| Flag: | Date: | Port: | Comment: |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
6th May 2024 |
Piraeus Greece |
Athens on my own |
|
7th May 2024 |
Mykonos Greece |
Guided Stroll |
 |
8th May 2024 |
Izmir Turkey |
Pergamon Acropolis & Asklepion |
|
9th May 2024 |
Santorini Greece |
(Volcano, Hot Springs & Winery) |
 |
11th May 2024 |
Messina Sicily Italy |
Land of the Godfather |
|
12th May 2024 |
Sorrento Campania Italy |
Hike to the Land of the Sirens |
|
13th May 2024 |
Civita- vecchia Italy |
Lake Bracciano |
|
14th May 2024 |
Livorno Tuscany Italy |
Chianti and San Gimignano |
 |
15th May 2024 |
Cannes Provence France |
St Paul de Vence |
 |
16th May 2024 |
Monte Carlo Monaco |
NiCE to LGW |
Flag: | Date: | Port: | Comment: |
I got up at 6:30 and had the full English breakfast at 7:15 al fresco a la Veranda in the warm sunshine watching the ferries depart. Cruise Director Dru Pavlov wrote: "Glad you're sticking around for another cruise :-)" Back in my suite, I updated this blog and waited for the guests to depart the ship. I got off just before nine o'clock and walked the one mile to the metro station. Here I spent €2.30 on a return ticket to Athens.
I alighted at Monastiraki as usual and saw the famous Tower of the Winds. I then walked along the Ermou main shopping street to Syntagma Place. I went into the National Gardens behind the Parliament building to have a wee. I continued along the Museum half mile, going into the gardens of the Byzantine Museum and the courtyard of the War Museum. I got as far as the National Gallery, where I turned around at 11:30.
I walked back via the Olympic Stadium and the Zappeio(n) Hall to the new Acropolis Museum. I continued along Dionysious Boulevard to reach the Areopagos viewpoint with its fabulous view of the monumental entrance to the Acropolis. I walked down the Apostle Paul Boulevard to catch the metro from Thissio station back to Piraeus.
Back at the port, I had to walk the one mile back to the ship, getting back at 1:45. All the museums were closed for Orthodox Easter Bank Holiday Monday, except for the Byzantine and Acropolis Museums which were open. I forewent lunch and slept for an hour, before updating this blog. I spent the rest of the afternoon working on my laptop. I touched base with Florin to get the berthing arrangements for the cruise, but didn't have a chance to book my tours.
At 6:15 I moved up to the Observation Lounge to host the newly arrived guests. At 7:25 Social Hostess (SH) Clair led Judy from New Orleans, Sheryl from Arizona, Yuri, Pat, Ginnie (Virginia), comedy magician John Lenahan and myself down to the Compass Rose Main Dining Room (MDR). Here I had the cauliflower soup and the veal piccata to eat with just one glass of South African pinotage red wine to drink.
I had to slip away before dessert at 8:55 ready to get set up by Jean in the Constellation Theatre. At 9:30 Cruise Director (CD) Dru introduced me and I gave my forty minute talk on Mykonos. I went to sleep at eleven o'clock, having done over twenty two and half thousand steps, equal to nine miles of walking, during the day.
I awoke to the dawn at six o'clock and got some good sunrise photographs. At seven o'clock I had two fruit yoghurts to eat and one glass of tomato juice to drink. Christian then issued me with my second choice Guided Stroll through Mykonos tour ticket.
At 8:30 I got my tour number allocated in the Constellation Theatre. We had a local tender to ferry us to the new port where MSC Lirica was berthing. Our guide Sophia led us along the dockside to a waiting SeaBus to ferry us to the old port in Mykonos Town. We had a comprehensive guided walk around the labyrinth of narrow streets. We went in the small, but perfectly formed Maritime Museum, which the tourist office had told me would be closed for the Labour Day Bank Holiday. It had a lovely little garden with plastic grass and the original lighthouse, built in Paris but now replaced in service with a newer model.
At Little Venice I got detached from the group, but caught up with them at the final stop at an outdoor restaurant. Here we had a glass of ouzo to drink and a tasty octopus salad to eat. The latter consisted of cucumber, olives, tomatoes, cheese and one vine leaf wrapped around rice. I particularly enjoyed eating octopus for the first time in many years, including some from the San Francisco couple on my table.
Nearby I photographed Peter the Pelican, the mascot of the island. I climbed up the hill to the Agricultural Museum and the Archaeological Museum but both were of course closed. I walked along passed the main bus station to the shuttle bus pick up point for the five minute, two miles run back to the new port. I only had to wait ten minutes for the next local tender back to the ship.
Back in my suite, I slept for one hour, before Jean set me up at 3:30 ready for my forty minute talk on Izmir & Ephesus at four o'clock. Afterwards I updated this blog and backupped my photographs. I then spoke to Christian who was able to give me most of my first choice tours for the upcoming ports. At 6:15 I moved up to the Observation Lounge to host the solo travellers. I did three or four dances with Judy to the pianist.
At 7:25 CD Dru and SH Clair hosted Cheryl and Yuri, on a table for four, whilst I hosted newcomer Shirley from Hong Kong, Ginnie, Pat and Judy at a table for five in the MDR. I had the asparagus soup, the Maine lobster a la Americaine and the chocolate orange cake to eat, and just one glass of Cote du Rhone red wine to drink. At 9:30 I gave John's magic show a miss and worked on my laptop. I went to sleep at 10:30 having done over eleven thousand steps, equal to over four miles of walking during the day.
I awoke to the dawn just before six o'clock, twenty minutes before my alarm was due to go off. At 6:45 I had the full English breakfast al fresco a la Veranda. At 7:45 I moved down to the constellation theatre to get my bus ticket.
We departed at 8:05 for the hour and a quarter's run to the ancient sites of Pergamon. I slept for most of the journey. We began at the Asklepion or ancient hospital, which had it's own medium sized Ancient Greek theatre.
Our second stop was at the hilltop Acropolis, which required a ride on a Leitner cable car for access. There were fabulous views over the new town, the local countryside and the large reservoir behind a dam. At the top was the impressive Temple of Trajan and on the side of the hill was one of the largest, steepest and highest Ancient Greek theatres. We didn't see the famous Altar and Monumental Gateway of course, as they are now in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin!
Back on the coach we rode into the new town for another extensive lunch out. We began with a meze selection including chickpeas, tomatoes and hot, melted cheese. We continued with pieces of Turkish pizza. The main course was meat kebab with a choice of lamb in chunks, mild lamb & beef minced, spicy lamb & beef minced and chicken in chunks. I wisely choose the former, which was served with rice, salad and pitta bread. We finished with a small piece of bahklava. I had the local beer to drink, served in a traditional pewter mug.
On the return trip, I slept for an hour, until we arrived in the outskirts of Izmir. Back at the ship, I slept for another three quarters of an hour! At 4:30 Cristian set me up ready to give my forty minute talk on Santorini at five o'clock.
At 6:15 I moved up to the Observation Lounge to host the single travellers. I sat with Randy until he was paged at 6:30 to join his sister, neice and ex-brother-in-law Mark al fresco a la Veranda. I did a few dances with Judy to the pianist.
Yuri & Shirley had dinner reservations elsewhere, so Clair led Judy, magician John and myself across by the pool to the Sette Mari Italian restaurant. I began with one glass of prosecco and then continued with the Italian house red wine. We had the usual anti-pasti, followed by minestrone soup for Judy and tomato soup for both John and myself. Clair & Judy had the swordfish, whilst John had the lamb chops and I had the beef tenderloin with Gorgonzola cheese on top. I forewent the dessert in favour of a decaff cappuccino coffee.
At 9:30 I went to the excellent Divos & Divas production show, which I have seen on all five of my splendid Regent Seven Seas cruises. At 10:30 I danced with Judy to the five piece Regent Signature Orchestra in the Meridian Lounge. We did a cha cha, a rumba, a waltz and a couple of jives to their Big Band Sounds set. I went to sleep at 11:30, having done over eleven thousand steps, equal to over four miles of walking, during the day.
With my curtains drawn for a change, I didn't wake up until seven o'clock. At eight o'clock I had the special breakfast of Eggs Provencal, wearing my jacket al fresco a la Veranda. Back in my suite, I worked on my laptop. When Sachin came to service the suite, I did four circuits of the top deck jogging track equal to just half a mile of walking. I then sat in the Observation Lounge to watch the sail in to the Santorini
Back in my suite at ten o'clock, Amelia rang me to say we were not going to be able to tender into Santorini and could I give an enrichment lecture at eleven o'clock. I offered "Mamma Mia: the Greek Musical", but she pointed out there were back-to-back guests who might have already heard it, so I said I would do the "Story of the Mediterranean Sea" instead. I had just half an hour to knock this presentation into shape, adding just one slide: Cholorphyll vs Haemoglobin.
At 10:30 Jean set me up and at eleven o'clock I gave my forty minute talk. At noon I lunched on the chicken soup and the roast turkey al fresco a la Veranda as usual. I then slept for two hours. I spent the afternoon working on my upcoming Bilbao presentation.
At 6:15 I went up to the Observation lounge to host the solo travellers. Randy was there again awaiting a paging message as to where his family would be eating. I did a waltz, a social foxtrot and a smooch with Judy, the former to the song "Tennessee Waltz" as usual.
At 7:30 Clair led Judy, Pat, Ginnie, magician John and myself down to the MDR. I had the mulligatawny soup followed by the Bourbon beef in mushroom sauce with a small jacket potato and asparagus. I had the no sugar added panna cotta for dessert.
At 9:30 I went to hear the excellent Broadway musicals concert again with the six singers in the Constellation lounge. At 10:30 I did a cha cha and a social foxtrot with Judy to the band in the Meridian lounge, but then the disco dancers took to the floor, so we left. I went to sleep at 11:15 having done just over five thousand steps, equal to just two miles of walking, during the day.
I awoke at 6:30 ready to have the full English breakfast, when La Veranda opened just after 7:30. Back in my suite at 8:30, Sachin and Emir were just finishing. At 9:30 Cristian set me up and at ten o'clock I gave my forty minute talk on "Messina: the Port for Taormina" without the final video. Back in my suite, I worked on my laptop.
At noon the Captain praised my port talks in his ship wide address! I then had the black bean soup and the Cuban chicken to eat al fresco a la Veranda as usual. At 1:30 Napoleon set me up and I was able to give my thirty minute talk on "Sorrento: the Port for Capri" at two o'clock with both videos. Back in my suite, I slept for one hour, before watching my latest talk on the telly. I spent the rest of the afternoon working on my laptop.
At 6:15 I moved up to the Observation Lounge where I chatted to Yuri, before she joined another group for dinner. I did a couple of dances with Judy to the painist. At 7:20 Clair led Judy, Pat, Ginnie, Shirley, magician John and myself down to the MDR, but didn't stay with us. I had the sweet potato soup, the shrimp fettuccine pasta and the no sugar added mango ice cream to eat. I had just one glass of Australian Merlot red wine to drink.
At 9:30 I did several dances with Judy on the hard stone floor of the atrium to the ABBA songs of the production singers and the band. When Judy got tired, I danced with Yuri, Clair and Bryna. When it ended at 10:30 I adjourned to my suite, going to sleep at eleven o'clock, but it was now only ten o'clock on Central European Time (CET). I had done just under five thousand steps, equal to under two miles of walking during the day.
I awoke at 7:10, but it was now only 6:10 on Central European Time (CET). At 6:45 the restaurant opened and I had the special breakfast of scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and cream cheese on half a bagel to eat. I forewent the Saturday Bloody Marys and had just a glass of straight tomato juice with some sparking water, but no coffee as I was going out on tour.
At 7:45 I went to the Constellation theatre to collect bus ticket number 22. Out on the quayside I met my guide and sat at the very back of the coach. I dozed on the one hour drive south along the coastal motorway.
Our first stop was at the charming hilltop town of Savoca. At the Cappuccin Convent we saw the mummified remains of the monks in the crypt. We then climbed up to the church near the top of the hill which had featured in the Godfather movie. In our free time, I took lots of photographs of the photogenic village.
We then drove to another nearby hilltop town, Forza d'Argo. Having gone in the central Cathedral, we were again given some free time to explore. Again I took lots of photographs of this second photogenic village. I dozed again on the way back to the ship.
At 1:45 I had a late lunch of BBQ pork ribs with chips & vegetables al fresco a la Veranda overlooking the Norwegian Escape cruise ship. I then slept for one hour, before updating my "Civitavecchia: the Port for Rome" talk. At five o'clock I gave my thirty five minute lecture.
At 6:15 I moved up to the Observation Lounge where I was joined by Judy. Shirley had a restaurant reservation and magician John was preparing for his show, so Clair led Judy, Cheryl and myself al fresco a la Veranda. Here we had the usual anti-pasti, with Judy and myself having the minestrone soup as Clair and Cheryl hit the salad bar. I had the lamb chops well done for my main course with a chocolate brownie for dessert. I had two glasses of the 2018 Chianti red wine to drink.
We sailed passed Stromboli as the sun set, but unfortunately it wasn't erupting. Clair had to leave at 8:45 to record a TV programme, so I held the fort until we had all finished at 9:30. I gave magician John's second show time a miss and worked on my laptop instead. At 10:30 I did several cha chas and rumbas, but no tangoes with Judy to the seven piece band in the Meridian Lounge playing a Latin American set. When they finished at 11:15, I retired for the night. I went to sleep at 11:30 having done over thirteen and a half thousand steps, equal to over five miles of walking, during the day.
I awoke to the dawn at 5:30 as we sailed passed Capri. I got some good shots as the sun rose over the Amalfi peninsula. At 6:30 I had two Eggs Benedict to eat with one glass of tomato juice and one of mimosa (buck's fizz). I gave the champagne and caviar a miss. Back in my suite, I started watching my Civitavecchia and Sorrento talks on the telly.
At 8:30 I checked into the Constellation Theatre, but it was another hour before I was tendered ashore. Here I met our guide Pepe and only six guests. We were driven down to the south west corner of the Amalfi peninsula at Nerano in a minibus. Issued with Nordic walking sticks, we headed out along a contour path, before descending to the Baia de Ieranto nature reserve. Here the warden gave us a small cup of lemon flavoured espresso coffee. He showed us pictures of himself with Prince Charles taken five years ago. HRH had arrived by helicopter, whilst we had walked down.
We continued to the small beach, but there was no shade, so we continued to the old limestone quarry. Here we turned around and returned to the warden's quarters for our packed lunch. We had a huge air dried ham and mozzarella cheese roll and a cake filled with custard. I made the mistake of eating an orange, but had to suffer sticky fingers until we got back to Nerano.
In the Zaghera cafeteria here I bought Ellen from Florida a Peroni beer and had one myself for €7.00. They provided potato crisps and crunchy croutons to eat and free wi-fi. We were then driven back to Sorrento in a minibus.
Back on board the splendid RSS Splendor, I updated this blog. At five o'clock Cristian set me up and at 5:30 I gave my forty minute talk on "Livorno: the Port for Pisa & Florence". At 6:20 I moved up to the Observation Lounge to host the solo travellers. Judy was already ensconced there. Then Juri and newcomer Ronnie arrived, so I was able to do a couple of dances with Judy.
Later Pat, Ginnie, Shirley, John and Clair arrived and they joined Judy and Juri, but not Ronnie in going to the Prime Seven steak restaurant. We had a long table for eight with magician John and myself at each end. I had the clam chowder and the surf n turf to eat, but no dessert, having given the famous popcorn sundae a miss. I had the Californian red wine of the day to drink.
At 9:20 the table broke up, but I decided not to go and see the Crossroads show, which I have seen several times already. Back in my suite, I updated this blog and went to sleep at 10:35 after a long day with no siesta. During the day I had done nearly thirteen thousand steps, equal to over five miles of walking.
I awoke at 6:50 having slept for eight and a quarter hours after the previous day's strenuous hike. At 7:30 I had the full English breakfast al fresco a la Veranda overlooking Cunard's Queen Victoria. The last time I had been on the QV in CV was on the 17th of April 2010!
I then worked on my Cannes presentation until 9:15, when I received my bus ticket in the Constellation Theatre. We drove south along the coastal motorway to the service area to use the loos, before heading inland to Lake Bracciano. We went around the western end of the huge circular volcanic lake to get to the charming lakeside town of Trevignano. Here we had 55 minutes of free time, so I first headed west along the lake, before doubling back. I then went east and climbed up to the church and the ruined castle on the hill. Finally I descended to the main square with the clock tower and the Town Hall.
Back on the coach, we retraced our route around the western end of the lake to Bracciano town. Down on the lakeside, way down under from the huge castle I had visited here last time, we walked along to La Papere restaurant. I was sat with a couple from the Gold Coast of Queensland and a gent from Cheshire.
We began with Tuscan pecorino and truffle-infused caciotta cheeses with black olives and a truffle & orange jam. I gave the deep fried mussels in tempura batter a miss, having the vegetable crudites in tempura batter instead. Our next course was penne pasta with salmon flakes and sliced truffles. Next we had plates of small deep fried freshwater whitebait in batter caught in the lake.
The Australian man had a special mixed grill of various meats as he didn't eat fish. We finished with lovely tiramisu dessert. We had one bottle of the local white wine and one and a half bottles of the red between the four of us.
I slept for half an hour on the drive back to the ship and for another hour back in my suite. At 5:30 Jean set me up ready to give my thirty minute talk on Cannes at six o'clock. At 6:45 I moved up to the Observation Lounge to host the single travellers with both Clair and CD Dru. I did a couple of dances with Judy, before we went down to the Compass Rose MDR. We had a table for six: Judy, Yuri, Cheryl, Clair, Dru and myself. I had the lobster bisque, the Mediterranean covia fish and the rum & raisin ice cream to eat. Yuri bought an expensive bottle of French red wine to share with Cheryl, Clair and Dru, whilst Judy and I stuck to the Portuguese house red wine.
At 9:30 I went to hear Mancunian singer Philippa Healey's show time. She is a talented pianist and soprano singer. When she asked what is the world's most popular opera, I shouted out "Carmen" and she sang the famous "Habanera". She sang mostly musical theatre numbers, including selections from "The Sound of Music" and "Les Miserables". I went to sleep at 10:40 having done eight and a half thousand steps, equal to over three miles of walking, during the day.
I got up to the dawn at six o'clock and had the special tortilla breakfast at seven. Out on the rear Veranda, an Australian couple complimented me on my Taormina lecture, as they had fallen in love with the Beautiful Island (Isola Bella) which I had talked about. They climbed down to the beach with the causeway across to the island and then climbed back up to Taormina, but they had failed to find the cable car.
When Sachin and Emir came to service the suite at 8:15, I did four laps (half a mile) of the top deck jogging track in the warm sunshine. At 8:45 I checked in at the Constellation Theatre to get my bus ticket. I was the last guest to board the bus, but still got one of my favourite seats by the side door. We had to wait a bit and then Shorex Cristian joined us as the first tour escort I had had all cruise. I slept some of the way to the Tuscan hills.
At San Gimignano I had to shell out one euro for the loo at the parking lot, before racing around the city. I entered the fabulous walled city via Porta San Giovanni. I sped up Via San Giovanni to the main square and the main church, before continuing along Via San Matteo to Saint Augustine's church at the far end. I walked along Via Folgore to get to Porta San Jacopo, but failed to get on to the ramparts. I doubled back to the main street, but then failed to find the way to the castle. By then our one hour was nearly up, so I hurried back to the southern parking lot. One American couple were five minutes late back, having queued for ice creams in the main square for an age.
We had a short run to our lunch stop at a very upmarket winery. We sampled SIX red wines, one white and one rose, so I was tipsy all afternoon. The most expensive wine was €910 a bottle with the cheapest at €22. I was sat with Jane from Canada, Randy & Angela from America and tour escort Cristian from Lazio around Rome. We each had a large anti-pasti plate with ham, salami, hard & soft cheese, tomatoes and olives to eat. Cristian gave me his hard cheese as he only likes the softer mozzarella cheese. The main course was a delicious lasagna with some biscotti instead of dessert.
I slept the entire way back to the ship. Here I lay down, but was unable to sleep, so I walked back into town. I headed south to the new Porta a Mare food hall. This was a converted warehouse with the usual fast food outlets including MacDonalds.
I got back to the ship again after an hour's walk, ready to update this blog and upload my photos. I gave the Crew Capers show time a miss and went to the quiet Observation Lounge instead. At 6:45 I was joined by Judy and Clair, but no-one else. The latter had another date, but managed to get the two of us into the Pacific Rim East Asian Restaurant. We began with the edamame beans with black crackers and dip followed by my favourite soft shell crabs. I had three lamb chops with noodles, whilst Judy had the black cod with rice. To finish she had the mango sorbet and I had the white chocolate ice cream. I had a bottle of Japanese Sapphoro beer and she had a glass of the house Merlot red wine.
At 9:30 I went to hear the Diamond Run production show which I have heard several times before. Barny was back in the lead role of the spy, so I never go to see understudy Khan perform it. I went to sleep at 10:40 having done over fifteen thousand steps, equal to over six miles of walking during the day.
I got up at six o'clock, fifteen minutes before my alarm, to an overcast sky. At 6:45 I had the full English breakfast to eat wearing my jacket out on the rear veranda. Back in my suite, I worked on my Monaco talk.
At 8:45 I checked in at the Constellation Theatre to get my tender/bus ticket. Guide Camilla walked us from the tender pier to the coach. It took an hour to get to St Paul de Vence as it had been raining and the motorway was congested. We had two hours to explore the famous fortified hill top village. I walked the length of the main street and both ways of the two exposed ramparts. I found the tomb of Marc Chagall the Jewish Belarussian painter in the cemetery.
Back in the centre of the village, I went in the church and the tourist information office. The latter had an upstairs lounge to relax in. I was the last one back to the bus dead on noon. It only took three quarters of an hour to return to Cannes, as the roads had dried up. Here I walked around the old port to do some photography and videography outside the Film Festival Palace. I went in the Tourist Information Office next door, before walking back to the quayside.
I was one of the last ones to get on board the 1:45 tender back to the ship. Unfortunately La Veranda buffet closed at two o'clock, so I had to make do with a small slice of pizza and a ham & cheese roll. Back in my suite, I slept for one hour, before working on my laptop and starting to pack.
At five o'clock Cristian set me up ready to give my thirty five minute talk on Monaco. At 6:15 I joined Sheryl and Judy outside the Sette Mari Italian restaurant. At 6:30 we were joined by Ginnie & Pat, so I asked for a table for six, but they had already gone, so the latter two sat on their own.
At 6:35 Clair arrived with Shirley, so my table for four was expanded to five. Yuri came to say goodbye as she had a reservation elsewhere. We began with the sharing anti-pasti plates as usual. I had the bean soup, the tenderloin beef with Italian cheese and the chocolate cake to eat. I had two glasses of the Chianti red wine to drink. First Sheryl had to go and pack and then I left to finish my packing.
At 9:30 I went to hear Philippa Healey's second, also excellent, show. She sang four ALW songs and one aria O Mio Babbino Caro plus various musical theatre numbers. At 10:30 I danced several cha chas, rumbas, social foxtrots and smooches with Judy to the five piece in the Meridian Lounge, with two of the brass section, including my favourite trombonist, missing. When they finished at 11:15 I shook their hands and set farewell to Judy. I went to sleep at 11:45 having done fourteen and a half thousand steps, nearly equal to six miles of walking during the day.
I awoke at 6:05 to the bow thrusters for the first time this cruise, twenty five minutes before my alarm. At 6:40 I had the special breakfast of smoked salmon frittata with extra streaky bacon to eat al fresco a la Veranda, with the fabulous view of the rock of Monaco.
Back in my suite, I finished the last minute packing and worked on my laptop. At eight o'clock I moved up to the Observation Lounge for the great view of Monte Carlo across Port Hercule harbour. Here I chatted to a couple from Toronto who used to sail the Great Lakes.
Twenty minutes late at 9:20 my purple 3 tag was called and I said goodbye to Clair at the door. It was drizzling on the quayside and took a while to load our bus and we didn't get away until 9:45. There was rain on the motorway, so it took nearly an hour to get to Nice airport.
Here I was unable to check in for my evening flight, so I just sat around. I finally found a power outlet to charge my laptop so I could update this blog. At one o'clock I caught the brand new tram from Terminal One to Terminal Two. Here I picked up a map of Nice from the information desk. I then trammed back to T1.
At 3:30 I caught the tram from T1 to Grandes Arenas, the first stop outside the airport and the last free link. Here I checked out the new mainline railway station before returning to T1 again. Check-in opened at 5:05 and took half an hour, security had almost no queues, so I sailed through. Again there were no queues at passport control. I didn't enjoy the complimentary Campari in one of the duty free shops!
Once airside, I found a veritable battery of power outlets, so I was able to charge my laptop and one of my phones. We were half an hour late boarding, but the plane was only two thirds full, so I had an empty seat beside me. We were then three quarters of an hour late taking off, but arrived at Gatwick only twenty minutes behind schedule.
There were no queues at passport control and my bag was already on the carousel. The taxi cost £25 with a tip for a five minute journey. The driver said that soon the minimum taxi fare at LGW would be £75, in order to compete with the Uber drivers. I arrived at my £49 AirBnB at 9:20 and went to sleep at ten o'clock (eleven on CET) having done just under ten thousand steps, nearly equal to four miles of walking during the day.
I got up and showered at seven o'clock and petted the resident ginger cat. I left my AirBnB and walked to the nearby McDonalds for a double sausage and egg McMuffin for breakfast. At the National Express office I paid £40 for the 9:30 coach to BoMoH. Here I paid £15 for the taxi to my house. I got home just before two o'clock, after another fabulous cruise on my current favourite ship!
1) Mykonos: Paradise Island
Martin will cover the History & Highlights of this pretty port on this hedonistic island.
2) Izmir: the Pearl of the Aegean Sea
Come and hear about the History & Highlights of this huge metropolis.
3) Santorini: Island of Saint Irene
Martin will cover the History & Highlights of this huge caldera.
4) Messina: the Port for Taormina
Come and hear about the History & Highlights of this port and nearby historic town.
5) Sorrento: the Port for Capri
Martin will cover the History & Highlights of this attractive town and nearby pretty island.
6) Civitavecchia: the Port for Rome
Come and hear about the History & Highlights of this port and nearby ancient city.
7) Livorno: the Port for Pisa & Florence
Martin will cover the History & Highlights of this great port and nearby historic cities.
8) Cannes: Home of the Film Festival
Come and hear about the History & Highlights of this port and gateway to Provence.
9) Monaco: Home of Billionaires
Martin will cover the History & Highlights of this famous principality once the home of Princess Grace.
10) The Story of the Mediterranean Sea
Come and hear about the natural history and human history of this great sea.
186 Cruises 45 Cruise ships (see below) 14 Cruise lines (see below) 10 Storey atrium 10 Lectures given 9 Port talks 8 New tours 7 ??? 6 Elevators 5 Lunches ashore 5 Compass Rose MDR dinners 4 Full English breakfasts 3 Beef dinners 2 Panoramic elevators 2 Swimming pools 1 Prime Seven steakhouse dinner 1 Pacific Rim oriental restaurant dinner 1 Enrichment lecture (Story of the Med) 0 Chartreuse French restaurant dinners
* 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 * CrystalForty Five 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 Marella Explorer Oceania Sirena Sapphire Princess VoD Discovery