We had a very early "roll call" this morning, off for a tour of Gothenburg, Sweden. Our tour began with a drive through the city to an old church that was constructed to resemble a Viking ship's hull. It was built up on a hill so you could see a pretty good view from there. The church is called Masthuggskyrkan, do not ask me how to pronounce that!

We got back on our bus and were supposed to go to the Botanical Gardens, but it was raining at that point, so our guide suggested we tour the city first and everyone agreed. When we were driving around, I was thinking how ugly the buildings were compared to the normal European architecture...and then she explained that we were in the working class section of the city. We turned a corner and suddenly the buildings were just beautiful! We were then in the wealthy part of the city.

We stopped at a mall area and got off to walk around. I wanted a cup of coffee and there was a McDonalds right there, so we went in. It was the strangest McD's I've ever seen (see photo)--lime green walls and very long and narrow. Huge place but it was deserted when we were there.

They had free Wifi, so I was able to get some pictures from Pam and Rich--so check back in my previous postings for some new photos. They both have newer phones that take better photos, so sometimes I don't even bother.

Once back on the bus, we travelled a short distance to the Gardens. I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't all that special. There were a few places that were very colorful with lots of pretty flowers, but overall--not that impressive. It was also quite rainy and we had to walk up a fairly steep hill, so not one of my favorite tours.

Back on the ship just in time for lunch--Mike, Pam and I went to the pizza parlor and Rich went to workout. We set sail early today, so we will enjoy some free time this afternoon.

Rich and I ended up watching a movie in our room, The Longest Ride...Clint Eastwood's son stars in it and let's just say he is easy on the eyes. :)) After the movie was over, it was time for dinner and we were interested to see where we would be seated. We were placed at a table by a window, but it's at the very back of the ship. Since we were going at full power and the seas were a bit rough, it was a bumpy place to be! The maître d' came by to see how we liked the table--I think the jury is still out on that one. :)) The nice thing about it is we are pretty secluded and its quieter without all the other diners around. One interesting note is that the table right next to us was from the Philippines and they were served something off the menu--I didn't even know that was possible but apparently it is. It had a peculiar odor and this man at a nearby table smelled it and said quite loudly, "What the hell is that smell?!?" I don't know if they were offended or not, but they only showed up once more the entire cruise!

We will be really late getting back tomorrow night and they stop seating for dinner at 9:30 pm, so I don't know if we will make it in time. Too bad, too, because they are serving filet mignon and King Prawns. All the beef dishes we have had on this ship have been amazing so far. Our waiter recommended the roast beef tonight, which Pam and I got--it was amazing! Best roast beef we've ever had. Picture doesn't do it justice.

Rich and I went back to our room after dinner and started getting ready for our trip to Berlin in the morning. Pam and Mike went to the Princess Theater.