Sardinia, is beautiful,

So was absolutely overjoyed, when this cruise had Sardinia on the itinerary. I very much wanted to book a tour to The World Heritage Site Barumini and the moment I boarded Queen Victoria on 4th Sept, I did.

The tour did not do this incredible site justice.

The 5 hours were far, far too long.After an hour of listening to minor details of pure conjecture of what may or may not have happened only God knows when and looking at numerous painted reproductions of what a thousand year old abode may or may not have looked like, I lost concentration and after another hour I lost the will to live.

When DH Lawrence came

To Cagliari in the 1920s, he compared the Sardinian capital to Jerusalem"strange and rather wonderful, not a bit like Italy."

Yes, the old town a little train took me around on the 8th May is quite wonderful, but the rest of Cagliari is very, very disappointing.

Trieste

was a great disappointment to me."The uncrowned capital of Italian coffee culture" as touted by Cunard?  My foot. Nowhere have I seen little  inviting cafes  serving  delightful pastries. Everywhere large establishments with dirty tables  and overspilling astrays.

And no wi- fi, let alone  free wi - fi.

Run of the mill shops selling run of the mill clothes.

But I liked this little chappie😊

You want my money. I want value for my money in return.Trieste needs to clean up its act.

 

Hvar was our next port of call.

Tenders were used to ferry us ashore as the water near the island is too shallow.

I walked, I shopped ( a dress, a top, a bag, all by the same Croatian designer), had the most delicious smoothie  at Kantun served with grace and smile,  walked some more, had the most excellent be it not  very hot latte at the immaculate , comfortable Carpe Diem, enjoying their internet that was faster than the speed of lightening.

I never wanted to leave.

Hvar, you are beautiful.

I  will be back.

0n 12th September 2022 Queen Victoria docked in

Dubrovnik,capital of Croatia, which is in the UNESCO World Heritage list.

The walls around The Old City run almost 2km  (2.4miles). On the landward side the walls are from four to six metres thick, on the seaward side they are much thinner. 

I walked the walls during my very first visit to this "Pearl of the

Adriatic" when I was a university student.

Dubrovnik is one of the best examples of a medieval walled city in the wold.

I had booked a tuk-tuk tour of the city, the very pleasant and knowledgeable driver and guide took us to the cable car station high above the town, the picture postacard views unforgettable.

After the tour I took a shuttle bus to the Old Town, walked a little, had latte and took the shuttle back to the ship.Wonderful day.

I sailed on Queen Victoria

around the world in 2019, this time it is around The Med, Cartagena being the first port of call.I visited Catagena on a day trip with my husband years ago and truth be told I remember nothing of that outing.Cunard offered a "Tale of two cities" tour, Cartagena and Murcia being the cities and I booked it.Ten minutes after we drove off towards Murcia I knew the tour was going to be a nightmare. I was not wrong.The tour guide being the worst guide I had ever encountered, he pipped to the prime position the  one in Vietnam  and that, I was hoping, would never happen.

Never say never.

In Murcia we stopped at the Santuario de Nuestra Senora de la Fuensanta, perched above the city.Quite lovely outside and inside.In the city centre sits Catedral de Murcia.There is a religious ceremony in Murcia when half a million of believers carry a statue of the virgin from Santuario to Catedral (or vice versa) and back again.

The Santuario is as lovely inside as outside.

When we were inside the Catedral a lady turned towards me and said-I can't see the virgin.Don't look at me, I said. And I do not think there is a single virgin in the church, I added. She burst out laughing and was still chuckling an hour later.

From Murcia we drove back to Cartagena and after a 45 minute  walkabout returned to Queen Victoria.One day I would dearly love to return to Cartagena.It is beautiful and steeped in history.

What I liked about the Catedral is that it is a fully working church and during the day people go to a  confession. On the left you can see a woman

 kneeling  and there is a priest' s hand resting on the frame.

This is a part of the road in Cartagena that dates to Roman times.And I wish I could tell you more, but that is all I know.What the tour guide knew he took with him, he left none of us  any the wiser.

Lucca was the highlight of the cruise

for me. We docked in La Spezia, a port between Genoa and Pisa and soon after I boarded a tour bus for Lucca and Pisa.

The temperature hitting 40 every single day I knew this cruise was not for taking bus tours. But I have always wanted to visit Lucca

and thought will take the chance  just this once. And had the bus been comfortable and air-conditioned, it may have paid off, but the vehicle was utter disgrace, shame on you, Italians.

But  by the end of Lucca visit - I would love to go again and taste the best walnut and fig ice-cream in the world- I had lost the will to live and there was still a 30 minute drive to Pisa and then a mile long walk from the bus to the Leaning Tower. In the heat of 40 and the average age of 70, how we all made it I really do not know.We made it but I stopped listening to the very nice and knowledgeable guide in Lucca.

The Tower was leaning, we all were wilting.

Back in the bus some men  literally collapsed on the seats and fell asleep.

We women are made of hardier stuff.

Gibraltar was the last port of call

and my fourth visit.

Had we stayed longer, I would have gone to say hello to the Barbary apes, the only wild population in Europe. They are mischievous, playful but harmless.But time was not on my side, so I sat down, had freshly pressed orange juice,bought a Lola Casademunt dress ( love her), sat down, had coffee and pastries, bought shoes, sat down, had more orange juice in the same coffee shop, bought a Lola Casademunt large travel bag.Quite a productive morning.And then walked back, stopped in the port duty free for perfume and face cream and was the last but one back on the ship. This was the second time in the 12 years I have been cruising that I cut it so fine and I should not do it again.

So we are sailing back to Southampton, 2 whole sea days ahead, quite wonderful.

Gibraltar is a British outpost worked by the Spaniards and protected from the Spaniards by The Royal Navy,The Roya Air Force and The British Army.😊The Rock of Gibraltar is a 2.6 square mile,  426 M - high limestone ridge( 1,400 feet).First settled by The Moors in The Middle Ages and later ruled by Spain, the territory was ceded to the British in 1713.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono got married in Gibraltar.

With the temperature hitting 40 fahrenheit every single dsy

I decided not to go on any tour and explore locally instead But I could not resist the over 7 h tour trip to Pisa and Lucca , Lucca being the attraction. 

The uncomfortable tour bus with hardly any air conditioning was a disgrace.

The guide was knowledgeable and full of energy, but even she could not make our suffering any more palatable. And I can safely speak for all of us, no-one was happy.

We all were wilting and on the way back to the ship the youngest men literally collapsed on the seats and fell asleep!

Lucca deserves another much longer visit under much more favourable conditions if only to sample the local delicacies and explore the little boutiques. I did have time to buy an oversize striped shirt I was in love with at first glance and a duster coat to die for.And the fig and walnut ice cream! Wow!

Civitavecchia is a gateway to Rome.

I was in Civitavecchia on my first honeymoon

( one husband,several honeymoons.)I dropped a very expensive bottle of whisky at the airport, my husband laughed it off, I knew then I married the right man),

 so when on a cruise several years ago we docked in C, I did not feel like  going on a tour to Rome,  almost 2 hours drive each way , and stayed to explore C.Ugly, dirty little town that has nothing nice to say for itself, where I couldn't even get a decent cup of coffee. Concequently I refused to go on  a cruise that included this port. Until this cruise.

The town seemed even uglier and dirtier. But I got a wi-fi in my phone!    No, not free access,that is very rare in Italy, but I got it and finally was able to sit down on a bench in the shade under a tree and communicate with family and friends. 

Internet on Celebrity Silhouette is abominable.Even a 20 US DOLLAR upgrade a day does not make the slightest difference.

 In Naples I walked into a  Samsung store and asked if I could transfer data from one Samsung  to another Samsung.  I could not. How utterly disgraceful.  

So in the twopenny-halfpenny little town  I could use my phones comfortably. 

Thank you, Civitavecchia.

From Cagliari, Sardinia,

it was just a handful of nautical miles to Naples.

Naples is a gateway to Pompeii, The Amalfi Coast and the islands of Capri and Ischia.

The very first slice ever created of pizza was in Naples in the 18th or early 19th century.

No Hop on Hop off bus I was hoping to take.

Just an ugly concrete jungle outside the port terminal.

Unbearably hot and disgustingly dirty is going to be my memory of

Naples.

Naples is wasted on the Italians.

The second city we docked in was Cagliari,Sardinia.

The ship offered several tours I liked and one in particular- visit to Unesco Site of Barunimi.But it was going to be unbearably hot - 40 and I decided to stay in town.

There was a little train just outside the port terminal boarding and I hopped on for an hour of a lovely getting to know Cagliari ride.It was the best decision.

The town is absolutely wonderful, steeped in history and deserves a second  and much longer visit.

Celebrity Silhouette 30th July-13thAugust

The first port of call - Cadiz.

This was my third visit to Cadiz that I remember and cannot wait for the next only to have  excellent fresh orange juice, the best croissants in the world with the nicest marmalade in the loveliest coffee shop I have set the foot in - El Cafe De Ana.

On my first visit to Oslo, the capital of Norway, some nine years ago,

I took a 4 hour walking tour of the city, this time we had rain and I hopped on a Hop on Hop off for a ride. Everywhere we went was familiar.I took some photos from the top of the bus, this is my favourite

9

A stairway to a tree house? To nowhere? To heaven?

We passed beautiful houses in the most exclusive part of Oslo.

The Sky Princess docked opposite The Akershus Fortress and this was the view from my cabin R 321 on the 14th floor.

The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in Oslo.But Every-one knows that.Norway introduced salmon sushi to Japan. I bet nobody knew that! 😊

On my first visit to Oslo some nine years ago

I took a walking tour of the city and in the loveliest of sunshine  I spent 3-4 hours exploring the capital of Norway.This time we had rain and I hopped on a Hop on Hop off for a ride. Everywhere we went was familiar.I took some photos from the top of the bus, this is my favourite 

A stairway to a tree house? To nowhere? To heaven?

We passed the most expensive houses in Norway in the most exclusive part of the city.

Skagen,the third port we had docked in,

is at the very top of the continent of Europe.Here the two seas-The Baltic and The North Sea-and the whole of the world meet.You can stand with one foot in The Baltic and one in The North Sea.Skagen is 600 years old.Many artists, including Hans Chtistian Andersen,  loved it.

And no , The  Skagen watches are not made in Skagen, not even in Denmark.They are made in China, but the quality parts like the Miyota movement are from Japan.

I don't know who this fierce looking man is and why he is kneeling outside the Skagen gallery, but I could not resist taking his photo.The Danes certainly have a lot to be happy about. Comfortable life,the envy of Europe (in 2021 Denmark was named the second best country in the world for the quality of life,Finland taking top spot,Norway third, Sweden fifth, the Scandinavians  are truly blessed),the freshest  air, their own currency and not the euro. Wow.

And the most beautiful flower shop I have  ever seen.Yet there are no flowers in front gardens or on window sills. Strange.

Skagen has the largest number of yachts in Denmark, it is the main Danish fishing port and town  is famous for the red tiles. This photo encapsulates all of this.

Copenhagen is laid back and as comfortable with itself as I am with myself

and that is one of the reasons why we get on so well! I have been to the city at least four times, always a part of a cruise.I have seen all the usual tourist attractions  I'd wanted to see,but on each visit I find something unexpected. This time it was The Studio Arhoj Design Store,where you can see the craftsmen at work and buy what they made.

And  on this visit I had my first ever potato pizza.Potato pizza. Whatever next!

It was delicious.

And here it is.

The pigeon enjoyed it, too.

The first stop on our itinerary was Kristiansand,

founded in 1641, it  has around 112, 000 people and a neo-Gothic Cathedral right in the middle.And that's it, really. Oh, and the best sandwich I have had since March 2011. Why, you may ask, can I be so specific? On a cruise with my sister on The Independence of the Seas in March 2011 to Canary Islands we were greeted on the ship with an array of sandwiches to die for.And now they have met their match in a ground floor Sanders store coffee shop in an unassuming  little Norwegian  town.And latte was rather nice, too and served by an utterly delightful girl.

 

A bagel, boiled egg ,  prawns.Simple.Fresh.Delicious. 

Sky Princess

has the name, but will she deliver?Yes, am on a seven night cruise from Southampton to Scandinavia.The check-in on  28th May was a disaster.A mile long queue is often joked about. I know 

it exists. I was in one last Saturday.And I was not laughing. No explanation, no apology.A technical hitch was mentioned. Hmmm.

My stateroom R 321 is well presented. I have two TV sets, one in the  seating are, one facing the bed. The remote control is not user friendly.I have a walk-in wardrobe  and plenty of storage. The fridge is empty.The tea and coffee station uninspiring. I do not like PG tips. The bathroom is compact and cold.I have a bath-tub with a hand held shower fitting hanging over it. Hot water is not quite as hot as I would like it to be. The towels are adequate,  not fluffy soft.

But I have the bed I never want to get out of. It is simply divine.Yes, this is the beauty.

And on Saturday 7th May we docked in Barcelona.

I booked the cruise two years ago, because it was a maiden voyage and we were going to end the journey in Barcelona. I planned to remain in this beguiling city for a week and then return home. The plan was pre covid. Reality now a different matter alltogether,I flew home when we disembarked. 

The star of the whole cruise was The Celebrity Beyond.Beautifully presented. Beautifully run.The staff trained to perfection.The best latte I have ever had on a ship.

But it was not without disappointments.No library. No launderette and therefore no iron.Inadequate wardrobe space for clothes to hang and I was travelling alone. Two people will have  problems.Little things, I know, but on  long sailings they will begin to grind. The food was a hit and miss affair, often served barely warm.Teething ttoubles. Must do better.Service haphazard. Teething troubles.Must do better.

But the cruise started on a high and finished on a high. And the middle bit? High, high, high. Had the most wonderful time.

Can't wait to be on a ship again.

On Saturday 28th May I will be sailing on the Sky Princess to Scandinavia.

The centre of Palma de Mallorca

is about 2-3 km from here,  said the Spanish tourist guide, who greeted us in the cruise  terminal. I got walking.It was more like  6-7, and in the heat on cobbled pavements seemed  like 16-17.   Four shuttle buses carrying passengers from the ship passed me by. But at least I knew I was going in the right direction.  I walked by a lovely street market and bought beautiful ear-rings for the three waitresses in The Blu restaurant where I had dinner every evening.  Mallorca is beautiful.   La Seu, The Cathedral and her  61 windows,   is beautiful. I bought a beautiful dress for the mother of my god-children. Had a very overpriced fresh orange juice  (what is it with the Spaniards,they export oranges, so are really making ungodly profits on the juice)  Then I bought a beautiful dress for myself and took the shuttle back to the ship.

Malaga

is not the place I would chose for a holiday. I dislike any tourist crowded places. The horse just outside the port gate looked at me hopefully, but I said firmly - not today,Alfonzo. All I wanted to do was walk, walk and walk. And walk I did until I came across a delightful restaurant where I had an overpriced fresh orange juice. And then I returned to the ship.

Cadiz followed Lisbon.

We docked in the very centre.A tour to Seville was offered, but I preferred to stay and get to know Cadiz, as I had never been there before.The city centre was delightful.Walking back to the ship just by the gate  it hit me - I had been here before! And I was, several years previously. It rained. My goodness,how it rained! I walked out of the port,water to my ankles,turned round and went back to the warmth of the ship.This time the sun was shining, the birds singing.Lovely.

Lisbon, the capital of Portugal,

is as easygoing and comfortable in its own skin  as I am in mine and that is why we suit each other so well.Have been five times now, took a bus tour around the whole city on my first visit, now I walk, shop,have coffee and the most delicious pastries. 

Bilbao, Spain,

was the second city we docked in.I was in love with this Andalucian gem the moment the shuttle bus left the port for the city centre.The Foral Palace is the most beautiful building in Bilbao.

.

But my favourite photo is this. A pink cadillac in front if the Guggenheim museum. Wow!

La Rochelle was our first port of call.

My favourite photo of La Rochelle.

I visited the town and the area with my husband several times years ago.Walking through the narrow streets now, passing one shabby house after another, not shabby chic, just shabby, in need of a lick of paint, I wondered why would  any-one want to come here more than once.Even the large harbour with endless architectual possibilities looked so  very ordinary. And it was rather cold. I found a large  creperie  Cafe Leffe with tables outside.They did not serve latte. France. LaRochelle. No latte. I had cafe au lait. It was good and the service was good.And then I walked to the shuttle for the 15 minute ride back to the ship.

My first cruise since October 2019.

Here I am on the Celebrity Beyond on her maiden voyage, having left Southampton on 27April, we are docking 10 days later in Barcelona an then flying home.

As I write I am sitting enjoying a rather good double latte and grapefruit juice in the  Cafe al Bacio on the 4th floor.It is good because the milk smells like it should-milky.