| Flag: | Date: | Port: | Comment: |
|---|---|---|---|
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3rd Apr. 2025 |
Barcelona Catalonia Spain |
Turn- around Day |
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4th Apr. 2025 |
Barcelona Catalonia Spain |
am Park pm City |
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5th Apr. 2025 |
Marseille Provence France |
Cassis & Calanques |
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6th Apr. 2025 |
Monte Carlo Monaco |
Nice Eze & Monaco |
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7th Apr. 2025 |
Livorno Tuscany Italy |
Leonardo da Vinci & Lucca |
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8th Apr. 2025 |
Civita- vecchia Italy |
Etruscan Necropolises Tarquinia |
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9th Apr. 2025 |
Naples Campania Italy |
Sorrento & Mozzarella |
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11th Apr. 2025 |
Corfu Kerkyra Greece |
Eleven miles of walking |
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12th Apr. 2025 |
Dubrovnik Croatia |
Renaissance Garden tour |
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13th Apr. 2025 |
Split Croatia |
Flavours of Dalmatia |
|
14th Apr. 2025 |
Venice Italy |
Murano & Burano |
|
15th Apr. 2025 |
Venice Italy |
Home by 19:30 |
| Flag: | Date: | Port: | Comment: |
I awoke just after six o'clock as the next cabin's door closed. I had a continental breakfast of ham & cheese on a toasted English muffin to eat al fresco a la veranda. I did some laundry in the empty launderette and sat in the Explorers Lounge when Putu was servicing the stateroom. I also worked on my laptop. I couldn't get a new key card until ten o'clock, when my old card was extended, but the date wasn't changed.
I then walked into the city discovering a Rambla that I hadn't traversed before. I explored the university campus and used the loo at the top of El Corte Ingles department store as usual. Back at the World Trade Centre (WTC), I caught the 12:30 shuttle bus back to the ship. Here I had the corn chowder soup with a biscuit (scone) and the mixed grill of salmon, pork and chicken, but no dessert to eat. I then slept for three quarters of an hour, before sigining up for the next batch of tours to be escorted.
At four o'clock I took the shuttle bus back to the WTC. I wandered across La Rambla de la Mar to the MareMagnum shopping mall to use their loo. I photographed Port Vell, before returning along the old promenade, which used to be the working quayside. I caught the 5:30 bus back to the ship, where I changed for dinner.
Just after six o'clock I was sat with a Canadian couple from Alberta and an American couple from Minnesota. I had the cream of sweet potato soup, the Viking steak & chips, and the no sugar added ricotta cheesecake to eat. I had just one glass of red wine to drink.
At 8:30 I went to La Rumba Catalana folkloric show consisting of four male musicians and two female dancers. It was a cross between Spanish flamenco and Cuban salsa, but no actually rumbas and I had trouble staying awake. I went to sleep at ten o'clock, having done nearly twenty two thousand steps, equal to nearly nine miles of walking during the day.
I awoke at 6:40 ready for my continental breakfast al fresco a la veranda. When Putu came to service the stateroom, I adjourned to the Explorers Lounge, not once but twice. At 9:30 I caught the first shuttle bus into the WTC, but the driver went round the gyratory system twice. I then walked along the prom to the Parc Ciutadella. It was getting hot and I was over-dressed following the false weather warning about high winds, so I turned back. I then caught the eleven o'clock bus back to the ship.
At 11:30 I lunched on the chard, pasta and bean soup, followed by the escalope of chicken with chips and veg al fresco a la veranda in the warm sun. I then slept for one hour. I went to get the 1:30 shuttle bus, but my old keycard wouldn't work, so I had to get a new one from guest services, but still managed to catch the bus. I walked from the WTC halfway up the Jewish mountain (Montjuic), before turning back.
At three o'clock I caught the penultimate shuttle bus back to the ship. I did six lengths of the warm pool, but with the roof closed despite the hot sun outside. However, when I got into the large hot tub, almost immediately the chlorine irritated my shins. Back in my stateroom, I had a tin can of diet coke to drink as I updated this blog.
At 4:30 I went to the Marseille port talk, which began with CD Bruce's eight minute spiel. This was followed by Shorex manageress Dora the Explorer who spent seventeen minutes outlining the tours. Finally CD Bruce had a five minute concluding section. At 5:30 I hosted the solo travellers with ACD Hazel, where we met Marty/Martin from Chicago, who is travelling with his twin brother.
At 6:30 I went to the first lecture of rookie Viking Resident Historian (VRH) Steve Babbitt from San Diego. He spoke for just over 45 minutes on the History of France. Afterwards we had a short meeting with CD Bruce and ACD Hazel, where I also met speaker Phil Smart from Australia. I then dined al fresco a la veranda (for the third time that day), where I had the cold gazpacho soup, some Spanish tapas and two scoops of no sugar added peach sorbet to eat. I had just two glasses of sparkling water to drink. At nine o'clock we had the Welcome show with myself and the two other speakers introducing ourselves. I went to bed at 10:30 having done over sixteen thousand steps during the day.
I awoke at five to six, just before my alarm was due to go off. I had a continental breakfast al fresco a la veranda, but with back bacon instead of ham on my cheese muffin. When Putu came at seven o'clock sharp to service the state room, I went up to the Explorers Lounge to watch the sail-in. We went past the Chateau d'If, where the fictional Count of Monte Cristo was incarcerated.
Just after eight o'clock, I met guide Gabrielle and young driver Mattheu by coach nuumber 3. We had 34 guests to look after on the $119 Winter in Cassis & Calanques tour. We drove out along the corniche and over the mountain pass to Cassis, where we walked into town. One obese gent struggled throughout and got locked in one of the toilets!
We were given over an hour of free time, so I walked around both sides of the lovely harbour. I found the church in a back street and the local museum was open, but didn't allow photography. We then got on to a local boat with the other coach load from the ship. Although I got on last, I was able to sit at the front of the boat and get the occasional splashing.
We visited three very impressive Calanques or seaside limestone gorges, which I had not seen before. On the way back to the coach, the obese gentleman suddenly needed the toilet, so I had to take him back into the town centre. We then walked slowly back to the coach, whose occupants had had to wait for us to return. The other coach had an exploded tyre and so those guests were given an extra hour in Cassis.
We drove back to the city via the autoroute, but were half an hour late back to the ship. I had the cream of squash soup, followed by fish, chips & mushy peas to eat al fresco a la veranda with a fabulous view of the Major Cathedral. I finished my late lunch with two scoops of the no sugar added red wine sorbet with dried maraschino cherries. I then slept for half an hour, before visiting the Cathedral and circumnavigating the outsides of the two new museums and the one old fort.
At 4:30 CD Bruce gave his five minute introduction to Monaco, followed by Dora the Explorer's twenty minutes on the ship's tours. CD Bruce concluded with his usual five minute section. At 5:10 I did six lengths of the pool, but the roof was still closed despite the hot sunshine. I didn't get into the hot tub for fear of aggravating my sore shins.
Just after six o'clock I went to the Main Dining Room (MDR) where I sat with an American couple from Massachusetts and a Canadian couple from Ontario. I had the wild mushroom soup, the duo of lamb and the baked Alaska to eat. I had just one glass of champagne to start and one glass of red wine with the main course. At nine o'clock I heard the excellent Beatles Songbook production show again, but had trouble staying awake. I went to sleep at ten o'clock having done fourteen thousand steps, nearly equal to six miles of walking during the day.
My alarms awoke me at six o'clock ready for a continental breakfast of ham and cheese on a toasted English muffin al fresco a la veranda with a fabulous view of the rock of Monaco as the dawn broke. When Putu came to service the stateroom, I adjourned to the Explorers Lounge, where a Regent Seven Seas cruise ship was standing off ready to tender in to Monaco, whereas we were berthed alongside Quai Rainier III.
At 8:15 I met German guide Christine and French driver Christian at bus number eight. We had 34 guests on the all day tour to Eze, Nice & Monte Carlo. Our first stop was at the pretty, hilltop village of Eze. One lady fell at the very first kerb, but was alright to continue.
At our next stop, the beautiful seaside resort of Nice, it was my turn to fall over, cutting my lip in the process. We were led along the Promenade des Anglais to the famous market. During our free time, I queued up for the free elevator to the top of castle hill, for its fabulous views over Nice on one side and Port Olympic on the other. I ate one apple and two chocolate bars for lunch, taken from my minibar on the ship.
Our next stop was the huge underground coach park under the Rock of Monaco, which surprisingly I cannot remember ever having seen before. After our guided tour of the old town, we had an hour's free time in which to wander around and view the lovely gardens. Our final stop was at the famous Casino of Monte Carlo, across the other side of the harbour from the Rock. The tourist office and the Metropole shopping centre toilets were both closed, so I just enjoyed the various gardens around the area. Rejoining our bus was chaotic by the narrow entrance to a road tunnel.
Back at the ship, I had some pizza pieces, left by a guest, to eat. At 5:15 I did six lengths of the pool, but the roof was still closed. I gave the hot tub a miss to avoid aggravating my sore shins.
At six o'clock I dined with two single ladies from Massachusetts and Connecticut, together with a Catholic couple from North Pensylvannia. I had the beef enchillada soup, the Caesar salad, the veal scaloppini with extra mushrooms and the no sugar added red berry dessert to eat. I had just one glass of red wine to drink.
At nine o'clock I heard ACD Hazel's excellent cabaret for a fifth time (?) but had trouble keeping awake, not having had a siesta that afternoon. I went to sleep at 10:15 having done twenty thousand steps, equal to eight miles of walking, during the day.
My alarms awoke me at six o'clock, ready for my usual early continental breakfast. For the first time, there was an enormous doughnut display, so I had just one small one. When Putu came to service the stateroom, I sat in the Explorers Lounge for a quarter of an hour.
At eight o'clock, I met guide Patricia and driver Andrea by combined bus numbers 16 & 17. We had thirty one guests to look after on the all day tour to Lucca & Vinci. It was a one hour run to lovely Lucca via a motorway service station. Patricia gave us a numbered map and led us from St Michael's church to the famous tower with trees growing on the top. She took us through the site of the Roman amphitheatre to the famous church with a fabulous mosaic on the outside of the tower.
During our long free time, I walked most of the way around the ramparts. At the office (Infopoint Mura di Lucca), I picked up a useful map with all the important trees labelled. I didn't have time for the small Botanical Garden (Orto Botanico). I photographed the cathedral from above, before descending to street level and following the fast flowing stream across the city centre. I found Patricia in her favourite restaurant (L'Oste di Lucca), where I shelled out €20.35 for Pici Pasta Carbonara and a glass of red wine (Vino Rosso).
On the one hour drive to Vinci, I had a siesta. The hilltop village of Vinci was beautiful and it was here that Leonardo was born. The party split into two groups with Patricia leading group 16, whilst I was with guide Claudia in group 17. We began in the Leonardo museum in the old castle, where there were lots of wooden models of his ideas. We didn't have time for the art room, the immersive experience or the tower climb.
The second Leonardo museum was in a modern building, with some more wooden models, but also some anatomical exhibits. We had just ten minutes of free time, so I rapidly climbed up the stone steps to the top of the castle's tower. Here there were fabulous views of the hill top village set in the classic Tuscan landscape of vineyards and olive groves. I chatted with a couple from Florida on the way back to the ship, where I updated this blog.
At 6:30 I went to Phil Smart's excellent talk on the Explosive Power of Mt. Vesuvius and Italy's Other Volcanoes. Afterwards I dined al fresco a la veranda as we left Leghorn and the sun was setting across the Mediterranean sea. I had the Cheddar & beer soup, four king crab legs, leg of veal with jacket potato & red cabbage, finishing with the no sugar added cacao sorbet with dried maraschino cherries to eat. I had just two glasses of sparkling water to drink.
At nine o'clock I enjoyed the Southern Sounds country music production show, which I have seen several times before. I went to bed at ten o'clock, having done fourteen thousand steps, nearly equal to six miles of walking during the day.
My alarm awoke me at six o'clock ready for my early continental breakfast. When Putu was servicing the stateroom just after seven o'clock, I moved up to the Explorers Lounge as the sun rose across the Lazio hills. Just after eight o'clock I met guide Luisa and driver Paolo by bus number 35. We only had sixteen guests to look after on the included tour to the Etruscan Necropolises of Tarquinia.
Out first stop was at the crop of tombs on the plateau just outside of Tarquinia the Etruscan capital. We were able to descend to half a dozen underground chambers decorated with frescoes. In the city itself, we were given a guided tour of the National Archaeological Museum (Palazzo Vitelleschi). Here we saw lots of Etruscan sarcophagi. The highlight was a pair of terracotta horses mounted high up on a wall. During the half hour of free time, I rushed past the Cathedral (Duomo) to the Church of St Mary in the Castle (Chiesa di Santa Maria in Castello).
Back at the ship, I lunched al fresco a la veranda in the hot sun on bell pepper & garlic soup, two slices of seafood pizza, a no sugar added yoghurt with granola and some cheese & biscuits. I had just two glasses of sparkling water to drink. I then slept for one hour, before working on my laptop.
At 4:30 I did six lengths of the pool, but the roof was still closed despite the hot sun. I gave the hot tub a miss to avoid aggravating my sore shins. At 5:45 I arrived in the Star theatre, but Sugeng didn't appear until 5:55, by which time I was getting concerned. He quickly set me up, but guests had already started arriving.
At 6:30 I gave my forty minute talk on Pompeii & Herculaneum. CD Bruce introduced me, as this was my first lecture of this cruise. I had added the Funicular song soundtrack sung in English, but didn't show the train video at the end. Afterwards a couple asked about Pliny's letter to Trajan and the latter's reply concerning Christians. Luckily I was able to show them the English text of both letters on my laptop in the Star bar just outside the Star theatre.
At 7:30 I dined with a couple from Michigan, who had been at my lecture. I had the chickpea soup, the chicken Parmigiana and the no sugar added strawberry tartlet to eat. I had just one glass of red wine to drink. I went to sleep at 10:15 having done only eight thousand steps, just over three miles of walking, during the day.
I got up to my alarm at six o'clock as we entered the Bay of Naples. I had my usual continental breakfast al fresco a la veranda as the sun rose over Vesuvius. I then sat in the Explorers Lounge to watch the sail-in to Naples. At 7:40 Putu had finished servicing the stateroom, so I worked on my laptop.
At 8:45 I met guide Marco and driver Antonio by bus number 22 on the quayside. We had 39 guests to look after on the Mozzarella tour to Sorrento, which I had escorted two week before. It took just over an hour to drive past Vesuvius to the seaside city. Here we had a very short walk to the lemon garden where Alessandro spoke about fruit growing. We then had our mozzarella production demonstration. Each guest got given four slices of the cows milk cheese and two pieces of bread drizzled with orange flavoured olive oil. We had local red wine and water to drink alongside the tasting of limoncello and a liquorice liqueur.
Another short walk took us to the main square and the inlaid wood demonstration by American Libby. We then had an hour and a quarter of free time. Unfortunately the Cathedral and the Bastion were both closed to visitors. I walked down to the two famous belvederes and then descended to the small port (Marina Piccola), which is actually bigger than the large port (Marina Grande) which I had explored two weeks previously. I walked back up the long and winding road to the main square meeting place. Marco led the group back to the coach whilst I awaited a Australian couple who were ten minutes late arriving. Marco then came back for us, but still thought two people were missing.
Back on the coach, we were all in place for the one hour run back to Naples. I slept for most of the journey to the port. Here I dozed for twenty minutes until disturbed by Putu delivering some peanuts and chocolate bars to go in my minibar refridgerator. At five o'clock I did six lengths of the warm pool, but the roof was still firmly closed.
At 5:45 Mike set me up, ready for me to give my forty minute talk on the Story of the Mediterranean Sea at 6:30. I had to skip over the final cuisine section, which I need to cut out in future. At 7:30 I dined on the cream of chicken soup, the Gorgonzola timbale, four king crab legs and the mixed grill from the BBQ. I ate out on the rear verandah, as the sun went down beside the island of Capri. Out on deck, I chatted to the Captain who said he had sailed a small yacht between the famous Fagalioni stacks and taken a zodiac RIB through the eye of the needle.
At 8:30 I went to the Dancing Under the Stars by the pool. I was sat with Laura and Lilly from the States (daughter and mother?), who I both danced with several times. I did a couple of dances with singer Lucy from Cuffley in Hertfordshire and led off the Electric Slide as ACD Hazel sang. The entertainment team left after three quarters of an hour, but I soldiered on until the band finished at 9:45. During the evening, I had two glasses of Bailey's Irish cream liqueur on the rocks to drink. I went to sleep at 10:45 having done over twelve thousand steps equal to five miles of walking during the day.
I awoke at six o'clock to the sight of the volcanic island of Stromboli from my stateroom picture window. I quickly abluted and went up to deck eight to watch the sail past. I didn't see any red hot lava, but some people said it had been active earlier. There was a dramatic sunrise beside the conical peak. I had one egg Benedict and one egg Royale for breakfast al fresco a la veranda with Stromboli in the background. I succumbed to two small Danish pastries to eat and had one glass of watermelon smoothie and one glass of Buck's Fizz (Mimosa) to drink.
At 7:25 Putu was servicing the stateroom, so I retreated to the Explorers Lounge. Back in my cabin, I worked on my laptop. At 8:45 I moved up to the Explorers Lounge to hear Phil's running commentary on the passage through the Straits of Messina. Seated in the upper gallery, ACD Hazel asked me to contact a guest who would like to dance with me. I wrote her a note and delivered it to her in her stateroom saying that I would be in the Torshavn nightclub at 10:15 that evening.
At eleven o'clock I went to the cookery demonstration in the Star theatre, which showed the production of Risotto & Tiramisu. I slipped out at 11:30 to have an early Viking burger & fries by the pool, with the roof at last one third open. This was the first burger that I had had on these last three back-to-back cruises. I then slept for over an hour and a half, before enjoying a tin can of diet coke and a small bag of peanuts whilst working on my laptop.
At 3:30 I went to Phil's interesting talk on the geology of our Adriatic ports. At 4:30 CD Bruce gave his five minute introduction to the Corfu port talk, followed by twenty five minutes by Albanian Dora the Explorer on the tours. CD Bruce wrapped up with his usual five minute concluding section. Afterwards I did six lengths of the pool with the roof one third open to the hot sun.
At 5:45 Samir set me up, ready for me to give my forty five talk on Mamma Mia: the Greek Musical at 6:30. I included the ITV "I have a dream" talent contest, which had been recorded on Corfu. At 7:30 I was too late for a sharing table in the MDR. I had the red pepper soup and the Viking steak & chips, followed by the no sugar added berry clafouti with vanilla ice cream to eat. I had just one glass of red wine to drink.
At nine o'clock I heard the excellent ABBA Songbook production show again. At 10:15 I did one smooch and one waltz with guest Shirley in the Torshavn nightclub, but she was having hip trouble. I went to bed at eleven o'clock having done only five thousand steps, equal to just two miles of walking during the sea day.
I got up at six o'clock, but it was now seven o'clock on Greek time. I had my usual continental breakfast al fresco a la veranda with the sun coming up over the Albanian hills. When Putu was servicing the stateroom, I sat in the Explorers Lounge watching the sail-in to the new port of Corfu.
At eight o'clock I was one of the first off the ship and I walked the two miles into the town, as I hadn't been allocated a tour to escort. I followed the coast all the way to the Mon Repos estate where Prince Philip of Greece, the Duke of Edinburgh was born. I doubled back to the old Venetian fortress to catch the 11:30 shuttle bus back to the cruise terminal.
At noon I lunched again al fresco a la veranda in the hot sunshine. I had the corn chowder soup and the mixed grill to eat with two glasses of sparkling water to drink. I then slept for an hour and a half, before catching the three o'clock shuttle bus back into the town. I walked back to the ship via the town hall, the main market and the synagogue.
At 4:30 we had the usual 5/25/5 minute port talk structure on Dubrovnik. I didn't have time for my swim as I had to get set up at 5:45 by Tawanda. At 6:30 I gave my 40 minute fourth and final enrichment lecture of this cruise on Croatia. At the end a lady with Croatian parents came up to me to congratulate me on my talk.
At 7:30 Joe & Lorrie from Pensylvannia invited me to join them for dinner. We were joined by Virginia from Santa Fe, whose husband had CoViD. His symptoms were just like a heavy cold. This got me thinking, had I been suffering from this too on the previous cruise? I had the Calabrian lentil soup, the Caesar salad, the lamb kofta with mushrooms on the side and the no sugar added strawberries and cream dessert to eat. I had TWO glasses of red wine to drink to celebrate completing my contract.
I was too late for the classical duo's showtime, so I watched it on the television instead. I then watched my Croatia presentation on the television. Using PowerPoint, I produced photo albums for Monemvasia & Katakolon ready for my next Silversea contract. I went to sleep at eleven o'clock on Greek time, but only ten o'clock on Central European Time (CET). During the day I had done over twenty seven thousand steps, equal to eleven miles of walking.
I awoke just before seven o'clock to the dawn, but it was only six o'clock back on CET. At 6:30 I had a continental breakfast with Black Forest ham for a change. I had just two glasses of sparkling water to drink, al fresco a la veranda as the sun rose over the Dalmatian islands. As I was leaving the World Cafe, I saw that they had a waffle station in action, so I succumbed to a large round waffle with berry compote and cream.
At seven o'clock Putu was already at work in my stateroom, so I went up to the top deck to watch the sail-in to Dubrovnik. Here I had a chat with speaker Steve from San Diego about American current affairs. Back in my stateroom, I updated this blog and got ready to escort bus number 1 on the hour. On the quayside I met guide Diana and driver Micah. We only had 13 guests to look after on a newish minibus.
Our first stop was at the Rector's Palace in Slano, which was really rather small and uninteresting, overlooking a building site. Our next stop was at the Trsteno Arboretum, which was a splendid garden overlooking the Adriatic sea. Most of the trees had labels, which identified their names and origins. On the way back to the ship, we had a photostop at the Dubrovnik cable stayed bridge at Gruz port.
At 12:45 I lunched al fresco a la veranda in the hot sun. I had the bell pepper soup and the mixed grill to eat. I had just two glasses of sparkling water to drink. I then slept for an hour and a half.
At 2:55 the three o'clock shuttle bus left five minutes early, but I was already on board. In Dubrovnik, I got a map from the TIO and headed for the fortress outside the city walls which featured in Game of Thrones. Inside the city walls, I skirted the southern side, going out on to the cliffs through the two narrow doorways. At the old harbour I had to shell one euro for the loo. I then caught the 5:30 shuttle bus back to the ship.
At six o'clock I asked for a sharing table in the MDR, but got given one on my own. I was next to a couple from Arizona, but the husband was deaf on my side. They in turn were next to a Canadian couple. I had the beet(root) and lentil soup, TWO lobsters and rice followed by the no sugar added baked apple with cream to eat. I had just one glass of the Spanish Temperanillo red wine to drink. It had lots of fruity blackberry flavours!
Back in my stateroom, I updated this blog and worked on my upcoming Silversea lectures. At 8:30 I had two king crab legs at the tail end of the surf & turf BBQ. At nine o'clock I went to CD Bruce's excellent piano recital again. I went to sleep at 10:15 having done seventeen thousand steps, equal to seven miles of walking during the day.
My alarm awoke me at 6:30 from a dream where I hid in a cupboard to avoid a rampaging tiger! At seven o'clock I had my usual continental breakfast al fresco a la veranda as a P&O cruise ship followed us into Split. When Putu was servicing the stateroom, I sat in the Explorers Lounge as we tied up. Back in my cabin, I continued working on my upcoming Silversea lectures.
At nine o'clock I joined guide Tanya and driver Marko at coach number 21. Here we had 33 guests to look after on the Flavours of the Dalmatian Coast tour. We drove out past the famous Klis Fortress, used in the Game of Thrones television show, to the Stella Croatia complex. We began in the restaurant, with a short presentation on olive oil.
We tasted a walnut liqueur and two different olive oils, one theirs and one from a supermarket. Nearly everbody could correctly guess which was which! We ate some lovely light coloured olive tapenade, made with Mediterranean herbs, garlic, pepper and salt, on some local bread. We had just plain water to drink.
Next up came the reconstructed Croatian village, where a lady was cooking bread under a metal dome covered in burning ashes. We explored the extensive market garden, before entering the informative olive museum. This was nominated for the European museum of the year award back in 2023. Our last stop was at the shop, where our guests bought lots of things to eat from sweet to savoury. They kindly said I could have anything as a gift, so I chose an embroidered sachet of lavender, better than the one I had bought in Avignon last year.
Back in the city, Tanya led us through the South Gate of Roman Emperor Diocletian's palace to the famous cellars. We saw the outside of the cathedral (Diocletian's Mausoleum) and the baptistery (Temple of Jupiter), before exiting via the west gate. After a quick spin through the Venetian quarter, we walked back along the fine promenade to the bus.
Back at the ship, I lunched on the fish soup followed by the Southern Fried Chicken (SFC) with chips and edamame beans al fresco a la veranda. I had just two glasses of sparkling water to drink. I then slept for an hour and a half, before working on my laptop.
At 4:30 I went to the Venice Port Talk which had a 8/22/8 minute format with CD Bruce topping and tailing Shorex Dora the Explorer. Afterwards I did six lengths of the cool pool with the roof firmly closed as it had clouded over. Just after six o'clock I was allocated a sharing table in the MDR. I was sat with Deb & Paul, farmers from Ontario, Canada (who I had dined with before) and Mary & Mark from near St Louis. I had the farmhouse vegetable soup, the tuna salad, the lamb chops and the no sugar added raspberry dessert to eat. I had TWO glasses of the Spanish Rioja red wine to drink.
I then had a glass of champagne in the Star Theatre ready for the Farewell show time. This began at 8:30 with the two resident singers from the Torshavn nightclub. At nine o'clock CD Bruce introduced the Captain and then members of the crew. At 9:15 the four vocalists and the four musicians performed their Legends production show. I went to sleep at 10:45 having done seven and a half thousand steps, equal to three miles of walking during the day.
I got up at 6:35 to a grey, overcast dawn. At seven o'clock I had two eggs Benedict and a glass of sparkling water al fresco a la veranda, but it was chilly outside. Back inside, I had a banana and peanut butter smoothie to drink. Viking sent me a MicroSoft Teams link, so I spent most of the morning battling with MicroSoft Authenticator.
At 9:30 I went to Phil's interesting lecture on the Venice Lagoon. At 11:30 I had an early lunch of minestrone soup and escalope of chicken al fresco a la veranda. I then slept for three quarters of an hour, even dreaming.
At 1:30 I moved out to the pier, where I met local guide Nina with lollipop number 28. Four groups all got on the same ferry boat to take us to Murano. Here we had the usual glass blowing demonstration, that is a vase and a leaping horse. When the groups were led off to the showroom, I went for a walk along the canals under cloudy skies.
Our next port of call was Burano where we had a lace demonstration. I again slipped away from the showroom to walk around the colourful island, but it had started to drizzle. We had a full hour and a half of free time to explore, so I went back to the ferry boat early.
We finally got back to the ship just before eight o'clock. I immediately went up to the World Cafe buffet for the cream of broccoli soup and the fish, chips & mushy peas al fresco a la veranda for the third time that day. It was still raining, but mild under the canopy. I had just two glasses of sparkling water to drink. I then had to pack, getting my case out just before the ten o'clock deadline. I went to sleep at 10:30 having done less than ten thousand steps, equal to nearly four miles of walking, during the day.
I got up at six o'clock to heavy rain, which meant I had to have my continental breakfast inside the double height Aquavit bar. Back in my state room, I finished packing and worked on my laptop. At eight o'clock I moved through to the atrium to await my Purple 2 luggage tag to be called. Here I found a power socket in the Viking museum corner. I was able to add old photographs to all three cruise blogs.
At 9:25 my tag was called and in the baggage hall CD Bruce said thank you for all my efforts. We departed at 9:50 for the thirty minute run to Marco Polo airport. Here the coach was not allowed to stop by the terminal doors, but instead in a parking lot one hundred yards away. Whilst we were led to the terminal, our bags were transferred by hand to a small van, only to be driven the short distance to the terminal, where they were manually unloaded again. What a waste of time and effort!
BA check-in took half an hour and then security confiscated my water bottle. I had one of the ship's apples, a bag of fruit & nut snacks and a chocolate bar to eat, but nothing to drink. The electronic passport gates had no queues, so I was quickly through to the gate, where I found a power socket for my laptop, to update this blog.
Our plane had only just arrived, so I thought that we were not going to get away on time. Loading was OK and we pulled back on time and took off quickly. Once airborne, we were given an oat snack bar and a small bottle of water. I got out my laptop, but dozed instead. I continued working when I had woken up after an hour or so.
We landed at 1:45 on BST which was ahead of schedule. Docked at terminal 5B, we had a long walk, a train ride and another long walk to get to passport control. The latter was fast and my bag had arrived after I had been to the loo. I caught the Piccadilly line train to the central terminal, where I used the machines to buy a National Express coach ticket for £38. I had to wait an hour and a quarter for the four o'clock service to Bournemouth. This filled up at terminals four and five, so I had to share the back seats with a black family. I eventually got home at 19:30 after a long day travelling.
My 203rd cruise had been most enjoyable, the high point being the visit to Leonardo's home town of Vinci. This provided useful photographs for my Leonardo da Vinci lecture. It was lovely working with CD Bruce, ACD Hazel and SM Mike for a second time.
1) "Pompeii & Herculaneum: The Eruptions of Vesuvius" Dig into the story of the buried cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. 2) "The Story of the Mediterranean Sea" Dive into the natural history and human history of this great sea. 3) "Mamma Mia: the Greek Musical" Take a chance on the wonderful songs of ABBA set on a Greek island. 4) "Welcome to Croatia!" Discover the geography, geology, history & culture of this land of a thousand islands.
203 Cruises 54 Cruise ships (see below) 16 Cruise lines (see below) 12 Night cruise 10 Continental breakfasts 8 Tours escorted 5 Restaurants (MDR, CT, WC, PG, Manfredi's) 5 Production shows 4 New places (Calanques, Eze, Vinci & Slano) 4 Singers (Sam, Teddy, Emily & Lucy Pugh) 4 Band members (Keys, 2 Guitars & Drums) 4 Enrichment lectures given (P&H, Med, MM & Croatia) 3 Mixed grill lunches 3 Chicken lunches 3 Lamb dinners 3 Storey atrium 3 Hot tubs 3 Pools 2 Nightclub singers 2 Panoramic elevators 2 Cinemas 2 Egg Benedict breakfasts 2 Steak dinners 2 Veal dinners 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 Lunch on tour (Pici pasta carbonara)
Captain Olaf Cruise Director Bruce Ass. Cruise Director Hazel Shorex Manager Dora the Explorer from Albania Stage Managers Mike (ex FOCL), Samir, Tawanda, Sugeng Resident Historian Steve Babbitt from San Diego Cultural Lecturer Martin P. Lee from BoMoH Geology Lecturer Phil Smart from Australia
* 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 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 Viking Sky Viking Star Viking Saturn 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