RachelG

Quick question, Z—how did you get from LHR to Southampton? George and I are starting a cruise there in September, and I am looking at transportation options.

We have been in Finland for the past week on Silversea and are now in Sweden. Finland was cold every day, sometimes very cold. We had to layer a lot. Today is the first warmish day we have had and it is about 65 F.

I think the food is better actually. Or perhaps it is just more to my American taste.

June 10, 2023–Valsorarna Island and Vaasa Finland The seas were totally smooth during the night, and we slept so soundly, so soundly in fact that the thing that woke me up was the zodiac announcement. WhAt? I had set the alarm for 5:10 am as we were to be ready for the zodiac at 6 am. It hadn’t gone off. We quickly scurried into our clothes and were at the zodiac platform in 6 minutes which has to be a record. And we weren’t the last to arrive, and actually had to wait about 5 minutes to board. I had a chance to look to the alarm on my phone, and sure enough, it was set for 5:10 am, so no idea why it didn’t go off. It was really a perfect morning with bright sun, little wind, and distinctly warmer with the temperature around 55F which is perfect for hiking. We landed at a nice concrete dock. Valsorarna is a small flat island off the west coast of Finland. It used to be inhabited, but now no one lives there. There are a few fishing cabins, but it is a protected nature reserve and access is strictly regulated. Our goal was to hike to the lighthouse and back. You have to stick to the trail and stay with the guide. There are some sheep and moose on the island though we didn’t see them, but we did see their evidence. The area was quite different from where we have been previously on this trip. The ground is very rocky and covered with juniper and blueberry bushes. No dense forest, but a lot of birch trees. And about a billion mosquitos. Our guide reassured us that there about 45 different species of mosquito on this island, and only 3-4 bite people. We hiked past a huge burial ground for Russian soldiers who died here, not from a battle, but because they were totally ill equipped for the harsh conditions. Between 400 and 1000 died. The Russians just left the bodies where they fell. Years later, a Finnish lady launched a campaign to gather all the remains and bury them properly. We walked over an old stone bridge that now goes over nothing as the stream has filled in, then through a big swamp where they have made a boardwalk. Mosquitos were so dense, it was like a fogbank. Even with mosquito repellent and my hood up, I got quite a few bites. We trudged on and arrived at the lighthouse, which was built by the same person who designed the Eiffel tower. It is bright red and steel. You can see the design resemblance. There were the buildings where the keepers and there families lived, but which are now falling to disrepair. We had to retrace our steps to get back to the dock, so we power walked through the mosquitos. The zodiac ride back to the ship was one of the best. The ocean was totally still, so we got to go fast. We set sail for Vaasa. And I solved the mystery of the missing alarm. All morning, my iPhone time kept switching time zones back and forth between Finland and Sweden. So it was apparently in the wrong zone when the alarm was to go off. Lunch was an Indian buffet. Usually, on cruise ships, when Indian food is served,the spice level is taken down several notches to a point that it is barely a mild curry. Not so today. I love spicy food, and this was just the ticket. George almost cried due to the spiciness though. We had an early trivia where we came in 2nd as we couldn’t remember what a baby rabbit is called (we should have know that) and we could only think of 3 of the members of the Jackson 5. All the while, we were sailing through what appeared to be a very narrow and shallow channel toward Vaasa. We arrived at the dock in Vaasa early, an hour and a half early, but they couldn’t move up the tours to earlier or let us off the ship earlier, which was disappointing. It is another commercial port, not really set up for cruise ships, so you can’t just wander off the ship on your own. Originally, on the schedule we received when made our tour reservations, the timings were different (we were to arrive in Vaasa at 1 pm), and I signed us up for a meteorite excursion which would have been done in time for us to eat dinner ashore. So I made dinner reservations at a very nice restaurant which has reindeer steak on the menu as George wanted to try that. Then 2 days ago, they said we would be arriving later at 4 pm. So I cancelled the excursion, so that we could keep our dinner reservation. We caught the shuttle to downtown. Vaasa is a large town with a nice central area downtown. There is the usual city hall and large church and lots of shops and restaurants along the Main Street. We did see a couple of homeless people who clearly had mental health issues, and more cultural diversity (some Muslims speaking Arabic, some people of African descent). We walked around a bit, went into the grocery store to check things out, then went to our restaurant which was bustling business with a view of the bay. George and I shared a beet starter and burrata with roasted tomatoes, then he had reindeer streak and I had the local perch. All finished off with rhubarb pie. It was really delicious and very high quality for what we considered to be a very reasonable price. We ended up back at city hall to take the shuttle bus back. It wasn’t there yet, but the bus for those on the walking tour was, so they let us ride too.

June 9, 2023–Oulu Finland The alarm went off at 2:30 am for our 3 am excursion, an owl watching tour. We were at dock in a large industrial port. It was very cold and windy. We boarded the van along with 9 other intrepid souls and our guide, a very enthusiastic Finnish fellow who clearly know his stuff when it comes to birds and nature in Finland. No traffic, but daylight already. We drove into the forested countryside. Along the way, we spotted several hare, large and brown with a while puffy tail. Further along, we saw moose, 1 on one side, and 2 on the other. They were close by, so we got a good look. We arrived at the trailhead and hiked a short way into the forest to an undisclosed location where there is an owl nest. Mama owl and her 3 chicks were home, and we got some very good views. The babies are super cute. Then all of a sudden, Dad swooped in to deliver breakfast. It was pretty spectacular to see him with wings spread. We were freezing from just standing there, so we got back into the van and went to a campsite beside a lake where they built a fire. The ship had sent snack boxes, mostly pure carbs, so I only ate the small sandwich, but there was good hot tea and coffee as well as the now ubiquitous blueberry juice and chocolate covered blueberries. The fire was really quite nice once it got going. Back in the van, we went to another site, but no luck there, so we moved on to another where there is a nesting box set back pretty far in the woods. No good trail here. We hiked over soft mossy ground and through a lot of brush to the box where a little yellow eye peaked out at us. That was all we could see. Back to the van, we were warned to check for ticks. We returned to the ship. George was supposed to do the white water swimming, but he was frozen from the owls so took a nap. I was scheduled for a Nordic walk through town. We took a bus to the town center. By now it was bright and sunny but still cold with a sharp wind. We needed to get moving. They decided us into two groups-I was in the all walking, no talking group. Poles were available for those who wanted them. We went through the town center with some interesting statues and pretty spring flowers then into parkland that runs all through the town. There is an extensive network of bike/pedestrian paths which go all over the city so that you can easily get around with encountering motorized vehicles. We did a little over 5 km at a brisk pace and ended up at a restaurant where we had a snack of Finnish pancakes with lingonberry jam and whipped cream. The bus took us back to the ship, with a drop of in the town center for those who wanted. I went back to the ship to fetch George, and we were off to find lunch, hopefully some slacks and a warmer jacket for George. We ate lunch at a small Italian place. The owner/waiter is from Parma, and his wife, the chef, is from Amalfi. The menu is limited but authentic and delicious. She was making the pasta fresh to order. George had ravioli with a cherry tomato sauce and I had tagliatelle with pesto and licorice. So good! And very reasonably priced. A couple of local ladies who had also been eating in the restaurant insisted on walking us to the shopping mall in the middle of town. We easily found two good jackets for George which was on sale 50% off, but the search for dress slacks was impossible. All the slacks we found were very narrow at the bottom and would not work with George’s dress boots. And the only other shoes he brought are hiking shoes and sneakers. We took the shuttle back to the ship. Trivia was a win. Then I was able to get some work done as the internet is back to working. We had dinner in La Terrazza. There is a cute 6 year old boy on board with his parents. He is a joy. Perfectly behaved, and we got to sit next to them. George has started playing little games with him that he played with our boys when they were young, so they had a great time. Dinner was delicious. We both had salad and lentil soup, then George had a pesto past and I had the shrimp which was outstanding. Tiramisu for dessert—yum. There was karaoke tonight, but our tour leaves at 6am and I need some sleep after getting up at 2:30 am.

I have had multiple different versions of the jacket. The old ones which were a single piece were great if you were in sub zero temps, but not so much otherwise. The two piece ones are much more versatile as you can mix and match as needed

They did not provide the coats on this trip, but when we went to Greenland, they were provided.

June 8,2023–Kalajoki Finland Once again we were awakened by the smell of cigarette smoke at 4:30 am. This time,George was up and on it with his bloodhound nose, and determined it was coming from a crew stairwell near La Terrazza. The powers that be agreed and were very responsive. We went back to sleep until my alarm at 7 am. We were at anchor in a lovely harbor. The Kalajoki dock is really tiny, so we had to go ashore by zodiac. We grabbed a quick breakfast in La Terrazza, today with perfectly cooked crispy American bacon of good quality, so I had that and berries. It had been raining earlier, but by the time our tour was called, it was sunny but cold and windy with the temperature in the low 40s. We layered up for the zodiac ride to a nice but small dock. There were bird watching tours, a tour to a fisherman’s island, an E bike tour, and a hike in the forest. Also a shuttle to take you to the sand dunes. We of course chose the hike. They took us by bus to the trailhead then divided us into fast and slow groups. We were in the fast group, and our guide didn’t dilly dally. We hiked a very nicely packed dirt trail which undulated through lush birch, spruce, and pine forest with a pleasant stream on one side. Our previous hikes on this trip have been quite flat, but this one involved some ups and downs. There were some deep ravines on one side. We hiked about 5 km round trip and ended with Finnish chocolate, blueberry juice and cinnamon rolls at a campfire. The bus then took us to the sand dunes. Again very windy and cold. I can’t imagine people swim in the ocean here, but they do apparently. Today it was just people walking. The guide said the place would be packed in about 2 weeks as it is a popular Finnish vacation spot. Back the ship for a quick lunch. We came in 2nd again at trivia, as we missed the official language of Papua New Guinea. It is English, and I said that, but was not sure enough. And what was the name of the first telephone? Dinner with Alexander, one of the expedition team was really wonderful. We had a great visit, and the food was good as well. I had the asparagus ravioli followed by black cod. I love anything with asparagus, but this was really good. The cod had a gingery sauce which was very nice. George had the filet, and says it is pretty good. Early to bed as we have a 3 am excursion. Yes, that is not a typo.

There is seating outside behind the panorama lounge. And you don’t have to go outside to access the observation lounge. The spa is up there and there is a hall that wraps around the perimeter and leads indoors to the lounge.

Also yesterday, George did stumblefoot’s hamburger test. First off, the French fries and onion rings were excellent. But the hamburger itself, not good. Better than Regent which is pretty much inedible, but less so than MacDonald’s. It was dry and tough, appeared to be pre pressed then frozen. George thinks it is old cow rather than steer.

Sausagesges

Snakes

So frustrating. The Wi-Fi died last night. I had written my report in notes on my I pad, copied it, logged on to the site to paste it. And no Wi-Fi. I couldn’t download emails, log on to Facebook or anything else. All I got was the little swirling circle. I tried logging off and back on, rebooting my I pad. No success. And in notes, it now said the note I had written had no content. if it turns back up, I will post, but JP gave a good synopsis. Only a couple of things to add. first, there were snakes, a lot of them , at the burial site. They hang out in the rocks. We saw probably a dozen, so there were many more than that. Our guide says they are not poisonous but will bite if bothered. second, at the sausage place, the guy in charge is married to an American lady from Arkansas near where George grew up. We had a nice visit as he has been there many times.

Yes. I had a rather spectacular outfit of black satin slacks with feathers at the bottom and a sparkly silver jacket, so maybe the Maitre’d was blinded.

June 6, 2023–Oro Island, Finland We slept well with smooth seas until about 4:30 am when we were awakened by a combination of sunlight shining around the curtains even though we had both the curtains on the windows and the curtains between the sitting area and bedroom drawn and the distinct strong smell of cigarette smoke which lasted about 30 minutes. I think we would have slept through the light, but no way with the smoke. I haven’t encountered this on a ship in probably at least 15 years. The other night we also smelled cigarette smoke in the main dining room at dinner. We mentioned it to our waiter who just shrugged. Anyway, the front desk has been notified this time, and they are investigating. George went back to sleep, but I was thoroughly awake so got dressed and went up to the panorama lounge to drink tea and do some work. Today we were at Oro Island which is located off the southwest tip of Finland. This is a very militarily strategic area which the Russians first used to protect the entrance to the gulf of Finland from the Baltic Sea and thus protect St. Petersburg. It was a military base for the Finnish Army until just recently and still has the capability of being reactivated as such should the need arise, but now is a habitat for all sorts of birds and butterflies. There were multiple choices as far as activities. You could do a nature walk, a bird walk, a bike tour, or a longer hike, all guided, or you could just explore on your own. We chose the hike. It was another lovely sunny day, with temperatures again around 50F but not much wind, perfect for hiking. Looking out from the panorama lounge, the sea was perfectly calm, like a lake. All around were relatively flat islands ranging from tiny rocks to large with trees and man-made structures on them. They did have American bacon in La Terrazza this morning, but it was not a good quality, mostly fat and cut very thin. I stuck with berries and the not great yogurt, which was oddly enough frozen on the bottom, which would explain the strange texture. Just as it was our turn to board the zodiac, a huge dark black cloud settled itself directly over the ship, and it began pouring rain. We went ahead and got in the zodiac. There was lightening visible in the distance, which made me a bit worried, but then as soon as it had appeared,it cleared and the rain stopped. It was still cold and wet riding to the shore. We entered the little harbor with a good concrete and wood dock. Soon we were on our hike with our guide, a lady who is one of the 8 year round residents of the island. She spoke good English and was very informative. She also walked fast. We covered the entire northern portion of the island, going past a lot of old military stuff, past some cows, through beautiful deciduous and evergreen forests and along the coast. The paths were a mixture of pavement, cobblestone, gravel and soft dirt, but all flat and easy. We returned to the village where a lunch of Finnish tapas and salmon and potato soup (different recipe that yesterday’s) was waiting. It was very good and followed by rhubarb crumble. In the afternoon, you could do your own thing, hiking or biking or just relaxing. They had a little kiosk set up where you could sample and buy local jams, jelly, crackers, etc. lots of free samples, and they didn’t seem to care if you purchased or not. We did buy some jam. They also had the sauna open, and the people who did that reported it was great. We walked some more and saw more swans than I have ever seen at one time in my life. Then we went back to the dock to go back to the ship. The locals were there with cinnamon rolls and coffee for us. The sea going back to the ship was the calmest I have ever been on in a zodiac. Dead calm. A swan took off flying from the water and flew low right over our heads. THe ship videographer was in the zodiac behind ours and says he got it recorded and that it is awesome. I can’t wait to see it. Back on board we had a win at trivia, only missing three questions. How many Olympic gold medals did Michael Phelps win? We were really close at 20. Who is the highest paid Hollywood actor? Would have never gotten it in a million years. Who scored the most goals in a FIFA world cup match? No clue, and even when he said the answer, I had not clue. Dinner was at La Dame. We have had mixed reviews in that venue, but we’re willing to give a 2nd, or 3rd, chance. Service was great. I had the lobster salad followed by the mushroom soup, and both were excellent. I had Dover sole as my main. It was really good, but the hugest piece of Dover sole I have ever seen. It would feed me plus 3 hungry cats. I did my best though. George had seared fois Gras which he pronounced perfect, the quinoa salad (good but why would he order something so healthy) and the lobster which he said was good but not great. He had the pistachio soufflé for dessert which he said was great. I had the berry dish, outstanding as usual. Back to our room there was again an overwhelming cigarette smoke smell. I had spoken to reception earlier, and they told me they had figured out where it was coming from and resolved it. I called again. Someone came down and sniffed and confirmed my issues. They are on the case. But we will be moved if need be.

The only other trouser type pants he brought are exercise pants. They are not jeans, but worse and not appropriate for dinner. He knows he is in the doghouse. We will be in a town tomorrow so will see if we can find something suitable. We shall have to agree to disagree.

June 5, 2023-Ulko Island, Finland We had a smooth night’s sail and awoke at about 6:30 am, full daylight of course, but some clouds helped diffuse the sunlight. Forecast today is for highs in the low 50s and a slight breeze with wind picking up in the afternoon. We went to breakfast in La Terrazza as they were putting down the zodiacs. No real bacon, just that soggy English kind. I had some yogurt (not Greek). No worries on gaining weight due to breakfast on this ship. Then I drank my tea while doing some work online. Internet speed is acceptable so far. Today we were at Ulko Island. This small island is east of Helsinki, in the Bay of Finland, only about 5 miles from the Russian border. It was a military outpost, important in the Winter War then WWII as Finland defended itself from Russia. It is pretty flat, and an important breeding area for several bird species. There is still a military observation tower there—strictly forbidden. We had a pretty wet and windy zodiac ride over to the island. The bird watching group and the two guided hiking groups had gone ahead of us, as well as the kayakers. We landed at a nice wooden dock. The island has a couple of trails. We met up with Chris and JP and hiked all over through forest, spongy ground with lichen cover, and huge granite boulders nearer the shoreline. It was a perfect hiking day, cool but with the sun now out full force. Very comfortable. We found an old bunker, a couple of big artillery pieces, a cool tunnel, and a observation tower that was not forbidden. From there, we could see Russia. There were lots of birds which were singing away. We returned to the area by the dock where the local people had prepared lunch. Freshly smoked salmon, local sausages, salmon soup, fresh blueberry juice. It was really delicious. We explored a little more, but the wind was coming up, so we decided to go back to the ship. We grabbed a salad in La Terrazza. Good decision to come back as the wind really picked up in the afternoon. We had a meet and greet for the cruise critic group and met LAexNY (David) and his wife Laura. We teamed up with them and JP and Chris for trivia and came in 2nd. The questions we missed were either very specific (year Jurassic Park came out, how many world cups has Brazil won, length of a giraffe neck) or trick question (JP knew the right answer, but none of the rest of us believed him). Tonight was the captain’s welcome , but we didn’t attend as George forgot his dress pants. He only brought blue jeans. Now he does have some very fine boots, but we weren’t sure jeans would be acceptable. And the shop doesn’t carry dress pants. Dinner in La Terrazza with JP and Chris. One of the best dinners there in memory. I had the walnut pansotto which was great followed by a huge beef filet. It was probably 12 oz. I cut it in half and gave half to George. He had ordered pasta as his main, so it worked out well. It was very good, and perfectly cooked. Tiramisu and pannacotta rounded off our meal.

George has genetically abnormally low cholesterol. It is really annoying, since I eat far healthier than he.

I didn’t have the fois gras and cheese, but the mushroom soup was also pretty cholesterol laden I think. George actually took one of my rosuvastatin tablets by mistake—probably beneficial. He swallowed it then realized it wasn’t a pill he had ever taken before. LOL.

And pretty tulips

Geese pics from Suomenlinna Fortress

June 4, 2023–Helsinki, Finland We had a really good sleep, interrupted by the light from outside peaking past the drapes pretty brightly at 4:16 am. George was able to readjust them, and we slept until 8 am. Breakfast buffet was included, and was quite extensive. You could order omelets made to order for no extra charge. The fresh strawberries were the highlight for me, as any in the US taste like cardboard compared to these which were clearly allowed to ripen on the plant. The plan for the morning was to take the ferry to Suomenlinna Fortress which is on an island in the harbor. Our hotel was just a few blocks from the ferry dock, so we walked down. I bought our tickets which took me a minute as the machine instructions were in Finnish, but I figured it out. The ferry ride only takes about 10 minutes. We walked around a bit, but didn’t get to see the entire island due to time constraints. There were lots of ducks and geese with newly hatched babies. George got chased by a goose dad who thought he got too close to the babies. They are quite protective. It was pretty cold over on the island, temps in the upper 40s to low 50s and windy. George had forgotten and left his coat in the suitcase, so he was freezing. Plus even though the information regarding embarkation we had been sent with our boarding passes said emphatically that we couldn’t board until 2 pm, we had been given a letter last night that said to meet in the hotel lobby at 11:45 for the bus to the ship. So our tour was shorter than planned. There is an interesting military museum there, but it didn’t open until 11, so we missed that. We walked back from the ferry through the farmers market. They had a lot of spectacular looking berries, lots of jams and jellies. There was a guy selling reindeer hot dogs. George said he wasn’t that hungry, but he did get a doughnut which was clearly homemade. I had a bite, and it was delicious. We were in the lobby at 11:45, boarded the bus Immediately and were checked in and on the ship eating lunch in La Terraza by 12:35. We met with JP and Chris and had a nice time catching up. They announced the suites were ready at a little after 2 pm. No luggage though. It arrived about 3. Mandatory safety briefing at 4:30, in person. Then mandatory zodiac briefing at 6:15. For those who want to kayak, there is also a mandatory briefing for that. The expedition leader is a British guy, very funny and entertaining, which is actually unusual for expedition leaders who tend to be quite serious. Dinner in the Main DiningRoom was excellent. We ate with new friends from Wisconsin and Tennessee, and I think everyone was happy with the meal. George and I had the mushroom soup, which we love, then salads. Then he had a steak which he said was very good (shocking) and I had a vegetarian polenta and asparagus dish which was very nice. One of our table mates had lamb chops which looked great, so George asked for a couple of those too, and they were delicious. We ended with a sugar free raspberry soufflé which was light but good. We sailed just after finishing dinner. It was still bright light outside.

Statue in front of our hotel

June 3,2023–LHR to Helsinki Finland I generally find the international business class seats on AA quite comfortable and get a pretty good sleep in them. The same cannot be said for the BA business class seats, and I knew this in advance from previous experience. For one thing, they are hard as a rock. For another, they just don’t fit my body when in the lie flat mode. It seems like my hips are higher than the rest of me. George just doesn’t even try to sleep. He watched movies all night. I flipped and flopped trying to find a reasonably comfortable position and was able to eventually get about 4 hours sleep. All my practice from years of uncomfortable call rooms and having to grab sleep wherever the opportunity arose as a medical student and resident then as an ob attending help. We landed right ontime at LHR terminal 5. Our Finnair flight was to depart from terminal 3, so it was the dreaded transit bus for us. Depending on the time of day, that can be a madhouse, but earlier in the morning is generally calmer. We made it from the plane, on the bus to terminal 3 and back through security in an hour which isn’t bad for LHR. And since our layover was 6 hours, no stress. With Finnair plus George’s executive platinum status on AA, we had our choice of lounges in terminal 3. BA first lounge, Admiral’s club, Qantas lounge, or Cathay Pacific first lounge. We went with the Cathay lounge over the BA lounge as we thought the food would probably be a little better, though either would be fine. We found some very comfortable lounge chairs for good napping, then sampled the buffet. You could also have made to order dishes, including noodles. I wasn’t particularly hungry so stuck to fruit and yogurt. George ordered some noodles and gyoza which he said were great. The time actually passed pretty quickly. Finnair flight to Helsinki was the typical European business class, ie coach with the middle seat blocked off. Dinner was one choice only-gnocchi with eggplant and tomato sauce. This is ironic, as George’s two least favorite foods in the world are eggplant and gnocchi. Good thing he ate in the lounge first. There was also a weird starter—a frozen solid cheese and meat roll. I took one bite, and the that was too much. But the gnocchi was actually good. We were the first through customs—no line at all. The agent wanted to know our entire itinerary and how much cash we had! Luggage was already on the carousel, and there was no line for a taxi. Fixed rate to downtown is 35 euro. Hotel Kamp, the Silversea assigned hotel, is old and elegant, and our room is very nice with updated bathroom, but no USB ports at all. This is something of a problem as we have several devices that need charging, and I only have one converter that fits the outlets. We will have to take turns I suppose. Luggage has to be out by 6:30, so we already put ours out tonight.