| Flag: | Date: | Port: | Comment: |
|---|---|---|---|
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14th May 2025 |
BoMoH --> Hounslow |
Munch Exhibition at the NPG |
 |
15th May 2025 |
Barcelona Catalonia Spain |
On board by 4:30 |
 |
16th May 2025 |
Sete Languedoc France |
Included Walking Tour |
|
17th May 2025 |
Marseille Provence France |
Le Castellet & Wine Tasting |
|
18th May 2025 |
Marseille Provence France |
Aix-en- Provence |
 |
19th May 2025 |
Monte Carlo Monaco |
Grasse & St-Paul-de- Vence |
 |
20th May 2025 |
Livorno Tuscany Italy |
Carrara Marble Quarry 1 |
|
21st May 2025 |
Livorno Tuscany Italy |
Carrara Marble Quarry 2 |
|
22nd May 2025 |
Civita- vecchia Italy |
Rome On My Own (OMO) |
| Flag: | Date: | Port: | Comment: |
I got up at five o'clock, excited to be off again. At ten o'clock, I phoned for a Streamline taxi to go to the Coach Station. Unfortunately the National Express coach was half an hour late arriving. At the M25 Capital Beltway there was a quarter of an hour delay caused by loose animals on the roadway!
At LHR Terminal 5, I caught the Piccadilly line tube train to Hounslow Central. At 2:30, I checked in to the £56 Imperial Guest House (IGH), where I had a instant decaff coffee to drink. I then caught the tube train into the West End, alighting at Leicester Square underground station.
I shelled out £21 to go into the Edvard Munch Portraits exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery (NPG). This was a small, but perfectly formed selection of the famous Norwegian painter's portraits. I spent an hour photographing the pictures and jotting down the captions. I only had half an hour for the rest of the NPG, which I had forgotten was full of famous paintings.
I then walked around Trafalgar Square, before catching the train from Piccadilly Circus. However the train was halted at Barons Court, so I crossed over the platform to a waiting District line train. At Acton Town, I transferred back to the Piccadilly line for the final leg of the journey.
In Hounslow, I bought a £2 chicken wrap from McDs and some food from Iceland. Back at the IGH, I had another instant decaff coffee with my supper, before starting on this blog. I spent one hour putting my new Munch pictures into PowerPoint. I went to sleep at ten o'clock having done eleven and a half thousand steps, equal to nearly five miles of walking during the day.
I awoke at 5:30 one hour before my alarms. I had a pasty with cheese & onion mayonnaise for breakfast and two mugs of regular instant coffee to drink. I caught the 7:15 tube train to LHR Terminal 5, where check-in was smooth for a change. Having offloaded my large suitcase, I went joyriding on the electric pods to car park B on the north side of the airport.
Back at T5, I found a power outlet to update this blog and charge up my mobile phones. At ten o'clock I went through security, but my heavy metal bolo caused problems as usual. At 10:30 it was pretty chaotic at gate A8. Here they demanded that I check my carry on case in as luggage.
We were half an hour late taking off, but the flight only lasted an hour and a half. We got the usual mini packet of biscuits with a small bottle of water. At BCN passport control took half an hour and then another half an hour before our coach left with only half a dozen Viking guests on board.
I was on board by 4:30 (3:30 on BST) with the usual cabin number 10032, but this time with only one armchair. I freshened up before meeting American Cruise Director (CD) Jenna and Assistant Cruise Director (ACD) Rick from Lancashire. He showed me where to sign up to be a tour escort. Back in my cabin, my large suitcase had arrived, so I was able to unpack. One of my shirts needed to be ironed, so I didn't have time for a swim.
At six o'clock I asked for a shared table in the MDR, but no one joined me for over half an hour. Then Bart and his daughter Sarah from Boston arrived. Later a couple from Phoenix, Arizona joined us and eventually we ordered our meals. I had the smoked haddock soup, the Caesar salad, the sirloin steak with chips and the no sugar added berry clafouti to eat. I had just one glass of Spanish Tempranillo red wine to drink. The table didn't break up until 8:45, when I updated this blog in my cabin. I went to bed at 9:45 having done only seven thousand steps, equal to three miles of walking around two airports, during the day.
I awoke at 6:25 to the bright sunshine, having slept for over eight hours. At seven o'clock, I had a cooked breakfast of streaky bacon, grilled tomato, hash brown and baked beans on cheese on a toasted muffin to eat. I had two glasses of sparkling water to drink. The sun was shining, but the outside tables weren't set up, so I had to sit inside instead.
Back in my cabin, I worked on my laptop. At 9:10 Agus from Indonesia came to service the room, so I went up to the Explorers Lounge. At 9:25 I moved out to the port shuttle bus, but it was taken over by one of the ship's tours and so didn't get away until 9:50, not 9:30 as advertised.
Outside the port gates, we had to wait five minutes for two coaches in front of us to empty and allow us into the single parking bay. I popped into the little tourist information office for some maps and leaflets. I then started tracking and headed off in to the town centre. I climbed up to the Simone Veil park where I used the free loos.
I then walked back down to the market hall (Les Halles) and the town hall (Hotel de Ville). I found the large tourist information office, but I already had all but one of their maps. I sauntered back to the port gates and only had to wait a few minutes for the shuttle bus back to the ship.
Here I had the corn chowder soup and the monkfish with chips & veg to eat al fresco a la veranda. I had one glass of sparkling water and then a can of diet coke in my cabin. Just after noon I moved back out to the quayside with my ticket number 20 for the included walking tour of Sete. We had the short bus ride to the port gates, before commencing the two hour excursion. This followed almost the same route I had done in the morning, but at only half the speed.
Back at the ship, I dozed for one hour, before testing my laptop with Derek, who recognised me from the Viking Sky last year. At four o'clock I met Viking Resident Historian (VRH) Charles Armstrong, CD Jenna and ACD Rick for our short briefing. At 4:30 CD Jenna gave a seven minute introduction and a five minute conclusion to the Marseille port talk. In the middle Shorex Manageress Jilly spoke for twenty minutes covering the tours. I then did six lengths of the cold pool with the roof just one third open in the hot sunshine. At six o'clock I hosted the solo travellers meet up with ACD Rick. Two singles turned up: Luke from north western New South Wales and Jan from Boston. I had just one glass of champagne to drink in the Wintergarden lounge.
At 6:30 I adjourned to the MDR, where I was sat with the couple from Phoenix, Arizona again and a new couple from New Jersey and Sarasota, Florida. I had the Calabrian soup, the beef tenderloin and the no sugar added strawberries and cream dessert to eat. I had no more wine, but several glasses of water to drink.
Back in my cabin, the shirt that I had put in for washing that morning had already come back. I updated this blog and worked on my Vincent van Gogh (VvG) lecture. At nine o'clock I went to the Captain's welcome cocktail party, where I had a fruit juice to drink. This was followed by the excellent Beatles Songbook production show with three English and one Australian vocalist, accompanied by the four piece band. All the great songs were there. I went to sleep at 10:20 having done nearly seventeen thousand steps, equal to nearly seven miles of walking during the day.
I awoke to my alarm at six o'clock, as the sun rose over the Marseille hills. At 6:30 I had a toasted English muffin with ham and cheese to eat al fresco a la veranda. Back in my cabin, I worked on my laptop as usual.
Just after eight o'clock, I met guide Dominique and driver Matthieu on the quayside. We had thirty seven guests to look after on Le Castellet & Wine Tasting tour. The driver turned left, not right out of the port gates, so we had to go around the block.
In St-Cyr-sur-Mer he had to do a multi-point turn, when he went wrong for a second time. At the Fregate winery here, we had a lengthy tour of just a couple of rooms, before our tasting of one white, one rose and one red wine. We had one mini-pizza with anchovies and one mini pizza with black olives to eat. In the shop we sampled the lovely raisins in dark chocolate. (Raisin just means grape in French, not dried grapes in English like these ones.)
The driver then headed south on the motorway, until I intervened to point out we needed to go north! We had nearly an hour at the pretty hilltop village of Le Castellet with views to the sea and the mountains. On the way back to the ship I dozed for half an hour.
We got back at 2:30 over half an hour late, which was problematic for guests on afternoon tours. Here I had a cold roast beef open sandwich to eat and a glass of sparkling water to drink in the Living Room. I then slept for one hour, before updating my Vincent van Gogh talk with my St Remy asylum slides.
At 5:30 Derek set me up ready for me to give my forty minute talk on Vincent van Gogh: Painter of Provence. I had a good attendance given that the sun was out, we were staying berthed overnight and the Norwegian National Day buffet had already started! Afterwards I went to the latter having ham & pea soup, king crab legs and the mixed grill to eat al fresco a la veranda. The sky was clear and the sun was warm as it went down over the Med. I had just two glasses of sparkling water to drink.
At eight o'clock I walked ashore to see and hear the Capitale du Rap concert which was taking place on the quayside. It was very loud with a laser show. I walked around the outside of the two museums and Fort St. Jean, climbing up to the bridge across. I recorded a piece to camera in front of the giant, orange teddy bear.
At nine o'clock I heard ACD Rick's excellent musical theatre cabaret in the Star theatre. I particularly enjoyed the rock & roll medley and "This is the Moment" from the Jekyll & Hyde musical. There were however some songs I didn't know. Towards the end he sang Frank Sinatra's "My Way" whereupon some of the audience left thinking it had been the finale. After a short gap, he came back on in a red jacket to finish with a Jersey Boys medley. I went to sleep at 10:30 having done over twelve thousand steps, equal to five miles of walking, during the day.
I awoke to the dawn at 5:45, fifteen minutes before my alarms. At 6:30 I had one toasted English muffin with ham and Emmental cheese to eat al fresco a la veranda as the sun emerged from behind the cathedral. I had just one glass of sparkling water to drink. Back in my cabin, I worked on my laptop. When Agus came at seven o'clock to service the cabin, I moved up to the Explorers Lounge where two ferries were arriving.
At eight o'clock I was on escort duty with guide Anne and driver Chaoky at bus number one. We had thirty one guests to look after on the morning tour to Aix-en-Provence. We began with a short drive around Marseille before hitting the autoroute. We got off on the north side of the city centre and walked south to the cathedral. This opened at 9:30 and had both Romaneque round arch and Gothic pointed arch architecture.
In City Hall Place (Place de l'Hotel de Ville) we had fifteen minutes of free time, during which I supervised the queue for the toilet in the patisserie that Anne had recommended. When we got to the main street and the cafe with the red awning, the guests had forty minutes of free time. Meanwhile Anne led two guests and myself through the passageway in the old city wall to another square with a fine neo-classical building. I then headed off on my own back to the market and the main street again. Unfortunately a road race was in progress and we had to queue up twice to cross the route. Also the coach had to be diverted and for the second time in two days the driver didn't know the route.
Back at the ship at one o'clock, I had tomato soup and another mixed grill al fresco a la veranda with a fabulous view of the cathedral. I then slept for one hour, before heading north to the new shopping mall. On the way back, I went in the Byzantine revival cathedral next to the ship.
At 4:45 I did six lengths of the cool pool with the roof half open to the warm sunshine. At 5:30 Francis(co) from Goa set me up, ready for my forty minute talk on the Med. Afterwards I chatted to VRH Charlie and his son who is in the US Navy. He told me about the formation of the US Marine Corps and their role in defeating the Barbary pirates.
At 7:30 I dined on the Provencal fish soup, a king crab leg with a large prawn and the mixed grill with chickpeas and white asparagus. I was sat on the port side of the aft veranda with a view of the Calanque coast of the South of France. I had just two glasses of sparkling water to drink.
At nine o'clock I enjoyed the excellent Duets production show, which I have heard several times before. I went to sleep at 10:15 having done sixteen and a half thousand steps, nearly equal to seven miles of walking during the day.
My alarms awoke me at six o'clock as we neared Monaco. At 6:35 I had my usual continental breakfast of ham and Emmental cheese slices on a toasted English muffin without butter. I had just one glass of sparkling water to drink al fresco a la veranda. I spent some time updating my Munch talk with my National Portrait Gallery (NPG) pictures.
At 8:15 I got seated in the Star Theatre ready to lead group twelve down to the tender. I got on last, so I could get off first to meet German guide Christine. She led us to the coach parked in the tunnel with driver Michel. We drove along the autoroute to Grasse where we had over an hour at the Galimard Perfumery.
Next stop was at the hilltop village of St-Paul-de-Vence, where Christine gave us a short guided tour. We saw the castle keep (donjon not dungeon) and went in the parish church. She then gave us a generous amount of free time. I walked around one side of the ramparts to get to the tourist information office. Here I went up to the first floor lounge to have my picnic of nuts, apple and chocolate brought from the ship. Afterwards, I continued around the other side of the ramparts to Marc Chagall's grave. I moved outside the walls to have a wee, before returning to the castle and church in the middle of the village.
Back on the coach, a road sign said that the autoroute was closed owing to a demonstration by striking taxi drivers, (Welcome to France!) so we drove along the coast road before rejoining the autoroute, which was free flowing. Back at the tender pier, I didn't have long to wait to get back to the ship. As the guests left the tender, one lady fell over, but was not badly hurt.
Back in my cabin, I updated this blog. Just before six o'clock, I slipped into my cozzie and went up to the pool deck. Unfortunately guests had already started arriving for the pool side BBQ, so I descended to the spa pool instead. Here I wallowed in the hot tub, but after two minutes my shins started itching, so I high tailed out of there. All four stone beds were free, but none of them were that warm, so I just towelled off and went back to my cabin to change for dinner.
At 6:15 I joined Tim & Gerald(ine) from New Jersey / Sarasota again on the usual sharing table. Later Jan from Boston, who I had met at the singles meet up, came along. I had the seafood chowder soup, the roast beef ribs with mashed potato and the no sugar added chocolate & vanilla Bavarian dessert to eat. I had just two glasses of sparkling water to drink. Jan had to send her lobster back as it was over-cooked, as they so often are on cruise ships for health reasons.
In the back office, I deposited my bag and report sheet, whilst collecting my next assignment: Carrara Marble Quarry & Mining Town tour. At nine o'clock I enjoyed the excellent Southern Sounds country & western production show which I have heard several times before. I went to sleep at 10:15 having done over eleven thousand steps, equal to over four miles of walking during the day.
I got up to my alarms at six o'clock with the dawn already broken. At 6:30 I had my usual continental breakfast al fresco a la veranda. Back in my cabin, I worked on my laptop.
Just after eight o'clock, I met guide Christian and driver Meerko by minibus number five. We had just twenty five guests to care for on the Marble Quarry & Mining Town tour to Carrara. I dozed on the outward journey to the entrance to the quarries, where we donned our orange hi-vis gillets and blue hard hats. In several Land Rovers we sped up the steep tracks to about halfway up the mountainside. Here we had a lecture on how they cut and transport the huge marble blocks. The largest ones weigh thirty five tonnes each, which is the limit that the trucks can take.
Back at the bottom of the quarries, we had an early light lunch of strips of pork lard (Lardo di Colonnata) with cheese and salad. I had one glass of rough red wine to drink. Afterwards I did some photography and relaxed on a bench. On the return journey I slept for about half an hour.
Back at the ship I had a late lunch of potato and watercress soup with extra bacon bits and blue cheese chunks to start. I had just one small slice of tuna pizza for my main course and a peanut cakelet for dessert. I had just one glass of sparkling water to drink, before sleeping for three quarters of an hour.
At four o'clock I started walking into town with a large red Viking umbrella against the drizzle. I went in the new shopping mall (Porta a Mare) and the Primark store nearby. I got as far as the start of the famous promenade (Terrazza Mascagni), before turning back. Halfway back to the ship a thunderstorm passed by, but I didn't get wet.
Back at the ship again, I updated this blog. At 5:45 I did six lengths of the cool pool with the roof firmly closed as a thunderstorm rained down noisily. At 6:15 I hosted a sharing table in the MDR with a different couple from Chicago plus Bart & his daughter Sarah from Boston again. I had the duck & lentil soup, the Caesar salad, the salt cod fish Leghorn style (Baccala alla Livornese) and one of my favourite desserts Cassata Siciliana.
Just after eight o'clock, I picked up my next assignment, which was a return visit to the Carrara marble quarries after our overnight stay in Leghorn. Just before nine o'clock, the cabaret singer was ending his warm up set, when the power failed on the stage. The crew and Captain's farewell had to take place without stage lights or amplification.
The opera couple had to begin by singing a capella, which was no big deal for them. After a couple of popular arias, the power returned and they restarted their "Night at the Opera" show time. They sang all the famous songs include "O Mio Babbino Caro", "Volare", "Funiculi, Funicula!" and "Nessun Dorma". I always enjoy an aria from Bizet's Carmen, the world's most popular opera. I went to sleep just after 10:30 having done just over ten thousand steps, equal to four miles of walking during the day.
I awoke at 5:30, half an hour before my alarms. Breakfast service began early at six o'clock, when I had my usual continental breakfast al fresco a la veranda. Back in my cabin, I worked on my laptop.
At 7:45 I walked along the quayside to meet guide Elly and driver Meerko who had driven us the previous day as well. We had only nine guests to care for in the minibus ride to the Carrara marble quarries again. I slept for most of the drive out and most of the drive back. We had two Land Rovers to carry the eleven of us to the view point over the Fantiscritti marble quarry. The sun shone for our photographs and I recorded a piece to camera too.
At the Poggi(?) restaurant we had the usual pork lard strip salad (Lardo di Colonnata). I had one glass of local red wine to drink. Afterwards I chatted to some guests as most went in the two gift shops and one small marble museum. I had been in the latter on my first visit here last year.
Back at the ship, I had a late lunch of tomato soup and a small slice of pizza with Norwegian sweet brown Geitost cheese al fresco a la veranda. I then slept for three quarters of an hour, before catching the 3:15 shuttle bus into the city. I popped into the tourist information office to pick up a map, before going into the post-war cathedral. I then walked the mile or so back to the ship. Here I worked on my laptop as usual.
Later I did six lengths of the cool pool with the roof only one quarter open to the warm sunshine. At six o'clock I ate al fresco a la veranda as we sailed away from Leghorn / Livorno. I had the carrot soup, followed by the sweet & sour pork and finished with the no sugar added strawberry sorbet with extra dried marschino cherries on the side. At 7:40 Sabrina set me up ready to give my thirty five minute talk on Michelangelo: the Greatest Artist of the Renaissance?
Later again I did four circuits of the top deck jogging track, but still didn't reach my daily target. I went to sleep at 10:20 having done less than nine thousand steps, equal to less than four miles of walking during the day.
I awoke at 6:20 and had my usual continental breakfast at seven o'clock al fresco a la veranda. I made a second ham & cheese roll to take with me for my lunch in the city. At 7:20 Agus was servicing the cabin, so I moved up to the Explorers Lounge.
I left the ship at eight o'clock, walking along the quayside into town. I passed by Michelangelo's Castle, before reaching the railway station. After duelling with the ticket machine, I bought a single to Rome. The 8:40 train took only forty minutes into the Eternal city, where I alighted at the Ostiense station on the south side.
I walked a little way north to the famous white pyramid and its metro station, before walking along the inside of the great Aurelian wall. Further along, I had to walk outside the impressive wall to get to St Sebastian's Gate. Here just after ten o'clock, I went in the free Wall Museum (Museo della Mura) which included a short length of the sentry path.
I then headed north through the city centre to the Capitoline hill, at whose base I had my picnic, sat on a marble tomb. I next went in the free Ancient Art Museum (Museo di Scultura Antica Barracco) which was small, but perfectly formed. My final stop was at the free Napoleonic Museum which had some impressive paintings in period rooms.
I then caught the 14:20 stopping service from St Peter's station to Civitavecchia which took one hour. Back at the ship I slept for three quarters of an hour. I had a phone message from a Shorex lady to say that my two choices of Neapolitan tours were unavailable and would I like to choose again. I couldn't find her in the back office, so I decided to just do my own thing in Naples the next day.
At six o'clock I had the carrot soup and the roast lamb with white asparagus, green beans, orange sweet potato and a jacket potato with sour cream & bacon bits to eat. I had just one glass of sparkling water to drink. I was eating al fresco a la veranda with the huge bulk of the Allure of the Seas hovering behind our berth.
At 7:40 Francis(co) from Goa set me up and I then gave my forty five minute talk on the Eruptions of Vesuvius to a good sized audience. I spent the rest of the evening working on my laptop. I went to sleep at 10:30 having done nearly twenty five thousand steps, equal to ten miles of walking during the day.
1) "Vincent van Gogh: Painter of Provence" 2) "The Story of the Mediterranean Sea" 3) "Michelangelo: Greatest Artist of the Italian Renaissance?"Lecture Not Given
4) "Leonardo da Vinci: Greatest Artist of the Italian Renaissance?"
204 Cruises 55 Cruise ships (see below) 16 Cruise lines (see below) 7 Night cruise 6 Tours escorted 6 Continental breakfasts 5 Restaurants (MDR, CT, WC, PG, Manfredi's) 4 Singers (???) 4 Band members (Keys, 2 Guitars & Drums) 3 Enrichment lectures given (VVG, Med & Mich.) 3 New Roman Museums 3 Production shows 3 Storey atrium 3 Hot tubs 3 Pools 2 Lunches on tour (Lardo di Colonnata) 2 Pizza lunches 2 Beef dinners 2 Mixed grill dinners 2 Nightclub singers 2 Panoramic elevators 2 Cinemas 1 New place (Grasse) 1 Cooked breakfast 1 Codfish dinner (Baccala alla Livornese) 1 Fish & chips lunch 1 Open sandwich lunch 1 Mixed grill lunch 1 Steak dinner 1 Pork lunch 1 Double state room with picture window 1 Theatre (Star) 1 Nightclub (Torshavn) 1 Viking heritage museum 1 Classical guitarist 1 Classical duo 1 Cocktail pianist 1 Cabaret (ACD Rick) 1 Operatic concert
Captain Magnus Bergman Cruise Director Jenna Beaudoin Ass. Cruise Director Rick Woska Shorex Manager Jilly Stage Managers Sumeet, Derek, Francis(co) and Sabrina Resident Historian Charles Armstrong Cultural Lecturer Martin P. Lee from BoMoH
* 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 * Azamara * Crystal * Viking
Black Prince Black Watch Borealis Boudicca Balmoral Braemar Bolette Silver Whisper Silver Spirit Silver Wind Silver Muse Silver Moon Silver Dawn Celebrity Silhouette Celebrity Solstice Celebrity Eclipse Celebrity Edge Celebrity Apex Viking Sea Viking Sky Viking Star Viking Saturn 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 Azamara Quest Azamara Journey Crystal Symphony Crystal Serenity Seabourn Odyssey Seabourn Sojourn Ambassador Ambience Ambassador Ambition Regent Seven Seas Mariner Regent Seven Seas Splendor Sapphire Princess Caribbean Princess Marella Explorer VoD Discovery