Friday 8th February – Horta, Faial, The Azores.

We woke up this morning, had breakfast and went out on deck, but only for the few minutes we needed to get over the shock we had as we went out. ...........  It was cold!

Alright, maybe not cold like it is in the UK at the moment, but definitely less than we’ve been used to.  People were wearing trousers, and sweaters, and even coats!  Oh my, you can tell we are getting closer to home.

But today we are in Horta.  We didn’t arrive until 1pm, and it was still cold.  So after lunch, and putting on our fleeces for the first time in weeks, we set off for a walk round the little town. 

It’s a lovely little place, which I am certain would look brilliant with a bit of sun.  There’s not a lot to do and there isn’t much in the way of shopping.  But, for an afternoon’s stroll (much needed after 5 days at sea), and some time sitting in a pleasant cafe or bar watching the world go by, it is just the ticket.

Some pictures..

The trees are deliberately trimmed to look like this.  Amazing!

A pretty little park in the town centre, with these black swans.  Really lovely.

If you head left out of the port, towards the little hill (that Peter climbed last year), you'll find this tiny bay.  Really lovely, it reminded us of Cornwall.

Ponta Delgada tomorrow, and my flight home. (Now pulling sad face as I type this).

Thursday 7th February – My last sea day

Tomorrow we’ll get to the Azores and Horta, a place I’m looking forward to.  The day after we’ll be Ponta Delgada, where I will board a plane and leave Peter and Co to continue the cruise without me.  I need to be back at work on Monday.  The ship will arrive in Tilbury on Thursday February 14^th.

So in a way, it’s quite sad.  I’ve helped Peter set up his classes for the last time, I’ve cut enough paper for the last sessions, started packing my clothes and stuff and generally started to prepare to leave.  Awwwwww!

This has been an absolutely brilliant cruise.  I’ve had so many fantastic days, which I’ve shared in this blog, but there are many things I haven’t mentioned.  For instance, the  quizzes every night have been fun, and although we’ve not spent a lot of time in the Captains Club, the couple playing classical music there are very good, creating are wonderful pleasant atmosphere in the evening. 

There’s the day we crossed the equator, which I wrote about earlier and the quiz “Rock your socks off!” which all future passengers should attend if the opportunity arises.  The same applies to the pantomime, Cinderella, and the cut down version of Joseph’s Technicolour Dreamcoat, “Go Go Joseph”, which really was absolutely brilliant.  Andi Ford, the comedian, certainly made us chuckle too.   

The food has been very good too and much better than last year. ( Apparently that’s because they changed the chef).  The only thing lacking it seems is vanilla icecream.  (And Peter won’t eat any other flavour).

Downsides?  Well, I suppose you get used to the way things are done on this ship.  Beds are singles and there are no coffee making facilities in most of the cabins. There isn’t a launderette, which is really difficult after 6 weeks. The Eastern European waiters and waitresses don’t smile quite so quickly and easily as others and there are probably loads of other little extra’s and facilities on other ships that aren’t available on this one.  But if you talk to the passengers, the difference and the plus side of the ship is the atmosphere.  I can’t quite put my finger on what it is, a general friendliness which sort of exudes from everything and everyone, making you feel comfortable and at ease.  Although I am sure it doesn’t suit everyone, many of the passengers I’ve spoken to completely agree, and many of them keep coming back because they like this ship.

Me, well, I’ll be very sorry to leave.  Peter is already trying to work out when and which ship he’ll be working on next.   If it’s this one, and I can join him, I will be absolutely delighted. All I have to work out is how do I get the time off!

Tomorrow we’re in Horta.  I’ve not been before, so I’m really looking forward to it. 

Tuesday 5th February – Sea day

Actually, it’s our 3^rd sea day since leaving Barbados.  And we’ve been pretty chilled to be honest.  Peter has done a few more paintings as they have been selling like the proverbial hotcakes.  I nagged him to paint a monkey from Isle De Salut, which he did.  Since I commissioned it, I get to keep it if it doesn’t sell.  (Fingers crossed).

Since it’s a sea day, I thought I’d talk about passengers.  I have to say, the women on here have enlightened me in the art of growing old, and how not to do it. (See these cruises are not just for fun, they can be educational.)  Trying to counteract the effects of age can have mixed results, and on a ship with several hundred women over sixty, you get to see the full spectrum from effective to downright scary.

 I’ve decided that wigs are not the way to go, nor is pinky red curly hair.  Bikini’s are not attractive, not matter how good the figure, since most of the skin exposed is..............  How shall I put it? ...........    Hmmmmmmm...........Crinkly!  Protecting less than pert boobs from accidental but total exposure is a must, especially as it has a sort of car crash attraction when the people around can see it is going to happen.  And retaining the hairstyle you had when you were 16 is also not a good idea.  (I mean.......Pigtail plaits?  Honestly?)

The ultimate crash comes from a lady who suffers from curvature of the spine, aged (wrinkly) skin, and a rather large nose. These in themselves are not scary.  What is scary is the thick (and actually glorious), mass of long hair dyed jet black on top.  The whole image just needs a broom and a peaked hat.  No matter how good the hair, methinks maybe it should be toned down, just a little. But then, maybe I shouldn’t judge.  Me, mirrors and hairbrushes don’t get together very often. I think I could give Wurzel Gummidge a run for his money most days.

Just to prove the point, the photo’s on this post are from a “formal” night.  As you can see, Peter looks good, despite the fact he hates the bow tie.  I’m sorry about my picture, it was either this one on the one where my eyes are closed.  I’m not really growling at you, honest. (And see what I mean about hairbrushes).

Another sea day tomorrow.   Let’s see what that brings.

Saturday 2nd February – Bridgetown, Barbados.

Another place we’ve been before.  Barbados is almost certainly a fantastic island, although there wasn’t a lot in Bridgetown to grab our attention last time we visited.  We’ve got an excursion planned this afternoon, and because Peter has work to do, we decided we’d hang around the ship until lunchtime, it was very important that we weren’t late. I did pop into the terminal though, just to check out the shops and the free wi-fi.

I keep saying “How lucky are we?” don’t I.  Well, I’m gonna say it again.  How lucky are we?  The cruise director has arranged an excursion for the entertainment team. (PS, these don’t come free, but we do get them at cost price).  Anyway, he’s arranged another catamaran, and we are going............  Wait for it................  Swimming with turtles.   As I said before, HOW LUCKY ARE WE? 

So at 1 pm 36 members of the entertainment team, from young slim dancers to older, crinklier lecturers and crafts people set off for a fantastic trip.  As before, blue skies, hot sun, rum punch and loads of music.

We watched the coastline of Barbados pass us by until we reached the spot where the crew know the turtles will be, and where they will appear to be fed.  We all donned lifejackets, goggles and snorkels and followed the lad from the crew who went into the water with a bag of fish pieces. 

All I can say is “BRILLIANT!” I could also say “FANTASTIC”, and “AWESOME” too, because it was. The turtles swam under us, and up towards us sometimes. In comparison to the wonder we were experiencing at them, they seemed oblivious to the stir they were causing, concentrating on the next bit of food, and getting past all the irritating bodies everywhere. Obviously, our cameras couldn’t take pictures underwater and sadly we don’t have any photos to show you. But, Linda Schiffam, the jewellery crafts person did, so here are her pictures.

Oh my, oh my, oh my.  Superb!  

(If your wondering how I managed, I put me contact lenses in for the afternoon.  I could swim and see at the same time.  Yippee!)

 It’s a shame we’ve got to the end of the Caribbean.  I wonder if I can get the Captain to go back to the beginning and we can do it all again.  Now we have five sea days until we get to the Azores.  Good really, we could do with the rest.

Friday 1st February - Castries, St Lucia

Every morning, we wake up in a new town or city, with new things to see.  It all starts getting a bit of a blur, and I say to Peter, “Where we were yesterday?”  He can’t remember either.

But today we were in Castries. We’ve been here before too, but last time we went out on a tour, and didn’t have much time in the town, if I remember rightly, we took a short walk to the craft market and back. Well, today we had a lot more time, and Peter had the Pitons in his mind.

This notice in the Market Place made us laugh

As we left the terminal, we were inundated by taxi drivers.  There are two sets by the way, the ones inside the gate, who’ve been checked and cleared by the local authorities, wear a standard uniform and have set prices and systems.  As you leave the port gates, there are a whole host of “unauthorised” taxi drivers.  They will charge less than inside the gates, but then, there must be a reason why some drivers are authorised, and others aren’t.

We found out that a taxi to the pitons would cost anything between 100 and 160 dollars, more than we had on us, and not only that, we discovered as soon as we got off the ship, we wouldn’t have time.  It turned out that a couple of escorts where needed on the “Dolphin and Whale Safari”, and we just happened to walk past the excursions manager at the right time.  As I said yesterday, how lucky are we?

So once again, after a quick trawl of the craft market we were back to the ship for lunch and on the dock at 1.15pm to take the next tour. A “hydrophone equipped boat” took us along the west coast of St Lucia to the area of deep water where the dolphins and whales were known to play. Guess where we ended up? With a sea view of the Pitons. Our luck is well in.

Once again, the sky was blue, the sun hot, and the rum punch flowed freely.  (And it was really nice punch too), one or two of our passengers may have ended up just a little bit squiffy.  Sadly though, those amazing whales and dolphins played hide in our game of hide and seek, and we never got to see them.  (Awwwwwwwwww),  but we were taken to see the exclusive Marigot Bay, where people such as Oprah Winfrey have owned homes, and we did have an absolutely excellent time on the boat trip.  How can you not?  The scenery was awesome, the sky blue, and the passengers were really good company.

I have to admit, we were absolutely shattered by the end of the day, and fast asleep by 9.30.

Next we have our last day in the Caribbean, and it’s Barbados, and we have another treat planned. (I think I must have done something right in a previous life). Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.

To read about our last visit to Castries in 2011, click here

Kingstown, St Vincent

Port of Kingstown, St Vincent

We’ve visited here before. Last time, we took a walk around the town, met some very friendly,helpful folk, investigated the two cathedrals and then went to the beach.

So today, we first went for a walk around town. It hasn’t changed since the last time we visited. It’s a bit busy, and scruffy near the port, but it gets a little better as you move on . We had a look round the fruit and veg market, where everything looks very higgledy piggledy, before moving on towards the two cathedrals, both of which we wanted to see again, each for different reasons

Blue Heron

A street in St Vincent, Grenada

The first is St George’s Anglican Cathedral, famous for its Red Angel stain glass window.  We didn’t get to see inside, as there was a service going on, but we have been before, and I can tell you it’s cool, and airy, and very pleasant.

St George's Church, Kingstown, St Vincent

We moved on to something we consider a highlight:- St Mary’s Catholic Cathedral, which is just across the road from St George’s, literally. 

When we tried to describe St Mary’s, we explained that it was as if the architect, couldn’t decide what style would be best, and put everything in. It’s quite incredible. And then the people using the cathedral decided to plant ornate gardens in and around it. Amazing! Hopefully the pictures show what I mean.

St Mary's Cathedral, Kingstown, St Vincent

But we could only spend a few hours in town, so we walked back via the coastline, through the fish market, and back to the ship for lunch, because we had to be ready for our afternoon treat.

A crew excursion had been arranged, and at 1.15pm, 62 young crew and about 10 not so young craft and lecturer types climbed aboard the catamaran Sea Flirt for an afternoon adventure. The music was loud, the rum punch flowed freely and we whizzed along the St Vincent coastline over Caribbean waves, under blue sky and hot sun. If you’d have told me, even a year ago, that I’d be doing this at some point, I’d never have believed you. I always thought of catamarans as something for the rich, not for common as muck folk like me. It was awesome.

St Vincent Coastline.  

The party atmosphere continued as we approached the bay used for the set of Pirates of the Caribbean. We were able to see a few of the set items from our catamaran.

Then we were off again, over the waves, to a private beach of black sand, only accessible by boat. We spent an hour there, enjoying the sun and sea before it was time to get back on the catamaran for more music, punch, and the ride home.

An absolutely brilliant experience.  How lucky am I?

We finished of the evening with the gang on the rear deck, where I got another first and enjoyed a pinacolada type drink out of a fresh coconut, and then got to eat the coconut afterwards.  Very nice.

Tomorrow is Castries, St Lucia. We haven’t got any plans as such, although Peter is quite keen to get back to the Pitons near Souffriere. It all depends on how taxi’s and funds balance out.

To read about our visit to Kingstown in 2011, click here

Wednesday 30th January, St Georges, Grenada

Kingstown, the bay of the old town.  Quite, quite lovely.

We arrive in Kingstown at about 1 o'clock.  Peter and I were looking after some domestics, in as much we were selling watercolour painting sets, then there was lunch, and then we got off the ship. We knew we were gonna be in port until 10pm, so we had plenty of time.

First things first though.  The Beach!  The taxi service here is brilliant, they agree to take you to wherever, and back, at a price.  In our case we wanted a little more than an hour on the beach, so the taxi driver took us to the wonderful white sands in the picture below.  Then came back for us at the specified time.  Thing is, you don't pay them until they've collected you, so you know you won't be stranded. 

The beach was excellent, as you can see from the picture below, we spent a little time in the water testing the snorkels and goggles again. 

T

A wonderful afternoon on the beach.  To the left, you can see the P&O ship Azura, in front of it is our little Marco Polo, looking like a lifeboat.

Then the taxi driver picked us up and took us to the Bar Grill in the old town, a place Peter remembered had wi-fi.  The views from there are wonderful, it's cheap, the food looks brilliant, and we spent a happy hour or so there.   

Then it was back to the ship for the evening meal, and more importantly, the school disco.  Everyone was asked to dress up in school uniform. The passengers that did dress up were cheered and clapped as they appeared, some of them had made a fantastic effort, proving they didn't take life to seriously as they joined in the dancing and mucking about on the back deck.  A really good night. 

Tomorrow is Kingstown, St Vincent, and we're in for a bit of a treat, courtesy of the hard work of the excursions team.  I can't wait.

St Geroges, Grenada 2012
St Georges, Grenada 2014

Monday 28th January - Devils Island Prison Cells

I've created this post out of order, because I couldn't add the photographs I wanted to on the original Isle De Salut write up.  The prison buildings and cells were so interesting, I felt I had to show them on the blog

There are three Islands that make up the Salvation Islands, or Isle De Salut. Royal Island, St Joseph's Island and Devil's Island.  Due to the infamous penal French penal colony and books such as Papillon,  they are now collectively known as Devil's Island

Most of the prison cells were built on the biggest of the three, Royal Island.  Devils Island and St Joseph's Island were saved for those prisoners the wardens felt deserved special treatment.  On those islands, They could have been kept in isolation for years, or cages, sent out to work naked during the day, and only being given their clothes when they returned at night.

This is the entrance to a cell block.  In the film Papillon, it was shown as the isolation block.  The cells within only had a small hole in the ceiling for light.

The door to a cell. I'm not sure about the grill above, as the light from the grill does not get into the cell.

Inside a cell.  I used the camera flash to show how big the inside was. You can see the bed frame on the left. The prisoners would have only had the hole in the ceiling for light.

The row of isolation cells inside the block.

















The last photograph below is the prison courtyard also shown in the film.  I've marked with a black arrow the point where the guillotine would have stood. The supporting wooden base beams are still there.

As well as the church, the hospital, children's cemetary and all the other buildings associated with the penal colony, there is a museum full of information regarding the prisoners, their crimes and how their lives went.  This whole place draws people in with morbid curiosity and horror. Combining this with the beauty of the rest of the island makes Isle De Salut a highlight of this cruise, and well worth a visit.

Isle De Salut 2012
Isle De Salut 2013 - 1st Post
Isle De Salut 2014

Monday 28th January – Isle De Salut.

It is so hard to believe these beautiful islands could be the scene of so much horror.  When you read about what happened here, it makes you wonder how the guards could come to treat their own countrymen so badly.  But it happened, as did the holocacaust.  Scary what we are capable of really.

The islands are now a paradise of wildlife, sun and surf.  Not many places to go for a swim round here, and if you do, watch out, if the current doesn’t take you away, the sharks probably will.   But all the passengers agreed, they would happily spend a week or two on the island.  It’s just wonderful.

There are three islands, Royal Island, St Joseph’s Island and Devil’s Island.  The three together are known as Devil’s Island, infamous for the penal colony described in the book and film Papillion.   Due to the fact that Devil’s Island and St Joseph’s Island are very difficult to get to, (and escape from), we could only visit Royal Island, which was where the majority of prisoners were held.   






We also saw the administrative and domestic buildings needed by the guards and their families, including the church, the hospital and the children’s cemetery.  It’s a fascinating place.  We know how horrifically the prisoners were treated, sometimes for minor or non-existent crimes (one ex soldier got 15 years for setting fire to his mattress when he was in the army), and we saw where these awful things happened.

Perversely, it is alsl overgrown with beautiful flowers and gardens, humming birds, monkeys, mccaws and iguanas.  Agouti and turtles, frigates and peacocks.  Amazing!

We spent all morning photographing the beautiful and the shocking.  Herewith some pictures. 

Devil's Island from Royal Island

Little Monkey

Egrets

Big Monkey

I was going to upload a load of photographs of the cells, unfortunately, at the moment, the system wants to present them to you sideways, so I'm gonna save you a  neck for now, and maybe add them later.

Isle De Salut 2012
Isle De Salut 2013 - 2nd Post
Isle De Salut 2014