Today was a relaxed and yet eventful day onboard as we transited from the Baltic sea to the North Sea. The trip took a little over 7 hours through the Kiel Canal, which is the world‘s busiest artificial waterway. Luckily the weather gods were on our side today and we were able to enjoy the outdoor facilities of the ship for the entire day. We looked at the beautiful green countryside pass by along with keen cyclists, pedestrians and some odd swans that curiously followed us along the way.
Not only were we spoiled with the amazing weather, the galley made sure we did not waste any time getting hungry. After breakfast they put on a wonderful traditional Frühschoppen gathering at the bow of the ship, featuring grilled German sausages, pretzels and beer tasting. Beer and sausages before 10:00 a.m.? Well, why not?! When in Germany, do as the locals! In the afternoon we were treated to ice cream sundaes and apple crumble on the ship‘s upper deck. We enjoyed our decadence as we passed through the Brünsbuttel lock which connected us to the Elbe River.
Of course our minds were also treated with a buffet of various presentations from our expedition staff. Our photo team, David and Alison, showed us how to make the best use of our camera equipment. David Barnes (affectionately referred to as the “non-bearded David“) gave a delightful lecture on the history of the Hanseatic League and our very own Dutch staff member, assistant expedition leader Maartje, gave us a very insightful and sincere talk on the Dutch culture to prepare us for what to expect ashore over the next couple of days.
As we have been passing through lock chambers, opening and closing doors to get us through to new waters it is only appropriate to end with the closing line from Maartje‘s presentation.
A Dutch saying:
When one door closes another opens – or you can open the closed door. That‘s how doors work.
