31/07/2016, London is the city with he second grubbiest hotel rooms,

according to a survey of more than 6m customers by Hotel.info., beaten to the pole position by Rio de Janeiro. This lackadaisical attitude of the British people to hygiene would in part explain why was there almost on every ship I have been on,where the largest number of travellers were from GB, an outbreak of norovirus,Britannia [16-23 July, 2016] being no exception. About four days into the cruise there was an impassioned plea by the captain urging us to wash our hands after using the WC and before every meal,as there had been an increased number of people vomiting and having diarrhea. It always amazes me that when people get sick,the management of the ship sound as if it happened out of the blue. Having been countless times on four,five,six star ships,it would surprise me,if there was no such problem on a ship especially a massive ship with at least 1500 passengers. On every cruise a large number of people are well over 70,many walk with a stick,barely able to stand without some support. Cruising is a wonderful way of holidaying for them and it is a joy to see the old and the infirm having a lovely time. But with this age group does come a problem of hygiene,of washing hands in comfort or using the wet soap by the door of a restaurant. The second problem are the younger travellers,who are too arrogant and ignorant to do the right thing and think the rules of washing hands regularly and correctly do not apply to them. I have seen many such people. On every ship I have been on [other than the six star ones] there had always been someone standing by the entrance to every dining room while it was opened, making sure every-one who entered had used the liquid soap. But on Britannia this was quite sporadic. If the management could be blamed for anything,it is for this. But we,the travelers,are grown ups,not babes. Shouldn't washing our hands regularly be a part of any-one's and every-one's daily life? On Britannia they had installed quite wonderful wash basins by the entrance doors to the self-service restaurant on the 16th floor,but many travellers just do not care. And not surprisingly some became sick and then more had joined them, every-one,I am sure,blaming Britannia. The hygiene could not be faulted anywhere on this vessel, and certainly not in any restaurant,the serving areas were immaculate,tables, chairs, always clean. Those who think that if they wash their hands on Monday and do not have to do it again until Saturday,are the people who spread diseases and viruses. And there will always be plenty of those on every ship. And just as a matter of interest - Tokyo has the cleanest hotel rooms in the world, followed by Warsaw, Seoul, Bratislava and Sofia. I love staying in hotels and cannot wait to visit these capital cities[in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia,I have stayed at the Kempinski many times]. And may I just add that having stayed several times in a hotel Thermia Palace in Piestany,a spa town in Slovakia,this is the only hotel I have EVER stayed in where I do not clean the drawers before unpacking! And for me it is quite something. At the Kempinski I never unpack so have had no need to check out the drawers but have no doubt they are immaculate as is everything else in the room I usually stay in.

31/07/2016, LA ROCHELLE.

I love the old, the weathered,the unpolished lived in buildings that hide the centuries of joy and sorrow. There are enough of old lived in buildings in La Rochelle to fill another city, row after row,a street after street of scruffy,dirty houses,peeling paint covering the pavements. The creaky rusty Ferris wheel,the children terrified,holding onto the seats for dear life. There are two towers facing each other. The Tower of St.Nicholas dates from the 14th century. The Tower of the Chain-so called because each night a chain used to be strung between them to prevent entry and exit of ships standing opposite. We paid 6 euro each adult to see inside the unbearably hot Tower of the Chain,people fainting,unable to breathe,no ventilation of any kind. Outside the entrance a wobbly fence separating the people from bags of dirt piled up in the corner, a large broom hanging over it. They must have been waiting for a witch to fly in to dispose of the rubbish. So utterly disgusting. So completely off putting. Fishing village a 1000 years ago,it should have stayed a fishing village,then the ugliness of this forlorn unloved town would not have been inflicted upon us. We sat down to some cold drinks and coffee. Barely drinkable black mess,indifferent service. Quite by accident we came across a lovely shop with regional produce,we bought sweets, chocolates, biscuits and a joy to look at bottle filled with red liquid. We couldn't quite make out what it was,but when we opened it back in London we said - the French vine makers,we salute you.To the inhabitants of La Rochelle I say- please clean up this unholy mess of yours,paint the scruffy houses you live in, sweep the dirty streets.And the safety officers - how can you allow the Ferris Wheel to operate and take money from people when it should have been condemned years ago.It really is a disgrace.

31/07/2016 BILBAO

The buildings in this Spanish city range from 14th century churches to the modern metro station and the Guggenheim,none of which I went to see,as they suffer from the scourge of the modern times-the Spanish siesta,except the Gugge,but as the people coming out looked quite hot and bothered,because of the children we decided not to go in and walked the streets of Bilbao,so to speak,instead. We walked, and walked, an walked some more. The baby was happy,the children were happy,the parents were happy. The manageress of Lacoste store was the happiest of all,as we had left there enough Euros to pay off Greece's national debt. We all loved Bilbao. Yes,it is scruffy,yes not a SINGLE building has seen a paint brush since General Franco. But it is charming and delightful.

Britannia,16-23 July 2016, THE ITINERARY.

GUERNSEY,LA CORUNA,BILBAO,LA ROCHELLE. The only place to dock on Guernsey is St Peter Port.It rises quite steeply from the neatly laid out harbour. The island is an offshore financial centre,but you wouldn't think so when walking the streets. No shop is too ostentatious,no restaurant too grand. Everything in its place,a place for everything. People must either be too religious or too rich to open the shops on Sundays. There isn't a super duper patisserie anywhere,no exclusive boutiques. I didn't come across a supermarket,just a shop or two selling fruit and vegetables.I presume the natives are too healthy to need a doctor or a dentist,because I never saw a surgery either. Tender was used to get us all off the ship and back again,we waited to go until the rush had subsided and it was a wise decision, around 1pm the tender was half empty going ashore and very quick coming back. There was a kind of an exhibition of old cars and motorbikes. The children were enchanted when the owner of a superb little machine sat them one after another behind a wheel. People can be immeasurably kind. Lots of photos were taken,a motor-bike race watched,ice cream enjoyed. "There is no VAT on Guernsey,but local taxes are imposed on certain goods",said the ship's flier. There are big taxes on a lot of goods,say I. Nothing is cheap on this utterly spotless,charming,yet not quite breathtakingly beautiful little island. The life seems to have been vacuumed and polished out of it. The next stop was LA CORUNA also named the CRYSTAL CITY,because of the glass-enclosed balconies. Had I not read this somewhere I would have never noticed the hardly there glass balconies. And if it wasn't for the pilgrim's destination Santiago de Compostela, La Coruna wouldn't get a look in. It has the dirtiest,the smelliest,the most unpleasant and unwelcoming port I have ever been to. A dump. The residents have absolutely no pride in it.On my very first visit there,just after a downpour,the port was reeking with urine and surrounding streets strewn with condoms. I have written repeatedly to cruise ship owners why they do not insist this otherwise quite palatable little town is spruced up. The travellers bring in so much money day in, day out. Where does it all go? Why doesn't the city Council use some of it to clean up the dirt and wash at least once a week the stinking streets? The pavements are never swept when the restaurants close, in the morning when the restaurants open,the pavements are covered with the previous day's cigarette-butts. Yet there are quite a few lovely little shops and a multitude of restaurants,but I would never eat in any of them. If the locals do not care about the cleanliness and hygiene the world can see, what it is like in the kitchens where I have no access, I shudder to think.

30/07/2016, The food on Britannia.

There wasn't any one truly memorable meal I had,or a spectacular desert,but all in all the food really cannot be faulted considering the kitchen feeds 5000 people or so every day. 5000. I measure the quality of breakfast in self- service by the taste of the scrambled eggs. They were light,moist and always hot,and taking into account the number of eggs that had to be cracked, this was no mean task. My breakfast as lately on every ship, was porridge and then red melon. Rarely coffee,now and then a slice of toast with jam or a pancake. There were omelettes made to perfection with a choice of fillings. There was absolutely no need to breakfast in the waiter serviced dining room. Everything I like was laid out for me immaculately in the self-service. I couldn't see any smoked salmon,but then I never looked hard enough. I didn't miss it. And to my astonishment,all ten of us have always, but always had enough chairs to sit on, the baby provided with a high chair. Lunch was a similarly pleasant affair. This I like to have served by waiters. Even when returning from a shore visit I would stop in the dining room. Once I was joined by one of my nephews, another time also by his wife and the baby. It was wonderful for them not to have to cook. There was a choice for the 14 months old little boy aplenty. The food was mostly unsalted,the best possible way to serve it for those, who,like myself, never add salt,and those,like my nephews who always sprinkle some on regardless. Dinner was a freedom dining affair,this means we were allocated a table every evening at the door,always immediately for the 10 of us, once when dining with my sister and her husband only,we had to wait 40 minutes. Every evening there was the beer for the boys and a bottle of Chilean Merlot shared between the girls. Children's menu was not needed, Adam,7,had chicken nuggets and chips with tomato ketchup evening after evening,Matt,10, chose from the adults menu,he loves duck and pasta,the baby loves every conceivable vegetable. The children behaved immaculately and we were very proud of them. I was very proud of them all.

30 July,2016.

The morning in my kitchen.The kettle boiling.The washing machine turning.My sister rattling about with the cups.In the next room my 10 year old god-son sleeping,for the first time ever alone in a bedroom. As a baby when visiting his grandparents he always slept on their massive bed with them,then when he was three the younger sibling arrived and his bedroom has been shared with Adam since. Yesterday every-one bar my sister and Matt flew back home, quite safely,I am glad to say. We wanted Matthew to remain and become a little more confident in English. They will return on 5th August.The coming week is HIS week. He is a mathematical genius,plays football with love and dedication,always the first one to score a goal,often the only one. Once his team won 23-0. Was there actually someone playing against you,was there a goal post standing,I asked. I gave him his first proper lesson in English last night.We agreed two hours a day studying, the rest of the time we will do what pleases him.

12/07/2016, Good morning, my lovely little Toshiba.

I love it when you say to me every morning-GOOD MORNING LUDKA and every evening GOOD EVENING LUDKA. What a nice touch. Not surprising the inventors of this magical contraption are billionaires. Am so busy from the moment the builders next door wake me up to the moment I switch off the TV. On feet all day long bar the few moments I sit down with a cup of coffee and a bite to eat to check out what is happening in the internet world. The past month or so I have been on Facebook. Yes,me,a total ignoramus in the matters of the cyber world. Have had a lot of people who want to be my FRIENDS. Why on earth would any-one want to be a friend with a total stranger? Well, it may have some merits,but for now am keeping the friendship to 3 family members only. There were four of them,but I have accidentally erased one. So this Thursday evening my visitors will be sleeping in the beds I am busy preparing. Have washed all bed-linen in a child friendly washing powder. All guests will have the softest of the softest white towels all washed again to ensure the little ones are not allergic to the usual liquid I use. And have received the tickets for my sister and her husband. They should have arrived together with every-one else's Oh,the Post Office,do not let me down, please. Not this time. But all is well that ends well. Today is a big cleaning day. Am going to put in order the outside of the house, sweep the leaves and everything including the garden wall will be washed. This is my routine every time I go away. And the squirrels have returned. Baby was feeding yesterday just as I went to add more food into the bowl. I didn't disturb the little wiggly tail,I let it have its fill,then the goodies went in - bananas, boiled egg,bird seed smothered in olive oil.

11/07/2016, Junk monkey.

One of my neighbours has been doing a massive clear-out for a good week now, a yellow Junk Monkey van has been regularly parked outside his house,including today. When my husband became ill,with the illness taking stronger and stronger grip of his mind, his behaviour became more and more unpredictable. He would mimic people and a lot of them,especially in restaurants,not knowing why,would find it offensive. I called him endearingly my little monkey,he adored it and would play up,make faces and tell every- one who would care to listen and to every-one who wouldn't - my wife says I am a monkey. And he would smile broadly and wave his hands about. The staff at my local Marks & Spencer had become quite accustomed to him, knowing he was harmless and always treated him with kindness and respect.As long as I could I involved my husband with everything I did,he loved it,forever deciding like Mr Monk what to get, choosing this that or something else,never quite making up his mind and always saying to me in the end - you decide, you know best.On this trip taking the least crowded back approach, there was a young black boy coming towards us. My husband smiled at him and said - my wife says you are a monkey. The boy looked at me in astonishment, his previously handsome face distorted with anger. He approached us and I knew he was going to hit me. I was horrified. Not because he would hit me, but because he misunderstood my husband completely [and who can blame him]. The M & S staff go to smoke at the back of the store and one of them happened to be standing there already. He noticed us approaching and we smiled at each other,with my husband directing his attention to the boy. The employee could see my smiling face disappear, and not hearing anything he thought the black boy was going to attack us. He ran towards us and said - are you all right? My husband said something and this young man has misunderstood him completely-I started to explain. Her husband told me she called me a monkey. The M&S employee,himself black, burst out laughing. Oh,you just misunderstood him,he said,he tells us every time they come in - my wife says you are a monkey. She tells him HE is a monkey but that is not the way he says it. We know them both well, the lady is my favourite customer. The boy looked at us,muttered something and left.

09/07/2016, What is freedom dining?

The explanation is in the expression. Well, to a degree. Every ship has its own way of feeding the travellers. There is always a self- service restaurant on the very top of the ship near the swimming pools. Here you can have breakfast,lunch,dinner, eat practically round the clock. And many people do, oh, they do! It is acknowledged,that during a seven night cruise an average eater puts on about 2 kg, 4-5 lb for you and me. Breakfast,lunch and dinner can also be taken in he main dining room.Dining there in the evenings can be a very special affair,I love the formal nights when every-one who so desires puts on their finery. Those who sail for the first time and have no idea what FORMAL entails [and unbelievably,many people do not know] can go to the self-service dressed casually. But having a meal in the dining room and be waited on by 2 waiters is a wonderful way of spending an evening and one really should make an effort and take a full advantage of it. It makes one feel special, cossetted,looked after. In the main dining room,[this on all large ships occupies two levels connected by a staircase] there are usually two seatings - the first between 6-6.30, at 8 the doors close, tables are laid for the second seating guests arriving between 8.30-9. Many ships now offer freedom dining,so one level is allocated to those who prefer set eating times and the other floor is for those who prefer freedom dining. Cunard still offers only set times evening dining in the main Britannia restaurant. Britannia restaurant is for the Cunarders who had booked a balcony cabin or a lower grade. For those occupying expensive suites the arrangements are more flexible, these people dine in a different restaurant at any time they like. Every ship has own way of rewarding those who spend a lot of money on accomodation and want luxury to go with it. This is what I myself had longed for when booking Celebrity Eclipse to sail on 14 August. To some degree I am going to be spoilt much more than usually.Concierge class is a higher grade than the balcony class I normally book. Also Celebrity Eclipse now offers freedom dining and I can eat at a time convenient to me. This is the theory and in practice quite possible if you want to share a table. If you would like a small table just to yourself often you must wait for a table. You are provided with a buzzer and when a table becomes available red light lights up  and you go in. Never have I waited for longer than 40 minutes, mostly much less . Anything,as long as I do not have to share a table. So every time I book a cruise and am told a ship offers freedom dining, my heart jumps with joy. Because on any cruise there are two things that matter to me the most-my own balcony with unobstructed view where I can sunbathe in the nude and freedom dining [this guarantees a small table to myself], in this order. And a priority check-in is a wonderful start.

08/07/2016, What is a priority check-in?

It is when you get checked-in onto your ship before many other passengers do. The check-in process can be a long, drawn out affair. I only sail from Southampton,so I can only write how things are done there. I have literally sailed through [forgive the pun] on several occasions,waited reasonable time on many other. Quite a few times I waited far too long and just as often I had waited,and waited,and waited. If you book a concierge class stateroom,aqua class stateroom or a suite on any Celebrity ship, you automatically get to be checked in as a priority passenger. Travelling this august to Scandinavia and Russia,I so very much wanted to spoil myself. The aqua class cabin was advertised for £1,999 per passenger,but, of course, often when you phone,you are told the prices had risen because the demand had risen. And suddenly the anticipated £4,000 [ because unless it is a proper single cabin I have to pay full price for two people without any reduction whatsoever ] goes sky high and becomes £5,500. Well,it was a silly price and I know when to say a yey or a ney. The next class down, the concierge level,had recently had various benefits added,there is not an automatic access to the special relaxation areas the Aqua class offers, but it has what helps to make the cruise something quite special as far as I am concerned - a priority check-in and freedom dining. So once I get to the port on 14th August, I will be whisked through onto the Eclipse. If you are a frequent traveller with a particular cruise line,you become a member of a particular club and are awarded points. I do not know if the points I have already amassed with the Celebrity cruises would have been enough to grant me the priority check-in status,I never asked, as it wan't necessary,I qualified by booking a concierge cabin. With Cunard I have a platinum level membership and I automatically get checked in as a priority passenger regardless of the class of the cabin I book. With Cunard I also get free internet minutes,240 a cruise,to be precise. And I absolutely love,love,love it. The company that takes the longest to get the people on the ships is the Royal Caribbean. The worst thing about it is,that you have to stand and queue in a slow moving mile long queue. There are old people, frail people, handicapped people, people with children,tired people,hungry people,thirsty people,many having travelled for 6-8 hours on planes,trains,automobiles. This makes no difference to anyone. With Cunard and P & O you are given a number,sit down and wait in comfort for your number to be called. And that is the way it should be. I do not recall how it was with Celebrity the two times I had sailed on the Eclipse. I let myself be surprised. And,of course,you will get my honest appraisal,as always.

07/07/2016, Full steam getting ready for my visitors,

six adults,3 children. Arriving next week 14th,sailing 16th July. Cruise handling the booking are yet to send the tickets,but having been away,I only posted them the necessary details-passport numbers,next of kin,insurance details, on Monday. All is well that ends well and I have no reason to think the travel company would not deliver,so far I have been very happy dealing with them. Thy have arranged another cruise or two in the past, handling it perfectly. There is another firm I am familiar with,Reader Offers Ltd. On my return there was a brochure from them called Horizons. Last night listing through the brochure, my eye caught CELEBRITY CRUISES page. Celebrity Eclipse,the ship I have been on twice, several years ago to Scandinavia and St.Petersburg and two years ago with my sister and brother-in-law we did the Norwegian fjords for 8 nights,is sailing on the 14th August to Scandinavia and St.Petersburg. I love the Eclipse. The exquisite dining room - white and silver, my taste spot on. When for the very first time I walked in and looked around, I said-I am home! I love the simplicity of white,the luxury of silver, the accent colours of red,yellow,blue and green. When I was on the Eclipse the very first time, they only provided set time meals at dinner.This means the first round of people eats between 6-8,the second from 8.30. On my very first time with Celebrity I was seated next to a grandfather and a granddaughter.Both from Florida, or was it Miami.At the time the Fifty shades of grey was the book to read. The girl carried the book to the table much to the displeasure of her granddad. After the initial introductions and smiles she asked me if I had read the book and was surprised when I said no and wasn't going to either. But she liked me,I only realized how much with every consecutive evening. She welcomed me with a beaming smile, flattering me, exalting my taste,style,elegance. How nice I was to every-one,how easy and comfortable to talk to... During her conversations with or about her granddad she would let it slip he makes 117 thousand US dollars a minute, he has a 2000 square meters house,that having been married and divorced three times,every girl-friend is just using him and he needs someone who would want and love him for himself. And finally I got the message. She had chosen me to be her next grandmother. She told me what a wonderful man her grandfather was, bought her a house as a wedding present, a Mercedes Benz for her birthday,gave her a job in his firm, then started her in business on her own. His qualities were never ending. When we said our good-byes I was invited to stay at his house, with a whole wing just to myself. Have I taken up the offer? No.I discarded the phone number the moment I left the dining room. Not only was I not interested in absolutely any-one at the time, but my idea of a life-long companion is not a three times divorced man,however rich he may be. But why have I told you all this? This morning I booked a Celebrity Eclipse cruise to St Petersburg leaving Southampton on 14th of August. Would have loved an Aqua class stateroom,but at just over £5,000 for 12 nights only,it was astronomically excessive,so I went one class down to concierge class.What this means in practice I will tell you once on board.All I know is I have a priority check-in and the ship now offers freedom dining.And that for me is as good as it gets.

06/07/2016, First dates.

I watched several episodes some months back,but didn't really enjoy it. Couples heavily mismatched,the whole process quite laboured. Apparently 50 000 people have applied to take part in the series. And the researchers come up with...well, let's put it this way: you can see on the outset hell would freeze before many couples find a common language. Last night Midsomer murders finished at 11,have seen the episode already,but there was nothing else of interest to me,and when at the end I was flicking through the channels,I could see the First dates was on. I cannot comprehend why they put on children of 18,20. What problems can these young people have dating, having fun. The awkwardness, the inability to string a decent sentence together and often the foul language. Then there was Natasha and Scott. I could not understand a word this lovely to look at young lady was saying. Mumbling,illegible gobbledygook. Natasha,have some elocution classes, you will have a much better chance of attracting a nice successful young man you crave. It was embarrassing to watch how Abi spoke to Mark. Being him I would have got up and left. Being a morose,unpleasant,miserable person that she is,how can she ever make another human being happy. Full of herself, no manners,the language utterly unacceptable. It must be her buck teeth. Altogether a sorry affair. Why do some people think it is acceptable to use every four letter word available? It isn't. The singer Adele is quite free with them. Truly repulsive. Kiera [or is it Keira] Knightly. Hearing this pretty face utter quite regularly the unacceptable is quite off-putting. Charlotte Church rants like a fully paid up idiot. Born with a gift,she was a nobody who threw it all away and became a foul mouthed nobody. The next episode has the stars in it.In the trailer I recognized Esther Rantzen, but had absolutely no idea who the rest of the "stars" were.

03/07/2016, That was the night that was.

There I am,resplendent happily on my bed,when a mighty thunder quite startles me. AS I kept all my windows,including four skylights and balcony doors,open,I ran down to shut everything,it took all of four minutes,when I got back to the maisonette room I have set out as my bedroom,there was almost a centimeter of water covering the floor. Half of the king size bed was soaking,too,not to mention the newspapers and magazines and whatever else I like to keep beside me, a little office,in fact. It took me almost half an hour to mop up the water.The thunder and lightening were of gargantuan proportions.Never in my life have I seen anything like it. Having switched off the TV and the lights,I walked in the dark from one window to the next to see if they were keeping the rain away,and to my great relief all was well. It is a nightmare if a problem occurs just as I am about to depart. When some sort of a truce arose and the rain became sporadic, I got back to my newspapers and the TV. The alarm clock woke me just before 7. I didn't call a taxi to take me to the bus station,the 20 minute walk did me the world of good.The wi-fi connection at the airport is 78% strong,but serves the purpose.I can access Facebook but not move the page,Still, it is wonderful what the technology enables one to do.

02/07/2016, Another glorious Saturday.

Am having the most wonderful time. Just me,myself, and I. I get up when I want, have or not have breakfast,take my Toshiba and walk half an hour to a shopping centre where I sit down to a perfect cup of coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice. I buy a newspaper, numerous magazines, read,write,and follow on Facebook what is happening in the world. I have lunch in the same excellent little restaurant,where the food is second to none. I have not been to visit my sister,even though we talk every day on the phone and e-mail each other endlessly. I have not been to visit my brother,but twice have met his daughter and handed her enormous bags full of presents. Otherwise I do not go anywhere,do not see any-one. Sometimes I need the solitude. In the evenings I try to make sense of my clothes. I have masses of them here,enough to supply a shop. My niece,my brother's daughter, has always been very slim,even though she has a beautifully proportioned figure,so everything I have was big for her,because very slim I am not. But recently she has put on weight,went up a size and a little and now a lot of my clothes fit her. I am overjoyed. On Thursday I selected at least 15 tops,many new,several pieces of jewellery,bracelets, necklaces, ear-rings,and a big bottle of SI,the most wonderful perfume both my sister and I adore. And a local bio hand-made body-lotion. I gave her almost unworn sandals,never worn sneakers and a new never used leather shopper. She is a single mum and I help as much as I can. When I was here over a month ago, it was her children and my brother, who were dressed top to toe. What about my sister-in-law,you may ask. Well,she is slightly bigger than myself, but as I love loose,comfy clothes,at least a size bigger than I need,a lot of them fit her perfectly.She hasn't had to buy a winter coat for donkeys years. This time I sent her 5 tops,2 brand new. The weather has been hot and sunny. As I am on the top floor all my windows are open day in day out. At times a little breeze moves the numerous papers that cover one half of my bed,but never are they blown on the floor. The idyll is at an end and tomorrow I must return to London.