LIFE on the ocean wave! Singing this whilst watching Meg Richardson sail away from Crossroads was until recently the nearest I had got to cruising, but that was before I went on a Baltic cruise courtesy of Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines.I sailed away on their ship Boudicca from the Port of Tyne near Newcastle which can be easily reached by train or car from the Midlands. From the minute you board your every need is catered for. The crew are friendly, polite, efficient and always well presented. My cabin was kept immaculate by Pamela who I rarely saw but who seemed to know when I wasn't there so she could clean or make up the bed. In the restaurant our waiter, Johnny got to know our likes and dislikes in a remarkably short time. The Boudicca carries 839 passengers in 437 cabins which in comparison to some cruise ships is small, but many of the passengers I spoke to liked travelling with Fred. Olsen because of their smaller ships and the intimacy they offered. Many returned year after year to see different parts of the world. During the day there is a programme of activities including dance classes, quizzes and bridge, but if you want to do your own thing there is plenty to keep you occupied or you can just find a quiet corner to read or literally watch the world go by. In the evening there is show time. Each evening is different but it can be a singer, a magician and or comedian, which on our cruise happened to be Lee Wilson from Wednesbury. Food plays a great part in cruising and all the meals are of a high standard and well presented. You can eat as little or as much as you like, choosing from a 7 course menu for lunch and dinner. Also available is mid morning coffee with biscuits, afternoon tea with cakes and sandwiches and midnight snacks. No wonder my clothes started to get tight! The ship was captained by Norwegian Jan Thommessen who has been in charge on Boudicca since 2005. He looks like you imagine a sea captain should, with white hair and beard and a broad inWhen in port he doesn't like to be too far away from the ship, so the furthest he goes is for a strole along the dock. He manages 320 crew from 20 different nations but says 'the key to this working successfully is for everyone to be flexible'. The first formal night of the cruise is also the Captain's welcome cocktail party, where he greets, and has his photograph taken with every passenger. After this he introduced the senior members of his crew, picked up his trumpet and played, extremely well with the band! Dress is formal so it's a chance for ladies to put on their posh frocks and gentleman their tuxedos and it's a great atmosphere. Other evenings vary between casual, informal and themed nights. But what about the ports of call? From Newcastle we cruised for 24 hours across the North Sea to the Kiel Canal. This canal runs between the North and Baltic sea through the fertile land of Schleswig-Holstein, which is the part of Germany adjoining the Danish border. It takes 7-9 hours to pass through the canal and due to the volume of traffic we were delayed entering it which also meant we were late arriving at our first stop - Warnemunde in Germany 9 miles from Rostock. Organised excursions are available in all ports of call or you can go ashore independently (except in St Petersburg where you can only go ashore independently if you have your own visa). We visited Berlin, a three-hour drive each way with about 7 hours in the city itself. On arrival we joined a riverboat on the River Spree for lunch and then had a sightseeing tour of the city from the water. Re-joining our coach we went on a whistle-stop tour of the city visiting all the main sites. These included the Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, a part of the Berlin Wall and the Reichstag building with its glass dome renovated by English architect Sir Norman Foster. You walk up the dome on one walkway and down on another, but from both inside and out it looks to be just one walkway. From here you have a magnificent panoramic view of the city. Our next port of call was Helsinki the capital of Finland known as 'The Daughter of the Baltic' and 'The White City of the North'. Helsinki's tallest building is the elegant, white Lutheran Cathedral which stands in the impressive Senate Square. We also visited the Temppeliaukio Church which has been blasted out of solid rock and has fantastic acoustics and the Sibelius monument which honours the composer and is comprised of 527 steel pipes.Read
