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