Accident report

Diva was invited to a meeting with the Spirit of Discovery Guest Services Director. She was able to greet him as a hero, as he was the person who 'sorted out' TSH's ipad when it was new and they did not know how to deal with its demands.  He was able to assure her that the Incident with The Door had been recorded and that all the proper procedures had been followed. 'It is a matter of international maritime law that the decks are open when the wind speed is less than 35 kmph'. He said that he would not offer a bottle of wine as the butler had already made adequate provision but that he would offer a 'free' massage to help with the residual soreness. Diva politely refused  this, as she has encountered the spa staff before and they are brutal. 

The Spirit of Discovery is currently in the south Baltic Sea. Some guests claim to have caught sight of a Russian submarine but this is an unverified report.

Photoblog (2)

 

The day of the Griffin

 

Diva forgot to mention that in Tallinn they passed an office labelled Malware Bytes. Turns out it is a perfectly respectable cyber security company but it is not a name she would have chosen.

Riga is a lively place with many local people around the city - not just shuffling Saga pensioners this time. Lots of cafes with loud music. TSH and Diva saw a group of young men on a large cycle with beer provided. Singing loudly and having a great time (the men, not TSH and Diva).

In TSH's world, there is no crisis that cannot be solved by use of half a box of tissues. So when an unfriendly bird made a deposit on Diva's sparkly shoes, he was ready for an instant clean-up. Diva has two pairs of sparkly shoes with her. Both receive many compliments from passing guests and crew.

As usual, TSH and Diva attempted the Saga morning crossword. One of the clues 'Great venture' evaded them until they traded solutions with other guests. Turns out there was a misprint, the clue should have been 'Great vulture' and the answer was 'Griffin' - a word that Diva had thought of but could not connect to 'venture'. 

Jeosh, their butler, read their mid-cruise questionnaire and came to enquire about Diva's well-being. More than the safety officer has bothered to do so far. 

Fizz

 Leaving Stockholm, TSH played ABBA music.

In Tallinn, TSH and Diva took the shuttle bus into town. Apart from the extremely hot weather - 28 degrees C - they had a very pleasant walk round the old town. They saw a Scottish pub as well as the compulsory 'Mad Murphy's'. 

They met a guest wearing a T-shirt with some of the words of 'Imagine'. '....all the people, living life in peace....' Whatever would John think of the world now?

And what would Paul think of being described as 'the Beatles' bass guitarist' in a news item in 'Britain Today'.

Regular readers may remember that on a previous visit to the East meets West restaurant, TSH gave the waiter instructions on how to pour beer. Clearly this knowledge was not passed on, as the waiter this time just tipped the beer into the glass, creating copious foam. TSH was, however, shocked when opening a bottle of English sparkling wine in the suite. Even though the bottle had been resting in the fridge for many days, the cork flew off immediately, hitting the ceiling with some force. 

Here we go Again

 

On going ashore in Stockholm, TSH and Diva were greeted with the sounds of ‘Mamma Mia’. Other people on the shuttle bus had remembered to pick up a paper map but judging by the resultant conversations, most were not able to make much use of them.

At one stage, Diva noted the turn they needed to make to get back to the shuttle bus. On the corner was a café called ‘Brod & Salt’. Only later did they discover that it was part of a chain with branches all over the city. TSH proved to be a good guide, as he had been to Stockholm a number of times before. He also had somehow managed to secure Werthers Originals to hand out on the way back to the Spirit of Discovery.

Diva has a lot of sore muscles but no headache.

On return to the Spirit of Discovery, the music had been changed to ‘When all is said and done……its time to pay the bill’.

Diva melts down

 

TSH and Diva decided not to go ashore in Visby because of the driving rain and high winds. Especially since the Captain had advised people going ashore to walk carefully down the middle of the pier as otherwise they risked being swept off their feet.

Instead they went for a walk around the promenade deck. When they decided to go back inside, the heavy door was caught by the wind, collided with Diva and swept her off her feet. She banged her head and shoulders.

The result was attendance by the Guest Services Manager, followed by a nurse with a wheelchair. The rest did not go well. The emphasis was on Diva signing forms which she was not expected to read. She read them, did not sign them and as a result (she thinks), no doctor was called. Her blood pressure was taken and found to be high even by her standards. She eventually returned to her cabin and is so far ok but concerned about possible consequences of the blow to her head.

Crazy Captain

 

There are not many announcements on Saga ships, so TSH and Diva knew that it was not good news when there was an announcement from the Captain during breakfast. The port of Visby was currently closed and the Princess which was to dock alongside the Spirit of Discovery had already left the area. This was due to high winds and a choppier sea than they have so far seen on this holiday.

But the Saga risk-taking captain had decided to persuade the authorities to reopen the port for his vessel so that the scheduled tours could proceed. Diva was shocked by the attitude and felt very uneasy.