It's Friday and we are now back at home. Helen and Charlie picked us up from the ship and brought us back to Berryland.

Today is the first of two sea days on our way north to the UK. Although we are currently sailing past Lisbon on the West Coast of Portugal the weather has got considerably cooler. The outside temperature is now only 16 degrees c. Shipboard activities continue of course although mostly inside. Some passengers decided they didn’t fancy sailing through the Bay of Biscay again due to the rough seas encountered on the way out from the UK. Several of them got off the ship in Malaga in order to fly home. Bloody wimps – the Bay of Biscay is half the fun of these cruises and there are plenty of sick bags stationed in all of the public and crew areas. This is picture of Aileen whom we have met before on another cruise. Aileen comes from the Philippines and her mother looks after her 10 month old son called Joshua. Her husband works on another ship. Aileen’s current contract runs until November when she will return home to the Philippines to see her son for the first time in 6 months. And below is a picture of Melissa who some of you will know from various ships and cruises. We first met Melissa almost two years ago when she was a bar steward on the Aurora. Melissa is now a wine steward in the Cinnamon Restaurant and is still the same bubbly and cheeky girl with a fantastic memory for faces, names and your favourite drinks orders. This picture was taken in Marco Pierre White’s speciality restaurant on board last night. (It’s called The White Room). Melissa was there with two of her colleagues as part of the prize for winning her part in the P&O C.R.U.IS.E programme. C.R.U.I.S.E stands for Courtesy Respect Unfailing In Service Excellence. Last night Melissa and her two friends were dressed in their finest clothes and this time, they were waited on hand and foot by the restaurant staff. We were delighted to see Melissa there and enjoy our own meal on a nearby table. Well done Melissa.

Today is Tuesday and we arrived at the port of Malaga in Southern Spain. This is the gateway to the Costa del Sol resort area. Malaga is also the birthplace of Picasso the very famous Andalucian artist.

It was a warm day and with no excursions booked we decided to take the city tour on the top deck of an open top bus. This is a really good way to see all of the sights and you can hop on and hop off whenever you see something of interest. If you do get off you can normally get on the next bus which should arrive about 20 minutes later.

You are given ear phones and a commentary is relayed in the language of your choice. For some reason Julie chose to listen in German and couldn’t understand a word! Amongst other things we saw The Bishops Palace, The Cathedral, The Roman Theatre and of course the house where Picasso was born on the second floor.

We also visited the Malaga Bull Ring where fights are held on most Sunday afternoons. Matadors, (bull fighters) in Spain are held in very high regard and in their prime are paid as much as footballers and pop stars.

After a few hours touring the city we had a cold beer and returned to the ship for some late lunch and a spot of sun baking. No sooner had we laid out than the clouds started to gather and within 10 minutes it had gone from a beautiful afternoon to a full blown hail storm.

Malaga was our last port of call and we now have two sea days before returning to Southampton on Friday 18 September.

A welcome day at sea. A day when we can do exactly as we please. We can get up whenever we feel like it; we can eat whenever we feel like it; but we can’t watch the Formula One Grand Prix from Monza in Italy because the ship is in dispute with the broadcasting company! Never mind with some help, via mobile telephone from my friends John in Lyndhurst and Nick somewhere “up north”, we were able to enjoy the race from the comfort of our mini suite. Actually I was able to get on the Internet from time to time and download a live text feed direct from the track. Although there were no photographic images I was fully able to imagine the action and I will see the recorded race when I get back to Blighty.

We arrived on the Greek island of Cephalonia exactly at 8am on Saturday morning with a very pleasant surprise. We had been warned that the ship would have to anchor in the bay and we would have to go ashore on the ship’s lifeboats which are actually called “tenders” for this type of work. The good news was that the new quay had been completed since our itinerary was written and we actually docked alongside. This saved a great amount of time because with 3500 passengers on board it takes a while to disembark through the lifeboat system.

Cephalonia is the largest of the Greek (Ionian) islands but is defiantly untouristy which is nice. There are many pretty harbour front tavernas in the port of Argostoli but we decided to take the 30 minute ride on the mini car ferry to Lixouri on the other side of the Gulf of Argostoli.

These ferries operate every half hour and carry about 10 cars and maybe a couple of trucks. They are clean, tidy and a very efficient way of getting around. The day was another warm one of 34c and the trip provided an excellent means of staying cool.

We stopped at one of the seaside bars for a cool refreshing beer and Phil caught up with the week’s business on the phone. We then walked through the main streets until 2pm when the entire town closed down for the afternoon siesta. This always amazes us! They close the shops when they have a cruise ship in town with 3500 tourists on board with money to spend. (They obviously don’t need the money!).

This photo shows an old Ford car with no other identification. It looks like a Cortina but isn’t. Phil thought it might be an Edson but can any reader identify it? Click on the picture to make it larger.

On the way back to the ship we were joined by a wild turtle that was pleased to meet us.

Now it’s just two sea days to Malaga in Spain which will be our last port on this mini voyage.

Today is Friday so it must be Corfu.

The classic holiday combination of endless sun, sea and sand make Corfu one of the most popular as well as one of the largest Greek Islands.

The capital, Corfu Town, is Greece’s largest ”living” medieval town home to cobblestone streets and alleyways, historic buildings, statues and fountains. We decided not to take an organised tour today so we went exploring on our own. The mid-morning temperatures were very pleasant so we were able to walk through most of the old town comfortably.

We found an almost deserted local bar and ordered some late morning coffee. No sooner than we had been served than a whole group of Brits from the ship arrived. For some reason they all started using their mobile phones to call home in loud cockney voices. We drank up and left them to it.

The highest point is the Venetian–built, Old Fortress. To get there you cross the bridge over the moat and then climb steadily to the top where there are panoramic views over Corfu Town. Whilst on the Fort we also visited the Greek chapel of St George where Prince Philip was christened.

Tonight we have been invited to have drinks with the captain and some senior engineers so “cheers” for now.

Sailing into the beautiful 12th century Croatian walled City of Dubrovnik is one of the great cruising experiences. The spectacular old town with its pretty harbour, towering ramparts, creamy stone pavements and red-roofed buildings – is crammed with architectural wonders everywhere you look.

We took the usual tourist excursion and as always we felt ripped off and promised ourselves we would never do it again. We do this nearly every time! In the past we have done our own thing for a fraction of the price and we have now promised ourselves we will never get caught again. Watch this space.

We found a lovely fish restaurant down by the bay where we enjoyed a delicious lunch (with wine) and we were served by the proud owner.

After lunch we did a little exploring on our own and eventually returned to the ship on the same shuttle bus as our old friend Claire Sweeney.

Next stop is tomorrow when we arrive on the Greek island of Corfu.

Another full day at sea allowed us to enjoy the warm sunshine and relax. Today we were invited to the “Gold Tier Luncheon” and spent a pleasant couple of hours with selected fellow guests and officers. The lunch and the company were both delightful. Tonight we will go to the theatre to see Claire Sweeney singing various songs from her star roles in “Chicago” and other leading London West End theatre productions.

Cruising into the Bay of Naples is a memorable experience. The Naples port is overlooked by the imposing Sant’ Elmo medieval castle, high up on Vemero Hill, as well as the 13th century Castel Nuovo, which is right next to our cruise terminal in the heart of the city.

It was a case of a “ship” down memory lane this morning when we berthed right next to Voyager of the Seas. Julie once had a surprise “notable” birthday on board Voyager a few years ago and was surprised by 20 family and friends who turned up for the event. (And a Caribbean cruise).

Norwegian Jade had also followed us to Naples and was securely tied to the quay on the other side of Voyager. Today is our 30th wedding anniversary and we celebrated by taking a tour to Sorrento in the morning and then a trip to Pompeii in the afternoon. Sorrento is a great little seaside town which buzzes with activity and is full of shops, bars and lovely little restaurants.

We had a great Italian lunch, with wine of course.

Then in the afternoon we visited the ancient city of Pompeii. It really is enormous and the archaeologists have only exposed about 20% of it so there is much more to come later. We spent a full two hours with a very informative guide before returning to the ship.

As I write this we are drinking champagne and watching the sun go down as all three ships sail off to their next ports of call. After the last three days where we have visited a new port everyday, we now have a day at sea and then it’s Dubrovnik on Thursday.

Civitavecchia is the closest port to the city of Rome and we arrived very early in the morning tying up behind our old friend Norwegian Jade which was previously called The Pride of Hawaii. We have sailed on this ship a few times and have many happy memories.

Because we have spent some time in Rome on previous occasions we decided to take a tour in the Tuscan countryside.

We visited the medieval town of Tuscania which was quaint and very interesting.

Then we drove on and visited a real working vineyard called Valle del Marta Farm in Tarquinia. After taking us on a tour of the grape vines and explaining how the wines are made we were treated to samples of everything they make at this wonderful place. Samples are not the right word because everything came in full size glasses and was accompanied with bruschetta snacks.

Our daughter Sarah flew into Rome today but unfortunately there would not have been enough time to meet up and then get back to the ship before it sailed. We haven’t seen Sarah since May but hopefully we will see her later this month in the UK.

Today we arrived on the beautiful island of Corsica which is owned by the French and was Napoleon’s birthplace. If you didn’t know that before, it would only take a few minutes after cruising into the port of Ajaccio to cotton on as “Boney’s” name and likeness is everywhere.

The main shopping street is called Cours Napoleon and the wide tree lined boulevards, parks and large squares in the newer part of the town feature many statues of the old bloke.

The main marketplace is right by the port and we saw lots of local craft goods and endless Napoleonic souvenirs.

There are also some very nice beaches with all of the usual water sports. Here you can see some of the old “Brits” on board having a paddle in the sea. Click on any picture to enlarge it.

Saturday was spent sailing towards the Island of Corsica. We both went to the gym and then Julie settled down to a spot of sun tanning on our balcony. It can be fairly windy out there and as soon as she dropped off for a mini-nap she was struck full in the face by a baseball hat. The hat had left its owner’s head 50 metres away and flown along to meet Julie face on. Luckily she was unhurt. This is a photograph of Marco Pierre White’s on board restaurant called the “White Room”. You can eat indoors or el fresco if the weather is warm enough.

Then before “formal” night we decided to have a snack with an old friend.

Tomorrow is a full day on the Island of Corsica so I guess we will have an early night tonight. NOT.

We arrived in the Spanish port of Cadiz yesterday and were greeted by a thick fog hanging over the whole city. The hot sun soon burned off the fog and the temperatures rose to a very pleasant 28 degrees C.

We cruised right into the heart of historic Cadiz and immediately across the road is the main square and shopping area. It was easy to find our way around the narrow streets which are lined with tall Moorish – style houses with flower decked balconies.

These houses are separated by small shops and tapas bars. Cadiz dates back to the 12th century BC and is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the Western World.

Today the weather is warming up quite a bit with the temperatures in the 20’s. Julie and I walked the decks and were very disappointed to see how they pour 3500 passengers into very small sun bathing areas. However … we are NOT whinging Pomms and we do have our own balcony so we are having a great time.

Another sea day and everything is much calmer now that we are out of the Bay of Biscay. Currently we are sailing south just off the coast of Portugal. Last night we saw the show and as usual I sat in the front row. This time it back fired when one of the singers came down from the stage to sing to me personally and accidentally kicked over my glass of wine. Oh well back to the bar then

All at sea

Wednesday is our first full sea day and the weather is appalling. Julie said that last night was the worst she had ever experienced at sea. Nothing to do with me because I slept all the way through. We are currently sailing through the Bay of Biscay. Because it is a big ship there are loads of things going on to keep us happy and of course all the bars are open. There are no less than 6 different quizzes every day, yoga demonstrations, fashion shows, various lectures, upcoming port talks, casino lessons, and lots of sporting competitions. Additionally you can go to dance class. Play Bridge, table tennis, deck quoits, and shuffleboard. Or if you are a bit more energetic you can do break dancing, juggling, stilts, and tightrope walking. And there is always the library to keep your mind occupied. You can also visit the acupuncturist and they even have a qualified dentist on board to enhance your smile with their teeth whitening procedure. Tonight there will be singing and dancing in all the bars. There are two theatres with each one showing different shows three times nightly. In the Havana theatre an Annie Lennox impersonator will be appearing. In the Masquerade theatre the Ventura Theatre Company will put on a full show of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hits from Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Cats, Starlight Express, and Phantom of the Opera. Whatever we do, it should be good.

Tuesday 1 September

Helen and Charlie dropped us off at the Port of Southampton and we quickly got on board and met our cabin steward Menish. We have a mini suite with all of the usual luxuries. Ventura is a large ship with around 3500 passengers which is quite a contrast to our last ship which held less than 600.

Soon it was 5pm and the ship gently slipped away from the quayside for the start of our cruise to much warmer places than we have in the UK. Unfortunately we hadn’t sailed very far when a passenger became seriously unwell and the ship returned to port where an ambulance was waiting. After a few beers it was time for dinner. On this ship everyone has a choice of either “club” dining where you have regular mealtimes and maybe share a table with other guests or “freedom dining” where you can eat whatever you like, whenever you like. We have opted for the “freedom” choice so that we can maximise our dining experiences. We entered the Cinnamon Restaurant and were immediately greeted by Melissa who we first met on Aurora nearly two years ago when she worked behind the bar. Melissa is now a wine steward and she immediately recognised us. There were lots of hugs and kisses so it looks like the wine service is going to be good on this trip.