Tuesday 31st May - Glorious Argostoli

I'd already researched what we planned to do in Argostoli. Then forgot it!  I did have notes somewhere, but they were hidden, I couldn't find them, and I got mixed up with another port.  It wasn't until Tia (Terena), was looking through TripAdvisor that I remembered my plan - which was a walk.  So, using Maps.me, (an app we've found absolutely brilliant on our foreign travel), we set off.  

So. Out of the port, turn right and follow the coastline. Argostoli is a town on the side of a lagoon leading off from a bay on the island of Kefalonia.  As we walked we were looking across the lagoon to the hills and mountains on the other side. It was beautiful

First stop were the sinkholes. Some weird geology means that the sea water disappears into them and re-appears about 1 1/2 miles away on the other side of the island.  The flow of the sea water is enough to power a water mill.  The mill was moving quite slowly when we visited, but I would imagine that high tide or rough seas could create a lot of power.

 

From there we walked on past a small pebbly beach and a few restaurants to an old disused lighthouse with lovely views.

Then we turned back on ourselves to find the path leading up to the Italian War Memorial.  The track is a little bit rough in places and my open toed sandals weren't the best footwear.  I managed OK though  The memorial was quite interesting, giving details of how the Germans turned on the Italians very quickly when Italy signed and Armistice with the Allies in 1943.  Several thousand were killed.

We carried on upwards toward what was marked as a veiwpoint at the top of the hill.  Several times the trees lining the track opened out to show us glorious views of the lagoon and our ship.  From the viewpoint itself were stunning views the other way, across the bay to the separate peninsular of Kefalonia.  Quite beautiful.

We stopped for a lunch of fruit, before starting on our way down, into the town of Argostoli.  It's actually really quite a nice place, with wide streets, inviting looking shops, and loads of places to eat - all under the shade of large parasols.

 

We found an icecream parlour, and armed with absolutely massive and delicious ice cream cones, we made our way through the town to the waterside, heading for a walkway across the lagoon. 

It's not very deep at this point.  I loved watching the fish on either side as we walked towards the monument stone in the middle.  We could have gone all the way across, but the sun was hot and high in the sky, and our legs were beginning to complain.

 

We walked back towards the ship along the lagoon edge.  The restaurant tables were full, and children threw bread, watching the hoardes of fish zoom in to eat it.  Further along we came across several people watching and filming the lagoon.  Turtles!  

And of course we were as excited to see them as everyone else.  Apparently they are Loggerhead sea turtles, they hang around to take advantage of what the fishermen throw away when they arrive back to the lagoon in the mornings, and the lagoon is actually a nature reserve helping to protect them. 

We finally got back to the ship having walked 6 miles.  I think, if we'd have been surer of the distance and the time, we may gone further....... Maybe we'll get to visit again. 

So that was Argostoli, Kefalonia.  We loved it.  Definitely the place for a holiday in the future I think.  We sat with the royal photographer Ken Lennox for dinner.  That guy is just so full of stories.  We could sit and listen to him all night.  Brilliant.

Monday 30th May - Sea day

Well, there isn't really anything to tell from today. The classes ran as usual, 20 passengers in each, and perfectly, only 40 people turned up to register for them, so no-one missed out. 

I found another pair of shorts in the shop, and surprisingly they had my size.  That's quite newsworthy as far as I'm concerned.  I didn't buy white though.  And it's been a formal night tonight.  Peter wore a suit and his sheep tie, which was commented on by many.

The fact that we have to eat in a certain section of the Grill, with all the other guest entertainers, lecturers, musicians etc means we are getting to know them, which is not something we often do. 

We've met:

Emily Haig,  a lovely young soprano singer, who was shocked at the contracts of Arts and Craft tutors.  We never went to listen to her, but perhaps we should have done.

Jeff Chandler and his wife (we met them tonight), he gives lectures on WW2.  Surprisingly, we have a lot in common with them in terms of CMV and Peel talent.  

Ken Lennox, a nationally recognised photographer with several links to the Royals. He gives lectures telling of his life working as a photographer with the Royals.  He's travelling on his own, and I really like him.  Scottish, not very tall and down to earth, with lots of amazing stories. 

Bob Collins and his cheerful wife Annette.  He's the maritime history lecturerer and Annette is waiting for a space on the art classes to come free. 

Robert (Bob) Daws, a well know actor from both screen and stage.  We don't watch much tele, but I recognised him anyway.  A really nice bloke who cheered us up with his story of being "mugged" in Tunis. 

Steve Simone - the Motown and music lecturer - he sings as well apparently.  Travelling on his own, he spends a lot of time with the other entertainers and lecturers. 

Stuart St Paul, a behind the scenes guy from tv and film, and definitely one for Peter to listen to.  He's with Jean Heard, an actress.  Another nice couple.  He's miffed that we are confined to the Grill though

Joanne - a pianist from Ipswich, very practical and down to earth lass who's only on for a month. 

And of course Tia and Jerry Slocombe, Tia being the crafts instructress. 

It's all very unusual, but perhaps Peter will work on future Saga cruises, and perhaps we'll bump into these people again. 

The other thing of note today is that the ship arrived at the next port with just about a day to spare, so we've been taken on a little cruise around the islands to enjoy the scenery.  

As I write this blog post, we are just about still outside the port. The balcony door is open and we are enjoying the sound of the sea pleasantly sloshing around outside.

All is good in my world.

Sunday 29th May - A wonderful day in Valletta

Yesterday in Tunis was wet and miserable, and La Goulette is not the prettiest of ports.  Today we woke to hot sunshine and the beauty of Valletta stone harbour.  Absolutely glorious. 

Valetta Harbour from the ship.  We sailed in through the harbour walls

 

We like Valetta.  In fact we like Malta as a whole, having visited before.  We've travelled by bus across the island, and taken the ferry across to Gozo on previous visits.  Today we were out to enjoy the good weather and the lovely, sometimes dramatic, lines of the city.

Buildings lining the harbour side. The sandstone colours and painted wooden balconies are everywhere.

 

So we walked.  All over.  Around the outside and through the middle.   We started by walking along the harbour side until we got to the lift at the side of the fort which takes you up the walls to the gardens at the top.  From there you can watch the saluting battery fire the guns at noon, enjoy the small garden or relax with a cool drink in the warm sun.

 

And there are fantastic views across the harbour

We walked through the tall narrow streets

Until we found ourselves back at the harbour side.

 

We know from a previous visit that there is a path running right along the water's edge  which will take us to the harbour wall.  We loved it then, when the wind blustered and the waves crashed, leaving several inches of water to walk through.  And we loved it today, with calm seas and hot sun.

The path runs along at the bottom of the harbour fortifications.  There is so much history here, carved into the rock.... doorways, tunnels and steps.

 

 

We sat on capstans at the harbour wall, found a pop up art display created by a load of students from Rome, sat and enjoyed lunch al fresco in the narrow streets, and found the gardens of Floriana.

Veiws across Malta from the Floriana gardens

 It was just a wonderful day.

We had to be back on board by 4pm, which was fine, cos my legs we're starting to notice the 6 miles of roads and paths we'd walked.  As part of the entertainment team, we have to go for Covid testing every day between 4 and 4.30pm.  The passengers don't though, it's just us.  So we went for our tests, got the all clear and settled back in the cabin to watch the harbour go by as the ship sailed out.

It was then that I realised that sitting on the capstan earlier in the day left unpleasant rusty brown stains all over the white shorts I was wearing. It looked like I'd had an accident!  I tried, but the ship's washing machines were unable to get the marks out. I might have to write them off, but I'll try at home first before I chuck them out. 

We finished the evening with dinner in the Grill as usual, and then watched an aerial duo demonstrate incredible balance and strength in the playhouse.  Very elegant and entertaining. 

Tomorrow is a seaday.  I plan to visit the shop to get some more shorts.

A previous visit to Valletta..........

https://gettingaboutabit-cruising.blogspot.com/2015/11/malta-and-valetta-day-one.html

Saturday 28th May - La Goulette - for Tunis

I don't know what I expected from Tunis, not much really, but something more like one of Peter's paintings I think, something a little more romantic.

We took it easy this morning.  Our first coffee looking out at the port and then a late breakfast upstairs. We were finally ready at about 10.30 and caught the 11.00 shuttle bus into town.  

I say 11.00.  It was 11.00 ship's time, which was an hour ahead of Tunis.  It all gets complicated, but apparently it was to make things easier for us.  We just had to remember to keep to our own watches, and not anything local. 

It's quite a drive from the port of La Goulette into Tunis.  Long enough to work out I wouldn't like to drive around that city. It's pretty manic, all the cars around us were scratched and battered, and our bus driver regularly slammed on the brakes, causing us to be thrown into the seat in front, with a few bashed knees or foreheads. 

The Tunis authorities seemed quite concerned about our safety, providing a police escort for our shuttle bus, and three guides, one of whom explained we needed to be careful.  The only place for us to visit was the Medina in the centre of Tunis, and the guides really did not want us to go anywhere else,.  They kept quite a watchful eye until we decided to go our own way.

 The Medina is made up of "Les Souks", loads of little shops selling all sorts, but mostly silver, bright sparkly jewellery, rugs, and leather.  It seemed to be aimed mostly at us tourists.  It reminded us of the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, with so many little streets off in different directions, little alleys and corners.

The guide showed us to a shop with a "Panoramic Veiw".  This meant that we could go through the shop to the stairs towards the back and follow them up 3 or 4 floors.  As we went up we were shown "the Kings Bed", apparently the shop building used to be a palace, and the bed was for the king and his four wives.

Then up more stairs, which brought us out onto the roof with views across the Medina and Tunis.  It was an interesting view, but not really that pretty

What was wonderful however, was the rooftop itself.  It was covered in ornate tiles of every pattern and colour, and laid out almost like a garden. Looking across the way, we noticed another rooftop set out in a very similar way, with others visiting.  We enjoyed a few minutes up there, I was loving the tiles, but it started to rain, so we made our way back inside.

The cost of the visit to the roof was a few minutes listening to the hard sell regarding the handmade rugs in the shop.  I appreciate the amount of work that must have gone into them, but they were not for me today.  A quick tour of the shop downstairs and we were back into the alleys of the Medina.  

We met one of the cruise lecturers, who told us that he'd been up on that other roof I'd seen, and how to get there. So off we went.  Funny enough, as we went to climb the stairs, the guy there told us that the building used to be the Kings house, and showed us the Kings bed where he slept with his four wives. 

The roof of this building was as gorgeous as the first, and had the added bonus of a small coffee shop, but sadly we couldn't take advantage.  As we were up there, the skies rumbled, the lightening cracked and then the heavens opened.  The water came down in bucket loads  We considered sitting for a  drink under the parasols of the cafe, but there wasn't a dry seat anywhere.  We made our way down instead.

 

 

 

 

We wandered a little more around the Medina, but we were severely hampered by the rain.  It kept coming in great swathes, turning the alleys of the Medina into little rivers.  We tried, but we couldn't keep our feet dry.  In the end our socks and shoes squelched.

So it was back to the tour bus.  We tried to make it back during a lull in the downpours and failed miserably.  A kind cafe owner allowed us to shelter during the worst of it, but we were still properly drenched as we made our way across the final stretch of our walk back.  We'd missed the 1pm bus, but thought it would only be 30 mins before the next one left.

It wasn't.  We waited on the bus for nearly an hour.  In that the time, the rain cleared and the sun peered through the clouds.  Humph!

The bus took us back to La Goulette and the ship. in the gift shop at the port I bought a ceramic fish tile thingy that reminded me of those beautifully tiled rooftops.  I bought it at the port because it seemed easier there than trying to buy something in the Medina, although I admit that on the whole the Medina shop owners did not bother us.  There was a perfume shop owner and a street seller that were both scarily persistent though, and they will stay as part of my memory of the place

At the start of the day, I really did not know what to expect from Tunis.   At the end of it, I've decided I'm not that enamoured with the place.  If we ever visit again, we'd probably join a tour for Carthage.  But still, it was an adventure, with the rain making it an "interesting" trip. 

It was about 3 when we got back, but they had kept the Grill open with a buffet, so we were able to grab something to eat, before going off to relax in the cabin. 

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful.  As part of the entertainment team, we have to have daily covid tests - so at 4pm we made our way down to the medical centre on deck 4.  After getting the all clear I made use of the launderette, Peter worked on his laptop, and then we both spent time on the balcony watching, photographing and filming the Corey's Shearwaters the were wind surfing alongside the ship. 

 

All is good.  Tomorrow we are in Valletta, a place we know and like.  As Peter sez..... "Bring it on!"

Friday 27th May - Dolphins and "Oh those bridge players"

Up as usual for the registration, then breakfast, then back to the stateroom for a quick cuppa on the balcony. 

And Peter spotted the dolphins, quite a big pod, easily 20 or 30 of them made their way to cross the path of the ship in front of us.  I remember someone yesterday saying no matter how many you see, you never get tired of dolphins.  He was right, and we watched with delight as they leapt out of the water in 2's and 3's. We wanted to get photos but you know how it is, by the time we'd manage to get a camera in our hand, they'd be gone.  So we stayed and enjoyed the sight.

Classes have fallen into a well behaved routine, so once everyone had settled, I went off to explore the "Living Room" on deck 5.  Basically a large lounge where you can either have a hot drink and cake, or something alcoholic.  It's open all day, and like most things on Saga, all inclusive.  I sat down with a cup of tea and a chocolate chip cookie. (Well, I had to try it out, for Peter's sake, I needed to make sure they are something he would eat. )

Lunch and the 2nd class happened as usual.  I was reading in the library whilst Peter did his stuff, and Terena emerged from her class.  Before I say any more, I will just point out that on many of the cruises we've been on in the past, there is often bother in the card room, and it is always the bridge players.  Terena runs her craft class in the card room. 

She'd just finished her class and had come out for a couple of coffees from the machine in the library, and sat down beside me.  "I kept my cool", she said "I stood as tall as I could and did not get riled!".

It turns out that as she went into the card room for her second class, there were people playing bridge, on one of the tables.  They said they had the OK from the Cruise Director, and Terena thought, "Well, I don't need the table, so it should be alright".

That was up until the point they told her not to speak so loudly when she was teaching her class!  They wanted her to be quieter and not disturb their game.

Terena was livid!  But as she said, she kept her cool and phoned through to the Cruise Directors office.  No, they hadn't been given the OK to play during Terena's class, and no, they won't be doing it again. 

It's always the bridge players. 

After classes, Peter had quite a lot of work to do in the cabin, so I left him to it, and went on the top deck for a wander.  It wasn't as warm as yesterday, but just as empty.  As I walked I discovered there are loads of moths up there, mostly little ones, but also a nice hawk moth.  I am now in my element and look forward to moth hunting on a regular basis.  (I know, it makes me a weirdo).

Dinner in the Grill as usual.  As I've said before, it's a proper sit down, waited on meal.  I photographed the menu to give an idea.  Peter and I both had the cheese and spinach souffle, butternut squash soup, and pork, I finished with sticky toffee pudding and Peter ordered his usual mountain of icecream.  It was delicious.

Life is good. 

Thursday 26th May - Grandaddy Dancing

We are getting into a routine with the sea days.  Since we and the passengers all know what we are doing it becomes much easier, and Peter is well into his stride re the classes. 

So today was easy (for me anyway), I have free time whilst Peter is teaching to do stuff like write a blog, speak to the Explore Ashore team etc.  Covid testing continues for every passenger for a couple more days, but it is all carried out very quickly and efficiently and hardly disturbs the day at all.

One of the highlights today was that I think we might have seen a whale.  Something very large, not a dolphin, came out of the water and went back down alongside the ship.  It's a shame it was so quick, I would love to know what it was.

After classes we went up onto the top deck just for a bit of fresh air, leg stretch and to see what's what.   It was very quiet.  We discovered you can walk around the Sun Deck 6 times for a mile, so we wandered a bit, looking out to sea, enjoying the very hot sun.   We also found a hawk moth which of course made me happy, I'll work out what it is later. 

Dinner in The Grill as usual, this time talking to Annette and Bob. Bob is the maritime history lecturer.  Another nice couple who plan to travel as much as possible and see as much as possible whilst they can.  They seem to have done a fair bit already this year.  The Captain announced negative test results across the board, so it seems that everyone is doing their bit not to catch Covid.  It's a minimum five days isolation if you get a positive test and no-one wants that.

And finally after a little persuasion, Peter agreed that maybe we should explore the nightlife a little after dinner, and we made our way up to the Brittania lounge to listen to a bit of music.  I should mention that Peter had drunk a little more wine than usual.  It didn't take much to get him on the dance floor and he wiggled about with enthusiasm and even a bit of rhythm!  So much fun, I loved it.   

And it was all topped off with seeing Dulcie, a freind of Peter's from his early days cruising on the Saga ships.  They were both so pleased to see each other, it was lovely. 

Another sea day tomorrow, and more of the same. 

 

Wednesday 25th May - Gibraltar

There may have been good intentions to be up and about early, but that's all they were, good intentions. 

The ship docked around 8am, we were up about 8.30 to look on "the Rock" through blurry eyes, enjoying our first morning cuppa on the balcony. 

The Rock of Gibraltar from our balcony (which I will keep mentioning).

A leisurely breakfast from the "whatever you can think of, it's here" breakfast buffet, chatting with other members of the entertainment team, before we got ourselves together and left the ship.   We've been on Rock tours up on the reserve a couple of times, so the plan today was simply to have a walk around the bottom.

The Spirit of Adventure, docked in Gibraltar

 

I don't know what I expected, but in all honesty, it was just like being in any busy British town.  Like all other tourists, we walked along the pedestrianised Main Street. All the shops displayed in English, so that we could understand what was being sold.  Marks and Spencers, Morrisons, and several other big British names were all there, and the place was full of people out to take advantage of duty free prices. 

Veiw across to Spain

 

But it was hot, the plants were more desert cacti and palm like, and a lot of people were speaking spanish.  The other main difference was the battlements everywhere, walking around the town, the old barracks, fort walls and battlements were everywhere, integrated into the town to a point where you almost didn't notice them. 

Loads of cannons and guns of various ages displayed everywhere

`

So Gibraltar is for shoppers, or those interested in the Rock.  We were neither today, but took a walk through it all, heading for the Trafalgar Cemetary and the Botanical Gardens.  Peter was dying to take one of the paths up the rock, but I felt it was too hot and would be too tiring, so we stayed at town level

 

The cemetary and the gardens were OK, and we decided to walk back along a different route and ended up on top of the wall. Then it was back along Main Street, heading for the square at the entrance for icecream.  We found the stall, but the woman wouldn't take visa, and we had no cash, (cos I thought Peter had brought it out with him, and he didn't).

So back to the ship, hot and tired, and since we'd missed lunch and icecream, we wolfed the chocolates that had been put on our pillows every night (I'd saved them up).  After a nap, we headed for our evening meal in the Grill absolutely ravenous, taking full advantage of the four courses. (Dinner in the grill is full waiter service, exactly as it would be in the main restaurant).  And I managed to spot a pod of dolphins from the Grill window.

Afternoon view

The day ended on the balcony, supping tea and enjoying the noise of the waves.  

Tangier across the Straits of Gibraltar as we sail on, into the Mediterranean

You can read about our next visit and our walk up "The Rock" here:-  Thursday 13th April, Gibraltar and a walk up the rock