QM2 and QE November 12 to December 4, 2016

[elmsliebev]

lovely to read your report, as ever. I look forward to reading the rest and also about your overnight train trip. Enjoy the rest of your time.

It's making me very homesick for the QM2 though. We had hoped to be on her right now, back to New York but weren't able to manage it this year.

[rafinmd]

Thank you elmsliebev. I suspect if you were on QM2 you would have experienced the full range of weather she was designed to deal with.

My last full day in Southampton I was up at 5 but did not leave the hotel until well after 8 for breakfast. The morning seemed a bit warmer than the previous days but not really warm, and there was evidence of recent rain but the skies started out dry.

 

My plan for a day was a visit to the Isle of Wight. For 20 years I have watched the little Red Funnel ferries pass while waiting for sailaway or on arrival in Southampton, but never investigated. It was a short walk to the terminal in the center of town; I arrived about 10:15 and the Red Eagle was leaving at 10:30. There are several car decks, and 2 passenger decks with dining facilities on top.

 

I went to the open deck on the top level. It was initially pretty nice but almost as soon as we cleared the dock the winds became extremely strong and stayed that way for the entire 1-hour crossing. Near the midpoint we passed the sister ship, the Red Osprey.

 

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Cowes is on the north coast of the Isle of Wight at the mouth of the Medina River. The main part of the town is on the West shore, there are just a few businesses in East Cowes where the car ferry docks (there is a catamaran to West Cowes). As I disembarked the ferry the rain started.

 

At the suggestion of the tourist office I started out on one of the Island’s buses to the town of Ryde, about 6 miles to the East. It’s a double decker bus and I the top level was wide open. The seat immediately above the driver was open although the windshield was fogged and distorted by rain. By the time we reached Ryde the rain had stopped and there were traces of sunshine. If I returned immediately I would just make the 1:30 sailing of the Red Osprey. I decided to return and leave if the rain came back or explore more if the weather held. The weather held.

 

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East and West Cowes are connected by a chain ferry just upstream from the ferry terminal. It’s a short crossing and the ferry runs pretty continuously. A chain runs across the river and the ferry is pulled across by a winch with crossing time about 5 minutes. I walked most of the way down the waterfront, some of it on a quaint pedestrian street. I had walked about 15 minutes when I felt a few rain drops and returned to the chain ferry. Looking up the Medina River there are many marinas with lovely yachts. I had time for a tea at a little shop before boarding the 3:00 Red Eagle back to Southampton.

 

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Another downpour opened up as we docked in Southampton, but had dropped to a trickle by the time I got back to the ticket office. I had some free time in the hotel before dinner and then a relaxing evening.

 

Today’s parting shot comes from the BBC news. May the damage from the new Japan Tsunami be minimal.

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

The day started off pretty much like my other days in Southampton but became somewhat more stressful than desired. I left the hotel about 6:30 and walked to McDonalds on West Quay for coffee and milk.. The streets were soaked but it was not raining as I walked. I was just approaching McDonalds as I saw the lights of Queen Elizabeth gliding by. When I returned to the Grand Harbor the key to my room wouldn’t work. A new key created by the front desk didn’t work either. A second visit to reception brought the concierge to help out; his master key and a replacement key also failed to open the door. Probably a half hour had passed by the time he brought a physical metal key and got me into my room. There was never a resolution to the door lock problem.

 

The hotel offers a “Cruise package” featuring a lounge with coffee and snacks and transfers to the ship. I stopped at the front desk Monday to book it. When I checked the appropriate lounge in the morning it was empty and I was told there was no record of the booking. I left my bags with the concierge and went out for more breakfast, returning about 11. A taxi had me at the Mayflower terminal by 11:30.

 

Checkin was fairly quick and I was onboard soon after with a couple of issues. When I booked this cruise I thought I MIGHT be disembarking in Lisbon for my transfer to Seabourn. The documents came through that way although my current plans are to continue to Southampton and I have trains booked to Paris and Lisbon. Cunard has been notified of this several times but with no change. A check with the purser resulted in “I’ll notify a supervisor and get back to you”. I hope so. My QM2 crossing was my 15th voyage so I should now be Diamond but it has not shown up on my records. I need to try to see the Loyalty Ambassador after the drill and hope I’ll be able to get it done before dinner. I want to get the issue straightened out before buying an internet package.

 

I am in 8031, a “Deluxe inside”. I think the chief difference from a regular inside is the presence of a love seat. There are a total of 5 outlets, 2 regular US, 1 British, 1 European, and one spare US by the TV. The lights are controlled by a key slot; there’s about a 45 second delay to the lights after removing the key. The TV and UK outlets turn off when the key is removed, the other 3 stay on.

 

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One final thing that was also an issue last time I was on QE. I stopped at Britannia to look at dinner menu. They still have the breakfast menu posted. Are they ashamed of their dinner offerings?

 

My bags arrived about 2:30 and I was pretty well unpacked by the 4PM Muster drill (Royal Court Theater). I was in line about 4:45 for the Voyage Sales Person and Flavia soon had me fixed up with a Diamond pin, advising to visit the Purser perhaps in the morning to have my card reprinted. I was there for the actual sailaway; we apparently slid forward to an appropriate place to turn around and were approaching our dock as I got up to deck 9. I stood on the aft deck for about 10 minutes before the rain started up again. Walking forward to the Pavilion Pool area I arrived just as we exchanged toots with the Aidaprima, docked at Ocean Terminal. I returned briefly to my room and there was a message that my records were amended to disembark in Southampton. I’ll get a new card showing Southampton and Diamond in the morning.

 

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Table 329 is a 6-top on the lower level of the Britannia Dining Room. I am joined by a family of 3 with a daughter who appears to be in her early 20's and a couple, all Brits. While I am having a bit of trouble with their accents it appears to be a good table. As a Diamond World Club member I get a meal in a specialty restaurant; if I use it it will likely be for a Verandah lunch; I don’t think I’ll be skipping any dinners. For the first evening I went with the apple soup, the Spa Chicken, and the Linzer Cake. The Head Waiter promises to bring me advance copies of the menus.

 

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This is largely a female run ship with Captain Inger Klein Thorhauge and Entertainment Host Amanda Reid. Unlike the Tranasatlantic we are losing an hour of sleep tonight. It doesn’t seem right; we are sailing West but apparently all of Spain is on the same time zone as Paris. This should be the only time I lose an hour overnight.

 

I’ll keep my parting shot simple. Rain Rain Go Away.

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

Between the season, our location, and our time zone, sunrise is getting really late, about 8:40 today and while there was color in the sky there wasn’t a real sunrise. It’s a good thing I had deferred reprinting my key card as there was a notice just before bed time that those of us from outside Europe would need to turn in their passports. A visit to the Purser about 6:30 took care of both items.

 

With a very busy morning and shoes still damp from Southampton I kept my morning walk on the brief side, 5 laps or about 1 ½ miles.

 

Most of my Cunard voyages are transatlantics, and I have relatively little experience with port calls. Much of the morning was spent in the Royal Court Theater where James, the Port Presenter talked about our first 4 ports. He was pretty decent. The best of this is with Holland America where the Location Guide is part of the entertainment team and gives about a 90% unbiased overview of the ports, of course never demeaning the shore excursions. James is part of the shore excursion team and does talk up the tours but stops far short of being a shill for them, explaining the means of doing things on your own. He is far better than what I’ve seen on Celebrity. He did have some bad news, one of the tours that interested me in La Coruna was cancelled due to lack of interest. He spoke on La Coruna and Tangier at 9 and Cartagena and Valencia at 11.

 

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In between at 10 we had the first of our Cunard Insights programs, George McGhee on the life of Doris Day. McGhee was heavily involved in selecting BBC entertainment during his career.

 

 

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Captain Inger Thorhauge is much less talkative than Captain Wells during her noon updates, just a few basic navigational facts without the maritime trivia that come both with Captain Wells and the 3rd officer in the QM2 updates. As of noon we were rounding the northwest corner of France with winds about 17 knots, nearly calm seas, heavy clouds, and a temperature of 11C/52F. We do not expect much short term change in the weather.

 

The advance copy of the menu was a very welcome development. I was looking at a pretty heavy dinner and wanted a light lunch. I don’t usually have lunch in the dining room but the options looked very good, a delicious berry soup and a melon plate for lunch. I also enjoyed a slice of fruit cake at tea time.

 

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If the Royal Court Theater was my featured morning destination it was the Queens Room in the afternoon. In addition to Afternoon tea there was a classical guitar concert by Martin Vishnick.

 

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For the first half of this cruise we alternate between Informal port days and Formal sea days. For the first formal night everyone looked great and I enjoyed the peach soup, prime rib, and ice cream. Sadly, the menu for Thursday did not arrive.

 

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The featured entertainment was Comedian Jeff Stevenson. I had hoped that a change in ship and a new nationality mix would bring more new material but that was not the case. Still, he was very funny the second time around.

 

Today’s parting shot will be a wish of a safe and happy Thanksgiving for American readers. I remember last year a lot of stress as I was visiting my brother in Iowa and delayed for hours by a freak snowstorm. May the weather also cooperate this year.

 

Roy

[kazu]

Great reports Roy. And Happy Thanksgiving to you :)

[elmsliebev]

Valencia is a wonderful city. We had a week there this September, could have easily stayed longer. I suggest the Central Market as a good spot to see and there is a great little tapas bar just nearby called Boatella, great fun! Just find a place at the bar & point to whatever takes your fancy.

[rafinmd]

Thank you Kazu and EB. Well, somehow I slept through my alarm until about 7:15. I was up for a toilet call at 4am and it’s rare for me to go without one for 3 hours so how I managed to sleep so long is a bit puzzling. When I went up on deck we were fast to the dock with a light drizzle falling.

 

This is my first visit to La Coruna. On my first ever European Cruise (Crystal Symphony, 1996) I docked in Vigo and visited Santiago de Compostela. Most of the tours today went there but I decided to stay local, and booked “The Crystal City”, a bus and walking tour of La Coruna.

 

We left the Queens Room at 9:45 and made our way to the bus in a rather heavy rain. Our guide Margarita gave us a brief introduction to the city. The name “Crystal city” comes from an area of glass building walls facing the sea which are supposed to be very vibrant when in the sunshine (like I’ll ever know). She also explained that the city, on a peninsula at the very Northwest tip of Spain, tends to identify more culturally (and in climate) with Ireland rather than the rest of Spain.

 

Our walking tour took us through Old Town. La Coruna is on a hill and we started at an upper elevation and walked down hill. When we left the bus the rain was rather hard. Our first stop was a park where we viewed a garden. I didn’t hear a lot of what Margarita said as I was standing back somewhat under a tree, and did not really feel like fishing for my camera. While we were there a gentleman in costume came by and we ducked into a little archway for a bit of history. A local woman was instrumental in repelling an attack by Sir Francis Drake and each January 16 a rose is mysteriously placed on her grave here. We continued down the hill on narrow stone streets and stopped at the main church in town. Margarita told us that under Franco Catholicism was mandatory in Spain. In it’s heyday the church was enlarged with the steeple now being at the old front and now somewhat in the middle of the building. She said that today while about 90 percent of the population is Catholic only about 30% are active.

 

At the end of our walk we were at the town’s main square. Margarita told us that the Crystal City is really old buildings. When built they faced town with the back of the buildings to the sea. There were balconies facing the sea but glass walls were put up to keep out the weather. The Crystal City is a bit of an accident.

 

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We were just on the bus briefly before stopping at the Castillo de San Anton. It has served as a fortress, the Governor’s Residence, a Leper colony and a prison but today is an archaeological museum. One of the exhibits was a recreated Gaelic boat, kind of a woven branch hull with an animal skin covering. Our final tourist stop was the Tower of Hercules, a functioning lighthouse dating back at least 1800 years. We continued on to a hotel high above the city with lovely views and a spread of treats. It became my defacto lunch and after the day largely outdoors the hot coffee was very welcome.

 

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We returned to the ship about 2:30. Margarita pointed out a nearby building that had been a combination of dance hall and shops but now was deserted most of the day. There was wifi there but it turned out to be extremely slow.

 

All aboard was 4:30. The weather was not conducive to being on deck for sailaway. After I saw us moving on the TV webcam I briefly popped up to the Lido for a last look at the Castillo.

 

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The seas got choppy soon after we left the harbor. We had a full table 349 although our younger member was feeling the seas and left briefly to regain her composure. The waiters brought her a nice plate of green apples. American Thanksgiving was barely mentioned on the ship but there was a special Turkey Dinner on the menu along with pumpkin pie. I didn’t see any starters I liked but did enjoy the turkey and the Canyon Ranch Apple/Cranberry Strudel.

 

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The featured entertainment was the Royal Cunard Singers (sans dancers) in Sing, also featuring the combined Theater and Queens Room Orchestras, String Quartet, and Harp.

 

Today is the day Americans make a sport of overeating. I missed it but will make up for it on Friday when I will have lunch in the Verandah. My diet takes a break at least in the right week.

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

I went up for coffee about 5:15. The weather was quite dreary, and the doors to the Promenade deck die not want to open. I decided to take my walk on inside corridors, and finished just in time to get a load of wash in the laundry when it opened at 7:30.

 

Sunrise was 8:40. There were openings in the clouds while I was out on deck but no actual sun. It did pop up a few minutes later as I was heading back down to my room.

 

The morning’s activities began with James’ presentation on Gibralter and Lisbon at 10. I have booked tours at the first 4 ports but will explore the final 2 on my own (There was no Cruise Critic roll call, and thus limited options for private tours). He was followed at 11 by the day’s first Cunard Insights presentation, Guy Chaplin with “Odette: From House to Heroine”. Odette was a French woman who married an Englishman and volunteered to provide information to Authorities during World War 2 which helped get resistance groups pulling together.

 

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As of the noon update we were proceeding along the coast of Portugal about 40 miles from Lisbon. The weather had improved significantly during the morning and I was able to step out on the Promenade deck with just a sweater. There was still a substantial wind with a temperature of 14C/57F.

 

As a new Diamond World Club member I get one meal in a specialty restaurant. I took it today in the Verandah Restaurant on deck 2. I went for the steak and the pear tart.

 

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There was one afternoon Cunard Insights program, George McGhee with “Festive Songs in the Music”, a review of Christmas songs in the movies. I found the Queens Room quite crowded for the function. Afterwards the sun showed for a while and I relaxed a bit on the aft pool deck.

 

The second formal night brought Captain Thorhauge’s welcome party in the Queens Room. She introduced the senior officers but there was no breakdown this time of the passengers by nationality.

 

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Most of the people at table 349 tonight went for the Chateaubriand. After my heavy lunch I went light with the Mango soup and the Royal Spa Chicken Salad appetiser as an entree.

 

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The featured entertainment started with a set by the Royal Cunard Dancers but was mostly singer Eve Sherratt. She turned out not to be a favorite of mine.

 

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Today’s parting shot comes from a reader comment I received by email: “So enjoy your travel notes! Hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving. Would love to know if they celebrate Thanksgiving where you are currently located.

Paula” Thank you Paula. To the best of my knowledge Thanksgiving, as we know it in the US is celebrated nowhere else, although Canada has a similar holiday the second Monday in October. Although it became an official holiday much later the roots go back to the earliest settlers celebrating a fall harvest.

 

Queen Mary 2 is approaching New York on a transatlantic and I’m sure there was quite a celebration there; there are few Americans on Queen Elizabeth and it was pretty much unnoticed during the day. Jeff Stevenson made a couple of references Wednesday night (pardoning the turkey, etc), and we had special entree and desert in the Dining Room but that was it. While I saw no reference to Thanksgiving while in Southampton, what seems to have taken hold internationally is Black Friday. While officially the US Thanksgiving holiday is just Thursday, many people take Friday off and make it a 4-day weekend. I saw many Black Friday signs in Southampton; I wasn’t around commercial areas in La Coruna much but I’m pretty sure it was in evidence there, and there is even a big Black Friday sale in the QE shops. What started out as a promotion taking advantage of a de facto day off has gone viral. Everybody loves a bargain.

 

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Roy

[rafinmd]

I had 2 surprises this morning. I would never have expected rain in Morocco but we had not only rain but some gusty winds. It was still possible to get out on the promenade deck and I walked another 1 ½ miles (5 laps). I went on deck as we were pulling into the harbor around 7:30, expecting to be alone in the port.

 

My reason for being on Cunard at this time (well, more of an excuse than a reason) was that I’m booked on Seabourn Odyssey’s transatlantic December 7 and this was the pleasant way to get here. Much to my surprise my new ship was pulling into the port just ahead of us.

 

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This is my second visit to Morocco, first to Tangier. I visited Casablanca and Agadir on the Wind Star in 2014. I had booked a Cunard tour, “Tangier City Tour” and came to regret the choice. It may not have been a bad tour but was not at all right for me this day. As we left about 9 the rain was coming down pretty good and it was a rather long walk to the bus. We started with a drive around the city but the windows were pretty well fogged up. Tangier is Morocco’s second largest city both in population and economic activity. The most modern section was built after 1956 when the French were expelled and Morocco became independent.

 

We made a couple of brief stops (fortunately, the rain took a break for a while). The first was Cape Spital where the Atlantic and Mediterranean met with an overlook and a lighthouse.

 

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Our second stop was just a bit longer at the Grotto of Hercules. A small cave opens to the sea, and the waves crashing up against the opening was rather interesting. There was a legend associated with the place but I didn’t really get the big picture.

 

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We had another sojurn on the bus where we passed some parks that would have been pretty nice on a better day and a number of palaces and estates, many belonging to foreign Princes and Oil magnates. On our return to the city we started a walking tour. We had a brief walk along an older part of the “new” city, built for French settlers in 1912-56 but now mostly occupied by locals. After about a block we arrived at the walls of the ancient city.

 

 

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Very few parts of the old city are accessible by car, with very narrow streets, little more than paths with many steps. Soon the rain began to really fall, and walking became more of a chore with little shelter and alleys so narrow there was really no room for 2 umbrellas to meet.

 

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I was pretty well drenched when we arrived at a small hotel where there were tea and cookies but nowhere near enough seating for everybody. The hotel was perched above the harbor where there was an excellent view of the ships below.

 

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We left the hotel at noon in a near downpour. I thought we would return to the ship but we still had a half hour of tramping through the medina pausing frequently in the rain looking at shops. I think I could have walked back to the ship in less time but we were not given that option. It was still pouring when we arrived back at the ship. I rarely ride ship’s elevators but could not bear the thought of squishing up 8 flights of stairs back to my cabin. I pretty much chilled out the rest of the afternoon.

 

Captain Thorauge’s sailaway message came about 5PM and we soon started backing out of the berth. I went on deck for my last (for now) looks at the Odyssey and then relaxed until dinner in the Commodore Club.

 

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Comparing notes at table 349 we all saw pretty much the same sights. Tonight I went for the peach soup and pasta and most of us the Key Lime Pie.

 

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The featured entertainment was a variety show starting with comedian Jeff Stevenson and continuing to singer Eve Sherratt. We lose an hour tonight as we return to Spanish time, and I called it a night at the end of Stevenson’s set.

 

Today’s parting shot comes from the little news summary we get each evening. I don’t think Fidel’s passing will have much practical effect but does signify the end of an era. RIP, Fidel.

 

Roy

[kazu]

So sorry to hear you are still being plagued by rain , Roy.

 

It seems you are not getting much of a respite at all.

 

Fingers crossed that the skies clear and the sun comes out for the remainder of the trip for you.

[ricki]

So sorry to hear about the continued rainy and dreary weather. Unfortunately, it does impact enjoyment of sights.

 

The Cave of Hercules intrigued me, so I did some research. Hercules, known for his strengths, was the son of The Greek god, Zeus, with his mistress. Hera, Zeus' wife cast a spell on Hercules causing him to kill his wife and children. To repent, Hercules had to complete these tasks of strength and courage. Apparently, he was to have slept in the Grotto or Cave of Hercules that you visited, as he completed those tasks:

 

EARLY LIFE

Hercules had a complicated family tree. According to legend, his father was Zeus, ruler of all the gods on Mount Olympus and all the mortals on earth, and his mother was Alcmene, the granddaughter of the hero Perseus. (Perseus, who was also said to be one of Zeus’ sons, famously beheaded the snake-haired Gorgon Medusa.)

 

Did You Know?

The constellation Hercules is the fifth-largest one in the sky.

 

HERA’S REVENGE

Hercules had enemies even before he was born. When Zeus’ wife Hera heard that her husband’s mistress was pregnant, she flew into a jealous rage. First, she used her supernatural powers to prevent the baby Hercules from becoming the ruler of Mycenae. (Though Zeus had declared that his son would inherit the Mycenaean kingdom, Hera’s meddling meant that another baby boy, the feeble Eurystheus, became its leader instead.) Then, after Hercules was born, Hera sent two snakes to kill him in his crib. The infant Hercules was unusually strong and fearless, however, and he strangled the snakes before they could strangle him.

 

But Hera kept up her dirty tricks. When her stepson was a young adult, she cast a kind of spell on him that drove him temporarily insane and caused him to murder his beloved wife and their two children. Guilty and heartbroken, Hercules tracked down Apollo, the god of truth and healing (and another of Zeus’ sons), and begged to be punished for what he had done.

 

THE HEROIC LABORS OF HERCULES

Apollo understood that Hercules’ crime had not been his fault—Hera’s vengeful actions were no secret—but still he insisted that the young man make amends. He ordered Hercules to perform 12 “heroic labors” for the Mycenaen king Eurystheus. Once Hercules completed every one of the labors, Apollo declared, he would be absolved of his guilt and achieve immortality.

 

The Nemean Lion

First, Apollo sent Hercules to the hills of Nemea to kill a lion that was terrorizing the people of the region. (Some storytellers say that Zeus had fathered this magical beast as well.) Hercules trapped the lion in its cave and strangled it. For the rest of his life, he wore the animal’s pelt as a cloak.

 

The Lernaean Hydra

Second, Hercules traveled to the city of Lerna to slay the nine-headed Hydra—a poisonous, snake-like creature who lived underwater, guarding the entrance to the Underworld. For this task, Hercules had the help of his nephew Iolaus. He cut off each of the monster’s heads while Iolaus burned each wound with a torch. This way, the pair kept the heads from growing back.The Golden HindNext, Hercules set off to capture the sacred pet of the goddess Diana: a red deer, or hind, with golden antlers and bronze hooves. Eurystheus had chosen this task for his rival because he believed that Diana would kill anyone she caught trying to steal her pet; however, once Hercules explained his situation to the goddess, she allowed him to go on his way without punishment.

 

The Erymanthean Boar

Fourth, Hercules used a giant net to snare the terrifying, man-eating wild boar of Mount Erymanthus.

 

The Augean StablesHercules’ fifth task was supposed to be humiliating as well as impossible: cleaning all the dung out of King Augeas’ enormous stables in a single day. However, Hercules completed the job easily, flooding the barn by diverting two nearby rivers.

 

The Stymphlaian Birds

Hercules’ sixth task was straightforward: Travel to the town of Stymphalos and drive away the huge flock of carnivorous birds that had taken up residence in its trees. This time, it was the goddess Athena who came to the hero’s aid: She gave him a pair of magical bronze krotala, or noisemakers, forged by the god Hephaistos. Hercules used these tools to frighten the birds away.

 

The Cretan Bull

Next, Hercules went to Crete to capture a rampaging bull that had impregnated the wife of the island’s king. (She later gave birth to the Minotaur, a creature with a man’s body and a bull’s head.) Hercules drove the bull back to Eurystheus, who released it into the streets of Marathon.

 

The Horses of Diomedes

Hercules’ eighth challenge was to capture the four man-eating horses of the Thracian king Diomedes. He brought them to Eurystheus, who dedicated the horses to Hera and set them free.

 

Hippolyte’s Belt

The ninth labor was complicated: stealing an armored belt that belonged to the Amazon queen Hippolyte. At first, the queen welcomed Hercules and agreed to give him the belt without a fight. However, the troublemaking Hera disguised herself as an Amazon warrior and spread a rumor that Hercules intended to kidnap the queen. To protect their leader, the women attacked the hero’s fleet; then, fearing for his safety, Hercules killed Hippolyte and ripped the belt from her body.

 

The Cattle of Geryon

For his 10th labor, Hercules was dispatched nearly to Africa to steal the cattle of the three-headed, six-legged monster Geryon. Once again, Hera did all she could to prevent the hero from succeeding, but eventually he returned to Mycenae with the cows.

 

The Apples of Hesperides

Next, Eurystheus sent Hercules to steal Hera’s wedding gift to Zeus: a set of golden apples guarded by a group of nymphs known as the Hesperides. This task was difficult—Hercules needed the help of the mortal Prometheus and the god Atlas to pull it off—but the hero eventually managed to run away with the apples. After he showed them to the king, he returned them to the gods’ garden where they belonged.

 

Cerberus

For his final challenge, Hercules traveled to Hades to kidnap Cerberus, the vicious three-headed dog that guarded its gates. Hercules managed to capture Cerberus by using his superhuman strength to wrestle the monster to the ground. Afterward, the dog returned unharmed to his post at the entrance to the Underworld.

 

IMMORTALITY

Later in his life, Hercules had a number of other adventures—rescuing the princess of Troy, battling for control of Mount Olympus—but none were as taxing, or as significant, as the labors had been. When he died, Athena carried him to Olympus on her chariot. According to legend, he spent the rest of eternity with the gods.

 

Hoping for sunny skies ahead!

 

Ricki

[Cats2010]

Who admires Greek mythology? :eek:

[ricki]

Who admires Greek mythology? :eek:

 

I apologize if you were offended by what I posted.

 

Ricki

[Cats2010]

I apologize if you were offended by what I posted.

 

Ricki

 

 

Not to worry! :) What happens these days is 'not bad' either.

[rafinmd]

Thank you Ricki. I haven't yet read what you posted but will a bit later when I get the email digest and can read it offline.

 

While the weather forecast still says “occasional showers” there finally appears to be something of a break. Between a busy morning and shoes still wet I walked a modest 6 laps (1.8 miles) on the Promenade Deck before heading back upstairs to put a load of laundry in the washer. I saw a little sliver of moon as I was walking.

 

Sunrise was 7:58. I needed to get back to the laundry then and did not wait for it to actually come above the horizon but the initial stages of it’s appearance were still striking. We are moving a leisurely 11 knots and are likely rarely alone as a ferry was crossing behind us.

 

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A lot of my morning was spent in the Royal Court Theater as there were 2 Cunard Insights presentations. Guy Caplin started things off at 9 with “Black Broadcasting”, the story of how a Brit who had lived in Germany impersonated official German radio during World War 2 to sew doubt and discontent among the German Armed Forces and Citizens. On the way to his talk I passed a group getting fencing lessons in the Queens Room. Activities Galore. At 11 Mark Rosenker presented “The Care and Feeding of the US President” focusing largely on Camp David.

 

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In between Captain Thorhauge conducted the Interdenominational worship service. In lieu of a sermon she read a story, “Heaven’s Grocery Store”.

 

In her noon update she reported a temperature of 17C/63F. We are 20 miles from the coast of Spain and 70 from Africa. By my GPS we were 187 miles past Gibralter, 137 past Malaga, 20 miles from Carboneras, and Cartagena is 56 miles ahead, Valencia 170 miles, Barcelona 325, and Civitavecchia 700 miles ahead. We will pass Cartagena about 5PM.

 

Nice weather held through the day and it was finally a nice day for dining Al Fresco, with a turkey burger from the pool Grill.

 

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The afternoon was slightly less busy than the morning, with a second Guitar concert by Martin Vishnick, and afternoon tea. Between the two I walked an additional 3 laps on the Promenade deck and a final one after tea for a total of 3 miles. Traffic on the Med continued busy with a nice framing of a freighter through the deck opening as I rounded the bow on my walk.

 

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The World Club Party was held in the Queens Room before dinner. Guests were recognized for 870 and 916 nights at sea. At dinner I enjoyed the Rack of Lamb along with melon soup and Ice Cream.

 

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The featured entertainment was the Royal Cunard Singers and Dancers with “Hollywood Nights”. A new cast just boarded with us and this was their first full production show as a group.

 

I’ll take my parting shot from Entertainment Manager Amanda Reid. She likes to tell little fables in her morning shows typically about relationships. I thought the one a couple days ago was quite good. A couple was visited by a fairy who promised them each one wish. The woman wished for something nice and it was granted. The man took a different route. He said “I wish I could have a wife 30 years younger than me”. Well, sadly, a fairy’s promise can not be taken lightly and she complied. She waved her magic wand and suddenly the man was 92 years old. Be careful what you wish for.

 

Roy

[kazu]

So good to hear that you finally got some decent weather Roy and were able to dine al fresco. Hoping this is a sign of the weather for the remainder of your voyage.

[rafinmd]

Thank you kazu and again Ricki (now that I've read your comments) . I get my daily email digest at 2AM US Eastern time which is now a couple hours after I post.

 

The end of out one day stretch of beautiful weather could have been much worse. It was still dark as we approached Valencia; we actually pulled in almost at sunrise, although I never actually saw the sun all day.

 

Valencia’s cruise port extends into the harbor and we dock at a long wharf extending out to the breakwater. Our section is mostly for cruise ships (another area for freight is visible in the distance), although there was a big parking lot with new Fiats either just arrived or about to be shipped. The Costa Fascinosa joined us at the dock.

 

My tour titled Discover Valencia left about 9:30. It was about a 20 minute drive into the city where we passed a few sights including the bull ring before disembarking on a walking tour of the city. We walked a few blocks to the main market where a lovely array of fruits and vegetables was on display.

 

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Leaving the market the guide pointed out some orange trees growing in the city but indicated that those oranges were very bitter and not edible; the good ones were grown outside of town where the agriculture of the region is quite extensive.

 

Directly across the street was the Silk Exchange. This large medieval style building was once the hub of the silk trade but now hosts various events,

 

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Outside the Silk exchange was a bit of a contradiction in terms, the Round Square. Nearby was the city’s narrowest house, just 107 centimeters wide. It has now been annexed by the house next door.

 

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The Cathedral in Valencia is not a masterpiece of architecture. It is a mix of several buildings, one of which was originally a Mosque in the days of Arab occupation but several pieces have been added on. One corner has a “Holy Grail”, and the sanctuary is a beautiful room befitting a cathedral.

 

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Across the square from the Cathedral sits the Basilica, a much more attractive building than the Cathedral but with a smaller, round sanctuary inside.

 

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This was our final walking stop and we walked a few blocks to one of the city gates. The walls were demolished in the mid 19th century but this gate remained and functioned at one time as a prison.

 

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Our bus took us to our final stop, the majestic new Arts and Sciences Center. This sprawling campus includes buildings for IMAX, a Concert Hall, Aquarium, and I think other venues. We just had a brief stop which was just as well as the rain which had held off so nicely during the walk had become a drizzle. It had not really been a nice day but we stayed warm and dry. We were extremely lucky as our guide said there had been a major storm Sunday, and my tablemates reported we had downpour soon after I returned to the ship (about 2;30).

 

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All aboard was 5:30. Captain Thorhauge’s sailaway message came a little earlier and I went up on deck for sailaway (the first time the weather supported such). It was a quick getaway. The lines came in about 5:35 and we were soon edging away from the dock with a quick horn exchange with the Fascinosa. While the sun was not actually visible it shown through the clouds enough to produce nice colors as it set. I watched from deck 10 and later from deck 3 as we left the harbor. We dropped off the pilot as we passed the breakwater, almost exactly at 6PM.

 

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There had been a shuttle into town. I learned in dinner that (1) walking from the ship was not permitted, and (2) there was a charge for the shuttle, at least for people who booked certain fares. It seems to me that if a shuttle is required to leave the ship it should be free. I enjoyed the beef consume and beef bourguignon and the spa tart.

 

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The featured entertainment was multi-instrumentalist Mark Donoghue who played violin, guitar, and piano. I thought he was pretty good but not great. Afterwards, I enjoyed a special treat brought back from Valencia market.

 

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I’ll take today’s parting shot from Amanda Reid’s “This day in history” segment. In 4 years we will have the 500th anniversary of Europeans (Magellan) discovering the Pacific Ocean. I wonder what if any celebration we will have.

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

Once again there wasn’t much of a sunrise, but this time the issue was hills rather than clouds. We pulled up to the pier about 7:30 and this time we were the only cruise ship in town. While I was on tour most of the day and didn’t take advantage the dock is right on the edge of town, about a quarter mile walk to the main square. It was also a bit warmer than Monday but there was a chilly edge in the morning. I started out with just my rain jacket but decided I needed my vest as well to be comfortable. The Deputy Captain came on the PA just after 8 and advised we were still tying up but the gangway was set and we were free to leave.

 

My 5-hour tour was called “A Tale of 2 Cities” and encompassed both Cartagena and Murcia, 31 miles to the North. We left about 9:30 and drove first to Murcia, stopping at Sanctuary of the Fuensanta, a monastery, passing fertile agricultural lands along the way.

 

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Fuensanta is known for a large statue of the Virgin Mary on the Altar. Each year the monks carry the statue on their shoulders down to the Cathedral for a festival, the practice is supposed to bring rain. It’s 7 kilometers down and back up a steep hill, quite a feat. The Monastery sits high with a commanding view over the city.

 

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Most of the morning was devoted to a walking tour of Murcia, a city of about half a million people. The 13th century Cathedral sits stately in the main square. It sits on the site of a Moorish Mosque but unlike Valencia the Clergy in Murcia wanted to wipe out all traces of Islam and the Mosque was demolished and completely replaced.

 

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We continued walking along quaint narrow streets and stopped at the Theater. When it was built there was a feud between the town and the clergy and the theater was built over their objections. The clergy called a curse that the theater would burn down three times while full of people with loss of life. There were 2 such fires over a period of years. After the second fire a new policy was adopted. There are 1179 seats in the theater but no more than 1178 are ever sold. The belief is that if the theater is never completely full there will not be another fire. So far so good.

 

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Before leaving Murcia we stopped at a café for a refreshing beverage.

 

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Our walking tour in Cartagena was a bit shorter. It was on pedestrian streets with attractive stone surfaces and took us past ruins of a bath and other Roman structures and finally a Roman amphitheater sitting alongside the remains of a pre-Moorish Cathedral. Our walking tour started and ended within sight of the ship. We returned a little after 2:30.

 

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The end of the cruise is not really close but I’ve been packing anyway. I want to leave one of my bags at my hotel in Lisbon and have been working on getting it ready. As on Monday, the Captain’s sailaway message came a little before 5:30 and we pulled in lines about 5:35. It was an easy exit from the harbor with the cargo facilities just on the other side of the port. The sun was preparing to set as we left.

 

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We continue to have a good group at table 349 and tonight I went for the cherry soup, spa chicken, and Black Forest Cake.

 

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The featured entertainment was the Royal Cunard Singers and Dancers (primarily the dancers) in La Danse. Today’s parting shot is a wish for healing for the families and fans of the soccer team lost in the tragic plane crash. Rest in Peace.

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

When I rose and went up for coffee things looked superb with the TV reporting a clear night. On deck I noticed a wind. When we pulled into the port about 7:15 it was still nearly pitch black and still quite windy. This is my first actual visit to Gibralter since the Crystal Symphony in 1996, and while going through the straits several times they’ve been at night and I’ve only seen it one other time, from the Allure OTS a year ago.

 

I did not book a tour this time and had only sketchy plans, ideally taking the cable car up to the top of the rock. When I left the ship about 8:15 the winds were around 30 knots. There is a taxi shuttle into town (4 pounds return) but there was nobody in the ticket office when I passed it so I started walking. It was about a 3/4 mile walk to Casemates, the main square with the rock looming ahead.

 

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With the winds as they were I thought the cable car was not a good idea. The Moorish Castle looked interesting but I did not see from the map where the access was. I walked up the main street until I saw some stairs with a sign indicated upper town and gave it a try. At the landing marked Castle Road I turned the wrong way. I tried some more climbing and eventually reached an elevation of about 400 feet but still had no clear directions on where to go and there were buildings all around me, preventing any panoramic view.

 

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I pretty much gave up and descended “Castle Stairs”. About half way down I found a sign and walked for a bit (apparently not quite far enough) and the route did not seem promising. The

weather also seemed threatening and I started back down.

 

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As I approached sea level there were a few drops of rain and I headed back towards the ship. A market I passed had some nice looking fruits but nothing really called to me. On the way back to the ship the drizzle got heavy enough to be annoying but not to the soaking level I’d seen in Tangier. It was an interesting walk and good exercise but not a great sightseeing day. I returned to the ship just before 11.

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Back on the ship it was becoming apparent how windy it was as the ship was moving and about 11:30 a crew announcement was made that shore leave was cancelled due to the weather.

All aboard was 1:00 but there appeared to be a few stragglers. Captain Thornhauge’s sailaway message came about 1:10 and the lines came in about 1:15. We pulled away, turned around, and had a short run out past the breakwater but the afternoon was not meant for hanging around outside.

 

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Guitarist Martin Vishnick’s 3rd concert was in the Queens Room at 2, mostly popular music. I had a slice of fruit cake at the afternoon tea, and did a bit more organizing for Lisbon.

 

We had another pleasant dinner at table 349. This time I went for the Blueberry Soup, turkey, and ice cream.

 

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The featured entertainment was the Acrobatic Duo of Gilles and Laurie. I’ve seen them or a similar act before and I think wondered then and now “What’s the Point”. I guess everyone has their own tastes but while I admire the strength and skill it takes, it just doesn’t do anything for me. We gained an hour overnight as we return to Lisbon and London time. After the show I finished preparing a bag to leave at my Lisbon hotel in the morning. It will reduce my load on the train from London to Lisbon by about 28 pounds.

 

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I’ll take my parting shot from the dinner table today. It’s strange how conversations can lead to unexpected memories. We were discussing sudoku and crossword puzzles. It reminded me that I rarely dabble in crossword puzzles but while working enjoyed and was pretty good at similar puzzles where numbers replaced the words and the clues were something like 3across: The square of 5 down. I haven’t thought of those puzzles in a long time.

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

They say into each life a little rain must fall but this is getting ridiculous. It appeared dry when I went up for coffee about 5:30. We were moving in on Lisbon but not that close yet. I went back up after the morning show finished and we were quite far up the Tagus. As we passed under the 25 Avril bridge about 6:45 I started to feel a drizzle.

 

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I have been to Lisbon many times, mostly either for embarkation or port calls; my last time here was disembarking the Crystal Serenity 19 months ago. My plans today were practical rather than sightseeing.

 

We docked at the Santa Apalonia terminal, I think a bit upstream from our original location (that terminal is now a construction zone). Our terminal is directly across the street from the Santa Apalonia rail station, where I will arrive December 6. I believe we are docked in exactly the same spot where I will board the Seabourn Odyssey on December 7.

 

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I wanted to get a strong sense of what I need to do on December 7, and also make things a bit easier for what comes after I disembark QE. I had made arrangements with the Avenida Palace hotel to store one of my bags pending my arrival next week. They are in Restauradores square, near the Cunard shuttle stop. They are also just 3 stops from Santa Apalonia on one of the Metro lines.

 

I left the ship about 8:30. Nobody either on the ship or in the terminal seemed to pay much attention to the large backpack I was wearing. The docking was a bit strange, the dock immediately in front of the terminal was vacant and we were about a quarter mile downstream. The drizzle had reached the annoying level and after the terminal it was nearly another quarter mile to the shuttle bus.

 

It was actually a shorter walk from the shuttle dropoff to the Avenida Palace than from the ship to the shuttle but the rain had gotten harder. The hotel was really welcoming; the Concierge (who knew I was coming) greeted me by name and even offered me the loan of an umbrella. I’m not sure if he intended it to be a 6-day loan but in any case I declined.

 

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I walked around Rossio and Restauradores squares a bit, dodging where necessary under ledges to minimize the rain. I could have walked back to the ship but wanted to be sure of my plans for December 6. It was just a few steps to the Restauradores Metro Station where I bought a fare card sufficient to get th Santa Apalonia and back to the hotel. The train station and the terminal are located at the end of that Metro line, and it was actually closer walking to the terminal from the Metro Station than it was to the shuttle bus. Santa Apalonia also had free wifi and I paused there a while before returning to the ship for lunch.

 

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The rain had mostly let up by early afternoon and I took another walk, this time downstream as far as the Black Horse Square. There was a bit of drizzle but it was mostly dry. I boarded QE for the last time a little about 2:30.

 

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All Aboard was 5:30, and I wanted to be on deck as we sailed down the Tagus. The lines came in about 5:45 and we were on our way. It was dark by the time we sailed under the 25 Avril bridge, but the bridge was well lit up as we approached.

 

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I got dinner in the Lido (primarily a chicken cutlet) and then headed to the Promenade Deck until we were out of the Tagus. We maintained a Southwest course for longer than I expected so we did not get particularly close to Cascais and Estoril. Once we were away I joined my table for coffee and desert (I had notified my waiter of my plans). I was down a little earlier than planned and also got Strawberry and Peach soup before my Orange Pound Cake desert.

 

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The featured entertainment was comedian Brett Sherwood. I was actually pretty drowsy but what I did see was good.

 

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My parting shot will be a rather belated wish to the Portugese for a wonderful Independence Holiday on December 1.

 

Roy

[kazu]

OMG on rain again Roy. This is getting ridiculous indeed.

 

Sounds like my South Pacific cruise last year.

 

Hopefully a ray of sunshine greets you VERY soon.

[ricki]

Hoping for sunshine soon, Roy!

 

We've stayed at the Avenida Palace Hotel several times, and found them very welcoming and helpful. They also have an extremely extensive breakfast buffet.

 

Ricki

Edited December 2, 2016 by ricki

[Happily@Sea]

Roy, is this their wet season at the places you are visiting or just unlucky - like Kazu and I and a ship full of pax were last spring. ;)

 

At least you got your errands done and are prepared for when you return shortly.

 

Better weather would be nice for the rest of your trip.

[Host Hattie]

It's winter ! Roy does seem to have been very unlucky on this trip but December in the Mediterranean can be damp and cold.

Having said that we had winter sunshine in Lisbon in December 2014.

[rafinmd]

Thanks all. Just a quick update, while a bit chilly today the weather is quite good. This seems to be the voyage of poor weather in ports and at least recently better weather at sea. One sad news, we had a noontime medevac. I think that distracted the Captain a bit and her noon report was sketchy but the weather for tomorrow sounds decent as well. If the trend continues, I have only one port day on the Odyssey, so I'll live with poor port weather if it is decent on sea days.

 

Roy