Day14: Last day, steaming into Venice...

Wow, what an end to a great holiday! Our ship docked in Venice at midday, and nothing can prepare you for the experience of cruising right through Venice! We were less than 500 metres from the entrance to the Grand Canal, we could see the Bridge of Sighs, Saint Mark's Square and countless other famous landmarks - I suppose it must have looked pretty remarkable to the people on shore too, to see a massive liner passing so close. Due to efforts to protect the city from water damage the port will not be used by big ships from next year, so the experience won't be repeated for much longer. http://youtu.be/9ytB8NDt51Q

We were able to disembark by 1:30pm and we took a motor launch back into the heart of the city. We have been to Venice before, and whilst here then we visited the small island of Murano - this is a lovely place world famous for glassware. We decided to repeat the visit and so set off to find the boarding stage for the appropriate "vaporetto" (water bus). We had absolutely no cash, but assumed we would find a cash machine reasonably easily... not so, we looked for ages and almost gave up before we stumbled across a small ATM on Murano - phew!

Murano was just as stunning as we remembered it, it's like Venice in minitature, almost like a Disney set. There were Glassware shops all around and so Jan began searching "for perhaps something nice" with enthusiasm straight away... After a while we came across one of the least obvious shops almost by accident, inside was a lovely woman who chatted about her business and introduced us to her 74 year mother who was still making glass jewellery, we were invited into the workshop in the back and watched as the old lady demonstrated her art - it was really interesting and we felt that buying something we knew a bit about was very satisfying. http://youtu.be/jAQnaUTJoA0

We returned back to Venice on the vaporetto, and followed the labarythine paths and alleyways back to the shuttle boat - not before stopping for one last gelato and a cool beer, it has been very hot again today.

 

We have to pack tonight for an early flight back to Manchester tomorrow, so when this blog finally gets uploaded we will probably be already home, this holiday has been a great experience and I hope you have enjoyed the blog. We have no plans for our next holiday yet but rest assured when we go "The thoughts of Chairman Riddo" will be there to bore you!

 

 

 

Day 13: Croatia in the heat

Apologies for no blogging yesterday, but we were at sea all day and there wasn't much to report.

It was probobaly the hottest day we've had today, energy sapping and much sweat inducing - but we must still soldier on, I hear that there has been torrential rain in Blighty.

We docked in the historic Croatian city of Dubrovnik this morning, the "sail in" was dramatic, passing picturesque little islands and with rocky hills on both sides of the water. After breakfast we took the port shuttle bus into the Old City and began exploring as earnestly as the heat would allow.

 

The Old City of Dubrovnik is an amazing medieval fortified town by the sea front, it's a warren of narrow streets and old tall buildings surrounded by a massive thick wall. We were both really impressed with how clean, organised and well preserved everything seemed - this is all the more remarkable considering a lot of the city had been badly damaged by heavy fighting in the Balkan conflict in the 90's. http://youtu.be/7H1SOqCpxi4

It was very busy, tourists everywhere, we saw 101 Dalmatians - not the film, just a crowd of locals... (I've been working on that joke since Genoa!)

Every port visit includes a refuelling stop in a little café; coffee, wifi and relaxing being essential to our routine, and today was no exception. Wifi in cafés is a big deal in these resorts and it's widely available, on every table there are tourists with iPads, mobile phones etc. surfing the "inter web", in fact many people walk out of some cafés if there isn't wifi, or the signal is poor.

We took a cable car ride up to the high ground above the town and took in the views before descending to another eatery and more coffee. Many of the alleys and passageways in the Old City are steep and twisty and at the particular pizzeria we chose the street side furniture was perched at such a precarious angle that our glasses of water kept sliding across the table!

Finally beaten by the oppressive heat we retreated to the air conditioned sanctuary of the ship, this has been our last stop before we finish in Venice tomorrow, and it could not have been more pleasant - Dubrovnik? Highly recommended!

 

 

 

 

 

Day 11: Vesuvius trip

Today was the day we took a trip out, our first! We had booked to go on a "4 x 4 coach trip and hike" up to the summit of the famous volcano Vesuvius. The early start was a bit of a shock to the system, we had to be ready to leave by 8:30am. On the way we stopped at a service station to use the "rest rooms", it was amusing because it really reminded me of a school trip - "there's no toilets beyond here so I want you all to go and try..." ordered the tour guide, and we all dutifully traipsed off and duly "tried".

Vesuvius is within a National park only about 30 minutes coach drive from Naples, and so after the brief journey, passing the site of Pompeii on the way, we arrived at "Base camp". The trail to the summit is so narrow and twisty that every one has to transfer to big, military type 4x4 coaches at this point, the road is monitored so that the necessary one-way system works and it's a real "white knuckle" ride!

This journey was 15 minutes of bumps, lurches, crunching gear changes and screaming tyres, (bit like my daily drive to work!), but eventually we arrived at a drop off point about 800 metres below the top. This was the promised "hike", and 20 minutes later we had made it!

We were able to walk almost half way round the crater, staring into the sinister looking depths, I suggested that at the bottom there was an evil arch criminal in a secret bunker, plotting to take over the world, but apart from some tell tale wisps of smoke, (honest!), there was nothing untoward. http://youtu.be/cy-QlNVkuAw

 

 

The views were stunning when the frequent clouds parted, we could see the bay of Naples and the island of Capri. It was very hot but there was a pleasant breeze and it wasn't particularly crowded - but busy enough for a small gift shop obviously...

 

 

 

 

 

Day 10: Life on the Ocean waves...

(Ok so the Mediterranean isn't actually an "ocean", but never mind...)

All day "all at sea" means there's no pressure to be anywhere in a hurry, so a late breakfast and a leisurely wander along the "promenade deck" was the plan, we supped coffee and read our books. P and O are such a caring and considerate company, they make it so easy for you to spend your money, no effort is too much for the on board staff to separate you from your cash - we went to a talk, (in the "Tamarind Bar"), entitled "The History of Diamonds", and as well as an informative "wild ride through the history of Diamonds" hosted by Lucas Mele, we were fortunate enough to be invited to take advantage of the generous Tax free discounts available to passengers who purchase any jewellery from the conveniently located retail outlet...

As well as this event there are many other diversions available on board, as today is a quiet day "news wise", I will take the time to tell you about some attractions we could consider:

Adult Shuffleboard competition - 10:30 am Sun Deck, (suitable footwear please).

Seaweed for all concerns - 2:00 pm Oasis spa and fitness club, (how a seaweed wrap can help eliminate Arthritic and rheumatic aches and pains, ease water retention or "excess fluid" issues - involves fee).

Make up master class - 3:00 pm Atrium - deck 5, (join our make up artists Kerry and Rachel in their master class - opportunities to spend money on our tax free cosmetics not to be missed!)

There are many more similar attractions to tempt the unsuspecting cruiser, it's fun fun fun! (Actually don't get the wrong idea, we really are enjoying ourselves, but for us a lot of the fun is watching how hard other people are trying to have fun - it's very entertaining!)

 

 

 

Day 9: Style issue...

Now we've been cruising up and down the Italian coast for a few days I feel qualified to pass comment on the questions of fashion and style. There's no doubt that when you visit such cosmopolitan destinations as Venice, Corfu and Corsica you can't help but notice how one should look...

I have noticed from reader "feedback" that folk are interested, not only in my appearance, but also what the fashion police consider this season's "look". Everyone here seems to wearing cool "pork pie" hats, "aviator" style sunglasses and for the ladies; linen dresses.

Jan bought herself a nice dress at a store in Livorno today - we only went in to find the loo, and I considered getting a pair of Burghundy chinos... Unfortunately you need to have a waist smaller than 34 inches to be that stylish, so I left empty handed.

There are so many scooters around, and the young women manage to look cool and unruffled even when weaving through insane traffic all designer handbags and high heels. The hot weather helps I suppose, but I still can't imagine many 25 year old lasses nipping along Nottingham ring road like they do here.

Of course in comparison to Italian style we have "Brits on holiday" chic... Im sure there is a relationship between how many tattoos one has and how long one is prepared to be exposed lobster like on the sun beds... This afternoon there were so many pink bodies on display on the sun decks it looked like an advert for skin cancer prevention. Tomorrow there will be some sore body parts...

We went into Livorno and became very confused, we have been here before but the place looks totally different from what we remember, perhaps we've been afloat too long and are catching cabin fever?

At tonight's meal we were sat with 3 Chelsea fans and an Arsenal supporter, however rather than aggression or hostility, when they learned I was a Hammers fan There was a distinct whiff of pity and sympathy...

Tomorrow is a "sea day"', so the entertainments crew will be working extra hard to whip us into a manic crowd of "party people", by the same token we will be working extra hard to avoid this madness and keep our heads down - watch this space to see how if we survive!

 

 

 

Day 8: I say I say I say...

"I say I say I say, I went to a northern Italian port today with a charming lady.."

"Genoa?"

"Of course I do it was Jan!"

(I have been planning that joke since we left Corfu! Lol)

Today lots of folk leave and arrive as Genoa is the mid-point of the trip, so there are loads of new people wandering around looking lost and confused, it's amusing to laud it over them, pretending to be veteran cruisers! However we aren't so clever really as this evening we ended up in the wrong dining area without realising it and caused much confusion amongst the waiters.

In the morning we went on a "city tour" bus ride of Genoa, taking in the sights and breathing in the traffic fumes... Genoa is very congested, scooters and buses coming at you from all angles! Christopher Colombus originally came from here, he probobaly left and discovered North America because he was looking for a parking space.

Some of the litle narrow streets are very charming and as usual we stumbled upon several cafés which sold nice coffee and "gelato". We even found a small food outlet that sold Genoa cake! So in the name of research we were obliged to buy a sample - and some lovely focaccia bread and a slice of "farinata", yummy.

The daily trips to the gym are proving tough, but with this food intake I need to make the effort, have been doing 5k a day on the treadmill and judging by the sweat I am depositing on the machinery I must be doing myself some good.

As I mentioned before, we went to the wrong dining room tonight and the waiter was most confused when he could find no record of Jan's veggie order, we were becoming equally confused until we realised the decor was slightly unfamiliar... And this is before we had been drinking!

 

Day 7: In need of a crepe...

Today's "Port of call" is Corsica, famous for being the birth place of Napolean Bonaparte and the home base of the French Foreign Legion. The port we have arrived at is Ajaccio, and after a late breakfast and an hour lounging with our books we set off to explore. We came across Napolean's house, or "Maison Bonaparte" as it is helpfully described as on the tourist map. After seeing the house and taking some pictures I considered leaving for the French mainland, raising an army and then marching on Moscow, but then thought better of it - that would be just barmy..

We needed to find a cafe with Wi fi and have something to eat, now some people think that French fast food is crepe, but personally I don't think it's that bad - so crepe "avec jambon et fromage", and crepe "ratatouille", washed down with local lager and coffee hit the spot.

We were sat in the same cafe as both the stand-up comedians from our ship, they were at the next table to us so I had to keep my voice down because I didn't want them stealing any of my material.

Ajaccio is a lovely little port, but like nearly every place we've been to so far there is significant building works going on, pavements dug up, roads closed, scaffolding over lots of houses, a real pain...

On our ship they usually have a party by the pool as we leave port, and tonight was no exception - "The great British sail-out" is how it is billed in the on-ship entertainment guide, "there will be over 2000 folk partying and sipping cocktails to live music, (courtesy of house band "Electrix"), waving flags and singing along"... Well we certainly weren't among them, we sat on our balcony, finished off our champagne and considered ourselves fortunate for being well away from all the "fun", ("bah humbug").

 

 

 

 

 

Day 6: Do not be alarmed...

Before I report on the deeds of the day, a little dedication: I started this holiday blog several summers ago as a means of saving money on postcards to my mum and dad, letting them share in our adventures - anyway, today is mum's birthday, so happy birthday to you!

An interesting start to the day, I was happily showering this morning when I noticed a button (switch?), high up on the wall... Curiosity got the better of me and so I pressed it several times to see what happened... Apparently nothing so I left it and continued my "ablutions". When I emerged from the shower Jan told me that reception had been on the phone asking if "everything was okay?" The switch I had been messing with was the disabled passengers alarm system... I shall look the other way when we check out.

We are in Civitavecchia today and most of the passengers are going on coach trips to Rome. We decided that we would stay local so had more time, a leisurely breakfast and then an hour on a sun bed with our books, we had difficulty choosing where to settle...

 

The port trip was pleasant, just strolling and window shopping, Italian coffee, Italian pizza and Italian ice cream. http://youtu.be/pIL7obgBnrY

 

 

Apart from being the significant port for Rome Civitavecchia isn't much of a tourist hot spot, (although at this time of year it is still a "hot spot"), but it does have a historic medieval fort and an eye catching modern statue on the promenade.

We heard from fellow passengers returning from Rome after their 10 hour trip, that the queues were really bad and the crowds predictably busy. Our day has been relaxing and quiet so I think we got the best deal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 5: All at sea

Another "sea day" whilst we steamed around the toe of Italy from Corfu to Civitavecchia. News of the day to follow, but first news of last night's "Food and wine pairing" event: it was really really great! Neither of us knew what to expect, but it was basically a selection of different wines with different gourmet dishes. The food was magnificent and the senior wine waiter gave us a short explanation of the accompanying tipple before each course - from a "cheeky" Cabernet Sauvignon to a "robust" Burgundy, via light Canadian iced wines and heavy Portugese reds, it was boozy and fun, recommended!

Today we sailed between the Italian mainland and Sicily, through the narrow Straits of Messina. Whilst the straits were at their narrowest a launch came along side our ship and this guy jumped on board! He was obviously from the Local port authority and was a "Pilot", helping to navigate us through the possibly dangerous water. An hour later he leapt off onto his launch again just as dramatically and waved coolly to the cheering passengers, very entertaining.

A while later we passed a tiny island which is actually a active volcano, which we could see was puffing out small clouds of smoke, apparently this island is occupied by several hundred people - sounds a bit barmy.

Tonight is another formal do, so I need to dig out the "whistle and flute" again, should be good but the food will have to go some to better yesterday!

 

Day 4: Corfu old town

So here we are in Greek waters, the ship steamed through the narrow channel between Albania and Corfu Island as we ate breakfast in the "Waterside" restaraunt - a strange name don't you think, as surely on a ship all the restaraunts could be described as "waterside"? The docking was un-eventful and we set off to explore soon after.

 

 

 

Our plan was to walk to the old town and wander around, visit a few cafés and if possible find a barbers as my hair is getting so long I can't do a thing with it... I told Jan I wanted to see "the old fort", she mis heard me and thought I said "the old fart", and told me she could see that already - she can be so unkind at times.

The Old Fort was worth a visit actually, although Jan was initially fed up with the prospect of a sweaty climb to the lighthouse at the top, the view was great, and another chance for me to experiment with video links presented itself - http://youtu.be/XyNoWL-RL2A

 

Back in the town we found a classic back street barbers, where I was treated to a "short back and polish" and a beard trim - it was the crimper's idea to take the photo.

 

Tonight's inboard attractions include "The Glass House Taster Dinner", this involves mixing wine tasting and sampling various foods, it's supposed to be an educational experience for the palate, but after the promised 4 or 5 glasses of wine I don't think I'll care about how brainy my palate has become!

After that, if we have the energy, we plan to visit the Arena theatre to watch a film, (Jack Ryan-Shadow recruit).

 

 

 

 

 

Day 3: Kotor in the rain

We awoke this morning to be met with the spectacular views of the Montenegran fjord in which the medieval town of "Kotor" is situated. No I didn't realise there were fjords anywhere other than Norway either, but one learns new stuff all the time when your traveling! We stood on our balcony in our dressing gowns enjoying the view and supping our mugs of tea - a grand start to the day.

 

This is the great thing about cruising we've decided, you visit interesting places, go to bed, and you're at another interesting place in the morning!

To get to the town of Kotor we had to travel by "tender", basically it's what they call the lifeboats when they're not being used in emergencies. These boats shuttle to and fro all day taking eager tourists ashore, if they travel in pairs there is one tender in front and a tender behind...

We arrived and began exploring, there is an "old town" area with lots of narrow streets, cobbled squares and plenty of atmosphere, it was lovely, only spoilt by the fact that it began to pour down, and no one was prepared for it - the promised weather had been "hot and sunny". We sheltered in a cafe and drank several gorgeous strong coffees. (At this point I want to experiment with my first video link, http://youtu.be/qi1ctYmtJfY - "click" for evidence).

When the rain eased a bit we continued to explore, but soon it began raining heavily again and we once more sort refuge in a cafe. This time it was beer o'clock and time for lunch!

Pizza and salad, and a cool lager.

 

Finally admitting defeat with the elements we returned to the ship, the visit had been brief but we were both definitely impressed with what we saw. The area's scenery is fantastic, and as the ship left for the open sea once more - in beautiful warm weather, we toasted the views from our balcony once again. This time with the complimentary Champagne.

An overnight sail south will find us at Corfu in the morning, it's a hard life but I suppose someone has to do it.

 

 

 

Day 2: Being lazy and dressing posh.

Today has been what we nautical folk call a "sea day", that is a day spent at sea, where we all lounge around, read, listen to music and generally take it easy - we have embraced this lifestyle with total enthusiasm! (Although we did visit the gym this morning and lumber along the treadmill for a while.)

This afternoon I spent some time in the casino having a "Beginners Gaming seminar", learning how to lose at Black Jack, Poker and Roulette. The chips we were playing with were of no actual value, so I was playing a very high risk strategy - I will be a lot more cautious tonight, and Jan says that once I exceed my "allowance" (£5:00), "that's it".

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the subject of "tonight", dinner tonight is "formal", so everyone will be dressed in their Sunday best, it's supposed to be "black tie", (i.e. Dinner jacket), but as I don't possess such a thing - and certainly don't intend to hire one, I shall be dusting off my Bangkok "48 hour" suit, (see last years blog). Jan obviously will be looking fab in her glad rags n' slap.

 

The formal night was a pleasant experience, on our table was a family from Liverpool who enjoyed winding me up about West Ham's FA Cup defeat against Liverpool a few years ago - in the match where Gerrard scored a flakey equaliser... I told them how I wasn't bitter...

 

 

Montenegro tomorrow-yay!