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Stockholm is a city in the flush of its second youth. In the last 15 years Sweden’s capital has emerged from its cold, Nordic shadow to take the stage as a truly international city. What started with entry into the European Union in 1995, gained pace with the extraordinary IT boom of the late 1990s (strengthened with the Skype-led IT second-wave of 2003), and solidified with the hedge fund invasion of the mid-nineties continues today. And despite more recent global economic turmoil, which Sweden was able to coast through relatively unscatched, most of Greater Stockholm’s 1.4 million or so inhabitants have realized that aspects of their city rival those in Paris, London, New York, or any other great metropolis. With this realization comes change. Stockholm has become a city of design, fashion, innovation, technology, and world-class food, pairing homegrown talent with an international outlook.
Days at sea are the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind and catch up with what you’ve been meaning to do. So whether that is going to the gym, visiting the spa, whale watching, catching up on your reading or simply topping up your tan, these blue sea days are the perfect balance to busy days spent exploring shore side.
Commissioned by Tsar Peter the Great (1672–1725) as “a window looking into Europe,” St. Petersburg is a planned city whose elegance is reminiscent of Europe’s most alluring capitals. Little wonder it’s the darling of fashion photographers and travel essayists today: built on more than a hundred islands in the Neva Delta linked by canals and arched bridges, it was called the “Venice of the North” by Goethe, and its stately embankments are reminiscent of those in Paris. A city of golden spires and gilded domes, of pastel palaces and candlelit cathedrals, this city conceived by a visionary emperor is filled with pleasures and tantalizing treasures. With its strict geometric lines and perfectly planned architecture, so unlike the Russian cities that came before it, St. Petersburg is almost too European to be Russian. And yet it’s too Russian to be European
Estonia’s history is sprinkled liberally with long stretches of foreign domination, beginning in 1219 with the Danes, followed without interruption by the Germans, Swedes, and Russians. Only after World War I, with Russia in revolutionary wreckage, was Estonia able to declare its independence. Shortly before World War II, in 1940, that independence was usurped by the Soviets, who—save for a brief three-year occupation by Hitler’s Nazis—proceeded to suppress all forms of national Estonian pride for the next 50 years. Estonia finally regained independence in 1991. In the early 1990s, Estonia’s own Riigikogu (Parliament), not some other nation’s puppet ruler, handed down from the Upper City reforms that forced Estonia to blaze its post-Soviet trail to the European Union. Estonia has been a member of the EU since 2004, and in 2011, the country and its growing economy joined the Eurozone.
The Kingdom of Denmark is the geographical link between Scandinavia and Europe. Half-timber villages and tidy farms rub shoulders with towns and a few cities, where pedestrians set the pace, not traffic. In the capital, Copenhagen—København in Danish—mothers safely park baby carriages outside bakeries while outdoor cafés fill with cappuccino-sippers, and lanky Danes pedal to work in lanes thick with bicycle traffic. The town was a fishing colony until 1157, when Valdemar the Great gave it to Bishop Absalon, who built a castle on the site of what is now the parliament, Christiansborg. It grew as a centre on the Baltic trade route and became known as købmændenes havn (merchants’ harbour) and eventually København.In the 15th Century it became the royal residence and the capital of Norway and Sweden.
About 8 miles downstream—which means seaward, to the east—from central London, Greenwich is a small borough that looms large across the world. Once the seat of British naval power, it is not only home to the Old Royal Observatory, which measures time for our entire planet, but also the Greenwich Meridian, which divides the world into two—you can stand astride it with one foot in either hemisphere. Bear in mind that the journey to Greenwich is an event in itself. In a rush, you can take the driverless DLR train—but many opt for arriving by boat along the Thames. This way, you glide past famous sights on the London skyline (there’s a guaranteed spine chill on passing the Tower) and ever-changing docklands, and there’s usually a chirpy Cock-er-ney navigator enlivening the journey with his fun commentary. A visit to Greenwich feels like a trip to a rather elegant seaside town—albeit one with more than its fair share of historic sites.
Advertised prices are per person, twin share, tour only, correct at time of publication and are subject to availability, withdrawal and change at any time without notification due to fluctuations in charges and currency. Offer valid on new bookings only. ^Bonus is included in the advertised price. Return flights to Europe in economy class are included. Return flights are based on select Australian gateways only. Silversea reserves the right to select the air carrier, routing and departure airport from each gateway city. Promotional air offer is only available to the first and second full-fare guests in a suite. Upgrade to a business class from $4,998 per person. Due to flight schedules, some voyages may require an overnight hotel stay pre or post-cruise at the guests own expense. Additional restrictions may apply. ¹In the event neither business class nor economy class air is available (determined at Silversea’s sole discretion) or for guests not utilizing the promotional bundle offer or for non-Australian guests, a non-use Air credit in the amount of $1,750 per person, based on double occupancy may be applied. Single supplements will apply and vary by voyage. Guests benefit from a one-category suite upgrade, from a Vista Suite to a Panorama Suite and a $1,000 onboard credit per suite. If the one-category upgrade is not available guests will instead receive a US$500 onboard credit per suite. A 50% deposit of the total booking cost is required within two days of booking. Full payment is due no later than 120 days prior to departure. Other conditions apply. Please contact your personal travel manager for full terms and conditions.
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