Good Evening.
Let’s start with some photos of Berlin taken by Lauren and Jamie.
Berlin Wall
Near the place where the books were burned
Nice Architecture
Holocaust Memorial
Where Michael Jackson held his baby over the railing
Near the American Embassy
Checkpoint Charlie
Brandenburg Gate
Division between East and West Germany where people were shot and memorialized
Palace
Don’t remember, but still a cool picture!
A few months ago I posted a blog which contained some photos of the Queen Mary 2 in Hamburg, Germany. These photos showed thousands of people standing by the dockside hoping to catch a glimpse of the incomparable ocean liner.
Well, it seems that the love of ships extends across the country from the big city of Hamburg to the tiny former East German province of Rostock and the small town of Warnemunde.
The fun started last night with The Rostock Brass Band playing a two-hour concert on the Lido Deck. They were brilliant and their “oompah sounds” had everyone clapping along. One of the players was so old he needed a walker to get around and I couldn’t believe it when this 80 something year old man parked his walker, slowly sat down and picked up a huge Euphonium and played his heart out…………….fantastic.
While he and the band played some German drinking music the F&B department had conjured up a huge German buffet and the local Rostock beer company had provided us with kegs of their finest brew and this all provided the guests with a wonderful party.
Then, as we prepared to sail at 11 pm we were treated to the sight of hundreds of local people standing on the quayside waving and screaming as though they had all been offered a free cruise.
So, there they were, jumping up and down waving and showing their obvious delight at the fact that Carnival had come to call. We were then treated to lots of horn blowing, whistling and fireworks…………..as you will see now on a few videos. Sorry for the quality, I am on a $700 million dollar ship and I have a $50 video camera.
Hope you enjoy them.
Following this amazing reception which we never received in Italy, Spain, Croatia, Portugal, Turkey, Greece or France (that could be my fault) I would like to proclaim that from now on……………… “Ich bin ein Berliner.”
Yes, I know this actually means “I am a doughnut” as a Berliner is a big pastry dougnuty type of thing……….. but it gets my point across perfectly well. And my point is this
Over the years I have said some unkind things about the Sausage Eaters, but from now on, and until I change my mind, the teasing will stop. So sit back, take a cold bottle of Beck’s out of the refrigerator, and let’s have a mince through some of the Fatherland’s achievements over the years.
Das Boot was a much better submarine film than Morning Departure, in which Richard Attenborough’s upper lip momentarily unstiffened for no discernible reason or Crimson Tide and Hunt for Red October…….. In fact, Das Boot is probably one of the best films ever made.
What about comedy? It’s often said that the Germans don’t have a sense of humour, but look at it this way. They may laugh at desperately unfunny stuff such as Benny Hill but who made it in the first place………….the Brits………….mmmmm…….is there a sublime message there? Then we have music. Quite apart from Haydn, Handel, Brahms, Beethoven and Bach, can you think of a better pop tune than Nena’s 99 Red Balloons?
You can’t forget about that legendary German rock band, The Scorpions. Then there is David Hasselhoff ……..he of Baywatch and the talking car thingy. ………..The Hoff as he is known is a major celebrity in Germany and maybe its time we started appreciating his talents………………or not.
Other things that the Germans gave the world include contact lenses, the globe, the printing press, x-rays, the telescope and Levi Strauss; and chemistry lessons would have been a lot less fun were it not for the Bunsen burner.
What else? Well, it was Frank Whittle who invented the jet engine, there’s no doubt about that, but the Luftwaffe had jets in its planes long before the USA and the UK.
Similarly, the Americans and the Russians spent most of the 1960s fighting to gain supremacy over one another in space, but both were using German scientists and German rockets.
Got a Range Rover? That’s German these days and so is the new Mini, the new Bentley, the new Rolls-Royce, the new Bugatti, the new Lamborghini and all new Chryslers.
Germans are brilliant at every sport except cricket, for instance, and that ice thing where big chested women do the vacuuming in front of a kettle as it slides across the ice.
I should also like at this point to explain that if I walked into my bedroom tonight and both Claudia Schiffer and Kate Moss were holding signs that said “Get It Here”…….I would tell Kate to bugger off.
Then there is AIDA. This cruise line is as big as it gets in Germany and the people are fiercely loyal to the brand. The fact that they welcomed us as they did means so much to all of us here at Carnival.
And that’s why today…………………… I am a doughnut.
Sorry the blog is a little short today, we are at sea and it’s a busy one. Back to normal tomorrow
Cheers
Your friends
Doughnut and Heidi
Filed under: Europe, Tales from the Ship, Travel, Video | Tagged: Beer Fest, Carnival Splendor, Germany
lol i loved germany when i was stationed there in the 1980’s. the country and people were quite amazing. russia on the other hand wasnt and i am not sure i will ever get over that. wall up or down the place is scarey. too many stories of people going in and never coming out. if my sister does manage to talk me into a russian cruise i wont be getting off da boat! lol
Hi John/Heidi:
Great blog today and i really enjoyed the pictures from Berlin. Thanks for posting.
I can’t believe the reception that the vessel received. Fireworks and everything? That’s pretty cool since seeing a new ship enter the harbor for the first time is not a daily occurance.
I hope things are warming up for you and the technology is improving on the ship.
Hope everything else is going well and looking forward to hearing more
Thanks again,
David
web cams not working again?
Hi John & Heidi,
What an awesome blog thingy. It all sounded and looked like so much fun – and let’s not forget to mention another thing we owe to Germany – Strudel. Truthfully I never would have expected your best reception so far to be from Germany (not counting Dover of course). I was watching the fireworks when someone came over to my desk to see what was going on. He had done a northern cruise itinerary similar to this one a couple of years ago (on another cruise line) and we started talking about it and I told him about the Splendor and the Dream. I think he was impressed enough to check out the Dream’s itinerary.
I did a little more checking about the Clipper Pacific – it’s owned by ISP, Inc. in Miami but is either chartered out or will be chartered. If I can find out anything else, I’ll let you know.
So enjoy the evening and tomorrow,
Regards,
Carol
WUNDERBAR JOHANN & HEIDI
THE VIDEOS MADE US FEEL AS IF WE WERE ON DECK WITH YOU…… The video of the German buffett made me drool for the German wurst. and I found myself swaying back and forth to the musik. I need to go back to Deutchsland. I lived there for 6 yrs as a “brat”(army not the wurst) and I guess it rubbed off. I loved this blog, the Pictures and the Video and the Music! FANTASTIC!
THANKS TO ALL OF YOU!
Fabulous reception in Germany…thanks for sharing it with us. The food looks great too! Gloria
Wow, what a wonderful evening! please please please say that the same will be happening next week when we are on the Splendor! We are so excited, and looking forward to meeting John.
John, those wonderful folks from Warnemunde did a remarkable job of showing their appreciation for having Carnival’s newest mega ship in their port. Good on them! I suspect you won’t get the same reception when you make your way into New York harbor. Pity.
The videos were excellent. I especially loved the ‘young man dancing’… Poor fella… was he the one with the Euphonium???
Thanks so much for taking the time to let is peek in on your world!!!
Ciao!!!
Host Mach
Wunderbar as usual! I had a currywurst in Berlin yesterday and now I want another. Could we turn around John?
DawnP *live from the Splendor*
WOW,,,,SUPER VIDS,,,,
AWK DE LEBER
keep them coming,
oh i wish we were on the SPLENDER
GUTIN WHATEVER
tom & jane
Thanks for the pictures from Berlin. Can’t wait to see it in person.
Will you be having a party for the Aug. 6th cruise? Please say yes!
Jennifer and Danny
Danke to you for all the photos and remarks. I told my husband that we have to take a cruise to the Baltic. You make it sound so great and inviting. But my DH replied, “We already have 3 cruises booked that haven’t even sailed” Well, there’s always next year……………also enjoyed your story about the events of the beet root. regards from TX
John, this was simply amazing! I felt as if I was on deck with you all and watching the wonderful fireworks.
How terrific of the people there to make you feel so welcomed. I actually had tears in my eyes of happiness.
Great blog thingy John.
Sallie
Thong Princess of Big Ed’s Evil Krewe
John:
The blog was awesome today. Loved all the videos.
Today we got some thrilling news. Literally, as I was finishing my 5 (yes FIVE) miles on the treadmill….we received a phone call from Carnival.
Now I have to qualify this statement by saying we have gotten some wonderful upgrades when we booked our cabins. (usually due to a special Carnival was running, etc.) But we have never been visited by the UPGRADE FAIRY after our booking, because we have never booked a GTY.
As you know, DJ has Autism and, due to his unusual sleeping patterns and habits, is not able to sleep in an Upper…so we always had to pick the exact cabin to make sure his needs were handled.
We have never had the joy, we have read so much about over the years on Cruise Critic, of being visited by the Upgrade Fairy.
So in 26 years, we have always gotten the cabin we booked…..until TODAY!!!
The phone rings and Carnival tells us that we are going to not only get an UPGRADE, but that it is a room that will take care of DJ’s needs…no worries!
So they thought of EVERYTHING!!!
And it is on the SPLENDOR!!!!!
When we booked the November cruise, I wanted a Spa Cabin. There were only 2 Spa cabins left for our date and they were both interior. No problem, we booked one!!
Today, Carnival tells us that we have been upgraded from an Interior (spa) cabin to a BALCONY (SPA) CABIN!!!!
Did I mention we are THRILLED!!!!
Thank so much to the Carnival “upgrade fairy” for not only giving us this upgrade, but for also thinking of DJ when they did it.
And people wonder why I am a PROUD Carnival Cheerleader!!!!!
Linda (Mom of your friend ~who is also thrilled~ DJ)
Hey John & Heidi,
Loved the videos, the ships horn gave me chills! I have to wait till September for my next cruise, so I am very excited already! Thanks also for reminding us all that Germany has given the world. I sent this blog to my German friend. I think she will like it very much.
Jan
Hi John & Heidi,
Thanks for sharing all the videos! What a great time you must have all had in Germany! The food looked so delicious, I might just put away the chicken and break out the bratwurst!!!
BTW– you look wonderful! Keep up the great work with the diet! It’s okay to have a “pig out” day, as my son’s nutritionist calls it, just don’t make a habit of it and remember “YOU” are the one who pays for it. You’re doing great though and it shows!
Princess Barb…. of the evil krewe
John & Heidi…
Great Blog!
John & Susan from Frisco, Tx
Brilliant blog, John!
Even the title made me smile.
Loved the videos, they almost made me feel I was there (Thanks for the camera work, Heidi!).
Say, if there’s any of that chocolate cake or streudel left over, could you mail me a piece?
Good list of German accomplishments, except you left off what is probably the most important one from the point of view of a cruise ship (considering all the alcohol sold on board) – Germans invented aspirin!
I can’t believe you listed 99 Red Balloons (or, more properly, 99 Luftballons) in the same sentence as Haydn, Handel, Brahms, Beethoven and Bach! Good grief, that would be like putting a Hershey bar on the table next to those lovely chocolate cakes. A very silly song, every time I hear it I think of the spoof someone did of it:
99 dead baboons
sitting in my living room…
Dear John,
Thanks for including the buffet in your videos. We miss authentic strudel! What a great reception. Wish we could have been there in person.
Thank you also for taking the time to reply to my
question. You have so much to do during the day and yet you take the time to answer every question you are asked. That says so much about not only you but also company you work for. Bravo!
Fond regards,
Shelly P
Wow, the photos and videos are great! The memorial is so moving that I can’t imagine how it must feel to be standing there. Zydeco has awesome photos as well.
That departure was one for the books I’m sure. One of my favorite things about leaving a port is hearing the the horn which was amazing to hear and see the fireworks too.
Loved the dancing passenger with the walker too–you two are too much!
Good evening Mr. Heald. Tremendous blog and the many videos. It’s amazing how you can really make us feel like we are right there with you and Heidi. Thank you for that. You are very kind of caring your time allowing us the chance of being aboaard the Splendor. Ciao my friend.
Paul F. Pietrangelo
John,
Just when I think your blog can’t get any better…great pictures, videos, music, weather report from Hedi, fireworks, and that food!!!
Oh how I wish I was there!
Who would have thought Germany would do so much to welcome Carnival! I have changed my views of them also!
Love the $50 camera…maybe we should take up a collection so you could at least have one with a zoom on it by the BC!
Think I’ll go and look at the videos again!
Princess Susan
ps. Stephanie you looked beautiful all dressed up on the ship following John around…hope he told you that!
pss…time for a Hedi blog???
John thank you for forwarding my question to Al.
This was a great blog. With all the videos we get to feel like we are right there with you. I was in Germany last year to see my son and grandson who live just south of Frankfurt. We love the country, the food, and the people. This does not include the soon to be ex-daughter-in-law who has made my sons life hell, who is a cheater and who also won’t let my son bring his son to the states to see us and the rest of the family (We have 2 daughters and three other grandchildren who live here). Sorry venting.
Thank You again for keeping us who have to stay at home and work included in the adventure called Splendor.
Hi Heidi.
great videos, can’t wait to experience this in person.
hi john hidi that was a nice fireworks show. berlin looks nice. do u know who will be the cruise director for imagination in dec? and i hope u are doing good.
Thanks for thinking of us and share this exciting moments . The videos are great.
WOW!
THE HORN IS MY FAVORITE PART!
IT MAKES ME GET INTO THE CRUISE AND SO SOS SOS SO EXITED!
FROM , jake s.
John,
The deck party looked great. I swear I gained weight just looking at the video of the food!
Keep ‘em coming!
Pat
InMN253
The web-came fwd/lido anre not working.
from , JAKE S.
WOW the music brought tears to my eyes. I have not be back to Germany since 1975. I miss the great bier, the wonderfull foooooood and the friendly people.
What a wonderful reception for all of you! Thank you for taking all of us shore side with you. You make us feel like we are right there with you which is where we want to be! Keep them coming! The video blogs are such a great addition to the blog!
Sheryl
Love the videos John! Thanks for posting so many of them. The fireworks were fabulous!
I’m a sucker for an umpah band, that was cool! Warenemunde sounds like it has some very friendly locals, I think I’ll stick around to meet some of them instead of going to Berlin.
Speaking of fantastic destinations the Splendor is going to, she will be in Saint Petersburg on July 31 and Aug 1. Aug 1 is the day the total eclipse of the sun will take place between 9 and 11 am and it can be seen quite well from St Petersburg (http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEmono/TSE2008/TSE2008.html).
STEPHANIE PLEASE REPLY–I plan on watching the eclipse, and I think lots of passengers would join me if there were disposable safety glasses to be purchased on board. Any chance of that? I’ll try to bring my own, but since it won’t be visible from where I live I am not sure I’ll have any luck. Thanks!
Dear John the photos were great. As were the videos.Fireworks are very hard to catch on film but they did a great job.John its a prime example of why Carnival is known as the fun Ships.You can tell everyone is having a ball. Best wishes to you all. Gary and Bug
Hi John,
well your Warnemunde blog thingy was absolutely smashing and made us feel we were on deck with you guys. 19 days to go to our Aug 6th cruise and these blogs have really put us in the atmosphere and placed us in the home stretch.
Seems you had a great time whilst leaving Warnemunde and the Germans gave you a great sending off. I have booked a number of shore excursions to St. Petersburg, Estonia and Helsinki but am rather mixed up with regards to Warnemunde. I do not think it is worth the train ride going all the way to Berlin and was thinking of spending the day in Warnemunde and Rostok. Do you think that is a good choice and is the transport to and from Rostok efficient and frequent. Friends of mine tell me that the train station in Warnemunde is a stone’s throw away from where we dock so I suppose we could waklk it to the train station.
You had some gooooood yummie grub in the German buffet. I felt like reaching out to my PC and grabing a piece.
Enjoy your day at sea and looking forward to your next blog.
Cheers
Norman from sunny Malta
Loved the videos. The beer looked fantastic – and I don’t even drink beer. What a nice reception. How did the tours go? I would have found the one too emotional and heartrending.
John….loved the blog today! It was wonderful! Loved all the video. That was some welcome that Germany gave the Carnival Splendor!
Linda ( Mom of DJ)
Congrats on the upgrade!!!! Woo hoo!
Julie
And don’t forget the movable-type printing press invented by Albrecht Duhrer, without which we would not have books, magazines or even (eventually) the typewriter or keyboard!
AAH! I so want to be back there! 14 years of living there and it was the greatest time of my life before marriage and kids (which is wonderful in it’s own right). So much to see, so much to taste and drink! I really need to sit down and seriously play the Power Ball so that I can retire early and just go back to Europe for an extended vacation.
John, the last picture with the caption “forgot what this is” is of the Reichstag, the German parliament building, with the inscription “Der deutschen Volke” meaning “To the German people.”
Very nice welcome in Germany. Loved the videos.
Tom & Michelle
Hey there, Doughnut!
Great videos, etc. Sooooooooooooo, did the roof get opened or not? Sounded like a major storm brewing over the weather!
Food, beer and entertainment, plus fireworks and cheering crowd and horns blowing….wish we could have been there. Thanks so much for sharing.
Best Wishes to you and Heidi.
Your Pal, Myra
John–Very cool video blogs today. Loved the one of the strudel–thanks for making me hungry. Fireworks were great.
Can we see Heidi doing a blog with you filming her?
PS The scene of you trying to check yourself out while looking at the internet in a yoga position was hysterical. Glad nothing was wrong, but you should have your PSA checked yearly==we have a friend who is now fine for years, but had colon cancer at age 39…you need to keep up with checking this stuff!
John, the videos were all great. But please stop picking on Heidi the Weather Person.
Enjoyed the German band playing “When the Saint’s Go Marching In”.
Loved the fireworks and glad they did no harm to the Nuke plant across the pier from you all.
Hi John and Heidi,
Loved the videos.
Thanks John for the pics and videos. Brought back some memories of our years stationed in Frankurt, West Germany. I say that because we were their when they were still divided. Maria and I had a chance to go to East Germany (through Checkpoint Charlie) in 1988. I had to request all kinds of clearances (Flag Orders) to visit the East. That same day an individual tried to escape/run from the East to the West but was unsuccessful, the eastern authorities caught up with him and sadly it was a “police brutally” visual without all the cameras and videos as we have these days. And now everything is history. But anyway, thanks and “Auf Widershen”.
Luis & Maria Torres
John… I am bookmarking and keeping the video of the horns…
What is it about their sounds that truly BLESSES my soul?? I LOVE the sound!!! I can close my eyes and be there! Be right there… smiling so big, my jaw aches!! I feel a peace right down to my soul when I hear ship’s horns!! Bring tears of pleasure and delight to my eyes… truly!
EVERYTHING was wonderful about your blog thingy today (as always). Germany knows how to send a ship off!! Folk music, local customs and culture are so important to learn and experience… having an open mind and an open heart…
But GOD BLESS YOU… the horns… that sooths my soul and brings me to my knees!!! I will listen until the blog breaks… I need to ask a tech-guy… MACH!!! how can I record it in a loop so it just keeps playing???
THANK YOU!!!
Lambie
OMG John, this blog is now forever my all time favorite and bookmarked accordingly!!! The sound of that beloved horn, the answering horns from everywhere in the night, pure joy in the voices we hear, and proper rejoicing at a monumental event!!! Bravo to our German hosts!!!
<> Is it possible to wear out a youtube thingy from overplaying…
LOVE YOU GUYS!!!
Eva
John,
Wow, the videos from Germany were awesome. Hope the band is there again on the cruise of the 18th of August and of course the bier! Germany has been one of my favorite destination. Visiting via the Splendor will be the first. Reading your blog and seeing the pictures are definitely making me more excited day by day. Happy cruising, see ya soon.
Don and Teri
Prosper, TX
John,
My husband and I have been following your blogs and enjoying them immensely! We’re learning what to do and what not to do (such as not complain about no American TV, etc). We cannot wait to get on the Splendor 8/6 and meet you. Hopefully, there will be a fun German band and sausages on our trip, as well! Looking forward to all the fun!
thank you for your kind words of germany and the small port town of Warnemuende
Keep the German party and band! You will never pleas eeveryone and there are those who always complain no matter what.