As Obsolete As Warships In The Baltic?

We booked an August Baltic cruise in February thinking we would have (ahem) plenty of time to swot up on the history of the places we were visiting, polish up our german and learn a few essential phrases in dutch, russian, swedish and estonian.

The "learn dutch and russian" cds have sat on the counter for 2 months. (Thank goodness I don't incur fines!). Alongside those are the epic volumes on Catherine and Peter, both great apparently, but I wouldn't know as they remain unopened....

Here's what I have managed.... Rick Steves Scandinavia DVD, The Madonnas of Leningrad and Boney M's "Rasputin"! Time is running out and I am now reduced to Horrible Histories and the children's section of the library and I have resigned myself to embarrassing schoolgirl german :(

Sounds about par for the course for us!