Category Archives: Photos
Flea bitten camel gets his revenge
Monday 28th April
Well here we are in Haifa and I have to say I am not impressed, I understand that Cunard are now American owned and they wish to support Israel. The reaction of those around us echo our feelings, I was speaking to someone who said it didn’t make sense, the reason that we didn’t go to Egypt was because there was civil unrest, so they bring us to a country that is permanently at war and I have to agree with him, the sense of unease shown by the security personnel does nothing to reassure people and the constant body scans are unsettling, why on earth did Cunard bring us here? If you were being cynical you could argue that it’s because the only thing to do here is to take Cunard trips to Jerusalem, Nazareth, Bethlehem et al, if you were being cynical that is, but from the reactions of those that took them it seems that some of them were not very successful either. Two of our table companions had the bible read to them the whole of the trip there (2 hours) and all the way back! People at breakfast were complaining that they spent much of their trip in traffic, so it looked like we had the best of the deal.
We followed Janet’s suggestion and visited the Bahia Gardens at the top of the German Colony which were truly beautiful, however after the mandatory body scan and the lecture on not chewing gum (does anyone these days?) not walking on the grass, picking flowers, touching the water etc. We climbed to the first gates where there was a notice saying we could go no further, and to access from the top we had to go back down, bypass the gardens through the adjacent streets and enter from the top, as it was sweltering and the climb was steep we gave it a miss and it was just as well because Anna (our waitress at dinner) did go to the top only to be told access from the top was forbidden. I would have been just a little cross if I’d decided to go. Anyway it did not detract from the immaculate garden we did see and we wondered why these were so well maintained and pristine when the surrounding area was so grubby and badly maintained (in fact the whole of Haifa is). Then we spotted the reason. On a plaque by the main gate was a sign saying they were maintained by voluntary subscriptions from Bahia communities around the world, nuff said!
We learnt today that one of the passengers on our deck has acquired fleas from a camel in Petra. We were all warned about the camels and how good looking they were, but love is blind, (holiday liaisons seldom end happily), anyway it’s all been sorted and the unfortunate passenger has had the fleas expunged by the ships de-lousing team and been left to reflect on the folly of being seduced by cheeky charm and sexy smiles, the handler that is, not the camel.
Farewell Haifa
Tuesday 29th April
We decided not to go ashore today, Haifa is not the sort of city one can really relax in. Even on board the tensions ashore are apparent. Sirens from emergency vehicles are almost non stop and from various locations simultaneously. The military airport across the bay is more active than any during the Battle of Britain the sky overhead has twisted vapour trails from aircraft carrying out manoeuvres and lower down, heavy surveillance aircraft continuously circle. We share the harbour with the military and watch throughout the whole day as patrol vessels come and go continuously, many at high speed as they either respond to, or rehearse responding to emergencies. High-tech destroyers looking like alien space craft with their radar invisibility designs slide in and out, very visible to the mark I eyeball. Two American destroyers sat alongside us on the opposite pier with ratings closed up at their gun stations. When I went to the duty free shop I asked one of the friskers if anything was happening and she shrugged and said, no this is normal. It might be normal for them but many people breathed a metaphorical sigh of relief when we finally left, it wasn’t just the ex-military people on board who detected the high state of readiness Israel currently maintains, but as we sailed the mood improved and by dinner the mood had significantly lightened.
See Naples and die
Friday 2nd May
We snuck into Naples just as dawn was breaking, doing our normal pirouette in order to berth facing the way out. We settled in snugly alongside Norwegian Jade, which was moored on the opposite side of the pier. Breakfast was later today as we gave all the trips time to clear first and when we finally left the ship the sky was beginning to darken and the Cunard curse was just beginning to fall. Fortunately it wasn’t heavy and the streets of Naples are so narrow, not much actually gets to street level.
We followed the ‘Grand Walking Tour’ which was quite good and a big surprise that we could follow the Italian names/instructions. We went into more churches than I’ve been into for a long time, but the sad thing was they were all heavily vandalised on the exterior with graffiti and I don’t think it’s possible to get spray paint out of white marble. However following the instructions we managed to see most of Old Naples and returned foot weary in the afternoon.
We had an early departure and all tagged out in our winter woollies watched as we slipped our moorings together with Norwegian Jade and we both sailed out and across the bay side by side until eventually she went North and we went West. The phrase See Naples and Die must have been coined in its heyday because its once magnificent buildings have fallen into such a state of disrepair that the residents must be dying of shame. Graffiti covers all reachable surfaces and trees grow out of every available high crack. However it looks like they are fighting a determined rear-guard action as we saw several attempts to clean buildings and monuments, but how long would they would stay clean after completion and the berries taken down is anyone guess.
Naples – Photos
Palma
Sunday 4th May
Alarm went off at 7:00am as we were entering the port of Palma De Mallorca where we shared our berth with the many ferries which scuttle backwards and forwards between Mallorca and the mainland (and other islands). From our cabin we could see the many posh yachts which share the marina adjacent to us. After a quick breakfast we caught the shuttle bus into town which dropped us behind the Cathedral and so we decided to walk along the waterfront for a while and then make our way inland, wise choice; everyone else headed straight into town and we met them all later heading in the opposite direction.
Weather was great, not too hot and very sunny so spent most of the day exploring Palma and sitting in sunny squares drinking coffee and watching the street performers. Instead of catching the shuttle we decided to walk the three miles back along the front admiring all the expensive yachts (and the expensive girls draped all over them – me that is, not Carol). That was Palma, a nice place for a long weekend.
We sailed at 3:30pm so it was a short visit all things considered. This evening was the final ‘round the worlders’ cocktail party and they made sure it was the best one. They are always good with things like mini fillet steaks & sliced lobster (or scallops) surf and turf plus dozens of other posh nibbles. This evening caviar was on offer and whilst I don’t mind it, it is not something I can rave about, I had some more just to make sure though. Champagne is another thing that was served in ample quantities, again not something I rave about, but after a few glasses it gets quite acceptable. The captain gave his speech which contained all the facts about the voyage (I’ll let you know in the final blog) and we then made our way to the penultimate formal dinner, which turned out to be quite a jolly one. Oh! By the way we are having problems with the internet on board again so not sure if these emails get to you on time and my phone is still playing up, so I don’t know if text messages are getting out.
Gathering of the queens
Monday 5th May
Another day at sea as we head towards the exit of the Mediterranean, the sun is shining and up on deck are the final few desperately trying to top up their tan before we arrive back in the UK. The captain announces that Queen Mary 2 is on our heels catching us up with every mile we cover he told us that we will enter Lisbon with Queen Victoria leading, Queen Elizabeth following and Queen Mary bringing up the rear. All three will be moored at the same quay. So while all this is happening, I went to listen to Commander Jeff Tall on the cold war and the part submarines had to play in the downfall of Communist Russia. When I came back up on deck we were closing in on Gibraltar and as we sailed past I couldn’t help wishing we were calling in as we always used to do. Then we were back out in the Atlantic and heading North once more with Queen Mary 2 (by now), just a few miles behind us. Then as we headed down to dinner we saw she had caught up with us and was now stationed about a mile away on our Port quarter (on our right hand side, slightly behind us). During dinner we watched her slowly creep past us until she reached right alongside where she stayed for the next hour or so. The show last night was what we used to call in the Navy ‘a sods opera’ where members of the ships company put together a show for general entertainment, and it was excellent as these things often are, as much for the mistakes as anything else, the theatre was packed. Clocks go back for the final hour tonight which means we have finally reached UK time, by putting our clocks back 25 times.
3 Queens having a ball
Tuesday 6th May
Today has been quite eventful, we were up at six to discover that we were already in convoy with Queen Victoria and Queen Mary albeit about 5 miles apart. Dawn was just breaking and we were still not into the River Trejo. A quick shower later and we were on the upper deck watching as the gap between the three ships narrowed and the sun finally showed itself over the horizon, a bright red molten ball shimmering in the still air and colouring the sky around it. After taking the obligatory photos, we went to breakfast and watched the shoreline slip by in the morning light which grew stronger and whiter by the minute.
Breakfast over and we were back on deck watching as Queen Victoria approached and then passed under the 25th of April suspension bridge (which by the way, is modelled on the San Francisco Golden Gate bridge), followed by us and finally Queen Mary 2. We sailed a mile or so further on up the river and then one by one we performed our turns, curtsied and sidled up to the quayside like shy debutantes at their ball lining up for inspection by their suitors. It was a quite spectacular, if sedate performance of three huge ships less than 100 metres apart turning with perfect timing; one, two, three. The sun still low in the sky set everything off, lighting the white superstructure of all three ships as if under a spotlight and the backdrop of houses on the hillside behind were also picked out, their bright colours intensified in the morning light. On the bridge, now some distance behind us, the windows of a crossing train reflected the sun so brightly, it looked as if someone was pulling a sparkling diamond necklace across it. There was no chance for a retake and it didn’t need one, Cunard stage-managed the whole show to perfection. The professionalism of the three commanding officers choreographing this display was superb.
The excitement of arrival was compounded by all three ships disgorging their passengers simultaneously and many piling into buses to take off on their trips, the remainder pouring down the road like a line of marauding soldier ants, pity the poor inhabitants, or perhaps not, we were welcomed with open arms, all their Christmases had come at once. More than ten thousand new customers in one day (there were three other liners in port as well as the queens (Rotterdam, Ruby Princess & Silver Sea), Bonanza! But they were welcoming, didn’t pester and products they were selling were of decent quality. We walked into town because the lady marshalling the shuttle buses told us with refreshing honesty that the traffic was so bad it would be quicker to walk and as it was only a fifteen minute walk we (along with 80% of the queue) decided to walk. We spent five and a half hours walking round the Lisbon highlights eventually finding our way right at the top of the town looking down on the river in the far distance. The weather had been getting steadily hotter until it peaked at 28°C so we were glad that the walk back was downhill and under those huge trees that form a tunnel canopy over the central gardens. When we got back to the old town we stopped at one of the hundreds of street cafés and had a bite to eat and a beer while watching the thousands of tourist pass by, both on foot and in the many buses hired for the fleet. The weather and the occasion combined to make it one of the most enjoyable ports of call. We were back on board just past half three, ready for our grand departure at five.
If we thought we had seen everything during our morning arrival we were in for a surprise, because after a short delay waiting for Queen Mary 2s late day trippers, the signal was given and all three ships let go ‘almost’ simultaneously. We watched Queen Mary 2 let go and as soon as a gap appeared between her and the quay, we let go, and the same thing with Queen Victoria. The three of us pushed sideways off the quay and as each ship started to move it gave three blasts on the ships horn followed by a single blast. We manoeuvred sideways out into the main channel and then slowly moved ahead. All three ships packed to the gunnels with flag waving passengers cheering their heads off, then out of all three ships loudspeakers blasted Sister Sledge ‘We are family, I got all my sisters with me’. Then we lined up in staggered formation, (so we looked nose to tail from shore side) and slowly made our way downstream. Other music included pieces like ‘Hearts of Oak’, ‘Rule Britannia’, ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ stirring stuff, it certainly caused a stir ashore and we had the obligatory helicopter hovering over us and making many low level approaches. The other three liners in port had to wait for our departure before leaving, their passengers probably didn’t mind as they would have had the best view, though we had the best experience. It didn’t end there, after we had cleared the river, we manoeuvred into line abreast with Queen Mary 2 centre stage and less than 200 metres between us, we sailed into the sunset with the helicopter taking promo shots and videos until it was time to go to dinner, where we could still see the action through the dining room windows. Give Cunard their due, they know how to put on a display. By the way I noticed that Captain Wells (who captained us to San Francisco) is now in charge of Queen Mary 2, his blue ensign proudly fluttering between the two red ensigns either side.
Palma – Photos
Looking Back – Photos
Over the last four months I’ve tried to select photos to accompany Dad’s blog that I thought people would want to see or related directly to his text, trying to remove duplicates, blurry or badly framed shots etc.
Before I post Dad’s final blog entry I thought it might be nice to show you a selection of shots taken from throughout the trip, most of which you won’t have seen before, in an album I like to call “Looking Back”
Paul
