Arrived in Istanbul yesterday afternoon. Good hotel. This morning, 17May15, we visited the Blue Mosque, the Basilica Cistern, the Hippodrome and briefly the Grand Bazaar. After lunch we went back to the Grand Bazaar for a more serious look around. Exhausting. After temperatures of between 9 and 15 in Scandanavia, humid and 25 to 27 is quite a change. The Cisterns were probably the most impressive thing we saw. Tomorrow, we will look around further from the...

Copenhagen is a lovely city full of very welcoming people and we have had a wonderful stay. We have visited Nyhaven, the new port, which dates from about 1700., and the Ameliaborg museum. We also fount the Gifion fountain, the little mermaid and the treasury to see the crown jewels. Tomorrow we fly out to Turkey without my having loaded ghe photos I promised because the PC access we expected did not materialise. I have mafe this entry using my phone! Anyhow...

T^oday we pack up and leave the ship i n the morning. I will write again from our hotel in Copenhagen.

We arrived in Nynashamn early this morning and took the bus to Stockholm, a trip of around 45 minutes. The outstanding site is the Vasa Museum withteh relic is a 17th century warship that only salied for 23 minutes before turning turkey and sinking. Facinating. The Royal Palace is huge with 608 roome, one morte than Buckingham Palace. It is still a working palace and home of the King and Queen. The City Hall is the site of the Nobel prize festifities, except...

A half day in Helsinki and a relatively poor guide. The Church in the Rock was terrific. Very solumn and moving. The copper roof andf the pipes of the organ are memorable. The town squares were bustling and the old town a most attractive area. The fortress and the Sibelius monument, the pipes, are well worth the visit. But the guide was rarely with us to tell the stories. A pity.