The Plague of the Seven Seas

It's been very interesting to watch the progression of the Norovirus 

as it sweeps our lovely cruise liner.  

If you'll recall, I got sick on Day 2 (meaning it was already lurking here when we boarded); was unnecessarily and unmercifully quarantined on Day 3; and we started to notice changes aboard the ship the very next day.

First of all, the salt & pepper shakers disappeared from the dinner table.  If you ask for salt (or pepper), they bring you some little paper packets.  On a nice platter, albeit still paper, like fast food or picnics or take-out gives you. 

 Classy, don't'cha think?

By the next morning, there was a change in the breakfast buffet line.  Yes, we have room service with our suite, but, honestly, by Day 4 we've given up.  It's wrong, it's cold, or they forgot the cream for the coffee.  It's just not worth the aggravation.  Plus, by now, after being quarantined, I'm ready to get out of that room.  The full glassed-in upper deck where the breakfast buffet is served suites my mood better.

However, suddenly the staff is serving us in the buffet line instead of everyone helping themselves.  

To be sure we got the message, they simply took the serving spoons away on our side.

 Same with coffee.  God forbid that you should pour your own.  Basically, anything that you can touch (and thus pass on the virus to the unsuspecting guy behind you who just wants some bacon for breakfast) is being removed.  Or replaced.  Or guarded.

By the NEXT morning, they've swathed the food stations in plastic wrap.  I'm wondering how big these packages of plastic wrap are.  They could completely envelope a small European car with what they're using here.         

For every meal.

And they hand us a plate (can't get your own); silverware too.  They've gotten more efficient with the salt & pepper distribution, it would seem.

And of course, we must pause here to have the conversation about the end result -- how much wasted food?!.

Where I would have served myself a fraction of this lovely English breakfast (I sort of got hooked on the sauteed mushrooms and baked beans with their English "bacon" (more like our American ham, but not cured quite the same);  instead, they served me what I would refer to as "cruiser portions".   

I am not, by the way, a "cruiser".

And I ate only a fraction.  And then felt guilty about all the starving children wherever they are in the world.  Truly.

Lots and lots and lots of wasted food. Remember, our last International trip was to Peru and Ecuador.  Lots of families there scrapping for food for their families.  They certainly came to mind.  Just sayin'.

Meanwhile, in the ladies' room(s), the nice terrycloth towels for drying your hands have been replaced with paper towels.  And instructions for such.

There is a staff person posted at every restaurant, every restroom, elevator stations, everywhere, with goatskins of hand sanitizer.  Going in, going back out, on your way in to the theatre for the evening show, even if you are dressed to the nines, you are expected to offer your hands, palms up, for a generous portion of disinfectant goo.  God, they must have used a tanker truck full of this stuff!

The staff is now wearing plastic gloves.  All of them.  All the time.  And they are still dropping like flies.  The server you've had at dinner all along has been replaced, the coffee gal in the morning is different.  

Remember this -- if enough of the staff goes down, the trip is pretty much over.  Can't run a big ship without them.  I'm watching to see if they start to ask for passenger volunteers, that would be my signal to take a flight home from the next port-of-call.

Next, they clear out the mini-bar in our room. No great loss, as we don't use it; but I'm starting to get a little paranoid.

The next casualty is our bed-skirt.

Next day the silver tray upon which our morning coffee service is displayed is gone.  

As well as our morning coffee service supplies.  Anything we can touch and leave the virus behind is disappearing.

They have staff disinfecting the railings -- full time.  

Up one side, down the other, every staircase, all day long.  

We now use our elbows for the elevator buttons.

Next the books in the on-board library all disappear.  
(The upper shelves are all "fake".  The lower shelves, which housed all the "actual" books, are empty.)  The chess set and cribbage boards are gone, too. 

By now I'm getting a little worried.   Mr C did not share in my illness, and though it's just a 24 hour bug, if he catches it now, we're in danger of missing St. Petersburg!!  

So, bottom line of all this is......Don't forget my travel tip ~~ lesson learned on this one. Always take some Imodium AD with along ~~ especially if you're on a cruise line.   It was the gold from the Pirate's chest that they gave me as the cure (along with quarantine) for the Scourge of the Seven Seas.  

I can't honestly say I'm lovin' cruisin' at this moment.......

Tallinn, Estonia

If only we'd seen this little midevil town outside of a cruise day.......but, oh wait!   We're the cruisers this time......

I'd never heard of Tallinn, Estonia before this trip.  I could not have told you where Estonia was on a map.  But that's the joy of travel, yes?  Sometimes you end up somewhere new and exciting.

Estonia is strategically placed in the Baltic Sea to make it important to sea trade and, particularly, to Russia's sea trade.   We're en route to St. Petersburg on this Baltic Cruise, so Tallinn is a natural stopover.  At least the cruiselines think so.

We are taking a tour here -- primarily because we need to take one in Russia (it's required -- if you don't have a Russian visa, then you must be accompanied by someone who does); and we got a discount by using the same tour company in multiple locations.

Also, something to think about:  Sometimes these cruise ships come into port, but are still miles from town -- as in, too far to walk.  Then the options are 1) Expensive taxi; 2) Expensive shuttle; or 3)  A tour group that will pick you up and return you to the dock, all included in your tour package.

We normally like to explore on our own, but there are definitely advantages both ways.

• On our own we can pick and choose what we'd like to see. 'Cause not all the top sights appeal to us.                         
• On a tour, they pick what you get to stop and see; and sometimes, I believe it's based on where they can park that dang (huge) tour bus.  

*****

• On our own, we can linger or breeze through as we wish.  
• On a tour, you are locked in to their time frame, for  better or for worse.  

*****              

• On our own, we don't always get all the history or background; 
• While on a tour, you get a lot more info about what you're seeing (albeit sometimes you are just driving by); and you may or may or may not care what year each and every single building was built.  Just sayin'. On the other hand, you will usually get some lifestyle insights that you might not otherwise be privy to.  

Tallin is listed as a UNESCO site, and they are proud of earning that distinction.  It's a city of 450,000; but they represent 1/3 of the entire countries population.    Something they are also proud of.

We learn that the country is primarily Lutheran, but we stop at this gorgeous Russian Orthodox Church.  Tallinn has a confusing history, being dominated by several other countries at various times, including Denmark, Germany, and Russia (and there might be more, I couldn't write that fast).  Hence the Russian Orthodox Church.  We've been enthralled by many a church and cathedral in our travels; but this is my first visit to an Orthodox Church.  And it's very different.  No photo's allowed inside, unfortunately. Some were cheating on this, but I usually try to follow the rules.  I said usually.

We learned that the cross on an Orthodox Church is different, for one thing.  It has 6 points instead of 4, if you'll notice.  And the anchor on the bottom (it's not a half-moon) also sets it apart.   

The imprint of Jesus comes from a story about Jesus passing by the home of a merchant who was ill, and He stopped to heal him.  When the grateful merchant wiped his face with a ??? piece of linen, the imprint of Jesus' face
 miraculously appeared.   This mirrors the Christian belief that the imprint of Jesus body was retained in his burial shroud. 

And the bells, they believe, are a healing sound.  Not the same as those churches that play a recorded version.  I like the sound of that.  Pun intended.

We see the National flag of blue, black, and white, and we learn that the blue symbolizes the sea; the black symbolizes both salt (which was a highly prized commodity) and tragedy (the wars by which they bought their freedom); and the white symbolizes hope.  The hope of a future filled with trade from the sea, salt for the table, and the freedom that was so dearly purchased.  I like this, too.

Their tallest building is the spire of St. Olaf (Oliver in English); and no other "skyscraper" is allowed to supersede it in height.  Probably helpful in obtaining the UNESCO status, as their old town remains visible and distinctive, not getting swallowed up by "progress".

Under Soviet rule, everyone's salary was the same.  I know, this still just weirds me out as an American.  Doesn't matter how hard you work, you still get the same as the guy next to you who might be a total sloth.  100 Rubels she tells us. Whether you're a doctor or a street sweeper.  

Now they're on the Euro, of course, and the average salary here is 1,000 Euro's per month.  That's about $1,100 American.  

Their public trams are only two year's old, and are free transportation to their citizens.   If on our own, this is ordinarily something that we would try out, both for the convenience of transport and for the experience of "getting about" as a dweller of that city.

We stop at this park, which is known for it's live music concert, held here once every five years.  It's a huge stage, and the acoustics are amazing.  No microphones are used. 

It will hold as many as 35,000 singers (at one time!), giving a huge choir performance; as well as individual group performances in traditional costumes singing historical songs that are core to their nationality. (this is weak!)

Traffic is closed throughout the city while these performers march their way through the streets to the park.

I love this --100 oak trees planted here on the one-hundredth anniversary of something (I don't remember).  
It's a lovely thought, though, and is a living, growing memorial that I found quite dramatic.  At least in the springtime when it's all green.

Now we head to Old Town ~ always my favorite, no matter what the city.  I've discovered that I really like ancient stuff, I like how it feels.  It feels so.....I don't know, ancient I guess.  We don't have ancient in America, you know.  We're such a baby country compared to the rest of the world. 

Here's where both our cruise and our tour bite us in the butt.  We're not the only cruise ship in port.  There are not two, not three, but four -- count them -- four gigantic cruise ships in port for this little tiny town.  (Just as a point of perspective, our Celebrity ship has 2700 (+) guests, plus 1200 (+) crew).  Times four.  Yikes.  We have swallowed this poor little town alive.  

And our tour guide, though fairly good, has stopped to tell us about the age and architecture of every single building, which has left us almost no time to actually enjoy the town square.  Once we arrive, she gives us 20 minutes of "free time".  I feel like I'm in kindergarten.  She took much of that time to explain each of the (many many) restaurants surrounding the square, which left us no time to actually sit down and enjoy a lunch of traditional Estonian food.  Whatever that is.  I will probably never know, now.

So, while we probably would have loved this little town had we been on our own, we did not so much love having to shove our way elbow-to-elbow with some 4 or 5 thousand other cruisers.  Yuck.


A little more scenery as we are "escorted" back to the bus.  Missing the castle, except for just a pass-through.


Missing the church I really wanted to explore.  (It was just a walk-by).

I'm not the best tour group material, me thinks.  

Mr. C To The Rescue

It's been a long day in quarantine.  Actually, they don't call it that.  They call it "Isolation".  Supposed to make you feel better about being quarantined, I guess.

But low and behold.  Mr. C is returning from the (totally wonderful) excursion we had booked to whisk me off the ship as soon as I am "released" from "isolation" at 8PM.  

My Mr. C.   He's my hero.  Especially today. 

The little coastal town of Warnemunde (pronounced Vara-MoonDay) lies right outside my window, and it was part of his tour today.  He felt terrible leaving me behind, but I couldn't see any good reason for two healthy people to miss seeing Germany.  So now he's going to be my personal tour guide, and since we don't pull away from port until midnight, we still have several hours to explore.

Freedom!  I wouldn't care if there was nothing to see, it feels fantastic to be set free from my stateroom to enjoy the fresh air and a stroll.

But there is much to see.  This is a sea-side get-a-way town for the Germans, and it's charming and quaint and delightful.

We are far enough north, I should mention, that it's still light outside ~ and will be until well after 10PM tonight. That's a plus.

We wander the little cobblestone streets together, hand-in-hand, viewing the tidy little houses.  He tells me that the ship Captains' houses are evident because of the fancier rooflines.  A prestige kind of thing.

We stroll along the canal, where we see that boating is a big part of this culture ~ and here we see the "Locks of Love", where lover's attach a padlock and throw the key into the river, symbolizing being linked for life.  We've seen this tradition in most countries we've traveled.  I rather like it.  

We find the beach, where it is evident that this is a highly prized summer activity.  I've never before seen this particular type of beach cabana, which I assume can be rented by the day or holiday week?

Here we also find the obligatory lighthouse, of course.

It's quiet, and peaceful, and soothing.  I love it.

Back along the canal, we decide we should have a bit of German food (since he tells me I missed a wonderful culinary experience at lunch -- authentic German schnitzel, apple strudel, and the like).  

We settle for a brew house with an open air deck overlooking the canal, which I think is perfect.  A German pretzel, ooozing butter from the inside out, with a light German beer completes the mood.

And by then it's nearly 11PM, so we make our way back, in the fading sunset (isn't that just so weird?!?), to the ship.  

I've been redeemed.  My Mr. C, he never fails me.  

And I am ever-so-grateful not to have missed Germany entirely.

I'm in Quarantine!???

I'm trying to be a fan of cruising.  Truly, I am.

There's all the beni's.  

Luxury rooms, luxury dining, luxury service.  

Visiting 6 countries and only unpacking once.

But.

You are still one of 2700.  Period.  

I hate wasting time.  I hate wasting time waiting in line.  I hate being told what to do and when to do it.  Or not do it. (Especially that one).

I got sick on Day 3.  The Norovirus is sweeping the ship.  I isolated myself, stayed in bed, drank fluids, did not leave my stateroom the entire day except to see the nurse.

The end result of that exercise is that, after giving me an over-the-counter medication (Imodium, which I normally carry myself when I travel) ~~ I have been "quanantined" for 24 hours.  Even though she tells me it's a 24 hour bug, and my 24 hours is nearly up already.  

Which ultimately means that, after spending my "sea day" in my room, and close to my bathroom ('cause I was, how shall I say this delicately? I was "purging"), I will now spend my "Germany day" --- in my friggin' room.

The irony is, I am no longer sick.  It's a 24 hour bug (according to the medics), and I've already "quarantined" myself for 24 hours.

But they need to dot their i's and cross their t's.  So.  I sit. In my room.  Alone.  And I miss an entire country.  Because of something I caught on their boat, and because "they have their rules".  

Wow.  A good reason to hate cruising.

I've come a long long way from Saint George, Utah, USA to miss Germany.  It's a country, you know. 

I pace the room until I'm dizzy.  I periodically throw open the glass doors to the balcony, but that's worse ~~ 'cause I can see it.  Right there.  It's Germany.  But I can't touch it. I can't even set foot on it.  I tried.  I tried to slip off the boat this morning with Steve for our scheduled tour, but.....they actually had my card flagged.  "Disembarkment Not Allowed!"

Wow.  We paid a lot of $$$ for me to be in prison.  Did I mention that by now I'm perfectly well??

It's a very long day, during which I alternately cry and cuss (just a little bit).  I didn't bring a book, 'cause I knew we'd be too busy seeing the sights. There's a nice library on board, but I think that if I go down to check out a book, I'll probably have to use my sea card, and I may set off the alarms.  Who knows?!?

So I sit.

I try some online stuff, but the internet is super glitch-y, so I keep getting booted off.

I try to watch a movie, but again, it keeps freezing up every time the signal goes bad.

I order some lunch.  They alter this to meet the "restricted diet" that I'm supposed to be on while I'm sick. But I was sick yesterday and could not eat.  Today I'm well, and I want to eat.

So I sit.  Did I mention that I was perfectly well by now???

Yesterday, oh, yesterday I was sick enough to not even care.

But today.  My 24 hours is up.  But still I sit.

So..........here's my travel tip for the day for you.  If you get sick on a cruise ship, stay in your cabin (don't pass it around), and self-medicate.  Do not go to the medic station unless you are certain you are sick enough to get locked in your room. Because they will do it.   

I certainly wish someone had told me that..........

Cruising the Baltic Sea

On the ship. Checking in reminded me of why I hate cruises. Our driver got us here an hour and a half late; they did not give us our expected priority boarding, so we waited in line for hours instead of getting on and having a cocktail on our patio......

But.  I have never had a suite before.  It's bigger than some (many) of our hotel rooms, and has a full balcony.  My butler unpacked for me (why not?!?) while we sipped champagne.  

Then a lovely gourmet dinner in the private (suite only) dining room.   

Next is room service in the morning on the patio.

I just might like cruising after all.......

And tomorrow I wake up in Belgium!   

What a life I lead ~~ 

Night night from the Baltic Sea ~

Come Follow Me In 2016 !

We're looking forward to lots of new adventures in 2016 ~ starting with New Year's Eve fireworks in Waikiki; then an Anniversary Island Hop to the island of Kauai, followed by another couple of months on the island of Oahu.

Next, we'll be heading to London for a week; followed by a two week Scandinavian & Russia cruise.