the Oriental Restaurant to go ouy onto the open deck area near the Live Lounge, and by just after 8.30pm we were seated in the restaurant and were ordering our respective meals.

After dinner we returned to the open deck are near the Live Lounge and then made our way up to Deck 14 and our suite. As we were going on an excursion around Copenhagen on the next morning, we had an early night … and therefore missed seeing the ship pass under the famous bridge between Denmark and Sweden.

Monday 29th September: Copenhagen, Denmark

By the time we woke up at 7.30am, Britannia was already moored alongside in the cruise port at Østerbro on the outskirts of Copenhagen. The new cruise port is built on reclaimed land and was built as part of the plan to ensure that the city remains an important commercial centre for Denmark.

From our suite balcony we could see the famous Øresund bridge that links Denmark to Sweden …

… as well as the Tre Kroner fortress …

… and the skyline of the central part of the old city.

Close to where the Britannia had moored, one of the vessels (the Vina) involved in the ongoing land reclamation scheme was at work.

After a swift breakfast in the Epicurean Restaurant, Sue and I went ashore to join the coach excursion we had booked … and immediately realised that we had made the right decision to wear our coast as it was very cold and windy.

The excursion was entitled ‘Panoramic Copenhagen’ and was intended to give us a snapshot of the main parts of the city in three hours.

Our first stop was at the famous statue of the Little Mermaid.

Whilst we were there, a Danish Navy patrol vessel Rota (P525) (a Diana-class patrol vessel) sailed past …

… and we were also able to see the German Navy’s frigate Hamburg (F220) (a Sachsen-class air defence frigate) moored just a short distance away.

After reboarding the coach, we drove through the central part of the city …

… passing the entrance to the Tivoli Gardens as we did so.

Our route took us past the imposing City Hall …

… and many other important buildings …

… before we reached the Christiansborg Palace, …

… which serves as the Danish Parliament building and the offices of the current government. This building is connected to several other government buildings by an annex that has a central arch …

… through which one must go to reach the Danish War Museum.

Just across the square from the palace is the Holmen Church …

… which is the church that is regularly used by the Danish Royal Family. When they are resident in Copenhagen. We then drove past a house that is reputed to have once been the home of Hans Christian Anderson …

… before passing one end of Nyhavn.

We then drove around King’s Square and past the famous Magasin du Nord department store.

Our coach then drove onto the island of Christianshavn, where we stopped at the iconic Opera House.

From there we had a magnificent view of the Amalienborg Palace (the home of the Danish Royal Family) …

… and the dome of the famous Marble Church.

As we were close to Danish Naval Museum, we could also see the preserved frigate Peder Skram (F352) …

… and the famous dockyard masting crane (Mastekranen.

Once we were back aboard the coach, our excursion took us to the combined Copenhill refuse incinerator/artificial ski-slope (I kind you not!) and then past a church with a very unusual spire …

… that has a spiral staircase around its outside!

On our way to the Britannia, we passed a statue of King Christian X, …

… who was king during the two World Wars and who resisted the German occupiers in any wat that he could. For example, it is widely stated that when Danish Jews were ordered to wear a yellow Star of David whenever they outside their home, the King made it known that he would also do so … which placed the Germans in a very difficult position and the order was never enforced. The story may not be true, but it illustrates the king’s attitude to the occupiers.

Our tour finished not long after we had driven past the famous Gefion fountain …

… and the English Church, …

… which is dedicated to the first English Christian martyr, St Alban.

We were back aboard Britannia by just after 1.15pm, and because we had both got cold during our coach trip, we went straight to the Java Café for a café latte. Suitably refreshed, we then returned to our suite to rest (and do the daily crossword) before going up to the Horizon Self-Service Restaurant for a snack lunch.

Sue and I discussed going back into the centre of Copenhagen on the shuttle-bus but decided that as we were staying overnight and not leaving until the next evening, we would see if the weather was any better next morning.

As we had booked dinner in the Epicurean Restaurant for 8.45pm, we had plenty of time to have a pre-dinner drink in the Crow’s Nest Bar beforehand.

Sue and I were quite hungry by the time that we sat down to eat the following:

Starters

Duo of Cured Smoked Salmon which comprised Aged 21-yrea-old Malt Whiskey Loch Fyne and H. Forman & Sons London Cure Oak Smoked Salmon (Sue)

Pulled Smoked Duck Leg and Hackleback Caviar with Truffle Brioche Toast and Parsley Bubbles (Me)

Main Course

Whole Dover Sole á la Meunière with Maître D’hôtel Butter (Sue)

American Grain-fed Aged Angus Sirloin Steak with Portobello Mushroom Ragout and Béarnaise Sauce (Me)

Desserts

Sharing desserts including Coconut Panna Cotta, Elements of Summer Trifle, and Valrhona Dark Chocolate Tart (Both of us)

Sue and I finished eating by 9.30pm, and after walking along Deck 7 and seeing a Danish folkloric group in action in the Live Lounge, we returned to our suite to get ready for bed.

Tuesday 30th September: Copenhagen, Denmark

Sue and both slept even better than usual, and after breakfast in the Epicurean Restaurant …

… we went out onto the open deck area near the Java Café to see what the weather was like. It turned out to be cold and windy, and after a short discussion, we decided not to bother to go ashore but to stay aboard Britannia in the hope that the weather would improve.

As most of the passengers had gone ashore to enjoy the delights of Copenhagen and we wanted to leave our cabin steward and butler time to do their work in our suite, Sue and I went for a walk along Deck 7. We started where the well of the ship’s atrium is at its highest …

… and where – on the starboard side – the Java Café is located …

… and where – on the port side – one can find the Glass House Wine Bar.

Looking down into the atrium, one can see the Market Café (Deck 5 Midships) …

… in the centre of which is a magnificent glass structure that goes from the floor of Deck 5 to the roof of Deck 7.

Sue and I then walked aft along the internal corridor, …

… past the Sindhu Asian Fusion Restaurant, …

… to the Live Lounge.

We then retraced our steps to the Java Café, where we both had a café latte …

… whilst we read.

We stayed there until 11.30am, at which point we checked on the weather to see if it had improved … and it hadn’t! Sue and I therefore returned to our suite to continue reading and to catch up on writing our respective blog and cruise log.

At 2.20pm we went up to the Horizon Self-Service Restaurant for lunch. It was far less crowded than normal, and we had no problem selecting the food that we wanted and finding a vacant table to sit at.

After lunch, Sue and I returned to our suit until we were visited by our butler at 4.30pm. Not long afterwards, we went up to the Sunset Bar for a drink and one last look across Copenhagen … including the very distinctive sloped shape of the Copenhill combined incinerator and artificial grass-covered ski slope …

… and the Tre Kroner fortress.

We then returned to our suite, but as Britannia was not setting sail until 8.30pm, we returned to the Sunset Bar for our pre-dinner drink. Sue and I had hoped that the city would look very different at night … and we were right … but because the cruise port is so far from the centre of the city, none of the really interesting buildings were visible.

After dinner we did venture out onto the open deck area near the Live Lounge, but it proved to be rather cold, and we soon returned to our suite to read and watch some TV before going to bed.

Wednesday 1st October: At sea

Overnight, Britannia sailed up the east coast of Jutland, and by 8.00am she had just passed the most northern tip of the country, Skagen.

Sue and I went straight down to the Headliners Theatre after breakfast in the Epicurean Restaurant so that we could get seats to watch Dr Chris Martin’s second talk of the cruise.

During his talk – which was entitled ‘Concepts of Medical Law through the Cases’ – Dr Martin explained how he began studying and practicing medicine – and particularly medical research – before training as a lawyer so that he could become a medico-legal consultant. He then discussed several of the medico-legal issues that he had dealt with during his career.

Sue and I then went up to Deck 7 and managed to find seats in the Java Café …

… where we each drank a café latte.

We then returned to our suite to complete the daily crossword and then watched the beginning of the Kenneth Branagh’s film of Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile.

Sue and I watched the film until it was time to go for lunch in the Horizon Self-Service Restaurant. We had returned to our suite by 3.20pm and then watched the rest of the film.

After our daily visit from our butler, Sue and I ate the canapes he had brought us (we always got canapes on days when the is a formal dinner) and then began to get ready for dinner.

We were ready well ahead of time and decided to watch a second film, The Last Bus. This starred Tomothy Spall and told the story of a man who travelled from John a ‘Groats to Land’s End using local buses so that he could visit his child’s grace and to scatter his wife’s ashes. Along the way he interacted with all sorts of different people and became a minor internet sensation.

At 7.30pm we went down to the Live Lounge so that we could attend the Peninsular Club Cocktail Party.

We had a very interesting chat with the Hotel Service Manager – the person we used to call the Purser before the terminology aboard became Americanised – before the captain – Captain Patrick Maguire – gave a short speech. In it he outlined forthcoming developments that regular P&O cruisers could expect to see over the next couple of years as well as an update on how well Carnival Group was doing. He also presented a bottle of champagne to the most travelled cruisers on this particular cruise … and they had accumulated well over three years-worth of cruises, which makes our total look rather puny!

After dinner in the Oriental Restaurant, Sue went outside for some fresh air whilst I returned to our suite. Once she had joined me there, we got ready for bed … and began to watch our third film of the day, The Great Escaper. This starred Sir Michael Caine and Dame Glenda Jackson – the latter in her last film role before she died – and told the story of a veteran of the D-Day landings who wanted to go to Normandy on the 70th anniversary but who was too late to book a place on one of the organised trips.

We watched the first half of the film before going to bed, and planned to finish watching it on our last day at sea.

Thursday 2nd October: At sea

Overnight the ship sailed on a southeasterly course, and by the time we awoke, she was off the coast of the Netherlands.

As usual, Sue and I ate breakfast in the Epicurean Restaurant before going down to the Headliners Theatre to listen to Dr Chris Martin’s third talk, which was entitled ‘Criminal Negligence and the Law’.

P

Yet again, he managed to make what could easily have been a dry and rather boring topic very interesting, and we certainly left with a better understanding of the redresses available to someone if they suffered medical problems as a result of poor or incorrect treatment.

Sue and I then returned to our suite and began the process of packing our luggage. We complete packing the three suitcases and one of the holdalls by 1.00pm, at which point we went down to the Java Café for a café latte. We then went out onto the open deck area near the café before returning to our suite to rest until it was time to go for afternoon tea in the Epicurean Restaurant.

We arrived at the restaurant a few minutes before 3.00pm, and as soon as the doors opened, we were shown to our table, given freshly-made pots of tea, and the cake stand was placed in front of us.

The menu for the tea was as follows:

Herb Lobster Rolls with Celery, Chives, and Dill, in Brown Butter Brioche

Corn-fed Paprika Chicken Ciabatta with Heirloom Tomatoes

Beetroot and Vanilla Smoked Salmon Shortcrust Pastry Tart with Dill and Caper Cream and a Beetroot Wafer

Pistachio Financiers with Rose-scented Cream Cheese Frosting and Persian Rose Petals

Blueberry Yoghurt Cheesecake with Blackcurrant Jam Centre and Graham Cracker Base

Verrine Mont Blanc with Crunchy Meringue, Blackcurrant Conserve, Dark rum, and Sweet Crème de Marron

Golden Cheesecake Sphere with Dark Chocolate Mousse, Framboise Macerated Raspberries, and Chocolate Genoese

Raspberry and Raw Cacao Scones and Traditional Scones with Clotted Cream and Jam

We finished our afternoon tea at 3.45pm, and after thanking the staff – and the restaurant’s head chef – for the excellence of the food were had been served, Sue and I went down to Deck 7 for some fresh air on the open deck area Java Café.

We had returned to our suite by 4.13pm, and soon afterwards our butler – Ashly – visited us for the last time to wish us a safe journey home … and to express the hope that we would take part in future cruises aboard Britannai. He also helped to put our packed luggage outside the suite for collection.

We then watched the rest of The Great Escaper before we finishing packing our second holdall. We were then visited by our butler – Ashly – who we thanked for everything that he had done for us during the cruise.

At 7.30pm, Sue and I went for our final pre-dinner drink of the cruise in the Crow’s Nest Bar, and after a short break out on the open deck area near the Java Café, we made our way down to the Oriental Restaurant.

The meal was excellent – as was the service – and at the end of the meal we had a long chat with the two waiters – Adio and Gilang – who had served us in the restaurant. We thanked them for attentive and friendly service and wished them well for the future.

Sue and I decided to have a last breath of fresh air on the open deck area near the Live Lounge before going up to our suite. Once we were there, we packed the last of our holdalls and put it outside the door for collection before turning in for the night.

Friday 3rd October: Southampton

Because the ship’s clocks were put back by an hour overnight, it made getting up at 6.30am a bit easier. Mind you, as we woke up when the ship docked at 6.00am, Sue and I were already awake!

We were dressed and eating breakfast in the Epicurean Restaurant by 7.30am and had reached the assisted disembarkation lounge by 8.15am. We registered for assistance and then waited until our names were called. We waited … and waited … and waited … and were finally called at 9.30am. Apparently, the system prioritises passengers who are travelling long distance by coach and as we were driving home, we had a low priority.

By the time we reached the baggage reclaim hall, it was almost empty, and the porters were able to find our bags in a matter of seconds. We then made our way to the valet parking area through the driving rain (the weather was quite appalling when we arrived in Southampton and remained poor until we got home). After reclaiming our car keys, the porters helped us to load the car, and by 10.15am we were on our way home.

The drive home was punctuated by a short stop at Winchester Services for a comfort break and a café latte and – thanks to the awful weather – it took almost three hours to get from Southampton to Southeast London.

Once home, we unpacked the car, played with our cat (she apparently had missed us whilst we had been away), and had a much-needed drink … and began talking about our next cruise! Rien ne change!