Out in Estonia
9 July

Day 6 At Sea

Well, another day at sea and a chance to reflect.

We have been incredibly lucky with the weather and sea conditions so far. Each day has had its fair measure of sunshine and the seas have been calm with ne'er a white horse to be seen. First impressions of the Baltic itself are mixed. The surface of the waters are thick with oil which maybe keeps them untroubled but which cannot bode well for their health.

There is also a lot of algae about which forms a brown bloom on the surface of the sea. The crew are quick to tell us that this is a natural phenomenon; which it is. However, the extent of the blossoming is exacerbated by the amount of nitrates in the water and they come from the fertilisers which drain from the farmers' fields. The heat of the sun also has an effect and this is now part of the general problem of global warming.

In the cabin, we have access to a variety of on board TV stations. We could watch a variety of films and keep abreast of BBC Worldwide but mostly I have tuned into the Channel One info because it tells you where we are and plays a delightful selection of classical music in the background. In six days, I've not heard many pieces repeated. I've also used the Channel Three repeats of the Port Talks given by our Tour Sales Staff. They are basically marketing for the tours but contain some useful pointers as to what to expect from the next port of call. They are certainly preferable to sitting through them live.

I managed a load of washing this morning which means that Ross and I have clean knickers, socks and teeshirts for the next week or so. This afternoon I might essay the shirts. There are ironing facilities in there as well.

We missed out on the talk about Scandinavian Art this morning because we were late up and Ross felt that his brain didn't need the exercise. There are any number of improving lectures that we could attend if we wanted to. Bridge, dance and pilates classes are also available. I keep meaning to go to gym to do some yoga but I've always either just eaten or we are about to go on shore or there in a class taking place so I have not yet managed it.

We've also not been to the cinema (the films are not that appealing) or to the variety theatre (the shows are not that appealing). We did miss out on a piano recital last night and we think, that when the next one comes around, we'll arrange our meals accordingly so that we can attend the 7:15pm recital and still have time for an early night.

Sleep has been easy on board. I've brought my Nighttime herbal tea with me and my herbal sleeping tablets and they plus the lifestyle seem to suit me. Disappointingly. however, my hayfever has not really gone away so I'm still medicating for that.

I think that I have mentioned that we are on the Promenade Deck. This means that, for most of the day, people are walking past our cabin window. This could be difficult. However, the cabin windows are covered with some sort of reflective material that renders them one way only. They are also very well sound-proofed (as is the cabin as a whole). Consequently, people outside could be feet away from us and we could do exactly what we liked. And we frequently do.

Following on from various problems on other cruise ships, the crew are very anxious about gastro-entritis. At every meal time, as we all troop into the various restaurants and cafeterias, we are given a squirt of antiseptic salve to rub onto our hands. At every pissing point, there is a notice telling us to wash our hands to prevent the spread of disease. This is so peremptory in tone as to suggest a personal responsibility for any and all infections.

I have now finished my first book of the voyage - Hereward the Wake by Charles Kingsley, he of The Water Babies. Well, it was a struggle and I skipped vast chunks of the atmospheric padding. You would have to say that it is a product of its age and the yarn would be committed to paper in a very different fashion today - basically it is a romanticised view of Anglo-Saxon/Viking resistance after the Norman invasion. It is possibly the sort of thing that Bernard Cornwell would dress up with great populist gusto in present days. I can't give this more than two stars.

Day 7 Riga

Well, here I am, on the banks of the River Daugava. Behind and to the right of me, you can see the spire of the Dome Cathedral which is part of the Old City.

The first thing to say about all of these photographs is that they all look very bleached because the temperatures are so high. We are well into the high 20s. So far, in every country we have been to, the local guides have been telling us how hot it is and how unusual it is for it to be so hot. Judging from the weather maps available on Channel One on the onboard TV, there is a rain from coming behind us but, so far, we have kept ahead of it. Meanwhile, we are sweltering.

So far, we have seen that Oslo's new opera house is under construction and Copenhagen's is complete. Riga's is very much of the old school. Quite bijoux.

I am beginning to get the measure of the tours on offer and I think that they may be beginning to outlast their usefulness. Because Ross uses a wheelchair, we have generally been consigned to the "Can't move about very much" group. In fact, we are quicker and more nimble than most of the so-called able bodied on this tour. Consequently, we are both beginning to feel that we don't get enough time to look at things before we are hoisted aboard and off to another thing.

Also, there is the matter of the choice of what you get to see. The Freedom Monument is, of course, very important to the Lats. To me, it is a monumentalist piece of sculpture which holds little special significance. I would rather have had 30 minutes wandering on our own through the Old Town in order to meet up with the coach at a later pick up point.

You'd have to say that Old Riga itself is charming. However, a lot is not original. The stepped gabled building above is known as the House of the Blackheads in reference to the original group of young (German) merchantmen who had their lodgings and meeting place there in the 17th Century. However, the original was destroyed by the Nazis and Soviets. It was re-built for the city's 800th birthday a few years ago.

So, although the place has charm, I did not feel compelled to return by shuttle bus in the afternoon heat whilst Ross slept. Instead, I read and typed and felt an increasing sense of displeasure that, whenever I sit down, waiters ask if I want an alcoholic drink.

Come the early evening, we attended one of the piano recitals - a Schubert impromptu, a theme and variations by Mozart, an early work by Mendelssohn, two of Schumann's Kinderzenen and Sibelius's own transcription of his Finlandia to finish. I would not rate our pianist Veronica McSwiney very highly which is presumably one of the reasons why she does the cruise circuit. However, playing a piano with a clangerous upper middle register on a slightly swaying platform cannot be easy so some allowances should be made for the occasional duff note. I thought her Mendelssohn and Schumann were fair to middling and the Sibelius was an unexpected pleasure. The Mozart was too four-square to my taste and the Schubert was somewhat superficial. Still, depending on repertoire, we may sit through another recital later in the voyage - there are worse ways of spending time.

We took dinner with our comrades and then joined them for drinks in the Horizon bar at the top of the ship. It is a strange experience to be sitting so high above the sea. It's deck 9 so that will equate to around 50 metres. Given that the vessel draws only 7-8 metres, you have to hope that the keel is as heavy as it can possibly be.

Day 8 Tallin

This has been the best day of the holiday to date as far as I am concerned. Whilst Riga seemed to be less than I had imagined; Tallin was superb.

There is certainly some sort of booming economy here. On the right, you can see the spires of the medieval old town as I first saw them. On the left, there are the highrises and the construction cranes which betoken 21st century activity.

I had a full breakfast while Ross slept on and then we girded our loins for the fray.

Our tour took us around a few places that we wouldn't necessarily have cared to see like the Marina and one that was, curiously, a must. It was the sight of the massed singing competitions and it was there that Estonians proclaimed their independence from the Russians in the early 1990s - not with bullets but with song.

Our tour guide was quite a melancholic young man. Whilst he had no love for his former oppressors and the many Russians who remain in Estonia, neither did he have much time for the materialist culture which is replacing it. Though he did not bring them to our attention, it was impossible to miss the sex shops, strip shows and gentlemen's clubs which are the heart of the stag night trade which has grown up in the past few years.

We ended the tour outside the Russian Orthodox Cathedral. It was one of the few churches in town that were still being used as a church - others that I tried to look inside were given over to being museums or concert halls. Our guide had explained that the Soviets only allowed one religion - Socialism. Inside, every surface was ornately embellished with religious iconography. To my plain and simple tastes, it was just too in your face and a great contrast to the austerity of the church in Christiansand just a few days ago.

We were quite right to leave the tour and to strike out through the old town on our own. I was so enthused that, once Ross was bedded down for his nap, I took the shuttle bus back in for another look around. Among other delights, there was a Medieval Fayre taking place in the main square in the lower town. If I'd been looking for things to buy, there were wares aplenty on display. There was also platform for period music performers. I sat and listened to a couple of sets.

And here is the now obligatory photograph of the opera house. It is right next door to the concert hall. Tourist Information tells me that there is a website which I can access when I get back home. I wonder how easy it is to fly here. Certainly, there are a number of others from work who have visited these regions. I wonder if Roland could be persuaded to a little cultural jaunt.

I'm also aware that I have not yet published a photograph of our ship, the Artemis. The new cruise piers at Tallin gave me a good view of the ship as we returned from our guided tour so here it is. Remember, you can see the 50 metres which are above water. There are only another 7-8 metres below.