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26th Sep. 2022 |
BoMoH --> DoVeR |
GBP 32 per night AirBnB |
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29th Sep. 2022 |
La Coruna Galicia Spain |
La Coruna Sightseeing tour |
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1st Oct. 2022 |
Malaga Andalusia Spain |
Roman Anadalusia tour |
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3rd Oct. 2022 |
Cagliari Sardinia Italy |
Barumini Su Nuraxi all day tour |
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4th Oct. 2022 |
Naples Italy |
Herculaneum & Pompeii all day tour |
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5th Oct. 2022 |
Civita- vecchia Italy |
Bracciano Castle & Anguillara |
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6th Oct. 2022 |
Livorno Tuscany Italy |
Florence On Your Own all day tour |
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9th Oct. 2022 |
Lisbon Portugal |
Nine miles of walking! |
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12th Oct. 2022 |
DoVeR U.K. |
Home by 11 o'clock |
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I awoke just after seven o'clock and left the house at 9:20. I had an easy run to Kent getting to Maidstone services in two and a half hours. Here I had my packed lunch of cheese, tomatoes and olives, together with the GBP 1.99 wrap of the day from McDonalds.
I got to my GBP 32 AirBnB in Dover at three o'clock, where I started writing this blog. I then walked in to town. The town museum had a display on pilgrimages including the famous Camino de Santiago de Compostela, which I will be lecturing on in two days time! In KFC I had their GBP 1.98 wrap of the day. There is obviously a price war going on between KFC and McDs!
Back in my B&B, I updated this blog. During the evening I watched television on my mobile phone. I went to sleep at eleven o'clock having done eleven and a half thousand steps, equal to four and a half miles of walking during the day.
I awoke to the dawn at 6:45, ready for my Boots sarnies for break fast. Having abluted, I took a negative RALF test to show at check-in. I checked-out at nine o'clock and drove along the coast to St Margaret's at Cliffe. Here I did a two mile walk along the tops of the white cliffs of DoVeR to the South Foreland light house.
I was reminded of the old sea shanty, charting the south coast of England:
"So the first land we made, it is call-ed the Deadman,
Then Ram(e) Head off Plymouth, Start, Portland & Wight.
We sail-ed by Beachy, by Fairlight & Dungeness,
And then bore away for the South Foreland light."
I then drove along the coast to photograph both Walmer and Deal castles built by Henry VIII. In the Deal Oxfam book shop I bought some maps and a guide to Mount Vesuvius, which I will be lecturing on in a few days time!
I got back to the cruise terminals in DoVeR at noon to off load my suit case. I then parked up on the Western Heights and walked back to the Cruise Terminal two. This was empty, so I breezed straight through and was on board by one o'clock.
It took me an hour to settle in and eat my packed lunch, before dozing for three quarters of an hour. This was disturbed by a code alpha stretcher alert and TWO visits by my stewardess. I then toured the ship taking photographs and checking in to my life boat.
Back in my cabin, I up dated this blog. At 4:30 we had the entertainers' cocktail party led by ACD Anthony from Neath. I said hello to comedian Gerry Graham and the dance host team. One of the latter, Guiseppe, said that his dance partner back home, Tessa Hicks from Hungerford, remembered me from my Highworth days! TJ the stage manager remembered me and got me wired up ready for tomorrow.
At 5:30 I went to the first, thinly attended dance set in the Ocean bar with Malou and the Filippino quartet, but no dance hosts. At 6:15 I dined in the View buffet on cream of parsnip soup, chicken tortilla, a cheese plate and salted caramel ice cream with crushed nuts and chocolate sprinkles.
At 7:45 I went to the dance session in the Observatory with Malou and the quartet, but they had seats and tables positioned on the already small dance floor! At first I danced with dance hostess Judith, but then with guests Pat & her sister Peggy, Brenda & her friend Jean and Mary, all five from Lancashire!
At 8:45 I went to the Taster show time in the Neptune theatre. The ten strong production company began with a high energy selection from the Greatest Showman. I only knew one track, the "Never Enough" song. Sammie began her introduction by announcing my first two lectures and Helen's first talk tomorrow. She then allowed her team to introduce themselves. The production company then did their Wizard of Oz selection, beginning and ending inevitably with "Somewhere over the Rainbow!"
I went to sleep at 10 o'clock (BST), but it was now 11 o'clock on Spanish time. During the day I had done over twenty thousand steps, equal to over eight miles of walking!
I awoke at 6:25 having slept for over eight hours, but it was now 7:25 on Central European Time (CET). I had my mug of instant decaff coffee in the cabin, before abluting. Just after eight o'clock, I broke my fast with TWO eggs Benedict and TWO tomato juices in the main dining room beside the huge rear windows. Unfortunately the wi-fi was still playing up, so I had to visit Guest Services again.
Back in my cabin, Sineenart (Neena for short) had already made up my bed and taken my laundry away. At nine o'clock I handed in my shore excursions escort wish list and got up dated on tour availabilities for tomorrow. At 10:30 I met up with Julius to be set up for my first lecture. This was 40 minutes on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela to a good audience in the Neptune theatre. I had a few questions to answer, including an elderly lady who was proposing to go to Santiago by train!
At noon I went to Ron & Judy's beginners social foxtrot dance class. They began with the social foxtrot basic, but then switched to the cha cha basic and New Yorks! They then switched back to the social foxtrot promenades and side taps. There were ten guests present and I danced with South African Ruth from Canterbury. She had been a psychology lecturer at the University of East London and then at Canterbury Christ Church University. Guiseppe, one of the dance hosts, was suffering from sea sickness as we crossed a choppy Bay of Biscuits!
At 12:45 I lunched on my first burger & fries with no bun in the Lido beside the pool. I was sat with dancer Mary from Maidstone who had the fish & chips. She shared some of her chips with me!
At two o'clock I went to Helen Poole's talk on Julius Caesar and the Celts, but I kept nodding off. She finished bang on time, so I was able to set up easily.
At 3:15 I gave my 40 minute lecture on Picasso to a reduced audience. I then dozed for half an hour. The pool was netted over so I couldn't go swimming and the jacuzzis had been emptied due to the choppy seas.
At five o'clock I went to the first dance set to recorded music, before getting in to my formal rig. I dined on my favourite lobster bisque with extra pieces of lobster. I main coursed on two minute steaks with red cabbage and chips. I finished with two scoops of the peach & mango ice cream with extra chocolate drops. I was sat with the four members of the dance host team. Afterwards I collected my tour escort back pack and documentation for our first port of call tomorrow.
We had another busy dance session at seven o'clock where I danced with Anne, Carol and another Pat, as well as the regulars from the previous night. At 7:30 they all left for the Captain's cocktail party so I followed them. Here I had a complimentary soft drink and some delicious canapes as Malou was singing. Then the Captain introduced his senior officers, ending with Entertainment Manager Sammie, who I had first met as a singer on the Braemar back in 2018.
The third and final dance set at 8:15 was very quiet, with most of the dancers on second sitting dinner. I did my first samba & jive with Judy. At nine o'clock I went to Andrew Robley's barnstorming show time which covered both pop, traditional and musical theatre numbers. He finished with his famous Phantom medley, which I had heard three times before on the Black Watch & Boudicca in 2010 and on the Black Prince back in 2008 or 2009. He received a well deserved standing ovation from the audience! I went to bed at 10:30 having done just seven thousand steps, equal to nearly three miles of walking during my busy first full day on board!
I awoke to my alarm at six o'clock ready for a mug of instant decaff coffee in the cabin. Having abluted, I up dated this blog. At seven o'clock I broke my fast with a freshly made and quickly made cheese omelette with crispy bacon and tinned plum tomatoes in the View buffet. On the top deck it was still dark, but a large P&O ship was reversing in to the usual berth, so we had moored across in the commercial harbour.
At 8:20 I was on dispatch duty in the Neptune theatre for my second choice La Coruna Sightseeing tour. I led my group of 19 down to deck A, which is below deck One, and then along the quay side to the waiting buses. Here I met Japanese Spaniard Osaki and her driver Suso.
Our first stop was at the Maria Pita square with its famous statue of the local heroine in front of the majestic city hall. Unfortunately the heavens opened and we had to huddle under the arcade. We couldn't walk any further and had to wait for the shower to pass and our coach to return.
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Our second stop was at the famous Roman lighthouse, the Tower of Hercules. I had to walk slowly up the long ramp behind some guests. Eventually at the top the light house keeper gave us a short history in Spanish (or was it Galician?) which was translated, sentence by sentence, by another of the local guides.
Our final stop was at the mosaic octopus statue on the prom, between the Millenium obelisk and the intermittent funicular railway. Back at the quay side at 11:30, I walked though the park to the city centre. I went in both the Galician tourist information office (TIO) and the Coruna TIO in Maria Pita square. I took the newish elevator up to the old town and walked through to the military museum. Unfortunately the gardens with the tomb of Sir John Moore were closed off. I walked back the way I had come through the old town to the main pedestrianised shopping street parallel with the quay side.
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Back at the ship, I lunched on the cream of aubergine soup and the canelloni with chips & peas taken from the buffet in to the Lido beside the pool. I then slept for an hour and a half, thus missing the start of James Simister's (not Sinister!) talk on the Roman Republic. I caught the second half on the TV in my cabin.
At four o'clock I went to the octopus cookery demonstration in the auditorium kitchen. At the end we all sampled the Polbo a Feira we had been shown. Back in the cabin, I up dated this blog, but didn't have time to back up my day's photography.
At 5:30 we had the first dance set of the evening, where Ruth asked me to dance the social foxtrot with her. I also danced with Carol, Marion and, for the faster dances, Judy with no single men present for her to dance with except me. When Malou called a Viennese waltz, I led off a Party Veleta with Judy.
At 6:15 I went to the main dining room, but failed to secure a place. I was asked to go back for second sitting at 8:30, which has plenty of space. When Neena came to do the cabin, I did just one circuit of the top deck in the sun off of Cape Finisterre.
Back in my cabin, I up loaded my photos to one of my lap tops. At 7:30 we had an hour long dance set, where I danced with Judy, Mary, Ruth, Carol, Marion and one of the two Pats.
At 8:30 I went to the main dining room where I was placed with Mary and two gents, John & Steve, on table number one! I had the beet root soup to start, followed by the salad with Thousand Islands dressing. I main coursed on the rump steak with jacket potato not chips, extra vegetables and pepper corn gravy sauce. I finished with the pop corn and honey comb ice cream sundae.
At 10:30 I went to the excellent Come Fly With Me production show featuring Italy, France, Austria, Argentina & Brazil. It was daring to have songs sung in Italian, French (Je ne regrette rien) and Spanish (Don't cry for me Argentina) as well as in English. There was a barn storming Can Can, but some of the boys couldn't do the splits! The Austrian medley was inevitably taken from the Sound of Music. The Brazilian finale costumes were great, but consisted of only one song (Let's get loud?) If I hadn't have been on second sitting dinner, I might have been able to watch the show twice! I went to bed at 11:30 having done nearly nineteen thousand steps, equal to nearly eight miles of walking, during the day!
I awoke at seven o'clock ready for my mug of instant decaff coffee in the cabin. At eight o'clock I had TWO eggs Benedict with both tomato and grape fruit juices, sat with Carol, dancer Sally and yachtsman Paul in the main dining room.
At nine o'clock I touched base with the Destination Services desk to check on last minute availability for Cagliari and Naples. Back in my cabin, I up dated my two talks for later that day. At 9:45 I went to Roy's excellent, but poorly attended, lecture entitled Blowing My Own Trumpet. He told his story from the Royal Artillery Band to the Wallace Collection brass ensemble. He read from a script as he showed PowerPoint slides with the occasional tune played on his trumpet. At 11 o'clock I gave my 40 minute talk on the Eruption of Vesuvius.
At noon I went to the Beginners Cha Cha class which just recapped what we had already done two days ago: the cha cha basic, the New Yorks and the spot turn. Then Ron & Judy went through the basics of the waltz. Finally they quickly taught the Rumba (Number) One sequence dance.
I danced with Mary who I invited to join me for the BBQ lunch by the pool. We both had the steak burger with fries, but I also had a frank furter kebab. As we ate, they further opened the enormous sun roof in the bright sunshine.
At two o'clock I gave my 40 minute talk on Cagliari: the Capital of Sardinia. I then slept for over an hour, before taking my first dip in the warm pool. Here I did three circuits equal to six lengths, before wallowing in one of the huge, but tame, jacuzzis.
At 5:30 I went to South African Lee's salsa master class. He taught the basic, the in place steps, the forward and backward breaks, the side basics, the diagonal rocks and the spot turns to eleven guests and me. I splashed out on a glass of sangria (GBP 6.10) as we over took FOCL's Balmoral. She had taken three sea days, whereas we had only taken two and a half with our morning in La Coruna. At the end, South African Ruth came over to say she had coped with the left spot turns, but struggled with the ones to the right.
Back in my cabin, I up dated this blog. I then did six circuits around the partially retracted roof over the main swimming pool, about a third of mile, followed by three and half circuits of the main promenade deck equal to exactly one more mile.
At 7:45 we had another dance set in the Ocean bar where the small dance floor was packed. I danced with Judy, Pat (but not her sister Peggy), Mary, Marion, Ruth, Carol, Anne from the Chilterns and new comer Julie from Lancashire.
At 8:30 I accompanied Mary into the main dining room, where we joined John & Steve again plus Welsh Geraldine from Cheltenham. I began with the fish cake, followed by the parsnip soup. I main coursed on the gammon with chips and extra vegetables. I finished with the chocolate churros sundae.
At 10:30 I went to Marcia Lynette's excellent Whitney Houston tribute show. I knew all of the songs bar one! The singing voice was spot on, but the Northern accent grated. I went to sleep at 11:30 having done just over ten thousand steps equal to four miles of walking during the day.
My alarm woke me at 6:30 ready for my mug of decaff instant coffee in the cabin. At seven o'clock I broke my fast with a freshly made cheese omelette with all the trimmings sat with Steve from Leigh-on-Sea. Back in the cabin, I sorted out my bags and up dated this blog. At 8:10 I was on dispatch duty in the Neptune theatre for my first choice Roman Andalucia all day tour.
At 8:30 I led my group down to the gang way. We walked along the quayside, but the first door to the terminal wouldn't open and looked derelict, so we pressed on. We came to the MSC Poesia cruise ship and went through her terminal, but our coaches weren't outside, so we had to double back to find ours!
We had an hour and a half's run through the beautiful Andalucian country side. All of the summer crops had been harvested and the fields had already been ploughed and/or replanted. At Setenil de la Bodegas, a white washed town built around a gorge, we had our first stop. We all went in to different bars to drink and to use the facilities. I shelled out one euro eighty for a glass of lager (cerveza).
Our main stop was at the famous Roman town of Acinipo. We climbed up the hill past a town house (domus) to the impressive theatre near the top. This had semi-circular tiered seating cut in to the hill side. Just behind it, at the summit, was a fabulous view across the area.
Coming back down, we came to the Roman baths. We had to wait a bit for the single loo to be used, so I wandered off to discover the natural spring still bubbling under an enormous fig tree just outside the site fence. We ate our packed lunches in the coach and then I slept for most of the journey back.
In Malaga city centre, we had a short walk from the old post office, now the University secretariat building, to the Roman theatre. We were then given free time, so I entered the theatre via the little museum which had free entry. I then went in the very impressive Malaga Museum (Museo de Malaga) to use their loos. The sign said free admission for EU citizens, so I breezed in.
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We had a short bus ride back to the ship at 3:30. Here I slept for an hour, followed by my afternoon mug of instant decaff coffee in the cabin. The next dance session was on at 5:30 where I danced with the usual suspects. I then did six lengths of the pool, as a bit of the retractable roof was partially closing. I also spent 15 minutes in the port side jacuzzi, which was hotter than the one on the star board side.
Back in the cabin, I up dated this blog and back upped my day's photography. At 7:45 we had the second, crowded dance set where I danced with a different lady for each dance. At 8:30 Mary and I adjourned to the Terrace main dining room. I began with the sweet potato soup, followed by the petite pitta breads with chick peas. I main coursed on the monk fish wrapped in bacon (scampi in blankets!) I finished with the pop corn sundae for a second time.
At 10:30 I went to Simeon Wood's excellent multi-instrumental show time. He played the flute for Annie's Song of John Denver and the penny whistle (actually GBP 100!) for the River Dance medley. He used an NHS walking stick, a school recorder and bamboo pan pipes. I went to sleep at 11:40 having done over fourteen and a half thousand steps, equal to nearly six miles of walking.
I awoke at 7:40 to the dawn, having left my curtains open to see the stars during the night. At 8:10 I broke my fast with the full English in the main dining room sat with Carol, Paul from Broadstairs and Steve from Leigh-on-Sea. When Neena came to service the cabin, I did three circuits of the main promenade deck, nearly equal to one mile of walking. I spent most of the morning working on the paper work for my November cruise to the Caribbean on P&O's Arcadia.
At 11 o'clock I went to James's 50 minute talk on the Roman Empire, sat with Marion, but we both kept nodding off! At noon I danced with Mary at the waltz dance class which taught the natural turn. Ron & Judy then recapped the cha cha and covered the hand to hand figure as well.
At 12:45 I led Mary down to the main dining room. I had the tomato soup, the roast beef (it was Sunday!) and the tiramisu (we were on the way to Italy!) I then slept for an hour and a half, before finishing my P&O paper work.
At 5:30 I danced with Judy, Ruth, Mary, Sally, Marion and new comer Liz. At 6:20 I did six lengths of the Lido pool and then spent fifteen minutes alone in the hot tub, the cool tub being empty. I hope they are improving the temperature of the latter!
At 7:45 I went dancing with all the usual suspects in the Ocean bar which was heaving. At 8:30 I led Mary along to table number one as usual. I began with the potted shrimp, followed by the root vegetable soup. I had the lovely mixed grill well done and the strawberry ice cream sundae to finish.
At 10:30 I went to the excellent Magical Mystery Tour production show time with a circus theme. They inevitably sang Sondheim's Send in the Clowns plus lots of well known 60s hits like Sandie Shaw's Puppet on a String. I went to bed at 11:40 having done eight thousand steps equal to over three miles of walking during the day.
I awoke at six o'clock and took an hour to get going. Just after seven I had a freshly made cheese omelette with hash brown, crispy bacon and tinned plum tomatoes. We were late arriving and had to wait for clearance, not getting off the ship until 9:35, an hour late. Whilst waiting, I chatted to a couple from Talbot Woods who live near me.
I was escorting my second choice tour to the Bronze Age Nuragic ruins at Barumini with guide Alison & driver Juliano. We had been issued with medical grade masks, but Alison said that the requirement to wear them had been lifted the previous day! We had a drive of over an hour north from Cagliari (the G is silent!)
The ruins consist of a great central tower built of black basalt with four towers around it, surrounded by circular dwellings. It is not known what the towers were used for: defence, watch, living accomodation or storage perhaps? There were very steep and narrow passageways through the huge boulder strewn walls.
During our free time, I shelled out two euros forty cents on a lovely tomato pasty and lemon curd croissant. Back in Cagliari, we visited the famous statue of St. Francis of Assisi (?) on Monte Urpinu, with views of the old city to one side and the flamingo sprinkled salt lagoons on the other.
Back at the port, we had to decamp to go through the metal detectors and then re-board the bus again. I walked through the cruise terminal to get a map which should have been two euros, but the girl gave it to me because of my badge! Back on the ship, I dozed for half an hour, interrupted by the Captain's departure announcement. I then up dated this blog and back upped my day's pictures.
At 5:30 I had a busy dance session with Judy, Mary, Marion, Carol, Ruth and Sally. At 6:20 I did six lengths of the empty pool and spent 15 minutes in the hot tub with the roof open as the sun went down. At 7:30 I went to Anthony's cabaret with songs by Robbie Williams & Billy Joel and some awful jokes. I thus missed the second dance session, where apparently some protocols had changed and my presence was missed.
At 8:30 I dined with the usual suspects on the carrot & coriander soup, followed by the Caesar salad for the first time this cruise. I continued with the lovely rump steak with jacket potato and extra vegetables. I finished with the banoffee pie ice cream sundae.
At 10:30 I went to Marcia Lynette's excellent Soul & MoTown show time, but kept nodding off, so I slipped out at eleven o'clock and went straight to sleep. During the day I had done nine and a half thousand steps, equal to nearly four miles of walking, but if I had known then, I would have done one circuit under the stars to reach my daily quota!
I awoke to my alarm at 6:30 as the sun rose over Mount Vesuvius, as we entered the Bay of Naples passed Ischia & Capri. At seven I had two freshly fried eggs with a hash brown, crispy bacon and two tinned plum tomatoes. Back in my cabin, I put my jacket in for 'eco-friendly dry cleaning', which is actually wet cleaning! I up dated this blog and worked on my up coming Toulon presentation ready for my next Silversea cruise in two week's time.
At nine o'clock I was on duty on the quay side for my first choice all day tour to Herculaneum AND Pompeii. I met my guide Enzo and my driver Guido together with thirty guests. We began at Herculaneum which was my first visit here. We saw about half of the site, which is only one quarter of the Roman town that has been excavated. Marion got detached from her group, but declined to join ours. During our short period of free time, I rushed down to the ancient beach and then back up again. I went in the little museum and the building containing a Roman boat.
We then drove to the Tiberius restaurant near Pompeii. Here we had pasta in tomato sauce, pork with chips & salad and lemon sponge. I was sat with two ladies from Farnboro' who shared a bottle of red wine and a bottle of water with me. I also had a tiny, sweet expresso coffee, which kept me awake all afternoon!
We then drove a short way to the parking lot nearer to Pompeii proper. We were led through most of the south west quarter of the Roman town. I was impressed with the Greek style theatre and the road ways. I went in a brothel for the very first time in my life! We saw lots of frescoes and some mosaics.
I recorded my piece to camera in the forum with Vesuvius as a back drop. I went in the lovely little museum to see the contorted bodies in their death dance cast in plaster of Paris. One lady got detached from her group and so joined ours, until I saw her husband frantically looking for her. One couple were late back to the meeting point and their lady friend was panicking! We then had a short drive back to the ship at 5:30.
The first dance session had already begun and, as it was a formal night, I gave it a miss and went swimming instead. I did six lengths of the empty pool and spent ten minutes in the star board jacuzzi as the other one had six people in it. At 7:45 I went to the dance session of Ron's recorded music, where I danced with the usual suspects including my first jive of the cruise with Mary. At 8:30 I dined on table number one with the usual quartet on asparagus soup, special salad, rack of lamb, chocolate ice cream sundae and yet more chocolates. Mary gave me one of her lamb chops on which to devour and then gnaw!
At 10:30 I went to Andrew Robley's hour long second show, but this was a little more reflective than his first. I enjoyed his Scottish attire and his Elvis impersonation. He sang a duet with Ents. Man. Sammie and finished with Victoria Wood's famous patter song "Let's Do It!" At the end, I went up to the top deck to see the stars, but the moon was out and the ship's lights were blazing. I went to bed at 11:45 having done thirteen thousand steps, equal to over five miles of walking during the day!
I awoke just before my six o'clock alarm, as we berthed just passed Celebrity Apex, on which I lectured last summer. At 6:30 I broke my fast with a made to order cheese omelette with crispy bacon, tinned plum tomatoes and a hash brown. Back in the cabin, I up dated this blog and worked on my Toulon presentation.
At eight o'clock I was on escort duty on the quay side ready for my second choice tour to Bracciano castle. I was with a guide and driver Aldo for the over an hour's run out to the huge castle by the huge lake. We had to walk about half a mile from the coach park through the busy town to get to the impressive castle.
Our 40 people were split into three groups to be guided by three local guides around the place. We began in the large court yard built over an enormous cistern in order to with stand sieges. Next we climbed up to the battlements for extensive views across the lake. We circled the impressive top floor state rooms and then another equally impressive set on the floor below. We then had to walk back though the town to the coach park.
We drove along the lake shore to the charming village of Anguillara, which means eel town! I walked along the prom and then climbed up to the church on the top of the hill. At the bottom again, I shelled out four euros 80 cents for a triple scoop ice cream (gelato) with extra cream on top! I held up our departure as I scoffed the cornet beside the bus.
Back at the ship at 2:30, I then slept for three quarters of an hour, before catching the four o'clock shuttle bus into town. It followed a labyrinthine route through the port area, so I decided it was quicker just to walk back to ship, having spent an hour and three quarters photographing the town.
Back at the ship again, I had my third instant decaff coffee of the day. I then did six lengths of the pool followed by fifteen minutes in the star board jacuzzi as the sun went down. As I was drying myself down, Ents. Man. Sammie came to ask me if I was prepared to host a meet the speaker meal! I didn't tell her that I host the solos dinner every night on Silversea! At 7:30 I went to see the start of the sail away party on the aft deck with the Bolette Theatre Company vocalists.
At 7:45 I danced with the usual suspects, once with each lady present plus twice with Mary. I then had the chicken soup, the penne pasta, the escalope of veal and the peanut butter ice cream sundae for dinner at table number one as usual. I went to sleep at 10:45 missing out on Gerry Graham's comedy show. During the day, I had done nearly twenty thousand steps equal to nearly eight miles of walking!
I awoke before my alarm at six o'clock ready for my mug of instant decaff coffee in the cabin. At 6:30 I had two fried eggs with two hash browns, six crispy bacon and two tinned plum tomatoes. Back in my cabin, I discovered I had won GBP 200 on Ernie's Premium Bonds!
At 8:45 I was on duty in the coach park ready to escort my third choice Florence On Your Own (OYO) tour. Our guide was Francesca (but not from Rimini, she was local to Livrono) and our driver was Jon Piero. After half an hour, we had a comfort break at the motorway service area. We were dropped off by the isolated tower next to the Arno river. We walked along the banks of the river, but one elderly gent who smoked, struggled with the half mile walk into the city centre.
At the Dante statue in front of the Holy Cross (Santa Croce) church we were let off the lead. I headed south east to the elevated Piazzale Michelangelo, where I took the iconic pictures of the Florentine skyline. I explored the rose garden on the flanks, but didn't reach the two nearby churches. I then followed the medieval wall on the south bank via the Art Institute Gardens. Unfortunately the famous Carmelite church is closed on Tuesdays, Wednesdays AND Thursdays!
I photographed the outside of the Pitti Palace and the Varsari Corridor, before crossing the old bridge (Ponte Vecchio). I took pictures of the statues of the great Florentines outside the Offices Art Gallery (Uzzizi). In the Loggia, pronounced Lod-ya, I was told off for sitting on the stone benches!
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I photographed the exterior of the cathedral, Giotto's bell tower and Ghilberti's bronze doors to the baptistery. I finally got to see the outside of St Lawrence's Church (San Lorenzo), but Michelangelo's famous Laurentian Library closed at three o'clock, just before I got there. I went in the Central Market to use the free loos, before passing the Accademia & Bargello. Back at the Dante statue in front of the Holy Cross (Santa Croce) church, I did some FaceBooking with the free wi-fi. We then walked slowly back to the bus. We drove slowly around Piazzale Michelangelo, before heading back to the ship via the motorway service area.
Back at the ship at 6:30, I did six lengths and spent fifteen minutes in the star board jacuzzi. At 7:45 I danced with all the usual suspects, plus some new comers (why do they wait until the second half of the cruise to appear?). At 8:30 I dined on the mushroom soup, Caesar salad, rump steak with jacket potato & vegetables, and the peanut butter ice cream sundae. The promised new sixth table guest sent a note to say she wouldn't be joining us that night as she had witnessed a medical emergency! At 10:30 I went to the excellent "Unforgettable" production show of pop songs in a period setting with period costumes and dances. Unfortunately I kept falling asleep, so I slipped out at eleven o'clock and went straight to sleep. During the day, I had done over twenty eight and half thousand steps, equal to nearly twelve miles of walking!
I awoke at 6:20 ready for my mug of instant decaff coffee in the cabin. At 7:40 I broke my fast with a freshly made cheese omelette with crispy bacon, hash brown and tinned plum tomatoes. Back in the cabin, Neena had already made the bed up, so I was able to crack on with my work.
At 9:45 I went to James's 40 minute talk on Imperial Spain, of which the first fifteen minutes were on pre-Imperial Spain. I didn't already know about the Barcelona maritime trading laws. I spent most of the morning working on my Toulon presentation.
At noon I went to Ron & Judy's Beginners Rumba class. I danced with South African Ruth, firstly to the free style Rumba and then to the Rumba (Number) One sequence dance. At the end I lunched with Mary on the fish & chips by the pool with the roof closed for the first time on our cruise in the Med. We were sat with drummer Paul Johnson to whom I had been directed to speak to by dancer Dulcie Wellard from Plymouth! I then slept for an hour and a half after my hectic day yesterday in Florence, followed by my second mug of instant decaff coffee of the day.
At 4:15 I went to the afternoon tea buffet for the first time this cruise sat with Judy, Ron & Ruth. I had two small rolls, one with prawns and one with pulled pork in sweet dressing. I had just one mug of tea to drink as a thunderstorm hit the north coast of Mallorca. This storm had previously crossed over Barcelona that morning.
At 5:30 we had another busy dance session, where I danced with Judy, Mary, Ruth, Carol, Marion, Liz & Julie amongst others. The two Pats, Peggy, Val & Ann and some other regulars weren't present. I then did six lengths of the empty pool, with the roof still closed even though the sun had come out. There was a good view of the mountainous north west coast of Mallorca, for my 15 minutes in the port jacuzzi, as we steamed passed.
At 7:45 I went to the second dance session of the evening, where I danced with Mary, Ruth, both Pats (but not Peggy), Julie, Ann and others. At 8:30 I dined on the smoked haddock soup, the Stilton salad, the roast beef and the pop corn ice cream sundae, sat with the famous four. At 10:30 I went to Simeon's second multi-instrumentalist show time. He played the Swan from the Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saens and finished with Never Enough from the Greatest Showman. At the end I popped up to see the disco bunnies in the Observatory and have a single toasted cheese sarnie, my first visit to the midnight buffet. The clientele were almost entirely entertainment department staff! I went to bed at 11:50 having done only just over five thousand steps, equal to only two miles of walking, during a day when I had had five meals!
I awoke at 7:15 and broke my fast with TWO eggs Benedict and TWO tomato juices at eight o'clock in the main dining room. I was sat with Ruth, Steve and two other gents, where I remained for a full hour. At 9:45 I went to Roy's 45 minute talk on a Mediterranean Odyssey. He began with Gibraltar, before moving on to Malta, but not Cyprus. The last section was a fairy story about Ragnar a cave man who went to Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome to play horn trumpets. This allowed Roy to demonstrate two early valve less trumpets from those days.
Back in the cabin, I had my second instant decaff coffee for my elevenses. I watched part of the Audience with the Captain on the in-cabin TV. At noon I went to the Beginners Quick Step & Jive class. Ron & Judy began with a recap of the Social Foxtrot, before teaching the Quick Step basic. They then taught the Rock Jive basic, plus the underarm turn & return, and the change of places with the change of hands behind the gent's back. There was one more man than the number of women, so I sat out, before slipping out before the end.
I lunched on the Tandoori chicken with croquet potatoes, followed by salted caramel & chocolate ice cream with sprinkles and mini marshmallows. We saw dolphins swimming towards us as we approached the Straits of Gibraltar. At one o'clock I dozed for an hour and a quarter, before getting ready for my fifth enrichment lecture. This was 35 minutes on "Michelangelo - Il Divino: the Greatest Artist of the Renaissance?"
Back in my cabin, I had my third instant decaff coffee for my tea time drink. At 5:30 I went to the first dance set with some of the usual suspects. I declined to stay on for what would be a thinly attended second session at 6:30, instead opting for six lengths of an empty cool pool and fifteen minutes in the port side jacuzzi, as we passed Gibraltar. I did go to the third set at 7:45, which had a packed floor in the Ocean Bar.
At 8:30 I dined on table number one on the potato & leek soup, the Caesar salad, the crab linguine and the banoffee ice cream sundae. At 10:30 I went to the excellent Sweet Soul Salon production show, set in a beauty parlour. For a change there was a story line, in between the classic Soul & MoTown songs. There was some over acting from the singers & dancers, in particular the camp hair dresser was hilarious!
At the end, I went up to the top deck to see the stars, but there was a full moon and the ship was flood lit as usual. I had one small piece of blue cheese on a thin slice of Italian bread in the midnight buffet. I went to sleep at midnight on Central European Time (CET), having done seven and a half thousand steps, equal to just three miles of walking during the day.
I awoke at seven o'clock, but it was now only six o'clock on Portuguese (and British) summer time. I had my usual mug of instant decaff coffee, whilst up dating this blog. At 7:30 I broke my fast with a large freshly made cheese omelette with crispy bacon, two tinned plum tomatoes and one hash brown. I chatted to one of the two Pats, who was enjoying the post-CoViD dancing on board.
When Neena came to service the cabin, I did four complete circuits of the promenade deck equal to over one mile in length. The sun was bright, but the wind was cool. At 10 o'clock I went to the Pasteis de Nata cooking demonstration in the Auditorium, but we only got given half a one each! At 10:30 Russell taught three easy line dances to 14 pax and me.
At 11 o'clock I had TWO eggs Benedict as an early lunch in the Pool side restaurant. I then dozed for an hour and a quarter interrupted by THREE phone calls. Firstly the Shorex team offered me the tram tour to escort, then they phoned to retract the offer and thirdly Shan rang to confirm my Leonardo lecture! At 12:30 Sammie came on to the blower to say we were cleared to go ashore.
At 12:45 I started walking along the prom in to the city. A real marathon race was taking place so the city was crowded with people in the closed off streets. However this meant grid lock for the traffic in the surrounding areas!
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I went in the Riverside Market (Mercado da Ribeira), where the traditional market was closed (it was a Sunday!), but the Time Out food hall was heaving. Next to the City Hall I found the Bank of Portugal's Money Museum in a converted church which had free admission. There was an archaeological wall in the basement and displays of coins and notes on three floors. The material on the adoption of the Euro was particularly interesting.
At Rossio railway station I used the escalators to climb a third of the way up the hill side. Above the station I went in the famous St Rock (Sao Roque) church. I walked along to the Natural History Museum and the Botanical Garden, but they both only had free admission on Sunday mornings, not on Sunday afternoons.
I walked back passed the ruins of the Carmelite church destroyed by the famous earthquake, before descending to the down town area again. I then went in the Cathedral (Se) which wasn't charging for admission (because it was a Sunday perhaps?) In the Alfama moorish district I bumped in to Ron, but not Judy, who was having a beer on the side walk. At the new Tobacco Garden cruise terminal, I climbed up on to the roof to do some photography of the city sky line with the ship along side.
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Back in my cabin, I had my usual afternoon instant decaff coffee and up dated this blog. At 5:30 I went to the first dance set, followed by six lengths of the pool and fifteen minutes in the port side jacuzzi with a view of the old moorish Alfama district of Lisbon.
At 7:15 I went to Gerry Graham's second comedy show, in which he mentioned that he had spent the afternoon with his wife together with Ron & Judy, on a tuk tuk tour! I slipped out before the end, ready for the 7:45 second dance session. At 8:30 I dined on the broccoli soup, coronation chicken, mild piri piri Lisbon style chicken and chocolate churros sundae.
At 10:30 I went to Sammie's excellent Karen Carpenter tribute show, but kept nodding off, so I gave Ritchiel's late night cabaret a miss and went to sleep at 11:30. During the day I had done 26,780 steps equal to nearly eleven miles of walking!
I awoke at 6:30 half an hour before my alarm, ready for my mug of instant decaff coffee in the cabin. At eight o'clock I stopped by at reception and found out that no one had signed up for my first Culture Curator break fast. I went along any way and sat at the sharing table with Ruth, Sally, Mary and two other ladies for an hour and a quarter. I had THREE glasses of tomato juice, TWO eggs Benedict and ONE slice of toast with marmite!
At 9:45 I went to Helen's talk on Napoleon & Wellington. At eleven o'clock I heard James's lecture on the Dark Ages. At noon I went to the main dining room, but waited until 12:30 before ordering in case any one turned up for my first Culture Curator luncheon. I had the broccoli & Stilton soup, the grilled salmon with penne pasta in sauce and the pear gallette.
At 1:15 I slept for two hours, I must have tired myself out with my eleven miles of walking yesterday! I had my usual mug of instant decaff coffee in the cabin, whilst backing up my photos and presentations to a memory stick and a spare hard disk. At 5:30 we had just half an hour of dancing to recorded music. Here there were more dancing gents (3 hosts, Alan, Dave and myself) than dancing ladies (Judy, Mary, Ruth, Sally & Marion), so I only got a couple of dances in.
I changed in to my cossie and went up to the pool, but it and the jacuzzis were empty, as we crossed a choppy Bay of Biscuits. At 6:45 we had a second set of dancing. At 7:45 I sat with Mary at the Captain's farewell cocktail party. I made the mistake of having two glasses of iced lemon tea to drink which affected my sleeping that night. I also had EIGHT lovely canapes to eat!
At 8:30 I dined on the soup, salad, beef Wellington, sundae and chocolates. At 10:30 I went to the crew show which had the usual Filippino acts, but with new dances from Indonesia, Thailand and a ballerina! At 11:30 I listened to Charley's excellent cabaret with only a dozen guests present in the Observatory. When she sang "Man, I feel like a woman" I resisted the temptation to get up to line dance! I went to sleep at 12:30 having done only five thousand steps, equal to just two miles of walking during the day.
I awoke at 6:45, fifteen minutes ahead of my alarm, to the dawn as I had left my curtains open. After abluting, I up dated this blog and my Leonardo lecture. At eight o'clock, I stopped by at reception and found out that no one had signed up for my second Culture Curator break fast. I went along any way and sat at the sharing table with Sally from Leigh-on-Sea and Steve from Leigh-on-Sea, who didn't previously know each other.
At 9:45 I gave my 40 minute lecture on Leonardo. At the end, the oriental classical pianist came up to congratulate me on my talk! At eleven o'clock I listened to Roy's 45 minute lecture on the Beatles, in which he played mainly their early hits on his trumpet.
At noon I adjourned to the main dining room to host just Gordon Mitchell originally from New Zealand at my first ever Culture Curator meal! I had the lovely macaroni cheese with ham, followed by the sticky toffee ice cream, which tasted more like cinnamon to me. We talked about lots of things including OZ and NZ where he has an apartment, and about his permanent home near Alton in Hampshire.
At 1:30 my wi-fi said that it was disabled and reception couldn't contact the IT person. I slept for three quarters of an hour, only to be awoken by a phone call from reception to say that my GBP 120 had bought me only 14 days of wi-fi which had now expired, so I had to pay another GBP 12 for one more day's wi-fi! I then slept for another hour and a half, so I must have been tired.
After my mid-afternoon instant decaff coffee, I did six lengths of the pool with the roof closed, but the sun out. I then spent ten minutes in the star board jacuzzi chatting Ts&Cs with Bridge Gerald from Guildford, who was in the port side hot tub. At 5:30 I went to the first dance set of the evening and danced with Judy from Southend, Mary from Maidstone, Ruth from Canterbury, Sally from Southend & Marion from Bristol.
I then did three circuits of the promenade deck equal to nearly one mile of walking. At 7:15 I went to the excellent Olsen Awards production show, which consisted of classic musical theatre numbers, finishing with a rousing Les Miserables medley. I just caught the tail end of the second dance session, where I had just one dance with Pat, but not her sister Peggy. The Circle of Fifths band finished with a guest karaoake number, so I was unable to say goodbye to them or to singer Malou.
At 8:30 I dined on the ratatouille soup, the Caesar salad, FIVE lamb chops and the sundae as usual. At the end, I said good bye to Mary from Maidstone, Welsh Geraldine from Cheltenham, John from Deal and Steve from Southend. I went to sleep at 10:30, having done under five thousand steps, equal to less than two miles of walking during the day.
I awoke at five o'clock, an hour before my alarm, excited at the prospect of going home after another memorable cruise. At six o'clock I broke my fast with the full English sat with Ruth, Sally and two others. Back in my cabin, I up dated this blog and finished packing. At 7:15 Sammie came on to the blower and I left the ship. I had to wait just five minutes for a taxi (GBP 7) to take me back to my car parked on the street in DoVeR. I had an easy run home, getting back at eleven o'clock.
James later wrote: "Mary and I enjoyed your presentations very much."
Helen later wrote:
"Thanks for sharing this, Martin.
It will be a charming memento of our first cruise since Covid.
I enjoyed meeting you and wish you every success in the future."
CD Sammie later wrote: "Martin delivered 6 different talks for us this cruise, all of which were well attended. Martin is very sociable around the ship which is great to see and I believe has a big impact on attracting guests to attend the talks. Martin is clearly knowledgeable on all of his subject matters, delivers his talks clearly with well put together presentations, including great images, videos and gifs. We trialled the Breakfast and Lunch forums with Martin on the last 2 sea days. Unfortunately very little interest, however Martin was very sociable around the ship and dined with guests each evening anyway."
7 Ports called at 6 Shore Excursions escorted (not Lisbon) 6 Lectures given 5 Enrichment lectures 5 New towns (Setenil de la Bodegas, Barumini, Herculaneum, Bracciano & Anguillara) 4 New berths (La Coruna, Cagliari, Naples & Civitavecchia) 4 Itinerary Insight lectures (Pilgrimage, Picasso, Cagliari & Vesuvius) 3 Art history lectures (Picasso, Michelangelo & Leonardo) 2 Destination related lectures (Pilgrimage & Vesuvius) 2 Culture Curator break fasts 2 Culture Curator luncheons 1 Theological talk (Pilgrimage) 1 Geological talk (Vesuvius) 1 Port talk (Cagliari)New FOCL Terminology:
"Joy of the Journey" aka On Board Cruise Programme Booklet "Itinerary Insights" aka Highlighted Lectures & Events "Journey Guide" aka Shore Excursions Booklet "Journey Navigators" aka Guest Lecturers "Culture Curators" aka History Speakers "Maritime Guides" aka Marine Speakers "Nature Scouts" aka Nature Speakers
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) Crystal Symphony Crystal Serenity Seabourn Odyssey Seabourn Sojourn P&O Oriana P&O Iona Ambassador Ambience Sapphire Princess VoD Discovery