16/5/24

I, more or less, now know my way around the ship.  Not yet, like the back of my hand, but I’m getting there.  I like all that I see.  Dining upstairs in the Britannia Restaurant is how I would imagine being in a brand new art-deco very high class establishment in the 1930s.

One really needs to be au-fait with modern technology these days.  I booked a shore excursion this morning, one that I had been on before in Tenerife.  With luck, my whale videos may turn out better than last time.   There is no going down to the tours office for help.  You can either book on your own device via My Voyage, or  on touch screens on Deck 2.  Belatedly, I am beginning to accept and comprehend the modern way of doing things, and even quite liking it. 

Despite its similarities to Holland America cruise-ships of a similar profile, Queen Anne, Cunard’s second largest passenger ship ever, is a head-turner, particularly still looking fresh from delivery.

17/5/24 In the pert of Arrecife, Lanzarote.

10.27 hrs.

I awoke around 08.45 hrs this morning after a much needed sleep.  Yesterday was a sea day, during which I just managed to maintain my walking schedule.  I joined my travel/table companions for bingo in the Golden Lion Pub on deck 2, where Martin triumphed with a full house!  We failed miserably at the quiz, which followed soon afterwards.  Really! How many actually know that Oliver Cromwell died of malaria?!  

It was  Masquerade Gala Night yesterday evening,  officially from 6 pm.  Both my dress shirt and white tuxedo were freshly laundered, disguising very nicely the result of frequent decadence!  

‘Though I don’t like to keep mentioning it, my feet continue to cause me problems. I struggle much more on uneven surfaces than even earlier this year.  However, I shall disembark shortly and see what Lanzarote has to offer in the short time I have allowed myself.

Writing the following day, Saturday 18th May 12.30,hrs at La Buena Vida Street café in La Palma, Gran Canaria.

Briefly, looking back on yesterday. 

Like today, I had no real plans of where I would explore. I did find the city of Arrecife rather pleasant and took a leisurely stroll past street cafés facing towards the ocean.  By strange coincidence, I caught up with my three table companions at one such café.  I joined them for a coffee as well as a cheese and ham toastie, which was delicious.  I walked into town, not very far, before returning to the ship.

We (that is, former QM2 table-mates John and Malcom, and Martin)  have taken to dining each evening in the Britannia Restaurant Upper, where one can (theoretically) walk in at any time.

Written c 07.00 Sunday 19/5/24 in my stateroom.

However, last night (now three nights ago), I joined Martin for dinner in a specialist Mediterranean themed restaurant, Tramonto.  It was well worth the cover charge, not only for the high-end quality of the food and attentive service but also for stunning panoramic sea views, which, as the sun went down, were quite stunning.  One can get very used to this. 

Monday 20th May 2024 in the Tramonto Restaurant, where I discover one can enjoy breakfast/lunch in relative peace and quiet (usually).

I thought I had found the perfect place to continue my blog, the Tramonto Restaurant, sectioned off from the main Artisans’ Foodhall on the port-side, aft, Deck 9.  However, I was not completely alone. Others were engaging in over-hearable conversation, encouraging me to exile myself near the pool.  Today, we head north, firstly back to La Coruna, Queen Anne’s very first port of call, in what I expect will be her long history.  I am just feet away from where I enjoyed breakfast.  The breeze is cool but not unbearable.  In Tramonto, I overheard that it was warmer in Britain!  This reminds me of a two week holiday in Italy, back in the 1980s, when it was cold, windy, and miserable for all but the first and last day.  During a cold, miserable wet day on Capri, a copy of the Daily Mirror (if I remember correctly) floated in a dirty puddle with headlines screaming, “BRITAIN “SIZZLES!” 

Yesterday, in a WhatsApp message, my sister Mary reminded me that it was Pentecost!  Quite! 

I, with my other three table companions, embarked on the whale watching shore excursion, my first so far on these travels.  Like last year, we travelled to Playa de Las Americas in the south of Tenerife, which is usually the warmer sunnier part of the island.  The only rain was during the bus journey along the motorway connecting Santa Cruz with the south.  We saw plenty of sea life as in 2023, and sunning myself on a well equipped catamaran was an agreeable way of passing a morning.  And for a time, it was very warm.  I was not disappointed, and nor were my friends who took advantage of the unlimited beer available! 

Thankfully, there was little of interest to see on the coach journey, and the hour long ride in both directions was not unnecessarily disturbed by commentary over the coach’s P.A. system.  Perfect!  

I returned to the ship to deposit my bag, in which I carried any necessities I may have needed before searching for a souvenir magnet to mark my visit. I joined John for Afternoon Tea back on board. Being Pentecost, most places were shut, and our port, Santa Cruz, felt somewhat subdued.

John and Martin (as far as I know) attended a Captain’s Cocktail Party last night.  I go tonight.  Malcom joined me for an informal dinner in the Artisans’ Foodhall before attending a hilarious comedy night in the Royal Court Theatre.  John Evans worked his audience brilliantly with some tried, tested, and familiar material as well as many new surprises.  The gag about Saga ships with bifocal portholes still raises a laugh, but not from me these days! 

After the evening’s activities,  I chose to bring my steps total to 200,000, half my modest target in support of Christian Aid Week.   By the end of August, I may perhaps have achieved my target twice over.

Many thanks for reading, David 12.34 hrs 20/5/24.