Month: May 2026

                        I am sure that there are better ways to lose a few pounds but being the optimist that I am, I’ll put a positive spin on this! And ‘spin’ may be the operative word here because that’s what started my ‘crash’ diet a few days ago. Well, maybe not the spin as that came a few microseconds after my car whammied the center guardrail on Route 24 Westbound in Madison, N.J. and that whammerization came a few more microseconds after I fell asleep whilst driving.

                        For those of you that I have been around me over the past year or so and have had the pleasure (?) of having me nod off in mid-sentence, you know that this affliction can strike at any time. In this case, it was just a normal Sunday afternoon, on my way home from Chatham, where Paula’s son Matt and his family live. I did not get too far, maybe only ten minutes out when ‘Zzzzzzz’ happened (with no warning) and I woke up in time to witness the Honda slam into the guardrail after traveling from the right lane, across the left lane and shoulder to impact the guardrail. We (the Honda and me) then careened back into the two westbound lanes, spinning several times until we reversed ourselves (still spinning) and re-crossed those same lanes until we ended up back in the center median on some very nicely greened grass. The driver’s side window airbag deployed which hindered my unhasty exit from the vehicle as I was still wonky and I remember feeling bad because I was going to cause a traffic jam on RT. 24 and everyone hates traffic jams on that road. I was quite embarrassed standing outside the offending (but innocent) vehicle.

                        I got back in via the passenger side and looked for my phone which had beat a hasty exit from its windshield window holder. I found it hiding in a rather remote place in between the seats and console, I am sure that it was quite scared as it had a front row seat (until impact) of the whole situation.

                        Several cars had stopped across the road and with many gestures asked if I was ok. I gave them the ‘thumbs-up’ signal as I was sure that I was just fine, maybe a little embarrassed, and feeling quite guilty for making the event that we were afraid of come true.  You know that feeling, the “I told you so” scenario, dreading the facing of those that had muttered that phrase before. It’s funny the stuff that goes through your brain at times like this.

                                    My phone was begging to be made useful, so I calmly (?) dialed 911 and proceeded to report what happened. Luckily, I came to a stop exactly across from the 4.4-mile marker, so I felt quite official reporting my position to the dispatcher. It only took a few minutes for everyone to arrive and I mean everyone. I’m guessing that they all needed to get out of the house because I didn’t think that my little fender-bender required the level of response that was quickly arriving at the scene. It seemed as if they all materialized out of thin air because when I finished with my second call, the one to Paula, on scene were no less than five police cars, an EMT-ish-looking vehicle, a fire truck, a tow truck, and the official ambulance rig.

                                    The Officials convinced me that I needed to take a ride in that ambulance instead of having Paula just drop by and whisk me away from this mess. This is the start of the ‘Hindsight Episodes’ that only make sense in that vein, and when recalled later one asks themselves, “What were you thinking!!!???”

                                    It was a good thing that I took that ride, more on that a little later. In the meantime, I walked to the ambulance as they took the Honda away, clambered in and found a seat. The guys were nice and we had a pleasant conversation on the way to Morristown Medical Center. They suggested that I should lie down on the stretcher, I protested, and they then said, “We can’t pull up to the Emergency Room with you just walking out of the rig, believe us, it will go much better with you on the stretcher.” That was the second Hindsight Episode that occurred because they immediately got me into the Trauma Unit, which again looking back, made all the difference in what happened next.

                                    By then Paula had been dropped off and found me down outside Trauma Room 2 because I had my cell phone on me and had texted her my location. There I was in the hallway waiting my turn in a triage of sorts when Paula looked over at me and I said, “I don’t feel so good” as my eyesight dimmed and the edges of my vision darkened and moved inwards. She looked at me and quickly ran to find an official-type person who upon arrival took another look at me and quickly wheeled me into an adjacent trauma room.

“BP dropping! 50 over 30! No time to cross and type-match, hang a unit of O negative” It may not have been exactly like that, but remember I was somewhat compromised by this time. It turned out that after a CAT scan and a few other diagnostic tools being implemented, it was determined that my spleen had been put through an abnormal amount of physical abuse and had decided to bleed on me internally. I guess it’s what you can’t see that’s the scariest. (Just ask those swimmers in Jaws!)

                                    They ended up giving me two units of the good stuff.

                                    Had I just had Paula pick me up from the scene and gone home like I thought I could have……

                                    I guess I should apologize for the lack of pretty photos attached to this Post as there really are none to be found, except maybe this one.

                                    By now you’ve probably surmised that I was going to be staying in Morristown for a few days. I can personally attest to the Quality of Care slathered upon me by the staff in the ICU. I spent about three days there flat on my back waiting for hemoglobin numbers to be reported. Apparently, they are the bellwethers of internal bleeding. My numbers steadily improved thanks to the emergency procedure with a Fancy Name that was performed on me soon after it was determined that I had that internal bleeding issue. Its name is Radiational Splenic Artery Embolization, and it is a minimally invasive procedure that jams little coils into the bad parts which stops the bleeding (good) but eventually kills a part of the spleen (bad) but the spleen has a Pep Rally for itself and heals somewhat (despite all of this) in about two months (good). I am forbidden to do certain activities during this time period as further agitation of the spleen could hinder its recovery (bad). I cannot do things that are obviously trauma inducing but some other items are added to the list such as ‘ladder climbing’. This is not because the spleen is afraid of heights, it’s because if I fell off of the ladder, I would immediately be into that previous category of Trauma Inducing Activities. I was also forbidden to report to Training Camp until I got an All-Clear from my doctor. The Giants were not happy.

                                    I spent about those days in the ICU flat on my back, not moving at all. The scariest part of this was my Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) which I am the Poster Child for that usually has me on the verge of Panic Attacks if I feel that I am in a position that I cannot get out of…… like the middle seat of  Regular Coach (sardine) Class with the Fasten Seatbelt sign glaring at me. Now not only am I unable to move (it hurts too much) but I’m confined to the bed with all of the ‘stuff’ attached to me.

                                    Ok, so go ahead and ask The Question.

                                    “Gee Donny, how do you go to the bathroom?”

                                    I’m glad you asked that Mr. Bedpan! Actually, since I was on a diet that inspired the title of this Post, (namely Clear Liquids) I was spared the need to use that barbaric instrument of embarrassment.

                                    “Well, what about, you know, going #1?”

                                    This activity is automatically taken care of by an even more barbaric instrument named Mr. Catheter. But I am happy to report that after some initial ‘discomfort’ (their term NOT mine!) things settled down and #1 was taken care of and I didn’t even think about it! For the time I was in the ICU, there were no numerous nightly trips to the bathroom!

                                    While I was in the ICU, I studied really hard so that I could pass those numerous Hemoglobin Blood Tests. Apparently, all of that studying paid off because the numbers improved enough for me to be transferred to a regular room ‘upstairs’. I was released into the custody of another Warden but not before they unhooked some of my apparati, and ‘untethered’ me from that nifty device that removed the need for those nightly bathroom visits, so FREE! I was to join the inmates upstairs.  

                                    They put me in a bed with one of those pads on it that signals when you get out of bed. Apparently Nurse Ratched determined that I was a Fall Risk. Couple that with the remaining assorted tubes and wires that would have strangled me if I had fallen and you can understand why they are so adamant about following their In Bed/Out Bed Classification.

                                     Unfortunately, I inadvertently tested their system. All I wanted to do was innocently dangle my legs over the side of the bed. This necessitated some movement that that ‘pad’ didn’t like. It took me a long time to even get into a position that remotely resembled an attempt to get near the side of the bed when all of a sudden screeching alarms sounded throughout the complex, automatic doors slammed shut, the Hospital S.W.A.T. team scrambled, and the team member stationed on the roof rappelled down and came crashing through my window. Meekly I wiggled my way back onto the “pad” and resumed the position. Unfortunately, my roommate almost succumbed to a Heart Attack when the guy broke through the window. He hastily requested to be assigned to a different room.

                                    The staff upstairs was equally as good as those in the ICU but a little more obsessed with my bodily fluids/ extracts that I was holding back until I got the All Clear from BMFC (Bowel Movement Flight Control) so that I would not have to use the aforementioned (and distained) Bed Pan. (How’s that for a run-on sentence!) There are no boundaries when it comes to this subject either. Questions like “have you pooped yet?” get asked in anyone’s company and after a while you don’t care anyway! And the term ‘pooped’ has somehow replaced the more refined nomenclature term of Bowel Movement (BM).

                                    This subject is bantered around with such regularity (pun intended!) that there are now random PA announcements ….

                                    “Attention everyone! Let’s all congratulate Mr. Hall in Room 139, Bed 2  as he has now won the right to claim his free extra dessert this evening for his first Post-op Poop Episode! Stop in anytime and give him a High Five if he’s not in the bathroom!”

                                    Now let’s talk about those ‘gowns’ that everyone is issued upon incarceration and are impossible to figure out how to tie closed. Apparently, there are five(?) ties involved, one is kind of inside, and attaches somewhere, but who would ever have figured that one out! Two up top, and the last two around back. And this all needs to be done behind you where you can’t see. Having an ‘assistant’ becomes mandatory and there’s not someone always around. Again, there is an air of informality that envelopes the premises because it is futile to keep everything ‘under wraps’ for long. Yes, the staff does a great job of being discreet and do their best to guard your dignity and privacy but after a while you just don’t care anymore. All you need to have is a uniform of sorts and an I.D. badge…. so even a custodian could be asked to help sew up that rear observation area!

                                    I started writing this two days before my release as I had Paula bring my laptop down to me. I set up my table and chair in front of my window, it looked like an ‘office’ of sorts, and I had many a comment on it. I was hoping to be sprung from the joint on Wednesday as I got the ‘thumbs-up’ from OT, PT, my local Floor Staff, the Cafeteria, and the Janitor. All I needed was the Spleen Squad to punch my ticket to freedom, but nooooo, they wanted another day just to be sure. By now I figured that I was fully healed (in relative terms) and wanted OUT! ASAP. That wasn’t happening until Thursday, so I sat down and started writing. I was gradually feeling better as I could get up now without setting off NATO alerts. It was still quite painful to move….. I can’t believe how much being slammed around inside a jammerized vehicle can hurt, even with seat belts and air bags keeping you relatively in one place! What did we do before these inventions were being utilized!!!???

                                    All in all, I can’t say enough about the care that I received in Morristown. Most of you know that I was in the Service Industry and my valuation and evaluation of personal service comes from many angles. The Staff at Morristown was so good that in that weird sort of way, makes one want to go back there just to experience their genuine care about your well-being.

                                    My Parole Board hearing went well on Thursday, the Warden did not even show up to escort me to the gate, all we needed to do was walk out the door. Yup! no embarrassing wheelchair needed, although it took an extraordinary amount of time for me to walk, but I need to do this as it was another step in my recovery. I fell asleep on the way home and no; I was not driving this time. In fact, my driving privileges have been revoked by the Board of Family and Friends until I get my sleep disorder under control.

                                    I can assure you that as much as I try and make light of this situation, I am fully aware of how fortunate that I am to have kept this a One-Person Incident and the thought of this happening on just a regular road with oncoming traffic is quite sobering. I still can’t believe that with all of the spinning and crossing of multiple lanes on Route 24 that this still remained a single car MVA.

                                    I am home in the motorhome behind Yetter’s Diner as I write this, feeling about 90% better than I did upon my release! But still CTQ, (Confined To Quarters) so if you’re stopping by the Diner for a bite, walk around back and see if I’m home, we can have a chat!

                                    Oh, and I can report that my Crash Diet was a huge failure as it appears that I actually gained a few pounds during my incarceration! Who knew that Clear Liquids for a few days (followed by real food) (minus no Exercise) could be so fattening!

Yes, I know that this is really late but between leaving for the airport at 3:30 AM, connections to Munich, and the arrival in Newark, then the sun was in my eyes, and I stepped on a rock, and then the dog ate the first draft, then we needed to pick up the Motorhome who received some pampering while we were away, then getting settled (groceries, etc.) and having a mild case of Jetious Lagium …… well, here it is anyway 😊

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Our last full day in Helsinki was spent roaming the countryside in a really cool Mercedes “Party Bus”! The seating was sectional, groups facing each other and in the rear the seats lined the perimeter, all facing inwards with tables in front of everyone. Our journey for the day was divided between two places, the little town of Porvoo and visiting with the Count of Malmgard…… Count Erik Cruetz. Yes, he’s a real Count, this particular Manor House goes back 14 generations and portions of the original land holdings still endure, albeit a tad smaller than it was a few centuries ago.

                        Let’s start where we did, in Porvoo. It was a gray, misty, Sunday morning when we arrived. The ‘Old Town” is obviously cute and has mostly wooden structures. This area used a lot of wood as the forests are thick and the masons are not, so the carpenters won out.

                        We arrived a bit early for a Sunday morning, which means that we had the town all to ourselves for a while. Luckily the bakeries and cafes were open as a cup of cappuccino seemed to be on everyone’s mind. Some of the other shops opened soon after we arrived and we were only scheduled for about two hours there as we had an appointment with the Count, and we did not want to keep him waiting! (because he had lots of things to …..count!  Sorry, couldn’t resist!)

                        The Count met us at the front door of the Manor House, which was constructed during the late 1800’s because the family wanted a more ‘modern’ home than was presently there. He was quick to explain that the family did not want the Manor to be museum, that each generation was free to add what they thought would be appropriate for future generations to see and enjoy. Having stated that, he assured us that wanton disregard for the past was not an agenda item either!

                        In today’s society, with its blurring of aristocratic levels and division’s, having a title such as a Count or Baron, Earl or Duke, may seem too be a bit archaic, but the titles do still exist and as long as the holders of these titles are nice, decent people who don’t flaunt their ‘status’ immaturely….. then why not have some fun? There’s a story that comes out of Tallinn. Tallinn with those teeny-tiny lanes and alleys….and the dress of the day included very wide, almost hooped skirts. And really only one of those outfits could be in these narrow lanes at a time. it seems that the courtesy in that day extended to another lady walking head on was to let the lady with the higher title proceed first. I’m sure that you can see where this one is going….. anyway, two ladies meet…. either of the same title or some other de facto issue that caused them to argue over who should give way to who. It gets messy when the escorts of these ladies (who just want to go home and have an ale) have to defend the honor of their lady…..like throwing their coats down over mud puddles and similar chivalrous actions. Arguments ensued, guys got impatient, and finally one of them said, “Since you both seem to be of equal title, why not let the older of you proceed first in recognition of your vast experience.”

                                    To my knowledge they may still be there because it would be a cold day in Tallinn before any Lady would admit that she was older than the other!

                        I’m sure that most of you are familiar with Downton Abbey (and if you are not, please run, sprint, or gallop to your TV’s, find Downton Abbey and sit and watch all six seasons plus the three ‘continuing’ movies, and do not get up until you are finished!) so the bantering about of these titles from that era will be familiar, but still confusing. Who is the Top Dog? And who is last among definite non-equals? (I’ve assembled a list at the end of this Post with the correct ranking of these Titles, just in case you bump into some of your local hob-knobbers and want to make sure that you curtsy in the correct order!)

            You will find that most of today’s ‘Families of Peerage’ need to have other sources of income other than just ‘being’ their titles. In other words, they’ve run their family’s ancient money wells dry and need even more income in order to keep their Manor Houses maintained. Have you ever tried to renovate an existing hundreds of years old home? Just stabilizing them to halt any further deterioration is expensive, never mind improving and bring it up to present-day standards. The Counts present day industries have been alluded to and will be further explained in a few paragraphs from now.

                        First we need to explain the why’s and wherefores’ of the Counts claim to fame (past) so we need to (very) briefly re-visit that Imperial Russian era because that’s when Finland was part of Russia, as an independent Grand Duchy (which means that good ol’ Czar Whoever-Was-In-Power-At-The-Time was  the actual head of state there.) This lasted until that fateful day in 1917 when, courtesy of Lenin and his cronies, there was no more Czar and Finland quickly took this opportunity to vamoose itself from the Russian Empire.

But before its brief inclusion in the Rusky Regime, Finland was part of Sweden for almost 700 years! That probably explains why in Finland signs are often in both languages!

            So, we find ourselves in front of the King Charles IX of Sweden, the year is 1606 and he is listening to the complaining Catherina Hess, a war widow who in a few years will marry Ernest Cruetz…..(there’s our connection to present day, same last name of the Count introduced to you earlier) So the King gives her a big slab of land, and a title that goes along with it, first an untitled ‘rank’, then as a baronial estate, and finally, Ta-Dah! as a  tippy-top Count-level part of Swedish nobility which survives the next 500-plus years and we find it today reinventing itself in more modern times as there are no more serfs, ladies-in-waiting, or footmen to do their bidding!

                        And….. we get to visit his home, take a tour of the old place (which needs a ton of work) (which costs a ton of money) and take a look at what the Count and his estate are presently involved in and very proud of! They are continuing in two veins, one of organic farming, the other in making traditional ales. So far, so good. They have a good reputation for both, we sampled the ales when we were served lunch there and together with some other surrounding organic farms, this region is making headway into that ever-growing market.  

            Apparently, it is far easier to have an organic farm and use those techniques when your neighbor does. The Count informed us that he and the surrounding farms are all have the highest organic certification that can be had and they all cooperate with each other and since they all “do” organics, they can freely borrow each other’s equipment because it hasn’t been tainted with the nasties. Also, because their lands are contiguous to each other, they don’t need to fret about any over-blow from each other of non-organic pesticides, etc. And talk about ‘sustainable’ practices, they even have a historic hydro-electric plant that supplies their electricity!

            All of these efforts show up in the quality of their produce and of course, their brewery products. I don’t like beer, so I don’t drink it. This makes me the wrong person to write about the flavorful aspects of this ancient beverage. I can however relate the fact that they use some ancient grains like ‘emmer’ from which they derive their Emmer IPA, one of the fav’s.

            It was nice to meet an actual person of peerage that laughed with us, spoke about the realities of today’s world, and still needed to be practical when it came to the “Royal Treasury” as it is not as bottomless as it once was. He spoke about having to upgrade the heating system for the Manor House, they’ve decided on Geo-Thermal and also the fact that all of the windows need to be replaced, most of which are well over a hundred years old. And there are over a hundred and fifty of these historical components to be worked on! (And I don’t think that they just call up the local Anderson Replacement Window guy for an estimate!)

            And now, the real reason that you’ve gotten this far… the verily promised list that explains the different ranks in a peerage system! For your perusal and enjoyment…….

Ranks of Peerage

(Most “Royal’ type nations, some countries vary a little bit!)

King/Queen….. unless the Queen gets her title through marriage, in which case she is the King’s Queen, but not a Sovereign. In this case then first born will inherit the Crown.

(King Charles/Queen Camilla)

Queen/Prince Consort…. in this case we have a man married to a Sovereign Queen, he can never be King and is never granted that title.

(Queen Elizabeth/ Prince Philip or Queen Victoria/Prince Albert)

Duke/Royal Duke…. This title always is directly below that of the Monarch. In fact, a Duke/Dutchess may rule a specific area, usually a section of a country. In today’s terms there are not many of these left. There are two duchies in Great Britain, that of Cornwall and Lancaster. Presently the Duke of Cornwall is Prince William, his father King Charles was the previous Duke of Cornwall. This dukedom generates millions of pounds (dollars) per year in income for the Duke. This helps run their estates and provides a source for their philanthropic endeavors. If you are so inclined, there is an article from the April 2012 National Geographic that highlights parts of the Dutchy of Cornwall (particularly the Isles of Scilly) and the then Prince Charles. I remember thinking that he was a pretty good guy after reading about his involvement with the people of the dutchy. (You can just google that article, and Nat Geo should forward it to you)

Marquess…. We don’t hear this one too much, maybe because no one knows how to pronounce it! The holder of this title originally was a large landowner that had the responsibility of guarding the borders of a realm, nowadays it is mostly an honorary (but real) title. And by the way, it is pronounced mark-kwass

Earl/Count…. Used interchangeably by us, varies otherwise by country (Earl in the UK and Count in Sweden) Ok, if you do happen to be a fan of Downton Abbey, this is the title that Robert holds.  Traditionally these guys were larger land holders and as such, they managed the tenant farmers and the like, as well as commanding troops for the Crown. Like most of the others, today it is largely a ceremonial title, but again, a real one. It can be awarded but most of the time it is hereditary.

Viscount…. Here’s another tricky pronunciation for you, it is vai-kount, the ‘s’ is silent. These are quite often members of the House of Lords.

Baron….. the lowest, but still higher than you or me! These faithful servants of the Crown are very similar in scope to their members to the north on this list, the Viscounts.

So, there you have it…. Everything You Ever Wanted(?) to Know about The Peerage System But Were Afraid To Ask! This is the fun stuff, the stuff that you never know may someday appear on Jeopardy!…. now, aren’t you glad you paid attention!

Yesterday we left Tallinn on a ferry that crossed an arm of the Baltic Sea, the Gulf of Finland. It’s about 50 miles across and it takes about two hours or so to cross it. The ferry is BIG, not unlike a small cruise ship. It was quite comfortable being on it, restaurants, slot machines, video games, Sports Bars, Gift Shops, and Duty-Free stuff!

We entered Helsinki, our bus rolled out of the Ferry, and we boarded it for a ride to our hotel. This hotel used to be a prison. Complete with all of those prison-like amenities that one would expect…… solitary confinement, big, tall, long ‘cell blocks’, etc. An enterprising entrepreneur saw something in this and after some extensive renovation opened up as this hotel. Since it is Prison, I decided that a Black and White collection of photos would be approporiate!

An assortment of Prison Photos

Bread and water were served for dinner…… at least it was rye!

Oops!

This is out of order, it was supposed to go out a few days ago, my bad!

We were here nine years ago (almost to the day!) on a Princess Cruise. I’ll comment on that Cruise at the end, and it will have some interesting information for you.

Tallinn is the oldest of the Capital cities (1248) that we’re going to visit, straight out of our favorite medieval times. Its Old Town section is divided into an Upper Town and the Lower Town which affords an opportunity to view things from a higher elevation. Interestingly, our guide for the day told us that Tallinn really only has about 40 to 45 days a year that are not overcast. I guess that makes us fairly lucky because if I showed you photos of nine years ago, they are indistinguishable from those of yesterdays!

                     A note on that.

                     Yes, the skies were that blue.

                     Obviously in Lightroom (my Adobe photo processing software) I have the ability to tweak aspects of a photograph just as if I were working in a darkroom. In fact, I need to be careful not to overdo anything as my eyes become jaded/accustomed/blurry (?) when I stay too long on a project. Suddenly, things get out of control, and I find that sometimes the colors can get ‘over saturated’ only because my brain thinks that it’s normal. If this ever gets (or is) like that, please drop me a line as I consider this to be one of the Cardinal Sins of some publications.

                                So, what you see is what it was!

I could subtitle this piece as “The Rooftops of Tallinn” as there are so many steeples all with multiple views depending on what lane you’re walking down, that it makes for difficult decisions as to what photo may be better than the next. I solved that by including (almost!) all of them.  

                                Tallinn is one of those places that are wonderful to just get lost in because you can’t get that lost! I’m really just referring to the Old Town here as this is the place with the meandering medieval lanes and paths. Quaint little shops and cafes can pop up anywhere and it’s the excitement of the ‘find’ that keeps one in that meandering mode. And then, when it’s time to exit the maze, all you need to do is look up, spy a familiar steeple or tower, and head towards that and get reestablished with your directional orientation and head back to the present day leaving the Serfs, Fair Maidens, and Knights behind.

                                Now for a few more of those photos!

Here is that tid-bit on that Cruise that I promised. 😊

Back in 2017 we signed up for a Seven-Day New England Cruise embarking the last week of September, which puts it near enough to the good ‘leafy’ color times that it was very popular. About ten days before we were scheduled to leave, I received an email from Princess asking if we would consider giving up our room for a cruise in the future.

                                Obviously, the ship was overbooked and they needed some staterooms. The very last thing that a Cruise Line wants is for you to show up on the dock with luggage in hand, and they not have an available room to put you in. That would be suicide. Airlines are a bit different, they just find space on another flight either with them, or another airline.

                                So, no matter what it cost, they needed my (and I’m sure a few more) room(s), I was skeptical, so I checked it out and found that cruise lines have regular departments dedicated to this exercise. It is called a ‘Move-Over Cruise’. In our case, here was what they offered us in exchange for saying ‘Yes’.

                                Free 7-to-10-day cruise, anywhere we wanted to go.

                                Upgrade to a Mini suite

                                All of our monies refunded.

They did keep our money in an ‘account’ until the end of whatever cruise we decided on. This was used to draw from for excursions and the like until we got home and then we received whatever wasn’t spent.

                     We had a year to make up our minds,

                     Narrowed it down to the Mediterranean or the Baltic.

                     Ten-Day Baltic out of St. Petersburg won out, so onto the hot line I went, “Bob” picked up the phone in their offices in California. I gave him all our info, and he confirmed our eligibility for this (which we already knew). When I told him of our decision he said, “Don’t take that one, take the same one, but embarking from Copenhagen.”

                     I said, “We can’t, that’s an eleven-day cruise and you guys told us we had a limit of ten days.”

                     Bob said, “No worries, I don’t want you to have to worry about getting in and out of Russia, so I’d rather see you on the eleven-day one….. it’s the same cruise and you’ll get two full days in St. Petersburg.”

                     Don said, “Sold!”

                     Moral of this story: If you ever book a cruise and they ask you to give up your room (and you can move your vacation) act fast because they only need so many rooms and they obviously ask more than they need to…… so FYI……it’s ‘First come, first served’ in this case!

Some more pics!

If you’ve gotten this far, I thank you. I know that this was a longer one, way too many good pics, but then I believe that Tallinn deserves it. We’ve been lots of places and back in ’17 when we first visited here, we said that this was one of the places that we’d love to come back to, so here we are! And you are too!