Diary of a Baltic Cruise.By Jayant

Doshi

Saturday 31 st May : We reached Harrow Leisure Centre by ten in the morning to catch our coach to Harwich. What had started as a group of friends booking a Baltic cruise, ultimately had exploded into a large group of fifty five, and many others who wanted to join in were disappointed. Two participants, who were keenly waiting for the holiday, had to cancel the cruise at the last minute. A few meetings were held to sort out all the issues, and prepare for all the excursions to ensure that everyone enjoyed the holidays to the maximum. Some thought that the cost of the excursions, on top of the cruise cost, was

going over the top, while others felt that when you are visiting a place, one must make the most of it and see it all. The fear that the coach may not take all the baggage, were unfounded, and soon we were all set to leave on our cruise. One participant, who had to cancel for personal reasons, came to wish us a happy holiday, and brought a packed lunch for us all. The coach trip was pleasant as usual – lot of singing and jokes. We reached the port, and embarkation was smooth and swift. Once on board, while waiting for our bags, some walked around to explore the cruise ship, while others went to see what food was on offer. By the time bags arrived, and after unpacking them, it was almost time for dinner. Dinner was not as expected, lacking spicy Indian items, the chef was contacted and arrangements were made for the rest of the cruise. Everyone went to the show, and as it had been a long day, the gathering after the show did not take place and every one had an early night.

Sunday 1 st June: The first day on the cruise ship was at sea. I woke up early, and with a few others, did some walking on the deck, followed by a dip in the hot sea water indoor swimming pool, relaxation in Jacuzzi, sauna and a shower. I found the shower so refreshing and powerful, that every day I would just come to the health club for my shower. This became my routine through out the cruise. The day was relaxing with some games of bridge, leisurely lunch, the dinner and then the show in the theatre. Being a large group we were allocated a large room where we all gathered and had some group games.

Monday 2 nd June : Our first port of stop was Oslo, the capital of Norway which is famous for its fjords and Oslo is located on one of these fjords. Our tour of the city included a visit to the ski museum, depicting the history of winter sports, and the Olympic village where the winter Olympics took place. Our next visit was to Vigeland Sculpture Park – an amazing 80 acre park containing hundreds of bronze and granite statutes of

human beings depicting the whole cycle of human life from birth to death. The sculptures were amazing and it would take more then a day to see each sculpture and understand the meaning behind each one. That night some changes were made in dinner table seating. I was placed on a small six seat table with two seats empty. That night I sat in the cruise cinema and watched a movie.

Tuesday 3 rd June: After the usual walk, swim and sauna, we got ready to tour our second stop on this cruise. Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, had its own charm. We took a different type of tour that took us through the city, and through the country side to show us some famous castles and a royal palace. The tour included a drive along the coast with many impressive manor houses. The weather was just right and the tours gave us an insight of cities which we might never be visiting. The world famous statute of mermaid in the ocean was right near our ship and we took photos to our satisfaction. On return from the tour many took a chance to

use the swimming pool and jacuzzi. At dinner time we suggested to others to swap places so that we can mix and know each other better. Our proposal did not get a positive response, but one couple agreed to join us for dinner. We had a good laugh and that gave us an idea. If others are not willing to swap, we can invite others to come to our table. After the show, a gathering of all participants and entertainment was at times half hearted and at times the late hour deterred many from coming.

Wednesday 4 th June: Today was a long day for us. We woke up quite early and got ready for our train journey to Berlin. Three hour train journey either way became very enjoyable with lots of singing and card games. The historical city of Berlin, with its cold war dividing wall, and the modern buildings, that have arisen on the ashes of the bombardment of the last war, were impressive. We visited the Checkpoint Charlie where the Americans kept a check on their side of the Berlin city. We saw the point (Brandenberg Gate) where

the Berlin wall was knocked down which heralded the end of communism and division of Berlin. As we came late from our day trip, we had to do with dinner on the top deck.

Thursday 5 th June: Today was the day of leisure as we were at sea. Walking, swimming, sauna, and relaxed activities were the order of the day. Some bridge was arranged while others had a nap. At dinner time we had two invitees at our table, and our table was rocking with laughter. Introductions were made, and the talk was mixed with lots of jokes and laughter. Other participants on other tables were watching our table with keen interest. We started getting requests for invitation. We could not satisfy everyone, but each day we kept inviting two members from other tables.

Friday 6 th June : Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, the smallest of the Baltic states, and under Soviet rule for long time, was our next port of call. Having done city tours often enough, we decided to go for a different sort of excursion. Estonia, though very small in size, has plains, marshes and forests with as many as 1500 lakes. We opted for a bog walk in the marshes. Many participants dropped out with the thought of over five miles of walk, but it turned out to be an interesting and different sort of excursion. Wooden planks had been set to make a path on the marshland which otherwise was soft like sponge. Everyone enjoyed the walk through the marsh land, where watch towers were built to give a view of the beauty of the surrounding areas. On our way back we all came off the coach to have a leisurely walk through the city. At dinner our dinner table became rowdy with lots of laughter and demand to be invited overwhelmed us. We managed to invite only a few, but came to know them well through introductions and chat intermingled with lots of jokes and laughter.

Saturday 7 th June & Sunday 8 th June: St Petersberg, the imperial city of Russia was our next stop where we were going to spend two days. We experienced life in Russia in that our guide was not very helpful or co-

operative, and some of our scheduled visits to cathedrals were cancelled at short notice because they were suddenly closed. While driving around the city, we noticed lots of roads closed suddenly and traffic that seemed to be worse then can be expected in such a city. In two days it felt as if we were going round and round in circles on the same roads. We never got a feel of real Russia as such. St Petersberg is famous for its imperial palaces, museums and cathedrals of Tsar era. We visited a few palaces, one museum and one cathedral. The palaces and cathedrals were destroyed during the war by the Germans, and lot of the contents were removed before the Germans came. From the extensive records which were kept of the decor these palaces have been restored to their original glory, and the furniture has been put back in their places. The

palaces, specially the Hermitage, were impressive with lots of gold used in the décor. Hermitage is one of the biggest museums in the world with over three million exhibits. It is so large with so many exhibits that it would take years to give justice to all the exhibits. We had a boat cruise through the city. The highlight of the trip was the folklore show which was impressive and gave an in-depth insight of the Russian culture. Next day also we toured some other palaces. A cathedral on the itinerary could not be visited because it was closed for some reasons, and when an alternative was arranged, that also was closed at short notice. We sailed that evening.

Monday 9 th June: It was time to turn round to head for home. Our next stop was the capital of Finland, Helsinki. Originally almost every one had booked the excursion for this place, but an idea floated around that

there was not much to see, and on the day only fifteen of us were left. But this proved out to be the best day of our cruise. During the city tour we visited a church carved out of solid rock. The church was amazing and the way the church was carved out of a solid rock mountain made it unique place of worship. After a tour of the city, we were taken to a family run horse breeding farm. We were given a little talk on how the farm developed, and how the horses are bred. After that we were taken for lunch. Lunch was served in a grand family house, with vegetarians in one room, and others in another room. That was the best meal we were served in the whole trip. After the meal we sat in the verandah or walked round the garden while having our dessert and our beverage. After the farm visit, we drove through the country side to the historic little town of Porvoo. We had an opportunity to walk through the narrow alleyways of this historic small town. Those who came on this excursion had the satisfaction of a wonderful day, and were full of praise when they met others.

Tuesday 10 th June:: We come to Stockholm, the capital city of Sweden, formed on hundreds of islands. The highlight of the tour was a visit to a royal palace and the Vasa museum which was fascinating. Flagship Vasa sank on its maiden voyage and has been recovered and restored to its original structure. The museum was interesting in the way the ship has been preserved and the way its history has been presented. The city is well spread out with lot of greenery. Our excursion also included a drive through the country side and visit to a small historical town where we visited a cathedral. In the evening, we had booked a cocktail cruise while others took a trip to the ice bar. Our cocktail cruise was a total disappointment. Seating was poor and we could hardly see outside the boat, and what we saw was exactly what had been shown during the day trip. After the wonderful excursion in Helsinki, this was an anti-climax and a disappointing end to our cruise.

We left Stockhom for Harwich next morning. That afternoon the highlight was passing under the longest bridge that connects Sweden to Denmark. The next three days were at sea and every one made their own way of enjoying the relaxing time. Some caught up with their sleep, while others had morning walks, swimming and health club use. During the day, some played bridge, others walked around the shops and lazed around, while others just rested. With such a large group it was inevitable that it would split into small groups; but somehow it felt as if a desire to mix and know others was lacking. We had an evening when everyone dressed in Indian attire, and photos were taken in abundance. We had one evening of wonderful entertainment. And as home approached, the time to say byes came near. Promises of another such holiday were made and those who had made new acquaintances exchanged their contact details.

Overall, it was a wonderful holiday – relaxing yet informative. We visited so many cities which we would never have done otherwise. Each city would need lot more then a day to appreciate, but something was better then nothing. Just a cursory glance at those cities was all the satisfaction we got, but otherwise we may never have even visited those places. The cruise ship was wonderful, but compared to other luxury cruise ships it lacked some of the amenities. The cabins were quite luxurious and comfortable, though I hardly spent any time in the cabin. (email : jubhai@aol.com – www.jayantdoshi.yolasite.com )