Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Weds 31st. Egypt

We've crossed the Med arriving in Alexandria Monday evening. Not much of a trip really - this ship is so big that by the time we had her rear out of Barcelona, her snout was nosing into Alexandria! We have worked our way around most of her, but still stand hesitantly when exiting a lift, unsure of our next turn. Done a lot of reading, listened to several music groups - a very good Barbershop group of four young men, a classic string trio and a very loud song and dance group one evening - if one wasn't deaf before-
hand (and I was wishing I had been) then one certainly was after.

We spent a day in Cairo with the pyramids and the Cairo Museum and King Tut - amazing!

Now we're off to Suez, traveling through the Canal overnight.

The female half has watched Hot Glass
Blowing,( a daily show ) a trip around the main Galley with demonstrations on food artistry, in and out of the gallery shops( all wonderful and tempting )a couple of lectures on Egypt and the Suez Canal. There is plenty to do, never a dull moment and all good.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Friday 26th

Goodbye Barcelona!  It's been an interesting three days, but give me Angola-Saxon plumbing and probity against Mediterranean sanitation and sang-forbid any day; life works and smells better.

This is a new boat so should work very well. Having said that, memories of the QE2 drifting engineless across the Atlantic on her maiden voyage, not to mention the Titanic...

We boarded this morning , very painlessly,  have had a snack and are waiting to get into our cabin, sorry, stateroom.

We note to our horror that wifi is exorbitantly expensive so you may be relieved to hear that we won't be posting every day.


There have been difficulties with Internet access due  to overcrowding of the satellite connection  -  you should see all the iPads around the ship!  Food is very good, but there isn't a huge choice of restaurants. -  two big ones and then lots of snack bars. We have a very nice room and in general facilitie are excellent and the weather is improving.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Barcelona!

Two days, three nights. As I am a card carrying urbanophobe, cities are not usually on my holiday agenda, but we had to pass through to meet our ship we made the best of it. For Anne cities are the veritable breath of life, so she was in her element.

I started with a meal of little fish, reminding me strongly of those we used to eat as relish with our Lunda friends mush in Zambia!

Our hotel was on La Ramblas, notorious for its feral life and so I had packed my Smith and Wesson, but actually the avenue was very attractive, without a hint of threat!

We spent two days doing hop on/off bus tours and so managed to see most of the interesting stuff, if only fleetingly.

Is Gaudi gaudy? I'm sure I'm not the first to ask that question but did he take himself seriously? I enjoyed his Parc Guell  with its riotous architecture, but the Sagreda Familia temple - still being built and likely to be so for a few more decades - was a bit too much for me. Now I can hear a sharp intake of antipodean breath and howls of "Philistine!" and I bow my head in shame.

We finished today in a market and abattoir where several heads were seen to roll.

Tomorrow the Celebrity Solstice...

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Just playing

A few shots taken on our way to Barcelona. Over the Caspian Sea, Kingston Bridge and
The London Eye.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

What better than to show a Barcelonian sunset at the end of our London stay and the start of our cruise. It was very difficult farewelling the greater part of our family in the UK, and we wished we could have brought them with us on the ocean!

Monday, October 22, 2012

About to leave to Barcelona