And so, the End

The days on the ship between Gdansk and Southampton are a blur of studying, exams, final papers, Alumni dinner, dance party, end-of-voyage video, laughter, and tears. And the students ARE studying!

We also had a scary/amazing moment when a friend had to be evacuated to a hospital in Gdansk. The ship crew is incredible, and the evacuation -- helicopter, lowered cables, stretcher basket, seat basket-- took less then 20 minutes to accomplish. She will be fine.

One of the classes did a drama performance, and another did an art show. I don't have pix of the astonishing former event, but here are some accordian journals and mix media pieces created by the students.

To add to the excitement, the 18th was my birthday, so you can only imagine what it's like to have 700 people wishing you HB all day, singing, leaving little gifts and thoughtful notes, and even (thank you, Amber!) a video production and (thank you, Janna!) cake for faculty, staff, and lifelong learners.

Now on to our real lives. This voyage has been a dream, a privilege, and an adventure that none of us will ever forget.

Poland

Our final port came a mere two days after Finland, and it rather shocked us all. One thinks of Gdansk in terms of the Solidarity Movement and the Shipyards, hardly things to provoke images of beauty and architectural wonder. Yet it is a stunning city with buildings and vistas that draw thousands of tourists a day from the cruise ships that come to visit. It is reconstructed, of course, because it was bombed during World War II (in fact, the war started here, and there is a monument in Westerplatte where the first bomb dropped).

As we crossed the bridge into Gdansk, the views were breathtaking, and continued all day as we wandered around the streets.

Summer brings not only tourists, but also a three-week street fair/market which bustled with arts and crafts, street food (perogies, chicken), and lively hubub.

After a quick rest back on the ship, we met friends for dinner in Gdansk's premier restaurant, "Pod Lososiem" ("Under the Salmon") in a 17th-century townhouse that has been in the same family for several generations. The meal was superb, but the blini with caviar and the salmon covered with gold leaf (!) were truly memorable.

Day 2 took us out to the countryside with our Interport Lecturer, Nora Orlowska and her husband Andrezj, to their summer residence. Janna got to call the grandkids on Facetime, so she was happy! Lovely lakes and forest, plus a weird/wonderful outdoor museum that had sample houses from Kasabian exiles (a bunker, a Siberian gulag hut, longest table in the world, largest piano in the world, an upside down house, etc.). And then we visited the home of his great-great-uncle, who wrote the Polish National Anthem. Nice.

The food is delicious here, although the menu explanations often have a touch of true originality.

On Day 3 (the days are winding down) we went to Malbork, the largest brick castle in Europe, and it's a stunning sight.

Finland

Helsinki is just a few hours by ship from Stockholm, but we took two days to get there in order to get in class time. Did you know that Finland used to be a part of Sweden, only made independent in 1809? And, that it has nearly as many saunas as people? The two days were jam packed with activities: pre-port with my cousin and her husband from Helsinki, the shipboard auction (raised over $10,000 for scholarships), a pie-in-the-face contest with the Dean and Assistant Dean of Students (to raise money for Pencils for Promise), the excellent TedX talks, a special dinner with Ghislaine Maxwell of TerraMar (she is the daughter of the late Robert Maxwell), classes, and a presentation on "The Lexicon of Sustainability." Then, time to explore Finland.

Seppo and Barbara whisked us up to their summer cottage, located in Iitti, about two hours north of the capital. We passed through the charming village of Porvoo, then saw a seventeenth-century Luthern church before arriving at their absolutely idyllic two-cabin lakeside residence.

At the lake we relaxed, swam, sweated in the sauna (after whipping ourselves with birch leaves), went out in the boat, ate crawfish and smoked salmon, and slept like logs.

On the way back to Helsinki we toured the 19th-century sawmill at Werla, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, some rock paintings from 5000 years ago, and hiked up to a lookout point that captures some of the natural beauty of this country.

Then, off to Tallin, Estonia, on the morning ferry. Tallin is an unusual place, mostly because it has never been invaded, hence, never destroyed. So it's an intact medieval city surrounded by castle walls, wonderful! The Soviet era let it fall into disrepair, but it is reclaiming its glory as a tourist town, easily accessible by ferry from Helsinki (2 hours).

We leave for Poland this evening.