THE BALTIC

This cruise takes us for the first time into the Baltic Sea and surrounding countries in Northern Europe. The Baltic shoreline touches the countries of DENMARK, ESTONIA, LATVIA, FINLAND, GERMANY, LITHUANIA, POLAND, RUSSIA, and SWEDEN. NORWAY and ICELAND are included as parts of this Scandinavian group of countries. According to Wikipedia, the term 'Baltic' (Mare Balticum) was first given by a German chronicler, Adam of Bremen, in the 11th Century.

Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland are referred to as the Scandinavian countries while Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are termed the Baltic States. Russia and Germany have exerted political influence over Scandinavian countries and the Baltic States and Poland over the centuries.

The Baltic is a Mediterranean Sea, that is, it is largely enclosed by land mass and connected through artificial waterways (eg White Sea Canal & Kiel Canal)  through to the North Sea and Northern Atlantic Ocean. The Baltic Sea was known to the Roman Empire and referred to by Tacitus in 98 CE as a brackish sea where the ice broke apart and chunks floated about. It is one of the largest brackish inland seas by area occupying a basin formed by glacial erosion during the last ice ages. (1600km long x 200km wide x 55m deep)

The Baltic Sea lies between 53 to 66 North Latitude. The southern most tip of New Zealand is about 47 degrees South and Hobart is around 43 degrees South so winters are cold with ice and snow but temperatures in Summer range between 10 and 25 degrees.  

One only has to recite the list of countries above that surround and are near to the Baltic Sea to appreciate the complex history that has dominated  this area of the world. Our history books are filled with the exploits of the Vikings from the Scandinavian Countries who raided and traded from the 8th to the 11th Century, of  Russia and its history of revolution, Communism, expansion and collapse, of two horrendous World Wars precipitated by German aggression, of Poland as it was partitioned or invaded, of the Baltic States, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, as they fought for independence. And of course Australia benefitted from the immigration of many refugees from these countries who struggled to find a better life.

We look forward to getting a better appreciation of these countries in this 19 day cruise through the Baltic Sea and Norwegian Fjords on the Eurodam, a mid-size cruise ship from Holland-America. You can find out a bit more about the Eurodam on the left sidebar along with some very brief descriptive information about the places the ship visits.