Farewell to the Baltic

After having spent 7 weeks up here in the Baltic we are heading on our last leg before getting to ALL NEW PORTS later this week.  That means sunshine, new blogs, new people, and a happy Tripp!  While I have complained some, it certainly hasn’t all been bad.  I learned a lot along the way and discovered a part of the world I probably never would have seen.  Here are some lessons I learned along the way in the Baltic Sea:

 

-Swedish people are stunning.  No matter how blond I am I will never be as tall, have glowing skin, silky hair, or piercing eyes like the Swedes. 

-On that same note, I am thinking that the Swedes can never leave their country because they will only be disappointed in the ugliness of the rest of us.  What a shame.  Get to Stockholm and enjoy the view… just remember to wipe up your drool while staring at these beautiful people. 

-Russia lives up to every stereotype you may imagine.  The country is gray, cold, and hard.  And most of the time…so are the people.

-Any trip to Russia can be cured with a day in Helsinki with free internet and fresh fish.

-Most everyone who lives in any surrounding countries feels as I do about Russia.  It’s just not the most popular place in the world. 

-You may never see as many stars as you can on a cool, clear night in the Baltic Sea.  I have never been so amazed… there are THOUSANDS when not polluted by light.  Plus you can see shooting stars every couple minutes!

-Medieval cities will FOREVER claim that they are still medieval…even when they are driving cars, talking on cell phones, and have the city covered in free, public wi-fi.  (Very medieval.)

-The mullet is alive and well in St. Petersburg!  These are traditional 80s style, too- no stylish, contemporary, funky looks. 

-Eggs seem to be one of the hardest things to find.  We are constantly saying- I just want some scrambled eggs.

-Fish, however, is plentiful everywhere we go…because we live on the sea.  Duh.

-Finland is expensive.  Not as expensive as Sweden.  More expensive than Estonia.  Ok- it’s expensive enough for a certain cast member to spend a week’s salary on hair and makeup products in one day.

-Escorting tours is a great way to see ports unless it is a bike tour.  You never know how quickly one can lose a group of 20 bikes.  Around one corner and you’re out of luck.  Plus- who wants to help 70-year-olds get back on a bike for the first time in 50 years?

-The Baltic region claims they have summer.  They are liars.  If it’s not over 80 degrees for an extended period of time, it’s not summer.

Thanks for bearing with me through the past weeks.  Looking forward to giving more exciting updates starting in 3 or 4 days!  Today I am officially leaving Russia…forever!  I’ll let you know how the rest of the world is doing soon!  Miss you guys!

Love,

Tripp

Light at the end of the Baltic Tunnel

Okay- I’m just going to say it: I’m sick of the Baltic.  The whole ship is just itching to get out and follow the sun further south.  Everyday it seems to get worse like this epidemic of impatience as the weather gets cooler up here and the days in Russia seem to get longer.  Ugh.  We are over Russia, most of all, with their strict policies on passport control and cold people.  Can’t wait for these trips coming up in the next few weeks.  We have only 2 real Baltic cruises left and then the ship goes to the MEDITERRANEAN!!!  WOO HOO!!!

I must say I am extremely thankful for the opportunity to escort tours in port because its allowed us to at least have some different opportunities to take advantage of over the past weeks.  The last time I was in Helsinki, for instance, instead of just walking around the city myself I was able to escort a special tour outside the city.  The bus headed to Haikko Manor where we went “Nordic walking” (a glorified term for hiking with hiking poles in hand).  After we finished with our Nordic walk we headed down to the sauna that sat on an inlet of the Baltic Sea. 

If you are unaware, Finland is famous for going to the sauna.  (Which they pronounce sa-oo-nuh with a really hard “au” sound like when you shout ouch!  Same vowel sound.)  We headed in to separate rooms for men and women and sat in extreme heat only for 5-10 minutes before heading out to a hot tub sitting by the sea.  It was very relaxing, but I don’t think it will become a regular habit for me like the Fins who do this every single day. 

We headed to Tallin a few days later, one of our favorite spots for great food and a fun town.  I was lucky enough to get a chocolate making tour that also included a small walking tour around town.  My guide’s name was Annalee and she was a young mom who has been a tour guide since the Soviets freed Estonia in 1991.  It was fascinating to here her personal accounts of the transition.  We had so much fun with a good group dipping nuts, nougat and cherries into beautiful chocolate and creating little delights for our tastebuds!  Ha ha!  It was so much fun and I ended up getting really close with Annaleigh after enjoying some coffee with her later.  She was awesome and I had tons of guests ask me about tipping her for such a fine job. 

Two days ago I also got to go for and evening of Russian song and dance that included 50-60 folk dancers, singers, and musicians.  They wore fantastic traditional costume and did everything from singing choral anthems to flipping and jumping with incredible athleticism.  I was blown away and it was a really nice breath of fresh air to see the Russian people with joy and celebrating their culture.  Russia’s cold, somewhat hard shell is tough to break through and it has certainly been wearing on all of us. 

It was really great to be able to get out, but the rest of our days in Russia this cruise we stayed on the ship and just sort of relaxed, catching up on sleep, learning music, doing shows, etc.  The GREAT news is that we have one more week-long Baltic cruise and then we have our last cruise in the Baltic that ends in Southampton, UK before we head to the Mediterranean!  Thank goodness!  We are exhausted.

I miss you guys so much and just wanted to thank you all for following me along my way through the blog.  I hope you are doing well as you gear up for another school year and as summer winds down.  I think about home a lot and am constantly talking about my family, friends, church, favorite places and things to do back home, etc.  You’ve all had such an impact on my life and even halfway around the world, that impact is being felt.

Love and miss you terribly.

Tripp

A busy week!

This week the ship is PACKED and it’s interesting because its given the whole ship a different feeling.  It’s not as relaxed at the moment, but everyone is working very hard still to perform well and give each guest the best experience possible.  Last week, however, was a really great cruise.  Of our entire Baltic season, this group was probably our favorite.  The passengers were so warm and ready to have a good time.  I also was able to go on a few tours which was nice.

I first went on the “Highlights of St. Petersburg” excursion that covers a nice chunk of major sights around the city.  It was fun, but I must admit… this group really kept me working as an escort!  Ha ha!  I was running around searching for passengers all over the place.  One family on the tour was from Hong Kong and they had a few children with them.  This is where I was able to meet my new friend, Ethan.  He spoke PERFECT English and was a very smart little guy.  We have many passengers from all over the world who speak English, but I was blown away by the way these native Chinese children spoke English with NO accent at all.  Ethan was very curious and VERY smart, asking me all about my contract, where I live on the ship, how I got the job, etc.  He was 7. 

Later in the week I also went on a tour that went in depth covering a few of the beautiful cathedrals in the city.  That night I met another new friend, Lucinda, from Charlotte, NC.  She had such an amazing zest for life and while we shared dinner we had a blast laughing and joking around any time we could the rest of the cruise.  I was really touched by her story and felt a great connection with her. 

Once in Helsinki, Finland I escorted a tour to a small Finnish town named Porvoo.  It was a stunning area with a nice old town and cute shops and café’s.  I had a lot of fun, too, because it was really sunny out and it was the perfect day to wander around such a quaint area.  We also had a fun night at “Beatles Night” where Ethan showed up ready to dance!  Ha!  He was a madman on the dance floor showing us some great new moves and having a blast partying to music by the Fab Four.

Finally we ended the week in Visby, Sweden where I went on one of my favorite tours to date, “A Taste of Gotland.”  This basically covered the medieval town of Visby plus we got to explore more of the countryside of the Island of Gotland.  We went to churches from the 14 century and headed to a family farm that specializes in making cheeses…which we happily tasted!  The family was so sweet, having made a sweet cherry drink for us as well to wash down the three types of fresh cheese made with milk from their dairy cows.  I also had a particularly good time on this tour because I got to hang out with Lucinda most of the time!  Ha ha! 

While on the walking tour section of this tour of Visby, there was a parade through town with participants dressed in medieval attire for a big festival celebrating the area’s history.  Lucinda and I had a really good time joking around about the authenticity, spending the rest of the day pointing out the participants’ “medieval motorized scooter” or “medieval crocs.”  Ha ha!  It was a real trip.  I am going to miss Lucinda’s witty humor for sure!

Preparing for the next set of guests this week, Lindsay and I headed into Copenhagen for a quick lunch of delicious lobster bisque and a walk around the town.  When we arrived to the ship, though, I was sad to hear that Ethan had been looking for me before he left wanting to say goodbye.  Also- Lucinda wrote a handwritten letter to the Captain of the ship and the Cruise Director that mentioned Lindsay and me as having made her experience so special.  She also wrote each of us a letter thanking us personally.  So sweet.  Here’s to Lucinda!  Hope all is well at home.  Miss everyone tons. 

Love,

Tripp

ps- I cant’ help but leave a quote from Lucinda’s letter to me.  She ended it by saying : “I absolutely expect to hear from you if you are ever through Charlotte.  Give me a call and we will have a ‘Medieval Good Time’!”  Ha ha!  What a riot!  Don’t worry, Lucinda- I will certainly take you up on the invite!

Dirty Jobs

I am in St. Petersburg today and so is someone else you may know… Madonna. Ha ha! Madonna is having a huge concert for her tour tonight in palace square right in the center of the city and over 70,000 people are planning on attending. I was planning on trying to get in… until it started raining. Anyway- for today’s entry I really wanted to draw attention to the unsung heroes of the ship. These are some of the jobs on the ship that sometimes go without notice and the high respect they deserve. Of the 450 crew, the ship cannot run with one department not performing at the top of their game. It certainly takes a small city to keep this place running and here’s a little salute to some jobs you may never think about on board.

Galley: With around 450 crew and up to 700 guests, the executive chef and his team in all the galleys onboard are INSANELY busy. They are cooking three full meals a day for 5 restaurants plus doing room service, special events on board, tea time, etc. To imagine their work load and responsibility is just horrific. I’m glad I’m not the Food and Beverage Manager.
Deck: These guys are in charge of keeping the outside of the ship in tip top shape. There is a full time group of painters that are constantly painting, staining, and sealing the ship. Once they have covered everything it’s time to start again. They are hanging off the ship in some precarious positions and having to coat this ship to make sure it’s looking 6-star ready for the guests!
Bar (tenders, wait): On a ship that has alcohol flowing freely like water at any and every venue on the ship at EVERY hour, these guys are some of the busiest folks on the ship. We have a rock star team of bartenders that rotate around every few weeks to cover the different lounges and a team of bar waiters to run drinks at events and in lounges.
Housekeeping: Making up a huge chunk of the crew on board, the housekeeping staff covers those folks who clean the toilets, floors, windows, vacuum every piece of carpet, etc. They also are the stewards and stewardesses for the individual cabins, keeping everything tidy, cleaning sheets, and running errands for the guests. Finally there are a team of butlers for some cabins that are specially trained to really make their guests feel particularly special and taken care of. From providing special snacks or just the right tour to finding a jacket for dinner with the Captain, they can do just about anything.
Laundry (tailor): Some of the hardest working people on the shift work downstairs in the laundry. Just consider this… they wash all the sheets, hundreds of table clothes each day, laundry for the guests, uniforms, napkins, and do dry cleaning. It is constantly busy in their space, plus there is a tailor on board always at work as well!
Provisions: The provisions area is in charge of dividing up and ordering all supplies for each cruise. They get huge shipments in of alcohol, meat, veggies, bread, cards, anything needed in the boutique, any supplies for computers, paper, etc. This is a huge job to be responsible for sustaining the ship each week.
Incinerator: According to International Maritime laws, cruise ships have to be extremely efficient and careful with any waste they may have on board. This means that all the general garbage is divided very carefully into plastic, paper, natural wet garbage, etc. There is a certain amount of glass and wet garbage that is ground up and put back into the ocean. All waste is purified and goes through incredible processes on board as well. This can be a messy and draining job.
Electricians/Engineers: Of course to keep the ship running on course and everything there are brilliant teams of engineers and electricians that keep everything working properly. This includes engine cadets who work all hours on watch or fixing mechanical issues and keeping the engine clean and ready to work.
Dining Room: The dining room staff of waiters is incredibly extensive as well. There are Maitre d’s and a full team of sommeliers also that make the dining experience completely special for each guest.
Human Resource: The Human Resource manager is in charge of keeping all crew affairs in order and keeping the crew happy and healthy on board as well.
Pursers: These are the folks in charge of money on the ship. They are constantly dealing in different currencies and also keeping track of all passports and other legal documents.
Destination Services: This is the team in charge of shore excursions and tours for the guests.
Concierge: Along with the reception and bell team, the concierge is pretty much at the demands of any guests and their needs. They are answering questions and making wishes realities for passengers all day.
Safety/Security: Not only are they patrolling the ship each day, but they also work with local authorites to make sure the ship is safe in port and are in charge in case of any sort of emergency such as a fire, terrorists, etc.
Boutique, Casino, Band, Reception, Fitness Instructor, Stage Team, PGT Cast, Spa/Salon, Social Hostess, Internet Manager, Broadcast Manager, Desktop Manager: This is the entertainment and some other front-of-house staff on the ship. From producing the daily newsletter to making sure people have internet access and can keep trim and fit, we cover a lot of the face to face contact with guests.

We have an excellent life on board and it is because of so many of the hard working people mentioned above. For instance we bow to the men working in the incinerator; if one of them was not working or a machine broke, the ship would be unlivable in a half a day because of the smell. THAT is an important job. A dirty job… but somebody’s got to do it. Thanks to all of them!

Love,
Tripp