We are counting down the last shows of the season and then a week to catch our breath and then we fly to Copenhagen for Prairie Home Companion Cruise No. 3, sailing on July 13 for ten days along the coast of Norway — to Bergen and Trondhjem and into the fjords — and a day in Oslo and then back to Copenhagen.
Summer in Norway is a giddy pleasure, due to the long days and the pent-up feelings from the long dark winter, and you feel a joy of life there that is unmistakable — and which we will compound with some gorgeous shipboard entertainment: The Kreutzer Quartet led by violinist Peter Sheppard Skaerved from London, with pianist Aaron Shorr and soprano Maria Jette, playing music of Grieg as we sail along the coast. And, from Sweden, a grand old jazz band, Kustbandet, paying homage to New Orleans and Chicago. Norwegian fiddle music, too, and poet Phebe Hansen whose grandfather emigrated from Bergen, and naturalists to describe the fantastic sights we'll see — the 5,000-foot Seven Sisters waterfall, the fjords with rock faces 3,000 feet above the sea — and lectures on Norway and the Vikings and Lutheranism. And of course the Guys All-Star Shoe Band and late-night dancing in the Crow's Nest.
Every morning, the Ballast, a ship's journal written by us the passengers, will appear at your door. And look for a slide show made up of the best photographs taken by passengers.
I am bringing two suits, a black one and a navy-blue linen one, for the Semi-Formal nights, of which there are two. It's simply an occasion when those of us who, because we are older and have romantic ideas that we got from the movies, put the rest of you on notice that, like it or not, we are going to Dress For Dinner. You don't have to, but we are going to. That's how that works. But of course it's all about having a good time, so don't worry about it. It's not the Junior Cotillion, just some people wanting to look snazzy.
If you are coming on the cruise and you don't have a passport that is good for at least six months past July 23, the end of the cruise, now would be a good time to panic. And then hustle and get one.
If you have questions about the cruise, don't hesitate to ask. And I look forward to seeing you in Copenhagen July 13.
Garrison Keillor
More notes from GK:
May 31, 2007
November 5, 2006
October 17, 2006