From Poland to Italy

Tonight is the Captain’s farewell dinner but M and I have been trying to secure a reservation in the Yacht Club which has been turned into an Italian restaurant for our return trip (it was Oriental on the way out and we weren’t so interested in that) so we forgo the formal meal for a bit of Italian. Being new to this cruising lark we hadn’t realised that reservations for the finer dining are sought after and you need to jump in early. However fortunately there was a cancellation and we were able to try it for ourselves tonight. It was slightly incongruous being in the full finery and sparkle in a place bedecked with red and white checked tablecloths, Chianti bottles and other Italian trattoria touches but it was all about the food so we didn’t mind.

We started with Carpaccio al Pesto – Thinly Sliced Fillet of Beef, Dressed with a Light Lime-Basil Pesto and Grana Padano Cheese. This was very good and such a pleasure to enjoy some beautiful really tasty food. This was definitely not mass-catered but produced with care.
Then there was a bowl of Zuppa di Minestrone, they knew of my aversion to the dreaded tomato and warned me of it in the minestrone soup, it’s never been my favourite but I had a few spoonfuls and it had a rounded flavour.

Next it was the pasta. I’ve had a couple of pasta dishes whilst on this cruise and they haven’t really worked. I’ve found them to be a little stodgy and claggy and haven’t been able to finish them. But the difference with his Primo Piatto Pasta dish was the phrase “One of our Chefs will prepare a Pasta Dish for you in the Restaurant” and I tuck into a freshly cooked pasta bows in a pesto sauce and they do indeed prepare it in front of you. I could then scrutinise the dish to ensure no tomato slipped in whilst I wasn’t looking, it didn’t. M had the tomato version, how am I related again?

There was a choice of two mains, M had the Salmon and Tiger Prawns with Lemon Sauce, Stuffed Eggplant Rolls and Garlic Flavoured Mashed Potatoes whilst I relished the Saltimbocca alla Romana – Grilled Veal Scaloppine with Sage and Parma Ham, Served with Barolo Sauce, Romanesco with Pine Butter and Risotto. It was succulent and delicious and well worth the wait.

For dessert there was either Tiramisu for those who like coffee – M, and for those who don’t – me, there was plate of Formaggio – a selection of Cheese with Sweet Red onion Marmalade. Oscar proudly told me that he had beautifully decorated the Tiramisu plates with forks so I had to ensure a photograph for posterity.

This was the tastiest meal we'd had on our cruise! I will say that they do try ever so hard in the Six Continents restaurant but there's too many of us, they have to cater for many with not very adventurous taste buds and a predilection for overcooked meat. So this was all considerably more to our liking, viva Italia!

A little taste of Poland

We dock into our penultimate port and look forward our visit to Poland. All thoughts of eggs have been banished as now it’s all about amber. Apparently the streets are positively paved with amber, I am not as excited about amber but the whole Jurassic Park bit intrigues me. We are told various techniques that can aid us in identifying fake amber. And you can’t go by the weight as everyone suspects as real amber and the various generally plastic copies are as light as each other. Apparently you can rub real amber and smell the pine resin and are able to pick up little bits of tissue with the real one. We have three towns to visit Gdansk, famous for the birth of the Solidarity movement and Lech Walesa, Gdynia where there are amber shops aplenty and Soport the local seaside and a famous wooden pier.
Our first stop is Gyinia, a charming little place with stylish architecture and yes, an abundance of amber shops. But unfortunately it is quite early when we visit and many of the other shops and the market stalls are not open yet. There are a lot of us tourists and in such a small place it is slightly like a plague of locusts have briefly descended upon them all being marshalled by guides with large white numbered lollipops. It's the first time I've been so aware of the cult of the tourist. I would have liked to linger longer especially when Gdynia had woken up and diluted the visitors a little but we were on a schedule.
We didn't get out at the Gdansk (formerly Lenin) Shipyards but saw the memorial erected to honour the fallen shipyard workers during the brutal strikes of the 70's.
Soport was the only beach we saw on this trip and seemed quite popular, it was our last stop. We were marched down to the sea edge along a wooden walkway and then led back. Again it was very apparent who was sightseer and we seem to overwhelm the seashore for a moment. Personally I would have liked to have visited here first, when it was at its quietest and then finish with Gdynia so we could have appreciated it when it was a little livelier.
We had a stop at a hotel to enjoy some tea and cake and in my case secure my penultimate Polish fridge magnet.
I really enjoyed our little taste of Poland but I definitely would have enjoyed a less curtailed visit but the tides were against us or something and we had to get to Germany.

Yo, ho, ho and a bottle of rum?

Today we are bobbing along on the beautiful briny sea and frankly it’s quite a relief. Not that we haven’t absolutely loved the last few fabulous days but I’m not sure if either of us could put one foot in front of one another again. It’s not just the amount of walking we’ve done but the heat we’ve been exploring Russia in. In my mind Russia is always smothered in blankets of the whitest snow and the inhabitants are swathed in furry coats and delicious hats, think Doctor Zhivago. But clearly, not in August!

After tucking into one of Oscar’s fine omelettes we head for the Cooking Demo in the Discovery Lounge. We’re not sure what to expect but we get to sit down so it already sounds good! As usual the shipmates are out in force, I can’t vouch for napkin folding demonstration or line dancing but every event I’ve seen has been very well attended.

Our demonstration is by Neill the head chef was also new to this ship from Australia and gave us a fascinating insight into the mechanics of catering for such a floating establishment. I'm always fascinated by kitchens anyway but this one particularly intrigued me. Health and safety unfortunately denied us the pleasure of seeing it all first hand, don't those guys in white coats always spoil our fun? But as he whipped up a frankly very fine looking pepper steak (H&S deemed we could look and smell but not eat, boo hiss!) and mushrooms he explained the daily routines onboard. He was assisted by Ben who he persisted in calling Martin. So much so that Ben seemed to get all huffy and leave. Martin in fact was a shy expert carver who could take an apple and a carrot and seemingly in moments produce a duck and deftly turn a potato into a rose. He made a slew of these and then disappeared coyly back to the kitchen. Neill detailed some of the improvements he's made to the Discovery, one being simplifying the menus. Wow, we were experiencing the after? Our demo continued with more delicious smelling food we couldn’t eat followed by audience questions. One I wished I asked was "what's with the carrots?", as they are an extremely regular adornment to our dishes. It turns that our regular supplies were curtailed by the terrible floods suffered by some farmers and some ingredients fell short. But luckily for us we received our full complement of carrots and hence they had to supplement our meagre rations of others. Though truth be told we weren't aware of the lack it was only the recurring carrot theme that was spotted. It seems that Neill had big plans for the lido dining area where we've grabbing breakfast, lunch and occasionally afternoon tea. It does seem to be prone to bottlenecks and he is hoping that in the next ship's refit this can be addressed. After our demo we were furnished with instructions on how to prepare for the perfect dinner party. One comment I spotted was the importance of creamy buttery mash potatoes, perhaps that explains the surprisingly good potatoes in the lido of a lunchtime.

After a day cruising around the Baltic Sea we were intrigued to discover what tonight dinner had in store. We had been told last night that this evening was going to have a piratical theme. We’d tried to elicit the details of what that would entail but they all remained schtum. We could only speculate that lashing of rum would be involved.

As we arrived in the dining room, there are Jolly Rogers and piratical paraphernalia all over the place, our waiter and busboy are resplendent in their cabin boy attire and fake tattoos looking to my mind like rock band roadies and our menu is large yellow and covered in cutlasses.

The starters are labelled as “Rich Pickings” and I chose “Diced parrot with Land Lubber’s Blood Sauce” which was actually Game Terrine with Cumberland Sauce.

“From the Slop Bucket” was “Cannon Ball Soup” otherwise know as Cream of Carrot, Honey and Walnut.

Ahh it looks like the ubiquitous carrots are back!

From “Square Meals” I selected “Grape Shot” which was subtitled Potato Gnocchi “Salvatore” Mushroon Sauce, Herbs and Parmesan Cheese.

And the dessert was “Floating Desert Island” Poached Meringue in a Sea of Fresh Vanilla Custard. Actually really apart from the decorated empty bottles on our tables the place wasn’t awash with rum. We weren’t made to walk the plank or unfortunately whisked off to some pirate’s lair by Johnny Depp but it was certainly an entertaining evening.

From Russia with love

Today is our last day in Russia. M and I have booked another excursion into St. Petersburg, one fortunately with not too much walking as the exertions of yesterday are very telling on our feet. It is our final egg hunt are we are pleased that the cunning plan of our trip is to have a base in a large gift shop full of souvenirs, trinkets and crucially, sparkly eggs and then have a little time to explore the environs of the Nevskiy prospect (the smart designer shopping street) before returning to the shop and then back to the ship.

We also have time to hear more about St Petersburg’s sights from our guide as we make our way through the traffic and over the many bridges (I learn later that there are over 500 of them). The main streets are lined with Stalin influenced grand looking town houses, we see the odd enticing glimpse of a hidden courtyard and the living quarters beyond and are most intrigued to know what they are like inside. We also see Peter the Great’s not so great log cabin on the bank of the Neva.

Everywhere we look we have been spoilt with golden domed Russian Orthodox churches glinting in the sun, dramatic yet rather austere statues and classical elegant buildings. It is a beautiful city and deserves the much used title ‘Venice of the North’. I am so glad we finally have been able to see it in all its glory, as well as the odd egg I will certainly have many wonderful memories from this experience of a lifetime.

Prior our last passport control check, I procure a rather wonderful Russian hat that will be most useful in wintry times and walk between our ship and the well guarded little Russian sub for the final walk up the gangway with the Russian flags flying on our ship as it is customary to fly the flag of our host country whilst in port. As we leave we can see the cruise liner docked alongside us has many people waving and from the lower decks a pair of giant red hands appear to bid us farewell. It seems that a few of our crew know their crew and being here for three days has facilitated a few reunions. The stewards, waiters, busboys and many other crew are all Filipino and some have family and friends onboard. I was told that Filipino people have excellent seafaring skills and adjust much better to life on board than many other nationalities, I don’t know if that’s true but I’ve never been anywhere where the staff are so smiley and welcoming and they must work incredibly long hours whilst we’re enjoying ourselves.

Our steward, Ernie is an exceptional example of that. We see him several times a day as he services the cabin in the morning, delivers the daily news around lunchtime and then later the next day’s itinerary. And then whilst we dine in the evening he turns down the beds, switches on the lights and delivers chocolates. And at random times throughout the day if he spots you approaching your cabin he’ll rush ahead to open the door to save you fumbling for your own key.

I can’t imagine when he ever gets time to himself however he does admit that he was able to disembark whilst in St Petersburg and do for a MacDonald’s, he seemed especially pleased with this particular excursion. I reserve judgement on that treat!

Talking of treats M and I have somehow managed to amass 10 eggs between us, though 2 of my five are for presents and two of hers are earrings.

Here are my three glittery little ovoid darlings. I can definitely see this being a new obsession. Though at least they take up considerably less space than cookbooks!

And to continue the 'farewell to Russia' theme we have a Russian dinner tonight. And for starters I chose Osjotr s jajtsom I swjokloj, which in case your Russian is not so good is Stuffed Egg with Smoked Fish Mousse and Caviar on Vegetable Salad. The soup was Sweschijc Schtschi which translates as Cream of Cabbage.
As we'd enjoyed a Beef Strogonoff last night in Moscow, I selected "Chicken Kiev" Fried Crumbed Chicken Breast Filled with Garlic and Herb Butter, Green Beans, Carrot Sticks and Sliced Roasted Potatoes.
And for a Russian dinner finale we had Moskovs Kaya - Parfait with Chocolate Sauce.

I can definitely say that I departed from Russia with love, love for such a beautiful, intriguing and majestic place. I am so glad I've had the opportunity to make its acquaintance albeit only fleetingly.

Must go to Moscow

Our daytrip to Moscow starts so early in the morning it’s almost the day before. I’ve had a yen to visit Moscow for ages, I envisaged myself strolling around the Red Square in a big Russian hat and dining exotically on blinis and caviar. It is way too hot for a furry Russian hat of any size so instead I grab my black wide brimmed hat and sunglasses and make a sleepy way to St. Petersburg airport. This is the first time I’ve realised the need for Roubles, I only have Euros and US Dollars, and even a street vendor selling fridge magnets and guide books will happily accept dollars. In fact that is their preference! I had totally forgotten that a state owned establishment i.e. an airport would be insistent on being paid in their national currency and my hopes of grabbing some bottled water are thwarted.

We fly to Moscow on Russia airlines, not one I’ve had heard of. One of our party tries to take pictures of our little plane before take-off. Hmm not entirely wise, the end of the cold war and the birth of perestroika may have meant that we have so much more liberty to visit this wonderful country and explore their treasures but freedom is still a new experience for many and the police and military do like to keep a wary eye on these foreign visitors. So take as many pictures of Saint Basil as you’d like (and I did) but forget recording our inaugural visits to Russian airports, they just don’t like it!

Moscow was full of surprises for me, the first being we were supplied with headsets so our brusque little guide could speak into a J-Lo style microphone and we could still hear her even in the inevitable crowds. This meant that we could explore the Moscow Metro without fear of being separated. And the Moscow Metro was the second surprise. I use the London Underground daily and as ours is worlds oldest it suffers from extreme numbers of passengers, is somewhat ragged around the edges and is prone to engineering issues due to its elderly structure (I am being as kind as I can here) but I have a curious affection for it. If we were still allowed to explore the abandoned ‘ghost’ stations and tunnels, I’d be first on the list. Unfortunately the necessary increased security in our modern world has meant that particular “avenue of pleasure” is closed.

Our Muscovite guide revels in their Metro and is keen to point out the both the grandeur and the efficiency. The stations decorations were indeed a revelation. As well as the suitably stoic figures and slogans urging industry and good honest toil there were fabulous friezes studded with diamonds and other precious stones, stunning ceilings with adorned with gold Soviet emblems and art deco lights. It flashed through my mind how long such a diamond studded frieze would retain its diamonds on the London Underground despite it being seemingly inaccessible over the tunnel to the escalators. Hmmm, maybe moments I think!

Another surprise is St Basil's in Red Square, it does somewhat look like it was coloured in by children, it almost doesn't seem real and it does inspire my Moscow fridge magnet. I'm not entirely sure which has the crazier colours!

After a stop in a hotel for pineapple pastries and tea we headed off for the Armoury and the Kremlin. I was in two minds about the Armoury.

I am not deeply fascinated by guns, cannons or tanks and if that’s all there was I am not sure if I really wanted to bother but I couldn’t have been in for more of a surprise. The Armoury Chamber is a treasure house forming part of the Kremlin Palace, and houses a huge collection of gold and silver, thrones, carriages, horse ornaments, dresses and to my total delight some utterly fabulous Fabergé eggs.

These were not the egg shaped pendants I had been lusting over during my Russian stay but some of the original remaining Imperial Easter eggs extravagantly adorned and containing a surprise (so now I know where Kinder Surprise comes form!) And the surprises? Well how about a miniature solid gold wind up steam train with carriages. I could have pressed my nose against those cabinets for ever but there was so much more to see. Such a lavishness and show of wealth I have ever seen, many of these bejewelled offerings were a sweetener to the Tsar hoping he’d permit trading or a foreign monarch sending a little show of appreciation. A tiny thing like a massive hand carved diamond studded, gold carriage. Which once delivered would never perform the duty it was designed for but just add to store of ‘pretty trinkets’. It was all rather mind blowing!

After positively gorging on all that opulence, we headed off for a taste of local cuisine in a ‘typical Russian’ restaurant. Or we tried to, our day had been occasionally interrupted by coach problems, it seems that Russian coaches aren’t as reliable as their Metro system. And awaiting a new coach in the searing heat makes us very late to arrive at the restaurant.

I did wonder how we’d manage with understanding the menu, but there wasn’t one so one less thing to worry about. Everyone in the restaurant had exactly the same meal and each dish was a surprise.

M and I were seated by our taciturn waiters in a little balcony for two with a magnificent view of the restaurant, the musicians and the diners below. Our starter was some very welcome fluffy blinis and sour cream with a smattering of caviar (not Beluga I hasten to add, but salmon roe). Not a bad start! I break my usual rule of photographing food in restaurants by using a flash. It is so dark and everyone is taking photographs anyway of their surroundings so I can’t imagine I could be accused of disturbing anyone, always a fear nowadays. Next we had a vivid salad of pepper and tomatoes which I decide to pass on, but I have to admit that it looks colourful. Next it is the Russian classic of Beef Stroganoff with some fried morsels of potatoes. It’s not bad at all; we have had a fabulous day but are somewhat fatigued now so some good food is most welcome. We wrap up with some fruit and ice cream which we polish off quite promptly as we have a plane to catch.

We head for the airport hearing more about the history of Moscow on the way, board our little plane again and drag our weary bones back to the ship in St Petersburg. A truly glorious day but I am really looking forward to a sleep now. I think I can guarantee diamond encrusted dreams tonight!

Egg-centricity

We woke up this morning to see the most wonderful view through our porthole. It was reminiscent of seeing the awe inspiring Alps for the first time though the window of our cabin on the Orient Express last year. We’d docked over night and as our ship was smaller that some of our fellow more corpulent cruise ships we were able to nip into the centre of St Petersburg bang smack in front of this golden domed church and also surprisingly tethered next to and dwarfing a little grey Russian submarine. I felt that a photograph of that though wouldn’t be so appreciated so if I did take a photo, I’ll keep it to myself!

Heading towards Russia has given me a certain fascination for eggs. Not only does Oscar grant me the finest ham and cheese omelette each morning, and I don’t even need to say anything. He spots me making my way across the Lido and on goes the frying pan. If there’s a queue I can saunter over and after our daily catch up the omelette is mine. The others in the queue wonder how I can request an omelette without seemingly uttering a word. But it’s not just hen’s egg that I am becoming addicted to but Fabergé ones. Well to be honest, Fabergé pendant necklace copies as the originals are a little pricey. I’ve already secured a gorgeous black, silver and sparkly one and I hope can spot some more on our foraging mission to St Petersburg. My egg quest is slightly hampered by being not a great fan of yellow gold and only want mine silver anointed with silver or white gold, that desire certainly restrict my choices.

You cannot visit Russia without the necessary visas so unless you’ve have consulted the relevant embassies beforehand, it is only permitted to go ashore if you are participating in an arranged excursion. We are and we get to see our first taste of the opulence and magnificence of both Russian architecture and history. We see the wonderfully named Peter & Paul Fortress, numerous bridges and squares and admire the splendour of the Church of the Spilled Blood. We also get the opportunity visit various street markets and bazaars where I can indulge in more egg spotting and another fine black and white specimen becomes mine. And I get a few presents as well for a couple of glamorous girls who are having birthdays soon.

I also add this rather fetching strawberry adorned Russian doll fridge magnet inscribed on the reverse with “from Russia with love” from a perfect English speaking street vendor who is most excited to get some US Dollars in his hot hand. He is trying to make all sorts of deals regarding multiple purchases of fridge magnets but my fridge isn’t that big unfortunately!

We have another early quick dinner as we are off to witness a Russian Folk Dancing show. Tonight’s delights are Layered Cod and Herb Terrine with Leeks and Prawn Salad Served with a Lemon and Dill Dressing followed by Cauliflower Soup with Roast Almond Cream. Then after the briefest of pauses we have Gratinated Fusilli Pasta with Bayonne Ham, Mushrooms and Emmenthal Cream and immediately followed by Sugar Free Poached Pear in Red Wine.

It does occur to me that as they are clearly under strict instructions to whisk us through the meal promptly they should consider shorter menu choices. We could have had Cod & Herb Terrine followed by Cauliflower Soup, Ham & Mushroom Pasta with a Poached Pear for dessert.

Wearing one of my new eggs we head off to enjoy a colourful, lively evening of Russian folk dancing. Obviously we have no idea what they’re singing about but somehow you get the gist. Generally boy meets girl, boy somehow upsets girl, he shows off (a lot!) and then tries to woo her back and eventually he succeeds. It’s all very animated and dramatic with vibrant costumes, energetic singing and leaping about. It’s a fabulous introduction to our Russian holiday.

On returning to the ship, extreme craving for chocolate drives me to explore tonight’s snacks in the Palm Court. The theme is Japanese so I am suspecting that chocolate might be a challenge. I secure some 'chocolate' biscuits but the only similarity to chocolate is possibly the colour. The on board shop has to close whilst in port due to customs regulation and that's where the only supply of chocolate exists. I will just have to make do until we leave Russian.

Singing and eating revolution

I had only a sketchy knowledge of Tallinn and Estonian history and folklore before we began our tour of the old town. We had a really wonderful guide, Merica, who was a local schoolteacher and relished in sharing some of the fantastic stories and legends as we explored her beloved hometown. One of my favourites was the explanation for the centre of Tallinn old town being perched on top of a hill rather incongruously as all around was flat. The legend goes that Kalev, a giant, routinely strode across the sea to bring forests of wood with which to build Tallinn. On his death his wife Linda (yes, I was surprised also) was so devastated she started heaping large boulders onto her late lamented husband’s grave (let us assume she was a giantess or this story doesn’t work).

Shortly after her extensive efforts had created the hill Tallinn is famous for, she let a boulder slip from her apron and in her grief climbed on top of this fallen boulder and cried and cried mourning the loss of her Kalev and subsequently her tears formed the lakes and reservoirs that supply Tallinn with water today. Personally I love the idea that giants were strolling around the Baltics tempestuously flinging rocks at one another thus forming the landscape we can see today. Well done Kalev and Linda, your legacy lives on with a charming town that I would love to explore again.

A considerably more recent development in Estonia’s history was the Singing Revolution or how Estonia became independent from the USSR without firing a single bullet or shedding a drop of blood. Our guide was extremely proud of this and could recall the first inklings of revolution as a child in the summer of 1987. Estonian people began mass protests against Russian occupation of their country and each evening packed the Lauluväljak (The Tallinn Song Festival Grounds) with over 10,000 people, where they sang their heartfelt patriotic and national songs long forbidden by the oppressive Soviet regime. These gatherings united the Estonian people and ignited a renewed wave of passion for their national identity and eventually over 300,000 Estonians, more than one fifth of their country’s population, congregated in Tallinn singing night after night for four years until the Soviet tanks rolled in to quell the uprising. The Estonians blocked their path with boulders and with a human shield totally repelling their oppressors and the jubilant singing Estonians finally gained their independence on August 20^th 1991. There is a song festival held every five years in the Lauluväljak, where the largest choir singing has been 25,000, and that doesn’t even account for the dancers. Our guide explained that the whole of Tallinn squeezes all the performers and visitors in every spare room, school hall, and unoccupied couch for the duration of the festival, I am guessing the extreme size of this event is why it isn’t held annually. One of our party asks her if everyone brings picnics and spreads their rugs on the grassy slopes of the festival grounds, Merica smiled and reminds us how many people make up that vast audience and explains that it’s all you can do find a tiny spot to perch for a few hours.

We have a chance to sit down in a café seemingly fashioned from an up turned boat (it wasn’t explained if a giant’s temper had got the better of them again!) and heard some local accomplished girls play their zithers and explain some of the detail in their costumes. If I recall, the brighter the red on their dress, the younger and more available the girl! We eat a tasty pastry filled with a leek and bacon mixture I suspect accompanied by, in my mind, the strongest blackest tea ever. I couldn’t drink it but I enjoyed the savoury.

Another thing the Estonians are proud of is their flag. I guess they haven’t been flying it for that long. Merica explains that generally flags with three stripes like this would always have the white at the top possibly explaining the fact that when they won their first gold in the Barcelona Olympics in 1991, their new flag was hung upside down. The explanation goes that the blue signifies the sky and the seas, the black the soil and the white for the hope of the people. So now we know!

And after a very intriguing tour of the very new world of Tallinn and clutching number three in my collection - a miniature giant bewhiskered fridge magnet we return to our boat.
Our evening meal is enlivened by some of the new stories we've been told of during the day and M and I are extremely grateful we had Merica enlightening us. Tonight's chosen options were Celery Mousse on Marinated Cucumber Salad with Spring Onions and Tomato Relish, though some of us waived the tomato. Ericson is very good and remembers my bête noir so I don't have to fear the dreaded red stuff!
The soup is Cream of Courgette with Croutons, another pale and not entirely interesting offering.
My main course tonight is Slow, Cooked Duck Leg with Blackcurrant, Orange and Cassis Sauce, Vegetable Mixture and Marquise Potatoes. The duck is quite cooked! M chose the Braised Venison with amongst other delights - a pear and potato dumpling. She had forgotten it was a dumpling and thought her potato tasted even odder than usual!
And tonight's finale is an Apple Strudel with Vanilla Sauce with yet more mutant mint sprigs.