Author: davidscruise

BARCELONA the penultimate port of call.

Where has the warmth gone? Unbelievably, those heady temperatures we cherished in the Far East and elsewhere are being enjoyed back home in the U.K. Twenty eight degrees Celcius is forecast for the South East while we on board Queen Mary 2 in the Mediterranean grudgingly are now grateful for anything above 18 degrees. Today as we sail for Cadiz, the final port of call before Southampton on Thursday, the sea is calm and sparkling as the sun is reflected off the wavelets below.

Yesterday, we called at Barcelona from where in November 1997, I crossed the Atlantic for the first time to Miami, on Royal Caribbean’s nearly new “Splendour of the Seas”. I had reached Barcelona by train from Buxton, via London, Paris, and Montpelier, and, at that time, this was the holiday of a lifetime. Barcelona now has three new cruise terminals and yesterday no fewer than four cruise ships were in port there, QM2, Britannia (P&O), Aida Stella (I think) and a huge Costa vessel. On our excursion to Montserrat, there was a spectacular view from the coach of all four ships as our journey started.

Again, I am unable to be complimentary about our tour guide. Between pointing out various things relative to the journey, we were regailed with so much irrelevant commentary through the coaches piercing PA system. This doesn’t seem to have improved over the 29 years I have been taking cruise holidays.

We were guided to the huge monastery complex halfway up Montserrat and allowed almost 2 hours to explore. One of the coach party alerted me to a very steep funicular railway to the summit. I went up and saw the most amazing views from the top. I was in good time for the scenic journey back to the ship. Despite the irritations which annoyed me more than usual yesterday, it was a journey through surprisingly wonderful countryside and sharp rocky mountains. However, I doubt whether there is a time when one can visit without the presence of large crowds of tourists.

Today, being almost the end of the cruise, the Cunard Annual Spring Fayre takes place, this time in the Queens Room. This is a fund raiser staged on every Cunard world cruise where passengers donate items for sale that they no longer need. I may go along!

Tonight, our table returns to the Verandah Restaurant for a special farewell celebratory dinner. For four months, the food has maintained its excellent quality with very few forgivable exceptions.

Tomorrow is, as I say, the last port of call, Cadiz. I may not come this way again, therefore I will try to enjoy the final shore excursion!

Pictures to follow.

Thanks for reading, David.

Yesterday at sea, en route for Barcelona.

There is little to write about the first of the final four sea days. However fabulous the World Voyage was (and still is), after almost four months, even I am beginning to welcome seeing my home again and catching up with reality. This time last year, I was at Wythenshawe Hospital and was awaiting various test results. I spent much of yesterday in the Atlantic Lounge, an observation area looking forward from Deck 11. This remains for the exclusive use of passengers taking the full world cruise. I didn’t take breakfast, but had lunch in the Kings Court, before visiting the Photo Shop where images taken at all our ports of call were on display. I acquired a selection of those relevant to my visits along with a suitable album in which to store and display them. During the transaction, the strange movement of the ship caused me to feel unwell, thereby curtailing my routine for the rest of the day. Instead, as well as relaxing in my darkened cabin, I was

Another day, another shore excursion, “Montserrat by Rail”. The seas had settled by early this morning. Again, no mega hot weather is forecast, merely a pleasant overcast day, 18 degrees Celsius.

Many thanks for reading; I will write again soon.

David.

Civitavecchia, for Tuscania/Rome.

Having arranged to transfer my morning booking to the identical afternoon excursion, I still awoke at some silly hour of the forenoon without getting back to sleep. However, I welcomed not having to rush to meet in the Royal Court Theatre at 8.10am. We were docked at Italy’s gateway to Rome, Civitavecchia. The last time I was here was in late March 2007 on the last sector of QM2’s maiden world cruise. It was cold and sleeting. The will to visit Rome was not there, nor did I feel like venturing anywhere that day. The brief hot weather of Dubai and Egypt was long gone. And today, there was no evidence of the warmth of previous months. However, I did sign up for a what should have been a delightful country drive. Three people apparently failed to show up for the trip; the coach was held, much to the increasing disgruntlement of some of those who seemed incapable of just waiting a little while, including a German woman sitting next to me who was exhibiting her annoyance, exacerbating what was fast becoming a very unpleasant situation. I decided to bail out! However, I was persuaded to re-board the coach. Two other people did “leg it”, & I don’t blame them for one moment. I then occupied a middle seat at the back of the coach, offering the leg room of Business Class. If I had done this on previous trips, I would not be struggling with knee problems now.

The tour guide sensibly didn’t drown us with none stop commentary, but did point out all that was important with necessary additional information. Excellent!! Our eventual destination would be the small town of Tuscania with a plethora of ancient architecture and a tiny but lovely park overlooking a gorgeous green valley and ancient buildings beyond. Before that, we called at a farm which was open to the public. There we sampled several local savoury dishes with wine and home produced olive oil. Our journey was through lush green countryside which I might not have associated with this part of the world. A few modern and tasteful residences were in evidence throughout the ride through this countryside. What started badly turned into a delightful afternoon in charming country, complete with thunderstorm and a torrential downpour. We were all warm and dry, and by the time we were back at the ship, the inclement weather had subsided.

I counted five passenger ships in port this evening, including the brand new “Symphony of the Seas”. Perhaps out of character for me, but I did like the look of this latest mega cruise ship. However, nothing at sea anywhere holds a candle to Queen Mary 2. I have almost completed four months venturing almost as far away as it is possible to be from home. Occasionally, I do feel slightly jaded, as do one or two others. But these calls in the Mediterranean have been a most pleasant surprise and a reminder that one does not need really to travel through 13 time zones to be in the loveliest of places.

I will publish photographs when the internet is more robust.

Many thanks for reading,

David.

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.

Tomorrow, we are in Civitavecchia from where most people will visit Rome.

More news soon,

David.