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.

Victory

The destination lecturer is good but Diva was terrified by some of his pictures for Riga. He spoke about the regional wildlife and showed close up pictures of wolf and lynx. The Golden Oriole was pretty. 

Before dinner, TSH and Diva hosted drinks and nibbles for two friends who live near their home. Their butler - one of the best they have ever had on Saga or Silversea - set up the table, including champagne on ice.

On formal night in the Grand Dining Room, many guests were looking at their phones during the Euro 25 final match. A cheer from the first table to spot the victory spread round the room. A table near to TSH and Diva were late to the realisation of what had happened but did their own cheer some minutes later. 

Diva is glad she is not tall

 In Gothenburg, TSH and Diva took an excursion which gave views of the attractive buildings, old and new, including the extremely tall building where it is claimed that the luxury apartments can cost            £6 million. For a flat in a high rise in a city!! Part of the excursion was a ride on a canal boat, which gave a different perspective on Gothenburg. But the bridges the boat passed under were so low that everyone instinctively ducked. This moved the excursion into Diva's white knuckle category; The guide stood on a high part at the front facing his audience. He deliberately left it to the last minute to sit down for each bridge but he was disappointed if he expected screams instead of murmurs from the phlegmatic British travellers.

Diva has always suspected she has some Viking ancestry and this was confirmed when they passed Banana Quay and were told that Sweden imports more bananas per capita than anywhere else in Europe.

Another guest told them that the traffic problems around Dover (the ones which disrupted the shuttle buses and stopped them going into the centre) had combined with motorway problems elsewhere to result in some guests from the north-west of England failing to arrive before sail-away. The Spirit of Discovery waited for them as long as possible but eventually had to leave. They were offered a full refund or a night in Dover and 2 flights to catch up with the cruise in Gothenburg. What a nightmare!

The lecturers on Enchanting Scandinavia are just as good as the ones on the previous cruise to Norway.

The Living Room has a cake supporting the Lionesses in Euro 2025.

 

It's a draw!!

The Spirit of Discovery is now back in Dover to disembark one set of guests and welcome the newcomers. TSH and Diva are among the lucky few who are staying onboard. It is surprising how many guests are amazed that 'back to back' is possible. They cannot imagine that there was a cruise before or after their own! They have not worked out that 5% discounts are involved. 

The day in Dover was a little difficult. The plan was to do into Dover using the advertised shuttle bus, which failed to materialise. There appeared to be serious traffic issues in the area and they were concerned that if they made it to Dover they might not easily get back. They stayed onboard and walked around the promenade deck instead.

It has already been recorded that Diva broke a tea-pot in the Britannia lounge. TSH has evened up the score by breaking a wine glass (empty). This happened in the morning and no alcohol was involved in the incident. Diva left a warning sign for the cabin steward, to avoid any injuries.

Photoblog

 

Let there be light

In the morning, TSH and Diva were busy with the sudoku and the crossword in the Living Room when the lights were dimmed so that their aging eyes were struggling to read. Diva asked for them to be turned up again. It turns out that the 'system' can only provide a fixed amount of light (a quantum?)  and if the LR is bright, the jewellery shop is not sufficiently bright to sparkle the diamonds. Guest Services assured her that an electrician would be called but there was no apparent action that morning.

Diva has discovered the 'Slow Horses' novels. She is only on the first one but is impressed.

TSH had fish, chips and mushy peas for lunch. Followed by sticky toffee pudding. 

The weather is now grey but the North Sea is very smooth. 

Diva and the Ironing Board

These are not words which are often used in conjunction. But Diva decided her linen dresses needed ironing and she set out to Deck 10 launderette, where she found two ironing boards neatly attached to the walls. There were instructions as to how to set them down but she failed to work out which lever was referred to, let alone how to twist, pull or push it. So she headed to Deck 8 launderette, where she was lucky enough to meet a woman who had clearly mastered the technique and was prepared to set the other board down for Diva's use. Total humiliation for a Chartered Engineer. But it was not that kind of engineering.

The ship layout is still confusing for both TSH and Diva but on this voyage they have so far beaten the phones into submission and the time change has gone smoothly, with no reversion to some other zone.

In other news, the weather remains warm, the seas calm and there has been no rain!! The fjord scenery has been stunning, especially in the bright clear light. The only disadvantage of the deep narrow fjords is the occasional absence of TV and Internet.

 Following his stroke and his vision problems, TSH has struggled with paper sudoku and he has restricted himself to those available on his Ipad. He would like it recorded that on this cruise he has completed several of the Saga-supplied paper puzzles, as well as visiting the Grill buffet on his own a number of times. Mostly for desserts.