Pics:
1. Last sunset at sea
2. Passing under the Oresund bridge
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Day 9 - Stockholm, Sweden
Coming. Soon :)
Pics:
1. Parliament in Stockholm
2. Swedish telephone booth
3. Galma Stan "Old Town" Buildings
4. Smallest street in Stockholm
5. Walking around Old Town
6. More Galma Stan buildings
7. Church - Tyska Kyrkan spire
8. My delicious beer at lunch
9. Stockholm harbor
10. Over by the Vasa Museum
Pics:
1. Parliament in Stockholm
2. Swedish telephone booth
3. Galma Stan "Old Town" Buildings
4. Smallest street in Stockholm
5. Walking around Old Town
6. More Galma Stan buildings
7. Church - Tyska Kyrkan spire
8. My delicious beer at lunch
9. Stockholm harbor
10. Over by the Vasa Museum
Day 8 - Helsinki, Finland
Today got off to a slow start. After our marathon tour days where you tour until you drop, we were planning to hit the ground running again today at the late hour of 7:15am (late considering in Russia we were up by 6 and we gained an our last night). We both were pretty exhausted from the last two days - an understatement. Plus the cold and rainy weather did not help outside - the other advantages of having a balcony - instant weather report!
We finally came round at 9, and went to the buffet to have breakfast - needless to say Margo misses Cagney's and thinks they have superior bacon. No worries - we will be returning there for breakfast tomorrow.
Without having a tour booked, we decided to go for the Hop-On Hop-Off option for 20 euro each. Originally, 25 euro, but I asked if there was any student discount and of course there was not. But she asked if we had the paper from the cruise ship that gave 5 euro off and we said we didn't bring anything with us because of the rain - got a 5 euro discount. Still don't know what paper she is talking about...
The weather is what we expected on our Baltic cruise in May - cold and rainy. We've been extremely lucky with the weather everywhere else so I'll definitely take a day of cold and rainy in Helsinki rather than St. Petersburg.
The first stop of our mini-tour was Rock Church - AKA Temppeliauko Kirkko - a mouthful in Finnish! The church looks like a mini-fortress rising in the distance. Built in 1969 into the solid rock that was there previously, it now serves obviously as a church and a concert hall. Someone was playing piano when we were there - the acoustics were fantastic. And bonus points: it was free and indoors.
We drove by many other buildings on the way to the next stop - we decided it was much nicer to look at they through the windows instead of getting soaked. We passed by the 1952 Olympic Stadium originally meant to be used in 1940. Because of WWII, Olympics were a no-go so all Helsinki's plans had to be put off by 12 years.
We next hopped off near the Helsinki railway station which is supposed to be "One of the Top 10 Railway Stations in the World". It was nice, but I wouldn't go that far. It definitely was appealing because again it was free and indoors. Next we headed to the largest department store in Finland called Stockmann's. We had a wander around and got stuck on floor 1A. The Finns have these weird half floors that make no sense. We decided to have lunch here, and we both still don't know what we ate. But it was a decent price, very tasty and again - indoors!
We next headed to the Marimekko store whose designs are well known - who knew it was from Finland? I was very tempted to buy something but my suitcase is already too full of souvenirs and I can get it in the states for the same price:).
We hit our obligatory souvenir shop next for my Christmas ornament obsession. It had a Christmas shop - bonus points! It also had a floor dedicated to the "Moomins" - a Finnish group of cartoon characters that look like hippos (I thought of Fredi!)
Time to head home because the rain was starting to pour sideways. We dashed back to the sh-boat for a warm up with a hot drink!
After our epic nap (still recovering from St Petersburg), we are off to dinner to have Beef Stroganoff which we didn't get to try in Russia. Good evening all!
Pics:
1. Church of the Rock candles
2. Inside of Helsinki Rail Station
3. Some Finnish - it was for an outdoor book sale
4. In Market Square trying to stay dry
5. Senate Square
We finally came round at 9, and went to the buffet to have breakfast - needless to say Margo misses Cagney's and thinks they have superior bacon. No worries - we will be returning there for breakfast tomorrow.
Without having a tour booked, we decided to go for the Hop-On Hop-Off option for 20 euro each. Originally, 25 euro, but I asked if there was any student discount and of course there was not. But she asked if we had the paper from the cruise ship that gave 5 euro off and we said we didn't bring anything with us because of the rain - got a 5 euro discount. Still don't know what paper she is talking about...
The weather is what we expected on our Baltic cruise in May - cold and rainy. We've been extremely lucky with the weather everywhere else so I'll definitely take a day of cold and rainy in Helsinki rather than St. Petersburg.
The first stop of our mini-tour was Rock Church - AKA Temppeliauko Kirkko - a mouthful in Finnish! The church looks like a mini-fortress rising in the distance. Built in 1969 into the solid rock that was there previously, it now serves obviously as a church and a concert hall. Someone was playing piano when we were there - the acoustics were fantastic. And bonus points: it was free and indoors.
We drove by many other buildings on the way to the next stop - we decided it was much nicer to look at they through the windows instead of getting soaked. We passed by the 1952 Olympic Stadium originally meant to be used in 1940. Because of WWII, Olympics were a no-go so all Helsinki's plans had to be put off by 12 years.
We next hopped off near the Helsinki railway station which is supposed to be "One of the Top 10 Railway Stations in the World". It was nice, but I wouldn't go that far. It definitely was appealing because again it was free and indoors. Next we headed to the largest department store in Finland called Stockmann's. We had a wander around and got stuck on floor 1A. The Finns have these weird half floors that make no sense. We decided to have lunch here, and we both still don't know what we ate. But it was a decent price, very tasty and again - indoors!
We next headed to the Marimekko store whose designs are well known - who knew it was from Finland? I was very tempted to buy something but my suitcase is already too full of souvenirs and I can get it in the states for the same price:).
We hit our obligatory souvenir shop next for my Christmas ornament obsession. It had a Christmas shop - bonus points! It also had a floor dedicated to the "Moomins" - a Finnish group of cartoon characters that look like hippos (I thought of Fredi!)
Time to head home because the rain was starting to pour sideways. We dashed back to the sh-boat for a warm up with a hot drink!
After our epic nap (still recovering from St Petersburg), we are off to dinner to have Beef Stroganoff which we didn't get to try in Russia. Good evening all!
Pics:
1. Church of the Rock candles
2. Inside of Helsinki Rail Station
3. Some Finnish - it was for an outdoor book sale
4. In Market Square trying to stay dry
5. Senate Square
Day 7 - St Petersburg, Russia Part 2
Coming soon :)
Pics:
1. Morning hydrofoil ride through "Venice of the North"
2. The Hermitage - Formerly Catherine the Great's Winter Palace
3. Interior of Hermitage
4. Main square outside Hermitage
5. Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood
6. Interior of church - amazing mosaics from floor to ceiling
7. St Isaac's cathedral ceiling
8. St Isaac's cathedral dome
9. St Petersburg subway station
Pics:
1. Morning hydrofoil ride through "Venice of the North"
2. The Hermitage - Formerly Catherine the Great's Winter Palace
3. Interior of Hermitage
4. Main square outside Hermitage
5. Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood
6. Interior of church - amazing mosaics from floor to ceiling
7. St Isaac's cathedral ceiling
8. St Isaac's cathedral dome
9. St Petersburg subway station
Day 6 - St. Petersburg, Russia Part 1
The day we had been waiting for and pretty much the reason for the whole trip. But before we stepped foot onto Russia we had to clear Russian immigration - not an easy feat. We were afraid one step wrong and we would be shipped to the Russian gulag. Let's just say the guards were not the friendliest of people.
We made it through immigration/customs with a stamp in our passport to prove it, and met Tatiana, our SPB tour guide. Throughout the tours we would learn that we is a St Petersburg native, hater of Moscow (there is a rivalry between the two cities), and works as a tour-guide full time. She was wonderful - highly recommended!
Across from the port were blocks of very attractive apartments buildings - grey, tall, and Soviet-like architecture - what a happy place to live! Next to them, they are building modern, red apartment buildings - almost trying to cover up the Soviet Bloc architecture ones.
Our tour group was 14 people - and amazingly we were not the youngest ones of the group. There was one mother/daughter duo and a father/daughter duo with the daughters college age. It really was a great group, except when people were late! Oh well :)
We finally got off an hour later because of the crazy lines to clear Russian immigration. St Petersburg is known as the "Venice of the North" and you can clearly see the European influences throughout the city. It was founded in the early 18th century by Peter the great who named the city after his patron saint St. Peter, not actually himself because monarchs are narcissistic, right? It is also a city of multiple personality disorder. It has been known as St Petersburg, Petrograd, Leningrad, and back to St. Petersburg over its 300 year history.
We first stopped beside the River Neva (the main river in the city) to take a picture of the beautiful landscape. At our stop, there were real Egyptian sphinxes. These are the furthest north sphinxes in the world and the only ones that get covered in snow. Bet they never thought they would be in this cold climate from Egypt 2000 years ago!
There are many old looking boats on the river, but most of them are reconstructions. One is even a gym with a restaurant in it -seems counterproductive to me!
First stop of the day was at the Peter and Paul fortress. It also has had many identities through its history - as a fortress, prison for government enemies, and now has a church on site. The Church of St Peter and Paul is a Russian Orthodox Church but does not have the appearance of the church. It contains all of the graves of the Romanov family, including the recently buried Anastasia and her family in 1998. Interesting note - there are no pews in Russian Orthodox churches as they believe by standing for the service, you are suffering just as Christ suffered.
We next got on a hydrofoil to head about 20km outside of St Petersburg to visit the Peterhof palace built by .. take a guess.. Peter the Great! Supposedly Peter the Great was very tall, but had agoraphobia (fear of open spaces) so all of the original palaces he built were very small. He built the larger palace in the style of Versailles for his vision of St. Petersburg to be like the rest of Europe. The palace was beautiful and had gorgeous fountains and gardens. Unfortunately on our whistle stop tour, we didn't have time to go inside as our lunch was awaiting us.
Lunch was in a Russian cafe, we had borjst (not sure on spelling) which Margo liked and Fiona was not too fond of, pork and potatoes, and fruit/yogurt for dessert. Next on the list was souvenir shopping - you cannot leave Russia without one of the wooden dolls that gets smaller as you open them or a Fabrege egg. Margo and I bought a combination of both in the shop - we are supporting the Russian economy.
That afternoon, we headed to Catherine the Great's Summer Palace - because one palace is just not enough! During WWII and the seige of Leningrad, it was very badly damaged. Over 1 million inhabitants of the city died, and many buildings were bombed. The restoration work on the palace is still continuing today. We went inside here and were amazed by room after room of golden guilding with white plaster - perhaps a interior decoration idea for my new house! We also saw the Amber Room.
Because we decided one tour wasn't enough for one day - we had booked a night tour. The choices were Russian ballet or vodka tasting. The second choice was far superior. We got back from our first tour and had an hour to dash back to the boat, change, eat dinner, and be back on the bus - not an easy feat given the Russian immigration line, but we did it!
As soon as everyone was ready to go, we began the vodka tasting - with the regular "Russian Tradition" vodka. In Russian tradition, you have to have a toast before every drink, so Alex our tour guide started the night off with a toast, and we drank our first sip of vodka. We tasted cranberry, blackberry and cayenne vodka throughout the night. We next had a walking tour of the Nevsky Prospekt which is one of the main shopping streets of the city. We stopped by what is known as the "Harrods of St Petersburg" and I got some Russian vodka that you cannot buy in the states. After enjoying some more vodka and a nice sweet desert, we headed to our boat ride down the River Neva and had some traditional Russian music as we sailed along. And more vodka!
A great way to spend the evening. We will be up in six hours ready for St Petersburg round 2!
Pics:
1. Russian rubles
2. Peter and Paul Fortress/Cathedral
3. Inside St Peter & Paul Cathedral
4. Hydrofoil ride to Peterhof Palace
5. Peterhof Palace
6. Gilded fountains at Peterhof
7. Catherine's Summer Palace
8. Gates at Summer Palace
9. Interior of Summer Palace - stoves to keep it warm (the irony!)
10. Nevsky Prospekt - Main Street of St. Petersburg
11. Old Soviet era car
12. Vodka tour boat ride
13. Russian sunset at 10:40pm on the Neva Rive
14. Going under one of the many bridges on the Neva River
We made it through immigration/customs with a stamp in our passport to prove it, and met Tatiana, our SPB tour guide. Throughout the tours we would learn that we is a St Petersburg native, hater of Moscow (there is a rivalry between the two cities), and works as a tour-guide full time. She was wonderful - highly recommended!
Across from the port were blocks of very attractive apartments buildings - grey, tall, and Soviet-like architecture - what a happy place to live! Next to them, they are building modern, red apartment buildings - almost trying to cover up the Soviet Bloc architecture ones.
Our tour group was 14 people - and amazingly we were not the youngest ones of the group. There was one mother/daughter duo and a father/daughter duo with the daughters college age. It really was a great group, except when people were late! Oh well :)
We finally got off an hour later because of the crazy lines to clear Russian immigration. St Petersburg is known as the "Venice of the North" and you can clearly see the European influences throughout the city. It was founded in the early 18th century by Peter the great who named the city after his patron saint St. Peter, not actually himself because monarchs are narcissistic, right? It is also a city of multiple personality disorder. It has been known as St Petersburg, Petrograd, Leningrad, and back to St. Petersburg over its 300 year history.
We first stopped beside the River Neva (the main river in the city) to take a picture of the beautiful landscape. At our stop, there were real Egyptian sphinxes. These are the furthest north sphinxes in the world and the only ones that get covered in snow. Bet they never thought they would be in this cold climate from Egypt 2000 years ago!
There are many old looking boats on the river, but most of them are reconstructions. One is even a gym with a restaurant in it -seems counterproductive to me!
First stop of the day was at the Peter and Paul fortress. It also has had many identities through its history - as a fortress, prison for government enemies, and now has a church on site. The Church of St Peter and Paul is a Russian Orthodox Church but does not have the appearance of the church. It contains all of the graves of the Romanov family, including the recently buried Anastasia and her family in 1998. Interesting note - there are no pews in Russian Orthodox churches as they believe by standing for the service, you are suffering just as Christ suffered.
We next got on a hydrofoil to head about 20km outside of St Petersburg to visit the Peterhof palace built by .. take a guess.. Peter the Great! Supposedly Peter the Great was very tall, but had agoraphobia (fear of open spaces) so all of the original palaces he built were very small. He built the larger palace in the style of Versailles for his vision of St. Petersburg to be like the rest of Europe. The palace was beautiful and had gorgeous fountains and gardens. Unfortunately on our whistle stop tour, we didn't have time to go inside as our lunch was awaiting us.
Lunch was in a Russian cafe, we had borjst (not sure on spelling) which Margo liked and Fiona was not too fond of, pork and potatoes, and fruit/yogurt for dessert. Next on the list was souvenir shopping - you cannot leave Russia without one of the wooden dolls that gets smaller as you open them or a Fabrege egg. Margo and I bought a combination of both in the shop - we are supporting the Russian economy.
That afternoon, we headed to Catherine the Great's Summer Palace - because one palace is just not enough! During WWII and the seige of Leningrad, it was very badly damaged. Over 1 million inhabitants of the city died, and many buildings were bombed. The restoration work on the palace is still continuing today. We went inside here and were amazed by room after room of golden guilding with white plaster - perhaps a interior decoration idea for my new house! We also saw the Amber Room.
Because we decided one tour wasn't enough for one day - we had booked a night tour. The choices were Russian ballet or vodka tasting. The second choice was far superior. We got back from our first tour and had an hour to dash back to the boat, change, eat dinner, and be back on the bus - not an easy feat given the Russian immigration line, but we did it!
As soon as everyone was ready to go, we began the vodka tasting - with the regular "Russian Tradition" vodka. In Russian tradition, you have to have a toast before every drink, so Alex our tour guide started the night off with a toast, and we drank our first sip of vodka. We tasted cranberry, blackberry and cayenne vodka throughout the night. We next had a walking tour of the Nevsky Prospekt which is one of the main shopping streets of the city. We stopped by what is known as the "Harrods of St Petersburg" and I got some Russian vodka that you cannot buy in the states. After enjoying some more vodka and a nice sweet desert, we headed to our boat ride down the River Neva and had some traditional Russian music as we sailed along. And more vodka!
A great way to spend the evening. We will be up in six hours ready for St Petersburg round 2!
Pics:
1. Russian rubles
2. Peter and Paul Fortress/Cathedral
3. Inside St Peter & Paul Cathedral
4. Hydrofoil ride to Peterhof Palace
5. Peterhof Palace
6. Gilded fountains at Peterhof
7. Catherine's Summer Palace
8. Gates at Summer Palace
9. Interior of Summer Palace - stoves to keep it warm (the irony!)
10. Nevsky Prospekt - Main Street of St. Petersburg
11. Old Soviet era car
12. Vodka tour boat ride
13. Russian sunset at 10:40pm on the Neva Rive
14. Going under one of the many bridges on the Neva River
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Day 5 - Tallinn, Estonia
We had a leisurely morning and ate at the main dining room (gasp) for breakfast - we figured we had to go in there once. Margo has decided she likes Cagney's more. We met our tour guide Sirly at the port and boarded a bus to head up to "Old Town." Sirly is part of SPB tours - who we toured with in Berlin. She is finishing university - studying psychology.
Old Town is the medieval part of Tallinn which is a UNESCO site. We first saw the Alexander Nevsky cathedral which is a Russian Orthodox Church. There was a church service going on when we entered which is exactly what I pictured a Russian Orthodox Church service to be. Sirly said Estonians are not very religious - most go to church on Easter and Christmas. She said the Russian faction of the Estonian population is much more religious.
Next, we saw many government buildings, including embassies and the Parliament - which has a whopping 101 members for such a small country.
We headed to 2 viewing platforms - both of which had a gorgeous view of the lower town. Sirly said Estonia has been under so many rulers - they don't have one type of ancestry/identity. Most recently, they were occupied by the Soviet Union before getting their independence. In the late 1980s to protest the Soviet rule, a group of students gathered in one of the squares and sung forbidden nationalist songs and the anthem - they call this the "Singing Revolution."
We also walked along the town wall of the Old Town, which is 2km thick and 50-60m tall - it used to have 60 guard towers, now reduced to 26.
For lunch, we went to a place recommended by Sirly called Sinilind where we had a delicious, very reasonable lunch. The furniture was Soviet era from the 1960s - great ambience, and there was free wifi - woohoo!
We had a great day in Estonia and a nice dinner at Aqua, and then decided to head over to the reception desk to make a dinner reservation at one of the speciality restaurants. While we were there, one of the concierge gentlemen asked if we were Miss Nicholson and Miss Keeler, to which we apprehensively responded, "yes." He responded, "Good - I have been looking for your." Panic sets in. Who has died, or is sick or what have we done illegally. Margo is plotting on how to blame Fiona, and Fiona is planning on how to survive Estonian prison. After waiting several moments, and Roberto calling the same number repeatedly and not getting an answer. We are asked, "Do you know the captain?" Margo points to Fiona and says - she does. We are then instructed that we are "moving" and to go and pack our things.
So we waited with baited breath until we got a knock on the door to move our luggage. Fiona was thinking we were being transferred to a Russian gulag. Instead, we moved on up in the world to the 11th floor from the 5th floor to a bigger room with a balcony. Life is good :)
We unpacked and settled in and our enjoying our new balcony - which conveniently allows us to check the weather so we can figure out how many layers to put on to survive this weather. We are also befuddled at what happened to the people who used to occupy this cabin... we assume that it might be haunted :). Thank you to el capitan for the upgrade!
Tomorrow we venture into Russia. Good night all!
Pics:
1. Estonian Parliament building
2. View of Upper Town
3. Cobblestones
4. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
Old Town is the medieval part of Tallinn which is a UNESCO site. We first saw the Alexander Nevsky cathedral which is a Russian Orthodox Church. There was a church service going on when we entered which is exactly what I pictured a Russian Orthodox Church service to be. Sirly said Estonians are not very religious - most go to church on Easter and Christmas. She said the Russian faction of the Estonian population is much more religious.
Next, we saw many government buildings, including embassies and the Parliament - which has a whopping 101 members for such a small country.
We headed to 2 viewing platforms - both of which had a gorgeous view of the lower town. Sirly said Estonia has been under so many rulers - they don't have one type of ancestry/identity. Most recently, they were occupied by the Soviet Union before getting their independence. In the late 1980s to protest the Soviet rule, a group of students gathered in one of the squares and sung forbidden nationalist songs and the anthem - they call this the "Singing Revolution."
We also walked along the town wall of the Old Town, which is 2km thick and 50-60m tall - it used to have 60 guard towers, now reduced to 26.
For lunch, we went to a place recommended by Sirly called Sinilind where we had a delicious, very reasonable lunch. The furniture was Soviet era from the 1960s - great ambience, and there was free wifi - woohoo!
We had a great day in Estonia and a nice dinner at Aqua, and then decided to head over to the reception desk to make a dinner reservation at one of the speciality restaurants. While we were there, one of the concierge gentlemen asked if we were Miss Nicholson and Miss Keeler, to which we apprehensively responded, "yes." He responded, "Good - I have been looking for your." Panic sets in. Who has died, or is sick or what have we done illegally. Margo is plotting on how to blame Fiona, and Fiona is planning on how to survive Estonian prison. After waiting several moments, and Roberto calling the same number repeatedly and not getting an answer. We are asked, "Do you know the captain?" Margo points to Fiona and says - she does. We are then instructed that we are "moving" and to go and pack our things.
So we waited with baited breath until we got a knock on the door to move our luggage. Fiona was thinking we were being transferred to a Russian gulag. Instead, we moved on up in the world to the 11th floor from the 5th floor to a bigger room with a balcony. Life is good :)
We unpacked and settled in and our enjoying our new balcony - which conveniently allows us to check the weather so we can figure out how many layers to put on to survive this weather. We are also befuddled at what happened to the people who used to occupy this cabin... we assume that it might be haunted :). Thank you to el capitan for the upgrade!
Tomorrow we venture into Russia. Good night all!
Pics:
1. Estonian Parliament building
2. View of Upper Town
3. Cobblestones
4. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
Day 4 - at sea
It was wonderful to sleep in this morning! We had a nice breakfast at Cagney's (again) and decided to brave the cold!
Margo and I both looked like Nanouk of the North in our jackets and hats, but we were determined to get some fresh air. The wind was blowing at about 50mph and the temperature was in the low 50s. We went back to our favorite Biergarten to get a mimosa thinking it might warm us up a bit.
Since Margo is a cruise virgin, I thought I should give here the full cruise experience. We played BINGO, and actually had a great time. I was only 2 spots away from winning the black out round.. oh well!
After that it was time for our Silver Latitudes cocktail party in one of the lounges. It is so hard being so popular :). It just mean some more free alcohol! We had a nice lunch at Cagney's as well.
Given that the weather was not the most pleasant, most people were inside and shopping (the cruise ship must love that!). I took a nap and read (Margo has a great blackmail picture) and Margo hit some golf balls.
We had another cocktail party to attend in the evening - again so hard being a VIP! Met the captain and mentioned Sverre - got to get my names in there! and we had more free alcohol - yay!
We had dinner at Teppanyaki - delicious!! Now, enjoying the sunset at 10:00pm and hoping the sunrise at 4:43am does not wake me up too early tomorrow. We dock at Tallinn, Estonia at 9am - looking forward to the walking tour!!
Pic:
Enjoying the gorgeous Baltic weather
Margo and I both looked like Nanouk of the North in our jackets and hats, but we were determined to get some fresh air. The wind was blowing at about 50mph and the temperature was in the low 50s. We went back to our favorite Biergarten to get a mimosa thinking it might warm us up a bit.
Since Margo is a cruise virgin, I thought I should give here the full cruise experience. We played BINGO, and actually had a great time. I was only 2 spots away from winning the black out round.. oh well!
After that it was time for our Silver Latitudes cocktail party in one of the lounges. It is so hard being so popular :). It just mean some more free alcohol! We had a nice lunch at Cagney's as well.
Given that the weather was not the most pleasant, most people were inside and shopping (the cruise ship must love that!). I took a nap and read (Margo has a great blackmail picture) and Margo hit some golf balls.
We had another cocktail party to attend in the evening - again so hard being a VIP! Met the captain and mentioned Sverre - got to get my names in there! and we had more free alcohol - yay!
We had dinner at Teppanyaki - delicious!! Now, enjoying the sunset at 10:00pm and hoping the sunrise at 4:43am does not wake me up too early tomorrow. We dock at Tallinn, Estonia at 9am - looking forward to the walking tour!!
Pic:
Enjoying the gorgeous Baltic weather
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