We had a leisurely morning on board as we cruised westward off the southern coast of Finland. Historian Stephen Fisher gave a fascinating presentation about ships of the Baltic, from the sewn boats of the Iron Age through the streamlined vessels of the Vikings to 16th-century warships.
Afterward the National Geographic Orion crew tempted us out into the chilly wind on the lounge deck for Frühschoppen, a German tradition of morning beer and sausage. We were well-fueled for our second morning presentation, an excellent overview of the Vikings by historian David Barnes.
Due to high winds and challenging seas, we were prevented from making our scheduled stop at Ekenäs Archipelago National Park, but we managed to arrange an alternative excursion to avoid skipping Finland altogether. After lunch, we anchored off Källviken – “Bay of the Natural Spring” – and took Zodiacs ashore to a beautiful spot with trails through a dense pine forest. A monument marked the fact that Tsar Alexander III of Russia used to make regular visits to the spot.
Källviken is named for a natural spring that emerges just at the spot where we made our landing. During our visit we had the chance to talk to a local kayaker who paddled across the bay to fill his water bottles at the spring, which he said is his regular source of water. Despite the gray weather, we also enjoyed the opportunity to roam the trails through the beautiful pine forest and, of course, to set foot in Finland.
As we returned to the ship, the weather deteriorated into rain and sleet. We could even see snowflakes as we returned to the lounge for our third presentation of the day, a talk on contemporary Scandinavian society and culture by cultural specialist Annika Hipple. Later, during our evening recap, we learned about such intriguing topics as Scandinavian folktale creatures and Finnish tango.
After a delicious dinner during which we were served a special gourmet tasting menu, we returned to the lounge for a special evening activity. Throughout the cruise, we have been joined onboard by the Jeopardy! Clue Crew, who are busy filming video clues that will air on the popular TV game show later this year. This evening we had the chance to experience what it’s like to be a Jeopardy! contestant. Hosts Jimmy McGuire and Sarah Whitcomb Foss from the Jeopardy! team – familiar faces to regular viewers of the show – divided us into three teams for two rounds of the game, complete with buzzers and Daily Doubles. It was a hard-fought game, but the team called the Adventurers had a quick hand on the buzzer and ultimately emerged victorious.
