Buzzed Off

Sometime in the middle of the night Brad and I were awakened by a loud buzzing noise. We both leapt out of bed and began staggering around bleary-eyed seeking the source of the noise. Was it the smoke alarm? No. The carbon monoxide alarm? No. The noise seemed to be coming from our bathroom. Were some pipes humming? No. Was it coming from the flat upstairs? No. Then Brad spotted it! His beard trimmer, which was sitting on the edge of the tub, had gone off. All by itself. At 2:00 in the morning. Weird. Doo doo doo doo, doo doo doo dooooo....

Home Again, Home Again

We returned from our cruise yesterday afternoon. So hard to believe that it is all over with. We had a fabulous time and enjoyed fantastic weather. It was such a treat to be able to visit so many cities, although I must admit I felt a bit rushed in some of the ports of call. We would usually disembark the ship by 9 or 10 and, depending upon our sailing time, would have about six to eight hours to explore. So we really had to be choosy about what we wanted to see and do at each destination. We never got to wander around in any of the cities at nighttime, but truth is we rarely saw the night sky anyhow. The sun rose around 4 a.m. and didn't set till 10 p.m. or later, depending on where we were. I got up one night at 2 a.m. to see the stars and the moon and it was still (or already) light out.

We are both a bit exhausted, hard to understand as the last two days of the cruise we were at sea and did nothing but loll about on the ship. We got up at the crack of dawn yesterday morning and by 7:30 a.m. we were walking down the gangway, having already showered, dressed and breakfasted. It took a little over four hours to drive back to Harrogate. The roads were quite a bit busier than when we came down to Harwich. For one thing it was a Friday and the beginning of a bank holiday weekend. It took nearly all afternoon to unpack our things and sort out the humongous piles of laundry. I still have several loads to go. The cattery opened at 5 p.m. for its evening hours and we were there a few minutes before five to pick Ginger up. He did well while we were away. At first he didn't want to leave (he hates being put in his carrier) but he settled down quickly for the short ride home. And, once we got home, Ginger lvaished us with affection, purring loudly and giving us head butts and rubs as often as possible. So I guess he isn't too mad at us for leaving him for nearly two weeks.

I'll be postdating some entries with details about and photos of the cruise. While we were sailing I had no access to the internet. Well, actually, I could have gotten online on one of the computer terminals on the ship, but the rate was exorbitant (about $1 per minute). The ship's satellite internet connection was down most of the cruise anyhow. And we were so busy and had such little time at each port of call I never bothered to take the time to find an internet cafe. On Brad's suggestion I brought the laptop and nearly every evening I made a journal entry on the day's activities. (Oh, we could have hooked up to the internet in our stateroom for a mere flat rate of $160. Boy, they really know how to gouge you on these cruises!) I also downloaded my photos and recharged my camera batteries every evening. Good thing, as I took a TON of photos. Hope to begin posting them real soon. Stay tuned and don't forget to scroll back to my postdated entries.

Day 12: At Sea

Day 12: Thursday, May 26: At Sea

Sunrise: 4:05 a.m. Sunset: 8:56 p.m.
Today's Treat: Crudites and Bleu Cheese Dip (two trays arrived independently)
Today's Towel Animal: none :-(

Another lazy day at sea. It has been cold windy and foggy all day. When we look out our balcony all we can see is white mist above cool gray seas. We slept in late this morning and finished breakfast just a little before 10 a.m. I decided to check out the ship's cinema. Today they were showing Hidalgo. The cinema seated about 100 with stadium style seating. The picture screen was square-shaped and the picture quality was really awful. The movie wasn't that great either. A really hokey treatment of a true-life story of a pony express rider who participates in a horse race in Arabia. Meanwhile Brad played Bingo, hoping his luck would carry through from the slots tournament. They will be giving away a $5,000 bingo jackpot but no one won it in the morning games.

We just finished lunch a while ago. While I've been updating my blog, Brad has begun packing up. We must have our big suitcases all packed up and put out in the hall by 11 p.m. tonight. We will be debarking the ship quite early. We have to be ready to go by 7:15 a.m. tomorrow morning. Well, it is a bit sad having to pack up and leave now. We had a truly wonderful time on this cruise. But to tell you the truth, we are both looking forward to getting back home. We can't wait to see our Ginger boy and hope he is not too terribly mad at us for leaving him for nearly two weeks! And we both look forward to sleeping in our own bed again.

We had a nice dinner tonight and were treated to another song by the wait staff. Eric was a bit stiff as usual and Tamas was his bright cheery self. He is from Budapest and he raved about how much he loves his home city. We bade our table companions farewell. Jerry and Jimmy are scheduled to spend a few days in London before flying back to California. They were fretting over whether to travel up to Edinburgh or not and we urged them to do so. Marie and Bob fly back to NJ. Nick and Hilary will be driving back to Cheltenham. We exchanged phone numbers with them and, with any luck, may see them again before we leave the UK.

The show tonight was a pretty good one. Drew Thomas, the magician, came out to perform one last unscheduled illusion, part of which involved producing our cruise director, Karen, out of an empty box. Then we sat through a very boring preview of the Cruise in Review CD that they are pushing in the gift shop. They had videotaped guests participating in various activities on the ship. Watching it, I wondered if I had been on the same cruise as everyone else. I guess we didn't participate in many of the cruise activities. Our main objective was visiting the various ports of call and then relaxing and chilling out while on board or at sea. Anyhow, the main act finally came out on stage. He was Neil Austin, a comedian/magician and he was hilariously funny. The best act of the entire cruise.

We are all packed up. Our suitcases are ready to be placed in the hallway. I'm ready to jump into bed and read before turning out the light. Brad is going to head out to the casino one last time. We are getting up tomorrow at the crack of dawn. Ugggh! And then it will be a 4-5 hour drive home. I can't believe this vacation is almost over with!!! We've had such a great time.

Day 11: At Sea

Day 11: Wednesday, May 25: At Sea

Sunrise: 4:41 a.m. Sunset: 9:19 p.m.
Today's Treat: Hors d'oeuvres
Today's Towel Animal: Monkey

What a lazy day. We are now making our way steadily back to Harwich, England. It will take us two days to get there so there is not much to do but wander around the ship, eat, drink, and partake of some of the many activities available on board. All I ever really want to do is sit and read. We've got our wonderful private balcony but, wouldn't you know it, we're on our way back home and we're getting a steady dose of English weather: it has been too cold and windy to sit out. To break up the day we attended the Captain's Corner, an informal presentation about the ship and her crew. We learned that the ship was built in a brand new shipbuilding facility in Hamburg, Germany, just a couple of years ago. She is equipped with a new type of propellor that pulls the ship through the water, rather than being pushed through. Brad left the talk early to enter in a slots tournament. He did rather well, ending up in second place with a cash prize of $201 and t-shirt.

Dinner tonight was the last of the formal affairs. We both chose lobster tail for our main course. They must have had a surplus of lobster because everyone who ordered it got a second lobster tail. The entertainment tonight was provided by the group Soul Sensation who performed several Motown hits. One of the singers is from the original Four Tops. The fellas did a great job and had the crowd dancing in the aisles.

My neck is beginning to feel better. It's loosening up a bit day by day.

We attended our special invitation-only magic presentation by Drew Thomas at 10 p.m. I was surprised that I was still awake and alert at that time. Usually I'm ready to collapse in bed by then. But since we weren't pounding the pavement as tourists today, plus, we gained another hour by entering another time zone, I had more energy late in the evening. The magic performance was excellent. We were sitting way up front and had a good chance of being chosen to help out with the tricks, but I was grateful that I never did get called up. One poor woman ended up having to hold the corner of a torn playing card between her teeth for several minutes while Drew perfomed his magic trick. I'm so glad that wasn't me up there!

We even stayed up late enough for the Grand buffet which started at 11:30 p.m. but it was so crowded we decided not to wait in line. Besides, we certainly weren't hungry!!

Day 10: Tallinn, Estonia

FAT MARGARET TOWER AND CITY WALL


MEDIEVAL COURTYARD

Sunrise: 4:28 a.m. Sunset: 10:07 p.m.
Arrival: 8:00 a.m. Departure: 4:00 p.m.
Today's Treat: Cheese Plate
Today's Towel Animal: Bull Terrier

Our luck with the weather has lasted to our final port of call. We enjoyed yet another gorgeous sunny day. It was downright hot as we wandered the streets of Tallinn. I had never even heard of Tallinn until we booked this cruise. It is the capital of Estonia which used to be part of the Soviet Union. After Estonia gained its independence from Russia, Tallinn wasted no time brushing off the its drab communist cobwebs and dressing up the medieval town center. Everywhere we went today people were busy at restoration work. We saw streets being recobbled, restaurant signs being painted and hung, walls being repaired.

Tallinn is a wonderfully picturesque town with many medieval buildings and parts of a medieval wall still intact. The city center is quite compact so we easily covered the main sights during the course of the day. We walked to St. Olaf's Church so I could take a look at a macabre gravestone in the rear churchyard. Nearby we saw Fat Margaret tower, a huge tower at one of the gateways of the city wall. It is called Fat Margaret not because of the size of the tower, but because of the stout cannon housed within the tower. We strolled up and down the streets of the city center, passing many quaint-looking shops, cafes and restaurants. We popped into a few shops here and there and Brad bought me a lovely linen/cotton sweater. Linen wear is one of the main exports of Tallinn. They also specialize in nesting dolls, crystal and amber. We were hot and weary from all our wanderings in the relentless sunshine so we took a break for a beer at one of the sidewalk restaurants in the main square. We sampled the Estonian favorite brew, Saku, and found it only marginally better than Russian beer.

At the other end of town we visited Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, built by Peter the Great, it was topped with onion domes but not with the fanciful colors and designs of the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg. These onion domes were a plain black color. Inside, the church had a typical Russian Orthodox interior, very ornate with murals and icons. I tried to take a picture of one of the icons but was shooed away by a priest in cassock.

We had coffee and cake at a nice little cafe called Bocaport, housed in a ceramicist's workshop. Brad had cafe au lait and I had cappuccino. He had an apple cake while I had an almond tart. All very tasty and served in handcrafted pottery.

We needed to board the ship by 3:30 p.m. as the ship sailed at 4 p.m., but we didn't mind leaving a bit early. We are a bit worn out by all the touring. And my neck is still quite sore.

At dinner tonight we learned that Nick's fast food restaurant is called Burger Star. He has about five or six restaurants in his chain, all somewhere in the south. He has his own version of a quarter pounder called a Megastar: it's a triple decker burger. He says it is mainly drunk blokes who order the Megastar.

Tonight's entertainment was provided by two tango dancers from Argentina. They did a decent job but there were many filler production numbers performed by the Royal Caribbean dancers that were a bit tiresome.

Day 9: St. Petersburg

POSTBOX


ST. ISAAC'S CATHEDRAL

Sunrise: 5:08 a.m. Sunset: 10:44 p.m.
Depature: 6:00 p.m.

Today's Treat: Chocolate Chip Muffins
Today's Towel Animal: Difficult to identify but I'll just call it Sad Sack because it is kinda droopy and sad looking.

Sunny, warm and hazy. I woke up with a crick in my neck. Did I sleep funny or was it that bump on the gangway yesterday morning? We took a walking tour in the morning with Larissa as a guide. In actuality, we rode in the bus more than we walked. We started off at St. Isaac's Cathedral. Since this was familiar territory, I took the opportunity to mail postcards in blue post box nearby, my only unescorted venture during two days in St. Petersburg. From St. Isaac's Cathedral we rode bus just a block away and walked for about 10 minutes through a park to Decembrist's Square and the Admiralty. Considered to be the arhictectural center of the city, The Admiralty was a shipbuilding center in the 1840s and is now home to the Naval Academy. From here we took a short walk to the top end of Nevksy Prospect, the main street in St. Petersburg. We walked across Nevsky Prospect and on over to Palace Square, a huge elegantly designed plaza that has borne witness to important events of imperialist as well as revolutionary Russia.

We boarded the bus again for a short ride to Mikhailovsky Plaza where we saw Mikhailovsky Castle, a statue of Alexander Pushkin and a very scenic view of one of St. Petersburg's many canals.

Another short hop on the bus brought us to the Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood. The first time I read the name of the church I thought there must have been a misprint. But, no, that is the name of this highly ornate, incredibly colorful church dedicated to Alexander II who was killed by a terrorsist's bomb on the site in 1881. The church is topped by a confection of brightly colored and playfully patterned onion domes. There was no time for us to enter the church, now a museum, as we had to board the bus again for a ride back to the ship.

We arrived back to port at 12:45 p.m. We needed to report for our afternoon tour at 1:15 p.m. so it was a mad dash through passport control, back onto the ship, here we took a bathroom break, gulped down lunch and made a mad dash back to the buses. We had booked the Canals and Rivers tour for the afternoon. My neck was quite sore by now, not helped by the fact that I bumped my head, again, on the gangway leaving the ship for our second excursion. Doh!

Before embarking on our canal tour we paid a visit to St. Peter and Paul Fortress. The Fortress was built in 1704 to defend St. Petersburg from Sweden. It was never used for its original purpose (the war against Sweden was won at another front upriver) but was put to use mainly as a political prison under the czars. The Fortress is located on an island almost directly across the Neva river from the Winter Palace. Many of the buildings within the Fortress grounds are now tourist attractions and the banks of the island on which it sits are a favorite spot for sunbathers, out in force on this rare bright sunny day. We entered Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral, an elegant atypical Russian Orthodox church. Instead of the usual onion domes it sports a tall thin gilded spire, making it the city's highest structure. Inside the church looked more like a palace to me than a place of worhip. All the Russian czars are buried in Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral. The remains of the Romanov family, who were executed in 1918, were buried there in 1998 in a special room. From the Cathedral we visited a former prison building that is now a print shop. We saw some beautiful prints and wonderful old printing presses that are still in use today. We took a short walk out near the banks of the island while our tour guide, Marina, spoke of the history of the Fortress. While she spoke I noticed a caricature artist busily making a sketch of someone in our tour group. I looked from the artist to our group and realized he was making a sketch of Brad! By the time our tour guide finished her talk the artist had finished his sketch and showed it to Brad who laughed but did not buy the sketch, even after the artist offered it to him "as a present."

After our visit to the Fortress we boarded a boat for a tour of the rivers and canals of St. Petersburg. We sat on top and could not hear the tour guide above the roar of the engine. The boat cruised under all kinds of bridges fancy and plain, some of which had such low arches I felt compelled to duck my head as we passed under them. We passed the Aurora Cruiser, famous for its role in the Bolshevik Revolution -- it was from there on Nov. 7, 1917 that the shot signalling the storming of the Winter Palace was fired. We passed by many other buildings, some rundown, others prim and fancy palaces and really enjoyed seeing the sights from this new vantage point.

We arrived back to the boat at 5 p.m. Dinner began at 6, so we each took a quick shower and changed for a smart casual dinner. Jerry and Jimmy joined us again. They had taken a private tour with a guide/driver. Lucky them. Entertainment tonight was a magician, Drew Thomas. His act was pretty impressive. We're invited to an invitation-only performance by Drew on Wednesday night at 10 p.m. Hope I can stay up late enough for it.

Tomorrow we make our final port of call, Tallinn, Estonia. My gosh, the time is going by so quickly!

Day 8: St. Petersburg

FOUNTAIN AT PETERHOF


GILDED OPULENCE, PETERHOF


AT THE HERMITAGE

Sunrise: 5:10 a.m. Sunset: 10:42 p.m.
Arrival: 7:00 a.m.
Today's Treat: Cookie Assortment
Today's Towel Art: Hmmmm. Looks like another kind of dog or maybe a baby with pointed ears.

Wow, what a day. We had fantastic weather, yet again. And our full-day excursion nearly wore us out. We toured Peterhof in the morning and The Hermitage in the afternoon. We've got to save up our energy for more touring in St. Petersburg tomorrow.

The ship sat very low at the pier where we were docked and we were warned to watch our heads at the abbreviated exit on the gangway. Well, I guess I wasn't paying attention cuz I bumped my head rather sharply on exiting the boat. Ouch! I found out later that the low overhead was not because the ship was low in the water but that the pier was high. We are docked at a commercial port and the piers are designed for cargo ships not cruise ships.

Our Russian guide Galina filled us in on some facts about St. Petersburg during the 45-minute bus ride out to Peterhof this morning. For one thing, she confirmed our suspicions about the weather. We have managed to catch one of the very few warm sunny days of the year. According to Galina, St. Petersburg only gets 36 days of sunshine a year. It is 9:40 p.m. and the sun is still shining quite brightly. It won't set for another hour. You can see that most of the trees have not even begun to sprout leaves. And the flowers are several weeks behind those in the U.K. When we left Harrogate the tulips had already begun to fade and shrivel. Here they are just beginning to bloom.

Galina also explained that our ship is docked in a busy commercial port in an industrial neighborhood. I had certainly been underwhelmed by the view when I peeked out our balcony this morning. Loads of steel containers and cranes. Quite a contrast from the scenic ports we've already visited. And on the ride out to Peterhof we passed by many rundown shabby buildings. Through the course of the day we drove through some of the main squares of St. Petersburg and along the Neva river and got a glimpse of the grandeur of this fabled city.

St. Petersburg was built according to the vision of Peter the Great, the first Russian czar to travel extensively in Europe. He liked what the saw and decided to build a city as grand as the grand old cities of Europe. The plan of the city, itself was inspired by Amsterdam while the model for Peterhof, the royal summer residence, was Versailles. There are many manicured gardens and fancy fountains on the grounds of Peterhof. Some of the fountains are "trick" fountains that will douse you unsuspectingly by hidden sprinklers -- a hit with children, according to Galina. Several of the buildings on the grounds are gleamingly white with shiny gilded domes. The domes were positively aglow in the bright sunlight. Inside the palace we were confronted with more sumptuous gilding and many other over-the-top features. Paintings. sculptures. Silk wallcoverings. Exquisite porcelain. Parquet floors that required us all to wear protective slippers. Two chinese rooms. All cordoned off for security. Many alarms were set off. And we were scowled upon and yelled at by dour babushka-type security guards.

Our guided tour of Peterhof included lunch at the Orangery, and elegant semi-circular building, originally a greenhouse. We sat at a table with two other guests from our cruise ship, a woman from Philly and her son who lives in CA now. She works for US Airways and he is a pilot for Continental. Our lunch was tasty and filling: Salmon roe appetizers. Salad with creamy feta-like cheese. Champagne. White and Brown bread. Greenish cream of mushroom soup. Grilled chicken, veggie medley and potato blinis. Vodka. Icecream with strawberry sauce. Coffee.

Whew, after a lunch like that we all felt we needed a nap, so the only thing for it was to a catch a few zzzz's on the bus ride back into town. The bus stopped for a photo opportunity at St. Isaacs' Cathedral, situated in the city's most recent square, completed in the mid-1800s. Opposite the cathedral and at the end of a parklike median stands the equestrian statue of Czar Nicholas I. After our brief stop we headed off to the Hermitage.

Words really fail me when I try to describe the Hermitage. To start off, it is absolutely huuuuge. It is comprised of several buildings situated on the Neva River. One of the buildings is the Winter Palace; the other buildings were annexed to hold the ever-growing art collection of the czars. The collection consists of a staggering three million works of art. The name Hermitage does not really seem to fit such a grandiose collection of buildings. The name derives from Catherine the Great, who identified her private apartments as places of retreat and seclusion. It was difficult to conjure up that image while jostling elbow to elbow with the mobs of people touring the Hermitage. We walked through more sumptuously decorated rooms in the Winter Palace. Then we hit the art collections. There was a room full of Impressionist works. Then 13th-18th century Italian art by the likes of DaVinci, Michelangelo and Raphael. There was such a clot of people gathered in front of a Madonna with Child by DaVinci that I never even caught a glimpse of the painting. I could not appreciate it while smothered in a crowd like that. We saw the little Dutch masters, Frans Hals, Rubens, Rembrandt. Exquisite illuminated manuscripts and mosaic paintings that defied belief. These paintings were made up of teeny tiny mosaic pieces, each about the size of a red pepper flake. The end result was so effective that you had to practically press your nose up to the work of art to realize it was made up of mosaics rather than brushstrokes. The Hermitage is truly one of the great museums of the world. It is worth considering going back to St. Petersburg during the winter when there will not be the crush of tourists to deal with.

The Hermitage has quite a nice museum shop and cafe area. Off a long hallway were several shop areas and different cafes. There was even an internet cafe, but I didn't have enough time to log on. We bought a print of a scene with bridges and Brad had some not-so-good Russian beer.

By the time we got back to ship we were exhausted. we rested up a bit and then went to dinner. Tonight it was open seating so we sat with some other folks at a different table: an Australian couple and an English couple from North Devon. After dinner we played a round of miniature golf. As I'm typing, Brad is watching Retro TV, one of many channels on on the ship's TV network. Two different movies are aired several times throughout the day. The previous evening's live performance is aired on another channel. There are some other stations picked up by satellite. And then there is our favorite, RetroTV where we can watch the likes of Spanky and Our Gang, The Addams Family, Gilligan's Island, Mr. Ed. etc.

Day 7: Helsinki

TRAIN STATION


USPENSKI CATHEDRAL

Day 7: Saturday, May 21: Helsinki

Sunrise: 4:33 a.m. Sunset: 10:00 p.m.
Arrival: 9:00 a.m. Departure: 6:00p.m.
Today's Treat: Fresh Fruit
Today's Towel Art: Two Swans Kissing (so they look like a heart)

Yet another glorious sunny day. We are knocking on wood and crossing our fingers that our good fortune with the weather continues. Previous to our arrival they'd had a week's worth of rain in Helsinki. We arrive and the sun shines warmly all over the capital.

Our ship docked quite a ways from the city center so we caught a shuttle bus into town. On the way in and, indeed, during the course of the day we noted how clean Helsinki is. It is also a very handsome city though not on such a grand scale as Stockholm. It seems a bit quieter and more reserved with many stately buildings. We began our day walking down the Esplanadi, two wide boulevards with a grassy parklike stretch between them where the Finns love to promenade. We stopped into a delightful Finnish craft store called Aarikka and bought a few items as gifts and keepsakes. We continued down Esplanadi to the Market Square and the Market Hall building where vendors were selling fresh produce, seafood and handcrafted folk items. The produce looked so fresh. I could smell the strawberries from a few feet away. They were from Spain but looked so much better than the Spanish strawberries we get in England. There were also a few food stalls selling snacks. We saw lots of people eating little fried fishes out of paper cups. I told Brad the food looked as scary as some of the food we used to see in Tokyo.

From the Market Square we walked over to Senate Square, a huge open plaza bounded on three sides by long neoclassical buildings. The north side of the square is dominated by Tuomiokirkko (the Lutheran Cathedral), gleaming white and looking handsome with three green copper domes adorned with stylized golden stars. The cathedral was closed to tourists because a wedding was being held there today. A short walk from Senate Square brought us to Uspenski Cathedral, the main Orthodox church of Finland, made of brick and topped with gold onion domes. Inside the church was profusely decorated with murals and ornate Russian icons. Uspenski is the biggest Orthodox church in Scandinavia.

Time for a coffee break at Fazer, Helsinki's most famous cafe. I enjoyed a cappucino while Brad had a cafe au lait and pastry, all quite delicious.

Our architectural tour of Helsinki continued as we made our way to the train station, a magnificent structure built in early 20th-century National Romantic style. The star features are four massive figures that delicately hold glass lanterns in their hands. Our guidebook suggested we check out the free Postal Museum across from the train station. The museum is across from the train station but is no longer free. We decided to forgo the museum but bought some stamps and postcards from the adjacent post office. The guidebook also suggested a stop in the nearby Lasipalatsi, a building leftover from the Olympics that has been turned into a mall with shops and cafes. In particular, I was hoping to go to Skenet Cafe, said to have free internet access at glass-topped tables. Alas, Skenet no longer exists. I guess our guidebook must have been pretty old -- we got it from the library. Anyhow, we did find a nice little cafe for a bite to eat.

After lunch we took a short walk to find the Temppeliaukio Kirkko, a church carved out of a solid piece of granite. Alas, we arrived during a period when the church was closed. I didn't feel like waiting for it to open. Our next stop was Stockmann Department Store and since it was Saturday we weren't sure how late the store would be open and I decided I'd rather browse in Europe's largest department store than see the rock church. Stockmann's was amazingly huge with a wide range of goods for sale, from plants to persian rugs.

After Stockmann's we'd seen most of the major sights available in the city center. We both warmed up quickly to Helsinki. Even though it is Finland's largest city we certainly weren't overwhelmed by it. The town didn't really get crowded till late in the afternoon and even then it was far from claustrophobic. We were so lucky to tour it during such glorious weather.

We'd been promised an Italian themed dinner tonight. Aside from a few Italian items on the menu we really didn't notice much of an Italian theme. As we were eating dessert, however, we heard the Tarantala broadcast in the dining room. All the waiters lined up at one end of the dining room and chimed in for a rendition of "O Sole Mio". It was all so hopeslessly corny but fun at the same time. We have two nice fellows waiting on our tables. The main waiter is Eric from the Phillipines. I think he is a bit shy. He doesn't say much but is very quiet and reserved. He does a good job, takes care of us without being obstrusive or theatrical. His assistant waiter is Tamas from Budapest. He is a cherry happy-go-lucky chap with an ever-present smile on his face. Each night he enthusiastically announces, "Ladies and gentleman, may I present the bread for this evening. We have the sour dough rolls and some whole wheat slices. Very nice. Very nice indeed. And then we have the savoury bites. You will like them I am sure." I can't convey his accent in this account, but it is charming indeed. And I musn't forget to mention our stateroom attendant, Virginia from the Phillipines. She is sweet and attentive. She was very nice to me when I got seasick our second night on the ship.

We lose another hour tomorrow as we are moving yet again into another time zone. Next on our itinerary is St. Petersburg. We'll be touring with an excursion group from the ship. That is the only way we can enter Russia short of getting our own visa through a long and impossibly complicated process. Well, it will be nice to let someone else lead the way for a change.

Day 6: Stockholm

GAMLA STAN (MEDIEVAL QUARTER)


STOCKHOLM HARBOR

Sunrise: 4:04 a.m. Sunset: 9:21 p.m.
Arrival: 9:00 a.m. Departure: 5:00 p.m.
Today's Treat: Two chocolate-covered strawberries and four fancy cookies
Today's Towel Art: a bulldog or a very ugly baby

Gosh we can hardly believe it but today's weather was gorgeous. Again! Standing on the balcony before leaving the ship it felt so warm that I changed out of my long-sleeved shirt into a short-sleeved one. I brought my wind-breaker along and as it turned out I needed to wear it most of the day. It was a bit breezy and, if we were in the shade, still a bit cool. But what a bee-yooo-tiful day it was. And what a stunning city Stockholm is. We both loved it so much that we just think we might come back here in November to catch the Christmas markets. I've actually been to Stockholm twice before. Once in 1985 while visiting with my friend Debbie whose Swedish cousin Ralph showed us around. Debs and I went back again in '97 or '98 when Ralph was our host again. During both of those visits we stayed at Ralph's house two hours north of Stockholm, but we made daytrips to the capital each visit.

After finding an ATM to withdraw some Swedish moola we walked over to the Vasa museum. I'd been there before with Debbie and Ralph's family. I don't remember much about that visit except for the souvenir I bought in the gift shop: a sailor's knot keychain. I beileve I will remember the visit Brad and I made for quite some time. The Vasa museum is one of the best museums I've ever been to. The museum centers on a 17th-century warship that sunk in Stockholm's harbor on her maiden voyage. Fifty people lost their lives. It is unclear what caused the ship to sink and no one was found guilty of negligence or wrongdoing. A tricky salvage operation was mounted but 17th century technology limited recovery to the ships' cannons. As the years past knowledge of the Vasa's location was lost.

In the 1950s a determined researcher located the shipwreck and extensive efforts were made to raise the ship from the seafloor. Since it had sunk in brackish (rather than salty) water and was covered in mud and silt the ship was recovered almost entirely intact and in perfect condition. Skeletons of victims were found, including some articles of clothing. Ships' chests were recovered, opened after nearly 300 years to find all the contents intact. We were able to view the ship from several different levels in the museum and there were many other exhibits covering related subjects, such as life in Stockholm in 1628 (the year the ship sank), an examination of why the ship sank, and conditions of the average sailor.

We spent most of the morning at the Vasa museum and even had lunch in the museum cafe. It was delicious!!! Brad had a creamy red pepper and tarragon soup and I had potato and bacon dumplings with lingonberries. Before leaving the museum we stopped into the gift shop and I found the very same sailor's knot key ring that I had bought some years ago still on sale.

We left the Vasa with happy tummies and strolled through the new town admiring the beautiful architecture. We popped into the NK dept. store for a bit of browsing. It is one of those grand old dept. stores, huge, with extraordinary displays. Later we made our way over to Gamla Stan, the medieval quarter. It's where the massive royal palace is located but we got there too late for the changing of the guard. We had a good time wandering the narrow lanes and alleyways full of boutiquey shops and cafes and restaurants and, curiously, groups of young well-to-do students singing for money on the street corner. Maybe they were collecting for a charity. We felt we, ourselves, could have used some help in the budget category. Scandinavia is verrrry expensive. More so than England and Japan. We spent a hundred dollars just on one museum visit, lunch, postcards, stamps and a coffee break. Yes, we had coffee in a little student-run cafe in Gamla Stan. The cappucino was excellent, as was my apple cake with scrumptious vanilla sauce. Brad's cafe au lait was pretty good but his chocolate mousse cake was just okay. We've since learned that prices are so high in Scandinavia because they have such high taxes. The taxes go towards social services that provide many benefits to the residents.

The day went by so quickly! It is nice getting to see so many different cities but very difficult to manage one's time when you've only got a few hours to spend at each destination.

Dinner was a casual one tonight. Jerry and Jimmy did not show up. We had quite a nice conversation with Bob and Marie and Nick and Hilary. When the two J's are there, Jerry dominates the conversation. Tonight we learned more about Nick's fast food business. He says the secret to his success is the garlic mayo. His customers always come back for the garlic mayo so he must keep a sharp eye on the supplies. After dinner we went out on deck and admired the view. Our huge hulking ship was squeezing through what seemed like a very narrow passage between some lovely wooded islands. All the houses we saw were painted red with white trim.

I must try to get to bed early tonight. We will be sailing into another time zone and have to set our clocks ahead one hour, so we'll lose a precious hour of sleep. We both had trouble sleeping last night; I hope we don't suffer the same problem tonight. Tomorrow we dock in Helsinki. I am so looking forward to it.

Day 5: At Sea

RAINBOW AT SEA

Sunrise: 5:04 a.m. sunset: 9:28 p.m.
Today's Treat: Shrimp Cocktail
Today's Towel Art: Swan (We returned to our stateroom this evening after dinner to find a towel twisted and folded into the shape of a swan. In the days to come we will be greeted each evening by another towel creation in our bedroom.)

Brad has not been sleeping well so he decided to sleep in today. I got up at 8 and headed to the fitness center. I figured out how to program the treadmill and gave myself a cardio workout. After breakfast Brad attended a lecture about Stockholm and St. Petersburg. Meanwhile I took care of some adminstrative business (turned in our departure form and made an appt. for a massage) and then attended a cooking demonstration. The ship's chef prepared paella. I learned that there are more than 2000 guests on the ship and there are 106 cooks on board. The cooks (and I imagine the other employees) work for about 6-8 months at a stretch. Then they get a 6-8 week vacation. I thought, hmmmm, I could handle a schedule like that, until I heard that they work everyday for about 10-14 hours a day. No days off! Pretty brutal schedule. What a strange life it must be to work on a cruise ship.

Brad and I met up later in our room and hung out on our balcony for awhile. Incredibly it was another beautiful day with gorgeous sunshine. I felt quite comfortable in shorts. I read while Brad played around with his new electronic toy, the Zodiac. (It's a really cool multipurpose hand-held device. You can use it to display digital pictures and play electronic games. Brad has even found a website where he can download entire books to be read on the Zodiac.) We went to lunch together and then went our separate ways again. Brad strolled the ship taking pictures and then went for his workout at the fitness center. I went for my massage. It was wonnnnnderful!

Tonight's dinner was formal. We learned that Nick owns a chain of fast food restaurants in England. He didn't seem inclined to divulge the name of the chain but I'm awfully curious about it. We learned that Jerry's daughter or niece owns a business called Goats R Us. Her company raises herds of goats that are hired out as "natural lawn mowers". Go to the Goats R Us website for details.

The entertainment tonight was provided by Gary Lavini, a British violinist who seems to have quite a following. He's said to be popular with the ladies because he is so good looking. He performed several different genres; classical, bluegrass, folk. He is a skilled violinist but Brad and I both wished he would have played at least one song all the way through. His repertoire consisted entirely of medlies of popular tunes. The audience ate it up though and gave him a standing ovation. Afterwards he stood outside the theater and sold autographed CDs.

Day 4: Copenhagen

NYHAVN


COFFEE AND WIENERBROD

Sunrise: 4:55 a.m. Sunset: 9:17 p.m.
Arrival: 8:00 a.m. Departure: 7:00 p.m.
Treat of the day: Chocolate Brownies

Another beautiful morning with bright sunshine though feeling a bit chillier than yesterday morning. We started the day off with a workout session at the fitness center. We showered, breakfasted and then hopped on a shuttle bus from the dockside to Nyhavn in downtown Copenhagen.

The day's weather proved to be a mixed bag with fits and starts of rain and sunshine scattered about. In short, a lot like English weaher. We'd been to Copenhagen about a year and a half ago so had already seen the major sights. Brad's impeccable sense of direction served us well and he even found the wonderful little cafe, La Glace, where we enjoyed coffee and cake last time around. This time we had coffee and "wienerbrod". Wienerbrod literally means Viennese bread and is quizzically what the Danish call danish pastry. It was scrumptious.

We visited the Decorative Arts Museum, a nifty museum off the beaten track. They have a diverse collection of decorative items: inlaid wooden cabinets, textiles, furniture, posters ceramics, glass... Wonderful hand-crafted items of incredible beauty. We happened to go through the collection backwards starting with the modern Danish period and ending up with the ancient Far East collection. I didn't warm up to the modern stuff very much. It seemed quite cold and soulless. As we went back in time my appreciation grew until I was just in awe of the artistry and craft on display. There was one room full of tall wooden flat files; in each drawer were exquisitely designed Japanese textiles. Displayed on the walls were some gorgeous kimono. We felt we could have spent a day in the Japanese room alone.

The Marmor Kirke (Marble Church) sits nearby the museum and we popped in for a look-see. We also passed another church that had a brick facade and stood attached in the middle of a row of other buildings. But if you craned your neck and looked way up you would see that the church was topped with a marvelous trio of gold-covered onion domes. Lunch was a quick bite from Danish Lunch. We each sampled some smørbrod (open-faced sandwiches). We did a bit of window shopping then caught the metro over to Christianshavn.

I wanted to visit Vor Frelsers Kirke. It has one of the more interesting spires of Copenhagen. The spire is wrapped around with a staircase that gets narrower as it reaches the top of the spire. You can walk the 400 steps to the top, but we didn't do that. We went inside to look at the monumental organ housed in an ornately carved wooden casing supported by two elephants carved out of stone and bedecked in gold and blue. Organ music was streaming through the church as we walked through, adding to the solemn atmosphere. We left the church for a stroll through Christianshavn, one of the neighborhoods on a island across from the main city center. It is picturesque with a totally different feel from the city center. The streets seemed broader as did the sidewalks. And it seemed much quieter with less traffic.

Soon it was time to head back to the ship. We strolled back to Nyhavn and caught the shuttle bus back to the ship. The performance that night was by a British comedian named Rikki Jay. He was supposed to be famous in the UK but we've never heard of him, nor did our British dining companions. Nonetheless he was funny enough, even if some of his jokes were a bit old.

Day 3: Oslo

A LEAFY RESIDENTIAL STREET IN BYGDØY


SOD-COVERED HOUSE AND STAVE CHURCH, NORSK FOLKEMUSEUM

Sunrise: 4:39 a.m. Sunset: 9:49 p.m.
Arrival: 7:00 a.m. Departure: 4:00 p.m.
Treat of the Day: Almond Croissants

We had a stellar day in Oslo today. The weather was picture perfect. Brilliant blue skies with puffy white clouds. Sunshine brought warmth to a day with high temps in the mid-50s.

We started the day off with a stroll through Akershus Slott, Oslo's medieval fortress, conveniently reached directly across from where the ship was docked. It was not long before we were besieged by a gay and colorful parade of children all dressed in national costumes. In fact, a great majority of Norwegians were decked out in traditional clothing as they were celebrating the 100th anniversary of their independence today. The bad thing about this was that most shops and many cafes and restaurants were closed. The good thing was that just about everywhere we turned there were festivities or parades or street vendors celebrating the national holiday. We spent a little time exploring the city center and seeking out an ATM before hopping on the ferry to Bygdøy, a peninsula across from the central harbor.

Our first stop at Bygdøy was the Norwegian Folk Museum. Because of the holiday the indoor exhibits were closed, so admission was free today. We were able to wander around the open-air exhibits: 17th-19th buildings from all over Norway. But before entering the open-air exhibit area we sampled some coffee and chocolate cake at what looked like a bake sale table. The coffee was strong and tasty. The cake appeared to be homemade and was moist and excellent. After our snack we wandered around a pleasant park where we saw many rustic buildings, sod-roofed barns and stables, wooden storehouses with rustic carved details and a wonderfully fanciful 13th-century stave church.

Next stop was the Viking Ships museum which houses a fascinating exhibit of three Viking ships dating from the ninth century. The ships had been recovered from ritual burial grounds in southern Norway. All three ships had previously been plundered of their riches. Two of the ships were in very good condition as they had been buried in bogs, the third ship did not benefit from such environmental benefits and was in a much more deteriorated state.

We decided we'd better head back to the ferry dock and catch the return ferry to the city center. We needed to be back on the ship by 3:30 p.m. But before catching the ferry we had a crisp, clean and delicious beer at a restaurant right in front of the ferry dock. On the ferry boat ride back to town we were joined by a large party of Norwegian revellers. They were all dressed in traditional costumes and had brought bottles of wine and beer and glasses along for the ride.

Back in the city center we decided to try some traditional Norwegian festival food. We'd seen people eating sausages wrapped in what looked like a tortilla, so we bought one. It was a nice mild sausage much like a hotdog, the mustard had a sweet taste to it and the tortilla-like wrapper was a bit bland. We also bought a waffle from a vendor dressed up as Pippi Longstocking. I always thought she was Swedish. Anyhow, the waffle was pretty good topped with strawberry and raspberry preserves.

Soon it was time to head back to the ship. We made one last stop at a Norwegian sweater shop where Brad bought me a beautiful cardigan made of Norwegian wool. (Isn't it cool, Norwegian wool?)

We watched our departure from Oslofjord from our balcony and gawked at the beautiful scenery. I took over 100 pictures today! Thank god for digital cameras. I'm sure I'd never have taken that many with film.

At dinner tonight we learned that Marie had an unfortunate accident in Oslo: she fell into a hole! It sounded like the hole was pretty deep. She suffered a few bruises and is limping a bit but luckily did not break anything. We also learned that Jerry owns racehorses and he droned on endlessly about them.

Now that we are back at sea the weather is beginning to get a bit rough again. I sure hope I don't have a repeat of last night's illness. So far I'm feeling okay. It is 10:30 p.m. and the sky is just beginning to get dusky. The sun didn't set until 9:50 p.m. How wonderful to experience such long summer days. On the other hand I certainly would not want to endure the long winter nights at this latitude. The long days also make it unlikely that we will catch a glimpse of the Northern lights. Ah well, one can't complain after having had a picture perfect day.

Day 2: At Sea

Sunrise: 5:25 a.m. Sunset: 9:39 p.m.
Treat of the Day: Chocolate-covered Strawberries
(I guess because we are suite guests we are eligible for a few extra privileges, one of which is a treat delivered every afternoon by room service)

We kicked the day off with a healthy start. We both got up early and went to the Fitness Center for a workout. Brad did his workout on a nifty new machine called an elliptical. It's something like a Nordic Track, only better. I attended a stretch class with about 5 other women and discovered how unflexible my muscles really are. I also tried out the treadmill and the elliptical. I finished up with a few brisk walking laps on deck.

If only the weather had gotten off to as good a start as we had. It was cold windy and overcast in the morning which gave way to rain and choppy waves later in the day. If I had known the weather was going to get so rough in the late afternoon/early evening then maybe I'd have breakfasted on dramamine instead of a muffin and yoghurt.

After breakfast we attended a talk about two upcoming ports of call: Oslo and Copenhagen. I had hoped to hear some tips and info about cultural sights but the lecture focused obsessively on upscale touristy shopping opportunities. I nearly fell asleep in the theatre where the lecture was being given -- was it just too boring for words or was this the beginning of my health woes?

I went back to the room and took a nap while Brad prowled around the ship. After my nap it was time to eat again! We grabbed a quick bite at the Windjammer Cafe then hurried off to attend what was billed as a "Destination Lecture". It turned out to be an uninspiring, inarticulate talk about the history and culture of Scandinavia. After I heard the lecturer say that the Norse "Tree of Life is the source of the beginning..." I couldn't take it anymore. We left for more explorations around the ship. The seas were getting increasingly rough. It was far too cold to sit out on our private balcony so I decided to read in the warm and cozy Solarium. The wind was so strong that some of the automatic sliding doors would not function. There was not a soul in either of the two pools. The ship was rocking so hard that the water in the pools was sloshing about. I had taken ginger tablets and had been nibbling on some crystallized ginger to ward off seasickness. (Ginger is said to be a natural remedy to seasickness.) I was lucky to find a seat in the Solarium and began reading "Tipping the Velvet" till it was time to start getting ready for the formal Captain's reception and dinner.

After showering, I began to feel the queasiness. The ship was still rocking heavily and at one point gave a very strong and scary lurch. It wasn't long before I realized I wasn't going to make it to dinner. I guess the ginger cure wasn't working after all. The very thought of food was making me sick. And then I did get sick.

Brad has a cast-iron constitution and did not suffer any seasickness whatsoever. I told him to go ahead to dinner without me. After dinner he came back with two plates of food for me from the dining staff. They were plates they routinely put together for people who are overcome with seasickness: saltine crackers, cheese and fruit. According to Brad, I was certainly not the only one to succumb to seasickness as there were plenty of empty seats in the dining room. Anyhow, by the time Brad came with the plates of food I was beginning to feel better and even had an appetite.

The captain came on the PA system to apprise us of weather conditions. We had passed through a storm that had rocked the ship with 45 knot winds. The storm has headed southeast of us and now the winds are down to a more comfortable 15 knots. I told Brad he didn't need to hang out with me as I recuperate -- I still don't feel like getting dressed and going up on deck anywhere so I will sit here at my laptop and type out my journal.

The doorbell just rang. Brad sent me a beautiful vase of flowers! Ah, what a sweetie I'm married to.

Day 1: Let The Cruise Begin!

JEWEL OF THE SEAS


OUR STATEROOM AND BALCONY

Sunrise: 5:03 a.m. Sunset: 8:39 p.m.
Depart Harwich: 5:00 p.m.

We woke early, checked out of our room by 8:30 a.m. and hit the road. It was very easy to find our way to Harwich, but we wanted to stop off somewhere for breakfast first. We thought it might be a good idea to check out Colchester. It is a large town just before you get to Harwich. It is the oldest recorded city in England and has a castle. Sounded like a good bet. Colchester turned out to be one of the more confusing cities to drive around in with zillions and zillions of roundabouts. We finally found a place to park and walked around the city center a bit. Not very scenic. And not much was open, being early on a Sunday morning. All the quaint little tea rooms were locked up tight so we ended up at what appeared to be the only food establishment open in town -- a greasy cafe. Back on the road we were at Harwich in nothing flat. My mouth dropped open when I caught a glimpse of the gleaming white ship. The thing is HUGE. I'm talkin' monstrous. We drove over to the car park where attendants whisked away our bags. A one-minute ride in a minibus brought us to the cruise terminal. It took us about five minutes to check in and by noon we were on board!!

We had to wait till one p.m. to enter our state room. No worries. There was a bountiful buffet on offer at the Windjammer cafe. So much food to choose from! And everything we tasted was pretty good too. By the time we finished our snack it was one o'clock so we went to check out our state room. This is the very best part indeed. We decided to splurge on this trip and get a junior suite. But Brad had taken a bit of a gamble. He didn't choose a specific state room, giving us a chance at an upgrade. At the very least we would get a jr. suite, but we could get something bigger. Well, let me tell you, we did get a bigger room. I'm talking HUGE!!! This stateroom is bigger than any hotel room we've ever had by far; it can accommodate eight people and there are just the two of us knocking around in here. We have a large living room area with tv, round table with two chairs, sofa and easy chair. There are two bedrooms and two bathrooms. Plus, there is a balcony!!! We are on deck nine in the aft starboard corner. There is room for five deck chairs on our balcony. Brad says this will have to be the last cruise we ever go on. We will be spoilt by this luxury and may not ever be able to afford a stateroom like this again.

The sun was shining this afternoon and it felt so nice and cozy on our private deck. This evening it is cool and we have a lovely view of the moon and stars. It is not so cold out on the deck. I was able to sit out there in my jammies and robe and still feel comfortable.

During the course of the day we did a self-guided tour of the ship. There are so many facilities here it is unbelievable. I don't know where to begin. There are many lounges and cafes, all done up with classy tasteful decor. Two pools -- one outdoor complete with wading pool and jacuzzis, the other indoor in a wonderful glass-roofed solarium full of lush green plants. A fitness center. A rock-climbing wall. A casino. A library. Several internet cafes (50 cents a minute). Miniature golf course...

Since we are suite guests we have access to the private concierge lounge. We went there for complimentary cocktails and snacks. The concierge is a very nice and friendly African with a peculiar first name: Mpho, prounounced something like Mmmmpoe. The lounge is a smallish room and all the tables were filled when we got there. We each had a Jack and Coke (no gingerale) and some nibbles and sat by one of the internet terminals. We'll have to get there early tomorrow so we can get a better seat.

We have the main seating for dinner which begins a 6 p.m. We are seated at a round table with six other guests: a British couple from Cheltenham about our age bracket, an older American couple and two fellows from California, Jerry and Jimmy. They are all quite nice and I actually feel I've more in common with the British couple than the Americans. I can't quite figure Jerry and Jimmy out. At first I thought they were a couple, but then Jerry kept talking about his daughter and grandchildren. He has been on 39 cruises. He treats his family to a cruise every Christmas so they can have a reunion every year. He earns his money as a realtor. As for the food, it was pretty good. I had a melon salad and grilled salmon. Brad had an onion tart and shrimp ravioli. The portions were light which was a good thing as there is so much food available every where you turn on this ship.

We finished dinner just in time for the evening's entertainment: a comedian/juggler named Stephen Rawlings. He is British and very talented with a wicked sense of humour. His juggling acts were very impressive. I felt a bit sorry for him as the audience reacted a bit lukewarmly to his antics.

After the show we strolled around some more, checked out the onboard shops, listened in on a trivia quiz going on in one of the lounges. I came back to the cabin to update my journal while Brad had a go at the casino. Then he went to check out the "midnight" buffets going on on two different decks of the ship. He limited himself to one ham and cheese crepe, though there was plenty more on offer.

Well, I'm gonna go check out the view on the balcony, read our newsletter about activities tomorrow (we're at sea all day) and then hit the hay.

Our room statistics:
30 drawers
3 double closets
2 bathrooms (one with shower stall, the other with a tub/shower combo)
6 double-door cupboards
3 single-door cupboards
1 two-drawer cabinet
1 double bed, 2 twin beds, 2 fold-away bunk twins, 1 sleep sofa
2 vanities
1 round dining table with 2 chairs
1 easy chair
1 sofa
balcony with 5 deck chairs
1 coffee table
2 end tables
1 huge entertainment center

We Finally Hit The Road

After packing our bags we frittered away most of the day. We didn't want to leave too early and have nothing to do in some tiny hotel room in the boonies. So we walked in to town with plans of picking up one last item -- sun screen -- but our minds were already on the trip and we forgot to buy some. We went back home and took care of some last minute chores, watched some tv and debated about where to go for dinner. We settled on Cheung Won. I'd heard they serve some very good food buffet style. The report was right on. The food was excellent. And so many varieties of dishes to choose from. But it ain't cheap at £10.95 ($20) per person not including drinks. It was 7 p.m. before we hit the road. Our plan was to stop at a Travelodge outside of Cambridge. We figured it was halfway to Harwich. It was an easy-peasy ride to our hotel. The Saturday night traffic was light and the route was clearly marked. The Travelodge receptionist is friendly and solicitous, offering us fresh milk and tea whenever we want. The room is neat and clean but pretty bare bones. The only toiletry amenity they give us is a naked bar of soap and it is kinda stinky. We didn't get a washcloth. Or a bathmat. The bed is extremely soft and the pillows skimpy. Let's hope our accommodations on board will be better than this.

Cruisin'

On Sunday we depart on a 12-day cruise to the Baltic. We've been planning and dreaming about this vacation for a while and I can hardly believe we are just a day away from boarding the ship -- Royal Caribbean's Jewel of the Sea. The ship sails from Harwich, England (near London) and will make stops in Oslo, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg and Tallinn (Estonia). I imagine the weather will be a might chilly as this is a bit early in the cruise season.

I dropped Ginger off at his cattery this morning. Even though the ship doesn't sail until Sunday, we are going to drive down late this afternoon about as far as Cambridge and spend the night in a Travelodge. That way we will have a shorter, less frenetic ride on Sunday morning to the port of Harwich.

I can't believe how many bags we have and how fully they are packed! Part of the problem is that we have to bring formal and "smart casual" wear for some evenings on the ship. Otherwise we'd just bring casual clothes. And we will be gone for nearly two weeks. Haven't been on the road (or at sea) for that length of time in a while. We are much more used to short hops here and there.

Brad has just finished packing. I packed last night. He says he has a bit of extra room in his duffle so I'm gonna go throw in an extra sweater.

My Little Sun Worshipper

Ginger loves the sun. He will sprawl out in the warmth of a sunbeam streaming through the window. He will get up and move to stay in the sun as the sunbeam makes it way across the room during the course of the day. In recent mornings (which have been sunny indeed) he has been hanging out on the back of our easy chair, perfectly positioned to catch the morning sun.

In Search Of Bluebells

Last year at this time, I hiked with the Thursday Ramblers in two different locations known for their bluebell woods. This year we walked the same routes. On May 5 we hiked from Ilkley into Middleton Woods. This was where I first caught a glimpse of the bluebells in their prime. One year later, the sight of the glorious carpet of bluebells on the woodland floor still took my breath away. Today we hiked from the village of Leathley into a nearby bluebell woods. Some of the veteran hikers bemoaned the fact that the bluebells in this particular wood seemed to have diminished in number. I, however, was still awestruck. And the great thing about these two hikes is that once you go through the bluebell woods there are still many other sights to captivate the eye: quaint cottages, fields full of cows, sheep and lambs. Horses atop a hill commanding a spendid view of the surrounding countryside. Country churches of stone and wood. Yes, if I lived here permanently I would make the bluebell pilgrimage annually.

What The Hail???

It's May for god's sake! But it feels like winter. A bitter wind has been blowing all day, making the barely 10 degree C (50 degree F) temperature feel even numbingly colder. And then this hailstorm broke out suddenly this afternoon. The hail struck about two and a half hours ago. And now the sun is shining brightly and cheerfully. Earlier today we were deceived by the bright and cheery sunshine. We headed out to a car boot sale (that's a flea market in American lingo) in Ripley, woefully underdressed. As we walked from vendor to vendor we overheard even the stalwart Brits complaining about the unseasonably cold weather. It was not a totally wasted effort though. I made a few purchases:

• two commemmorative mugs: one in honor of Queen Elizabeth's coronation in 1953 with a sweet photo of the Queen on it. the other is for Edward VIII's coronation, ironic since he was never crowned King but chose to abdicate the throne
  
• two paperback Jeeves and Wooster novels by P.G. Wodehouse
  
• an Observer's guidebook to painting and graphic arts to add to my growing collection of Observer's guidebooks
  

Anorak Spotting

We've been living in the UK for about two years now and have picked up on lots of Britishisms. You know the usual ones like "car park" for "parking lot", "car boot" for "car trunk", etc. etc. For some reason a new British slang term has been popping up with incredible frequency lately. The other night I heard a commentator on TV refer to someone as an "anorak". And I've read at least three news articles in as many days that used the word "anorak" in a slangy way.

I used a nifty feature in Google to find the definition of "anorak". I went to the standard Google search page. In the search field I typed "define: anorak" (only I didn't use the quote marks). When I hit the "google search" button seven definitions for "anorak" came up. Four of the definitions described "anorak" as an article of clothing. The other three definitions gave the slang meaning.

Wikipedia had the best definition and even explained the origin of the slang term:

In British slang, anorak has come to mean "geek" or "nerd", for example from the use of anoraks as the invariable wear of train spotters, and then by extension to refer to anyone with an unfathomable interest in detailed information regarded as boring by the rest of the population - aided by the intuition that only a geek would wear something so terminally unfashionable.

I think it's odd that two years went by without my hearing this term and now I've heard it bandied about with uncanny regularity. Has the term suddenly come into fashion or was I just not paying attention these past two years?