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.

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.