When Tony and his wife Judy celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary recently, they wanted to make it memorable and spent six months planning a river cruise.
The couple’s appetite for history and culture took them to Russia where they travelled from St Petersburg to Moscow along a network of waterways, including the Volga and Svir rivers, and crossing the huge lakes of Onega and Ladoga.
‘We had often discussed taking this kind of trip which included guided visits ashore and various information sessions on board the ship. However, we dismissed this idea simply because I would not be able to hear the guides on the shore or the presenters on board ship,’ says Tony.
‘The mini mic changed all this,’ he says, referring to the Cochlear™ True Wireless™ Mini Microphone 2+ which clips to another person’s collar and transmits their speech to your sound processor.
‘By asking the guides or presenters to wear the mini mic, not only could I hear all their comments and stories, but I was able to move around and actually look at the items or building being described as opposed to attempting to lip read or rely on my wife to relay important information.’
Tony, recipient
This also meant Judy was relieved of the responsibility of always repeating information to Tony and enabled her to enjoy the trip.
‘When the tour went ashore to visit points of interest on the itinerary, other travellers were given an ear piece with which they could listen to the guide. I couldn’t use that but used the mini mic which was amazing and made the whole trip for me,’ he says.
‘The Fabergé Museum in Saint Petersburg was a real highlight with many of the wonderful creations made exclusively for Tsar Nicholas II and his immediate family. That was an astonishing four hours.’
Tony will long remember the beautiful cathedrals, sipping tea and home-made vodka with a Russian family in their home, Moscow’s Red Square, as well as a folk music concert with the traditional balalaika instrument. And the Kremlin was ‘quite extraordinary’.
The Mini Mic helped Tony ‘process a huge amount of information’, he says, adding that it was a ‘great way to celebrate 50 years together’.
For more information about the Cochlear True Wireless devices, click here.
