1. Diary of a Baltic Cruise.
By Jayant Doshi
Saturday 31st 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 1st 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 2nd 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 3rd 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

2. 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 4th 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 5th 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 6th 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 7th June & Sunday 8th 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

3. 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 9th 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 10th 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 )