Mareblu

Okay. I defer to other posters who will have much sounder knowledge. I was cheating by using Google anyway😂

Okay, so it’s the Ord River Dam, Kununurra. Good tip from Mic.

I've been waiting for this announcement. Our QE cruise a year ago suddenly dropped many NZ itinerary stops. The reason is the strict bio-regulations for hulls. QE unsuccessfully attempted to clean the hull while we drifted off NZ waters. Too little, too late. All passengers on that cruise were granted half the cost of the voyage in CCs for a future cruise. We're using ours for a Queen Anne voyage in May. We were so disappointed for the many British and American passengers who'd flown so many hours to board in Sydney, and who were really looking forward to the NZ heritage stops and cruise-bys. We have visited and enjoyed NZ many times, so although saddened that we were missing Dunedin, the Sounds and Bay of Islands on that cruise, our disappointment was nothing compared to those who'd not visited these iconic spots.

Umm, no room on the lifeboats though😔

Happy Valentines Day to you, Les. What a lovely, thoughtful message. We’ll be picturing you happily enjoying a delicious Raymonds dinner and a glass or two. Don’t do a Barnaby😂. For Valentines Day I let Mario play golf. I enjoyed the solitude, and he enjoyed the volf. Way to last 54 years😂 I’ll ring you tomorrow to set up a date before 29 Feb. Take it as easy as you can, moving is a stressful job. Our best wishes to your daughter and her partner, too. She’s a lucky girl.

My cousin bought me a square metre of the Fletcher Clan's Castle Dunans estate, on the Cowal Peninsula in Argyll and Bute. The certificate attests that I'm "Lady Linda of Dunans". Hysterical nonsense, of course, but a bit of fun, and a good revenue-raiser for all the estates, which these days do need to be run as a commercial enterprise to make ends meet. The original Fletcher castle, now in ruins, is by Loch Tulla, near Glencoe. Driving through the sheer beauty and majesty of the Pass of Glencoe always takes my breath away. Anyway, we've drifted totally off topic, sorry to all the "Where Was I?" folk😂

That's incredible...my ancestry is all around Glencoe: Loch Tulla, Glenorchy, Dalmally, Glen Etive (Skyfall). I have traced my Scottish ancestry to the 1400s, as there is a direct Clan Chief line, and they were documented. It's such a hauntingly beautiful part of the world. We're returning in just a few months, May in fact.

Hmmmm…somewhere near a Backpackers?. No idea. Over to the experts on here.

Yes, true, but there’s still a lot intact. Fortunately, people are more aware these days of preserving the treasures we’ve inherited. My ancestry is mostly Scottish, so when we visited and explored the wall, I had great delight in telling Mario, “this is where we prevailed”. He replied , “so what’s new”?😂

It certainly is. Well done! Your turn.

Although admittedly an added expense, have you thought about staying overnight in Trieste and collecting your car the next morning? I only suggest this as you mention your Avis reservation is still current. There would be a variety of hotels, b&bs, pensioni, etc. near either the port or Avis depot, I would think.

Daly Waters….”Tim’s Junkyard”?

It will cost about €80 in a taxi, perhaps more on a public holiday, but there is a train station at Ronchi (which is what locals call Trieste Airport). DH was born just north of Udine, so we know that entire area very well. This will be the only time we won’t be spending time in Friuli, as we are leaving from Marco Polo Aurport the next day to fly to Edinburgh, then collect a hire car at Edinburgh Airport. We have 3 weeks in the UK, then board Cunard’s new Queen Anne for her naming voyage around the British Isles. Where will your driving adventure take you?

That’s fine, and perfectly understandable. Wishing you a wonderful voyage. It’s a marvellous itinerary, and even though we’ve been to many of the ports before, each day and each visit is another adventure.

Well said, Hank. I agree with all your points. You will obviously be aboard our Grand Mediterranean Tour on Vista in April. There is a Roll Call I’m organising, and from memory, without consulting the excellent spreadsheets prepared by Gerry who is sadly no longer joining us, you are included. Looking forward to meeting you aboard…

If you’re referring to QA’s British Isles Festive Cruise, which we are very much looking forward to, I did notice a few days ago that there was at that stage some PG accommodation available. It’s a wonderful itinerary, with the highlight now being the official naming ceremony in Liverpool on 3 June. I should expect the spots to be filled very soon, if not already.

Our Queens Grill reservation in My Cunard for our upcoming Queen Anne voyage describes our dining as Main Dining. So did our QG on Queen Elizabeth. It’s a standard description, obviously.

I agree with all your comments. Count us, too, as Covid cruisers. One and only bout 🤞🤞🤞for both of us: Oceania Sirena, September 2022. Still one of our best ever adventures.

That looks absolutely delicious. Be very careful, Lyle, or you'll be on cooking duties when you arrive😉

I did👏😂

Meant to add: Oyster Bay is a fine drop. We love the NZ whites.

Oh, yummmmm! Do you both like mussels?

You're not an island. Sometimes my kids call me "Minda" when it comes to IT😂

Can't open the links, unfortunately, but they would be identical to the photos I posted above, which are of the same QE Q3 penthouse.