Off the coast of Lithuania & Latvia
“Day at sea”…a seemingly non-eventful description written atop our programs that might have led many to believe the day would be spent in the library or perhaps in our cabins relaxing and reflecting upon the journey’s previous ports of call. Certainly, we wouldn’t have expected to be spending much time out on deck since the evening temperatures in Gdansk were in the low 40’s last night and were made worse by a blustery northern wind off the Baltic.
However, many journeys, like the seas we sail, have a habit of surprising us at every turn and each passing day. And so, waking up this morning to the calm waters of what could fittingly be described as an enormous lake, we were pleasantly intrigued by the clear skies and gentle breezes hinting of the summer to come. Suddenly, the day was brimming with new possibilities: ones that included deck chairs, sunscreen, and afternoon snacks enjoying the great weather. The galley, ever accommodating and quick to seize an opportunity to work in the fresh air, laid out a simple, but tasty feast on the pool deck of cold beer and hot dogs, complete with freshly made kraut. It was a bounty that might have tempted many of us to sleepily lie in wait for the evening’s sunset, but we luckily had more productive plans for the evening.
Though we cannot be sure of the caloric benefits of an intellectual workout, our esteemed panel of historians thankfully engaged our minds, if not our bodies, with an informative discussion on the inner workings of the European Union. Even though we were all aware of the fascinating ramifications of this historic union, we gained much more insight to changes currently underway throughout the region. David Barnes, Rodney Minott, and Tim Baughman first introduced the topic with a brief outline of their respective areas of expertise and then opened the floor and the microphone to our queries. Sifting through it all, we can only marvel at the complexities and concessions that have been and must still be made for such an epic arrangement to succeed; one we hope will serve as a model for other areas of the world with longstanding rivals, so that they might know peace and prosperity can be better reached through diplomatic rather than militaristic means.
“Day at sea”…a seemingly non-eventful description written atop our programs that might have led many to believe the day would be spent in the library or perhaps in our cabins relaxing and reflecting upon the journey’s previous ports of call. Certainly, we wouldn’t have expected to be spending much time out on deck since the evening temperatures in Gdansk were in the low 40’s last night and were made worse by a blustery northern wind off the Baltic.
However, many journeys, like the seas we sail, have a habit of surprising us at every turn and each passing day. And so, waking up this morning to the calm waters of what could fittingly be described as an enormous lake, we were pleasantly intrigued by the clear skies and gentle breezes hinting of the summer to come. Suddenly, the day was brimming with new possibilities: ones that included deck chairs, sunscreen, and afternoon snacks enjoying the great weather. The galley, ever accommodating and quick to seize an opportunity to work in the fresh air, laid out a simple, but tasty feast on the pool deck of cold beer and hot dogs, complete with freshly made kraut. It was a bounty that might have tempted many of us to sleepily lie in wait for the evening’s sunset, but we luckily had more productive plans for the evening.
Though we cannot be sure of the caloric benefits of an intellectual workout, our esteemed panel of historians thankfully engaged our minds, if not our bodies, with an informative discussion on the inner workings of the European Union. Even though we were all aware of the fascinating ramifications of this historic union, we gained much more insight to changes currently underway throughout the region. David Barnes, Rodney Minott, and Tim Baughman first introduced the topic with a brief outline of their respective areas of expertise and then opened the floor and the microphone to our queries. Sifting through it all, we can only marvel at the complexities and concessions that have been and must still be made for such an epic arrangement to succeed; one we hope will serve as a model for other areas of the world with longstanding rivals, so that they might know peace and prosperity can be better reached through diplomatic rather than militaristic means.
