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As we depart from our coach from the Finnish port of Kotka for a shore excursion on an Oceania cruise, we are 16 miles from Haina, one way from where one of Google’s data centers is located, and 150 miles from St. Petersburg. Russia, on the other.
We are told that Google chose the location in Finland because of the safety and stability of the country. On our 10-day Northern Realms cruise from Copenhagen to Stockholm aboard Oceania Marina, we spent two days in Finland, which is normally the happiest country in the world. Public welfare initiatives, like a new public library in Helsinki, make that ideal easier to understand.
But on the picturesque shores of Kimi, where we embarked on our “relaxing river” raft tour, our guide, Timo Lankanen, pointed out that Russia was miles away at the tree line to the right. The passengers in the raft joke that the wispy clouds we see in that direction could be considered Russian clouds.
“Russia is a bear, and we used to live in the bear’s arms,” Lankanen tells us. A retired member of the Finnish military, he goes on rafting trips in the summer because he enjoys doing it. Unfortunately for many citizens of the Baltic states, the war in Ukraine has been prepared for decades.
Guide Timo Lankanen prepares guests for a cruise on the Kaimi River in Finland. Photo credit: Brittany Krusiel
“Do you support Finland joining NATO now?” A colleague asks for a guide. “No,” Lankanen replies angrily. We should have joined NATO 30 years ago.
St. Petersburg, once considered the crown jewel of Baltic cruises, has been stricken from cruise line itineraries for months, although it’s no easy task to scramble for alternate ports and summer cruises. Due to its location on the Gulf of Finland, Kotka is one of these alternate ports of call.
“Many travelers see St. Petersburg as the only reason to travel to the region,” said Howard Sherman, CEO of Oceania Cruises. “Thankfully, our hard-working, hardy travelers have persevered, and we’ve seen an influx of new bookings from lucky travelers who realize the region will be less crowded than ever before in the summer.”
Sherman said the cruise line reworked Baltic itineraries at the marina to provide “greater consumer demand, predictability and stability.” Much of the marina’s summer season is focused on Norway, Iceland, Greenland and the North Sea capitals, although my itinerary is one of the remaining Baltic cruises with calls to Helsinki and Riga, Latvia, among other ports.
Protest signs at the Russian Embassy in Tallinn, Estonia in August. Photo credit: Brittany Krusiel
Our Oceania itinerary bypassed Gdansk, Poland due to the conflict, but still called at the popular cruise port and capital of Estonia, Tallinn. At Guild Myasmoke, the oldest operating cafe in the country, a ferris wheel spins a smooth teacup in the shop window. I sat at the antique table with a cappuccino and a large slice of cake and stared directly across the narrow street at the Russian Embassy. A fence runs the entire embassy building, but not a single barbed wire is exposed: it is covered with red-painted baby dolls and heartbreaking signs, many of them made by children, accusing Russia of murder and pleading for an end to the war.
“There was an endless drumbeat and media coverage of the war, which didn’t make passengers happy,” Sherman said. “But as you’ve seen first hand, the Baltic region is an amazing experience, and with so many destinations to choose from, we’re sure travelers won’t miss Russia.”
The border with Russia, our guide, is through the trees on the right bank in this photo. Photo credit: Brittany Krusiel
To my surprise, Lithuania shares a border with Russia. Genetically I am one-third Lithuanian, and my expectations were low that the port city of Klaipeda would represent my ethnicity and surprise me in one day. But as I cycled through a variety of landscapes, from forests to sand dunes and cobblestone shopping streets, I wasn’t too discouraged.
Growing up in America, despite my heritage, I inherited a Cold War vision of Eastern Europe. It is hard to remember that these countries have spent more than 30 years tirelessly asserting their independence as independent countries.
At this time, some cruise lines do not touch countries that share a border with Russia or Ukraine, which means that visiting happy Finns and emotional Estonians are both out for the time being.
Between global political events and the pandemic, I respect “abundant caution” in one of the most challenging times in modern travel, but I’m glad I visited these Baltic countries. The region is a difficult place to sail when it freezes in the winter, which means cruise lines – and the world – can only wait to see what happens next year.
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