HAPPY NEW YEAR 2024
from Martin!
This is my annual newsletter, I would welcome receiving your news too!
The year started in Gibraltar where I was lecturing on board Saga's Spirit of Discovery doing ten port talks. Their New Year's Eve fireworks are not a patch on Funchal's in Madeira. I escorted nine tours, went on nine long walks and danced with eight single ladies. The highlight of the cruise was attending the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra's outdoor concert on Christmas Night. The rest of January was spent writing new lectures like the Railways of Norway.
February began with a private tea time at Woodsford Castle in Dorset. I then went on the first of seven Norway cruises during the year. I gave three lectures and escorted three tours, the best of which was the famous Flam railway excursion. The month ended with me ordering my new car from the Hyundai dealer in Everton near Lymington.
In March it took twelve days and cost ten grand to install my new shower room, with which I am very pleased. The month ended with a fabulous weekend:- On the Saturday I visited Whitchurch Silk Mill, Hinton Ampner House and Mottisfont Abbey, all in nearby Hampshire. On the Sunday I went to my second BGC luncheon organised by my friend Mark. Here I made a new friend in David from Havant. This was followed by a tea dance in the afternoon.
In April I went on my first Oceania cruise to the Western Mediterranean. This included nine fabulous ports, seven great tours, four new towns, four new berths and a first visit to Port-Vendres in the South of France. After only two days at home, I was off again flying to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria to join the Marella Explorer and flying home from Corfu with TUI. I did five enrichment lectures and visited four new places including Senglea on Malta. One of my fellow speakers recommended me to Viking Ocean Cruises, who have given me two contracts next year.
In May I collected my new Hyundai i10 motor car from the dealer in Everton near Lymington. It is a five door, four stroke, three cylinder, one litre runabout, like my previous two. At the end of the month, I went back to Norway on the Celebrity Silhouette. I did eight long walks on this seven night cruise listening to six vocalists!
In June I went back to Norway for the third time this year on P&O's Aurora. I escorted five tours and gave four enrichment lectures. At the end of the month Silversea flew me to Copenhagen to join my all time favourite ship the Silver Dawn. I gave six port talks, escorted five great tours and went up two cable cars in Norway.
At the beginning of July, I was on the Silversea follow on cruise, heading back to Copenhagen with a FIVE roomed suite! Again I gave six port talks, escorted five great tours, but only went up one cable car this time in Norway. My next cruise was on Saga's Spirit of Discovery to the Isles of Scilly. I gave four port talks and escorted four tours including my first visit to Land's End of the year. On the turnaround day in Dover I took my first cousin Jean and her daughter Michelle out to lunch. The follow on cruise was to Lerwick on Shetland for the Tall Ships Race. I also visited John O'Groats for the first time in some years. I gave three port talks, escorted three tours and visited two new towns: Wick in Caithness and Scalloway on Shetland.
In August my new friend David showed me around Portsmouth. I had my left eye successfully lasered at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital to lower the fluid pressure. At the end of the month I went back to Norway for the sixth time this year on Fred Olsen's (FOCL) Bolette. I gave four enrichment lectures and escorted four tours, including three hikes.
In September my old friend Janet from Brisbane came to stay for a few days on her Grand Tour. We had a hectic Saturday out exploring Dorset, but I ended the day suffering from heat stroke. In the middle of the month, I had a short break in Devon staying at an AirBnB in Ashburton. I visited Castle Drogo, Saltram House, Lydford Gorge and Exeter. The month ended with both BGC and GOC meals out.
In October I went to stay with my old friend Charmaine in Clevedon en route to Royal Portbury dock for the first time. Here I joined the Ambassador Ambition for the first time. I escorted six tours and gave four lectures, which consisted of three port talks and one enrichment lecture. The high point of this cruise was seeing the famous Bayeux Tapestry, which is actually an embroidery. I also visited Land's End for the second time this year. At the end of the month I was back on FOCL's Bolette going to the Western Med and Madeira for the Fleet in Funchal rendezvous. I gave five lectures, rode on four trains and escorted three tours, including a wine tasting at Nulles near Tarragona.
In November I attended an Open University staff development event in Milton Keynes, followed by a couple of days with my sister-in-law Pam in my home town of Harlow. At the end of the month I went on P&O's Arcadia back to Norway for the seventh time this year. There were eight sea days, when I gave seven lectures, getting one day off. I escorted two tours including a first visit to the Polaria aquarium in Tromso.
I will be at home during most of December with ten appointments already planned, including the lasering of my right eye after the success of the left one. I have been lucky enough to do thirteen fabulous cruises during the year.
My next cruise is on the sixth of January when I shall be flying out to Miami, cruising through the Panama Canal to San Francisco. Here I hope to have a one week's vacation before flying home. This will be the first of five Regent Seven Seas Cruises (RSSC.Com) I have contracted for next year. This includes the Panama Canal, the Caribbean, a Transatlantic repositioning cruise, the Eastern Med and the Western Med. I also have one cruise booked on the Caribbean Princess to Greenland for the first time and two cruises on the Viking Sky. The latter going from Stockholm to Bergen via the Baltic Sea and from Bergen to Barcelona via the Straits of Dover and the Straits of Gibraltar.
I hope you and your family and friends are keeping well. Do keep in touch!
Martin
www.MPLee.Co.UK
2021 11 Cruises 2022 12 Cruises 2023 13 Cruises 2023 Cruises: 3 FOCL 2 P&O 2 Saga 2 Silversea 1 Oceania 1 Marella 1 Celebrity 1 Ambassador 13 Cruises