We wanted to see Scandinavia and the Baltic through Princess Cruises. Princess Cruises has the best itinerary for this region. See the reason why we wanted to do a cruise, on this post. We heard great reviews about this cruise line so we opted to do it through them. 

The map shows our cruise itinerary. We started and ended in Copenhagen. We were also able to visit another port in Denmark (Aarhus). Warnemunde is your gateway to Berlin and we had an 2 nights in St. Petersburg, Russia. The itinerary is the real taste of Scandinavia with a taste of the Baltics.

Berlin is one of my favorite Germany city, next to Munich. Brock and I have been traveling in and out of Germany and it is always a delight to see another German city, most especially Berlin. Luckily, we both love history and we appreciate going to a city full of rich happenings from the past. I could say that one of the many reasons why we travel is seeing history with our very own eyes - from the monuments, statues, paintings, art and all the other important part of the whole world's heritage. To be able to actually be there, to see, feel, hear, touch, and marvel these wonders is just a blessing. 

Till this day, when we travel, I sometimes feel at awe with my surroundings and couldn't believe that I am actually there, standing next to a landmark and seeing what the beauty of the world has to offer.

Warnemunde, Germany is where the ship docked on this trip. This was our third stop. We are faced with a predicament of doing Berlin by ourselves because it's pretty easy and I have been there before, but Brock haven't.  

Prior the trip, we are thinking of booking a trip in St. Petersburg, Russia under SPB Tours. If you want a do-it-yourself trip in Russia, you can do it by getting a visa prior your flight OR you can book from a tour company like SPB Tours that specializes in this kind of service, wherein they arrange visa for you hassle-free. The tour company offered packages for cruisers with a 2 day tour in Russia combined with tours in Estonia, Germany and Finland. Price wise, the tour package was just a little bit higher than the 2 full day tour in Russia so we opted to book the package tour (with 4 countries) instead, just to make it stress free for us since I have a Filipino passport at that time. 

We thought that it would be way easier for us to be under a group tour in Berlin, since the port was 2 - 3 hours away by car or train from Warnemunde. We also thought that, we are going to rush as soon as the boat docked from the port to the train station (since we do not know how far would that be). To avoid any unnecessary variables in our predicament, we opted to join the tour group. 

From Salzburg, we went on a day trip to Berchtesgaden. Have you ever watched Band of Brothers? I have been a fan of that series and this was featured in one of the episode. In that TV series, Easy Company captured Hitler's rest house. Eagle's Nest or Kehlesteinhaus was an official 50th birthday present for Adolf Hitler. Nicknamed Eagle's Nest by a French diplomat, it was meant to be a retreat for Hitler and a place for him to entertain visiting dignitaries. Ironically, Adolf Hitler himself only had been there for quite a few times.

On our way to Eagle's Nest.

The tunnel on the way up the mountain.

The Bavarian Alps.

Ever wonder what started the travelbug? It's this trip. The first of all the firsts.

Then we visited the small town of Berchtesgaden.

Categories: Europe, Germany