I’m back on it, even though I hated the alarm going off at 06.50, I dragged my carcass out of my pit and up to the gym for my morning’s run. I came back to the room with a cup of tea from the Lido for Jane. She’s not well, apparently her gills are up, which I think means she has a sore throat. We’d shared a lunch table with a lady who was complaining about the “Cunard cough”, so maybe she had caught it from her. After a shower I breakfasted alone in the Lido, assuming that I would

Read More

We.returned to the ship at about 15.30 travelling back from the marina at Faliro by trolly bus into the centre of Piraeus, and then walking back the rest of the way, proper little adventurers. Greece may be on it’s uppers, but there’s still plenty of money about looking at some of the yachts in the two marinas that we passed on our travels. We timed getting back on board quite well, normally there are several returning coaches, pulling in when we get back to the ship, but this time there were none, so we breezed through security, dropped our postcards

Read More

We only had one in the Commodore Club, before heading back to the room for a nap, apparently it’s the done thing when you are our age ? Nap over and it was off to dinner, it was a Formal night tonight, so Jane was looking extra smart in the new gown. There was a minor issue with half the beads on the neckline were falling off, but not having a sewing kit and that it still didn’t look too bad, she went with it. It will be going back to the shop when we return. Dinner was another success

Read More

Lazy, lazy, lazy, the alarm went off as usual, at 06.50 and being a bad person I just rolled over and went back to sleep for half an hour. My first day off from running. We have arrived in Piraeus, and I now have internet access on my MIFI, so I did some housekeeping on the blog. It has really eaten up my free minutes on the ship’s internet.  Breakfast was taken before leaving the ship and heading off for the Piraeus Metro station. It was a simple operation to get a day ticket (4.50 Euro) and since there is

Read More

I’ve just turned on the ships TV channel to see where we are on the map, we’ve transited the Straits of Messina during the night, and rounded the toe of Italy, we have travelled exactly 2400 nautical miles. The clocks went forward another hour last night, so getting out of bed for my 7am run was difficult. (It’s actually 04.50 in real money). The run was hard, really hard but I managed to grind out 5km, stretch out, and do a few weights, before heading back to the room with a cup of tea for Jane. On our way down

Read More

Nigel Vardy’s insights lecture was very interesting, it covered his failed attempt at the Himalayas and his misreported demise. During his attempt at the Himalayas, he and his climbing companions were reported missing after being incommunicado during a spell of severe weather. Obviously this was much exaggerated, he failed on his attempt to scale the mountains after contracting frostbite, and discovered the kerfuffle an his return to civilization. Once the lecture was over, it was time for sunbathing on the sun decks, that, and a spot of clothes washing, before heading to the MDR for lunch. I had a seafood

Read More

I’m aching this morning after the Palma bike ride, but I did sleep like a baby which was good. It was all a bit of a rush this morning because the fencing classes were at 08.45, so I was in the gym nice and early and did my 5km, I must be getting better at it as I didn’t bang my head today. I got down to breakfast after a quick shower to find it wasn’t open yet. How sad is that? You should be too late for breakfast when on holiday, but too early……Anyway I ended up in the

Read More

Even though I had sorted out the Three data sim, the internet was bloody slow, I only had a 3G connection and it took ages to upload the photo to the previous blog. It took that long, that I had to order another drink, Pedigree for me this time and a Black Bellini for Jane. We sae the first bad weather of the cruise, a squall passed over while we were docked, and it bucketed down for about 5 minutes, the proverbial stair rods. But as soon as it started, it was over and we were blessed with blue skys

Read More

I had a good sleep, waking about 20 minutes before my alarm. After puffing my way up 6 decks, I got to the gym to find two old boys on the treadmills having a walk. Surely  it’d be a damned sight more interesting walking around deck 3 (three laps is 0.9 miles) than walking on a treadmill. Running is bad enough, but I’m not allowed to run on deck 3 before 8am and after 8am, dodging the mobile chicanes is hard work. Anyhow, I was doing quite well, but must have been getting tired as at about 5km, there was

Read More