(DATELINE: BALTIC SEA, BETWEEN ST. PETERSBURG AND HELSINKI)—If there’s one thing you don’t expect on ocean cruises, it’s any kind of surprise. By definition, cruises are designed to be uncomplicated and predictable—you know where you’re sleeping, you know where you’re eating, your shipboard activities are circumscribed, the entertainment is, shall we say, not exactly edgy.
On the boat, your food, drink and even tips are covered in the initial package; there’s no need of wallets, currency or passport. Off the boat, your shore excursions are carefully curated by your guide and tour company. It’s a far cry from our usual vacations, where we aim for an interesting destination and really work it for a week or two, or—like the national parks tour I wrote about earlier this year—where you’re rambling from place to place and no two lodgings or meals are the same.
Serendipity is less than welcome.
Still, when we had the opportunity to join my sister-in-law, her friend and the friend’s granddaughter on a Baltic cruise, we decided, “What the hell?” I won’t lie: as intriguing as the exotic locales themselves, the prospect of fleeing town and escaping the American news cycle and fresh examples of presidential idiocy—even fleetingly and intermittently—sealed the deal.
It’s been a little more than a week since we flew to Amsterdam for a couple of days before we set sail for Germany, Estonia, Russia, Finland, Sweden and Denmark. Since then, President Trump held another race-baiting rally in Phoenix and pardoned a bigoted, law-breaking, civil-rights-violating sheriff, while a terrible hurricane has devastated a good chunk of Texas. Part of me feels a little guilty about running off on vacation—a touch of the Woody Allen anhedonia, perhaps (is it in my Jewish genes?) or the way H.L. Mencken defined Puritanism, as “the haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.” But the other part of me sharply reminds myself that I can’t affect any of this anyway, and that there’s value in recharging one’s emotional batteries; despair and burnout avails no one.
So, here’s the good news: the former East Germany is bouncing back with new development, economic recovery, massive investment in green energy, promoting tourism and fresh political optimism. After more than 25 years of freedom, Estonia, too, is reveling in its political independence, its membership in NATO, its modernizing digital infrastructure, and a resurgent pride in its history and culture.
Maybe the biggest surprise so far has been Russia—at least St. Petersburg, formerly Petrograd and Leningrad, but since 1991, by popular referendum, reclaiming its original name. This quintessentially Europeanized Russian city is aggressively modernizing its roads, bridges, and other infrastructure, restoring and rehabilitating its historic buildings and national monuments, and frankly confronting and overcoming the political and economic wreckage of more than 70 years of Soviet communist repression, incompetence and misrule. The city was teeming with tourists and welcomed them with open arms. To steal a favorite lyric from Randy Newman, “If Karl Marx were alive today, he’d be rolling around in his grave.”
Back on the ship, our traveling companions have been delightful. Moreover, the accommodations are comfortable, the service exemplary, the dining experience far better than I would have thought possible; the weather fresh and balmy, the seas calm. Having more time to read, relax and enjoy some time for quiet reflection has been a slice of heaven.
The only real downside, in fact, has been the frankly pathetic musical entertainment. But that’s what classic iPods are for.
So that’s how I’m spending my summer vacation. May yours be as restful and restorative—we’ll need every ounce of energy and engagement in the months ahead!
Joel Bellman, who seems to be enjoying his reclaimed iPod, worked in journalism and local government in Los Angeles for 35 years. He now teaches and writes on politics and pop culture. He can be contacted at jbellman@ca.rr.com.
