Scotland Welcomes Queen Anne with rough waters and bagpipes.

I have been here before, on QE2 in 1998, and QM2 in 2009.  However, today is the first time the tenders have been delayed due to high winds.  All the shore excursions are held back, except possibly those running this afternoon.

I was thrilled to wake up this morning,  at around 7 o’clock, to see part of the Forth Rail Bridge through my stateroom balcony doors.  I have made no specific plans for today.  Although the tender service will be running soon, I doubt I will make it to church!   For some reason, the idea of singing hymns and hearing a booming word of God in a Scottish Presbyterian kirk appeals! 

Yesterday, I walked very little, achieving just over half of my daily schedule of 10,000 steps in support of Christian Aid Week 2024.  I have every opportunity to make up the short-fall today. 

The mist and murk make for a very atmospheric ambience (right now, I can’t think of a better word!)  

I enjoyed breakfast in the Aranya (Indian) Restaurant, which, like Tramonto, is a supposedly quiet area for breakfast close to the Artisans’ Foodhall.

After breakfast, I went down to the Promenade Deck for what turned out to be a brief stroll.  Much of the deck is closed off to accommodate the operation of the tenders.  I walked around the upper decks instead and was able to capture some rare pictures.

12.25 hrs. SCOTRAIL beckons!

I have decided to try for a Scotrail trip to Tweedmouth from South Queensferry.  There appears to be a regular Sunday service taking just over an hour each way.  However, I am in a long queue in the Royal Court Theatre.  I am not overly bothered, but I don’t want to mess up and miss the last ferry back to the ship!   The last time I went through Tweedmouth was in 1969 on a Deltic hauled Farewell to the Waverley Route special train 55 years ago.  However, as I wait for the next tender, I am beginning to have my doubts whether this will work out.  Thankfully, rumblings of discontent are now minimal, apart from one elderly lady telling Cunard staff how to (in no uncertain terms) do their job!  Wow! The patience of the harassed crew… I was never so polite in similar circumstances at work!  

My “number” was called eventually, and soon, I was on the tender for South Queensferry.  I should have remembered that the local station is Dalmeny, and was either up a flight of 104(?) steps, or an easier, but much longer walking route. I abandoned ideas of revisiting the Waverley Route.  And when the rain mimicked stair-rods, I gave up on a small boat trip I had ascertained was departing at 3 o’clock, which would have been very pleasant, and offering the possibility of seeing some wildlife.  However, that did not stop me from enjoying my afternoon and a lovely walk into South Queensferry itself and dodging some very heavy showers.

This was the first time I had walked into the town centre, and it was much more attractive and photogenic than I ever imagined.  I wouldn’t mind travelling there by public transport and staying nearby for a few days. 

It wasn’t a long wait for the ferry back to the ship.  I don’t think that our tenders were used today.

Leaving South Queensferry in daylight offered some lovely and sometimes haunting views. 

I joined our regular table for dinner tonight.  The couple from Vancouver have opted for open sitting dining and won’t be joining us again.

Continued the next day (27/5724) during breakfast.

We were joined by “Cath” putting little old me among five women!  I think that all our feelings might be “mixed”!   For the third time, I had a direct view out of an adjacent window and could see that the clouds had thinned out, and I rather wished that I was outside admiring the lovely scenery we were slowly passing through.  Because of the delay in the morning,  the last ferry to the ship was 19.00 hrs rather than 17.30, making us correspondingly late.   Therefore, we missed seeing Bass Rock and the Isle of May, both mentioned in the original itinerary. 

After a fairly efficient dinner, we were able to make the evening show on time.  Although I have seen the husband and wife circus, comedy, and juggling act at least once previously, their performance was still mind-boggling.  The background graphics were very impressive.  After the show,the women filed out together, and I chose to wait around a little before adjourning to the Artisans’ Foodhall for a decaff coffee nightcap.  The frequent sound of the ship’s siren, muffled by being inside and other ambient noise, suggested we were again passing through fog or sea mist.

I slept reasonably last night, and today, as we continue through the North Sea towards Kirkwall,  skies are overcast, but brighter, and the sea calm with only a slight swell.  

Today is “Midge Ure Day.”  This morning, he is in conversation with the Entertainments Director, whose name escapes me right now.  Tonight, the Ultravox musician/composer performs music I used to play as a DJ, in another life! 

Breakfast is over, and I have a nice central seat in the Royal Court Theatre for this morning’s “In Conversation With.”   (See below)

I walked a little bit after the talk and then tried the Golden Lion Pub for lunch.  While the serving seemed small, I felt quite full afterwards.

This afternoon, visibility is low, and the ship’s siren blasts every minute or so. 

Many thanks for reading,

David,  14.45 hrs