Day 41 Thursday 29th June 2017 Genoa, Italy Top of page
Early start with 8am tour meeting, seas are too rough for Portofino boat ride so it is being replaced with a small local bus.
First a 40 minute bus ride to Santa Margherita, through 22 tunnels and adjoining valleys, where we had a walking tour, coffee and a toilet stop.
We ended up berthed next to the the Royal Princess (Sister to Majestic Princess we have booked next year)
Santa Margherita
Next a transfer to small bus (like the one opposite) for the 15 minute trip to Portofino.
Back first by small bus, then back on our own bus to Rapallo for drinks cakes and some free time
A great tour finishes after passing through the 22 tunnels back to Genoa
Told this morning seas are too rough for Monaco and our call at Monte Carlo, Monaco tomorrow is cancelled so we are spending the night and extra day here in Genoa.
Surrounded tonight by local ferries painted with cartoon characters
Tweety Bird
Batman
Sylvester
Roger Rabbit
Daffy Duck
Roadrunner
Day 42 Friday 30th June 2017 Genoa, Italy Day 2 Top of page
The Port Authority “forgot” we were staying extra night so terminal was closed this morning meaning the trip to the city was along back streets and road edge, not a happy Anne as we took power chair today. As shown above we walked along the foreshore right around to the other side of the harbour before heading up the hill to the main square and a taxi home.
Happy Kevin and Anne below below, one euro for nail polish,much cheaper than it would cost for a nail job on board.
The panorama below shows our ship on the left at the end of our walk around harbour edge, next up the hill to old town centre.
Anne opposite was choosing her Christmas present boat to give Kevin, decided on the gold one.
Scooters everywhere
Back home after 3½ hours around Genoa at 2pm ready for our 4pm departure for Barcelona
Ezy2Go wheelchair performed well with plenty of left over power.
Day 43 Saturday 1st July 2017 Barcelona Top of page
Rough cobblestones everywhere
Wonder Women
Small Bus
After at times a rocky night we are arriving in Barcelona about two hours at 12pm.
First some general city tour
Then off for our stop at the “never to be finished” with first foundations laid in 1882, La Sagrada Familia church and many disappointed passengers as because of our late arrival in port, we missed our inside tour of the church.
This picture centre shows how much work still to be completed.
Next more city tour before our final stop at Montjuic
Kevin nearly missed sunrise this morning, slept in to 6:30am. Calm seas today.
Old Bull Fighting Ring, now a Shopping Mall
Barcelona's Arc de Triomphe
View from Montjuic
Early breakfast upstairs, church, Kevin Cards (best run of hands ever), playing 3 handed 500, got 4 slams plus many other wins, Pop choir then Pizza for lunch.
Day 45 Monday 3rd July 2017 Cadiz, Spain Top of page
Desserts tonight
Ice Carving
Off Spain somewhere
Another beautiful morning (21-29 ºC forecast) as we head into the port of Cadiz where we are on our own exploring the old city. We docked behind that large white cruise ship you see above. Out exploring from 9:30am to 1:00pm.
Next to the main square at the Cathedral of Cadiz
Kevin walked to the top of restored watch tower (40 metres high), ramp most of way with 10 steps at the top.
Back to the ship through local customs scan, who even wanted our belts taken off, I warned them that my pants may fall off, but they were not worried, bags, watches, glasses, belt, coins, hats, all in tray.
TV movies have been OK and tonight was night Kevin has watched one of the 100 movies (Red October) he had brought with him.
Woke this morning to a pea-souper, but still docked on time at 9am.
Love the antique crane used to position gangway.
Port side today
Have 11am tour today so spent some time this morning catching up with family and friends at home via Skype.
Perfect weather again today, after the fog cleared, blue skies and temperature in the mid twenties.
25th April Bridge
Monument of the Discoveries
Alto do Parque Belvedere
Edward VII Park
Belem Tower
Below the bakery where the “Original Portuguese (Custard) Tart” is sold, only six people known the recipe.
No Gluten free custard tarts so chose something else across the road.
At the end of our two hour tour we were offered the option to be dropped off in central Lisbon and catch a free shuttle bus back to the ship. We took this option and spent a couple of hours exploring.
The tiles above were flat but gave an optical illusion of not being flat.
A beautiful alive city, easy to explore with the wheelchair.
Back home at 3pm for afternoon tea, and this view across the bay.
Christ the King Statue
Dinner and a local cultural show tonight with a 11pm departure.
Kevin had a Coffee Cream which was a shot of coffee covered with ice cream and cream.
Dinner and an excellent production show ends a restful day at sea after our recent hectic schedule. Sorry no pictures or video allowed of performance
Pop choir performance today, told there were 152 members who did a great job.
Two Ukulele groups also performed.
Day 49 Friday 7th July 2017 Cork, Ireland Top of page
Cobh, the town 20 minutes by train from Cork where the ship is docked, celebrate Australia Day once a year when the World Cruise from Australia arrives. Flags, flowers, blown up Kangaroos and Australian music is everywhere. Even Kelly’s Bar is renamed Ned Kelly’s Bar for the day.
Back to the ship to change over to the manual wheelchair (Anne was tired after the marathon trip up to the church and around Cobh), then a train trip to Cork.
Cork was a much larger town compared to Cobh which had much more character.
Anne insisted on a Bailey Irish Cream coffee at the Ned Kelly Bar before we returned to the ship for a shower and dinner.
Kevin went for a walk after dinner, the party in town was still going on with above, an impromptu singing of “I still call Australia home” by some passengers. The video is not pretty!
Day 51 Sunday 9th July 2017 Normandy (Le Havre), France Top of page
Cobh station next to ship
Cobh main street
Flags everywhere
Kelly’s Bar renamed to Ned Kelly’s Bar for the day
Kevin up early for sunrise at 6:15am after losing an hour’s sleep last night as we moved clocks forward 1 hour, now 8 hours ahead of Sydney.
Sea became as smooth as a baby’s bum, fog rolled in and ship’s fog horn was required around lunch time.
By early afternoon blue sky again.
Today the obligatory Cooking Demo (always fun) and the quickest galley tour we have ever had.
Captain’s farewell to those 400 leaving us in Dover and formal tonight, below our head waiter Francesco.
Smooth seas again and a great Beatles impersonation show tonight
Day 52 Monday 10th July 2017 Dover England Top of page
Calm seas and an early breakfast upstairs as we have 7:30 tour meeting.
Have the ship tour option sorted, on the bus first again today with front seat reserved.
We spent from 8am to 12pm on a bus tour, with walking tour (1 hr plus 1.5 hrs free time) at a small fishing village called Honfleur and the old dock area called Vieux Bassin, about an hour on the scenic route to Honfleur and half an hour back over the Normandy Bridge.
Above, this church is the largest wooden church with a separate Bell Tower in France.The bell tower is separate to protect the all wood church from a lightening strike.
Front of this church.
Coffee and croissant (had to ask for and be charged extra for jam) and then we explored on our own.
Saint Leonard's Church
We say goodbye and return to the ship via the Normandy Bridge
Decided soon after we got back, to take the shuttle to town, BUT, there was a mess up with the arrangements so we ended out walking into town, out for 2.5 hrs walking and pushing the wheelchair
Long steep ramp to the terminal.
Below where we walked.
The most prominent landmark is the Saint Joseph’s Church, does not look like a church from the outside, but one massive space inside
Today Le Havre celebrated 500 years as a city and this is the monument in Le Havre mad from containers.
Took 5 crew members to get Anne up the ramp as tide had come in.
Saint Joseph’s Church
Final dinner with Joan and Trish as they leave us in Dover.
Clocks back an hour again tonight. Either 7, 8 or 9 hours behind Sydney, who knows, but will work on 8 hrs.
Today we have early 8:30am 4 hr tour to Canterbury. First the Castle on the hill then the motorway to Canterbury.
Trivia question No 2, to end our day in the UK, what does this sign mean?
Lovely weather again till we approached Dover on our return from Canterbury, as there were some drops of rain on the windscreen, we decided to return to ship instead of being dropped off in central Dover.
Trivia Question No 1, Why are some sheep standing and other lying down? The answer is not the lazy ones are laying down.
Kevin up early to see Dover arrival from 5am.
Answers
Question No 1, the sheep lying down think it is going to rain and are keeping the ground under themselves dry.
Question No 2 Bumpy (potholes) road ahead
Joined tonight by friends from Breakfast Point, Ross and Helen who are accompanying us to Sydney
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