Day 114 Sorrento.

Even as this epic journey has just seven days to run, another gem manifests itself unexpectedly. When booking the World Voyage back in August 2016, I always looked on the last sector from Dubai to Southampton as “the boring bit”. Cyprus would be a new country, but for Italy and Spain, I couldn’t raise much enthusiasm. Naples became the fifth casualty of the voyage; dredging to accommodate Queen Mary 2 had not been completed and therefore she was unable to berth there. Anchoring off Sorrento was the alternative accepted by Cunard. This provided one more opportunity enjoy being tendered to port, affording the rare opportunity to photograph the ship with Mount Vesuvius providing the backdrop.

QM2 with Mt. Vesuvius just visible.

I slept particularly badly the previous night. However, I remained determined to achieve something during our stay at Sorrento. In my pre-cruising days, I would take rail based holidays in Europe. One place I became fond of was Vico Equense, on the Circumvesuiana Railway between Sorrento and Naples, where I would stay at the Oriente Hotel. It was not luxurious but the Italian cuisine was magnificent and plentiful.

Today, I had breakfast in the Kings Court before making my way to the tender. The ferry to the harbour was routine, but still provided excellent photo opportunities. A shuttle minibus service operated every 10 minutes to the centre of town, from where the railway station was merely a short walk away. My intention was to visit Pompeii by train, just as I did over 30 years ago. I was horrified and disappointed by the blanket graffiti inflicted on the trains, stations, infrastructure and rolling stock destined for the scrap yard. Station signs had been spray painted out. Even the sleek new trains had been subject to wide spread vandalism. I couldn’t help wishing Italy had a Singapore style of government which would not tolerate this sort of thing. The trains themselves rattled along between Napoli and Sorrento most efficiently.

While QM2 not calling at Naples was disappointing, I feel our anchoring off Sorrento an acceptable compromise. I hadn’t the energy to revisit Pompeii. Instead, I revisited my adventures of the 1980s and travelled to Naples and back on the Circumvesuviana. It was like a time warp; I was back in the early 1980s but with a present day knee problem and the lingering effects of open heart surgery.

What I needed reminding of was the sheer scenic beauty of this part of Italy. Sorrento is vibrant and full of colourful joy. Numerous shops market souvenirs, including the fabulous marquetry of which I bought so much on previous trips to Italy. Yesterday, we had successfully negotiated the Straits of Messina. This, too was lovely and a most scenic part of the voyage.

I was glad to revisit some of my old haunts and see once again, how lovely these places are.

I returned to the ship, took a few more pictures and prepared for dinner. From my cabin on deck 13, I heard 4 blasts on the ship’s whistle. It was an appropriate goodbye to Sorrento. Fortunately, I should be back next year.

5 pictures taken in Sorrento.