Roman around in the sweltering heat of the eternal city

One of the two excursions I opted for on our recent Mediterranean cruise, was the 9½ hour “Introduction to Rome” tour. This was marketed as a high activity (lots of walking), excursion around the main sights of the eternal city. Despite not being on my all-time “bucket list”, Rome was still a place I didn’t want to miss, especially given our proximity moored up in the port of Civitavecchia.

The tour of Rome involved an early morning start, so despite doing my utmost not to wake her ladyship, I apparently still made too much noise, as I left the cabin and headed off to the disembarkation point and the waiting coach. Acting as our guide, was the knowledgeable Elvira, a bubbly young lady who was keen to show off the Italian capital to myself and the other 34 passengers on the tour.

After leaving Civitavecchia our comfortable, air-conditioned coach headed up into the surrounding hills, and onto the Autostrada. From there we had a fast and scenic journey towards Rome. Lining many of the roads were some attractive and colourful flowering shrubs which, according to Mrs PBT’s were Bougainvillea. It was noticeable that much of the grain harvest had already been gathered in, and some of the fields had also been ploughed, ready for next year’s crop. Interspersed amongst the fields, were groves of olive trees, plus some tall, spikey looking plants which turned out to be bamboo. Whether this had been planted deliberately, or was an escapee is open to question, but whatever the reason it did look rather out of place.

The traffic was lighter than I thought it would be, and it wasn’t long before we were entering the suburbs of Rome, characterised by low-rise apartment blocks, disfigured unfortunately by some unsightly graffiti. The streets reminded me of Munich, a city which, despite being north of the Alps, has a distinct Italian feel to it. As we drove into the city centre, Rome’s famous chariot racing arena, the Circus Maximus, became visible. This was the first of the many legacy monuments from ancient Rome, that we were to see during our visit.

A little further on was the Colosseum, almost certainly the most famous monument in ancient Rome. A short distance away, our coach driver parked up, and we filed out, ready to follow Elvira, who had been joined by a second guide whose name escapes me We were kitted out with the almost obligatory, blue-tooth headsets, which proved useful, not just for being able to hear what the guide was saying, but also for staying close to her.

As expected, the area around this aptly name, colossal monument was packed, with crowds of visitors, all eager to see this impressive structure for themselves. There were plenty of school parties, but also groups of older visitors, seemingly from all over the world. In view of the number of visitors, as well as an article I’d read about phone snatching, I used my camera rather than my Smart Phone, in order to take photos. My compact Nikon Coolpix has a wrist strap, which makes forced theft far more difficult, although not totally impossible. Although I took these precautions, the area didn’t strike me as unsafe, just crowded and more likely to attract pickpockets rather than phone snatchers.

The guide explained the reason behind the numerous holes in the side of the Colosseum, which result from the removal of many of the large iron reinforcing bars, used during construction of the building. The bars helped hold the stonework together, but following the collapse of the Roman Empire, the Colosseum fell into disuse, and many of the reinforcing bars were removed and melted down for other purposes. Iron of course, was a valuable commodity, and the bars provided a source of ready smelted metal, but unfortunately, the removal of the reinforcements caused the walls in several parts of the Colosseum to collapse. Consequently today, parts of the structure are held up, by some relatively recent brick walls.

We walked around the road-facing perimeter of the Colosseum, before heading off towards the Forum, the area that was at the heart of ancient Rome, the site of triumphal processions, elections, and the nucleus of commercial activity within the city. Public speeches, criminal trials and gladiatorial matches, took place here, as evidenced by the statues and monuments commemorating the city's leaders. If I’m brutally honest, the Forum seemed an odd-ball mix of columns, walls and arches, most of which were in various stages of preservation, but as we only viewed the periphery, perhaps there was something more impressive that we missed.

After leaving the Forum, we rounded a corner and right in front of us was a large, and much more modern, colonnaded building, with several, sweeping flights of steps leading up to it. The Victor Emmanuel II Monument is a large national monument built between 1885 and 1935, to honour Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of a unified Italy.  Constructed in the style of ancient Rome and obviously designed to impress, Italy’s fascist dictator, Benito Mussolini made several of his rousing and impassioned speeches from the balcony of this building.

We continued on our way through the intense mid-morning heat of Rome and passed the Victor Emmanuel II Monument. We then climbed a hill, up to where the waiting coach was parked, and after filing back on board for a short trip across the River Tiber, we were taken to the Vatican. The coach deposited us in a large underground car park underneath the Vatican, and after descending on a couple of escalators, we reached a wide passageway which took us straight into St Peter's Square.

We’d reached the headquarters of the Catholic church, and the residence of His Holiness, the Bishop of Rome, with St Peter’s Basilica forming an impressive backdrop to the square along with the wide avenue, leading into it. The square was hot and very crowded, in equal measure, but after a welcome comfort break, as the Americans would say, at a nearby gift shop, we parted company with our guide, although not before she had told us all about the Vatican, the Sistine Chapel, and the two statues standing guard over the place – St Peter and St Paul. Elvira then left us to our own devices, with strict instructions to meet back outside the gift shop at 4:00 PM.

My first purchase was a much-needed bottle of water, mainly because I’d left my Chili Bottle on the coach, primarily for something to drink on the return journey. After that I headed off to find somewhere to eat and a place where I could find it welcoming, cold beer. The guide directed a group to a couple of adjoining restaurants, but faced with such a sudden influx of customers, I decided I'd be better off finding somewhere less crowded, and away from the thronging masses.

It didn’t take much effort to stumble upon a little, local café that opened straight out onto the pavement, and with some tables set out on the cobbled street itself. The main thing was, it was shady, and out of the fierce midday sun. It didn’t take long for the waiter to come over and take my order which consisted of a rather nice, grilled sole with some artisan bread. The most welcome item, of course, was a large mug of nice cool beer. Only Birra Moretti, mind you, but any port in a storm! It was very pleasant, just sitting there watching the world go by, and the comings and goings of this pleasant, but compact back-street restaurant.

Afterwards I had a wander around, following the streets back into St Peters Square. I took quite a few photos and toyed with the idea of joining one of the queues at the entrance to St Peter's Basilica. Instead, I decided against it, especially as looted gold and other treasures offer little appeal to me. Staying in the shade, keeping cool and enjoying an ice cream, seemed the far better option. Foolishly I'd left my map on the coach and despite all the shops selling Vatican tat, and photos of the Pope I was unable to locate a tourist information office where I could obtain a free street guide or even purchase one.

Before asking why I didn’t use my phone? I think you know the answer, as nothing points to the fact that you are a lost, "dumb-arse" tourist, than trying to follow directions on your phone whilst all the while appearing an easy target to someone out to rob you. I also didn’t want to get lost and end up missing the coach back to the ship. This did mean missing out on a couple of Rome’s other star attractions, namely the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain, even though, as I later discovered they were just a short hop away, on the other side of the River Tiber. If it hadn’t been for the heat, would have trudged across, for a look, but as I said to some of my fellow passengers, when I arrived back at the ship, what’s so special about a flight of steps and a fountain which people chuck coins into?

There was one Roman monument that would definitely have been worth seeing. The Pantheon has the largest unsupported concrete dome of any structure in the world, which is a real tribute to the ingenuity of its builders. Those Romans certainly knew a thing or two about concrete, and if further proof was needed, the Pantheon is the best-preserved ancient building in the city. This might have been due to it being converted into a church, but I was built by the Emperor Hadrian in AD 119-128. Hadrian, of course, also constructed an equally famous wall in this part of the world, although that particular structure is far less well preserved.  

For those who care about such things, the diameter of the hemispherical dome is equal to the height of the whole building, meaning the structure could potentially accommodate a perfect sphere. Anyway, the Pantheon will have to wait for a future visit, if there is one, but now I know the lay of the land, a return visit to Rome, should be that little bit easier. I dozed off on the journey back to the ship, but I can now take Rome off my list of capital cities to visit, and “must see” sights.

 

 

 

Córdoba, a city where three major faiths have left their mark

Córdoba is a city in the southern Spanish region of Andalusia, and the capital of the province of Córdoba. It was an important city during Roman times and in the Middle Ages, was a major Islamic centre. Its best known, and most impressive monument from its time under Muslim rule, is La Mezquita, an enormous mosque dating from 784 A.D, built on the site of the ancient Visigoth church of San Vicente. The mosque underwent consecutive extensions over later centuries, resulting in an interior that resembles a labyrinth of beautiful columns with double arcades and horseshoe arches.

In 1236, Córdoba fell to Christian forces, and the mosque became an important place of Christian worship. In 1523, a cathedral was constructed inside the building, and a century later, a Renaissance-style nave was added, with a Baroque altarpiece and mahogany choir stalls. Today Córdoba reflects its Roman past and the coexistence of Christian, Islamic and Jewish cultures throughout its history. Its historic old town centre is a World Heritage site, full of little streets, inviting squares, flower-filled courtyards and charming restaurants where locals and visitors can enjoy the local cuisine.

The opportunity to visit Córdoba arose during our cruise stop-over in the southern Spanish city of Malaga, and I’d placed a tick besides this particular excursion, several weeks before we sailed. Other excursions were available, including one to the equally interesting city of Granada, which was closer to Malaga, and thus a shorter coach ride away. A day or two into the cruise, I made a visit to the Shore Excursions office on Queen Anne to check what was still available. Delighted at finding that the all-day excursion to Rome was still available I booked a place alongside the aforementioned tour to Córdoba.

This was prior to noticing that the time schedule for this particular excursion was incredibly tight – always read the small print, although I’m pretty certain that the ship’s scheduled departure time from Malaga had been brought forward to 16:30. This “everyone back onboard” time was also the time the Córdoba tour was scheduled to arrive back at Queen Anne.  A day or so later I queried this with the Shore Excursions team, and they assured me that the tour would get participants back to the boat on time, and if there was a delay then the ship would wait for us.

That latter point is important, and it is one good reason why it is always worth booking official excursions sanctioned by the cruise line, rather than booking an independent one. There have been plenty tales of woe from people who have done the latter, and have then been left stranded, on the quayside of a foreign port, because after being late for the agreed sailing time, the ship departed without them.

As it happened on the Córdoba trip, we arrived back 10 -15 minutes behind Queen Anne’s scheduled departure time, but the ship waited for us all to get back onboard. On the drive back to Malaga, someone from the boat was in regular touch with our tour guide to check we were proceeding on time, as there is always the possibility of mechanical breakdown, a blockage or pile up on the motorway, or some other unforeseen event which could, potentially have delayed us. Thankfully no such mishaps occurred, and the 40 or so of us on the Córdoba excursion enjoyed a leisurely walking tour of this fascinating and historic World Heritage site, which concluded with lunch at a local restaurant.

It was an early start which meant a hurried breakfast, and then departing the ship virtually as soon as it had docked, tied up and immigration formalities completed. We had a pleasant and knowledgeable guide called Christina, who kept a tight rein on us, because the last thing anybody wants on these trips is for someone to get separated from the rest of the party and then going missing. The drive to Córdoba took the best part of two hours, and as we set off through the streets of Malaga, our guide pointed out various places of interest. It’s a shame we weren’t spending two days in the city, as from what we saw, Malaga seemed pleasant, well-laid out and certainly worthy of further exploration.

The road climbed steeply, as we drove through the mountains that separate the coastal region from the high, inland plains so, like the rest of my travelling companions, I settled down to enjoy the journey. It’s quite a few years since I journeyed into the interior of Spain, and since the dark days of Franco’s dictatorship, the Spanish government have obviously spent a lot of money improving the country’s infrastructure. As we descended on the other side of the mountain range, we passed through numerous olive groves, many of them ancient, but some consisting of a new “dwarf” variety, planted in neat rows and capable of being harvested by machine. (The guide told us this btw, so it isn’t me showing off!)

We eventually arrived in Córdoba just before 11am, and our coach driver dropped us off just outside the walls of the old city. The next time we would see the coach would be three and a half hours later, when it picked us up, outside the aforementioned restaurant. The We followed our guide through he ancient gate and into heart of what had once been the Muslim part of the city. Córdoba also boasted a thriving Jewish community, and the first couple of buildings we visited, were former synagogues. It was the later Christian rulers who expelled the Jewish population from this region of Spain.

The synagogues were set amongst an area of narrow, and tightly packed streets, and as we were one of many tour groups that day, this Medina or Souk area soon became quite unpleasantly overcrowded. Fortunately, our guide led us out of this congested part of the city, and towards Córdoba’s main attraction, the Great Mosque. We were allowed an all too brief, 15-minute break before meeting back up at the yellow post-box, which wasn’t sufficient time to do, or buy anything, given the hordes of visitors, but before entering the mosque we were able to admire the sumptuous and well-laid out gardens surrounding this impressive building.

Today the Great Mosque is also home to a large cathedral, but before reaching the Mezquita-Cathedral,  we passed through a labyrinth of ornate columns with double arcades and horseshoe-shaped  brick arches. These seemed to go on forever, and it was here that the attention of many of the group began to wane. Our guide seemed undeterred by their lack of interest, such was her enthusiasm and knowledge, but I stuck quite close to her, and remained not just in range of the blue-tooth headsets, but also visually.

The contrast when we eventually entered the Catholic cathedral section, was quite striking, especially as this area is crowned by a large and rather ornate, baroque dome. The guide again, enthused quite prolifically about this area of the building and, without wishing to sound churlish, I too had heard sufficient by this time. Eventually even Christina had exhausted her repertoire, so after escorting us out of the Great Mosque and checking we were all present and correct, led us down to the Guadalquivir River, and across the impressive stone-built bridge, that dates back to Roman times.

Once on the opposite bank, it was a short walk to a local restaurant, where a pre-booked lunch was awaiting us. We enjoyed a typically English-style salad of lettuce, tomato, grated carrot, sweetcorn, and hard-boiled eggs, with some olives thrown in as a local touch. An excellent paella then followed, loaded with plenty of shrimps, mussels plus the odd prawn. There was wine as well, along with plenty of bottled water, but I took it easy with my liquid intake, knowing full well that the coach wouldn’t have time to stop on the way back for a “comfort break.” 

Fortunately, the traffic was relatively light on the return journey to Malaga and the driver was able to put his foot down. As I said earlier, although we were slightly late in re boarding the ship, we were probably well within normal safety margins, much to Mrs PBT’s relief.

Cruising around the Iberian peninsula, with a brief hop across to Italy & Sardinia

Our cruise itinerary took us from Southampton and across the Bay of Biscay, to the north west corner of the Iberian peninsula.  This is the area known as Galicia, an autonomous region of Spain with a rich history dating back to the 8^th century. Our first and last ports of call were in this region, namely Vigo and La Coruna, and both were quite similar in nature and appearance. Of the two locations, we preferred La Coruna.

After leaving Vigo, our ship headed south following the coasts of Spain, Portugal and then Spain again, before turning east through the Straits of Gibraltar and into the Mediterranean. This occupied a full day at sea, and a further day and night cruising then followed to bring us to our second port of call, the city of Barcelona – the second city in Spain after Madrid, in terms of population and size.

We had the longest stay of the cruise in the Catalan capital, plus the only period of heavy rain, before heading due east, towards Italy. En route, we traversed the Strait of Bonifacio, a narrow stretch of water that separates the large Mediterranean islands of Corsica and Sardinia. We returned to Sardinia for our fourth port of call, but not before stopping off at the bustling town of Civitavecchia, which is the official port for Rome.

Our stop-over in Civitavecchia provided opportunities for excursions to Rome and its environs, so I took full advantage of a trip that allowed me to visit, and explore, the Italian capital for the first time. It also gave us a glimpse of the Italian countryside, which was looking quite green and verdant (same thing?) There will, of course, be a separate post dedicated to this iconic city which, surprisingly, seemed more compact than I initially thought. It was extremely hot though, with temperatures approaching the mi-thirties!

After departing Civitavecchia, Queen Anne retraced her course back across the Tyrrhenian Sea, passing through the Strait of Bonifacio for the second time, although this time in the opposite direction, and under cover of darkness. The following morning, we anchored just outside the harbour of Alghero, the second largest city on Sardinia, and a very attractive one at that.

  I've already posted an article about Alghero, a destination which us cruise passengers had to access by tender, due to the absence of a quayside large enough to accommodate large ships such as Queen Anne. I spent an enjoyable few hours exploring the narrow-cobbled streets of this attractive, medieval town, which is enclosed by ancient, and imposing, defensive stone-built walls.

After departing Sardinia, Queen Anne took a west, south westerly course towards the island of Mallorca, largest of the Balearics, and its attractive and vibrant capital, Palma. This was my first visit to this popular tourist destination, and we arrived on what proved to be the hottest day of the entire cruise. Taking the shuttle bus from the port area to the esplanade overlooking Palma Bay, and then walking towards Palma’s impressive cathedral, the heat proved too much for Mrs PBT’s, who decided to take the next shuttle bus back to the ship.

I stayed on, and headed for the old town, keeping in the shade as much as possible, where I enjoyed the authentic Spanish experience of narrow, shady streets, and the opportunity for an equally authentic Spanish lunch, and one of the finest tortillas I have experienced on various visits to Spain.

Our penultimate destination was the city of Malaga, on Spain’s southern coast. It would perhaps have been nice to explore Malaga itself, but I had pre-booked an excursion to Cordoba, an historic city approximately 110 miles inland, in the heart of Andalusia. Cordoba was well worth a visit though, and a full report will follow in due course.

There was one more destination, before our return to Southampton, and that was the small, port city of La Coruna. The latter is situated in Galicia, close to the northernmost tip of Spain, and just along the coast from Cape Finisterre. Today, the name is familiar to those who listen to the shipping forecast, but in Roman times it was believed to be the end of the known world! 

We were lucky to arrive on schedule at La Coruna, given a voyage that saw us passing back through the Gibraltar Straits. Mrs PBT’s and I enjoyed a meal in our cabin, that evening, and being on the port side of the ship, we had a good view of Tangier and the North African coast. There was quite a swell overnight as we passed into the Atlantic and followed a northerly course up towards the aforementioned Cape Finisterre. 

The following morning after breakfast, I was about to go out on deck when I noticed the access doors had been roped off. Shortly afterwards there was an announcement from the ship's captain that due to a medical emergency on board, a helicopter evacuation would take place – hence the closure of the decks! Shortly afterwards, a further announcement was made that owing to strong winds, evacuation by helicopter would not be possible, so Queen Anne instead would be steering a course toward the Portuguese coast, where a locally based lifeboat would transfer the patient ashore.

The captain slowed the ship right down, to ensure a smooth transfer, but did warn after its successful completion, that the detour might impact on our arrival time in La Coruna. As things turned out, it didn’t, indicating that the captain must have increased speed in order to make up time. The city itself was a pleasant surprise, especially as I had never heard of the place before, and Mrs PBT’s and I enjoyed a stroll along the seafront, followed by coffee and beer at a local café. The sun came out to greet us as well.

Leaving the sheltered inlet of La Coruna, and sailing out into the Bay of Biscay, saw the wind get up, taking the edge off the temperature. Two nights, with a day sandwiched in between, saw us arriving back in Southampton. I awoke early, in time to witness, and photograph a tranquil rural scene as we sailed up Southampton Water and into the River Test. Fortunately, we berthed at the Mayflower Cruise Terminal, rather than the less spacious Queen Elizabeth II Terminal, and that was the cruise over for us and our fellow passengers.

The cruise means that with the exception of the stretch of the northern coast of Spain between La Coruna and the Basque city of San Sebastian, I have now travelled right round the Iberian peninsula. Some of that journeying has been by train, but it doesn’t detract from the fact that, Spain is now one of my most visited, and extensively travelled. Germany still holds top spot, although with just the Baltic and North Sea coasts accessible by sea, that situation is likely to change within the next few years. As for cruising, the question remains, where to next?

Playing catch up, and celebrating with a rewarding pint of Union-brewed Jaipur

I’m still playing catch-up, so apologies for the paucity of blog posts but, as noted in a previous article, it wasn’t perhaps the wisest thing going straight back to work, immediately after our return to the UK.  Three days of my first “long weekend” at home were spent tackling the rampant plant growth that had taken over the past three weeks and which was threatening to completely overwhelm our back garden. Son Matthew had been left with directions to water certain areas of the garden, along with specific plants, and whilst he did as instructed, there were still areas missed and plants neglected.

Fortunately, nothing died, providing proof, if needed, that nature is far more resilient than people think. The grass certainly grew, as did the weeds, along with a tray full of runner bean seedlings that I’d forgotten about, but which needed planting out alongside supporting bamboo canes and plenty of garden twine. Sisal is the gardener’s traditional choice here, but it’s hard and unforgiving, albeit much stronger than twine.

Our hot water system developed a fault whilst we were away, and a theme seems to be emerging here, as this isn't the first time the boiler has thrown a wobbly during our absence. We have heating, which we don’t need, but no hot water which we certainly do require. I am waiting for our heating engineer to get back to me, as whilst our hot water tank has an immersion heater, as back-up, electricity is much more expensive than gas, in terms of energy costs.

I also ordered a new office chair for my study; the previous one having finally given up the ghost after many years’ service. It owed its existence to a total re-build over lock-down, using a variety of parts cannibalised from for two other chairs. The new one arrived over weekend, and whilst it’s light, maneuverable, and comfortable, with adequate support in the lower back area, I’m wishing now that I’d chosen a chair with a higher back, in order to support my upper torso and shoulder regions.

One thing both Eileen and I found is that due to us logging in from unusual locations (Spain and Italy), we had to reset passwords on our Yahoo and Google email accounts to prove it was us, and not someone trying to access our emails. This happened upon our return to the UK, and occurred at the most inconvenient moments, such as yesterday lunchtime at work, when I attempted to access my Blogger account.

Well, all work, and no play makes Paul a very dull boy, so a couple of days ago, I managed to escape to the pub for a well-earned and most welcome Sunday afternoon drink. I took a stroll down to Tonbridge Fuggles, the town’s well known beer café. It was surprisingly empty, although the town too seemed rather quiet, so much so that I thought one or more of the Euro matches must be taking place. That “joy” was to come that evening, with the England team lucky to scrape through after trailing for most of the match against lowly Slovakia.

There seemed no reason for the lack of trade that afternoon, but after a steady trickle of customers, and their dogs, Fuggles did start filling up. I didn’t end up drinking alone, as sanding at the bar with his own small dog in tow, whilst ordering himself a beer, was Keith, who is one of the leading lights in West Kent CAMRA. We both, unsurprisingly went for the same beer, Thornbridge Jaipur, brewed using the company’s recently acquired Burton Union set. For those who haven’t been following the story, Derbyshire - based Thornbridge bought one of these discarded sets from the Martson’s brewery in Burton-on-Trent, with the aim of using this unique, 19^th Century system of inter-linked wooden casks, for brewing not just some of their regular beers, but also for producing a range of "one-off” experimental brews.

I knew from Fuggles website that both their outlets (the other can be found in Tunbridge Wells), had a cask of Thornbridge Union Jaipur on tap, and I was concerned that I might have missed it. I think Keith had felt the same, but fortunately the beer was still on tap. What a beer it was though, and the perfect “welcome home” pint of traditional English cask beer one could wish for. I scored it at 4.75 on Untappd, although with hindsight I ought to have given it a 5! Keith enjoyed his pint too, and I should perhaps have gone for a second pint, despite its 5.9% strength.

Instead, choosing the much weaker (3.8%) Joined at the Hop pale ale from Gravesend-based, Iron Pier Brewery, was a mistake, certainly as a beer to follow on from the Jaipur. There wasn't anything wrong with it, I hastened to add, and had it been my first pint instead of my second, it would have been fine, bt the rule of beer tasting is to start low, and then gradually work your way up. Despite this minor disappointment, I spent a pleasant hour or so chatting with Keith and catching up with some of the recent happenings both within west Kent as a whole and also within the local CAMRA branch itself.

As for the blog, I’ve got a number of articles in various states of preparation, that I’m itching to put out, but with a major project underway at work, plus a family wedding in a couple of days’ time, I’m not exactly certain when they will see the light of day. Apologies in advance then, especially to all the cruising fans out there. Rest assured, there are still plenty of stories of life afloat to come, along with accounts of the fascinating places visited on what was only Queen Anne’s fourth, commercial voyage.

 

 

Life onboard ship

You will probably guess that I wrote a substantial chunk of this piece, whilst on the cruise, which is why it alternates between the present and past tenses, but rather than a complete re-write, here, in all their glory, are some of my thoughts about life onboard ship. I’ve given up trying to post articles off of my phone, and I’ve given up on the ship’s Wi-Fi as well. Cunard use Elon Musk’s "Starlink" system, which at $24 per 24-hour period, works out rather expensive. 

The clock starts ticking from the moment you sign up, irrespective of time actually spent online, so it’s not like you are getting 24 hours usage either, especially as you are unlikely to be online in the small hours of the morning. The charging period doesn't take account of what else you might have to do during that time slot – sleeping, eating, washing, or generally enjoying other onboard activities.  

If we’re desperate to catch up on emails or social media, which we’re not, we can wait until a “port day” and connect using data roaming. In the meantime, any screen time I fancy will be taken up with typing out posts as Word documents, ready to be uploaded when we arrive back in the UK. That’s still 12 days away, although I expect the time will fly past, and before we know it, we’ll be sailing back up the Solent and docking at Southampton.

By the way, don’t expect much in the way of posts for a few days after my return, as I’m straight back to work on Monday 24^th June, and I fully expect to find both my in-tray and inbox full to overflowing. With me working just three days a week, the amount of annual leave due to me has been reduced accordingly, on a pro-rata basis. Leave then, is a precious commodity, and something not to be wasted.

In the meantime, here’s a quick catch up on what Mrs PBT’s and I have been up to. It’s only right to say at this stage that Eileen is quite a gregarious person, much more so than me, so she’s quite adept at engaging with strangers and striking up a conversation with them. 

This means, as on previous cruises, she has become pals with quite a number of disparate people, drawn various parts of the UK, and united by their addiction to nicotine. Eileen also won’t mind me telling the world that whilst she is a reformed smoker, she still has a minor craving for nicotine - something that is assuaged by vaping. Now smoking and vaping are strictly prohibited in all inside areas onboard ship, and the same applies to the majority of outdoor spaces as well. However, as on all cruise ships there are dedicated spaces for those who enjoy their regular nicotine fix, and after we have boarded, we usually go looking for the smoking area.

The location of these dedicated sections is invariably outside, which is fine during good weather, but not so good when things are less clement, although the cruise lines aren’t that cruel to smokers and do provide some degree of cover. So, as with smoking shelters in pubs, there is at least some form of roof over peoples’ heads. The shelter on Queen Anne is by far the best-appointed smoking area we have come across on cruise ships, although being sited on the topmost deck it couldn’t be any further away from the main parts of the vessel. Anyway, as on other cruises, my good lady wife has got to know some really nice people, along with some rather interesting characters.

So, what about onboard activities – guest speakers, quizzes – in the Golden Lion pub, cocktails with the captain (don’t bother), plus various shows, live music, films and guest speakers? Star speaker on this cruise has, without a doubt, been Scottish singer and musician, Midge Ure, who gave a flawless account of growing up poor in one of the rough parts of Glasgow, how he developed an interest in music, and his eventual success with Ultravox, and as a solo performer. He then went on to describe the involvement of both himself and Bob Geldorf, with the Band Aid and Live Aid projects.

Veteran broadcaster, and former newsreader, Angela Rippon, also gave a series of three talks, covering her career in television. She was a bit too excitable for my taste, although her presentations were generally well-received by an audience that must have grown up with her. Of more interest was a series of talks by a respected marine-biologist, whose name unfortunately, escapes me. Cruisers can, if they wish watch and listed to these talks in the comfort of their cabin, rather than in the theatre.  Eileen and I listened to a couple of these talks, which centered mainly around the theme of “marine creatures you would not wish to meet,”  so basically, they’re either going to eat you, poison you or both!

Then there are the shore excursions, and on this voyage, I have booked a full-on, whole day discovery trip to Rome, alongside a slightly shorter excursion to the historic Andalusian city of Córdoba. The first excursion departs from the port of Civitavecchia, whilst the second leaves from Malaga. I shall be abandoning Mrs PBT’s on both occasions, leaving her behind with time to chill out on the ship. 

Rome is obviously one of the world’s best known and most famous cities, and whilst surprisingly, it’s never ranked that high on my bucket list, I shall obviously take advantage of the opportunity to visit the place. Córdoba, on the other hand is a city that has been home to several religions, including Judaism, Islam (Moorish), and Christianity, with each faith leaving its own unique mark on the city.

As I said, there are still quite a few more days to go, and several different locations to visit, including the city of Barcelona, tomorrow’s port of call, Spain’s second largest city and the capital of Catalonia. Mrs PBT’s and I have been to Barcelona before, both jointly and on our own, so we shall give the organised tours and excursions a miss, and instead will be doing our own thing. My last visit to the city was in 2015, when I attended Barcelona’s beer festival. I also pre-booked a tour around Barcelona’s unique and most famous church, the Sagrada Familia. Catalan architect, Antoni Gaudi’s unique, masterpiece is slowly nearing completion, after over 100 years of stop-start building work. Construction started slowly, and then came to a halt during the Spanish Civil War, when many of the architect’s drawings and models were either lost or destroyed, but following the end of the conflict, work gradually resumed.

Following the restoration of democracy to Spain, along with the return of the monarchy, building work gathered pace, with Gaudi’s the cathedral scheduled for final completion in 2026. This date will mark the centenary of the architect’s death. Following my visit In 2015, I made a promise to return to see the finished Sagrada Familia in all its glory, so allowing for slack, I’m probably looking at 2027, at the earliest.

Returning to the ship, I’m trying to be a good boy on this cruise, by maintaining a relatively healthy lifestyle and not eating too much. Cooking Lager, please take note! This is despite the ever-present temptation, every way one turns. There are various opportunities for staying fit, ranging from tennis, deck quoits, improving one’s golf swing along with jogging around the promenade deck. There is also a fully fitted out gymnasium for the real keep-fit, masochistic, muscle building enthusiasts, whilst at the more gentle end of the spectrum, passengers can participate in yoga or dancing.

Apart from knocking off a few laps of the promenade deck each morning, none of the above appeals to me, but it’s been relatively easy to clock up the required 10k steps a day, especially given the size of the ship, so I’ve been doing plenty of walking, not just purposely around the promenade deck, but using the stairs, rather than the lifts, wherever possible. Deck walking is pretty boring, even if it helps one keep fit, so I’ve resorted to wearing earphones, something I disapprove of when I’m out rambling and see people totally oblivious of what’s going on around them. These individuals are definitely not in the zone, but even walking around a level and evenly-surfaced deck, you need to be aware of people coming up behind you – especially if you don’t want to get mowed down by a huffing and puffing, would-be marathon runner.

Finally, as well as trying to keep up with articles for the blog, I’ve been doing quite a bit of reading, and am halfway through the novel, Tender is the Night, by American author, F. Scott Fitzgerald – he of The Great Gatsby fame. The book was recommended to me by Retired Martin and has turned out to be a good choice, with a plot that is more substantial, and far more plausible than the story of Jay Gatsby. Had I managed to finish my book, there is a well-stocked library on board the ship, tucked away in a quiet corner of Deck 12, with views out across the ocean as Queen Anne glides majestically through the waves below.