Cruisin' For a... Former Soviet Republic

One of the most interesting things about Stockholm is that it's surrounded by water, which means that recreational activities often involve boats. I think Rebecca is going to be a bit sick of boats (hopefully not literally) after this week's visit. So far, we've already been on a sightseeing tour boat, and we're planning to take a trip out to the archipelago this weekend. But tonight, we're going on a Baltic cruise... to Estonia. Random, yes. But of all the cities in close Baltic cruising distance (Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Riga, Copenhagen), Tallinn sounded the most exotic. It's a medieval city of winding streets, ancient buildings, cheap booze and ubiquitous spas.

I took the day off tomorrow, so tonight we'll go on this crazy low-rent cruise ship called the Tallink Romantika (pictured above). The brochure promises bars, dancing, a dinner buffet and gorgeous views of the Baltic. This reminds me very much of a Norwegian ferry I took with my family when I was a kid. The memory my brother and I share of that ride was the horrible fishy, gamey food. I will be sure to let you know how the Tallink ship compares.

Rebecca and I were torn between this and another, destination-less boat called the Birka Princess, which just ambles around the ocean, but features a series of pools and hot tubs, and a year-round solarium complete with sun-bright tanning lamps and palm trees. I'm thinking of taking my parents on that one when they come, but we ultimately chose the Tallink so we could actually get off and spend the day in a weird former Soviet country.

Bonnier actually owns some newspapers in Tallinn, which I find interesting. Our company has an ethic of spreading free speech, so we opened a few publishing houses in Latvia, Estonia and Russia just after the Soviet Union collapsed, to help the spread of democratic, true, non-state-sponsored news.

Anyway, my own goals for tomorrow are not nearly so lofty. I plan to walk around Tallin's old town, eat and drink at a kitschy (but apparently very tasty) medieval restaurant called Olde Hansa, and go to a spa that promises 12 swimming pools and hot tubs, and a poolside bar.

Pretty sure there won't be WiFi on the ship, so I'll report back on our adventures when we return this weekend.

P.S.: There is no Swedener Q&A this week because I received no questions! What an incurious lot you readers are. Please ask me something. Set me a task—I love research.