Email from the Ship: We arrived at the beginning of Elba River going to Hamburg at 12 noon 5-6-04 and a pilot came on board at 12:30. It was a 7 hour trip on the river to the docks in Hamburg. We changed pilots 3 different times to guide us to the harbor. Hamburg is a huge harbor for container and cargo ships. I think it may be the largest harbor in the world. It was a picturesque trip on the river, passing many farms with beautiful yellow fields of cannola among other lush green fields, charming German villages, many vacation resorts, loads of activity with ferries, pleasure boats and sailboats, It was very windy and cool to be outside but I dressed warmly and was up on monkey island for awhile to enjoy the scenery.
We arrived at our dock at 6:45 pm. After we cleared customs, I was taken to a hotel close to the airport since my flight was leaving early the next morning. The ship will unload cargo and then sail to Antwerp where the Russian crew will leave and a new crew will come on. Then it sails to Hull where the British will leave and a new British crew will board. Then it goes to Dunkirk to start over.
It has been a grand, memorable adventure for me. Often my experiences were so awesome I couldn't find words to describe them. The captain and crew were were very friendly which added a lot to the enjoyment of the trip. It was a little sad to say goodbye to everyone after being with them for 108 days but we were all happy to be going home.
I read somewhere that "the sea restores your soul and broadens your perspective on life" and I found this to be so true.
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