| I've cruised dozens of ships on various lines and in | | | | we squeezed in a full power tour of the Hermitage, |
| my opinion this is as good as it gets on a mega-liner | | | | palaces, onion domed churches, canals and an evening |
| of 2200+ passengers with 920 crew. Costa's | | | | ballet. Our final port was charming Tallinn Estonia |
| Atlantica was a floating palace of art deco furnishings, | | | | where the entire walled Old Town is a UNESCO |
| marble inlaid floors and millions of dollars invested in | | | | World Heritage Site. It was like walking through a |
| original works of art. It exceeded my expectations. | | | | fairytale. |
| Also I normally loose weight on cruises shunning the | | | | For our days at sea there was never a dull moment |
| ships artificial fare. This time I over indulged on varied | | | | with 3 pools, shops, casino, luxurious spa and |
| menus of fresh food. I ate enough prosciutto and ice | | | | contests with the crew. The 2 story gym was so |
| cream to last a decade. The Italian accented cuisine | | | | high tech that I didn't know how to turn on the |
| was prepared by Euro-chefs and culinary graduates | | | | equipment, so the only exercise I got was jumping |
| of the world famous Chaine des Rotisseurs. | | | | to conclusions. The midnight buffets were the most |
| I was part of an awesome group of 60 singles who | | | | magnificent I've ever witnessed with countless ice |
| blended harmoniously. No love connections occurred | | | | sculptures. There was a house baked out of bread |
| (that I know of), but friendships developed as we | | | | and piano shaped from white chocolate. |
| bonded on our private shore excursions and parties | | | | On our last night we attempted to pack all our |
| onboard. This group was blessed throughout with the | | | | trinkets collected: Faberge egg, Russian nesting dolls, |
| best weather the Baltic region could ever provide - | | | | Swedish crystal, Finish glassware, Nordic pewter, |
| 68 degrees daily and no rain. The First Officer said | | | | lingonberry jams, amber jewelry, hand knit sweaters |
| this was the best weather of the summer. | | | | and a million T-shirts. Many things such as our fur hats |
| Each country visited was a lesson in culture and | | | | may end up in a garage sale some day, but the |
| history. We saw an eyeful along our 1987 nautical | | | | bargaining sure was fun. |
| miles. In Copenhagen Denmark - with its Mermaid, | | | | We tasted just an appetizer of this 5 country |
| Stockholm Sweden the archipelago referred to as | | | | smorgasbord but leave perfectly satisfied. As I say |
| Venice of the North, Helsinki Finland so friendly, | | | | Bon Voyage to this unique part of this world, I am |
| modern and clean, Grand St. Petersburg Russia where | | | | able to remiss another journey well done. |