3rd February 2015 We had breakfast at 7.15 am, and by the time we finished, the ship was securely in the harbour, having arrived in Gibraltar just before 7 am. It was still dark, and from Deck 7, all we could see were the twinkling lights of the town on our starboard side. We disembarked… Continue Reading

3rd February 2015 By the time we stirred from our slumber, we had already arrived and docked in Cádiz. Quite a few passengers had already made a swift exit, either heading off into town or piling onto their tour buses like well-behaved tourists. We, however, had managed to scoff down our first meal of the… Continue Reading

1st February 2015 With the clocks moving forward an hour overnight, we made our way to breakfast at 8:45 am, though most passengers seemed to be running on “body clock time,” and once again, we were among the first in the restaurant. A minor mishap with my breakfast order arose when my poached egg was… Continue Reading

31st January 2015 Today we berthed in Agadir, so it was an early breakfast before heading to the deck to watch the ship dock. The sun was shining, and the skies were brilliantly clear, a stark contrast to the heavy snow back home. I wondered if Suraj was making good use of the Zipfy we’d… Continue Reading

30th January 2015 It was a sea day today, so we weren’t surprised to find ourselves the second couple at breakfast at 8 am. Even by the time we finished, there couldn’t have been more than a handful of souls looking for sustenance. Back in the cabin, we donned thick sweaters for a turn around… Continue Reading

29th January 2015 Overnight, we had steamed down the English Channel and into the Bay of Biscay, easing quietly into the Port of Lisbon on the Tagus estuary by breakfast time. Sue and I dressed and readied ourselves for a day out in the city. On the TV in our cabin, we could see the… Continue Reading

28th January 2015 We had an excellent night’s sleep, and Sue woke up saying her wrist felt much better, though it was still very swollen. Breakfast was in Jardine, where I enjoyed a couple of perfectly poached eggs on a bun base, set atop fresh salmon and finished with a delicate sauce that had just… Continue Reading

27th January 2015 It was 12:15 a.m. before we finally settled into the sheets. The random movements of the ship quickly faded into the background, and soon, the Land of Nod enveloped our cabin. I awoke at 7:30 a.m. and took a shower. Sue’s wrist is still quite swollen and tender, though no bruising has… Continue Reading

27th January 2015 Sue and I set off for Southampton at 10:30 am on Sunday, fully prepared for an uneventful journey. For once, we didn’t make our usual pit stops to investigate every bit of English countryside that caught our fancy, no hidden churches or random stone circles this time! We arrived at our accommodation,… Continue Reading

31st August 2014 We woke earlier than intended, not because we were eager to depart (we would have preferred to stay and see the Baltic), but because the noise of the ship getting ready to dock had become quite familiar, almost like an alarm clock. Thankfully, when we rose, our cases had disappeared from the… Continue Reading