DAY ELEVEN- Kalipedia

Well folks there isn't much going on in Kalipedia, as Liz so accurately pointed out ..?

"It'll be a while off them getting a Red Bus Tour here ... and when they do you'll only hop on 'cause there won't be anywhere to hop-off!"

It is true that currently there isn't a great deal to particularly do or see, you have to wonder why P&O have opted for a stop here? Common (or at least tourist) sense would suggest bypassing Lithuania completely and two stops in Norway, in fact this may have once been the plan as the in-cabin literature incorrectly states that following Tallinn the next stop would be Bergen.

Not to down play Lithuania at all, I am sure there are many reasons to visit, but as a tourist stop Kalipedia, even as Lithuania's third largest city is somewhat of a let down.

We stopped at a coffee shop which not only delivered an excellent (and very cheap) americano but also had free wi-fi, allowing us a rare opportunity to communicate with the outside world. We also fell upon an amber store and picked  up some fairly priced items for folks back home. I'm not sure how to check the authenticity of amber; do you bite it, wash it or suck it (does bare a sticking resemblance to barley sugar)? Imagine how your heart would sink sucking on this perceived piece of quality jewellery only for your mouth to suddenly come alive with a sugary rush. Worst still for it to disolve and to find your mouth filled with lots of tiny dead insects added to give authenticy. 

So although still trapped at the oral phase I managed to resist the tempation to see what amber tasted like and instead contented myself with gazing briefly over it with a magnifying glass and giving it a swift but firm rub. 

On returning to the cabin we found a survey about Kalipeadia; our activities whilst in port, time spent and general opinions on the place. It is clear that this is a relatively new destination for P&O and one that they are perhaps trying to develop for their own gain. I imagine that this will remain a solid fixture on the Baltic cruise and with each subsequent visit facilities catering for tourists will increase. As we have constantly seen facilities for cruise liners and their passangers can make or break a port. 

Thought we'd have a little sleep as the ship departs Lithuania, prior to this evenings activities ... whatever they maybe?!? Sadly my sleep didn't last long; first the Captain provided us with an in-depth explanation of our planned journey across the Baltic sea and the journey we'd take on our sea day over the tanhoy. I just managed to doze slightly  before being woken by a crescendo of the chorus of The Beatles "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" as many of our fellow passengers were directed (rather loudly) in Sailaway Singalong. It's then progressed into a few 60's pop tunes before beginning series of Nationalistic British Anthems- "There'll Always Be An England", "Land of Hope & Glory", "Rule Britannia" 

As we know Liz can sleep through war so the carawailing of a few hundred would not disturb, sadly I was awake by "Delilah" and out of bed and perplexed by all that followed. All in rather bad taste perhaps, worst still when it disturbs one of my very occasional afternoon sleep.

As the National anthems(?) drew to close, hysteria took over as the familiar tones of Status Quo's "Rockin' All Over The World" began and my inquisitiveness grew. I had to go and explore, amazed by what I found. Each open deck at the rear of the boat was overtaken with passengers waving Union Jack's and flags & banners hanging from many points. Hundreds of passengers were singing their little hearts out and waving their flags like their lives depended on it.

At first I was unsure, as I've said I wasn't entirely comfortable with the sensitivity of it all, but witnessing it all and seeing everyone having such fun it would be churlish to not admit it all looked a bit of a lark. Perhaps we should try and witness the final  Sailaway Singalong when we depart Kristansands?

On exiting our cabin I found Tushar (the Indian gentleman who looks after our cabin) watching, I'm not sure what he thought of this spectacle, his assistant a little Thai chap (how patronising) looked utterly bemused. No doubt they have witnessed such going on before, but I wanted them to know this was not normal behaviour and made light of the silliness of it all. This seemed to be well received.

We are very grateful for the service we have received, especially from the predominantly Indian & Asian staff who work so hard and appear to only get a few hours off each day. Tushar shared with us that he wouldn't get a full day off for six months, consequently we made more of an effort to leave the room tidy in a vain attempt to reduce his daily work load.

 We think this may provide an explanation as to why no young British people appear to work on board, especially in the service areas. They have neither the work ethic or would be willing to put up with such conditions; although as a British company surely P&O have to abide by employment law and restrictions to  minimum wage & shift patterns? 

The Baltic sea is the roughest we will encounter during our trip, we have slept for much of the time we have been on it up to now. But on the lengthiest part of our journey to Norway we will obviously be awake to experience choppier waters. Sea sickness was a big worry prior to setting sail and it's only this late afternoon that we have felt a bit grotty as the boat lunges a bit. A further explanation could be that we have had a few drinks since re-boarding and maybe a little hungry, so this exaggerates the apparent nausea?

As we cross the Baltic we're going for a Balti (okay it's Tandoori night, but let's not allow accuracy to ruin a pun) ... that is of course if we can stomach it?