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.
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