The end of our cruise in Venice.

Saturday 28 May.

 

When we woke at 6:30 am our final bill had been pushed under the door during the night. It only showed what we had spent on the internet connection and the few beers I had purchased. There was no indication of the gratuity charges. Moira had left a deposit on our account of $300 at the start of the cruise now the bill said that we were in credit to the amount of $240. Moira had her shower and went up to settle the bill while I washed. She was soon back, the queue was too long so she decided to try again later.

 

We had to be out of the cabin by 7:30 am. The crew needed to get it cleaned out and everything ship shape for the next set of passengers boarding about mid-day. They don't mess about, 'time is money', so there is a quick turn-around. It was closer to 7:00 am when we finished the final packing of our rucksacks and headed up for breakfast. Land was in sight and the ship was turning into the channel leading to Venice as we strolled across the deck to the buffet. We had a seat by the window to watch the approaches where we had our cereal and toast.

 

4 views sailing into Venice.

 

 

When we finished we went out on the stern and watched as the ship made its way to the docks passing the entrance to the Grand Canal. There was a tug with a rope attached to the ship at the stern holding her in position going up the narrow channel. On our last cruise when we left Venice going south it was at night and dark so we could make out the various attractions only by the lights, now it was early morning with the sun not long up and everything was crystal clear. It was just a series of steeples and domes on the skyline and every now and again we would pass little canals heading off from the main channel with a delightful little bridge crossing for pedestrians. The ship passed close to St Mark's Square with the tall rectangular tower at one side and the domes of St Mark's Basilica in the corner. It was a lovely trip to the docks and even better than going on the canal buses, with the ship we had the benefit of the height.

Panorama from Venice docks

 

After we were tied up it was another 90 minutes before we were due to get off, we were one of the first as, according to Moira, we held EU passports and we wouldn't cause a delay with form filling and Visas. I got a seat at the poolside and worked on the 'Telegraph' crossword, I had time left on my WiFi and used it up downloading the paper. While I sat there Moira returned to the reception to settle our bill. She came back very happy, they refunded the $240 credit we had and no mention of the gratuity charge. Moira thought that as we had a late booking everything had been included in what we paid upfront. This was good news and made the cruise even cheaper, about £750 each, not bad for 22 days 'full board' and travel.

 

We went to the Manhattan Bar where the group we were with to disembark was to meet . There was still a bit of a delay but soon we got moving. They checked us off by our MSC ID card, no doubt to make sure every one leaves and they don't have stowaways staying for the next cruise. When we got ashore there was a perfunctory passport check by a disinterested Italian immigration officer then we had to find our case. All the luggage taken ashore was in lines and it looked like it was going to be a mission to find ours but Moira spotted it quite quickly, now we were clear and on our way into Venice.

 

It was quite a walk to get out of the dock area and we passed lots of other cruise ships in the different berths. The cruising season seems to be starting now in the northern hemisphere. When we got out of the gates there was a kiosk selling ticket for the river buses into the centre of Venice. We were going to take one but the price was about €10 each and we only wanted into the bus station not a sightseeing trip. Instead we went to the monorail 'People Mover' that did the 2 minute ride for €1:50 each. The terminus was at the bus station and we wanted to find the airport bus, the hotel Moira had booked was close to the Marco Polo airport. At the ticket kiosk the woman thought Moira wanted the direct bus to the airport costing €8 each but when she explain it was to the hotel about 1km before it she sold us tickets for the slow local bus, just €1:50 each.

 

There was a bus ready to leave when we reached the stop, we quickly got on. Moira asked the driver to put us off at the Gronda Lagunare Hotel but he gave her the Continental shrug of the shoulders indicating he had never heard of it. The bus was packed full and we stood the whole way jammed together with our case and rucksacks blocking the passageway. They don't seem to bother about how many they cram onto the buses here. Moira had the address of the hotel, 256 Orlanda Rd, Tessera. It was a long way but I spotted the town sign as we entered Tessera then it was a matter of checking the house numbers. When we came to about 240 we got off the next time the bus stopped, it was a surprise when we checked the first house number it was 150 then a little further 160. We kept going in that direction but soon we were out of the little town and reached a large roundabout where the turning for the airport was. Somehow we had gone to far and probably the wrong direction. There was a couple also going along the road wheeling their cases. They were English and I asked them if they were also looking for a hotel. The woman wasn't very happy and said they were making for the airport and had been told the quickest way was to walk. The guy asked Moira for the name and address of the hotel we were looking for and put it into a GPS app on his phone. He found it was back the way we had come and just before the Best Western hotel that I remembered passing in the bus just before we got off. It was all the way back again and soon we found the right number shops and houses but couldn't see any hotel. Moira said that the instructions said it was off the main road so we tried the street behind. Still no luck; Moira went into a little supermarket to enquire. Soon she waved to me and we were guided through the supermarket aisles to the front door, the hotel was next to it. It wasn't surprising that we missed it, it was must a doorway with the hotel name on the glass panel above. Behind the door was a steep flight of stairs up to the reception.

 

We were there at last but our room was in the process of being cleaned and made ready. That was all right as we were able to dump our bags there after booking in and head back into the city for some sightseeing. The registration was fairly easy, he had all our details but we were still required to hand over our passports for checking and photocopying. Those people wanting Britain to leave the EU complain about open borders and no checking don't seem to realise that you are checked and passport details recorded whenever you stop at any accommodation; hotel, B&B or campsite. I think there is more control of people movement on the continent that in the UK.

 

I emptied out my daypack into the wardrobe and put our lunch, that Moira had made before leaving the ship, in it along with the iPads. At the little supermarket next to the hotel Moira bought a couple of cans of lager to go with our picnic. The guy at the hotel told us to buy bus tickets at the tobacconist's next to the bus stop. We got return tickets there that cost a total of €6. We didn't have long to wait for the bus, they run every 15 minutes and we managed to get seats on this one and had a comfortable ride back into Venice.

 

Near the bus terminus in the city there was a copse of trees beside one of the canals and people were seated on the grass for a break but couldn't find any seats or benches. There were rocks under a tree with some flat surfaces and that was where we settled for lunch. We didn't rush and had a leisurely picnic before deciding to just spend the afternoon strolling about admiring this wonderful city. We followed the signs pointing the way to the Rialto Bridge and St Mark's. It was very busy and a lot more tourists about than the last time we were here, but that was a November. The route we took was along narrow alleyways over beautiful little bridges crossing small canals into wide piazzas with many tables and chairs full of people dining al fresco. The slightly broader streets were limed with shops selling everything from souvenirs to expensive handbags, paintings and glasswork to iced cream and pizza cafes. We bought an iced cream cone each and admired the many outstanding buildings and churches that were in abundance.

4 views on Venice meander.

 

When we reached the Rialto Bridge it was thronged with people, stopping to take in the view and record it on their cameras. We crossed over to the other side of the canal and headed up the banks, still following the signs to St Mark's. After a while the streets and small canals you cross begin to look the same and everything tends to become enclosed, so St Mark's Square came on us suddenly as the full expanse of the massive piazza opened out in front of is at the end of a narrow lane. The piazza was another mass of people, with tour groups obediently tagging along behind their leader who carried a large sunflower follow. There were lots of these groups distinguished by the different coloured flower the leader carried. The entire square was magnificent with the large tower we had seen from the ship and the domes of the Basilica but especially the cloisters with their lines of marble columns. We found a seat in one of these cloisters where it was cool and shaded, There we took in the glorious scenery snd architecture while also watching the 'world go by'. We had been inside St Mark's Basilica before and didn't fancy waiting in the long queue again so after our rest we began to make our way back towards the bus station.

The sights in St Mark's square.

 

I thought we could walk along the canal in front of the square and this would take us back to near the bus and railway stations but a short distance along the bank there was a little canal but no bridge across and the path didn't continue on the other side anyway. I wasn't too concerned and turned up the side of the little canal to follow the way the crowds were heading. On the way to the Rialto and St Mark's there had been signs pointing in the other direction to the Ferrovia, the railway station, I hoped we would soon pick up one of these. In the end we got hopelessly lost, didn't find any waymarks and came to many dead ends having to retrace our steps. In end I asked shop keepers for the 'Ferrovia' and they were all helpful and pointed the way. Unfortunately we kept coming to junctions and bridges where we had a choice of where to go and I had to ask again. Eventually we picked up direction arrows on the wall and at last got to the bus station. It had been quite an experience wandering around getting lost and we must have seen more of Venice than we had anticipated having also popped into a few lovely churches on the way for a cool spot to relax for 5 minutes.

Final views of Venice.

 

It was about 5 minutes to wait for a bus and we had seats again for the ride back to the hotel. The route took us past the docks and we had a look for the Sinfonia but couldn't see her, probably off on her next cruise already. We managed to get off the bus at the stop close to our hotel without any problem. We wanted to get some beer and wine at the little supermarket but it for closed, fortunately the Italians like the Spanish were also having a siesta and and it was open again shortly. We relaxed in the room, stretched out the bed and Moira went for beer and wine when the shop opened. Later she went and bought a pizza for our dinner that we ate in the room with the red wine.

 

I read the paper for an hour and Moira had a book on her Kindle. We were very tired after all the walking we had done today and got off to sleep early. Moira set the alarm for 5:45 am in the morning to give us plenty of time to walk the kilometre to the airport. Our flight to Bordeaux was at 9:00 am.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Italy and Ancona.

Friday 27 May.

 

Originally it was in the afternoon when we were supposed to be arriving in Ancona but we must have made up time somehow as it was now docking for 10:00 am. So there was still no rush and we had a leisurely breakfast in the buffet. After that Moira did some of the packing, we have to leave our case out tonight for us arriving in Venice tomorrow. At about 9:30 am we went to the stern and watched as we arrived and tied up in Ancona. It wasn't a very big place and had lots of domes and steeples dotted about its skyline. Up on Guasco hill perched the Cathedral of San Ciriaco and from there dominated the town. In the harbour there were lots of large vessels that we thought were other cruise ships at first but they turned out to be car ferries. They seemed to connect with the other countries on the other side of the Adriatic. There were a lot of motorhomes queued up ready to board one of them.

Cathedral of San Ciriaco on Guasco hill

 

A nice welcome to Ancona.

Once ashore we made our way up the hill to the Cathedral. There were a number of walking routes around the town and all signposted, this one to Cathedral was No1. It wasn't much of a climb but it was a hot day again so we took it easy. On the way up we passed the 15th century Church of San Francesco and had a look inside. It wasn't particularly striking and neither was the Cathedral. They were both plain and austere, no nice stained glass windows that we like. There was a good view from the top of the hill over town and the harbour and out to sea.

Church of San Francesco.

 

After a 5 minute break in the cool interior of the church where we sat, we followed another signposted route, to the Roman Amphitheatre. This was a disappointment, it was fenced off and all we could see were some ruins that had been partially excavated but were now overgrown with grass and weeds. It appeared that this and a lot of the other archeological projects had run out of money and had been temporarily (hopefully) postponed. We did find a path on the next marked route, to the Faro (lighthouse), that ran above the amphitheatre and we got a good overhead view, though it was difficult to make out any of the detail.

Cathedral of San Ciriaco.

 

The Faro walk was very good and it climbed out to the point high above a rocky head projecting from Ancona. This gave us a view of the sea on the other side of point and as we looked a series of boats made their way along the shore heading round to the harbour. They were a peculiar shape at the bow and we thought they were some sort of fishing vessel. After reaching a water tower and the lighthouse it was downhill on a nice paved path back to the town.

Water tower near Faro.

 

When we reached the main street a handy little supermarket appeared where we bought a couple of beers to go with our lunch. The next thing was to find a place to sit and eat it. There was a tree line square, Stamira Piazza, but no seats but luckily there was a wall where we perched comfortably. We were in the shade of a tree and had the sandwiches and fruit that Moira had packed at the buffet while we had breakfast.

 

Piazza Roma

After our picnic lunch the next priority was to find toilets. The map we had picked up from the local info office at the harbour had all the loos marked and we made for the ones at Piazza Roma. When we got there we discovered that there was also local WiFi and it was free for 10 minutes. After publishing my blog and downloading the 'Telegraph' I FaceTimed Suzy. We managed a few minutes with Hollie and Abigail before the free time ran out.

 

From the Piazza Roma we picked up another of the walking routes. This was just a short one round a small area with a lot of places of note. There was Roman paving that we didn't notice any different from the normal type, a couple of fountains without any water, St Thomas Becket's hospital, a 16th century Palace, a 13th century gateway and the Church of San Domenico. It was now beginning to get tiring with the heat and not really a great deal of very interesting places. We were probably suffering from 'too much of a good thing' after Malta and Dubrovnik and this was a bit disappointing. We decided the last thing to see was the Pia Gate, a large archway spanning the road running adjacent to the docks. We walked along passed the ferries still loading with cars and lots of motorhomes; Moira is going to Google later to find out the distinctions of the ferries from here. The large gate, no doubt one of the fortified entrances to the town in days gone by, was quite impressive and another photo stop.

Church of San Domenico

 

We were going to head back to the ship but decided that we were as well sitting at a bar here with a cool beer than on the ship. So we found a restaurant that was happy to just sell us only a drink and sat there watching the world go by. Unfortunately they also knew how to charge here as well, a glass of beer cost €5.

 

When we finished our drinks we headed back on board the ship. We were early it didn't depart from Ancona for another 90 minutes. After leaving the daypack in the cabin I got us coffee and we sat in the shade beside the pool. I worked on the crossword and got it finished just as the ship cast off. This time we got seats on the deck above, beside the running track, where we sat to watch us leaving Ancona. Once clear of the harbour and running down the coast that was quite mountainous we retired to the buffet for dinner. We managed to get seats at the window and could watch our progress along the coast from there.

 

Pia Gate

After dinner there was her another 'final performance' in the theatre. It was the dancers, acrobats and contortionist putting on the best of all their shows. I don't know how they picked the best it all looked the same to us. Although we didn't think much of it, most of the audience gave them a standing ovation at the end.

 

We decided after the show we had had enough of everything and went back to our cabin. Moira finished the packing and left the case outside the door for collection. I worked on my photographs and transferred them from the camera to my iPad. After all that it was nearly 10:00 pm so we got to sleep. This was our last day of the cruise, tomorrow we arrive in Venice.

 

 

Leaving Ancona.

 

 

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The walled city of Dubrovnik.

Thursday 26 May.

 

It was an early arrival in Dubrovnik this morning and going ashore started from 8:00 am. We weren't docking there but anchoring just off the town and being ferried in by tenders. They were issuing numbered tickets for the tenders from 7:00 am at reception and Moira went to collect ours while I showered. She was near the head of the queue but got tickets for No 4, it looked like those going on tours got preference and were first off.

 

As we went for breakfast the old town could be seen just a short distance from where the ship was now anchored. The hill, Srdj Mountain, behind the town had a cable car running to the top but it didn't look too high and steep so we now made the decision to walk to the top instead of spending money on the cable car. After breakfast we got our lunch packed into the daypack and headed down for the tender. We thought it would be quite quick but it was long wait until our number was called and it was 9:00 am when we eventually reached dry land.

 

The trip over in the tender was good fun with it tossing about a bit and there were wonderful views of the old town with its walled fortifications, with the large round turrets, towers and domes of the churches inside. When we reached the quay it was then a walk through an archway in the walls to long narrow rising streets until we found our way out to the cable car station. From there we headed uphill as 'up' was the direction we wanted to go and asked some people of we could get to the top the way we were going. Nobody seemed to know but they told us to take some stairs instead of the zig zag road, but as far as they knew it came to a dead end. They were wrong the stairs came to a path then more stairs that crossed the main road to a wall that we had seen clearly from the ship. From there it was more stairs and a path winding upwards to reach a narrow road along the ridge along the top. We had outstanding views all the way up, the walled town was nestled in the rocky coast while on the other side of a cove was a large castle, in the other direction the Sinfonia lay anchored beside a large island. Further up the coast were more small islands and another town.

 

The road at the top ran along the ridge all the way to the cable car station at the high point. Inland from the ridge higher mountains ran in a range as far as we could see in both directions. The road was narrow but it busy with taxis taking tourists to the summit, there were lots of bottlenecks as there wasn't room for traffic in both directions and there was lots of reversing and diversions on to the fields. There was a notice telling us about the damage to the area in the wars of the 90's, there was a lot of ruins about but they look more ancient. It was a steady climb up the road to the top and the weather was now getting hot but our main concern was avoiding the traffic, the drivers seemed to think they were on a motorway. The taxis stopped at a few spots to let their passengers out for the view. At least with walking up we got varying vistas from all angles. At the top there was a restaurant/bar and we stopped for a much appreciated beer, we were hot and sweaty. We sat at a seat near the edge and it gave us a wonderful view with a lovely cold beer even though it cost 'an arm and a leg', €7 each. We chatted to a German couple who had come up by the cable car, they didn't like the prices either.

 

After we were refreshed and rested we started back on the way down. It took us 75 minutes to come up but now being downhill we were back at the old town walls in 45 minutes. It was now lunchtime but there wasn't any supermarkets available to get a beer to go with our sandwiches. We sat on a wall and made do with water to wash them down. The next attraction was the walk round the city's old walls. We had difficulty finding where to get up to start, there didn't seem to be any signposts showing the way and the map we had didn't help. We walked along the bottom of the walls on the inside until we reached an access point to the top. Then we got the next shock, the price, €16 each. We just had to accept that this was a tourist trap and everything would be very expensive.

 

Even at the price the walk along the walls was worth it. It wasn't flat, the walls undulated in conjunction with the underlying land. All the way the view into the town was over the red tiled roofs of the houses with the towers, spires and domes of the various churches poking up above. On the outside the scene change from the mountain ridge where we had just been to the rocky cove with the castle on the promontory at the other side, then next out to sea where people were canoeing and others jumping from the rocks below into the cool water for a swim and finally the harbour and in the distance the Sinfonia beside the green wooded island. It was a very enjoyable walk and the walls themselves were series of fortresses, towers and bastions that encircled the city preventing attacks by enemies in ancient times. At a few points on the walls there were souvenir shops, cafes and bars. We stopped at a bar and had another beer, this wasn't to bad, only €5 each and they had free WiFi we could use. I downloaded the newspaper, published my blog, and posted something on FaceBook.

 

It had been about a 2 km circuit on the walls and with our stops for refreshments and photographs it took nearly 2 hours. So when we came down into the town centre again it was nearly time to make it back to the ship. We strolled through the streets that were now very busy with tourists in the shopping area. We did stop for an iced cream cone that was surprisingly reasonably priced, only €1:50 and it was nice and cooling. Soon we were at the quay and on to a waiting tender. When it was full we were on our way but when we arrived at the ship there was a delay for some reason in getting off, people began standing and queuing but we sat patiently and waited until the line started to move. On the way up the gangway Moira managed to drop my ID card for the cruise into the water. Fortunately there was no problem and they let me aboard all right and it only took a couple of minutes to get a new one from reception.

 

After dumping our gear in the cabin we headed for the stern of the ship as usual to watch us sailing off. We went via the tea/coffee machines and got a drink to take with us. The last tender was at 4:00 pm so it wasn't long after it had discharged its passengers than we were on our way. It was probably faster as there weren't any ropes to untie and a dock to manoeuvre out off, just the anchor to raise and away, though it still required the pilot to take is out to deeper water. I began to take photographs as we departed but the battery on my camera was dead due to the number of photographs I had taken today. I had to use the camera on my iPad instead.

 

Once we we out to sea we went to the buffet for dinner. As we sat eating we could see the Croatian coast in sight as the ship steamed along it. There was a long range of quite attractive high mountains for some distance. This place is another that is well worth coming to again for a longer visit. There was a show on in the theatre after dinner, I don't understand why they said last night's performance was the last. Tonight was the classical music group and they basically did a repeat of some of the songs from their previous performances. It was good, much better than what we endured yesterday.

 

It was another early night again once the show finished. In bed I read the paper and attempted the crossword for an hour before getting to sleep. I gargled with salt and water before going to sleep and dosed up with more pills.

 

 

 

 

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Italy in sight!

Wednesday 25 May.

 

I felt terrible this morning, my throat was so painful I could hardly talk. But somehow I had managed to sleep well, I was still sound asleep at 7:30 am when Moira woke me with a lovely cup of hot coffee. She dosed me up with pills then went to the buffet and came back with little packets of salt. She made me a gargle of salt and water which helped, as did a shower.

 

It was a day at sea again, we were heading for Dubrovnik in Croatia. That was in the Adriatic and we were in sight of land most of the day as we rounded The foot of Italy. Moira again pinpointed our position on her iPhone with the GPS app. First of all the shore line of the toe of Italy was seen then a gap (the instep) before the coast again appeared as we turned the heel. We saw all this from the stern where we spent the day stretched out on loungers. There had been a cool breeze blowing on top as we went for breakfast in the buffet but we were shelter at the back of the ship.

 

I finished the second 'Shetland' series book by Anne Cleeves I was reading, I then concentrated on the crossword in the 'Telegraph'. My throat was a bit better but I must have been coughing a lot as a woman who was sunbathing nearby came over and gave my a few Hall's menthol eucalyptus sweets for it. They did help to ease the irritation.

 

We left something lying on our loungers when we went for lunch, this apparently reserves them. When we returned the sun had moved and was now shining on where were sitting. I took off my top and did a bit of sunbathing for an hour. The Mediterranean is certainly a busy sea route and there were always a number of ships visible, also a few other large cruise ships passed close by.

 

At 5:00 pm we went to our cabin and had a glass of wine before making our way to the theatre for the early show. This was the last one and it was also a Gala night in the dining rooms - they all dressed up in their finery. There were three performances 'due to overwhelming demand' and we went to the first one at 6:00 pm. It was just the 'music hall' type of acts, the dancers, a couple of poor singers, acrobats and the contortionist. We were more amused at the wonder and enthusiastic clapping by some of the audience for the stunts of the acrobats. I remember someone saying that when jugglers, magicians and acrobats came on the likes of 'Sunday Night at the Palladium' that was time to go and make a cup of tea. The best part was at the end when the entertainment director, Stephen Cloete ( the good talker) came on with the Captain and crew, he sang and was much better than the others we had just heard.

 

It was time for dinner when the show ended and there wasn't a queue at the buffet now. I ordered another 'bucket' of Castle but the glasses you get are made of plastic and the beer doesn't taste the same out of them! After dinner I wasn't feeling too good again and we headed off to bed. I read for about an hour then it was off to sleep for an early night. My throat was again sore but I still managed to sleep. Tomorrow is a long day in Dubrovnik.

 

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The island of Malta.

Tuesday 24 May.

 

The time for getting ashore this morning in Valetta, Malta was 8:00 am so there wasn't time for an early morning cup of tea in bed. I wakened about 6:15 am and had a shower straight away then Moira got up and had hers. After dressing we headed up top to the buffet for breakfast. As we crossed the deck by the pool we could see the town, the old city walls were visible on the other side of the dock and we were already coming in to tie up. The sky line was a series of steeple, towers and domes.

 

We had breakfast then had a look out at the view from the stern. The ship was thoroughly secured to the bollards and people were beginning to disembark. We hurried down to the cabin, packed the lunch that Moira had prepared in the buffet and quickly got down to the gangway. It was straight off this time, no queue to hold us up. As we got to the dockside we could see the road we wanted to take to the town centre on the other side of the fence but we had a long detour to the exit gate and then back again to the road. There was another MSC cruise liner tied up further along the dock and the passengers were coming off it for the day as well. Later we found that this was a 7 day cruise around Italy.

 

 

Along the roadside were buggies pulled by horses for the tourists and the open topped hop-on, hop-off buses waiting to tempt the passengers but we headed up the hill to the bus station to do our own thing, as usual. We remembered the route from last time and at the top of the hill we cut through the lovely gardens edged with bright red geraniums to the bus station. Our destination was Rabat and its old section Mdina, this was one of the places that the ship's tours were heading for. Moira enquired at the kiosk about tickets and she bought a 12 journey ticket that we could both use for €15. We could travel anywhere we wanted on the island, each single bus ride rated as one journey.

 

It was about 30 minutes on the bus to Rabat. It went through Valetta passing some lovely old buildings and churches. When clear of the houses the countryside looked quite desolate, almost semi-desert, it doesn't look like they get much rain here. We got off in Rabat with a lot of other people but we there weren't any from the cruise. As we started to look around there was a MSC tour bus discharging its passengers and they set off behind their guide who had a holding a pole with their tour number attached so they wouldn't get lost. We tagged on behind but they were from the other cruise ship and the guide's commentary was all in Italian. We soon overtook them and made our way through the narrow streets to St Paul's Cathedral. There was a plaque outside telling us that it had been visited by Pope Benedict in 2010. Inside there was a magnificent domed ceiling wiith crystal chandeliers hanging down. They had one of the chandeliers lowered to the ground for cleaning. While we were there the group we had seen earlier arrived and the church got quite full with everyone busy taking photographs.

 

When we left the cathedral we followed the group to see where they went next. They were stopped just around the corner and we thought it was at some attraction but it was the public toilets and we took advantage as well. After the break they seemed to be returning to the bus but we continued to explore the town. We came to St Paul and St Agatha's crypts and the catacombs but it cost money to go in, we satisfied ourselves by looking through the fence at the graveyard. We walked around the old town and admired the beautiful looking buildings and decorative lampposts. Soon we were back at the main road and the more modern section of the town. We decided to move on to the next place that was on the MSC tour's itinerary , Mosta. The problem was that we couldn't work out which bus to take, which direction to go in or basically how to get there. We met a couple at the bus stop who were Maltese but now lived in Canada, they were back for a holiday; they kept us right. They informed us that there was no direct bus service to Mosta, we could head back towards Valetta and halfway transfer to another bus or catch the express bus to Bugibba on the coast where we could get a connection back to Mosta. We waited to see what bus came first it was the X3 express to Bugibba, we jumped on it.

 

The express bus passed near to Mosta, the town was about 4-5 km off the main road that the X3 kept to. We could see in the distance the large round shape of the Rotunda, the main attraction of Mosta. The bus was busy and we had to stand the whole way as the route took us through more scrub land before the sea came into view as we entered the busy streets of Bugibba. This was the coastal resort we had visited the last time we were here and it was just as beautiful and delightful as we remembered. When the bus stopped at the sea front we got off and began to stroll along the prom. We stopped to watch what I thought was people playing boules, the French version of bowls but this was different. They first of all threw small balls up the court then each side tossed solid wooden cylinders. These either rolled if they landed on their sides but went in all direction if they hit the ground end on. I continued watching while Moira went to a nearby supermarket to buy some beers for lunch. The objective and scoring I just couldn't figure out but it seemed quite popular by the number of spectators who applauded when a good shot was played.*

 

Once Moira returned with the beer we continued along the front and lots of the views and scenes became familiar to us. It is a lovely resort and last time it made us want to come back for a longer stay which we didn't do. We resolved that we would do it soon. There were plenty of people offering sea trips from the island and one of them told us that a ferry operates between Sicily and Malta. The plan we have now worked out for a future adventure is to visit Italy, Florence and Pisa, travel down to Sicily and after a few weeks there cross over to Malta by the ferry for maybe a month. Hopefully we will do it soon.

 

The sea trips looked quite attractive, visiting the blue lagoon and caves along the coast but we had enough on cruising and the sea after two weeks and satisfied ourselves with the scenery while on foot. It was now a very warm day and a breeze coming off the sea helped keep us cool, there were lots of people on the beach sunbathing but nobody seemed daring enough to go in swimming. There were strange square shaped pools cut into the rock and a plaque told us these had been covered in sand before being excavated. It was thought that these pools were for safely bathing in the sea water and dated back to Roman times. We turned back when we reached a square fortification tower, we saw more of these along the coast later in the day, they were probably used as lookout posts and an early warning of invasion by sea.

 

Halfway back we found some benches in a pleasant square just off the front. There we had our picnic lunch with the beers Moira had bought, they were still cold and went down a treat. When we continued after our break we were looking for a MacDonald's, that was here last time, to make use of their WiFi but found out it had closed down. Instead we found the bus station and soon we were on the way to Mosta. The route was the same as we came along into Bugibba earlier but this time the bus cut off the main road into the town. We got off at the Rotunda.

 

The Rotunda, also the Church of the Assumption of Our Lady, was consecrated in 1871 and claims one of the World's largest unsupported domes. We walked round the outside of the circular structure then came to the front that was a series of large columns with statues of all the important saints. It was a magnificent building but it turned out that it was all that Mosta had to offer, or all that we could find. We walked about the nearby streets but there wasn't anything else of interest that we could see. It was then decision time about where to go next. The buses either went to Valetta or Bugibba, in the end we settled on returning to Bugibba and taking a bus from there along the coast to Valetta. Fortunately the buses run very frequently and we were soon heading back to the coast. The buses are very popular and even though they are plentiful they are busy and we had to stand again.

 

We asked a local lady on the bus about how to get to Valetta by the coastal route. There wasn't a direst bus to the capital but she recommended one to Silema where we could get a connecting bus or take a ferry across the stretch of water to Valetta centre, just a 5 minute trip. There was a bus just leaving and we jumped on but it was standing room only again. The route more or less followed the coast line and there were lovely views of the different resorts, like Bahar and Pembroke, built around inlets and all having marinas with lots of yachts and motor cruisers. Moira managed to get a seat and woman,not much younger than me, offered me her seat. I felt a bit insulted, I know I was 75 yesterday but I didn't think I look as if I couldn't stand. Moira was busy chatting to the woman she was seated beside and she told her that it was better to get off at St George's Bay rather than going to the end of the line and taking the ferry. We could walk into Valetta from there and if we got tired there were plenty of buses going into Valetta.

 

Moira signalled me and we got off where instructed. As we left the bus I noticed a MacDonald's on the other side of the road. We went in and had an iced cream. I downloaded the newspaper and uploaded photographs to my blog. Moira downloaded some more maps to her GPS app, one for France to use when we pick up the motorhome. We left to walk to Valetta at 3:30 pm and the woman said to just keep beside the water all the way. There were lots of buses running along the route and they were seemed to be following the shore line as well. It was a lovely walk and with the sun shining it was very warm. There some old buildings and a lovely old church at St Julian's, one of the resorts built around an inlet. This was the main tourist and holiday areas and the beaches were busy but still we didn't see anyone in swimming. Just after 4:00 pm the road was still winding in and out the meandering coast with no sign of the skyline of Valetta so we decided play it safe and take a bus, we didn't want to be late for the boat. The first bus to come was full but the next one we managed to get seats. It was fortunate that we took the bus as it was still a long distance to the city centre, we would never have covered it in time on foot.

 

Like the last time when we were here the bus arrived at a different part of the terminus than where we started and we were a bit disorientated. We walked in the wrong direction into a pedestrian precinct with lots of lovely buildings, long stairways and old Roman columns that were being excavated. When Moira asked directions we were pointed the other way, luckily we weren't too far adrift and soon we reached the top of the hill overlooking the docks and the Sinfonia was still below waiting.

 

When we got to the bottom and just before the dock gates there was a souvenir shop and they also sold beer. I bought two large cans to take away but there were tables and the guy poured the beers into glasses for us. We now relaxed and enjoyed the drink, we were only a few minutes from the boat. Even at that we cut it fine and were the last ones on at 5:30 pm exactly.

 

After dropping the day pack in the cabin I picked up our mugs which I filled with coffee on the way to the stern to watch our departure. There was no delay tonight and the water at the stern began churning as the engines pushed us away from the dock at 6:00 pm. We had loungers and lay back and enjoyed the beautiful island of Malta as it gradually faded into the distance. It had been a wonderful day and it is a place that we mist definitely return to for a longer stay.

 

We weren't in a hurry to go for dinner, the show in the theatre didn't start until 7:45 pm and we wanted to wait until the initial rush in the buffet cleared. As we were relaxing on the loungers the deck crew came round and wanted to start stacking away the loungers. I told them that the other night they said that the loungers were stacked at 7:00 pm, he reluctantly left us with them. I noticed another couple on the other side refused to move as well.

 

We eventually left for our dinner then afterwards to the theatre. It was Ian and Vivienne von Memerty again. They were just as good as their first show and its was thoroughly entertaining. She just seems to dance only but he is an accomplished all round performer, an excellent singer and what a dancer! He said at the end that if we enjoyed it to write to MSC to have them back, I said to Moira I'll write to the BBC to get them on 'Strictly....'.

 

After the show I was feeling tired after our long day out and my throat was beginning to get sore again. We went back to the cabin for an early night. I read my book for about an hour then got off to sleep. During the night my throat was extremely sore but I managed to sleep all right.

 

 

I checked the Maltese boules game on Google when I got internet , it is called Bocci

 

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Another sunny day on the Med.

Monday 23 May.

 

My birthday today and I got a card from MSC, I was expecting a free bottle of wine at least. I could order a cake but would have to pay for it.

 

It was another day at sea like yesterday with no land in sight but lots of ships on the horizons. Moira's GPS app on her phone showed us the route as we passed Sardinia and Sicily on the way to Malta. On the starboard side somewhere in the distance was the north coast of Africa and Tunisia but all land according to the info from the GPS was at least 200 kms away.

 

The weather was much the same as yesterday, blue skies but in the morning a cool breeze was blowing, mainly generated by the forward motion of the ship. After breakfast we again sat in our sheltered cosy corner and read until it was time to the talk on diet by the sports doctor. It was all right but I don't quite understand where they get the information that cavemen and the plains Indians of America were healthier than us because they only had a diet of meat. If they weren't fat or obese it was maybe because food was scarce and difficult to come by, so probably they didn't eat a lot.

 

When the lecture finished it was too early for lunch so we went to the seats next to the walking/running track. It was now warm and sunny and I lay back having taken off my top to get some more sun on my body. After lunch it was getting too hot and we sat in the shade on the pool deck. There were more stupid games later in the afternoon; trying to throw a tennis ball into beer mugs and a quiz where you had to identify animals from the sounds they made. This was followed by aerobics instructor leading a stretching session.

 

At about 5:30 pm we headed back to our cabin and had a glass of wine before going for dinner. With our meal there was the other two bottles of beer we bought yesterday to wash it down. The show tonight in the theatre was two pianists, 'A Handful of Keys', who think they are also comedians. We walked out the last time they were on so didn't bother going this time. Instead we went to the Sinfonia bar and it was the country pop duo again. After their first session there was a rock-n-roll dance class and when they came back for their next singing stint they played a lot of rock-n-roll numbers for them to practice what they had learnt. We got up and had a jive then later danced to the twist. It was a good evening and we called it a day about 9:00 pm when we got to our cabin and bunks to read for an hour with another glass of wine.

 

 

 

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Sailing on the Mediterranean.

Sunday 22 May.

 

The wind had dropped this morning and the Mediterranean was looking calm. It wasn't quite a clear blue sky, a cloudy haze was blocking out the sun as we headed up for breakfast to the buffet.

 

We sat again in our little sheltered corner after breakfast and read the paper and our books. It wasn't quite warm enough yet to sit outside. The ship was now clear of the Straits of Gibraltar and was sailing northwards up the east coast of Spain. According to the GPS we were opposite Malaga in the morning and the ship's newsletter said we would be passing the Gapo de Gata mid-aftertoon, that was the semi-desert area of Spain where we had spent a holiday in the motorhome a few years ago. This information was really only of academic interest as there was no sign of land in any direction all day.

 

At 11:00 am we went to the theatre for a talk by the doctor chappy, this was about the 'Ageing Brain'. He wasn't very good again, his format was disjointed and was a bit too technically involved. The theatre was crowded and we were stuck at the end of a row against the wall, otherwise I think I would have left early. I looked at the audience and I think most had a similar opinion. He is giving another lecture tomorrow about the protein diet recommended by Tim Noakes, the SA sports scientist, and the eating regime that Margaret and Justin swear by. We will go to that talk and hope it is more understandable.

 

When we got up on deck again the haze had cleared from the sky and it was now very warm. We sat up on the deck chairs by the running track deck for an hour then it was time for lunch. After the meal it was back up top to the chairs overlooking the pool. It was now so warm that I had my t-shirt off and lying back to get some sun on my body. An hour was about enough, it was getting too hot, we went down to the pool area and sat in the shade of the overhang. The cruise staff had organised silly games, hitting a tennis ball with a golf club hoping to get through a ring floating in the pool or throwing a ballon full of water trying to get it into a bucket. Moira said they have these sorts of games every day but this is the first time we had sat at the poolside in the afternoon.

 

The weather stayed good and warm allowing us to sit there reading until nearly 6:00 pm when we went to our cabin for a glass of wine before dinner. Tonight there was roast pork on the menu and we had it with chips, it was delicious. For a change I splashed out and bought beer to go with the meal. It was called a bucket of beer, a box of ice with four bottles of beer - Castle from SA. It was a bit expensive at $8:20, that's R30 a bottle, I was paying only R10 at the bowling club in Southport. The other objection I have to the price is that it is listed as $7:20 on the menu but the small print indicates a 15% service charge. I don't understand why there should be a service charge when we have to pay a non-negotiable gratuity of $12:50 each per day. Another thing is that being off-shore everything should be duty free! We just drank two of the beers and later Moira put the other two in the cabin fridge for tomorrow.

 

Up until 9:00 pm we spent the time in the bars. First off it was the Sinfonia lounge with the country duo. When they finished and the dance instruction class began we moved to Shelagh's Irish pub. The woman we like wasn't on, it was the young lad with his guitar who usually plays later in the Sinfonia lounge. It was a pleasant evening and when we retired to our cabin we read for an hour before getting to sleep.

 

 

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Tangiers.

Saturday 21 May.

 

When I went up top for our early morning cuppa there was no land in sight yet and the ship was still moving along at a good pace. We were due to get ashore in Tangiers at 9:00 am and that was only in another couple of hours. All was well when we went up later for breakfast the shore was just a short distance to starboard, the white Moroccan buildings were sparklingly in the early morning sunlight with dark hills in the background.

 

We sat at the window in the buffet and watched as Tangiers came into view. When the ship began to manoeuvre in reverse into the harbour to dock we moved outside to the stern and watched her being tied up. We didn't rush to get off as it would just result in a queue to stand in, so waited until after 9:00 am before going to the cabin to collect our gear. When we reached the exit point there was still a queue as there was a delay, until 9:30 am, before we were on the quay. We got off without any difficulty having British passports but those with SA passports had forms to fill in, they also had to have arranged for a visa before leaving SA.

 

All the tour buses were lined up waiting for their passengers but there were a few people walking and doing their own thing like us. One of the tours only took the people to the top of the city to save them a climb up the hill then they had a guided walking tour. It was quite a trek around the dock then over a bridge to exit. Before the exit there were security checks and bags had to go through a x-ray machine. We assumed that it was for the ferry passengers who had come over from Spain, we just by-passed it and nobody bothered.

The wall city of Tangiers.

 

There were the usual rows of taxis as we left the port area touting to take us on a tour and the stalls with the traders and their souvenirs. We managed to avoid them and a made our way to the city. From the ship we could see the minaret of the mosque high on the crest of the hill at the top of the city and we headed in that general direction. We were accosted by some young lads who said they were students and would show us around but still had a friendly smile for us when we rejected their offers. We climbed stairs that took us to what looked like the old city walls but then got lost with a series of dead ends on narrow passageways. There was now a number of people from the cruise wandering aimlessly about and we got together and eventually found the route up to the road that we should probably taken. There was a view point a short distance up this road and we got a beautiful panorama of the port and coast, the Sinfonia was the only large vessel in the harbour the others were the ferries to and from Spain.

Typical narrow lane.

Archway in the walls.

 

There were plenty of touts at the view point but also friendly locals that pointed us in the right direction up the hill to the Kasbah. I thought this was the market area but it was a large square with a small mosque in one corner and it seemed to be used as a carpark. There were more fortifications at the top of the hill and a small cafe, no alcohol here just soft drinks and coffee. There were a group of tourist with their Arab guide outside, we weren't sure if they were from the ship or not. We now followed arrows on the walls directing us to the 'Tombeau d'Ibn Batouta' this was the tomb of a traveller in the 1300's who journey all over the known world at the time and left an account of all his adventures. Luckily the arrows helped us avoid more dead ends but the building holding the tomb wasn't much to look at and it was closed. Some helpful small boys at the tomb now directed us to the Socco or Souk, the market area.

Not very impressive 'Tombeau d'Ibn Batouta'

 

Up until now the streets been very quiet, a few locals but mostly tourists. Now as we approached the markets, stalls and shops the narrow streets and lanes became crowded. Lots of people strolling and shopping, shopkeepers trying to entice you inside to take a 'shufti', (I thought it was a Scottish word but is in fact Arabic), and cars and motor scooters attempting to get through the throng. We did spend some money, they accepted Euros, I got a couple of fridges magnets and two little camels, one for Hollie and the other for Ewan. As we continued along the streets the air was tanged with the smells from the spice shops with their open bags of various condiments and the distinctive odour (according to Moira) of camel leather from shops selling bags, belts and jackets of the material.

Mosque minaret.

Market stall.

 

Eventually we reached a wider street that led to a large square with benches and gardens. The traffic was much busier here and the streets congested. We sat on one of the benches for a rest and had a drink and muffin from our 'picnic' Moira had prepared on the ship. Behind the square was the tall minaret of another mosque and we walked around the outside before going through a park with old canons that were more of the city's ancient fortifications. Our next quest was the Grand Mosque and The Christian church of the Immaculate Conception both close to each other. It was another job finding a route, the names on the map didn't correspond to the street names but we found people again helpful when we asked directions and eventually got there.

Church of the Immaculate Conception.

A Scottish castle in Tangiers ?

 

Neither the church or this mosque, that wasn't so 'Grand', were much to see from the outside and unfortunately we couldn't get into either. The church we just missed it closed from mid-day until 5:00 pm and the mosque we didn't think we were permitted to enter anyway. We were now near the bottom of the hill again and there was an large paved area in front of the mosque where people were sitting on a surrounding wall. We sat there and had the rest of our picnic lunch. There were a lot of people from the ship here and the Sinfonia was clearly visible from where we sat, there was obviously a more direct route to the market area from the ship than the one we had taken. We were sitting beside two women who were getting pestered by the salesmen wandering about with trinkets, kaftans and watches, they couldn't get rid of them. We just say 'No!' and they go but the women's problem was that they were polite and showed an interest in what was being sold, this is fatal as they then think they have a potential sale and won't leave you alone. The women were from Melville in KZN not far up the coast from Umtentweni. They, like us, had prepared a picnic lunch on the ship and Moira said to one of them that she must have Scot's blood in her veins, she said her father came out to SA from Greenock when he was 6 years old! What a small world.

Palm tree lined square.

Ancient fortification and canon.

 

We had seen most of the highlights of the city and after lunch we went for a wander about retracing a lot of our steps. We got back to the square in front of the mosque and decided carry on up the hill to see if there was a way to the docks down the other side. On the way up the hill there were other market areas designated to particular products, meats, vegetables, fabrics and one selling garden plants and flowers. Further up the road side there were artisan's shops where they were welding together metal gates, making barbecues and at one he had slaughtered either goats or sheep and had piles of hoofs, horns and as we passed stuck a spike into an animal's severed head. On the hill crest there was the minaret of yet another mosque next to the steeple of a Catholic church. Both again closed. There didn't appear to be any way to the docks from the other side of the hill so we made our way down again. It was through the park with the canons, over the narrow streets and lanes back to the Kasbah and then all the way round to the area in front of the Grand Mosque. It had been a long circuit to get us back to where we started and now we were becoming quite familiar with the layout of the city, but very tired. It was time to call it a day and head back to the ship.

Panorama of city from dock.

 

I had to put my bag through the x-ray machine at the security check point this time but that was the only check to get onto the dock. There was a cafe and duty free shop and we had a look to see if they sold beer but no luck, the duty free shop didn't even have alcohol only cigarettes. It was 2:30 pm when we got on board again and we made for the stern of the ship to get a good spot to watch us leaving. Everyone was supposed to be back on board by 3:30 pm for departure an hour later, but there were still people, without a care in the world, strolling along the dock at 4:00 pm. Then there was an announcement that sailing was delayed due to immigration problems, we thought that one of the passengers had been arrested or got stranded in town. There were official cars going backwards and forwards but we never discovered what the real problem was.

Leaving Tangier.

 

The snag about leaving late was that we had been due to pass through the Straits of Gibraltar at 6:30 pm and would have got a view of the Rock while it was still light. The last time when we sailed south we went through the Straits after dark now it was touch and go. We decided to have our dinner first but went to the cabin for a glass of wine. When we got to the buffet the lines were just being cast off and we were away again, we delayed dinner and stood out on the stern to watch the departure. We stayed there until the ship turned the point at the edge of the natural harbour protecting Tangier and headed up the coast to the Straits. Moira checked our position using the GPS* and map on her phone and we still had over an hour before the Rock. We had our dinner, then went and sat at a window in the disco lounge to watch until we reached Gibraltar. Moira had a lot of people interested in her GPS and were impressed when she could tell them exactly where we were. The visibility outside was now deteriorating and the Spanish coast that we could make out quite clearly earlier was now hazy. When we did manage to pick out the Rock of Gibraltar it was very faint and just a black shadow on the horizon. I went outside and pointed the camera in the general direction and got a few reasonable pictures. A bit further to the west the sun was setting and there I did get some nice shots.

Glorious sunset.

The Rock of Gibraltar.

 

In a way it had been a bit disappointing, we would have liked a clearer view and if we had got away as planned the conditions may have been brighter. I did get a couple of images of the Rock and was able to enhance them using the editing mode on the computer. We went back to the cabin once we were well past the Rock and into the Mediterranean Sea. I read my book on my iPad but after about half an hour my eyes were closing. Moira woke me when she took my iPad away to put on charge and turned off the lights.

* The app Moira uses on her iPhone for the GPS is called 'maps.me' This function allows you to download Google maps of the countries you are visiting for later use without the need for an internet connection. This is particularly convenient on the ship where the WiFi connection is very expensive.

 

 

 

 

 

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A relaxing day at sea.

Friday 20 May.

 

Today was at sea as we made our way to Morocco and Tangiers. It was another blustery day with a strong wind blowing along the decks as the ship steamed along at a fair rate of knots. Although there was a clear blue sky and it was warm out of the cold wind but the only place we could get any shelter was again in the corner between the pool and the buffet. Hopefully in a couple of days time when we pass through the Straits of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean it will be calmer with warmer weather allowing us to sit out on the deck.

 

Once we finished breakfast we settled in our cosy sheltered spot and that was us for the day. There weren't any interesting talks on today in the theatre to distract us and the day was spent reading the paper then a book. I started another Anne Cleeves' novel in her Shetland series, this was called 'Blue Lightening'. We had our lunch in the corner spot, going in relays again to the buffet to bring back a tray of food. I picked a sea food salad and it was delicious. Even though we were in the fresh air I began to feel down again and by mid-afternoon my throat was sore. We went to the cabin about 4:00 pm to stretch out on our bunks which was a bit more comfortable. I took a couple of paracetamol and tried to have a sleep.

 

I did manage to doze for about half an hour and felt a bit better. I read my book until it was time for the early evening show in the theatre. We were there early to get a good seat but it wasn't really necessary as it was only half the seats were taken when it started. It was the dance troupe with acrobats and a contortionist. It was all right and we sat through to the end. The contortionist was a little tubby woman but she managed to get her body to bend into amazing positions, her spine must have been made of rubber. The acrobats were the best act, I think the trio might have been the Zulu dancers. Other than that the dancers were pretty ordinary.

 

We went to buffet after the show for dinner. Tonight was a gala evening in the dining rooms with all the diners in evening dress. We had been invited for cocktails with the captain, being regular voyagers, but unfortunately I hadn't brought my dinner suit with me; blast!!. So it was just our normal t-shirt and shorts and serve yourself.

 

After the meal we couldn't be bothered with going to any of the bars so just returned to our cabin. Moira had set up the laptop and had music playing from our 'library' while we lay back on the bunks and read. I was feeling very tired and got to sleep about 9:00 pm, it is going to be an energetic day tomorrow walking all round Tangiers.

 

 

 

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Las Palmas, Gran Canaria

Thursday 19 May.

 

As I walked over the deck by the pool to get our early morning cup of tea I could see the lights on the coast of Gran Canaria as the ship approached the city of Las Palmas. Moira had showered while I was out and I quickly got ready myself as soon as I got back. We took our cups of tea with us for an early breakfast and were ready to go ashore as soon as we docked.

 

A long way from Cape Town.

We were in the queue waiting and talking to a guy from Cape Town when a couple jumped the queue in front of us. This is one thing I can't stand and it resulted in an argument but they shrugged their shoulders and claimed they didn't understand. The weather was a bit blowy when we landed, it was overcast as well but we had on our fleeces in preparation. Later when the sun got higher and there were breaks in the cloud it got warmer and we were able to get down to just out t-shirts.

 

Castillo de la Luz.

We walked along a walking-cycle path that ran beside the dock and up by the seaside. After a short distance I consulted the map we got from reception and found that the main holiday and bathing areas were on the other side of the city which was on a narrow isthmus at the north of the island. We cut across through the busy streets to the other 'coast' and reached the esplanade at the Playa de las Canteras. There was a lovely sandy beach stretching around the wide bay and the surf from the Atlantic Ocean was breaking along its length but there wasn't anyone in swimming, it was still too cold. The prom was a typical Spanish setting lots of restaurants that we have become used to in places like Benidorm, Conil and Salou where we were last year. The 'menu del dia' they were offering was quite reasonable, some under R10, and including the usual half bottle of wine. We reached the far end of the bay and the coast line then became rocky and rugged with the tides and waves eating into the rocks and creating holes and arches. After watching the waves smashing against the rocks we backtracked and followed signs pointing the way to the Castillo de la Luz. The streets went through a Chinese district before coming to a small castle on the other side of the point. We were back near the docks again and the Sinfonia was in the background of the castle turrets. There were beautiful garden surrounding the castle and the roses were out in full bloom. A school party was waiting to go into the castle but it was other 30 minutes before it opened for visitors so instead we decided to head back to the beach area again.

Rugged Gran Canaria coast.

 

On the way we spotted a Spar supermarket and got a couple of beers to go with the lunch Moira had prepared before leaving the ship. At the esplanade again we made our way along in the other direction past where we had started earlier. It was a lot busier now that it had warmed up and people were out on the beach in swimsuits. A tourist information kiosk that had been closed earlier was now open and the guy was very helpful with details and maps about the area and trekking in the hills and mountains that we could see behind the town. He said that the hill walking and trails here were much better than the ones on Tenerife, but I suppose he was biased. Anyway, we decided it looked a pleasant place for a longer stay sometime in the future and some new trails to hike.

 

Further along the beach there was a surfing area. In the shallows learners were attempting to get standing on their boards as a wave picked them up. Further out in the big waves the more experienced surfers were putting on a good display. We watched them for a while before getting to the other end of the bay and the Alfredo Kraus auditorium. It was a fancy building with a glass dome and sculptured replicas of fish and birds, in front there was a large statue of Alfredo Kraus. A number of well known celebrities had appeared there and there were plaques with their names on the walkway in front.

Afredo Kraus

Alfredo Kraus auditorium

 

We headed back along the esplanade to the surfing beach and found a seat where we had our picnic lunch and the beer we had bought. The beer had cost R0.60 per can, big difference to the price they charge on board the boat. When we finished the plan was to head over to the other side of the isthmus then make our way back to the docks that way. Once we started Moira realised that we had forgotten about the Spanish siesta when the shops closed from 1:00 until about 5:00 pm and we wanted to get some wine to take back. When we were half way across to the other side we followed a sign pointing to the city centre and soon found a supermarket that was still open, it actually didn't close for siesta anyway. We got a couple of 1 litre cardboard boxes of red wine and I decided on another can of beer as well, my favourite Spanish beer this time, San Miguel.

 

Carrying on I was looking for a park, Parque Romano, but found a sports ground instead with benches in quiet surroundings. We sat there and rested after having been walking for over 4 hours with just a short break for lunch. It was now pleasantly warm as I sat and enjoyed my local brew. It was now nearly 2:00 pm and we had to be on board again by 3:30 pm but first we wanted to go to a MacDonald's restaurant that was in the shopping complex next to the docks. We wanted to use their free WiFi.

Tourist horse and cart.

 

We spent an hour in the restaurant and had an iced cream while on the web. I downloaded today's 'Telegraph' to my iPad and this time the crossword was full page, not the half version I have been getting on the ship. I updated my blog with photographs and that was working well but one thing that didn't work was the email. Moira wanted to send an email to Suzy about the house insurance she wanted her to pay but it wouldn't send. I tried to send it on mine which was going well on the blog but it wouldn't work either. Moira thought that MacDonald's had blocked emailing for some reason. She sent Suzy a text instead using What's App.

 

We got back in board at 3:00 pm and the x-ray machine my rucksack had to pass through didn't pick up the wine. A woman taking a bottle of wine on board was stopped, probably they don't recognise square cardboard boxes as wine containers! We dumped our gear in the cabin and went to the stern of the ship to watch our departure from the island. The ship was supposed to cast off at 4:00 pm but it was another hour before the lines were taken off the bollards and we sailed away. It had been warm enough on the deck, we read and had coffee stretched out on loungers while waiting. As soon as she left the docks and harbour the ship soon picked up speed and it wasn't long before the mountains of Gran Canaria were the only things to seen in the distance.

 

Leaving Gran Canaria.

We had booked again for the early show at the theatre but there was still time for a glass of wine in the cabin before the start. The act tonight was a magician-ventriloquist but after about 10 minutes we decided he was rubbish and left for dinner. After the meal we were both feeling tired after all the walking today and went to cabin to lie on our bunks. I had about 100 pages to read in my book and continued reading until I finished it. It was quite good and I like Anne Cleeves' murder mysteries. Moira was already sleeping by the time I switched out the lights.

 

 

 

 

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