Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Today is the last day of this 41-day cruise segment of our
trip. We know this because when we woke up we found luggage tags and
instructions for being off the ship by 9am tomorrow and out of the cabin by
8am. In case, we weren’t clear on this, when we got back from breakfast we
found all our luggage pulled out from under the bed and the luggage mat on the
bed. We are welcome to get off immediately if not sooner!
So, we must have set sail from Saint Petersburg last night sometime around the
projected 11pm, though we slept right through it. Clay was up around 1:30am and
we were at sea though he could see lights on shore near us. Since we were sailing across the Gulf of Finland, I guess we were never far from land and only had 144 nautical miles to travel. We arrived in
Helsinki about an hour late, so we must have made up some time overnight.
We had an Alla Tour scheduled and paid for here. It was only a 3-hour tour so we were happy to find that they were waiting for us when we arrived an hour late. Good job Alla Tours! The port was running a continuous shuttle from the port to Market Square. There was a red HOHO bus parked right outside and there were reps from that or another company inside the terminal building selling tickets. On our tour, we drove around a small and uncrowded and rather plain city in the bus. We got out in front of the big white Lutheran church on the hill and walked down to Market Square for restrooms in City Hall and 20 minutes of free time. Back on the bus to the Sibelius monument and out for about 10 minutes for photos. Back on the bus to the Rock Church for a 20 minute walk and visit. There was a pianist and the acoustics were wonderful. We drove over to the Stockman department store to drop off those who wanted to find their own way back to the ship and then returned to the pier.
We had an Alla Tour scheduled and paid for here. It was only a 3-hour tour so we were happy to find that they were waiting for us when we arrived an hour late. Good job Alla Tours! The port was running a continuous shuttle from the port to Market Square. There was a red HOHO bus parked right outside and there were reps from that or another company inside the terminal building selling tickets. On our tour, we drove around a small and uncrowded and rather plain city in the bus. We got out in front of the big white Lutheran church on the hill and walked down to Market Square for restrooms in City Hall and 20 minutes of free time. Back on the bus to the Sibelius monument and out for about 10 minutes for photos. Back on the bus to the Rock Church for a 20 minute walk and visit. There was a pianist and the acoustics were wonderful. We drove over to the Stockman department store to drop off those who wanted to find their own way back to the ship and then returned to the pier.
We went up to Terrace for lunch and then started packing. I
found after breakfast this morning that the small roll aboard I planned to use
as my main suitcase for the next 17 days had a broken extendable rolling
handle. Well, it wasn't exactly broken. The button worked on one side of the sliders but not on the other. We unzipped the lining but couldn't see why it wasn't working properly. Clay took it apart but couldn’t fix it. I had seen a woman take a
suitcase to Reception during the trip and they told her they had people that
could fix most luggage problems. I went out and asked Henrietta and she said
that she would take it to see if they could fix it and bring it back. It is
almost dinner time and I’d like to finish packing, but no suitcase yet. I guess
if they can fix it I shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. If I get it back
too late, well then I’m screwed. They were selling small suitcases in the terminal
building and we didn’t buy one because we were sure I could use mine not matter
what when I got it back. Well, too late now. We’ll see. Hurray! Within 15 minutes of my typing the above Henrietta returned my suitcase before dinner so we could set out our suitcases early. They couldn't fix it either but broke it differently so now the handle slides up and down without using the button. I think I'll be asking for a new set of luggage for Christmas this year!
We’ll go to Terrace for dinner. The show tonight at 9pm is a
popcorn movie “Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks.”
I don’t know if we’ll go. Clay went down to Reception with some pocket change to pay our bill of $.60 or so. When he got down there, they told him that we had a balance of 15 cents but that Oceania was keeping it and would not return it. He thinks it is from the money exchange deal he worked with the desk in Ireland and he thought they shorted him a dollar. No idea. We never saw an invoice that showed the outstanding credit. I just hope we don't get an email in a few days saying my Discover Card has been charged 100s of dollars again like they did at the end of the last segment when someone decided we should tip some more! We were onboard to dispute that and they could see that we had included gratuities and it shouldn't have been done so it was reversed within days. I am guessing it won't be that easy after we leave and are traveling for the next month. Fingers crossed!
We decided that even though we moved the clocks back an hour tonight that we'd feel better if we went to bed early and caught up on our rest before we have to leave this ship and start sleeping in a lot of different strange beds! So, no movie for us. Early to bed and off on a new chapter of our adventure in the morning.
We decided that even though we moved the clocks back an hour tonight that we'd feel better if we went to bed early and caught up on our rest before we have to leave this ship and start sleeping in a lot of different strange beds! So, no movie for us. Early to bed and off on a new chapter of our adventure in the morning.
