Queen Anne 8th - 22nd September 2024
8th September at sea
1st night on board Queen Anne. just had evening meal. table guests are Harold, Anita, Sarah and ?. We now have two days at sea before arriving at Cadiz. Unpacked all our luggage, the cabin is spacious with a very large balcony. Our drive up was good with little traffic until the last two miles which was bad. Still got on board two hours early. went to the show and saw Celia Graham, a soprano with a lovey voice. Then to the Queens room, not so good, so at the interval we went to the Golden Lion pub for some Irish music. This will be followed by bed.
9th September at sea
Calm day at sea in the bay today. The wind is quite strong and cold. Sat up by the pool and read. Nice and relaxing. Back in the cabin now and to ensure no one else relaxes mum decides to steam her evening gown to get any creases out and sets off the cabin smoke detector. This is followed by a call from the officer of the watch on the bridge where I can imagine a flashing light and appropriate alarm sounded causing a little excitement no doubt. Gala evening was really entertaining, Subject for discussion tonight was Death. Our fellow dinner guests are as cynical about death as I am.
10th September at sea
We turned the corner today towards the Med at exactly 12 noon. The weather seemed to change instantly to hot sunshine and blue sea. We both went into the pool for a swim, it was lovely. After the show tonight we went into the Golden Lion to listen to the Irish duo, they were very good.
11th September in Cadiz - Spain
We docked in Cadiz today and went ashore quite late. We had not booked a tour as they are very expensive and we wanted to do our own thing. We caught the shuttle bus to the dock gate and then got on a normal sightseeing bus. It drove all the way around the peninsular. We stayed on until we got back to the start. We then went by foot into the shopping area. It was a very busy place. We stopped for a coffee and were only charged 4 euros for two coffees. We got back to the ship just over an hour before we were due to sail. we went up to the pool at the front of the ship. We both had a lovely swim followed by a bit of sunbathing. As we are eating up at the restaurant on Deck 9 we had to leave earlier than we wanted in order to be up there by six. This would give us an hour to eat before the show in Bright Lights Noir. When we got up to deck 9 at nearly 18.15 it was not yet laid up.when we asked one of the waiters she told us the clocks had gone back again so it was only 17.15 and we were early, in fact we had done everything early all day. Noir was very over the top with acting and very good. it was a lot of fun, when we left it was back into the Golden Lion for more Irish music.
This has got to be one of the largest cocktails I have ever seen. I am sure Leigh was not sure if she should drink it or paddle in it. It was a lot to get through and as you can imagine it took a great deal of effort but she was not going to be beaten. I have no idea how many shots of alcohol it contained.
This wonky pavement played tricks on your eyes. The way it had been laid really made it look and feel as if it was all up and down, it was very strange.
You can see the real size of Anne in this picture and begin to appreciate how they manage to move these large ships around without tugs. It was a lovely day weather wise with a lot of sun but not too hot.
12th September at sea
When we woke this morning we expected to be in the port of Barcelona only to find we do not get their until tomorrow. so having got up earlier than needed we went and listened to a lecture about the Beatles. This was followed by a talk by Mark Foster about his swimming career. After a lazy afternoon by the pool we got showered and dressed for our second Gala evening. we had an early night after the show.
13th September in Barcelona - Spain
Dock in Barcelona today. The city is still being refurbished but is close to completion. we are just wandering around enjoying the sun. Found the local indoor market. Incredibly busy market, reminded me of the way our markets were back in the 60's. So much uncooked meat out in the heat of the day. The locals must have very strong stomachs. The city is very busy and vibrant. A mix of old and new architecture. We stopped at a cafe so that mum could have sex on the beach. Huge glass and no idea how much spirit is in there. We shall find out once she has drunk it. The walk back to the bus and ship was interesting as it proved mum' s pelvic floor still works well although I think it was touch and go. So now for a late lunch to soak up the alcohol. Enjoyed our visit and cleared up a 50 year old mystery.
14th September in Corsica
Today we arrived Corsica. We docked in Ajaccia which is pronounced (A-dace-ia). A nice little French island situated just above Sardinia off the coast of Italy. A lovely harbour town visited by the super rich. we saw a large boat in the harbour called Treehouse. It was available for hire at a mere €420,000 a week, quite a bargain really, it came with a crew of 16. we wandered around the town and looked at the market stalls which was in contrast with the huge number of Boutiques in the town. It did seem like a place you could spend a week looking around. We had a coffee while watching the huge crowds of people passing by before continuing our walk. Later we stopped again but this time to eat. I had a Waffle with chocolate and banana while Mum had a crepe with strawberries and cream, chocolate and ice cream. I think I made the wrong choice. We went to see Fizz in the Bright Lights which was a high energy show and very good.
15th September in Civitavecchia - Italy
We today we are in Civitavecchia. Our day started by going down the wrong lift and ending up in the ships storeroom. Having got out of the lift we then had to wait for it to go all the way up to 9 and back. then when off the bus and quite a way from the ship mum tells me she has forgotten our money (Silly ass). we had to find a bank to draw some. I am now wondering what the third thing will be. We managed to find a kitchen and bathroom store so we could buy a couple of pretty soap dispensers as expected when you visit Italy.
16th September in Lorvorno - Italy
Today we are in Lorvorno. I think I may have seen our next European road trip. We travel down through Italy and then from Lorvorno we get a ferry across to Corsica. Stay a couple of days. Very built up city, we have not yet managed to find the shops but will keep looking. Have just passed a statue showing four blacks in chains. I cannot imagine that being allowed in the UK.We did find the shops and they were very modern. I managed to buy a black shirt at last.We are now sat having a very nice Italian Ice Cream. When we got back on board we were stopped by security. They x-rayed my backpack and saw something they thought was hidden in the lining. It turned out to be a screwdriver which had not been spotted on the several searches before. They did not confiscate it but I was advised to leave it in the cabin. When arriving back in the cabin I found mum had stolen one of the plastic trays they use in their x-ray machines, of course she blamed this on the security staff. I dropped something on the floor and bent to pick it up and cracked my nose on the open drawer of the dresser.
18th September at sea
This is our second day at sea having left Lorvorno far behind. We are now on our way home with a call into Lisbon tomorrow. We clearly do not learn, when we went down to breakfast I commented how quiet it was. on leaving I was surprised how many people were coming in late only to realise the clocks had changed again and we had got up an hour earlier than we thought. Went down to the games room for a couple of games and then had lunch. We passed Gibraltar at about one and are now in sight of the coast of Portugal.
19th September in Lisbon
We are now in Lisbon Portugal. Typical city, very busy, dirty but lots of shops. I am currently waiting outside a Christmas shop as you have to visit them whenever you find them. Leigh has been in there a long time so that is not a good sign. Stopped for lunch and ordered a paella only to find it had bits of Spinach in it so mum could not eat it. Scooter overheated and played up a bit but once it had cooled down it seemed okay.
On leaving Lisbon we set sail for home, mixed feelings really as we had really enjoyed the cruise but would also be glad to get back to normality and sensible eating. We are due to arrive in Southampton on the morning of the 22nd. So two days at sea to enjoy ourselves a little bit more. We have had some really good dinner guests with Howard and Annita from Essex and Tony and Sarah from Plymouth.
Create Your Own Website With Webador