July 4 2008

4 July 2008
Happy Fourth of July from the Baltic Sea,
The Norwegian Jewel has made her ports of call and is now headed back to Dover to disembark and pick up a new bunch of eager travelers. It’s amazing how slow twelve days can be for those of us who have it to do all over again and how fast they pass for those who are on their annual vacations. This cruise, to-date, has been a new experience for me. “Cruising Free Style” the new Norwegian Cruise Lines motto, seems to be successful because a whole new kind of traveler is evident on this cruise. For the past four nights in a row, Marty and I have been seated next to a couple with a child under the age of three. All of my cruising in the past has been void of small children with only an occasional teenage grand child on board. The average age of adults on board has dropped markedly as well, with literally dozens of young couples in their twenties ever present. The oldsters are still around but not as I’ve known before.
In fairness, regarding the babies next to our table at dinner, the dining room staff recognizes Marty and me as “enhancement staff” and not prone to complain about inconveniences as expected from people who pay the big bucks for the trip.
The younger passengers, especially those with children, very often are Europeans as defined by the voices overheard in elevators and dining rooms. There seems to be a large contingent of Spaniards on board and another large group from various South American countries. The Spanish is easy to identify and sometimes understand. I’ve encountered quite a few Eastern Europeans whose languages are more difficult to identify. Once again, my past travels have encountered many folks from the British Isles and a significantly large number from Germany but not any significant numbers from elsewhere.
Although the make-up of my fellow passengers has change, the ports of call are familiar sites that I have visited previously and the Norwegian Jewel is quite different from other ships I have known. Everything is bigger, or at least seems that way. Since most of my cruises in the past have been on smaller ships, like the Marco Polo now decommissioned, with a passenger maximum of about 800, this ship carries about 2000 more passengers. In the evenings there are always several hundred others heading in the direction I travel, or at least it seems that way.
The passenger make-up is not only younger but perhaps a little less sophisticated. I passed a man of about my age a few mornings ago who came to breakfast in his bib overalls and John Deere cap over a loud Hawaiian shirt. There seem to be more plump little ladies who wear their purse strap around their necks diagonally threaded between the bumps in their shirts and others who wear their over stuffed fanny packs around their middles in front creating a kind of extended front bumper handy in crowds. All of the above are wearing huge smiles and that’s what it’s all about. Most of the above seem to prefer eating in the buffet at some ungodly hour like 5:00 PM and rarely are they seen at any of the venues after dinner that serve up a variety of music and drinks to enhance the evening. They do help provide a full house at the early variety show each evening and clap loudly for the performers and laugh uncontrollably at the comedians.
Our last stop at Tallinn, Estonia was marvelous. Marty, who has made the stop a half dozen times, acted as tour guide as we walked from the ship to Toompea, the “old town” inTallinn. The old town is divided into Lower Town and Upper Town with the buildings in Lower Town dating back to the Middle Ages. A fire in 1684 pretty much leveled the top of the hill so things there are much younger. Both Upper and Lower towns feature winding cobblestone streets that provide a flavor that is hard not to enjoy. The Upper Town was traditionally inhabited by the German aristocracy while the Lower Town was home to burghers and artisans. The name Toompea is the name of the hill named after the Cathedral at the top of the hill. The Germans called the hill Boomberg or Cathedral Hill.
The Cathedral of the Holy Virgin was mentioned in writings as early as 1223 AD and is the oldest church in Estonia. Originally, the German aristocracy used the church. It was only in 1927 that an Estonian congregation was formed. After the fire of 1684 destroyed the church, the King of Sweden ordered that it be rebuilt and donated money for this purpose. The new church was completed in 1686.
So now I’ve mentioned Germans and Swedes and one might wonder what is happening to Estonia. The history of the country is one in which each of their neighbors from time to time decided to invade and conquer. The country and Tallinn, its capital, was first inhabited in the tenth century. Its excellent harbor and location made neighbors envious. In 1219 the Danish invaded and took control. After 100 years they got tired of constant rebellions and sold Estonia to the Germans. After a couple of centuries the Swedes came and then the Russians conquered the country. Estonia declared its first independence in 1918 which lasted until 1940 and the Soviet occupation, followed by the Nazi occupation the year after and the second Soviet occupation in 1944. The Republic of Estonia has enjoyed its freedom at the fullest for the past 16 years when the Soviet regime fell into pieces and a totally new future opened up for many ex Soviet Republics.
Side by side with the Old Town is the New Town with an active business community, an ultra modern mall and wide boulevards with bustling traffic, busses, trolley cars and all the accoutrements of modern life. As you can probably guess, I recommend Tallinn as a definite “must see” for the Baltic visitor.
The next few days “at sea” will provide some time for bridge, sun bathing, Sudoku wrestling, a newly acquired interest, and quality time in one of the many hot tubs on the twelfth floor. It’s a tough life, but somebody has to do it.
My love to all,
Grandpa Bill, Dad, Bill and Mr. Berck