Revenge of Cruisin' with Ruben and the Jets

More things spotted from the Daugava: A rainbow of rail cars that probably haven't moved in years.

The cruise scene was a bit odd. The boat was not big enough or spectacular enough to be a real cruise ship, but it was definitely too loaded with amenities to be simply a "ferry." There were overpriced restaurants, a duty free shop, and some modest on-board entertainment. Actually, our friends' young ones seemed to enjoy Pepe, the Ship's Clown. The Ship's Acoustic Troubadour and the Ship's Violin-and-Piano Duo seemed to draw somewhat less intense followings. And by that I mean that they played to basically empty rooms. I'm sure they got paid either way, but there is something really sad about relatively talented and skilled musicians trying their best and not finding anyone who cares. It might have been better for overall spirits if they had just played recorded music in these locations.

In part, the ship was not all that packed - it's early in the season and your correspondent estimates that the money is in ferrying cars and big rigs across the Baltic - and if they can con a few extra people into renting a cabin for the night, that's all gravy.