| Flag: | Date: | Port: | Comment: |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
25th June 2024 |
BoMoH -> Crawley |
£39 AirBnB |
 |
26th June 2024 |
LGW -> Rome -> Trieste -> |
Hotel Milano *** |
|
27th June 2024 |
Trieste Italy |
On board by 11:30 |
 |
28th June 2024 |
Rijeka Croatia |
Walking Tour of Rijeka |
|
29th June 2024 |
Zadar Croatia |
Zadar On My Own (OMO) |
 |
30th June 2024 |
Kotor Monte- negro |
Prcanj Concert & Kotor |
 |
2nd July 2024 |
Heraklion Crete Greece |
Cretan village of Krousonas |
|
3rd July 2024 |
Kos Greece |
Zia village & Asklipeion |
 |
4th July 2024 |
Paphos Cyprus |
Paphos Half Day tour |
|
5th July 2024 |
Santorini Greece |
Taste of Santorini tour |
|
6th July 2024 |
Mykonos Greece |
Kalafatis Beach Transfer |
 |
7th July 2024 |
Piraeus Greece |
Athens-> Istanbul-> LHR |
| Flag: | Date: | Port: | Comment: |
I awoke at 6:15 ready for THREE fried eggs that needed to be used up. I mowed two of my lawns, but then the battery ran out. I drove out to my two favourite warehouses to do some shopping, buying tin cans of fish broth and some cherries.
Back at home, I had some lentils in tomato sauce on toast to use up some of my bread as an early lunch. I then dozed for an hour. I mowed a third of my four lawns, before finishing my packing.
Just after one o'clock, I phoned for a Streamline taxi to take me to BoMoH coach station. The coach arrived just before two o'clock, but there had been a lorry fire on the Ringwood bypass. Fortunately the driver knew a rat-run to avoid the delays.
We visited the usual airport terminals: LHR five, four, central, LGW north and finally south. Here I caught the local bus, but it went round the houses and I got off too early, so I had to walk a fair way to find my £39 AirBnB. I had been upgraded to a double bed in a house two doors down in a terrace of four operating as a combined guest house. It was the hottest day of the year, so I had to strip off and watch TV as I started work on this blog, naked. I went to sleep at 10:45, but my pedometer hadn't worked again.
I awoke at 6:25, thirty five minutes before my alarm. I showered and dressed wearing my compression stockings, before leaving the AirBnB. Unfortunately the McDonalds at the Crawley Cineplex hadn't opened for breakfast.
I then caught the £2 service bus to the North Terminal arriving at 8:50. The ITA check-in desks opened at 9:50 and I was the second economy passenger to be checked in. The Italian girl, with red flashes to her false eye lashes, said I didn't have to collect my bags at FCO Roma, but they would go straight on to my connecting flight. She didn't know about the terminals at FCO Roma.
Having checked-in my suitcase, I took the shuttle back to the South Terminal and walked out of the airport to McDonalds, a quarter of a mile away. Here I had the bacon and cheese flatbread with a white coffee to eat in. At the end, I bought TWO more B&C flatbreads to take away for each of my two flights this afternoon and this evening. I then walked back to the South Terminal and caught the shuttle back to the North Terminal. Security was quick, except for my green bag which was pulled aside and then eventually waved through without inspection. It is usually my metal bolos that cause this delay!
Once through security, I filled up my water bottle, the relaxation in the rules about water having only lasted a few weeks, before being rescinded. Two days before, in Schithole airport, we were allowed to take bottles of water through security. I then took one dispersible aspirin to thin my blood before the flights. In the duty-free area, I dosed up on the CK aftershave and sampled the white and rose proseccos, twenty quid each. Once through the long zigzag of outlets, I found a desk with power outlets to update this blog.
At 11:05 the gate was announced and I was one of the first through to the lounge, where an Italian lady let me use her power adaptor. I was quickly on the plane which took off 35 minutes late, but arrived nearly on time as usual. Once airborne, I had my second B&C flatbread of the day. When the trolley came round, I had a cup of pear juice and a packet of rosemary flavoured cheeselets. I spent most of the flight reading the free newspapers and magazines that LGW gives away.
We landed nearly on time, but had to be bussed to the terminal. I followed the Connections route which went to a different immigration hall, which was much quicker than the usual bun fight at FCO Roma. I then had a long walk to my new gate. Here I found a charging station for my laptop and mobile phone.
We started embarking on the plane in good time, but sat waiting to pull back for ages. We took off three quarters of an hour late, but the flight was much shorter than timetabled, so we made up some time en route. We had a fabulous view of Lake Bracciano, which I have visited twice in the last few years. I had a cup of pear juice, but no snacks were forthcoming.
Trieste airport is tiny and a long way from the city (32 km or 20 miles), but my driver was waiting to whisk me into town in his Renault people carrier. I gave him a €10 tip when he dropped me at the Hotel Milano. Here I had a tall single bedroom overlooking one of the main streets, so I had to shut the window and turn on the air con.
The concierge gave me a free dinner ticket, which I was able to encash at the local Beer restaurant, but I had red wine instead. I began with the warm salmon pasta in cream sauce, followed by the slices of cold pork in fish sauce(?) with potatoes. I left a €2 tip for the waitress, before exploring the downtown area. I took lots of photos in the dusk of the Gothic revival Evangelical Protestant church, the Neoclassical St Anthony's Roman Catholic church and the Byzantine revival Serbian Orthodox church.
Back in my hotel room, I updated this blog. I went to sleep at 10:30 CET (9:30 BST) having done nearly twelve thousand steps, equal to nearly five miles of walking, mostly in the three airports, during the day.
I awoke at 6:35 ready for my shower and shave. At 7:15 I had a continental breakfast of two warm croissants with ham and cheese to eat. I had one glass of orange juice and one cup of cappuccino to drink.
At eight o'clock I went walkabout along the old port (Porto Vecchio). At 9:30 I reached the new port (Porto Nuovo), and could see the Oceania Riviera in the distance. Here I turned back along the elevated promenade. I walked through the old city photographing the Roman amphitheatre.
Back at the hotel in the new city, I uploaded some photographs to FaceBook. At eleven o'clock I was driven to the ship in a people carrier with an Australian couple from Perth who were acrobats, so they had lots of baggage. At the ship, check-in was straightforward and I was on board by 11:30. I checked-in to my muster station and then moved up to the Terrace restaurant for an early lunch. Here I had the clam chowder soup, the Caesar salad with extra anchovies and two scoops of the Humphry Slocombe After School ice cream to eat. I had one glass of Sprite Zero and one glass of sparkling water to drink.
I then touched base with CD Paul and signed up to be a tour escort. Up in the Horizons observation lounge, I updated this blog with another glass of sparkling water to drink. I dozed for half an hour in between various Tannoy announcements.
At 2:30 the last of the state rooms were released and I had the same number (7066) as on my Oceania Marina cruise, but an altogether nicer decor. It had an enormous shower instead of a bath tub, but a silly little stool instead of a chair. At 3:15 I caught the shuttle bus back into the city. It was carrying lots of the local check-in staff so it stopped along the way. I got out a bit too early, walking along to Venice Place and the cluster of museums in the pedestrianised precint. Here I had to turn back as time was running out. I walked back via the elevated, tree-lined promenade taking more photographs along the way.
At the port gates they wouldn't let me walk in and I had to wait two minutes for a minibus to come and drive me two hundred yards. On the way out the ship had said that it was alright to walk in the port! I then had to walk from the coach park, which was more dangerous than the walk along the pier. At the check-in they wanted to see my passport, which was back on the ship. I then had to dodge the speeding fork lift trucks delivering the last of the passenger baggage.
Back in my state room, I updated this blog and unpacked my suitcase. At 5:45 I went to the pre-dinner dance set with the Riviera Showband in the Horizons observation lounge. Here I did one smooch with Lucy from Mississippi. I had one glass of sparkling water with pretzels, crisps and canapes.
At 6:15 I moved across the room to the solo travellers section. Here I was joined by Social Hostess (SH) Christina from New York City and five single guests: Rob & Robin, both from Perth in Australia (but they didn't know each other), Roland from Ontario, Judy and Alexis. I had just one glass of red wine and some more snacks.
At 7:30 Christina was dining with her family, who were on board, so I led the five guests down to the Grand Dining Room (GDR), where we had a table for six. Here I had the soft shelled crabs, the Sicillian salad, the medallions of veal and the no sugar added raspberry ice cream to eat. At 9:15 I said my goodbyes to the party and told them I would be back in the Horizons observation lounge every evening at 6:30.
At 9:30 I went to the Welcome Aboard Showtime which began with a Glenn Miller medley by the showband. Next the production company did their Hot Festival (Fiesta Caliente) medley, followed by their introductions. Then came performances by the pianist and the classical quartet. The show ended with an ABBA medley by the twelve members of the show company. I went to bed at 10:30 having done over twenty thousand steps, equal to eight miles of walking, during the day.
I awoke at 5:15 excited to be back on an Oceania ship in the Mediterranean. At six o'clock, I had one fried egg with one tomato, one hash brown and five pieces of streaky bacon for breakfast al fresco a la veranda. I had one glass of tomato juice and one glass of sparkling water to drink as we berthed in Rijeka. Back in my state room, I worked on my laptop.
At nine o'clock, I went to the Riviera theatre where we had a long wait before dispatched as there was little room for the buses on the narrow pier. Off the ship, I met guide Kristina with twenty nine guests in group twenty nine! She led a two hour guided walk around the city, which was my second choice of tour for the day. At the old gatehouse, she let everyone go and I led a few guests straight back to the ship.
At noon I had the tomato and bell pepper soup followed by roast pork to eat al fresco a la veranda with a great view of Rijeka harbour. I had just one glass of sparkling water to drink, before sleeping for two hours. I then walked back into the city to do some more photography. As I recorded my piece to camera, it clouded over and I hightailed it back to the ship as it started drizzling.
Back in my state room, I worked on my laptop. At five o'clock I moved down to the Riviera theatre, where I sat with SH Christina waiting for CD Paul to finish the Trivia contest. Lloyd then set me up with a lightweight head mike. I chatted to Natasha the dancer originally from Manchester, but now living in Billingshurst in Sussex. She was doubling up as the ACD as well.
At 5:30 I gave my forty minute talk on Zadar to a small audience. We were still in port, the sun was shining and the Captain's welcome cocktail party with free booze was taking place upstairs, so I didn't stand a chance! At 6:30 I moved up to the Horizons observation lounge where I had a complimentary glass of champagne. I was joined by solo travellers Judy from Ohio and Robin from Perth, Australia.
At seven o'clock I led them down to the GDR, where I had the Marseillaise fish soup, the baby spinach salad, the prime rib of beef and the no sugar added raspberry ice cream to eat. I had two glasses of sparkling water to drink. At nine o'clock Judy and I departed, leaving Robin to finish her coffee. I didn't get a tour for the following day, as I hadn't filled in the form early enough during the afternoon, but I then did fill in all the remaining ports of call.
At 9:30 I went to the excellent World Beat production show. They covered Spain, a Western City, Eastern Asia, Africa, India, Greece and Ireland. The latter featured Riverdance style Irish dancing. The Eastern Asia section included Japanese, Chinese and Filipino elements. The latter was the famous bamboo pole dancing, which is normally done in the Crew Shows, not by the Production Company.
Back in my state room, I watched my Zadar talk on TV. I went to bed at 11:30 having done fifteen thousand steps, equal to six miles of walking, during the day.
I awoke at six o'clock and had the full English breakfast to eat at 6:45 al fresco a la vernada as usual. I had just one glass of sparkling water to drink. Back in my state room I worked on my laptop.
I got off the ship at 7:50, but had to walk a long way down the ferry pier to get to the terminal building. I was the only passenger on the eight o'clock shuttle, the first one away. The drop-off point was at the north western most tip of the old town, where Azamara Journey was berthed. I walked down the north eastern ramparts to the citadel and the land gate, before going around the old little harbour. I circled the university buildings, before cutting into the centre of the old town to photograph the several churches therein. I then worked my way back to the drop off point.
At 10:25, five minutes before the stated departure time, the shuttle bus left, whilst I was sitting nearby eating a banana. I then had to wait, so I walked back into the old town, before catching the 11:30 shuttle back to the ship. At noon I had the cream of halibut soup, the Casear salad with extra shrimps and Black Forest ham, followed by Humphry Slocombe lemon cake ice cream to eat al fresco a la veranda. I had just two glasses of sparkling water to drink. I then slept for two hours.
I spent the afternoon working on my laptop. At five o'clock Paul finished the Trivia session in the Riviera theatre and Lloyd set me up. At 5:15 I gave my forty minute lecture on Kotor to only fifty odd guests. At the time, we were doing the scenic cruising passed the one hundred and one Dalmatian islands (not dogs!), so I didn't stand a chance!
At 6:30 I hosted Judy from Ohio and Robin from Perth in the Horizons observation lounge. At seven o'clock I led just Judy down to the GDR, as Robin had a dinner reservation in the French speciality restaurant. I asked for a sharing table and we were quickly joined by sisters Del and Sonya from the Gold Coast of Queensland. They were occupying one of the penthouse suites. I had the sweet potato soup, the Boston lettuce salad, the steak au poivre and the no sugar added chocolate orange cake to eat. I had just two glasses of sparkling water to drink.
At 9:30 I went to the show time of the acrobatic juggling couple from Australia. It was supposed to be comedic, but I would describe it as slapstick comedy aimed at children. He dropped a juggling club just once during the act. I did enjoy the illuminated spinning clubs in the dark. I went to bed at 10:45 having done over fifteen thousand steps, equal to six miles of walking, during the day.
I awoke at 6:40, but we were still out in the Adriatic Sea. At 7:20 the Terrace restaurant hadn't yet opened, so I went to the Waves Grill by the pool. Here I ordered ONE fried egg with FOUR pieces of bacon and got THREE fried eggs with THREE pieces of bacon. They were however all lovely with half a tomato, a hash brown and some baked beans to eat. I had one cup of decaff cappuccino and one glass of sparking water to drink.
At 8:15 Fajar and his colleague Komang arrived to service the state room as we entered the Gulf of Kotor. Luckily I was on the left or port side of the ship so the sun was just right for photography from my state room. I captured the famous fort at the very southernmost tip of Croatia, as most of the Gulf is in Montenegro. I spent most of the morning working on my laptop, finally finishing my Trieste presentation with 77 slides and starting my Rijeka one.
At eleven o'clock I had an early lunch of sausage and lentil soup, Caesar salad and Humphry Slocombe rippled fudge ice cream. I was in the Riviera theatre at 11:40, but we didn't get away for an hour and then had a thirty minute tender ride as we were anchored two miles from Kotor.
On the quayside I met guide Stefan and introduced him to our thirty seven guests, on my third choice tour of the day. We walked along the promenade to the Western Gate of the old town, where we got on another boat to ferry us across to Prcanj. In the largest church on the Gulf of Kotor, we had a twenty minute recital by four flautists. They played extracts from the Nutcracker Suite by Tchaikovsky and Carmen by Bizet amongst others.
We then got back on the boat to go a little further downstream to a beachside restaurant. We began with mussels and salad, but I gave the former a miss. We continued with huge sharing platters of seafood. I had one giant prawn, one piece of sea bass (with bones), some rice dyed black with squid ink and some calamari octopus chunks to eat. I had two glasses of fragrant white wine to drink.
Back on the boat again, we returned to Kotor, where Stefan gave us a walking tour of Kotor. This passed the Cathedral and the pair of churches facing each other. After four hours the tour ended and I did some more photography. I climbed up to the southern entrance to the castle, but the official was still on duty at the gate, so I backed off, the price having gone up to €15. I walked along both lengths of the ramparts, as is my want.
At the tender quay I had to wait over half an hour in a long line and then another wait as we were driven across the gulf to the waiting ship. I rushed to get changed, but didn't get up to the Horizons observation lounge until 6:50, where no solos were waiting. I dined alone al fresco a la veranda on my second Caesar salad of day with extra ham. I followed this with FOUR lamb chops freshly cooked well done with some vegetables. I forewent dessert as we sailed away from Kotor. I stayed out on the terrace as we passed through the narrow Verige channel.
Back in my state room, I updated this blog and filled in my escort report. At 9:30 I went to the excellent Burt Bacharach tribute production show "What the World Need Now" with six singers, six dancers, seven musicians AND the string quartet playing. It was full of classic songs, but I kept falling asleep, as I hadn't had my siesta that afternoon. I went to sleep at 10:30 having done ten thousand steps, equal to four miles of walking, during the day.
I awoke just before six o'clock, but it was now seven o'clock on Greek time. At 7:45 I had the special breakfast of bagel halves with scrambled egg and ratatouille to eat al fresco a la veranda. I waved to Canadian Roland and said hello to Australian Rob, both breakfasting on the terrace.
Back in my state room, I spent the morning working on my laptop and nearly finishing my Rijeka presentation with sixty slides. At nine o'clock I touched base at the Destination Services desk. At eleven o'clock Alex set me up and at 11:30 I gave my forty minute talk on Heraklion to a good sized audience. At noon the Captain and CD Paul came over the tannoy, so I was able to take pictures of the audience.
At 12:30 I sat inside the Terrace restaurant as it was too hot and crowded outside. I had the Tuscan bean soup followed by the veal with cannelloni to eat. I then slept for an hour and a quarter. I spent the afternoon working on my laptop as usual on a sea day, finally completing my Rijeka presentation.
At 5:15 Lloyd set me up and at 5:30 I gave my forty minute talk on Kos. At 6:30 I moved up to the Horizons observation lounge to join SH Christina and guests Judy, Robin, Rob, Angela and Felicity. Here I had one glass of champagne and lots of nibbles. Just after seven o'clock I led Judy & Robin down to the GDR. Here I had the mulligatawny soup, the chicken kikka masala salad, the chicken breast in cheese sauce and the no sugar added bananas Foster dessert to eat. I had several glasses of sparkling water and finished up Robin's red wine which she didn't like.
At 9:30 I went to the second juggling show, which featured the iconic dance sequence from the movie Dirty Dancing. The couple also did some other great dancing, as well as the tedious juggling. I went to bed at 10:30 having done only four thousand steps, equal to less than two miles of walking during the sea day.
I awoke at 6:20 and pottered around for an hour. At 7:30 I had one fried egg with one hash brown, one tomato and four crispy bacons to eat. I had one glass of sparkling water and one cup of decaff cappuccino coffee to drink. I was breakfasting al fresco a la veranda as we followed the north west coast of Crete. When Komang came to service the state room, I went up to the Horizons observation lounge to watch the sail-in to Heraklion harbour.
At 10:30 I moved out to the quayside to meet guide Katerini and driver Sterios in a minibus. After fifteen minutes we were joined by just six guests on my first choice tour to the Cretan village of Krousonas. It took forty five minutes to drive up into the hills through the olive groves. Our first stop was at the Orthodox nunnery (not a Byzantine monastery), where we visited the church and had Greek Delight to eat with soft drinks.
Our second stop was at a women's cooperative bakery, where we sampled three different pastries and had a shot of raki spirit. Next we had a lovely lunch at a local restaurant. We had Greek salad with BBQ pork and chicken followed by semolina dessert and water melon to eat and white wine to drink.
Back in Heraklion, we visited the new musical instruments museum, where we heard several different songs by three different musicians. Again we were given a shot of Cretan raki to drink. It was an all together excellent tour, but we didn't get the guided tour through the village, nor the live cheese making, nor the traditional weaving demo!
Back at the ship, I slept for three quarters of an hour. At 6:30 I bumped into Judy in the foyer, she having already returned from the Horizons observation lounge, saying it was too crowded and too noisy. I continued up there, where I was joined by Robin. I had one glass of champagne to drink and two canapes to eat.
At seven o'clock I led Robin from Perth down and across to the Terrace buffet restaurant, where we sat outside. I saw Rob also from Perth, eating on his own, so I invited him to join us. I had the coconut & sweet corn soup, the Caesar salad with extra ham, the roast beef with Yorkshire pudding and the Humphry Slocombe ice cream of the day. Rob told us about his service in the Vietnam war where he was a sergeant in the Australian army. We also talked about ANZAC cove on the Gallipoli peninsula during the First World War. I had just two glasses of sparkling water to drink.
On my way back to my state room, I picked up my next escort task. At 9:30 I went to Paul Baker's excellent show time. He had won an Olivier award for his performance in Boy George's jukebox musical Taboo. He sang mostly famous musical theatre numbers. He began with a medley, before singing "Music of the Night" from Phantom and "I dreamed a dream" from Les Mis. He ended with "Impossible Dream" from the Man of La Mancha. I had last heard him en route to Guatemala & Mexico on the RSS Mariner in January.
I went to sleep at 10:45 having done only four thousand steps, equal to less then two miles of walking, during the day.
I awoke at 5:45, fifteen minutes before my alarm. At 6:30 I had just one croissant with ham, cheese and butter to eat al fresco a la veranda as the sun came up. Back in my state room, I worked on my laptop as usual.
At 7:45 I sat in the Riviera theatre awaiting the tender. It took five minutes to embark our tender, five minutes to sail across to the ferry port and five minutes to disembark. At bus number five I met guide Michael from Rhodes and driver Adonis for my first choice tour of the day. Most of our sixteen guests were already on board and we left at 8:25.
Our first stop was the famous Asklepeion or Ancient Greek hospital where Hippocrates trained and practised medicine. Our next stop was at the hillside village of Zia, but I fell asleep at the back of the bus and awoke in the coach park. I ventured off in two different directions, but failed to find the village, so I got back on board. The coach drove through the bustling, but tacky main street to collect the guests at the far end.
We then drove back to the pier in Kos town. Here I walked along the quayside into the town centre taking pictures as I went. I photographed all the main sights including inside the market and inside the main church. Both mosques and the castle were being renovated, so didn't allow entry.
I caught the last tender back to the ship at one o'clock. Here I had a Caesar salad with extra smoked salmon and the no sugar added strawberry ice cream to eat, sat with a couple from Ohio. We talked about Greenland, Iceland and Antarctica.
Back in my state room, I slept for one hour, before working on my laptop. At five o'clock I went down to the Riviera theatre, where Lloyd set me up. At 5:15 I gave my forty minute talk on Santorini. At the end there were the usual questions about the need for two ports going out, but only one coming back.
At 6:30 I went up to the Baristas coffee bar to join Alexis, Robin, Judy, Rob, Christina and newcomer Jackie at the solo travellers cocktail party. At seven o'clock I led just Alexis and Robin down to the GDR. I had the sweet potato soup, the Mykonos salad, the Wiener schnitzel and the profiteroles to eat. I had three glasses of sparkling water to drink. Back in my state room, I had a phone call from reception asking for my passport, as we were about to leave the Schengen area in Cyprus.
At 9:30 I went to the Broadway in Concert show time with seven musicians and six singers. The programme was different from the show on the Oceania Marina two weeks previously. It included "There is nothing like a Dame" from South Pacific and a medley from Les Mis. I went to sleep at 10:30 having done just under ten thousand steps, equal to just under four miles of walking, during the day.
I got up just before my alarm at six o'clock. At 6:30 I had a continental breakfast of just one plain croissant with ham, cheese and butter to eat. I had just one glass of sparkling water to drink.
At 7:15 I sat down in the Riviera theatre, before sneaking on to the first tender away at 7:30. On the quayside I did some photography of the medieval castle. I met my guide Nick and driver Chris of bus 24 on one of the Paphos Half Day (HD) coaches, my second choice of tour.
Our 36 guests didn't tender ashore until 8:30 and then ten from bus 23 joined us making 46 in total. We drove out along the coast road going east. Our first stop was at Aphrodite's Rock which is a huge sea stack approached by a narrow underpass. We drove back via the new motorway to Paphos. Our second stop was at the famous Tombs of Kings on the north west side of the town. Our final stop was at the even more famous House of Mosaics close to the harbour. This was a Roman villa with superb mosaic floors and Greek rather than Latin inscriptions.
During our final free time, I walked along the modern promenade for half a mile in both directions, before catching the 12:45 tender back to the ship. Here I had the green split pea soup with bacon bits and the BBQ pork ribs with baked beans and a small jacket potato with a pat of butter to eat. I had one large glass of sparkling water to drink al fresco a la veranda and a can of Diet Coke back in my state room.
At 2:30 Lloyd set me up, ready for me to give my forty minute talk on Mykonos. Afterwards I sat with Professor Katarina Borer and her partner Paul in the atrium for them to look at my Sibenik slides. They had taken a taxi there from our port of call at Zadar, but only got to see the Cathedral.
At five o'clock I went to Paul Baker's excellent second showtime. It included "Somewhere" from West Side Story, "Moondance" by Van Morrison and "I am what I am" from La Cage Aux Folles. At 6:15 I moved up to the Horizons observation lounge, but no solo travellers materialised, so I dined alone. I had a Caesar salad with extra ham and FOUR small lamb chops with two Duchesse sweet potatoes and some veggies to eat. I had just one glass of sparkling wine to drink al fresco a la veranda. It was full of young preppy people, who I hadn't really noticed before on the cruise.
At nine o'clock I went to the deck party, but it was rather windy, so I didn't stay long. Back in my state room, I started work on my Paphos photographs. I went to sleep at 10:15 having done twelve and a half thousand steps, equal to five miles of walking during the day.
I awoke early, having slept for seven hours, to watch the UK election results come in on the TV. At 7:30 I had TWO eggs Benedict for breakfast al fresco a la veranda. When the boys came to service the state room, I sat in the Horizons observation lounge. Back in my cabin, I continued watching the UK election results, whilst processing my Paphos photos.
At 9:30 Lloyd set me up and at ten o'clock I gave my forty minute talk on Piraeus: the Port for Athens. At 11:30 I had BBQ pork ribs with chips and coleslaw as an early lunch. I then slept for three quarters of any hour, before watching more election coverage on the TV.
At 2:30 I went to the Riviera theatre to await the third tender ashore just before three o'clock. On the quayside I met guide Danae and driver George with our twenty eight guests on my fourth choice Taste of Santorini tour. Our first stop was at the Prophet Elijah monastery on the highest point on the island. We then drove into Fira the main town and got off the coach. We walked up the hill to the town centre, but two ladies struggled and had to sit down. Danae took the rest of the party on to the Marinera restaurant and then came back for us.
We had the usual Greek dips with three types of bread to start, followed by the usual Greek salad. The main course was either chicken souvlaki or pasta in cheese sauce. The meal ended with delicious bakhlava. I had two glasses of the local white wine. I was sat with a couple from Melbourne who slipped away after the starters to meet some friends. I then chatted to a retired horticulturalist from Florida. I moved over to sit with Alexis towards the end of meal. Danae issued the cable car tickets and the party broke up.
I headed south to the old quarry and then doubled back to the Roman Catholic cathedral of St John the Baptist. At 6:45 I took the cable car down to the old port, but there was a long line so I sat aside for half an hour. Loading and unloading the local tenders took an age.
Back at the ship I had just one bowl of bean soup in the buffet. At 9:30 I went to the excellent "Lights! Camera! Music!" movie musical production show. It featured tributes to famous stars like Carmen, Judy, Liza, Gene, Fred & Ginger. I went to sleep at 10:45, having done just over eight thousand steps, equal to over three miles of walking during the day.
Santorini was as photogenic as ever with requests for my pictures from Greece._.Explore and _Travel_Community on InstaGram.
I awoke at 6:20 to the dawn feeling bloated after eating too much the previous day, so I just had a fruit yoghurt al fresco a la veranda. At 8:30 I went out on to the coach park to meet French guide Nina and driver Aris for my third choice Kalafatis Beach Transfer tour.
We left at 9:05 for the short run to the beach on the south east side of the island. I got changed by my sunbed and umbrella, but had to walk up and down the beach to find the best bathing position. I spent only ten minutes in the rather cold, but refreshing, sea water. I then walked a mile or so south west to the double headland. I photographed the upmarket Anastasia resort, but my beach shoes were troublesome, so I headed back to my sunbed. Here I changed back into my ordinary deck shoes and headed off again in a north easterly direction to the next headland.
Back at my sunbed, I lay down for half an hour under the shade of the umbrella. At 12:30 we departed with two extra pax, getting back to the ship for one o'clock. Here I had the cauliflower soup and the stuffed rolled veal with a Provencal tomato and some vegetables au gratin. I then slept for three quarters of any hour. I caught the three o'clock shuttle bus from the new port to Mykonos town, where I photographed all the famous sights as usual.
I then caught the four fifty shuttle back to the ship. Here I said goodbye to CD Paul and the Shorex people, before packing. At 6:30 I went up to the Horizons observation lounge, but just had a glass of sparkling water.
At seven o'clock I moved along to the Terrace Greek Market buffet, where I began with the bean soup again. I was then joined by Judy from Ohio. I had the Caesar salad with extra olives, followed by two pieces of bakhlava and two scoops of Humphry Slocombe ice cream to eat. I had just one glass of sparkling water to drink.
At 8:10 I gave Judy my name and contacts slip and said good night. At nine o'clock I went to Cedric's cabaret in the Horizons observation lounge. He sang songs by Tina Turner, Mary Wells, Barry White and Rick Astley amongst others. Someone kindly bought me a drink, so I had a glass of champagne. I went to sleep at ten o'clock, having done over seventeen and a half thousand steps, equal to seven miles of walking, during the day.
Mykonos was as photogenic as ever with requests for my pictures from Travel.Comm_ on InstaGram.
I awoke at five o'clock and got up at 5:15 to find we had already berthed in Piraeus. At six o'clock I moved up to the Terrace restaurant, where I had a plain croissant with ham, cheese and tomato to eat. I had just one glass of sparkling water to drink. Here I said goodbye to Rob from Perth and Roland from Ontario.
Back in my state room, I worked on my laptop, finishing inserting my 107 Paphos slides into PowerPoint. At eight o'clock I moved up to the Horizons observation lounge, where I stocked up on three buns for my journey. At 8:50 yellow number five tags were called and I said goodbye to SH Christina at the gangway. My ship's card wouldn't register, nor would my state room number, so the supervisor had to be called to check me off the ship.
On the coach, I sat at the back with poltical scientist and EAFIT university lecturer Santiago (St James) from Medellin in Colombia. He had done his PhD at Rice University in Houston, Texas and was en route to Mannheim in Germany. At ten o'clock we got to the airport, but check in wouldn't open until one o'clock. I found a power socket next to the small archaeological museum upstairs at the airport, but I had to sit on the floor. I had two of my three buns for elevenses with a can of Sprite.
Check-in opened at one o'clock and I only had to queue for fifteen minutes. The assistant gave me a more forward row so I could get off quickly for my quick connection. Security was quick too and I was the only customer at the gate for a while when I had my third and final bun to eat.
Our plane was late arriving, but they turned it around quickly. We took off half an hour late, but arrived in Istanbul only five minutes late. We got given a lovely turkey roll with salad, but I didn't find the olive oil and lemon dressing until after I had eaten my dessert. I had a small bottle of red wine to drink. I watched the first half of the Priscilla Presley biopic for a second time. I must add the trailer to my Elvis talk.
At Istanbul airport, I had a fifteen minute walk from Gates D to Gates B, both in the huge splendid new terminal building. The next plane was already boarding, so I didn't have long to wait. My boarding card was inspected on THREE separate occasions at the gate. On the three and a quarter hour flight, I had the meat balls with rice and chickpeas in tomato sauce. This was followed with hummus on a warm roll and a dessert to eat. I had the cherry juice to drink. I watched Bethany Hughes on the TV exploring Istanbul and the BBC News coverage of the French elections.
At Heathrow, I whizzed through immigration, but my suitcase failed to appear. Of course it hadn't made the short layover of under one hour in Istanbul. The assistant said it would be on the next flight getting in at 10:30, but I didn't have to wait as they would courier it to my home later in the week. It actually arrived home the very next day.
At the National Express coach station the last two coaches to BoMoH were both full, but the clerk suggested I take the RailAir bus to Woking. This went from the Terminal 2 bus station, which I have never used before, not the usual Central bus station. It cost ten pounds for the half hour run to Woking station. Here I shelled out £39 for the last South Western Railway (SWR) train of the day to BoMoH. This was crowded until SoToN, when most people got off. Something special must have been going on in London that day.
At BoMoH station, I took a taxi home getting back at 1:30 in the morning, but this was 3:30 on Greek time! It was coach to ATH, plane to IST, plane to LHR, bus to Woking, train to BoMoH and taxi to home. I went to sleep at two o'clock, but my pedometer app let me down again.
Social Hostess Christina wrote: "It's been a pleasure to spend time with you this cruise and I do hope we meet again on the seas!"
Professor Katarina Borer wrote: "We were really pleased to attend your lectures on Riviera. I (with my 8-years of Classical gymnasium education and Croatian childhood) was particularly eager to learn the political history of the sites we visited and the nice infrastructure these successive occupiers left. We will (or I will!!) read your blogs to refresh my memories as the memories are beginning to merge."
It had been another fabulous cruise, with THREE new ports for me to explore.
Score card:
190 Cruises 47 Cruise ships (see below) 14 Cruise lines (see below) 10 Day cruise 7 Tours ecorted 7 Port talks given 7 Tables hosted 6 Singers 6 Dancers 5 ??? 4 Production shows 4 Caesar salad lunches 4 Pork lunches 3 Beef dinners 3 New ports (Trieste, Rijeka & Paphos) 2 Veal lunches 2 Lamb dinners 2 Veal dinners 2 Guest entertainers (Paul Baker & Jugglers) 1 Guest speaker (Martin P. Lee) 1 Caesar salad dinner 1 Pork dinner
1) "Zadar: Capital of Dalmatia" 2) "Kotor: UNESCO World Heritage Site" 3) "Heraklion: Capital of Crete" 4) "Kos: Home of Hippocrates" 5) "Santorini: the Island of Saint Irene" 6) "Mykonos: Paradise Island" 7) "Piraeus: the Port for Athens"
8) "Mamma Mia: the Greek Musical"
I have done three previous Oceania cruises:
1) Western Med
2) Canaries
3) Biscay
* 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
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 Oceania Sirena Oceania Marina Oceania Riviera Crystal Symphony Crystal Serenity Seabourn Odyssey Seabourn Sojourn Ambassador Ambience Ambassador Ambition Regent Seven Seas Mariner Regent Seven Seas Splendor Marella Explorer Sapphire Princess VoD Discovery