This was a really good time.  We needed the break, and it gave us 7 more countries!!!  We flew to London, then spent the night before and the night after the cruise at a very nice guest house in Dover - The East Lee Guest House.

We started in Dover - a 'typical gray England day', but it was the last cloud we saw until we got back!  The weather was perfect for the whole trip.  Here is the Dover Castle and the seacoast of Dover.

Our next view of land was entering the Kiel Canal in Germany- from the North Sea to the Baltic - It cuts out having to go all the way around Denmark.  The Dream just barely fits through the locks and under the bridges.  It was bizarre to be floating down this canal with the land so near on both sides.  It was May Day, and the Germans lined the canal for its whole length, waving to us on the ship.  Here are the gates opening at the first lock.

Our first port was Warnemunde, Germany; We rented a car, and drove to Berlin, up to Poland, and then through what used to be East Germany, back to the ship.

Here is an old church in what used to be East Germany, just a few miles from the Polish border. 

Next stop was Tallin, Estonia.  This was one our favorite stops.  The old town is about a 10 minute walk from the ship, so we walked there, then spent the day wandering around the streets, with help from out Lonely Planet guide book!  We entered the old town through one of the gates in the old wall:  This was a city we could relate to!  By about 10:30 am, they had tables set  outside at all the restaurants around the town square, and we were having our first Estonian beer by 11:00!!  

After quenching our thirsts, we walked around the old town.

Another gate into the old town.  We bought our new camera right around the corner from the McDonalds.

The Orthodox church on Dome hill was spectacular:  

On now to Russia!  One of the main reasons we picked this trip was to see St. Petersburg.  We got private visas and had our own guide, along with a car and driver for both days we were in St. Petersburg.  We contacted http://www.tourguide.spb.ru/ and Dmitri arranged for our driver Andre, and a fantastic tour guide, Alexandra.  She was very knowledgeable, and very personable.  We were able to see a lot it our two days: Peterhof, Pushkin, the Hermitage, St. Issac's Cathedral, Peter and Paul Fortress, a great overview of St. Petersburg and dozens of other interesting and beautiful places.  Dmitri also arranged tickets for the Kirov Ballet performing Swan Lake at the Marinsky theater.  It was wonderful!

Pictures can't do justice but here are a few from around SPB: 

Next stop was Helsinki, Finland.  A very beautiful and clean city.  We walked from the pier to the downtown market, and took a boat tour around the harbour, then came back and walked around the city for the afternoon.  

After Helsinki, we sailed to Stockholm, Sweden.  We walked toward the old town "Gamla Stan", and on the way, we took the Katarinahissen, an old elevator that gave us this great view of the city - the new in the back, the old in the front.  We then headed toward the Djurgarden island and the Vasa Museum.  The Vasa is a 17th century ship that sank within minutes of being launched in 1628.  It was brought up, reconstructed, and is fascinating - we never realized how big these ships were.    The museum is kept dark and the humidity level high, so pictures are hard to see.  

We walked back to Gamla Stan, and saw the guards parade on horseback at the Royal Palace .  

We walked around old town, had a Swedish beer (low-alcohol only...) and toured the Royal Palace and armory.

Sailing out of Stockholm, we sat on deck, and watched the islands of the Swedish Archipelago pass by while a BBQ lunch was served on deck.  The waiter followed, because he knew we were always good for a glass of wine!

The last stop on the cruise was Copenhagen, Denmark - we arrived in the late afternoon, so we walked to the town's old amusement park, Tivoli.  It is a neat old amusement park, that opened in 1843.  It has rides, games, fountains, and after dark, it comes alive with all colors of  lights!

We wandered around the old town, took a tour bus for an hour, and did some shopping on the Stroget - the longest pedestrian street in the world.

We arrived back in Dover in the morning, so we took the train to Canterbury to see the Cathedral, then wandered around Canterbury before taking the train back to Dover.