- March 4, 2001 (Day -4)
- March 6, 2001 (Day -2)
- March 7, 2001 (Day -1)
- March 8, 2001 (Day 1)
- March 10, 2001 (Day 3)
- March 11, 2001 (Day 4)
- March 12, 2001 (Day 5)
- March 13, 2001 (Day 6)
- March 14, 2001 (Day 7)
- March 15, 2001 (Day 8)
- March 16, 2001 (Day 9)
- March 17, 2001 (Day 10)
- March 18, 2001 (Day 11)
- March 19, 2001 (Day 12)
- Time Check: Day 12
- March 20, 2001 (Day 13)
- March 21, 2001 (Day 14)
- March 22, 2001 (Day 15)
- March 23, 2001 (Day 16)
- March 24, 2001 (Day 17)
- March 25, 2001 (Day 18)
- March 26, 2001 (Day 19)
- March 27, 2001 (Day 20)
- March 28, 2001 (Day 21)
- March 29, 2001 (Day 22)
- March 30, 2001 (Day 23)
- Time Check: Day 23
- March 31, 2001 (Day 24)
- April 1, 2001 (Day 25)
- April 2, 2001 (Day 26)
- April 3, 2001 (Day 27)
- April 4, 2001 (Day 28)
- April 5, 2001 (Day 29)
- Time Check: Day 29
- April 6, 2001 (Day 30)
- April 7, 2001 (Day 31)
- April 8, 2001 (Day 32)
- April 9, 2001 (Day 33)
- April 10, 2001 (Day 34)
- April 11, 2001 (Day 35)
- Time Check: Day 35
- April 12, 2001 (Day 36)
- April 13, 2001 (Day 37)
- April 14, 2001 (Day 38)
- April 15, 2001 (Day 39)
- April 16, 2001 (Day 40)
- Time Check: Day 40
- April 17, 2001 (Day 41)
- April 18, 2001 (Day 42)
- April 19, 2001 (Day 43)
- Time Check: Day 43
- April 20, 2001 (Day 44)
- Intermission
- April 21, 2001 (Day 45)
- April 22, 2001 (Day 46)
- April 23, 2001 (Day 47)
- April 24, 2001 (Day 48)
- April 25, 2001 (Day 49)
- April 26, 2001 (Day 50)
- April 27, 2001 (Day 51)
- April 28, 2001 (Day 52)
- Time Check: Day 52
- April 29, 2001 (Day 53)
- April 30, 2001 (Day 54)
- May 1, 2001 (Day 55) – Part I
- May 1, 2001 (Day 55) – Part II
- May 2, 2001 (Day 56)
- May 3, 2001 (Day 57)
- May 4, 2001 (Day 58)
- May 5, 2001 (Day 59)
- May 6, 2001 (Day 60)
- May 7, 2001 (Day 61)
- Time Check: Day 61
- May 8, 2001 (Day 62)
- May 9, 2001 (Day 63)
- May 10, 2001 (Day 64)
- May 11, 2001 (Day 65)
- May 12, 2001 (Day 66)
- May 13, 2001 (Day 67)
- May 14, 2001 (Day 68)
- May 15, 2001 (Day 69)
- Time Check: Day 69
- May 16, 2001 (Day 70)
- Time Check: Day 70
- May 17, 2001 (Day 71)
- May 18, 2001 (Day 72)
- May 19, 2001 (Day 73)
- May 20, 2001 (Day 74)
- May 21, 2001 (Day 75)
- May 22, 2001 (Day 76)
- May 23, 2001 (Day 77)
- May 24, 2001 (Day 78)
- May 25, 2001 (Day 79)
- Intermission – Part II
- May 27, 2001 (Epilogue)
March 14, 2001 (Day 7): Aboard the Tallink ferry, Regina Baltica, en route to Tallinn – 10pm
Morale: good. Health: OK. My back is a little sore and I think I am working on a blister on my heel. My bag is either getting lighter or I am getting stronger. Despite this, I still suspect Anna has snuck some of her stuff into my pack for me to carry.
We took a tour of the Royal Palace in Stockholm including the Treasury, Royal Apartments, and the opportunity to see the changing of the guard. Two of the guard corps were German Shepherds. One was very cool about the whole thing; knew where he and his people were to go and when. He kept looking at the human guards with a condescending “Is that the best you can do?” look. His fellow canine soldier was not as confident and whined almost the entire time, requiring constant attention by his person.
Getting to the ferry was a bit stressful. We were advised by the ticket agent to arrive one hour before the ship was due to sail. She mentioned that they do not have a fully modern system and that ticketing was a bit chaotic, long lines and all. I was unsure about the level of chaos to expect and envisioned many scenarios in my head, most involving missing the ship. This uncertainty made my mood much grayer when I realized we were on the right bus going the wrong direction. We were not sure where exactly in the city we were – which made the metro a poor option. Taxis were a last resort since we did not have a lot of kroner left. As with most things, the best solution ended up being the simplest one – we crossed the street and caught the same bus number heading the other direction. When the bus disgorged a group of people heading towards the same dock we were, I knew we were going to be fine.
The line to check in was another ordeal. A group of eight young men in line ahead of me were attempting to purchase tickets. The ensuing chaos was reminiscent of a group of engineers trying to split the bill at lunch. According to Anna’s watch, it took them 15 minutes to sort out their tickets and us about one.
Our cabin on the ship is pretty cozy – so tight that some of our bags are in front of the door. Anna pointed out that we have an inherent security system: anyone coming in, or trying to, will have a little trouble. Of course, our trying to get out would also have certain challenges.
The goal for many on this ferry seems to be to drink as much alcohol as possible, supplemented by duty-free shopping. The young men who were in front of me in the ticket line seem to be meeting these goals rather well. We wandered past some of the video gambling machines and figured we would play a few games to burn off the few kroner coins we had left. Much to our surprise, we started winning. After hitting a four-of-a-kind on poker, we felt it was time to invest our winnings elsewhere. So we went and bought a couple victory beers and sat listening as a singer performed a country-western version of “Norwegian Wood.”
Editor’s note: Excerpts from Anna’s journal included
