World Tour Part VIII

Saturday 14th June 2008 - Scotland

Today is a day at sea as we travel towards the Scottish Highlands. We had decided to have a relaxing morning and just enjoy the ocean but about 10 to 7 the Captain woke us to alert us to look out our windows to the passing scenery. I'm sure I'll never be able to describe it but the view took our breath away. This surely is the Scottish Coastline at its best. We passed the Mull of Kintyre, and Arran through the New Hebrides Islands towards the North Atlantic Ocean.

We enjoyed breakfast on our deck as we didn't want to miss any of this fabulous scenery as we sailed through the Orkney Islands.

All I kept hearing Nick say was "I could imagine walking up those hills, with a cane in my hand and my dog (Lucy) racing along beside me". I have never heard him so enthusiastic about something and during the next few hours was trying to convince me that we should buy one of these little cottages, overlooking the water, with a few sheep where we could spend the Scottish summer months returning to our home in Sydney for the winter months!!!

I'll ask him again in another month what he thinks - so watch this space!!!!

We spent the afternoon reading, writing our diaries and decided to watch the movie which was the Kite Runner. A good movie, bit sad, very poignant so we sat through it as the ship was experiencing some "rocking" as we sailed towards the North Sea.

I haven't experienced sea sickness for many years but I was beginning to feel extremely unwell. With each rock, my stomach turned over so i spent the rest of the evening in bed, hoping this feeling would pass as we had planned another big day tomorrow.

Sunday 15th June 2008 - Invergordon, Inverness, Scotland

Today I am feeling much better so after showering and getting dressed we meet Jan and Barrie, as arranged at 9:00am sharp.

We head ashore and meet our driver "Jock" who agrees to take us to Loch Ness, visiting Inverness and some other places along the way. We agree on 30 pounds per hour for approximately 4 -5 hours which, we think is a reasonable price.

We drive out of Invergordon the lovely little port where our huge ship has docked and drive the 60 miles and notice first of all the huge abundance of wildlife. We pass many seals finding their positions on the exposed rocks at low tide. They will wait for the fresh salmon to swim in at high tide and be at the ready to catch their food for the day.

The lovely little village of Dingwall and across the river Peffery to the little town of Strathpeffer is on our way. The time is 10:00am and everything is either closed or doesn't open until midday. Jock tells us here in Scotland they are all 'big drinkers' and Saturday night are huge and as today is Sunday morning no one will venture out for a few more hours yet.

We arrive at Loch Ness and the view is beautiful.

In 1933 an enterprising editor in Inverness enlivened a low news week with the story of an odd sighting in Loch Ness. The legend grew overnight and today, 75 years later, individuals still scan the dark waters of the Loch for a sight of 'Nessie' the Loch Ness Monster. Here also are the ruins of the medievel Urquhart Castle which sit brooding beside the water of Loch Ness.

From here Jock takes us to a lovely pub that sits on the edge of Loch Ness with fantastic views. We decided we will spend an hour and half here to taste some traditional Scottish food (although no-one was game enough to try the haggis)and beer before continuing our drive back to Inverness.

Our day finished after witnessing some of the most beautiful country in the world.

Monday 16th June 2008 - Edinburgh Scotland

Another big day planned for today. My Chelsea and her boyfriend Peter lived here in Edinburgh last year as part of a working holiday. After travelling throughout Europe they decided to settle in London for a few months but found it too expensive so decided to look further afield and found Edinburgh. They both got jobs and one of those jobs for Chelsea was working at an upmarket Restaurant in Castle Street, Edinburgh.

A few months ago when we had planned that we would visit Edinburgh Chelse insisted we go to "her" Restaurant for lunch. A booking was made for the four of us at Oloroso Restaurant.

We turned up at the allocated time and made our way to the top floor of the building where we found a beautiful restaurant which had views straight up to Edinburgh Castle. We met the staff who welcomed us, remembering Chelsea as the little Ossie girl with a fun personality and dry sense of humor! Chelsea was really happy here and has wonderful fond memories of a place and people who were so kind to her. Very reasurring as parents to know your kids are happy and safe in a place so far from home.

Nick and Barrie were heading up to St Andrews for the afternoon. There is a beautiful famous old golf course there so they were happy to spend the 4 hours there and back to witness first hand this lovely course.

Jan and I spent the rest of the day shopping and seeing the many beautiful old buildings, churches and castles of this very beautiful city.

Tuesday 17th June 2008

We have had some very disappointing news that the ship will not be taking us to Le Havre in France. We did visit here on our first trip just a couple of weeks ago where we went to Honfleur and Normandy and as we knew we would be visiting here for a second time we decided we would go into Paris and see the sights as well as doing a cruise down the Seine River at that time.

The Captain has informed us there is a waterfront workers strike there at the moment so we are unable to moor the ship. This is all to do with the uproar over the rising price of petrol and whilst we are sympathetic to their cause (as we in Australia, like most other countries are experiencing) it still makes us mad we have come so far and one of the highlights was to see Paris and now we are unable to do this. The alternative is 'Dover' which apart from the White Cliffs, we believe there is nothing else there.

Once I have finished this blog entry I will get onto the net and see if we can get to France from Dover some way. It is such a shame to be so near yet so far.

As we disembark in Southampton the day after tomorrow I spend the rest of the day washing, packing and organising for the next part of our trip which is that we'll hire a car in Southampton and spend 10 days driving throughout the south of England to Dorset, Devon, Cornwall then over to the Cotswolds which, I believe, is an absolute must.

Until our next update from there take care and we love getting messages via my email address.

xx Wendy & Nick

World Tour Part VII

Tuesday 10th June 2008 - Dublin, Ireland

Today we arrived into Dublin a place I was keen to see as a good friend of mine in Australia, Jenny Travis, comes from here and as she still has family here we were trying to arrange to meet up but unfortunately, for us, they are on holidays and we will miss them. Nevertheless, we will make the most of it anyway so that I can at least go home and compare our stories.

The view from our deck as we dock is amazing. Where we have thousands of skyscrapers in Sydney there are mainly beautiful old, old buildings here. I still think, and I know many will agree, that Sydney has the most beautiful harbour in the world but it is always interesting to see other harbours and places and I keep thinking how fortunate I am to be able to appreciate the many varied and beautiful sights we are becoming so used to on this trip.

From what we have been told here Dublin has experienced a rennaisance in the past decade. Today, this gracious and cosmopolitan city, on the banks of the Liffey River, is one of Europe's premier destinations.

We meet our friends Jan and Barrie and go ashore to explore. It is a beautiful day, sunny with a light wind and not too cold. It can get quite bitter though but as we do a lot of walking it soon warms us up.

What a great little city this is. Easy to get around, and very flat, so walking is a breeze. We go past the Kilmanham Jail and to the Guinness Brewery, Trinity College and City Hall for the history of Dublin.

Dubliners have a wicked sense of humour and it is easy to see where most Australians get their sense of humor from.

After about 2 hours of sightseeing we find 'Temple Bar' a busy area with many cafes and bars. We are recommended to try the Guinness in the actual Temple Bar inside a pub in the area. Here, I taste my first Guinness and it is so lovely and cremy though i don't think I will adopt it as my usual drink. We are a bit disappointed that this pub does not sell food so we finish our drinks and head down the road past some quaint shop fronts until we find another pub.

Here, we enjoy more Guinness and "traditional Irish Stew" which is also a favourite with the locals. It is delicious and very welcoming as the temperature outside begins to drop.

We enjoy a slow walk back to where we are being picked up to take us back to the ship but on the way we pass many many shops and Barrie and Nick are clearly bored with our 'window shopping'. We suggest they go back to the ship early to leave us to enjoy this enjoyable past time on our own.

Before long we are making our way back to our 'organised pick-up' when Jan calls out to me "I just almost walked into (the Scottish Comedian) Billy Connolly. Whatever would he be doing here!!! I could only see him from behind so wasn't sure it it was him but he definitely had his characteristic walk and long greying hair, so who knows!!!!

That evening we enjoyed the best 'sail away' yet with 100's of the locals dockside farewelling us to the sounds of a fantastic Irish Band. Dublin lived up to all expectations and as we so often keep saying 'another one which will be on the list to return to one day'!

Wednesday 11th June 2008 - Liverpool, England.

Liverpool, England today so Jan and I decide to do this area on our own. Nick and Barrie were keen to play some sport (ie table tennis) and Nick was keen to have a swim in the heated pool that is one of the many on board. As Jan and I mentioned that we would like to go to Chester and the "S" & "C" words they were keen to do their own thing. Shopping and Coffee really didn't interest them so that left Jan and I to go on our own.

We had both seen Chester on Getaway and it looked like a shoppers paradise and we definitely were not disappointed.

We left the ship around 9am and and found a taxi where again, we negotiated a fair price (20 pounds an hour) to take us for 5 hours. This way we get to do and see what we want to rather than organised tours where you are at the mercy of the tour company. Our driver 'Jimmy' or 'Sharpie' (is his nickname) was a real character and I think he liked the idea of being OUR taxi driver and guide for the day.

After climbing into his lovely old English Cab we sat in the back as if we were royalty.

Chester is about 30 miles from Liverpool so we enjoyed the scenery of cottages and small villages along the way.

Our first stop was at a lovely gated village called 'Port Sunlight Village' with many beautiful, expensive homes. Jimmy was keen to take our photo ourside the Bridge Inn Pub here - a quaint little thatched roofed hotel in the area.

Next stop Chester. This is a beautiful town and full of character with many streets blocked off from traffic. Jimmy dropped us off at one end and we arranged to meet him at the other end in 1 hour. 'Big Mistake'!!!

The shops here are so quaint and lived up to all expectations. They are so quaint and different and interesting only you girls out there will know what I mean!!

1 hour went by in a heartbeat so we met Jimmy at the designated place and time but arranged for him to leave us at another spot, this time for 2 hours. This really was far more realistic as we were able to, not only add to the British economy but had lunch at a lovely little coffee shop as well.

Jimmy was amused at the sight as we returned to meet him armed with many shopping bags - he could now understand why our husbands stayed behind in Liverpool.

With 2 hours to go we arrived back into Liverpool in time to be shows some of the landmarks and sights of this great little city.

We retraced the steps of the "Beatles" in that we visited the childhood homes of Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and John Lennon. Jimmy told us George Harrison's home was not really worth visiting so we were happy to enjoy the others and go along with his advice.

We then had photos taken at Abbey Road, Strawberry Fields (which was the local orphanage). the Post office and Barber shop in Penney Lane made famous by so many of their songs.

A couple of years ago I read the John Lennon Story by Cynthia Lennon (John's first wife). Whilst I was never a fan of John Lennon this book was a great read and I would recommend it to anyone as It would be of interest to anyone who spent their early days during that era.

After 6 hours, many shopping bags, lots of photos and us humming the words to 'she loves you yeah, yeah, yeah! we arrived back to the ship absolutely exhausted. We had a fantastic day and taken with us some great memories of this lovely area.

Thursday 12th June 2008 - Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Today is to be another busy day as we wake thismorning full of anticipation. We are to meet friends of Jan and Barrie who live about 12 miles out of Belfast. Actually these people are the sister and brother-in-law of Brendan and Di, very close friends of Jan and Barrie so, in actual fact, it will be the first meeting for them as well.

Once we arrive into the city of Belfast it is not long before we are met by Moira and Sean a delightful couple in the late 60's. They suggest that the best way to see the city is 'you guessed it' the open topped, two level hop on hop off bus which we have become so used to.

Our first stop is the Harland and Wolff Shipbuilding Yard and this was the shipyard which built the ill-fated titanic back in Nineteen Hundred and Twelve. There is much development going on here as they get ready for their hundred year anniversary in 4 years time.

Our next stop is beautiful Stormont Castle which houses the current Parliament. Built in the early 17th Century this is now a popular venue for many national and internation rock concerts.

The weather is turning bitter and an open topped bus is probably not quite the way to see Belfast but it certainly adds to the atmosphere. Poor Nick is feeling it the most as he has nothing to cover his head and the tiny amount of hair he does have certainly doesn't keep out the cold. He puts on a brave face nevertheless.

It is hard to believe that before 1994, when the ceasefire treaty came into effect, that this city was in the grips of a bloody religious war between the Catholics and Protestants. We witnessed many reminders of the battles that took place and to this day, many of the older folk, who remember and lost loved ones, still find it difficult to forgive and forget what has gone in the past. We would never have been able to visit here 2 - 3 years ago as it was so unsafe. With tolerance and educating the young people, we can only hope this city can go forward to enjoy the peace it so deserves.

After 2 hours we were glad to be getting off as the temperature had reached 10 degrees. Moira and Sean suggested for us to go to a great little pub they knew of which was a welcoming sight.

We spent the next 2 hours enjoying their company, hearing about their beloved Northern Ireland all this while we were enjoying Guinness and Bangers and Mash. Very welcoming in this bitter weather.

Moira and Sean were delightful people and now friends as we exchanged addresses and took photos and we ended the day again by saying 'Today was definitely ANOTHER hightlight'!!!!

Friday13th June 2008 - Glasgow, Scotland (Greenoch)

I kept hearing stories that Glasgow (our next stop) was just an industrial city and not very interesting so we made the decision to stay on board ship.

However, curiosity got the better of me, as it so often does, I convinced Nick that we should just go into the city, have a quick look, then come back.

We walked for about 1/2 hour through the little port town of Greenoch. After getting directions we made our way to the train station and was in time to catch the train to Glasgow. It took about 30 minutes and was lovely to see the little villages, rivers and town along the way. As I have said so many times before trains are a lovely way to travel as you get to see the real countryside.

Glasgow, what a pleasant surprise we got. We were told there were now a lot of young business people moving here so slowly the bleak 'Industrial' reputation is making way for lovely shopfronts,
gorgeous cafes and restaurants so the streets are buzzing.

Once there we walked around town a bit until we came to the 'hop on hop off open topped bus'. Today the weather was lovely and sunny so it was pleasant sitting in the open air to enjoy the sights.

After 2 hours we were finding a pub for some lunch which we did with full view of St George's Square and we were entertained by some local fellows playing a game of soccer (without a ball).

Back to the trains station and we passed a lovely book store. Nick and I are avid readers so this was a must and it was not too long before we came out with a couple of books each as we took advantage of the 2 for 1 special offer for the day.

On the train we sat with a couple of local girls who were nurses at the local hospital. They were delightful and it was interesting to compare their career path with what we know of in Australia. They had heard Australian Hospital were looking for nurses from Scotland but it seemed they weren't keen to leave their families as they have the idea (and rightly so) that Australia is so so far away!!! We convinced them it would be wonderful for them to travel there for a holiday nevertherless.

Well! Glasgow was certainly not what we expected and we are so glad we made the effort and took the time to explore this lovely city.

World Tour Part VII

Saturday 7th June 2008 - Southampton

I woke this morning at 3am as before we went to bed last night we had left our curtains open. The site of the English coastline coming into view with all the lights etc was like fairyland. It was so peaceful sitting on our deck, listening to the waves gently touching the sides of the ship, and the lights in the distance another scene which will be etched in my mind.

We docked at 4am and as the morning woke it was lovely to see the bright sunshine streaming through our window.

After breakfast, Nick, Jan and I left the ship together at around 9:30am. We negotiating a price with a local driver to take us out for 4 hours in anticipation of visiting some of the seaside towns in Hampshire and Sussex in South East of England.

My great, great grandparents lived in a little place called Lewes so I was keen to trace some of my family history.

After about 1 1/2 hours from Southampton and many many small country villages and towns we came to Lewes however, once there we were at a loss as to how to find some of the addresses of places my ancestors resided. I had an address but that was it.

As fate would have it, the first person we saw was the local postman. He was sitting on a stone wall, enjoying the sunshine (waiting for his lift back to the local post office). I jumped out of the car and approached him with my 'hi, I am Australian - here to research some ancestors and family history!' He was delightful and ever so helpful. I gave him addresses and he gave us directions.

First stop was the the family home - 165 High Street. We got there, in the main street, and pulled up along side an empty shop. It had been renovated but the roofing and top front facade was original and the architecture was late 1700's to early 1800's. We walked a short distance down the very narrow main road (only enough room for 2 cars to pass each other) we came across the entrance to the Lewes Castle. This stands impressively at the highest point of town which dominates the small villiage of Lewes. What now seems a quaint English affectation was in fact built, as most Normal Castles were, a symbol of power, reminding the invading locals who was now in charge.

The Castle began in 1066, was constructed in stages over many years with the towers being added in the 13th Century.

We spent about an hour here, wandering through the beautiful grounds and gardens of this beautiful old Castle. We were entertained by some of the local people playing bowls in what was once the old 'tilting' (Jousting) ground of the castle. We were told the grounds are also used for the local cricket team.

From the Castle we drove to 3 old churches - All Saints Church in Friars Walk, St. John sub-Castro church and St. Thomas a' Becket in Cliffe. Many of my ancestors are buried in the old cemetaries adjoining these churches but sadly, with time, many of the inscriptions on the headstones have either worn or washed off. They were very hard to read and I definitely needed much more time than the limited time we had to be able to make the most of our time spent here.

Nevertheless, just being in these sacred grounds and the historic and spiritual atmosphere was enough to wet my appetite to perhaps do some more investigating once we arrive home.

We then left Lewes and drove onto Seaford in East Sussex. This is a place I spent quite some time when I was much younger as my son Daniel's father grew up and lived in this area until his early untimely death. I had not been here since 1972/3 so it was interesting to see how much it had changed and again I took many photos which I will take back to give to Daniel which I'm sure will be of interest to him.

Time was creeping away quickly so we decided to go back to Southampton via Brighton where we stopped for lunch at a lovely seaside restaurant overlooking the ocean and pier.

After a long but lovely day we made it back to the ship in time for our 6pm departure.

Sunday 8th June 2008 - Guernsey, St Peter Port, Channel Islands (GB)

Our friend Barrie was not feeling very well today so he and Jan decided that they would stay on board the ship. I was really not fussed about going ashore - being in a new port each day and trying to see as much of the towns and surrounding areas is very tiring. We would prefer to have a couple of days in between port to enjoy the ocean and sailing but here in the UK and Europe everything is so close, unlike Australia. Nick and I decide to go ashore in St Peter Port which is on the island of Guernsey. We are happy to walk around the cobble stone streets and laneways although at one stage I was keen to see some of the local shops he was keen to go to a museum.

La Vallette Underground Military Museum traces the life of ordinary islanders during the occupation. It is a unique display of bunkers, munition depots, and hospital facilities connected by a warren of tunnels. He found it most interesting and full of enthusiasm he was keen to describe it all when we met afterwards at a local pub.

We enjoy fresh crab baguettes and beer before making our way back to the ship.

That night we are keen to re-live our day with Jan and Barrie and 3 other couples (from the US) we meet at dinner. They are all enjoyable company and most interesting as well.

Kathy and John, Ted and Carol and a delightful couple who were celebrating their 55th year of marriage so a toast and celebration cake was enjoyed with the staff joining in to sing 'Happy Anniversary' and with their different Asian Accents it was quite amusing to say the least!!!

Carol told us about her daughter who is living in the UK at the moment. She is the photographer for the latest James Bond Movie and Carol told us with great pride and delight of her daughters movie credits so far.

She gave us her web site (karenballard.net) and when i looked it up later that night was amazed at her movie credits. Rambo 1V, Casino Royale (with James Craig) a couple of Stephen Spielberg movies and she has photographed many documentaries - one of the famous ones, was when she was freelancing, and she took one of the last photos of Sadam Hussain before he was imprisoned. It is a very interesting website.

After dinner we decided to have an early night (10:30pm) as we were planning a big day tomorrow.

Monday 9th June 2008 - Cork, Ireland.

We woke thismorning at around 6am as the Irish countryside was coming into view. The beautiful little cottages on the cliff face overlooking the ocean was reminiscent of an Irish Travel Brochure.

I couldn't wait to get up, shower and dress as this was a sight I was not going to miss.

After breakfast we met Jan (Barrie was still feeling unwell so decided to see the ship's doctor. Once we were ashore we negotiated a fair price with a local driver (200 euros for 5 hours). Daniel was his name with a very broad Irish accent. We left Cobh (pronounced Cove) and drove for about an hour and half, passing some of the most beautiful Irish countryside. We arrived at a little villiage called Macroom and stopped for a wander around, coffee and a postcard before driving to Killarney another lovely Irish villiage.

This is another lovely villiage and very popular for holidaymakers. B & B's and lovely old hotels line the streets.

From here we travelled up a very winding mountain road and the views from here, I'm sure, were Ireland at its finest. Spectacular scenery overlooking the valleys and rivers of the countryside. No wonder everyone raves about this part of the world.

We had lunch at the top of the mountain at a wonderful little cafe which sold perfect cappuccinos and fresh home made quiches, frittatas, gourmet sandwiches and salads. Reluctantly, we held back on the amazingly wicked cakes, scones and pastries (which I am sure, though rather boringly, our hips will thank us for later)!!!!

It wasn't long before we were making our way, back down the mountain, toward the very busy, but lovely larger Irish town of Cork. A couple of postcards later before we knew it we were back on the ship, gin and tonic in hand on our deck, enjoying the Irish Band on the quayside as our huge ship was gently pulling away.

While we were away Barrie had seen the doctor and had a chest x-ray which revealed a chest infection. He was prescribed antibiotics to be taken immediately, so hopefully he will be feeling much better once they take effect, so that he can continue to enjoy the remainder of this trip in comfort.

It has been great to hear from some of you via my email address that you are enjoying our blog. Particularly, Chelsea, Mitch, Pete, Lucy and Elle, my brother David and Liz, Michael and Marianne, Terry and Robin, Pixie and Bart, Carol & Lez, Danny, Natasha and Kirra, Amanda & Cleo, Tim and Laura. Hopefully, Doug and Ron you are able to open it now but if you are still having trouble please let me know.

Until next time.

XXX Wendy and Nick

World Tour Part VI

Tuesday 3rd June 2008 - Lisbon, Portugal

Today we arrived into the beautiful Portuguese city of Lisbon. Here is another place I visited 30 odd years ago so it was really interesting to see the change. Noticeably, was the way the men dress as years ago you would be hard pressed to find a man that wasn't dressed in a kaftan. The males today dress in very chic, sporty modern clothes (including the more mature men)!!!

Lisbon is a large port at the mouth of the Tagus River. It is also the capital of Portugal.

Our first site is the beautiful "25th April Bridge" which is named for the date in 1974 when a bloodless revolution restored democracy by overthrowing the regime of Antonio Salazar. It was Salazar himself who constructed the bridge in 1966, employing the same engineering principals used to build the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

After breakfast Nick and I decide we will go into the square and do the 'hop on hop off' bus tour of the city. This form of transport is fantastic as it gives you a real insite into the wonderful sights ie parks, monuments, cathedrals, churches, avenues, cafes and the beautiful fashion houses of the area. The 16th Century Jeronimos Monastery to commemorate the Great Portuguese explorers who opened the east to European traders was mammoth and having English speaking commentary makes it easier to understand.

The Marina is by the river with many harbourside cafes so we get off the bus and make our way to one of them for lunch. A traditional Portuguese fish lunch was lovely before heading back to meet the bus for our return journey.

We drove to Alfama the city's medieval Moorish district which is a maze of narrow streets and the facade of many of the houses is decorated with superb Italian tile work. Tiles we would pay a fortune for in Australia!!!!

From here it was to the Belem District which is famous for Portuguese Tarts. A must if you have never tried one. It was here in the 18th century that the sisters from the Monastery first made pasteis de Belem', the forerunner to the Portuguese Custard Tarts. In 1837, the Monastery sold the secret recipe to a local family. Today, that family still runs the evocative Antiga Confeitaria de Belem' a popular cafe and pastry shop that sells 10,000 tarts each day.

After buying a couple of these beautiful delicacies before long we were on our way back to "the square" and what is known as the "old town". We love walking these cobbled stone areas of each city that is known as the 'old town' as there is so much history, tiny narrow streets, and some lovely markets and shops where you can usually pick up a good bargain. So refreshing to buy things that are not 'made in China'!!!

We arrived back to the ship in plenty of time and enjoyed sailing out of this beautiful harbour.

Wednesday 4th June 2008 - Vigo, Spain.

We decided we wouldn't go too far ashore here in Vigo so had a sleep in and late breakfast. Curiosity got the better of me so I said to Nick, 'let's just go into town for a short time, grab a coffee, buy a postcard, maybe lunch then back to the ship. What a surprise we got.

It seemed like such a short distance from the wharf but we walked across a pedestrian bridge a few hundred yards to the 'old town square'. It was gorgeous and so quaint. I parked Nick at an outside cafe, where he was happy to watch the passing parade and read his book. I found 'the shops'! A lovely little shop which had some of the most beautiful designs from Italy I had seen. Well, it wasn't long before I was trying on this and trying on that and after about an hour i left there with quite a few bags and some lovely original pieces. I couldn't wait to show Nick when we got back to the ship (and no, he didn't ask how much it all cost thank goodness, I think he must have thought better of it) and was just happy to share my enjoyment.

We decided to have some lunch and found a lovely little cafe who again served beautiful tapas plates. This is a lovely way of eating as you get to try lots of tiny sample size morsels and the Sangria was fantastic!!

We arrived back on the ship after our very pleasant (but expensive) day in Vigo.

At dinner that evening we caught up with Jan and Barrie and another couple we have met from the United States and enjoyed a lovely dinner together.

Thursday 5th June - 2008 At Sea

We were spending today at sea on our way from Spain to France. The seas were a little rough as we were sailing past the Bay of Biscay but it was nice to feel the cool sea breeze, slight rock of the waves and just enjoy the sailing.

It is times like this you enjoy having a private deck off your cabin where you can read, relax and enjoy the sound of the waves in the privacy on your own. It makes you very spoilt if ever wanting to travel this way again.

I decided it was hight time I needed a hair colour and cut so i had previously booked a time at the ships hair salon. My appointment was for 8am so that put an end to any sleep in. Anyway, It was nice to have some time to be able to do this and after 1 hour (trim, colour and blow dry) I came out feeling, as many of you girls will know the feeling, 'a new woman'! We spent the rest of the day reading and watching movies.

Friday 6th June 2008 - Le Havre, Normandy - France

Today we had organised to meet Jan and Barrie at 10am and we made our way off the ship and to a nearby taxi. We negotiated and agreed on a price with the driver to take us out for 5 hours to see some of the sights of the countryside villages of this area.

He had a comfortable 6 seater air conditioned car so each having a seat to ourselves and a window it made it all the more enjoyable.

Today is the anniversary (6th June) the invasion of Normandy and so many of the American passengers were keen to go to the beaches where the landings took place. It was really interesting that many of the Americans we spoke to had no idea that there were quite a few Australians who assisted the British at the time of the invasion.

We found this so common in many things that have happened in Australia and to us Australians. I wonder if it is that Australia is so far away from the United States they are really not that interested.

We have been following the CNN American/World News Channel and we are so hard pressed trying to get any information or news from home. We did hear many weeks ago that there was a boating accident on Sydney harbour however that was all it said. No reporting of casualties or details etc which is very frustrating. However, we get all the interviews and updates on the Clinton vs Obama Election challenge. At least we are getting the tennis live and it is great to see the Aussia Jankovic (I think that's how you spell it making it to the quarter finals). Hopefully we will be able to see some good tennins when we get to Wimbledon later this month.

However, on our journey today we drive through the most beautiful little French villages. We stop at a really quaint village Port-l-'Eveq^ue, where I take some photos and buy a couple of postcards before continuing on further past French Chateaux's and farmhouses. It is just like in the travel documentaries. We drive through the pretty little towns of Villerville, Circeville. We stop at the beautiful holiday resort village of Deauville and walk the beautiful streets, witnessing a typical, small, casual French wedding while passing the expensive shops and restaurants along the way. We find a lovely little cafe 'Brasserie de la Marie' where we enjoy a coffee before meeting Patrick our driver to continue our journey.

We drive past the very expensive holiday homes here overlooking the beach and are astounded that these houses are only occupied during the summer and occasional weekends by the owners who reside in Paris and closer to the city. These homes cost in the vicinity of over a million euros (just under 2,000,000 A$) so there is much money in this part of the world.

We drive through Vasouy and Rappel then arrive into the beautiful seaside village of Hornfleur. Our driver says he will pick us up in 2 1/2 hours which will give us time to explore and have (a small French lunch) as compared to the normal 4 hours for the French to have a 'long lunch'.

We spend about 40 minutes and walk around the cobble stoned narrow streets wandering in and out of the galleries and shops along the way.

We end up down in the bay where there are many many casual waterfront cafes and restaurants. We find one and the waitress shows us to a table. It takes some time to read the menu as it is all in French but we manage to choose. Jan and I have the tiny (compared to Australian) mussels in white wine, Nick has the tuna and Barrie has a crepe. We are offered the local brandy flavoured with apple - Calvados) quite potent for the middle of the day but delicious nevertheless. We say, 'what the heck none of us are driving'!!!! Thankgoodness as it is 4% alcohol. Jan's reaction was, It's lovely, burnt all the way down,! She decided to have a cappuccino chaser with the biggest dollop of cream on top that we had ever seen. She said this helped and eased the pain immensely!

After lunch we strolled back to where Patrick was meeting us (where has that 2 1/1 hours gone). Jan and I took many photos of the gorgeous historic buildings, gardens, alleyways and shopfronts. This is definitely a place you could come back to and rent an apartment for a week or two and have a wonderful time wandering the streets, alleyways and enjoying the food of these beautiful open air waterfront cafes. Just fantastic.

It took about 1/2 an hour to drive back to the ship to which I spent the rest of the day catching up on emails and Nick reading (sleeping) on our deck. We arrive into Southampton tomorrow and will stay on the ship for the next 12 days visiting cities in the British Isles.

World Tour Part V

Wednesday 28th May 2008 - Cannes/Nice/Monaco - Monte Carlo

Today was a day I was really looking forward to. The French Riviera! I'd seen many movies and travel documentaries with this area as the backdrop was keen to see it all first hand. I was not disappointed.

The Cannes Film Festival and Monaco Grand Prix had just been held so they were still 'cleaning up' after these two events. The Red Carpet was still in place and so were many of the stands from the formula 1 car race.

We boarded a small air conditioned coach and met our French tour guide - Gabriella. We drove along the beachfront of Cannes past the expensive apartments and cafes on the sidewalk. Next stop was Nice which is also a very beautiful place and the opulence is apparent in along the streets and buildings. Elton John and David Furnish's beautiful home was pointed out to us along the way. It overlooks the ocean and St Tropez - Co^te d' Azure he would have to be the best house in the best street! It is really the 'California of Europe' with many other stars residing in this area also.

Our first stop was at a Palace owned by the late artist Matisse. The grounds and architecture were beautiful and we spent the next hour and a half looking at his paintings and sculptures. I am not really a huge fan of his work but it was interesting to be in these surroundings nevertheless.

We drive the coast around a very winding roads and eventually come to Monaco and again the opulence and wealth here is so obvious with the beautiful shops, chic cafes and luxurious yachts.

We were told that Brad Pit's yacht is moored here somewhere, it is called "THE PITS"! Not sure if its true but we certainly got a laugh.

Lunch was at a beautiful French Restaurant at the Marina where we enjoyed some of the local food and wine before walking through town. We spend about 3 hours here before making our way back to the ship for our departure in the early evening. I could really see myself returning here one day!

Thursday 29th May 2008 - Barcelona

I had been to Barcelona about 35 years ago so was looking forward to seeing how much it had changed. We paid an enormous price for a very short bus ride into the centre of the city (so we thought) however after about a 5 minute ride we were dropped on the outskirst of the city. Our first disappointment here as everything is so expensive.

To make matters worse the locals seemed to be very arrogant. Nothing has changed in 35 years. I was keen to do an open topped 'hop on hop off' bus however Nick, Jan and Barrie were keen to go to the main square. Once there we watched a few street performers which were very entertaining. I waken by a group who were playing a game with boxes (similar to two up I guess) I was distracted by one of these low lifes and before I knew it 50 Euro had been taken from my wallet (the equivalent of about $75-00Aus). Once i noticed it and we were a fair way away I was so shattered and upset that I could let myself get into the situation of allowing these crooks to fool me into doing something which was out of my control (it all happened so quickly also)!

Anyway, me feeling sorry for myself and in tears, Nick talked me into doing the 'hop on hop off' bus' (which is what I wanted to do in the first place)!

We ended up back on the ship that evening after an enjoyable (second part) of the day to look forward to our next day which would be at sea!

Friday 30th May 2008 - At Sea

We enjoyed a lovely relaxing day at sea, calm water, fresh ocean breezes and a full day of relaxation. BLISS!!!

Saturday 31st May 2008 - Gibraltar

Nick and I decided we'd go out on our own today as Jan and Barrie wanted to spend the day on the ship. I find the days are so lovely and while we have the opportunity I like to go and explore these beautiful cities we are visiting.

After leaving the ship we walked for about 45 minutes to where the cable car takes you up to the Rock but once there the queue was so long (there were 2 cruise ships in the port that day). Once I saw how steep the cable car was I also lost my nerve so we then thought it best to get our own driver.

Not far back into the main square we came across a young fellow who said he had a 7 seater vehicle and would take us up to the top of the Rock and a few other places of interest. He would charge us 25 euro each but needed to find some other passengers. We were happy with this and before long an Italian family joined us.

Stephen our Spanish driver who spoke fluent English was a real character and our first stop was to visit the beautiful St Michael's Cave, the underground chamgers feature illuminated stalactites, an amphitheatre, and an eerie subteranean breeze. Steps lead from one cavern to another and beautiful classical music playing the whole time we were in there.

The Ape's Den is where there is a colony of tailless monkeys know as Barbary apes. They have inhabited the rock for centuries and are a fantastic site.

Then we walked 45 minutes to the 18 th Century Great Siege Tunnels carved by the British out of solid limestone.

After 2 hours we had seen most of the sights of Gibraltar and as we were hungry we found an English Pub who sold the tastiest fish and chips. We had had a fantastic day and one of the best on the whole trip.

Sunday 1st June 2008 - Casablanca

There was some confusion and misunderstanding in our plans for the day so Nick and I went our own way and caught a shuttle bus into Morocco. We walked through the markets in the square and brought a few small items then decided to find a cafe for a coffee.

This country is mainly Islamic so the huge number of men in the streets and cafes were very obvious. Not many women anywhere and it left me feeling quite uneasy.

We found a small cafe (where there were men and women eating and drinking) so we stopped by and had lunch (not really what I had imagined Moroccan food to be) - rather spicy meat yes, but limp yellow lettuce and soggy tomato and a little bit of tasteless yoghurt - we are so spoilt in Australia as I think we have some of the best food and produce in the whole of Europe.

Anyway, before long we had found a taxi driver who spoke mainly French (Nick was able to communicate in his limited French which made it quite comical at times) who took us to the Great Mosque, and few other places of interest but I was keen to get back to the ship - Casablanca is not my most favourite place to visit.

Monday 2nd June 2008 - Caciz, Spain (Seville)

We decided we wanted to go to Seville today. Mum and my sister Jan had been there together many years ago and I can always remember how much they loved it so I thought this was a good opportunity for us to do it, but, i was not sure how.

Somehow, once we left the ship Nick and I met up with a lovely couple from Turkey. Berry and Darra who are young fashion designers. Betty worked for Pierre Cardin for 5 years after which she found she was 'bored' so decided to go out on her own. She met Darra who was into the busines of textiles and joined together to run their own fashion label. They travel throughout the world for this and their very favourite place is Paris which they raved about so I am looking forward to going there in about 3 days time.

We found a Spanish driver (but that was ok as Betty could speak fluent English and was able to translate for us) who agreed to take us the 120kms to Seville.

We had a fantastic day. Visited many of the parks, monuments and sights and our driver left us in the Santa Cruz quarter where we enjoyed lunch of traditional Tapas.

After 2 hours of wandering the narrow cobbled stone streets we were then driven to a few more sites and the huge bull fighting ring. I was not keen to continue this despite no bull fights being performed however, we decided to give this a miss and drive back to Cadiz to at least see some of the local sights of this beautiful area.

We were back on board by 4:30pm and enjoyed the 'sail away' through the harbour by the marina out into the sea on our way to Portugal.

World Tour Part IV

Sunday 26th May 2008 - Rome to Mediterranean

After breakfast we meet our driver Christian who is to take us the 2 hour drive to Civitavecchia. I won't mention the drive there as it is like all our other drives we just look at the scenery and not what's in front of us!!!!

Our huge ship comes into sight - its mammoth! Her gross tonnage is 109000 and length is 951 feet. She carries 2600 passengers and 1150 crew. It is amazing.

There are 3 other cruise ships in the harbour one being the old QE2. She is on her last voyage before being sent to Dubai as a floating hotel. We actually saw her and its sister ship the Queen Victoria in Sydney just before we left. We had no idea that we would see QE2 again.

Before long we are shown to our Stateroom. It is lovely with plenty of room and a lovely balcony. I think now we are really on HOLIDAYS! Our 6:30pm departure goes without any hitches and before long we are enjoying our 'sail away cocktail' Mucho Mango (whatever that is) but it was certainly delicious and after the 2nd one I didn't care where we were sailing to. We arranged to meet Jan and Barrie at 8pm for dinner and true to form it didn't disappoint.

Monday 27th May 2008 - Livorno, Italy

Today Nick was keen to spend the day on the ship so I decided that i'd like to go to Florence. I left at around 10:00am and caught the shuttle bus to the centre of town. From there I was given directions to the train station so I caught a bus there. I found the train station and brought my ticket to Florence. The train was fantastic and comfortable and air conditioned. I enjoyed looking out the window at the lovely little villages, scenery and countryside as the train was wizzing by. After about 2 1/2 hours I arrived in Florence. A beautiful Italian city with many historic buildings.

I left the train and and walked to a nearby information centre and from here I walked for about 40 minutes passing little streets and many shops. It was delightful. I began to get a little concerned as I knew it would take 2 1/2 hours to get back to Livorno and to the ship which was leaving at 5:30pm so I walked back to the train station and luckily a train was leaving at 2:00pm so I caught that train and again, enjoyed the little Tuscan valleys and scenery and small villages along the way.

I was back on board in plenty of time before sailing and was keen to share my days adventure with Nick and the others at dinner that night.

World Tour Part III

Monday 19th May 2008 - Prague

Today is spent walking the beautiful city of Prague. We start at Wenceslas Square - the centre of the city and wander through the narrow cobbled stone streets. The weather is brisk, but not raining which it has been for the last few days we are told. Overcoats and scarves are a must here but despite this it is still very pleasant.

Again, this city, like so many of these old European cities has so much history and you realise how young our Australia is. Before we know it we are feeling hungry and fin a quaint little cafe where Nick enjoys his first 'spaghetti bolognese' in weeks washed down with a good Chekoslovakian local beer. He is in heaven!!!

Our afternoon is spent doing much the same and although Nick decides to leave me so that I can partake in a little European retail therapy - I will meet him back at the hotel later thisafternoon.

This evening we have booked a canal boat to take us along the river. We board the boat and our journey takes us under the Charles Bridge. This is the most famous bridge in Prague and has much history. During the evening we travel under 17 bridges adjoining this city. The temperature is rather cool so we do not spend very much time on deck however the view from below is just as pretty.

Tuesay 20th May 2008 - Prague to Cesky Krumlov

We awake today to rain and cold. We are travelling to a small medieval village - Cesky Krumlov - about 200kms out of Prague. Our lovely big coach picks us up and we meet our guide - he is fluent in 5 languages so this makes it very easy for all the nationalities of passengers on this tour.

The scenery on the way is so picturesque and before long we arive at the village. It is so quaint. Tiny, tiny streets, thousands of steps, millions of cobble stones. We venture up to the palace - it is stunning and the view from here is breathtaking!!

We enjoy a traditional Chekoslovakian lunch of soup, meat and potatoes all washed down with their good local beer - i'm getting used to this!!!

Our journey back to Prague is uneventful and again, the scenery along the way breathtaking.

After 10 hours we are exhausted and are keen to shower and head to bed tomorrow we head to Ljubljana in Slovenia.

Wednesday 21st May 2008 - Prague to Ljubljana

We say farewell to Prague as we make our way to the airport for our flight 1 hour Ljubljana. Everything runs smoothly until we land and make our way to the taxis to get to our hotel. There appears to be only tiny tiny cars and we need a larger car - 4 people and 8 pieces of luggage! It is comical watching the locals trying to squeeze our luggage into a car that would resemble a small vehicle in Australia. After about 10 minutes a very small slovenian woman (who speaks not a word of English) can see the problem. She says something to these men and within no time she has lugged all our luggage and the four of us into her vehicle with such determination we were all (including the other taxi drivers) left stunned!!!! I guess as the saying goes - if you want something done leave it to a woman!!!!

After checking into our hotel we we decided to do some adventuring on foot and found the Old Square very easily. The river, like many of these beautiful cities runs through the middle and and it is gorgeous to walk on either side checking out all the little outdoor cafes along the way.

We find one and enjoy lunch watching the locals and passing parade. This is a lovely little place and very very people friendly.

Nick and I walked for hours during the afternoon as it is probably the best way to find your way around. We found a lovely little book shop with a young girl who was studying at the local university - she was a most interesting young lady and with her helpful, friendly nature we are sure she will do well in her chosen career.

We met Jan and Barrie for dinner at a lovely little restaurant we found on our travels right by the river. It was nice to taste some good western food again and this restaurant was a real winner.

It was lovely to walk back to our hotel and as it was around 10pm and still daylight with many people do the same it was a lovely atmosphere.

Thursday 22nd May 2008 - Ljubljana to Lake Bled

After another comfortable night we rise and get ready for our tour to Lake Bled. We are met by a delightful young Slovenian lady - Meka whose English was very good. There were another couple of ladies with us but they could only speak French so it made it interesting. Thankfully, English was the first language she spoke.

Lake Bled is about 80kms from Ljubljana so again, it was a lovely picturesque drive up to the foot of the Julian Alps which border Slovenia and Austria.

One we arrived it was just like out of a fairytale book - a scene I will never forget.

Our first stop is to the castle on a sheer cliff face overlooking the lake. Again, after thousands and thousands of steps, we take many photos and before long we find that much needed 'coffee shop'. We spend about an hour here before going down to the lake.

The township of Bled is very pretty and quite a holiday venue (a little bit like a village in our Blue Mountains but a lot more European). I could quite easy come back here and stay for a week.

Down at the lake we board a canopied 'rowing' boat yes a bit like a gondola with one oarsman who takes us the short distance (10 minutes) out to the fortress in the middle of the lake.

Before long we are climbing the 99 (yes exactly 99) steps to get to the church in the middle of the tiny island. Again, we take lots of photos and have a lovely walk around. In no time we are back on the little canopied boat heading back to shore (the grounds of Villa Bled Hotel) the most expensive hotel in the area. It used to be a palace which they have now converted into this stunning old hotel.

I think now Lljubljana and Bled is my pick of places we have seen so far (but I keep saying that with every new place we see)!!!

We return to our hotel mid afternoon which gives us some time to relax and write some postcards before dinner.

Tonight Nick and I decided to have a night on our own and walk down to the river for a very light meal - a Panini and local beer while again, watching the passing parade.

Friday 23rd May 2008 - Ljubljana

I have woken thismorning feeling heavy with a cold. I have not been able to shake this for the past few weeks, since Mongolia and it is really beginning to take its tol. I decide to stay in bed for the morning so I dose myself up with cold and flu tablets, good old Vicks vapour rub and a view out the window to the castle and the alps. I could think of worse places to be feeling unwell!!! The temperature outside is 15 degrees so I am happy where I am.

Nick has breakfast on his own then decides to do some adventuring on his own on foot. He walks to the Tivoli Gardens then across the triple bridge and up to the castle. The view he said was spectacular and after 4 hours he returned full of local knowledge of this very beautiful area. At about 7:30pm (I was feeling much better) so we walked to a local Italian Restaurant. Nick had his favourite Spaghetti Bolognese and I had the best Gnocci I had ever tasted again washed down with the local beer. Wine is so expensive here in Europe and it not as good as we get in Australia so the cheapest option is beer.

On our return back to our Hotel we meet Jan and Barrie who are at the computer. They are having major trouble accessing money after their unfortunate incident in St. Petersburg. We have offered to help them but understandably, they need to sort out the problem. Time differences and language barriers can be a real challenge in another country when problems arise. Hopefully they can get it all sorted out before too long!!!

Saturday 24th May 2008 - Ljubljana to Rome

We wake to a foggy morning and the castle and alps are not visible.

After breakfast we are met by Andre our driver who will take us to Trieste in Italy - about 150kms away in time to catch our flight to Rome. The journey takes about an hour and a half - these people only know two speeds when driving - FAST & FASTER - they are, as I have said before MAD!!!

At least the countryside along the way is beautiful, green and lush and is dotted with tiny villages, churches and farmhouses with red rooves. Despite his driving, we are glad we hired Andre' as we never would have found our way. Every turn he took seemed to be heading in the wrong direction but at least we got there in the end. We paid him and made our way to our flight.

After check-in we boarded ourplane which resembled Greg Norman's Lear Jet. It was very comfortable, modern and new with each of the flight attendants resembling Jennifer Hawkins!!!

Before long we are soaring into the air and our 55 minute flight is the most comfortable I have every been on.

Our arrival into Rome is hassle free and we are met by a gorgeous tall Italian man by the name of Christian. He is our driver to get us to our hotel - Hotel Romanico Palace which overlooks the city. Again, Christian is a nice man but a MAD driver as well. The rule here is first in first serve and horns blast continually!!

Hotel Romanico Palace is reminiscent of an ancient Roman Palace and the rooms are tiny but gorgeous.

We decide to have an early dinner and walk a couple of hundred metres down the road where we find a fabulous little Italian Restaurant. We are greeted by Dominique - a lovely Italian Man with a smile to match. He recommends a selection of Italian specialties and good wine to match. We decide the only thing missing is good Italian music so Barrie sprints back to our hotel (10 minutes away) to find my ipod which Chelsea's boyfriend Pete downloaded Italian music on before we came away! Before long he was back and not only us, the staff and the rest of the patrons were enjoying this immensely. It really resembled the little Italian village, lots of good food and wine, music, laughter and fun. If this is Italy I love it!!!

Sunday 25th May 2008 - Rome

25 degrees and sunny and warm is the weather forecast. I have been able to shake my cold and it is lovely to be in summer clothes.

After breakfast Nick and I decide we'd do some sightseeing on foot so we leave the hotel and walk down th Piazza Madonna di Loreto about 20 minutes walk away from our hotel. From there we thought it easier to jump onto a 'hop on hop off' sightseeing city tour bus. These are everywhere and a great way to see the local sights with English commentary.

Rome is stunning with the Ancient ruins and historic buildings everywhere. First stop is the Vatican and St. Peters Basilica. There were so many people here we opted to stay on the bus but it was still interesting to see this building nevertheless. From here we went to Piazza del Popola, Via del Corso and to the Trevi Fountain. Via Vieneta and the onto the colosseum. Here we got off the bus and decided to do the rest on foot. Approximately 5 hours since leaving the hotel we decided to catch a cab back to the hotel. Rome is the most amazing city and it is obvious the Italian influence has had an effect on Austalia as our outdoor cafe's and casual lifestyle is reminiscent of here. A lovely and very easy city with friendly helpful people to match. We spend the afternoon with our feet up - reading, relaxing before meeting Jan and Barrie for dinner at another recommended local restaurant.