Europe
Seeing as the whole boat journey was a present, I decided
I would indulge myself and have a good dinner. I attacked the Serenade Buffet with gusto, eating my fill of a wide variety
and large quantity of the delicious-looking Baltic goodies.
Naturally, I ordered a bottle of good white wine to complement
the food.
I was sitting at the same table as a Finnish family ? the
husband, Tapani, who smiled at me politely, his sociable and
charming wife, Sinikka, and their three children. We had a
long chat and when I finally got round to asking the waiter
for the bill, he said
“This gentleman has already paid.” I looked at Tapani in
surprise. Sinikka immediately explained, “We enjoyed dinner
so much this evening. We really appreciated talking to you
and hearing all about your adventures. The dinner is a
present from Finland, celebrating your successes so far and
wishing you good luck for the rest of the journey.” It seemed
that everyone was sponsoring me.
Kiitos. Paljon! (Deepest thanks) (from "Against the Wind" - Poolbeg Press)
