#632 Tallinn

Tallinn is my favorite port so far.

I'm basing this on the 'boatload' of photos I've taken here in this beautiful city.  Lucky for us, it's a port where we stay docked for 2 days - instead of the usual 1 day.

Tallinn's Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, reminds us of Dubrovnik with its city walls and red-tiled roofs next to the water.  

With our friend Theresa as our guide, we explore every nook and cranny.   Sometimes, Theresa even holds a rolled map above her head like the paid tour guides!  Here we are entering the Great Coastal Gate, a 16th-century arch flanked by two towers.

The Alexander Nevsky cathedral, built when Estonia was part of the Russian empire, is magnificent.

 But the Holy Spirit Church, a medieval Lutheran church in the Old Town, is my favorite.

We do some shopping at the Little Red House in the Old Town - selling only what is made in Estonia.  Here Kelly is paying for my Estonian socks and Donna is purchasing a blacksmith-made shot glass.  

 

On our first day, the Town Hall Square is filled with an acrobatic troupe.

  

But, of course, one of our favorite sights is the MV Explorer docked in the distance in one of the prettiest views of the city.

Yours in loving Tallinn,
Mary

#613 Salvador da Bahia, Brazil

Salvador da Bahia is Brazil's capital of happiness due to many outdoor parties and street carnivals.

But it also was the Portuguese empire's first capital in Brazil.  The Pelourinho district, now protected as a UNESCO world heritage site, showcases Baroque architecture built during Portugal's golden age.

The historic district (upper town) and the lower town have been connected by an elevator since 1873.

Yours in exploring Salvador,
Mary

#580 Lisbon exploration

Many Portuguese explorers left from Lisbon during the Age of Discovery.

To celebrate these expeditions, a Monument to the Discoveries stands at the edge of the Tagus River where ships sponsored by the Portuguese Prince Henry the Navigator departed Lisbon.  Steps away are two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Belem Tower and Jeronimos Monastery.

See Prince Henry carved in stone standing in the prow of the ship?  See Kelly celebrating these expeditions by flying a kite?

See Kelly pretending to be Vasco de Gama and leaving from Portugal on the stone map?

Our expedition's ship, the MV Explorer, is docked nearby and preparing to continue the fall voyage to Spain, followed by 3 ports in Africa.  We won't be following the route of Vasco de Gama all the way to India, but we're thinking about his voyage as it "marked the beginning of the first wave of global multiculturalism."

Yours in continuing the Lisbon tradition of launching explorers on great adventures,
Mary

#573 Looking Down at the Plantin-Moretus Museum

Many people leave the Plantin-Moretus Museum in Antwerp, the only museum on the UNESCO World Heritage list, having seen the world's two oldest surviving printing presses, circa 1600. 

Bibliophiles leave raving about the rooms and rooms and rooms full of books, arranged by size, many of the volumes printed in this building.

Mapheads focus on the Geography Room full of early maps and globes printed here for Mercator and Ortelius.

But underfoot is a patina built and burnished by human contact over hundreds of years.

Focused on the historic furnishings, visitors may overlook the materials, colors, and textures underfoot, each functional in its own place and each telling a story. 

Yours in keeping things grounded,
Kelly

#571 In Bruges

Bruges, a city of just over 100,000 people, has 14 libraries.  So we knew we'd like it.    

Library #1

Library #2

Predicted rain stayed away and we found beautiful sights as we wandered the city center, a UNESCO world heritage site.

The lace-making industry thrives in Bruges, so they have what may be Earth's only lace city map, scaled 1:1230.

We navigated via paper map, making sure to visit the main sites, repeatedly crossing the canals.

And we ate. Most of our eating was from walk-up waffle shops. ;-)  We had a sit-down outdoor meal at one of the touristy restaurants surrounding the big 'Markt' square at the 'Provinciaal Hof'.

The food is expensive.  The views are priceless.  The Kriek goes down easy.

Yours in the land of frites, chocolate, waffles, mussels, Lambic bier, and maps of lace,
Kelly 

#566 Lubeck, Germany

Another country, another Hanseatic League city!

Lubeck was founded in 1143 and is known for being the capital of the Hanseatic League for centuries.   It has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1987.

"Lübeck – the former capital and Queen City of the Hanseatic League – was founded in the 12th century and prospered until the 16th century as the major trading centre for northern Europe. It has remained a centre for maritime commerce to this day, particularly with the Nordic countries. Despite the damage it suffered during the Second World War, the basic structure of the old city, consisting mainly of 15th- and 16th-century patrician residences, public monuments (the famous Holstentor brick gate), churches and salt storehouses, remains unaltered." - UNESCO World Heritage description

On this ideal, not-a-cloud-in-the-sky day, we're eager to see the brick gothic architecture that was built early in this city's history.  So we hire a Lubeck tour guide for a 2-hour architectural walking tour, invite some friends to join us, and head out for the 45-minute train ride north from Hamburg to Lubeck.

Kelly might tell you that his Lubeck favorites include the Holsten gate, the brick gothic architecture, the cobblestone streets, the majestic ginkgo tree, the 3D map in the Coal Market Square, and the bratwurst.

But I'm writing this blog post, so I'll tell you that my Lubeck favorites include the marzipan, the public library, and the seamen's guildhall.

Cafe Niederegger is our first stop in Lubeck.  We must have been the last to discover that Lubeck is famous for its marzipan.  What a plus! This cafe has been making their marzipan for more than 200 years and they do it right!

The current public library was built in 1926 though it had previously existed in the former sleeping hall of Catherine's monastery (Scharbau hall).

 

The seamen's guildhall was built in 1535 as a meeting house for the seamen and skippers.  They would come here to enjoy their labskaus or sailor's stew of salted meat or corned beef, potatoes, and onions.

Yours in loving Lubeck,
Mary

#561 Saint Petersburg libraries

Librarians make the best guides!

Julie, Kelly, and I step off the ship in Saint Petersburg and are warmly greeted by Julia, a Russian business librarian.  Julia has a couple of master's degrees under her belt and is working on her PhD. And today, she is kind enough to spend her time showing us around the historic center of Saint Petersburg, a UNESCO world heritage site. She could not have been more welcoming.

Our first stop (and location of the above photo) is the Boris Yeltsin Presidential Library. Gleaming and full of high-tech equipment, the grand building sits in a prime spot just off the Neva river across the street from Peter the Great's bronze horseman.

We tour the city's largest Russian Orthodox church Saint Isaac's Cathedral on our way to the Saint Petersburg State University's Graduate School of Management, where we enjoy a cup of tea, exchange gifts, and meet other GSOM librarians.  We end our day at Julia's favorite Chinese restaurant, Two Chopsticks.  Spasibo, Julia!

We say goodbye to our new Russian friend during our walk back to the MV Explorer where we discover that Captain Jeremy (celebrating his birthday) has left the lights on for us.

Yours in recommending local librarians when you travel,
Mary

#493 Suzhou gardens

More subtle than Shanghai are the gardens of Suzhou, about two hours west of Shanghai.   Suzhou has been around since 514 BCE.  Located on the Grand Canal, Suzhou is noted for its classical gardens and known as the Venice of the East.  The classical gardens are recognized on the UNESCO world heritage list.

A Chinese garden needs Chinese architecture, rocks, water, and plants.  And Kelly believes every Chinese garden must include a gingko tree.

We visit first the Humble Administrator's Garden.

The Master of the Nets garden is the smallest garden in Suzhou and is reproduced in New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art.  And it has a library!

The Lingering Garden is our third garden visit.

Yours in enjoying the subtleties of Chinese gardens,
Mary

#487 Angkor Wat

We began planning our trip to Angkor Wat in 2006!

On our first SAS voyage, we docked in Ho Chi Minh City and spent all of our time in Vietnam.  Next time, we said, we’ll go next door to Cambodia and visit those Hindu temples we've heard so much about!

So, a short flight on Cambodia Angkor Air takes us from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap airport, just a few miles from Angkor Wat, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The temple is the world's largest religious building, first Hindu, then Buddhist, built early in the 12th century.

King Suryavarman II knew what he was doing when he included SIX libraries in his temple.  Naturally, Nedra and I like the libraries best.  This one is inside the innermost enclosure. 

We enjoyed Angkor Wat so much, we got up early the next morning to arrive at the temple at 6 am to watch the sun rise.  It was a cloudy day, but still spectacular.

Yours in gratitude for second chances,
Mary