7th of August 2026 - Liepāja

Liepāja is Latvia’s third largest city and an important ice‑free port on the Baltic Sea with a history stretching back to the 13th century.  It is known as “the city where the wind is born” for its constant sea breeze and coastal character.  I would describe Liepāja as very windy especially at the port where our ship docked.

Our tour of Liepāja started with a short organ recital in Liepāja Holy Trinity Cathedral famous for housing one of the world’s largest mechanical organs.

Liepāja’s Rose Garden has colourful flower beds and a series of plaques set into the paths and flower beds that honour Liepāja’s twin towns and partner cities.  Each plaque carries the name of a city and often its coat of arms.

The Hotel Līva displays a large historic photograph of pre‑war Liepāja in its lobby and sits right beside the Rose Square fountain.

St. Anne’s Church was built in the late 19th century in Neo‑Gothic style.

The Liepāja Marketplace (Pētertirgus) is an historic market hall built in 1910 and still quite lively today.

Jūrmalas Park is a long, tree lined park running parallel to the beach which is dotted with stone pedestals honouring notable Latvian cultural figures including composers, writers, artists and performers connected to Liepāja.  Each pedestal carries a bronze plaque with the person’s name and contribution.

The Ghost Tree (Spoku koks) is a sculptural tribute to the legendary Latvian rock band Līvi who were born in the city.  It commemorates Līvi’s musicians, especially those who passed away, and symbolises the band’s lasting influence on Latvian rock culture.

Our tour of ended with a walk down to the beach from Jūrmalas Park which has the most beautiful soft sand.

We finished our day with dinner at our favourite restaurant on board ship.  We cook meat or fish exactly the way we like them at our table on a slab of super-heated lava stone brought to our table at around 400–450°C.

6th of August 2026 - Gdańsk

The city of Gdańsk in Poland has been shaped by trade, conflict and a workers’ movement Solidarity that helped end communism in Europe.  Gdańsk, sitting at the mouth of the Vistula River, was founded over a thousand years ago and grew rich as a trading city.  Over centuries it has shifted between Polish and German control. After World War I it became the Free City of Danzig and in 1939 the German attack on nearby Westerplatte marked the start of World War II.  Gdańsk was rebuilt after 1945 and is now one of Poland’s key port cities.

The Fahrenheit Thermometer Monument commemorates Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit, the physicist born in Gdańsk who invented the mercury thermometer and the Fahrenheit temperature scale.

St. Mary’s Church (Bazylika Mariacka) is one of the largest brick churches in the world and a defining feature of Gdańsk’s skyline.

In August 1980 strikes at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk, led by Lech Wałęsa, created Solidarity which was the first independent trade union in the Soviet bloc.  It grew into a social movement of 10 million people, survived martial law and negotiated talks in 1989 which paved the way for democratic change in Poland.

Our day ended in the Observation Lounge on board ship with beautiful views of the sunset.

5th of August 2026 - Bornholm

Bornholm is a pretty little island between Denmark and Sweden in the Baltic Sea.  Here we visited the Hammershus fortress complex, the coastal town of Gudhjem and one of Bornholm’s four round churches.

Hammershus is the largest medieval fortress complex in Northern Europe positioned on a cliff top on Bornholm’s northwest coast which was built in the 13th century.  It is a symbol of shifting political control in the Baltic.  The castle was gradually abandoned in the 18th century leaving behind an extensive network of walls, gates, towers, and courtyards.  Our walk up to Hammershus was somewhat challenging.

 

Gudhjem is built on a steep hillside that tumbles down to a busy little harbour.  Its name means “God’s Home”.  Historically Gudhjem grew as a fishing village famous for its herring smokehouses.  Today Gudhjem is a blend of fishing heritage and artisan culture with plenty of opportunity for shopping.  Small boats still use Gudhjem harbour and ferries depart to Christiansø, a Danish island located about 10 nautical miles from Bornholm.

 

One of the shops had this wonderful old till.

Our last visit of the day was to Østerlars Rundkirke which is the largest and oldest of Bornholm’s four round churches.  It was built around 1150–1160 with massive stone walls.  Østerlars Rundkirke’s three‑storey defensive structure reflect the island’s turbulent medieval past when churches doubled as fortifications.  The church inside centres on a hollow round pillar decorated with a cycle of 14th‑century frescoes depicting biblical scenes from the life of Christ.

 

The bell tower stands apart from the church. 

Our favourite spot for a drink after dinner is the observation lounge where we can watch the ship making its way through the Baltic Sea.

4th of August - Boarding our ship for our Baltic cruise

 Today we boarded our ship, the Silver Dawn.

We toasted our arrival on board with a glass of champagne in our home for the next week.

During dinner we left the port of Copenhagen.

3rd of August - Tivoli Gardens

We spent our second morning in Copenhagen just walking round the city and doing some shopping.

In the afternoon we visited Tivoli Gardens which is Copenhagen’s famous pleasure park, a blend of old‑world charm with pretty gardens and fairground rides right in the heart of the city.  Opened in 1843, it’s famous for its atmosphere, lakes, flower beds and ornate pavilions.

We had lunch in a charming Danish restaurant from which we could hear the music from the orchestra before walking round the gardens.

We enjoyed walking off our lunch strolling round the gardens.

We didn't go on any of the rides.  I would have done so many years ago.

The following ride looked positively stomach churning.

We went back to Nyhavn for dinner where I had an excellent moule with frites.  A delightful moment of the evening was when the couple sitting next to us topped up my wine glass.