Eating all the time

 

They missed the rainstorms in Riga by taking their walk early - some guests who went out later were thoroughly drenched. The weather in Warnemunde was grey and drizzly but this is the first unpleasant weather that TSH and Diva have encountered on this trip. Warnemunde is a pleasant coastal town with attractive riverside walks, as well as a railway but no steam locomotives.

The shower door in the suite refused to open, so Diva called the butler, who said he would send the steward  to assess it before the joiner was summoned. In case the guests are too decrepit to operate the shower door? The multi-talented steward yanked off the door seal, repositioned the door and reapplied the seal to correct the situation. Diva thanked him and asked if he would like to live with her.

The food continues to be good and they especially like the roast duck in 'East meets West'. The cookies are brilliant and every bit as good as those on Silversea. The roast beef for Sunday lunch was cut from a joint bigger than any they have ever seen before. It was mind-boggling to imagine the size of the cow it came from.  Some of the combinations can be bizarre - a breakfast muffin with creamed spinach and fried egg and another with scrambled egg and avocado soldiers.  One item on the dinner menu is 'clapshot pie'!

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. 

Later and later

The third formal night offered the usual good dinner and both TSH and Diva ate beef wellington and crepes suzettes. The previous night in East meets West, TSH gave lessons in beer pouring. The waiter hurled (no other word for it) the beer into the glass so that the foam head filled the space. He then went to fetch a spoon and had to be stopped from removing the foam!! TSH demonstrated the correct method of pouring gently against the side of the glass but was unconvinced that the waiter really understood. 

Lost in translation .... Some guests had a problem with the rubber seal on the balcony door and rang to say there was a draught. 'So there is a problem with the air-conditioning?' 'No, the rubber seal has perished'. 'Your door is broken?' 'No, it is just the seal'. First the air-conditioning engineer arrived and then the joiner, before they rang Reception to contact the door seal expert.

TSH and Diva are beginning to understand why the ship has been moving comparatively slowly and why the Captain has been so cautious in denying access to the upper decks. During the rough passage a few nights ago, a freak wave hit the ship and many guests were thrown to the floor on Deck 12. Broken hip, broken femur ......... Saga clearly do not want to risk a repetition.

The Bay of Biscay - in both directions - has been completely smooth.

The horses have been encouraged to sail as fast as possible but they are not able to reach Portsmouth for the planned docking time of around 7:00. The new plan is for arrival in Portsmouth around 11:00, with TSH and Diva disembarking around mid-day. So Diva's hopes of an afternoon at home with the washing machine are dashed. And the Sainsbury order is rescheduled for Thursday. 

Hard day's start

Tony the SAGA  driver remained cheerful throughout the long journey to Portsmouth. Despite being gutted the previous night at Anfield, where he saw Liverpool drop out of the UEFA Champions League. A short stop at Warwick services provided the opportunity for TSH and Diva to eat the bananas.

Embarkation was not as smooth as they had experienced at Dover. More queues and outdoor in the cold for a while.  Diva had her photo (for ship id)  taken twice because she closed her eyes the first time. A well known trait. A quick lunch was followed by going to the cabin to await the lugage. 2 of the 3 suitcases soon arrived but the 3rd did not appear until later in the evening. Diva went to reception before sailing so that they could assure her that the bag was onboard.   Moisturiser, hair styling products, shaving equipment ........ She had tried to telephone reception but there is no telephone directory and the butler's card did not contain a number. The reception number is listed on the television if you can find the right number but so far Diva had not had the time to work this out. 

Safety drill went smoothly as TSH remembered his card and no torches were involved for Diva to test.

Dinner had been arranged for TSH and Diva in the East meets West restaurant  and the meal was excellent. Diva wanted a nightcap in the cabin and was pleased that the butler had provided Merlot, as requested. But it had a cork and the butler had to be summoned to provide a corkscrew. Another baby butler to be trained.