Category: Cruise 2023

Flying home – 22 June 2023

Posted on by Zogman

Yesterday’s packing had disappeared overnight, destined to appear again in Glasgow.

Ours was an early morning rise and a quick breakfast before boarding the bus to take us to Dubrovnik airport for the flight home.

As usual there were delays. After checking in at security and passing through, we waited for the message to start boarding. Finally we were allowed to begin the boarding process, except there were no buses to take us to the waiting plane. Almost an hour later they finally found the buses and took us to the plane. Then we were told that there would be a one hour wait before we’d be assigned a takeoff slot by German flight control. I felt sorry for the poor captain who had to relay the updates to the fed up passengers. Finally we were on our way on a turbulent flight to Glasgow.

Our troubles weren’t over when we landed at Glasgow and were put in the wrong parking bay where the stairs wouldn’t reach the aircraft doors. When they finally found suitable stairs we exited and went through immigration to a luggage conveyer belt that was carrying four plane loads of luggage. Another half hour before the luggage from our flight appeared and we were free to leave what is advertised as an International Airport. Mickey Mouse airport would be closer. The final ignominy was that only two of the three exits from the carpark were working and one of them seemed to be on a go-slow. If it wasn’t so depressing, it would be a comedy.

The highlight of the flight home was flying over Cumbersheugh and that “I can see our hoose from here” moment! It’s amazing how green and pleasant some places look in good afternoon light from 4,000ft.

An ancient Vrabac sailplane in Dubrovnik airport became PoD.

A cup of tea and a seat in your own living room is a great consolation. Tomorrow we’ll start unpacking.

 

Split – 21 June 2023

Posted on by Zogman

Famous for Game of Thrones. We didn’t want to go into town, we’ve been before. Lots of folk taking Tuk Tuks trips into town.

Things to remember:

  • Eight Tuk Tuks in a line waiting to go in the morning.
  • Sitting by the pool after breakfast.
  • A leisurely swim in the pool for both of us.
  • Really hot.
  • Couldn’t be bothered going into Split.
  • Sat with an ice cream in the beach huts by the pool (on the ship).
  • Saw the boys jumping off the sandy cliffs into the sea, just like 2019!
  • Spent most of the afternoon making sure everything would go into the case.

Ancona – 20 June 2023

Posted on by Zogman

Where my dad worked during the war at the docks. It didn’t look as if it had changed much in the intervening years. Narrow old cobbled streets and wide squares.

Things to remember:

  • Got lost trying to find our way into the town.
  • Police (Carabineri) carrying shiny swords (celebration?)
  • Walked round the town squares.
  • Coffee in a street cafe.
  • Americano was a ristretto coffee with a jug of hot water.
  • Do it yourself coffee!
  • S had ice cream I had beer.
  • We found a park with Lavender growing in it, well looked after.
  • Two beers in the park.
  • Whitney Houston act in place of a show – we didn’t go on and on and on.
  • Listened to Shane the pianist in Flutes.
  • Had to listen Aka (Dolce) spouting his lack of knowledge about dance origins.
  • Watched him dancing with the little girl with the red shoes.

Today we were in Zadar – 18 June 2023

Posted on by Zogman

Zadar is one of our favourite places, although we often confuse it with Koper and that’s what happened today. We kept looking for places that were, in fact, in Koper – not Zadar.

Things we’ll remember:

  • The big white five masted sailing ship Windsurf (PoD).
  • The Sea Organ.
  • Punters dressed as Roman centurions for some reason.
  • Buildings in the town still with shell damage from the war.
  • Cats, both real and painted on walls.
  • The “Head Garden” of busts, so called by a tour guide.
  • Dinner in Kora La.
  • Watching a table of rowdies being told quietly to leave the premises.
  • Wondering if they were made to walk the plank.
  • Monkey towel animal. Not the scary monkeys we sometimes have.

All at sea – 17 June 2023

Posted on by Zogman

Today we were on a sea day, but at least it wasn’t raining!

The ship was busier after its mid cruise stop in Dubrovnik, so we thought it might be more difficult to get a pair of sun beds. It was, but with a bit of jiggery pokery we managed to move a couple of beds to a sheltered and warmer position and settled down to soak up some sun. That’s more or less where we stayed for most of the day, retaining our beds while we had lunch in Smash ’n’ Grab. We even got a splash in the pool and did some gentle washing of the costumes afterwards, hanging them on the back of a chair on the balcony. That became PoD. Yes, I’m still doing PoDs although I’ve been a bit lax with them recently!

Dinner tonight was in Nonna’s. Pizza for me and pasta for Scamp. She even found enough space to put away a Knickerbocker Glory afterwards.

Things we’ll remember:

  • A full day in the sun.
  • A splash in the pool.
  • Nonna’s for an Italian dinner.
  • Julio the waiter with that big wide smile supplying us with red wine.

Life is hard on a Sea Day!

The day the rains came in Dubrovnik – 15 June 2023

Posted on by Zogman

… and forgot to stop!

Things we’ll remember:

  • Waking to rain on the balcony.
  • Heavy rain, light rain, but constant rain.
  • Breakfast in “Smash ’n’ Grab”.
  • Constant messages from the Cruise Director.
  • Warnings to those going home to stay in your cabins until called.
  • Went for a walk in the afternoon.
  • Almost cut my hair – or got it cut.
  • Saw the ‘battleship’ and the armoured car.
  • No cats in the armoured car.
  • Watched the rain forming rivers on the windows of “Indigo”.
  • Tapas for dinner – excellent.
  • Show was “Movies”
  • Aka the professional male dancer’s flies burst open during his routine!
  • Nearly dropped his partner when the ship moved for him!
  • Brambles for two – very nice!

 

Corfu – 13 June 2023

Posted on by Zogman

A bit run down now and a long walk from the port to the old town. Bit the bullet and got the bus back.

Things to remember:

  • That long walk in the hot sun.
  • Been there before, but couldn’t remember any of it.
  • New building built onto ancient ruins.
  • Camera bag for €40 after a bit of haggling, but no sale.
  • €44 tee shirt. Nice shirt but 40 quid(??), no thanks.
  • Narrow streets.
  • Congested.
  • It rained!
  • Beer next to a naval base.
  • German Torpedos on display at naval base.
  • The Holocaust statue.

Katakolon or Katakolo – 12 June 2023

Posted on by Zogman

A small town in Greece.

Just really a main street with lots of touristy shops. Like so many of the ports on this cruise, it was only a berth to allow folk to be bussed to more interesting places. Today’s buses were going to Olympia. We weren’t on those buses, we made the mistake of going on a wee train. Forty five minutes waiting for the driver to drum up enough custom to make it worth his while driving us round a few miles up hill and back down again. If you ever get the chance to pre-book a ticket on one of these tours, walk away. All the folk on our train wished they had. But there were highlights in Katakolo too and here are some of them.

Things we’ll remember:

  • That wee train and the 45min wait.
  • The red parasols of crew from the posh Viking ship next door.
  • Greek salad for lunch in a quayside cafe.
  • Gyros.
  • Lines of olive trees.
  • Just how dry the landscape was.
  • View looking out from the harbour.

Water Leak – 11 June 2023

Posted on by Zogman

Today was Sunday in Piraeus and it was hot, but cloudy with the threat of rain and thunder storms.

We had a warning last night in our cabin that over 900 passengers would be leaving the ship at intervals in the morning to go on excursions, so probably best leave breakfast until a little later. This morning we had another warning, not the one you want to hear when you’re on a ship. There was a water leak and we were given an hour’s warning that the entire water system of the ship was being turned off.

After our late breakfast we made sure to use our time wisely and evacuated whatever needed evacuating, then left the plumbers or engineers to do their work. We walked off the ship and on into the town which seemed closed. Well, it was Sunday after all and we were in quite a small town.

I was searching for two things. The first was the fish market, which I didn’t find, presumably because it was Sunday and it would have been closed anyway. The second was the place where motorbikes go to die. It’s a bike shop on a street corner with some lovely machines inside. Outside is where the scrap bikes are left to be cannibalised for spare parts. I found it, up a steep hill with a children’s playground and dog walking area across the road. Got a photo of a Kawasaki chopper that might make PoD.

Things we’ll remember:

  • Late breakfast.
  • Water leak.
  • Looong walk into town.
  • Shops shut on Sundays.
  • Today was Sunday.
  • Angry dog.
  • Where motorbikes go to die.
  • Sunset over the mountains.

 

Souda for Chania – 10 June 2023

Posted on by Zogman

The first Greek town this year, although Scamp does remind me that it’s Crete, not Greece!

We had breakfast in the posh restaurant we ate in last night. Sensible plates of food for once. Then we watched the sail in on a beautiful morning.

With no tours booked, we just watched until the queue for the bus calmed down then walked out and caught the €1.50 bus from Souda, where we were docked, into Chania town. We had to stand for the 15min journey which was a pain in the legs.

It was a bit busy in the town, In fact it was very busy, but it was Saturday and you have to remember that. My watch wasn’t syncing yet with my phone, so I also had to remember to add on an extra two hours to the time.

We walked through the shops, all of which seemed to sell leather goods, but didn’t buy anything. We did go for coffee in a wee cafe in a town square. We walked as far as the harbour and watched the horse drawn carriages going past. We both felt sorry for the horses.

At night we had another posh dinner sat next to a crazy man and his wife. He was telling the steward how he had a machine gun fitted to the front of his mini. He said it kept everyone out of his way. Scamp tapped him on the shoulder and he jumped as if he’d been slapped and shouted “Don’t touch me!” If I didn’t know better, I’d say he was Ray Furminger’s brother. That same kind of sarcastic humour. Great fun was had by all apart from his wife who smiled and shook her head at everything he said.

Dancing at night to music by a girl from the entertainment team. Sitting with two women who were dancers, certainly better than me, but they had the advantage of being sober.

Tomorrow it’s Piraeus

Things we’ll remember:

  • The sail in.
  • The man with the Barrel Organ.
  • Horses pulling two seater gigs in Chania.
  • Old church or cathedral. Beautiful, but dark inside.
  • Two weans chasing pigeons across the church square.
  • Watching the wee fish swimming in the harbour.
  • Overcrowded buses, going in to town and returning to Souda.
  • Mad Saturday traffic.
  • Being served ‘sit down’ breakfast in the posh restaurant.