Nordic Rulers of the Baltic Sea

Ocean Albatros is docked alongside the port of Turku in the southwestern part of Finland, where our embarkation starts.

Turku is Finland's oldest city and has been the country's administrative center for several periods. Whilst under Swedish rule, the city was called Åbo and even today many of the inhabitants have Swedish as their first language.

During the night, our ship sails along the coast of Estonia and we pass close by the island of Saarema - or Ødsel as it was called in the Middle Ages - before we arrive at the small Estonian island of Ruhnu Saar. We anchor near the island, and with the ship's solid zodiac rubber rafts, all guests are tendered into the small harbor on the island's south coast.

walk from the harbor to the village on the middle of the island, a stretch of three kilometers. The island has a minibus which runs the stretch several times in each direction during our stay. As our cruise guest, you can ride it for free if the road feels too long.
In the village we will hear about the island's fascinating history and see the solid log cabins and farms left behind by the former Swedish residents. We also visit the small St. Magdalena Church, built in 1644 and thus the oldest preserved wooden building in Estonia. Ruhnu also has its own Eiffel Tower, a 30-meter-high lighthouse, which was commissioned from Eiffel himself and built in 1877.

Today we dock on Gotland, in the medieval town of Visby, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It was the North European crusaders who dominated the Baltic Sea areas in the 12th and 13th centuries, it was trade between strong cities that gained the greatest influence in the years that followed. Large quantities of herring from the Sound, Eastern European skins, amber, wax and timber, Swedish copper and iron, weapons and metal goods from Southern Europe crossed back and forth across the Baltic Sea. All run by the German merchants in the Hanseatic cities in general and Lübeck in particular. Visby flourished during these years and had stone houses and church buildings that made the other churches in the Baltic Sea region fade. But it soon came to an end. Danish King Valdemar attacked Visby in 1361 and ravaged it. Visby lost most of its trade in the following years, and the city slowly languished.

It does not change the fact that Visby today is fascinatingly beautiful with narrow streets, old houses and the solid ring wall that goes around the whole city. On our city walk we will also see the impressive vaults in the church ruin St. Nicholas, who in 1525 was burned down during a conflict.

Kalmar is one of Sweden's oldest cities, beautifully situated next to Kalmar Sund and Öland. Our ship docks close to the center, with an easy walk into the right-angled streets of old Kalmar, protected behind the old ring wall. All our guests are offered a guided city walk that ends at Kalmar Castle. The four or five kilometer walk, will be covered at a leisurely pace.

Kalmar, which is an administrative city for south-eastern part of Sweden, is known for its historic buildings, beautiful parks, and many sights from the heyday in the 17th century. The city has twice received the "Europa Nostra award" for its well-preserved urban environment.

Kalmar Castle, located a little south of the center, was built in 1160 and quickly fortified into a strategically important castle that served as protection against pirates in the Baltic Sea. In 1397, it formed the framework for one of the most important events in Nordic history: the formation of the Nordic Kalmar Union (1397-1523). It was a political union consisting of the Danish-Norwegian kingdom and Sweden under the leadership of the Danish Queen Margrethe I (1353-1412).

Few places in Denmark are as idyllic and beautiful as the two rocky islands Christiansø and Frederiksø. It is almost as if no house is placed incorrectly, not a blade of grass is superfluous. Eiders breed everywhere on the rocks, and in the surrounding sea the seals frolic. The islands are small – just about 500 meters across - and the harbour is even smaller with no room for our vessel. But Ocean Albatros is constructed for just this: With zero speed dynamic positioning, easy access to a fleet of sturdy Zodiacs, and the help of Albatros Expeditions’ skilled tour guides and expedition team, all guests will land safely in no time.

have a few hours to "explore" the islands. A circumnavigating hike around both islands is just about two kilometers. The two islands are connected by a small bridge.
By noon we sail from Christiansø towards the Danish island of Bornholm. While enjoying lunch on board, we navigate towards coast of Bornholm. We anchor at beautiful Svaneke, Denmarks easternmost city with its half timbered yellow houses and little market square.

From Svaneke there is an option to join our island excursion "Østerlars round church, Hammershus fortress and Gudhjem". Our coach takes us to the largest round church on Bornholm, Østerlars. The church that is dedicated to St. Laurentius is the largest of Bornholms 4 round churches. Theorists add the church as the most important link between the French Templar knights and the Baltic Sea. The round churches are believed to have functioned both as defensive structures as well as places of worship.

Next we arrive at Hammershus Castle, located high above the steep rocky coast. Hammershus was probably built and inhabited by a powerful bishop, Jens Grand in the late 13th century. Jens Grand, like so many other clergy of the time, had disagreements with contemporary kings, and was finally accused and imprisoned for complicity in the murder of King Erik. He fled from his prison to Bornholm, where he in all probability founded one of the strongest Baltic castles of the Middle Ages.
We finish our excursion at the town on the hill that's called the home of the gods (Gudhjem). The small town gives us a nice finish with its red roofed houses and breathtaking view.

We arrive in the Port of Copenhagen early in the morning, where we dock right in the center of the city, close to Copenhagen’s Little Mermaid. After breakfast, it's time to say goodbye to the ship's crew and Albatros' tour guides. Either continue your adventures from Copenhagen or begin your return travel home.