arrival

This year I was not at Sea with MIR like in the previous two years. With MIR having to remain in her homeport for the winter I took the chance to visit my friends there and see their city. It felt good to be on the ship again and it felt even better to meet the friends after the long break since the last voyage in April 2000. Of course visiting a ship in port can never be the same than sailing on it, but it was a very special experience to visit MIR in her homeport and to see what life is like there. 

Russia is a very special country and St. Petersburg is a wonderful city. The ship is berthed very near to the city so that most interesting places can be visited by walking. When I arrived the river Neva was almost ice free, but later the ice from the Ladoga lake came down the river and floated along the ship producing strange sounds. The days were long as we were very north and the evening light enchanted the city... 

the new auditorium