66 letters and counting.

Any-one, who has cared enough to read my writings would have realised by now ,that I do not have a good command of the internet.I am self taught. I never read any instructions. I learn by trial and error. I know ,I know,a big mistake. One day I am going to go to evening classes to learn how to be more au fait. One day soon. In fact, on The Queen Mary there were daily classes at a 15$ supplement, but I usually forgot the time and when once I ran into the CONNECTIONS ROOM with the speed of lightning, it was too late to join the class. The next trip most certainly. The next trip is on December 17,on The Queen Victoria to Canary Islands. 12 blissful nights. I have never been on a cruise over Christmas. When I got home on 26th November, I had 66 letters waiting for me, these had to be opened and mostly replied to. There was an even bigger pile of unsolicited mail-this filled a large plastic bag. I file my own tax returns,I know I never make any mistakes. I check and double check every single figure,the process takes well over a week and only when I am absolutely sure figures are correct,I check everything one more time and only then is the return posted. But as the buck stops with me,I always wait in anticipation for a letter from the Inland Revenue. And there it was - one brown envelope accepting my return and setting out my future payments. Then shock horror, there was a white envelop from them. What went wrong? Nothing wrong, everything right! Tax refund,no less, hurrah! Yes, it is there, in my bank, I checked today as I walked to an internet cafe. Did you think I have an internet service at home? No, have given up trying to have it installed. Of course the life would be so much easier having the access to the internet at my disposal in the privacy and comfort of my home. One day,when I get more time, I will have it all fitted.

8 super duper nights on The Queen Mary.

Oh the anticipation,the excitement and pure joy of the moment, when one sets a foot on a ship! It is like coming home. The warmth embraces you, the smiles welcome you. I travel light-pack only what I can carry myself on and off the ship. Luggage gets lost. How can this happen, I do not understand. Several suitcases never joined their owners on the Independence. Four or so days into the journey, each traveller got a note asking to check if a wrong bag had not been delivered to their state-room. There was a massive suitcase by my door when I came up,I did mention to Hubert, my cabin attendant it was not mine, and the case was wheeled away. Looking at the big and heavy luggage I wondered, if we were going on the same cruise! And after a holiday the cases would be even heavier. One picks up lots of gifts, souvenirs and more often than not useless rubbish, when travelling.Hand on heart - I don't. I buy mostly jewellery as presents for myself, for my friends and family. And face creams. In New York several years ago I found in Walmart organic products based on blueberries. Absolutely fabulous, the smell, the texture! Unfortunately had no time to look for it when I was in NY on November 18,2014. On November 19,2014, I am ready for my seven night Eastbound Transatlantic Crossing with Master Christopher Wells at the helm.

Saturday breakfast on The Queen Mary. Self-service.

Day like any other on a ship and yet a day like no other. Snow has covered the ship overnight. No-one outside, except the staff, sweeping. No joggers. Woke up just before 7 and went one floor up to have porridge with some figs and brown toast with sliced red onions, tomatoes and smoked salmon,a bit of lemon juice,orange juice and a drop of coffee - my usual breakfast here. All beautifully prepared,laid out on various counters, including eggs scrambled,eggs boiled,fried and poached. Omelettes, cured meat, sausages, salamis,fresh and tinned fruit, various pastries, several types of bread,honey, marmalade, jam,yogurt,various cereal. Absolutely everything and anything your heart may desire. All very tempting but one has to be sensible and choose well.

Amtrak train number 92 from Fort Lauderdale to New York.

I had booked the 26 day round-trip so that I could take a day and a half train ride on Amtrak. I was very much looking forward to it,expecting glamour, comfort,luxury,never to be forgotten. And by golly, forgotten it will never be!It was a nightmare ride I hope never to repeat as long as I live and a day.Tiny roomette with a toilet and a wash-basin inside,2 most uncomfortable seats converted into a bed, a  contraption hanging from the ceiling was another bed. Windows sealed. No announcements when we made a stop. The steely ugliness was overpowering. Was there nothing on this hundred year old ugly,dirty,smelly train number 92, that was going to make the ride and the memory better? New York steak cooked to perfection did the job!Yes,on that ancient ugly thing I had one of the best steaks ever.EVER! We set off Monday 12.30 pm and on Tuesday 7.30 in the evening we were in the Big Apple Penn Station.Hard as I may try to forget the train ride on the old dangerous rails, I do not think I ever will, as much as I will never forget the shock I had looking around the Penn station.To say it was cold,ugly, dirty,and smelled to high heaven, would be an understatement.But to my utter disbelief and delight, I found myself in Madison Square! I love NY.Love it totally,completely unreservedly and hope one day to spend there at least a month. The Bentley hotel I took a taxi to, was a 14 dollar ride away, and I entered the warm and welcoming lobby expecting a warm,welcoming room.The room was ginormous,lovely, with magnificent views, but it was freezing,as cold as outside, where gloves and fur coats were worn.Nothing I did increased the heat and disenchanted I went to bed.It was shortly after 20.00.By the morning the room got a little, but not much, warmer.No restaurant in the hotel.Taxi to the Brooklyn cruise terminal.

Independence of the Seas, 1 November 2014,

The so much awaited big day had arrived and I boarded the Independence of the Seas.The joy.The excitement.And the disappointment that followed!No,it was not instant,it was not when I opened the door to the beautifully presented cabin,where the big soft bed beckoned,it was not when I went to the assembly point,the same point I had stood on for the first time on 29 November, 2010, and again in March the following year with my sister.It was neither when I met two lovely teenage sisters and their adorable kid brother from the Isle of Sky,or is it Skye? [ Well, a small little place somewhere off Scotland, where they dared to say NO to separation from Great Britain.] whose parents were getting married on the ship. It was when I opened the wardrobe and realized, that there was no bathrobe waiting to wrap myself in,no pristine slippers three sizes too big,no little bathroom luxuries every good hotel provides,the little things that make a big difference. And the worse was to follow.The self service restaurant, where I remember having so many lovely meals and delicious cakes, had acquired very strange smell and it wouldn't go away and became stronger with each passing day. When I arrived at the check-in counter in So-ton and was told I was not registered for a PRIORITY check in by my travel agent,and had to wait for two hours in a queue instead of being whisked through,I said to myself it can only get better.Little did I know! On the ship I immediately wrote a nice letter to the ship's SALES TEAM asking, as it was their job, to please register the cruise.They never acknowledged my note. When I finally saw Cecilia,she barked at me I should have had it done at the customer service counter. To say I was utterly disgusted with this unpleasant unprofessional French madame, would be an understatement. Had Jetline done their job, this, of course, would not have happened. Jetline failed me in many other ways,too. They didn't register my frequent cruiser status with Cunard,the Company that owns Queen Mary, and again had a two hour wait in NY. Jetline also booked on The QM a cabin with a connecting door to the next double cabin. I could plainly and clearly hear every word a woman said to her daughter on the phone and what the daughter said to her mother! I sat on the bed in despair.Three people in Princess Diana's marriage? Three people in my room!I knocked on the door and asked, if they were aware I could hear EVERYTHING. If there is one thing I have learnt when cruising, it is, that there is no lout like an English lout.Be it in Spain, in Greece, or on a five star ship. The reception I got made me realise I had eight unpleasant days ahead of me, unless I did something about it. But the ship was full and I couldn't be moved to another cabin. Lovely Latvian receptionist suggested they tape a padding around the door.It helped a little,but it still felt like living in prison.I did not sing to myself,I did not have the TV on when I would have liked to, and when it was on I had the sound so low, I could barely hear it.In Fort Lauderdale I must have been one of the first people off the ship,taxi to the Crowne Plaza Hotel,then a four hour wait for my allocated room.The room was a revelation,comfortable,exactly what a traveller needs-a massive,soft bed, power shower,fridge, coffee maker, little luxuries-face cream, room mist, body lotion, even foot cream!And everything spotless.If the hotel was in a better position, there would not be a hotel in FL to beat it.But it is miles from any life, any shops.Would I stay there again? You bet! From FL an Amtrak train to New York. Nightmare on tracks begins.