| Flag: | Date: | Port: | Comment: |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
13th June 2024 |
Lisbon Portugal |
Lisbon On My Own (OMO) |
|
14th June 2024 |
Oporto Portugal |
Oporto On My Own (OMO) |
 |
15th June 2024 |
La Coruna Galicia Spain |
Betanzos & Pazo de Marinan Garden |
|
16th June 2024 |
Bilbao Bizkaia Spain |
Gorliz Hike & Biscaya Bridge |
 |
17th June 2024 |
Bordeaux Aquitaine France |
Victor Hugo & St. Pierre by tram |
|
18th June 2024 |
Bordeaux Aquitaine France |
Airport & Botanical Garden |
|
19th June 2024 |
Lorient Brittany France |
Station Shops & Marina |
|
20th June 2024 |
Saint-Malo Brittany France |
Saint-Malo Walking tour |
|
21st June 2024 |
Le Havre Normandy France |
Paris Capture the Moment |
 |
22nd June 2024 |
Tilbury Essex UK |
London On Your Own (OYO) |
 |
23rd June 2024 |
Zeebrugge Flanders Belgium |
Brugge On My Own (OMO) |
 |
24th June 2024 |
Amsterdam N. Holland Netherlands |
Schiphol ---> LHR ---> BoMoH |
Flag: | Date: | Port: | Comment: |
I got up at six o'clock to watch the sail in under the famous suspension bridge. At 6:30 I had the full English breakfast al fresco a la veranda with a couple from New Zealand. I wished Peter Wall a safe journey back to Birmingham. When I got back to my state room at seven o'clock, it had already been serviced, as they need to get ahead on a busy turnaround day.
At 7:50 we were cleared to leave the ship, so I walked into the city centre. I found the new elevator which goes up to the Cathedral. In Rossio Square I descended into the Metro station which is not actually under Rossio Square, but is under Fig Tree Square next door. Here I bought a metro card for 50 cents and paid €1.80 for one ride.
I changed trains at Alameda and alighted at Oriente into an enormous building. It took some searching to find the mainline railway station on top of the building! I went in the Vasco da Gama shopping mall and then out the other side. I photographed the MEO Arena, the Oceanarium and the Living Science Centre, before walking back south along the estury. En route I photographed the Blue Tiles Museum (Museu do Azulejo), but didn't climb up to the Water Museum (Museu da Agua). I went into Santa Apolonia mainline railway station to photograph the locomotives there.
Back at the ship, I had to avoid the long lines of the new arrivals to get back on board. Here I had the corn chowder soup, the Caesar salad with extra olives and the Humphry Slocombe ice cream of the day. The buffet and veranda were heaving with the newcomers, so I sat outside at a large table, the only one free. I then slept for one hour, before working on my laptop. ACD Jason's Father was taken ill, so he left the ship to be replaced in Bordeaux with my mate Brody, who had been the ACD on the splendid RSS Splendor earlier in the year.
At five o'clock Stan set me up as the stage was being cleared. At 5:30 I gave my forty minute talk on Oporto with lots of questions afterwards. At 6:30 I joined the solo travellers in Baristas coffee bar. Here I had TWO glasses of champagne and lots of nibbles.
At 7:30 I led Steven, Gail and her daughter Lisa down to the Grand Dining Room (GDR). I had the cauliflower soup, the Sicilian salad, the veal and the same Humphry Slocombe ice cream that I had had at lunch time. The two ladies slipped out at 9:15 for the Taster show time, but I stayed on with US Army veteran Steven. At 9:45 I watched my Oporto talk on my state room TV. I went to sleep at 10:35 having done over twenty two and half thousand steps, equal to NINE miles of walking during the day.
I got up at six o'clock to a foggy morning offshore. At seven o'clock I had a freshly made blue cheese omelette with bacon, beans, a tomato and a hash brown to eat for breakfast. When Latoya came to service the state room at 7:55, I did four circuits of the pool equal to half a mile of walking, before adjourning to the Horizons observation lounge to watch the sail-in to Leixoes in the mist.
At 9 o'clock I was off the ship taking the very full 9:15 shuttle bus into the city. I walked passed the Clergy Church spire to the Avenue of the Alliances. I photographed the renovated central market and the funicular railway, but it had started to drizzle, so I had to stop taking pictures. I went in the tourist information offices opposite the cathedral and opposite the railway station. I then caught an almost empty 11:15 shuttle bus back to the ship. This took fifty minutes in the drizzle, whereas the journey out had been only thirty minutes long.
Back at the ship, I had the tomato soup, the roast pork and the "Elvis the Fat Years" (sic) ice cream to eat al fresco a la veranda. I then slept for an hour and a half. Although the sun came out, I spent the afternoon working on my laptop.
At 4:45 Stan(islav) set me up and at 5:15 I gave my thirty minute talk on La Coruna, finishing at 5:45 when the Captain's welcome cocktail party was due to start. At the event, I had one glass of a mango soft drink and chatted to a lady from Colorado.
At 6:30 I went down to the GDR, where I dined with US Army veteran Rich and his wife Barney. He flew Cobra helicopters in the Vietnam war. They used to live near Puget Sound in Washington State, where he drove buses and she was in finance. Now they live in a gated community with a 27 hole golf course near Tucson, Arizona. They usually cruise with Princess, so this was their first Oceania trip. I had the Marseillaise fish soup, the baby spinach salad, the Maine lobster risotto and the Humphry Slocombe "Elvis the Fat Years" ice cream. I had had the latter banana and nut dessert at lunch as well.
At 9:15 I went to the excellent Brill Building production showtime for the second time and sat with Rich & Barney. I went to sleep at 10:45, but it was now 11:45 on Central European Time (CET). I had done nearly twelve thousand steps, equal to nearly five miles of walking during the day.
I got up at six o'clock and had scrambled egg, bacon and tomato for breakfast at 6:30 in the Waves Grill by the pool as we sailed into La Coruna. At 7:50 Latoya & Ahmad arrived, so I did four circuits of the pool, equal to half a mile of walking, but it was overcast. At nine o'clock I moved down to the Marina theatre and got off the ship at 9:15. On the quayside I met guide Marian and driver Gustavo. Two Russian(?) guests insisted on changing buses at the last minute to be with friends, taking me down from 21 to just 19 guests.
Our first stop was at Betanzos, where we had an hour and a quarter's guided tour, followed by half an hour of free time. This was my third visit here, but I still saw and photographed some new things. As the sun came out, we left for our next stop at the Pazo de Marinan gardens, but the famous camellias were all over. Our final stop was at a little fort on an island connected to the mainland by a bridge. I hadn't been here before, so this was a delight.
We were twenty minutes late getting back to the ship, so the guests and myself had to make do with the Waves Grill by the pool. I had the Texan cheeseburger with sweet potato fries. I then touched base with Destination Services back office as the front desk wasn't opening until five o'clock instead of the usual four. At 4:45 I got set up ready to deliver my newly written forty minute talk on Bilbao at 5:15.
At 6:30 I went to the GDR where I sat with Scott & Katie from Maryland. I had the cream of malanga soup, the Boston lettuce salad, the steak au poivre and the Humphry Slocombe lemon cake ice cream. At 9:15 I went to hear Welsh singer Stephanie Webber's excellent show time. She began with musical theatre, continued with country music and pop, bravely finishing with Della Fantasia(?) sung in Italian. I had heard her previously on my first Oceania cruise on the Sirena, eighteen months ago. I went to sleep at 10:40 having done twelve thousand steps, nearly equal to five miles of walking during the day.
I awoke at 6:10 to the dawn, twenty minutes ahead of my alarm, having slept for seven and a half hours. I saw a lovely sunrise from my two floor-to-ceiling picture windows. At seven o'clock I had the special scrambled egg and smoked salmon with cream cheese on toasted bagel halves for breakfast al fresco a la veranda.
At 9:45 I went to the Marina theatre and then left when the first groups were called. At coach number nineteen I met guide Eva and driver Jose with twenty three guests. We drove out to the fabulous Gorliz beach to begin my first choice Hike to the Lighthouse. Halfway up the hill some of the guests had to turn back. Why do overweight people sign up for tours advertised as strenuous hikes?
At the lighthouse we had views over the cliffs to the rocks offshore. Back down at the beach, we drove back into the city. At the UNESCO listed transporter bridge, we had to queue for the elevator, but then it broke down, so we just took the gondola out and back across the river. Those guests already at the top had to walk across the gantry to get a lift down on the other bank and take the gondola ride back across the estuary. We were late back to the ship, but the last shuttle bus back from the city was even later.
Back in my state room, I forewent lunch and had just a can of ginger beer, before sleeping for three quarters of an hour. At four o'clock I requested my tours for the rest of the cruise, but was unable to find out about tomorrow's tour availability. At 4:45 Peter was running the Trivia contest in the Marina theatre, so I had to wait until five o'clock before setting up, as Hilary gave out the Mensa answers. At 5:15 I gave my forty minute talk on Bordeaux to an appreciative audience.
At 6:15 I moved up to the Horizon observation lounge to help host the solo travellers. Then Hilary and then Kathryn arrived and I led off an Electric Slide when the band played "Save the last dance for me". Gradually the singles arrived: Dot, Steven, Troy, Arcelia, Sindy, Gail & Lisa. Arcelia and Lisa gave me their FaceBook names so I was able to befriend them. I had one glass of champagne and lots of nibbles as I hadn't had lunch.
At 7:20 Hilary led Arcelia, Troy, Steven and myself down to the GDR. I had the mulligatawny soup, the Caesar salad with extra anchovies, the jumbo shrimp (prawns) with spaghetti and the sugar free banana dessert to eat. I had two glasses of red wine to drink. Just after nine Hilary had to slip away for door duty, so I held the fort. I gave the Peggy Lee show time a miss, as last time I only knew one song, Fever.
At 9:30 I adjourned to my state room to watch my Bordeaux talk on the TV. I went to sleep at 10:40 having done eleven and a half thousand steps, equal to over four miles of walking during the day.
I awoke to the dawn at 6:15 and got up at 6:30. At seven o'clock I had the special breakfast of a poached egg in cheese sauce on a spinach waffle to eat. Altough we had arrived at five in the morning, we couldn't get off until eight o'clock. I bought a 24 hour travel card for €4.00, but my card never worked when I tapped on in the tram! I then took the tram from CAPC to the south western terminus at Pessac Centre.
After a few piccies, I returned to the city centre and continued on the tram passed our berth to the Cité du Vin which looks like a giant boot. I walked nearly all the way around the Bassins a Flot to photograph the Nazi uBoat pens. I then caught my third tram back to the ship.
At eleven o'cock I had a chicken salad pitta bread in the brand new Aquamar Kitchen bistro. I then slept for one hour. At 1:20 I met my guide Marianne for my second choice Victor Hugo & St Pierre district tour. We took the tram to the City Hall (Hotel de Ville), and began a walking tour of the city centre. At 3:15 we had an hour's refreshments at an open air cafe. I had a glass of beer and no-one had a glass of wine.
We got back to the ship just before five o'clock. At 6:15 I went up to the Terrace restaurant for the French Market buffet. I began with the salad nicoise, followed by roast duck AND Burgundy beef with ratatouille and rice. I finished with the cheese plate with two slices of baguette. It was warm al fresco a la veranda with a fabulous view of Bordeaux and the River Garonne.
At eight o'clock Peter annouced that the gangway was about to be out of commission for half an hour due to the tides, so I flew off the ship. I took the train a couple of stops to Cancon Square (Quinconces) interchange, where I changed lines. I continued to St John's Railway Station (Gare St Jean) where I did some photography, before coming back a couple of stops to the quayside. I took pictures of the Stone Bridge (Pont de pierre) which is mainly built of brick. At the Stock Exchange Place (Place de la Bourse), I recorded my piece to camera. I then proceeded back to the ship at the Maritime Stock Exchange (Bourse Maritime).
At 9:15 I went to Stephanie Webber's second show. She covered songs by Dolly, Dusty, Sarah and Adele, no need for surnames here! I was pleasantly surprised to hear Lady Ante Bellum's "Quarter After One". She finished with "Time to Say Goodbye", but sung in English not Italian as she had bravely done at the end of her first show. At the end I said hello to Dean Stansby, who had spent eight hours at the airport in England, because of a cancelled flight. I went to sleep at 10:40 having done nineteen thousand steps, nearly equal to eight miles of walking during the day.
I awoke to the dawn at 6:15 and breakfasted al fresco a la veranda at seven o'clock. I had two fried eggs, baked beans, tomato, hash brown and SIX rashers of ultra thin streaky bacon to eat. I had just two small glasses of orange juice to drink. I was off the ship by 7:30 buying what I thought was a 24 hour tram ticket, but it turned out to be for the Top 14 Rugby starting the next day only. I changed trams at the City Hall (Hotel de Ville) to go all the way to the airport. Here I did some photography before returning, via the City Centre to the right bank. I alighted at the Botanical Garden, which had free admission. This led down to the river for perfect views of the Oceania Marina. I took the trams back to the left bank and went into the Tourist Information Office which explained my ticket problem.
Back at the ship, I had a club sandwich as an early lunch in the brand new Aquamar Kitchen bistro. I then slept for half an hour. I spent the afternoon working on my laptop, finishing my Adriatic slides ready for my Oceania Riviera cruise.
At four o'clock when the Trivia finished, I got set up and at 5:15 I gave my 35 minute talk on Saint-Malo: Corsair City. We were sailing away from Bordeaux under the Chaban-Delmas lifting bridge, so I had a reduced audience, some of whom thought they were going to get Lorient, our next port of call. At 6:15 I snuck on to the Terrace to watch the sail down the Garonne. I photographed the confluence with the Dordogne where it becomes the Gironde estuary.
At 6:30 I had the French onion soup, the salad Nicoise, various cheese hors d'oeuvres, a strawberry slice and THREE macarons to eat at the second French Market buffet. I had just TWO glasses of sparkling water to drink. I saw the famous Chateaux and vineyards of the Medoc and the four nuclear reactors on the other bank. I had to do a couple of circuits of the pool to reach my step quota.
At 9:15 I went to Dean Stansby's superb When You Wish Upon a Star, Piano Man Songbook showtime. He sang songs by Billy Joel (x2), Del Shannon, Elton John ("Crocodile Rock"), Jerry Lee Lewis, Ed Sheeran ("Perfect" 6/8 time), Michael Buble, Josh Groban ("Impossible Dream" 6/8 time) and Westlife ("You Raise Me Up") amongst others. I went to sleep at 10:45 having done ten thousand steps, equal to four miles of walking during the day.
I got up at 6:30 as we berthed in Lorient. At seven I had the full English breakfast with TWO fried eggs to eat. I had just two small glasses of orange juice to drink. I was first off the ship before eight o'clock and the port agent kindly drove me to the railway station (La Gare). The tourist information office there didn't open until 9:30.
I walked back into the town centre via the Sacred Heart (Sacre Coeur du Moustoir) church which was closed and St Louis's which was open. The latter had brutalist architecture, but some interesting art works and a tremendous echo under the dome. I used the free wi-fi outside of McDonalds as one does. I went in the Nayel Centre shopping mall to use their toilets. I walked back via the marina and the ferry terminal.
Back at the ship just after eleven o'clock, I decided to wait until the Terrace buffet opened at noon. Here I had the spicy soup and a Caesar salad with poached salmon to eat. I had just two glasses of sparkling water to drink. I then slept for one hour. I spent most of the afternoon working on my laptop.
At 4:45 I got set up ready to deliver my forty minute talk on Tilbury: the Port for London at 5:15. At 6:30 I went to the GDR where I sat with Margaret and Tom from New Jersey again. I had the sweet corn & coconut soup, the Cretan salad, the leg of lamb and the no sugar added dessert to eat.
At 9:15 I went to the Broadway in Concert show time with the seven musicians and the six singers. I enjoyed the ALW and Les Mis medleys, but some of the more modern musicals I didn't know. Back in my state room, I watched my Tilbury talk on the telly. I went to sleep at 11:15, having done fifteen thousand steps, equal to six miles of walking during the day.
I got up at 6:45 as we sailed passed a wind turbine farm offshore. At 7:30 I had the full English breakfast with two fried eggs to eat and just one glass of sparkling water to drink. Back in my state room, I worked on my laptop.
At 8:55 Ahmad came to service the state room, so I went up to the top deck to take photos of sunny Dinard, but the sun was wrong for Saint-Malo on the other side of the ship at anchor. At ten o'clock I bagged the last of the orange tender tickets for independent travellers and was nearly last on to the first tender away. Once ashore I walked the entire one mile rampart walk and also ventured out over the causeway to the small offshore island with Chateaubriand's grave on it. I went in St Vincent's cathedral and the Tourist Information Office.
At 12:30 I returned to the cruise terminal (Gare Maritime de la Bourse) coach park to escort my second choice St Malo & Montmarin tour. Driver Alexandria was in situ, but Alain the guide had been delayed in a traffic jam with his morning German party from the small luxury cruise ship Hamburg formerly Hapag-Lloyd's Columbus. We had a short drive to St Vincent's Gate and then the walk up St Vincent's Street to St Vincent's cathedral. We had twenty five minutes of free time in the centre of the old city, during which I visited Quebec Place with the Corsair's statue. We retraced our steps down St Vincent's Street to the public conveniences. Back on the coach, I counted the 33 guests and the two InterCruise reps who had tagged along for the ride. Here I said goodbye to Alain as I had to get back to the ship to prepare for my final lecture.
At 4:45 I got set up and at 5:15 I delivered my thirty minute Amsterdam talk with three short Rick Steves videos to a small audience. The sun was shining, it was a tender port and some of the tours hadn't got back, so I didn't stand a chance! At 6:15 I moved up to Baristas coffee bar to host the solo travellers, where I had one glass of Malbec red wine. Then Steven, Martha, Helen, Arcelia, Dean, Iris and Troy arrived. When one of the other cocktail parties ended, Hilary and Kathryn arrived both wearing blue uniforms for the first time.
At 7:30 they led Steven, Martha, Arcelia, Dean and myself down to the GDR. That was four hosts and only three paying guests! I had the asparagus soup, the Caesar salad with extra anchovies on the side, the Sirloin steak with no potatoes and the Humphry Slocombe black sesame ice cream to eat. I had two glasses of Merlot red wine to drink, so I had to rehydrate in the night. At 9:15 I went to Paul Adam's comedy show, which I have heard before on the Regent Splendor ocean crossing, so I fell asleep. I went to bed at 10:45 having done over sixteen thousand steps, equal to over six miles of walking during the day.
I awoke five minutes before my alarm at six o'clock as we arrived in the Seine estuary. At 6:30 I had two croissants with ham, cheese and tomato al afresco a la veranda in the bright sunshine. At 7:45 I sat in the Marina theatre for just a couple of minutes before my bus number was called out. I met assistant guide Agatha and driver Uri at coach number 12 along with just 18 guests.
It took three hours with one loo stop to get to the Trocadero in Paris where we met Honduran guide Jose. He has lived in the USA, the Czech republic and France, so speaks several languages well. It was overcast at the famous viewpoint overlooking the Eiffel Tower, but the sight never ceases to amaze one.
Our second stop was at the Arc de Triumphe, but we didn't have time to see the grave of the unknown warrior. We then got caught up in the traffic, slowed by the wet roads, so we got out of the coach and started walking along the Seine embankment to the Louvre courtyard.
We had thirty five minutes of free time back on the embankment, so I crossed the 'New' bridge (Pont Neuf) to the Ile de la Cite where I was able to photograph the outside of the Conciergerie & Saint-Chapelle. However both were closed due to industrial action - welcome to France!
We then walked across the island to see the west front of the Notre Dame cathedral which was still being repaired after the great fire. Jose said it was officially a short-circuit, but unofficially it was a discarded fag by a workman! We then walked to the City Hall (Hotel de Ville) which was decorated for the 2024 Olympics. Here we had to wait for the coach to battle its way from the Eiffel Tower to rejoin us. One lady spotted a McDonalds and wandered off, so when the coach arrived I had to wait for her to reappear. On the coach were two little old ladies who had lost their guide and had hailed our coach instead, so I went out with 18 pax and came back with 20!
It was slow progress on a Friday afternoon getting out of Paris, as I slept for one hour. I awoke in a traffic jam caused by an accident. Our loo stop was only just outside the city so we had a long three and a half hour run back to the ship. We were supposed to have been all aboard at 6:15, but didn't get back until seven o'clock.
At 7:15 I adjourned to the GDR, but there was on-one wanting a sharing table with me. I had the lobster bisque, the Mykonos salad, the five peppered tournedos of beef and the no sugar added strawberry ice cream to eat. I had two glasses of sparkling Perrier water (we were in France) to drink.
At 9:15 I went to Dean Stansby's excellent second show including "I'm still standing" by Elton John and "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond. Back in my state room, I watched my London talk again ready for the next day's tour. I went to sleep at 11:15 having done twelve thousand steps, nearly equal to five miles of walking during the day in Paris. However it was only 10:15 on BST.
I got up at seven o'clock, but it was only six o'clock on BST. At seven I went to the Waves Grill by the pool to have two croissants with ham and cheese to eat. I had one glass of sparkling water to drink as we approached Southend-on-Sea.
When Latoya came to service the state room at eight o'clock, I went up to the Horizon observation lounge to watch the passage passed Canvey Island. It looked like they were having their seawall raised again, as they are below sea level and famously flooded in 1953. I then worked on my laptop marking one Open University (OU) Tutor Marked Assignment (TMA) number four for course T802 the Computing MSc Research Project.
At ten o'clock I joined the queue for the face-to-face immigration processing which was relatively quick. Out in the coach park I met guide Eddie from Brixton in London and driver AJ from Rayleigh in Essex. We had 63 guests on the double decker bus, doing my fourth choice London On Your Own (OYO) tour.
We departed at eleven o'clock and got to the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane at 11:15. I viewed the new pedestrianised area in front of King's College and went in St Clement Danes church. I walked along the Strand using the loo in the Savoy hotel as one does. I had the £1.99 chicken & bacon wrap of the day outside McDonalds.
I then caught the Northern line tube train from Charing Cross to the new station at Battersea Power Station. Here I got given a small tin can of 7up lemonade both going in to the south door and coming out of the north door of the former CEGB building designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. Inside the TWO huge turbine halls, I was impressed with the conversion into an upmarket shopping mall. It reminded me of the Swindon locomotive works, now a MacArthur shopping mall.
I then walked along the Thames to cross at Chelsea bridge. I photographed the Royal Chelsea Hospital before going in the free National Army Museum. This was exceptionally good for a military museum and I don't know why I hadn't been there before. I was particularly interested in the Shakespeare & War exhibition. Unfortunately I didn't really have enough time to do it justice.
I then walked to Sloane Square underground station and caught the train to the Temple station. Here I photographed some colourful boats on the Thames, before passing the old Chesham and Norfolk hotels, where I had studied fifty years ago. I sat in the newly pedestrianised area around the church of St Mary-le-Strand, which used to be marooned on a traffic island. Back at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, I stood in the middle of the road with my new camoflaged umbrella to direct the guests to the buses. Unfortunately Eddie told AJ that it was good to go, when I was still standing some way off, so I had to run to catch the bus! It only took one hour to return to Tilbury.
At 6:30 I went to the GDR which was very quiet and I again failed to get any sharing guests at my table. I had the prawn cocktail, the blue cheese salad, the beef Wellington and the blueberry trifle to eat. I had just two glasses of sparkling water to drink.
Back in my state room, I worked on this blog. At 9:15 I went to the Dancin' Fool production show, starring young and petite Richard as the fool. The show both began and ended with the "Dancin' Fool" song by Manly Barrilow.
In the Latin American section they sang "Whenever, wherever" which is a samba by Shakira from Colombia and "Roxanne" which is a tango by Sting from North East England. In the Parisian section they sang "Save the Last Dance for Me" originally by the Drifters, "Moondance" by Van Morrison from Belfast and "Tiny Dancer" by Elton John from Pinner.
At the end the Crew parade came on stage and the evening ended with the inevitable YMCA led by CD Peter. I went to bed at eleven o'clock, but it was already midnight back on Central European Time (CET). My pedometer failed me again, so I don't know how many steps I completed during the day in town.
I got up at 6:20 to a sunny morning. At seven o'clock I had the full English breakfast with two fried eggs. At 7:50 Ahmad came to service the state room, so I went up to the Horizon observation lounge to watch the sail-in to Zeebrugge harbour. Afterwards I worked on my laptop.
At 9:15 I exited the ship and got on the Blankenberge shuttle bus which left with just six pax at 9:30. We rushed to buy our tickets at the railway station and jumped on the train to Brugge. The official helped me with the ticket machine and said that the weekend pass was cheaper than the senior return at €5.20! The train took just twelve minutes to reach Brugge, where I walked into the medieval city taking lots of photographs in the bright sunshine. I recorded my piece to camera in the quiet of the Beginhof almshouses.
At 12:30 I had had enough of the heat and crowds and so returned to the station to catch the 12:45 service back to Blankenberge. Unfortunately the shuttle bus drivers were having their lunch break, so I walked to the beach and back, before catching the two o'clock bus back to the ship. Here I had the surf & turf burger (lobster & wagyu beef burger) with chips at the Waves Grill by the pool. I then slept for an hour and a half, before packing.
At 6:30 I moved up to the Terrace buffet where I had the green Thai soup, Caesar salad with extra salmon and edamame beans, FOUR lamb chops with vegetarian lasagna and a small piece of apple cake to eat. I had two glasses of sparkling water to drink al fresco a la veranda. I chatted with a couple from Indianapolis, who also had a pied a terre in Brooklyn, where their son is an architect. At 9:15 I went to comedian Paul Adams's second show time, which was similar to the one I had heard on the Regent Splendor. I went to bed at 10:30 having done over fifteen thousand steps, equal to over six miles of walking during the day.
I awoke to the dawn at five o'clock and got ready quickly, so I could go up to the top deck to photograph the sunrise. I stayed up on the top deck until we docked at 6:15, photographing the sail-in and drinking a decaff cappuccino from the machine. At 6:30 I had a continental breakfast, as there were queues at the egg station. I had two croissants with ham, cheese and tomato to eat. I had just one glass of sparkling water to drink.
Back in my state room, I finished the final packing. I watched my Amsterdam lecture on the television expecting a tannoy annoucement. When it finally came, half an hour late, it transpired that disembarkation had been ongoing for half an hour. When I got to the baggage hall my bus (Blue2) had already filled up and left for Schiphol airport, so I was put on Blue3 instead. Here I sat and chatted with Professor Carol from Tallahassee in Florida.
At the airport I had to wander around before I found the BA check-in desks. There was a long line and it took 45 minutes for me to get to the front. Then security took 30 minutes and emigration another 35 minutes, totalling 110 minutes or nearly TWO hours of queueing. I had done one and a half miles of walking up and down the aisles, so I have renamed it Schithole airport!
Outside Starbucks, I said goodbye to Judy who was flying via Washington to Boston. There was then a long walk to gate D25, where I eventually found a USB socket that was working. Boarding was straightforward, but we were twenty five minutes late taking off. Also on the plane was Gail and her daughter Lisa, so I said hello when the seatbelt signs went off. They were flying on from LHR to Phoenix, Arizona. Lots of people were coughing on the flight, so I hope I didn't catch anything!
We made up the time as usual, landing at LHR at just after noon on BST. There were no queues at immigration and mine was one of the first suitcases to come through, so I was through Heathrow in less than an hour. I caught the free Piccadilly line service from terminal 5 to the central bus station, where I bought my £36.20 ticket for BoMoH. I had to wait an hour and a half in the waiting area for the 2:30 service which got me to BoMoH at five o'clock. I then caught a taxi home, getting back just after five o'clock, after another fabulous pair of cruises.
Professor Carol Darling wrote: "Thanks so much for copies of your blogs for our 2 cruises. They were most interesting especially as you went to some places that were different from what we visited. Your presentations were well done, organized and informative. For your presentations I usually watched them twice, the first time was for general information and the second time was for specifics in certain locations. Similarly I have read your blogs, but will now do so again."
Score card:
189 Cruises 46 Cruise ships (see below) 14 Cruise lines (see below) 12 Day cruise 7 Lectures given 6 Tours escorted 6 Elevators 5 Beef dinners 4 Full English breakfasts 4 Production shows 3 Continental breakfast 2 Guest entertainers (Stephanie Webber & Dean Stansby) 2 Duck dinners 2 Lamb dinners 2 Special breakfasts 2 Panoramic Elevators 1 Fullsized bath
1) "Oporto: Portugal's Second City" 2) "La Coruna: the Port for Santiago de Compostela" 3) "Getxo: the Port for Bilbao" NEW 4) "Bordeaux: City of Wine" 5) "Saint-Malo: Corsair City" NEW 6) "Tilbury: the Port for London" 7) "Amsterdam: Commercial Capital of the Netherlands" I have done two previous Oceania cruises: Western Meditrranean Canaries
* Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines * Saga Shipping Company * Voyages of Discovery * Seabourn (Carnival) * Princess (Carnival) * Cunard (Carnival) * P&O (Carnival) * Celebrity (RCCL) * Silversea (RCCL) * Regent SS (NCL) * Oceania (NCL) * Marella (TUI) * Ambassador * Crystal
Forty Six Cruise Ships:
Silver Whisper Silver Spirit Silver Wind Silver Muse Silver Moon Silver Dawn Black Prince Black Watch Boudicca Balmoral Braemar Bolette Celebrity Silhouette Celebrity Solstice Celebrity Eclipse Celebrity Edge Celebrity Apex Saga Rose Saga Ruby Saga Sapphire Saga Pearl II Quest for Adventure Spirit of Adventure (Old SofA) Spirit of Adventure (New SofA) Spirit of Discovery Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) Queen Elizabeth (QE) Queen Victoria (QV) Queen Mary 2 (QM2) P&O Arcadia P&O Aurora P&O Oriana P&O Iona Crystal Symphony Crystal Serenity Seabourn Odyssey Seabourn Sojourn Ambassador Ambience Ambassador Ambition Regent Seven Seas Mariner Regent Seven Seas Splendor Oceania Sirena Oceania Marina Marella Explorer Sapphire Princess VoD Discovery