15th January 2014 After what was my most restful night of the voyage, interrupted only briefly when we seemingly ran over a very large whale that momentarily roused me from sleep, I was surprised to learn that Sue had been tossing and turning most of the night. Stepping onto the balcony, I soon understood why.… Continue Reading

14th January 2014 After another night of rock and roll, somehow, we both managed to get a decent amount of sleep, and I woke early. Not by choice, mind you, but because, unlike Sue, who meticulously tracks all shipboard announcements, I hadn’t set my watch back yet another hour. To top it off, I ventured… Continue Reading

13th January 2014 Well, what a night! I’m grateful we’re on such a massive ship, and for the Captain’s decision to steer us some 250 miles south of our intended course to avoid a Force 10 storm. Even so, the constant rocking of the ship, with the odd thud here and there, made for a… Continue Reading

12th January 2014 After a snug, warm, and comfortable night’s sleep (seriously, I’m tempted to take this bed home with me), we woke quite early, having gained an hour thanks to the ship’s clocks being set back. Just before 8 am, we found ourselves among the first in line for breakfast in the restaurant. While… Continue Reading

11th January 2014 The following morning (Friday), we woke early and, after showering, walked a few hundred yards to McDonald’s for a strong cup of coffee and tea. We then paid a brief visit to a very large and impressive IKEA store before returning to the hotel to check out. We’d booked a taxi for… Continue Reading

26th March 2013 The alarm was dutifully set for 6:45 am, but we managed to beat it by waking at 6:15 am. Clearly, our body clocks were already braced for the joys of travel day. The suitcases had been surrendered to the corridor the previous night and had mysteriously vanished by morning, hopefully into the… Continue Reading

25th March 2013 Palm Sunday dawned not with palm trees and sunshine but with our first dose of drizzle and drear. Over breakfast, we stared gloomily out at the rolling grey waves, no dolphins in sight, though I can hardly blame them for staying tucked up at home with a good book. A tentative shuffle… Continue Reading

23rd March 2013 We indulged in a leisurely breakfast this morning, as Barcelona wasn’t expecting us until after 1 pm. Suitably fortified, we decided on a brisk constitutional around the decks. The sky was blue and cloudless, but a brisk Arctic gale made my decision to wear shorts and a t-shirt look less “Mediterranean chic”… Continue Reading

22nd March 2013 The clocks went forward again last night, which meant we lost another hour of sleep. Not that it bothered us much, we sailed past Gibraltar and into the Mediterranean at 6 am, but Sue and I snoozed happily through it all and didn’t emerge for breakfast until 9 am. What we did… Continue Reading

21st March 2013 We woke this morning to find the ship already snug in port. The sky was blue, the air was hot, and it wasn’t even 8 am. After breakfast, we stretched our legs with a stroll around the deck to admire the skyline. Casablanca, it turns out, is not all Humphrey Bogart and… Continue Reading