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Amber Dice
We boarded the Norwegian Dawn on September 15 in Stockholm for our Baltic Cruise. I really like the freestyle dining on Norwegian with no set meal times and with numerous restaurant choices.The seas have been calm thus far and the entertainment quite good, and we are having a fun time.
Our first port was in Tallinn, Estonia. We didn’t book a tour as my research had shown that the old city was compact and in an upper town and lower town configuration. As soon as we departed the port terminal, I hailed a cab and asked for Kathy and me to be taken to the upper town–easier to walk down than up. We toured the Russian Orthodox Cathedral and the Lutheran Cathedral in the upper town. Both beautiful. A communion service was in progress in the Russian Orthodox Cathedral; we watched the beautiful service with ancient chanting for a few minutes. The cathedral has no pews; parishioners stand for the service. The Lutheran cathedral had ancient pews that showed much use over the centuries and were enclosed with half doors on the ends. A historical note–The three Baltic States were occupied by Russia after World War II. Russia began a campaign to ‘Russify’ the countries. One of the ways the Soviet Union employed was to move Russian citizens into the countries to provide a strong Russian presence. That is why one can find large well-maintained Russian Orthodox Churches in Estonia and Latvia (mainly Lutheran) and Lithuania (mainly Roman Catholic). The Soviet Union disintegrated before the project of Russification could be completed. The three Baltic nations have an aversion to Russian politics to this day.
Tallinn still has a very old world vibe and architecture. Spires from churches are abundant. Old fashioned rock cobblestone is the street pavement making walking on it for any length of time difficult. Sidewalks, thankfully, are more modern smooth cobblestone. We enjoyed walking into beautiful Lutheran Churches in the lower town, especially Holy Spirit with its masterful wood carvings and Biblical paintings that ring the balconies. We also had a goal of finding five amber dice for a Bonterra friend. Estonia is known for its amber products. We were having no luck, but after several stores, finally found some.
Next day found us in Riga, Latvia. Kathy and I have a bond with this city from my past as Board of Regents chair for Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. One of the Board Chair’s responsibilities was to visit seminary extensions. CTS had one in Novosibirsk, Russia, and another in Riga, Latvia. We loved our time spent in Riga. Revisiting this lovely city was amazing! When we were last here the city was in massive repair and rejuvenation after the Russian occupation. Now, the city is old, yet fresh and new, full of modern conveniences. The plentiful and beautiful distinctive church towers still stand proudly amidst art nouveau buildings. Riga has more art nouveau buildings than any city in the world. The Riga Lutheran Cathedral is really stunning now with its Abbey-arched courtyard filled with medieval artifacts. I marveled at the art-embellished work on the cannon. Items of war made to look so beautiful–ironic, right? Our tour guide, Jerry, is a professor at the Lutheran Seminary in Riga. He was so kind to give Kathy and me so much of his time for a personal tour. He gave us many inside stories of the city and one is particularly poignant. The old Jewish synagogue wall is part of the seminary’s courtyard. A Dutch Reformed Church borders another portion of the seminary. During World War II, the pastor of the Dutch Reformed Church heard the Nazi officials were coming to round up Jews and burn their synagogues. He went to the Rabbi to warn him and proposed to take all the synagogue belongings and hide them in his church, while warning him to tell his congregation to flee or hide. This was done. When the Nazis came to burn the synagogue, the pastor and some community leaders came out of the synagogue and told the Nazi officials the synagogue was empty and not in use. They further exclaimed that to burn it would also cause other building connected to it to burn and that would enrage the citizens in the neighborhood. Seeing that this was true, the synagogue was not burned. Today, this Jewish synagogue is the only one prewar that remains in this part of the world that is still active. Interestingly, the Dutch citizens who supported the Dutch church never returned, having fled to the Netherlands, and the congregation closed. Recently, it was given to the Lutheran Church of Estonia and is now part of the Seminary where it is presently being refurbished. Our day in Riga came to a reluctant close but the awesome cityscape will remain as a beautiful memory.
Our evening was eventful and long since today we are at sea and we could stay up late. We ate in a specialty steak restaurant and attended the late showing of a Broadway presentation. It was all good.
Off the Beaten Path
Gothenburg on Sweden’s western coast faces toward Norway. It is a “young” city, having been constructed from ground up in the 1600s as a port for commerce and a naval bastion to ward off attacks from Sweden’s enemies–at that time Norway and Denmark. We had chosen Gothenburg as a rest stop on our journey not knowing much about it and knowing I would need time to recoup after our air flight into Copenhagen. My oncologist/hematologist had run tests before our trip and told me my immunoglobulins were decreasing again and he was further concerned for my kidneys, so he took me off my multiple myeloma maintenance drug for the duration of our trip. He wished us a great trip and told me I would resume immunoglobulin infusions when we returned home, at which time I would have further testing. As I advise folks, travel when you have the opportunity!
We enjoyed our three-day sojourn in Gothenburg. The weather was pleasant even when the temperatures dropped into the 50’s and low 60’s. This is my preferential weather. The city’s botanical gardens are one of Europe’s finest and were wonderful to stroll. They were close to our hotel and so we ventured there every day to soak up the sun and relish the clean fresh air. We were amused at the hen and chicks plants that were planted to look like rocks in patterns around various gardens. From a distance we did indeed think they were rocks. I will admit that I did sleep late every day until Kathy convinced me that I was missing a wonderful breakfast that was included in the cost of our hotel. How often does one get liver pâté (not braunschweiger), which I love, for breakfast? And Kathy was delighted to enjoy pickled herring for breakfast. As to the other meals, we enjoyed them. One night at a Scandinavian restaurant, the freshly- caught cod was cooked to perfection and more than delightful in a sour cream sauce with tender asparagus as a side. The chocolate pie turned out to be home made chocolate fudge with ice cream. It put a smile on our face remembering a deceased friend who presented us with a gift of homemade fudge every Christmas.
We spent time touring the old parts of the city and enjoyed walking along the canals that course through. All in all it was a restful and delightful “rest stop.” Tomorrow, we catch a bus for Stockholm. We had also bussed from Copenhagen to Gothenburg. I tried four months ago to get train tickets, but they were sold out. Determined to keep the itinerary I had planned, I opted for bus. Having not done this in “like forever,” I was a little nervous, but all is well. The bus depots are by the train stations and the busses are clean and not crowded. They are like a comfortable tourist bus. We survived just fine, proving once again that where there is a will in travel, there is a way!
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