I returned my car in Klaipeda/Memel and headed down to the ferry terminal to catch the 20 hour ferry back to Germany. The hotel I had stayed at a week earlier had agreed to let me leave the car with them so that the rental company could pick it up there. They were so wonderful about it, they let me make phone calls and organize myself and leave my luggage with them while I went out again for a bit. They were very hospitable and I would recommend them to anyone who would like to go to Klaipeda.
I took the city bus to the ferry terminal. That’s the only thing they did wrong at the hotel, they pointed me to the wrong bus. But I was able to figure it out well with my map and other people’s broken English. It’s a little like being on the Amazing Race except that I’m not in such a big hurry and there are no million dollars waiting at the end.
At the ferry terminal in the waiting room the man sitting in front of me dropped his lighter and I picked it up for him. His back was facing me so I hadn’t yet seen the terrible state he was in. He was very so grateful that I was giving him his lighter and he was completely drunk and he offered me a cigarette in thanks which I vehemently turned down. Then he tried to buy me a coffee and then he bought me a hot chocolate and then he gave me a beer, which I also refused to take and he refused to take back and so I left it there on the floor. He was very creepy and when we were called to the shuttle bus I asked a group of two elderly German couples whether I could join them and they welcomed me wholeheartedly since they had seen all the interactions with creepy man. They ended up taking me under their wing, as it were, for the rest of the journey. They one man was born in Memel. He was 8 went the war was over and we shared stories of our heritage. They have an interesting family too, one that is musical and teaches and is involved in ministries at church. We got along. I also met a couple, who had heard some of my conversations with this other group and asked me about Canada etc. Their daughter is doing teacher’s college and has an opportunity to do a practicum in St John’s. That was our springboard for conversation. They ended up inviting me to stay over at their place in Münster which was so great.
The ship itself was no luxury cruise liner. I shared a cabin with a mother, her daughter and small son. They spent most of their time in the cabin. I only slept there. That was a neat experience to sleep in a bed on a ship. The gentle lulling motion of the ship cradled me to sleep. There weren’t that many places to be during the day. The outer deck was pretty much impossible to be on. The weather wasn’t so great. It rained sometimes and the wind was very strong. There was a bar you could sit in and a restaurant but only during meal times. Otherwise that’s it. I think quite a few people might have just stayed in their squishy cabins. I thought that was a little strange.
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