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This morning, after a fairly bouncy passage north, we woke to the news from the captain that the seas were too high to safely use the tender for going ashore, so therefore we would not be going to Monte Carlo as promised.  A few minutes later there was another message that we would instead be going to St Tropez where the winds and sea were lighter and the bay was more sheltered.  We were disappointed  at first, but as we hadn’t been to St Tropez before, and as we had no choice anyway, it seemed like the best solution, so off we sailed to St Tropez.  The journey didn’t take too long and as soon as we were anchored the tenders were readied.  Now I know I’ve criticised P&O quite a lot in this blog, but this is one thing they excel at, organization.  New port information sheets were printed and issued to every cabin.  A “going ashore” presentation was swiftly organised.  Tender tickets were issued and the whole thing simply worked like clockwork.  We were passengers 638 and 639, but it only took about 20 mins from getting the ticket to boarding a rocky tender.  A tender, by the way for those who don’t know is just a small boat used to ferry passengers from the main ship at anchor to the jetty or pier.  Usually with a cruise ship, it’s the lifeboats that are used as tenders.

We wandered round the front area of ST and quickly found that it was just one big traffic jam.  Occasionally some hooray Henry would race past in daddy’s Porsche,  but it was mainly motor scooters and motorbikes that were deemed the best way of cutting through traffic.  We walked through a market, but as the time was 1.00pm, most of the stallholders were shutting up shop for the day.  It seems that the market opens around 6.00am and shuts between 1.00 and 2.00pm.

After the walk around the market, we headed for the old harbour to see the fancy yachts.  They’re called yachts, but most of them are bigger than some cruise ships.  It doesn’t look as if many of them sail out to see very often.  Their owners get someone else to sail them in to port, then they themselves jet or helicopter in to spend a few days on them.  There seemed to be a lot of parties going on in them.  We, on the other hand, went looking for a bar to get a beer.  We found one, an Irish bar, run by an Italian in France!  Whatever, the beer was good.  As usual, we didn’t want to be late back, so we headed back to get the tender out to the ship.  After that, we had lunch then Scamp went sunbathing and I went for a short snooze.  After an hour, I joined her on the sun deck to roast myself for a while before we went to the cabin to finish packing.  Had dinner then watched a Headliners show before a drink, a hot chocolate and bed.  Need to be up and out before 9.00am tomorrow, ready to return to cold Scotland.  Oh well, All good thing must come to an end!  It was great fun, and we’d do it again with the same itinerary, but not with P&O, despite their organisation.  There are just too many flaws in their company.

Well, not quite dancing on a volcano, but sailing pretty close to it.  The it in question being Stromboli at the southern tip of Italy, but let me start at the beginning.  We woke around 8.30am and went out to see the passage through the Straits of Messina again.  I make no excuses for this as it is a great sight.  While we were there we saw the strange swordfish fishing boats with their enormous masts and crows nests where the pilot steers the boat to the shoals of swordfish.  There is also an extremely long bowsprit from which the fish are speared.  Unfortunately we never saw any actual fishing being done, but the pilots were in the crows nests steering the boats.  Scary looking stuff.  There was beautiful light on the coasts on both sides during the passage.  Lovely dramatic skies too.  We also passed the highest pylons in Europe which are now designated listed status. 

Just before we went for breakfast we saw a pod of dolphins, the second we’ve seen this trip.  After breakfast I went to a talk on JMW Turner and also on some bloke who’s paintings the gallery were trying to push.  Strangely, when the talk was finished and the powerpoint closed, there was a message on the screen to the effect that this was not a legal version of windows 7.  Pirates on a ship?  How apt.  A quick walk along the deck and we were at the next talk which was about ancient Rome, but couched as a port talk would be today.  The speaker was obviously really interested in his subject, but maybe took it a bit too enthusiastically for most of the audience. 

When that was done we had just started to get near to Stromboli.  We sailed right round it and were just sailing away when I saw some rocks falling down the scree with clouds coming from them.  I presume these were thrown out by the only active volcano in Europe.  A really amazing and scary sight.  I don’t think I’d like to live near it. 

Time for lunch, and after that it was sunbathing time, with a short interlude to watch the start of the Austrian F1 GP.  By about 5.00pm it was getting a bit cool to sit any longer so we went back to the cabin to get ready for the last formal night of the cruise.  Watched three soul singers in the early cabaret – very good entertainment.  After that, it was the Crew Show, but it was mainly the Entertainment Team and a few of the staff, but very few.  All in all, it was a good day at sea, well filled.  I’ll probably remember it most for Stromboli and the swordfish fishing boats.

Well, we did get up at 5.30am and it was worth it to see the Straits of Messina.  We also got to watch the sunrise over the toe of Italy.  Great start to the day.  I don’t think we had realised just how close the ship would be to the coast on both sides.  It certainly was a great sight to see.  We couldn’t get up to the top deck because the wind was so strong.  Probably a good thing really.  We did see one girl, three sheets to the wind staggering up the stairs with a hangover in the making.  If she had managed to get to the upper deck I’m sure someone would have had the chance to test the crew’s readiness for “Man Overboard”.  Should that now be “Person Overboard” now in these PC days?  I’m sure someone will try to get it changed.  Anyway, the two blokes with her wouldn’t have been much use, but I don’t think they were as drunk as they tried to imply.  Scamp went back to bed after the Straits had disappeared behind us and I stayed up.  I went to reception to complain about last night’s elephant rampage, but no elephants have been reported on board.  However, if we hear any elephantine noises tonight we’ve to phone 5000 to get an elephant trainer to come and calm it down.  We’ll see. 

It’s 8.10am just now and I’m sitting in the shadow of the Sky Deck writing this, but I think I’ll soon be grabbing  a sunbed to top up my tan.  It’s a strange to  think that there’s a place in the world where I’ve had breakfast and am going sunbathing at this hour.  More later.

Sat for an hour painting, then I woke Scamp and we went for breakfast.  Second breakfast for me.  After that we went looking for sunbeds.  Found a few behind the golf range which acted as a windbreak and made it quite comfortable.  This is definitely “taps aff” weather for me.  Soaked up the sun for a couple of hours and then it was time to go to dance class.  Swing Jive today.  Looks so easy, but it is a lot more difficult than it seems.  After that I went to a talk about art prints and what makes a limited edition.  Really interesting, but the figures they were talking about were way above my pay grade.

Dancing again in the afternoon and more sunning ourselves.

Black tie dinner tonight, but I only lasted for the dinner and a walk around the deck before I had to give in and hang up the kilt.  Too hot for it here.  We did manage one dance.  We commandeered a samba and turned it into a samba.  I was knackered after that.  Then Scamp wanted to do a Cha-Cha, so we did and that was it for the night.

Elephants are back again tonight.  It’s coming from the restaurant, I’m sure.  There really shouldn’t be rooms below it.  However, as Scamp says, they have to get the kitchens cleared up for these hungry people like us to stuff our faces again the next day.  Truly, you eat, drink and sleep.  We like the cabin and its position near the pool, so I expect we’ll put up with the elephant.  It’s on its holiday too .   Looking forward to Dubrovnik.

Today began early at around 6.45am to be a bit more precise. I got up to watch the entry into Naples, but I was an hour too late, it was meant to be 5.45am. I wasn’t bothered as it gave me a chance to see the city from on high and get some good photos with the beautiful morning light.  Had breakfast out on the deck enjoying the views and the warm sun.  Scamp was still sleeping – she said she was too tired to get up.  Later when she did arrive we went down to get a Red Bus Tour into the city.  Unfortunately, when I was photographing the monument to the unknown immigrant, I noticed that the battery was low so I had to go back to the ship which meant up two long flights of stairs, across the bridge, down two long flights of stairs on the other side, through port security, through ship security and back to the cabin.  Then I found that for some lucky reason, Olympus had seen fit to make the batteries in the E-PL1 and the E-PL5 almost the same.  In fact, they were so similar they are interchangeable.  That meant I would still be able to use the E-PL5.  Great! Now back through ship security, port security …

Eventually we got out on to the red bus, which turned out to be a shuttle that took us to the bus terminus.  We went on the Red tour which looked the most interesting. The bus took us up hills, down the other side into wee side streets that looked at first to be far too narrow.  We followed a trolley bus for a while.  How long is it since we’ve seen trolley busses?  The route, like every Red Bus Tour we’ve been on was a circular one, eventually bringing us back to where we started. I really enjoyed the bus tour.  Scamp didn’t like Naples – she never has, to be fair.  We were hot and thirsty and also beginning to get hungry.  We walked back along the route to the shopping area and found a pizzeria which looked ok.  As soon as I walked in I felt the wash of the aircon.  What a welcome feeling.  My face must have been a picture as one of the Italians (all the customers were Italian) sitting at a table near the door burst into laughter and said “Is good, eh?”  It was good.  The pizza I had was also good.  Very good in fact, as was the beer.  I had a pizza Romana and Scamp had something she can pronounce, but I can’t which was a plain pizza, no cheese or tomato, just a very thin baked base with a fluffy crust.  The well in the middle was then filled with tuna, chopped baby tomatoes and rocket, then sprinkled with olive oil.  Multo bene.

Lazed on the deck when we got back, but the sky was clouding over now.  Drank gallons of iced water.  Sunbathed for an hour and then watched the sail-away.  After that it was time for dinner.  Relaxed dress for dinner tonight.  Scamp got talking to the woman at the same table as us – Sue and the two of them were amazed at the parallel lives they’d led.  Both were singers in a choir.  Both had done the Big Sing.  Both had run keep fit classes for older people.  It was quite an astonishing evening.

After dinner we went to look at the photos we’d had taken yesterday and Scamp was not amused at them.  I was not amused at the way the display on the touch screen computers kept stalling every few seconds.  Eventually it hung completely and we logged out.  Not impressed.

Watched the sun set then had a coffee and listened to the pianist.  Went to bed, or tried to.  It appears there is an elephant in the room next to ours, crashing around, which is strange on two counts.

1.  We’ve not seen an elephant on board, and if it was in the pool, wouldn’t we have seen its trunks somewhere? (Joke, Scamp).
2.  There’s not a room next to ours.  Update.  There is a room next to our’s.  It’s a crew practise room, where they can practise making up beds and feeding the elephant.

Hoping to get up at 5.30 tomorrow to see the passage through the Straits of Messina, if we get any sleep.

Today was a later start than the 5.00am start yesterday.  We had a look out at Livorno and then had breakfast in the buffet restaurant.  After breakfast, we headed off the ship to get the free bus into Livorno.  You can’t just walk there because Livorno harbour is designated an industrial area and pedestrians are not allowed.  Waited about 15 minutes for a bus, then three came at once.  I think they must have learned this trick from the British transport system.  Absolutely mental traffic system in this town.  We headed away from the port, turned around and headed back again.  Granted, we were on the other side of the road now, but is it really necessary to take so many twists and turns? 

After 15min or so, we arrived in the centre of Livorno.  Scamp wanted a map, so we headed for the tourist information place.  They only had maps for the tourist Red Bus, and that wasn’t what she wanted.  Now she didn’t want a map, so we walked through the town, following our noses.  On the outskirts of the town was a great piazza and just beyond that, the river.  We couldn’t understand why the piazza wasn’t built on, because it seemed to be completely empty, no statues or anything.  Later we discovered that it was in fact a gigantic bridge over one of the many canals in the town.  One of the reasons it’s called ‘little Venice’.  Beyond the piazza was the river with loads of little boats.  We crossed the road, taking our life in our hands and found a little flea market.  Some dodgy people selling even more dodgy stuff.  One old bloke berated me for taking his photo.  He should be honoured, this was my new camera.  I could see Scamp was not happy in the Livorno ‘Barras’, so we made our way back into town.

We found another market there, this time it was one of those markets where they sell just about everything.  Needle to an anchor, you get the idea.  Running along the side of it was the town fish and meat market.  It’s only when you see the variety and quality of the fish and meat available, you understand why Italians are so disappointed when they come to Britain where Tesco and ASDA pre-packed food is the norm.  Next was the vegetable market.  Same story, loads of good cheap veg and fruit.  We really are being ripped off by the supermarkets in the UK.

Eventually we decided we’d seen enough of Livorno, bought two gigantic ice cream cones and caught the bus home.  Same story as before.  Waited 30min then three came at once.

Sunbathed, read and swam two lengths of the tiny pool when we got back.  Dinner tonight was Prawn Cocktail, then Fried Cod with butterbean sauce and roasted sweet pineapple and icecream.

Wander round, watched the show which was good.  Had a drink and even managed a dance on the pool deck.  Then headed to the cabin.  Captain’s reception tomorrow.  Black tie affair.

Up early, at 5.00am to be precise then quick breakfast then off to Embra airport.  Check-in and security was excellently handled again.  In the twice we’ve travelled from Edinburgh, the way you are ushered from entry to embarkation makes Glasgow look like the amateurs they are.  Real breakfast after passing security because we hadn’t booked in-flight meals.  Flight left on time and was really smooth all the way to Genoa.  Check-in there was really slick too with no waiting.  Soon we were in our cabin.  Just an inside cabin in one of the areas near the ventilation equipment, so a bit noisy, but nothing too bad … so far.  Wandered round in our travelling clothes as we waited for our luggage, always a worry when the last time you saw the cases was at Embra check-in.  Cases arrived about an hour later.  Got changed into holiday togs and felt a lot better.  Time to wander round more seriously and try to find our feet and to work out where the sharp end of the ship was (where our cabin was, as it turned out.) and where the blunt end was.

Dinner was in the posher of the two paid-for restaurants and was very nice.  I had risotto as a starter then beef pave with potatoes and veg, then meringue with passion fruit to finish.  Scamp had melon as starter and a lovely looking veg curry and then the meringue.  We were supposed to be at a table for six, but only one other couple were there.  English, but we won’t hold that against them!

After dinner we sat and watched the ferries leaving, and after a few tannoy requests for passengers who had gone ashore and not been registered back on board to contact reception (don’t know what happened to them!), we were off.  One strange thing, as we were leaving the port, we passed what looked like a floating dry dock with a ship inside it.  It looked as if it was being salvaged.  I got the strangest feeling that this was the remains of the Costa Concordia, and I was right.  Possibly not the thing you want to see when you leave on your cruise.  However, we mentally and literally put it behind us.

Had a drink later and retired after a lovely day in the sun.  Let’s see what tomorrow brings.