Home again, home again

Thursday 13^th December

For a change I was out of my room before the set time of 8.30 (by deciding to take coat and backpack and handbag down to breakfast). Unfortunately I left my room key sitting on the coffee table, thinking I would not need it to get back into my room. I’d forgotten that I’d need it in order to get off the ship! Luckily it’s easy to get a new one at Reception.

I made it to the dining room with 5 minutes to spare before they close to new comers, and enjoyed my last breakfast of scrambled eggs. Then I dashed up to the Lido to get a couple of slices of banana bread to take home with me for lunch. I sat chatting with Jenny and Judith until it was time to leave the ship.

Disembarkation was prompt and easy but I had to wait 20 minutes in the cold for the minibus to the car park. A collision and fire on a main roundabout had slowed down traffic. Our driver was kind enough to point out to us an alternative way home, so that we could miss that roundabout, and my memory cooperated so that I actually managed it. My satnav finally gave up trying to direct me along its chosen route and fell in line with where I was heading.

I left the car park about 10.00 and arrived home about 11.20. Good going. By 4pm I’d opened all the mail and unpacked the suitcases. It will take a couple of days to wash and iron and process paperwork, but there’s no hurry.

Final full day

Wednesday 12^th December

I was up at 8.30 but could not believe how dark it was! We are certainly due for tonight’s change of time. I remembered that we will be back in the UK in time for the shortest day of the year. I actually managed to get to the dining room in time for breakfast, for only the second time on this cruise. The blueberry pancakes were not as good as memory paints them, but Queen Victoria still produces the best scrambled eggs at sea.

Dance class was early. I had to be in the ballroom by 10.30! By now I have so many steps going around in my brain that it’s hard to remember what we learnt! It was the rumba. The Beginner’s class was the Allemagne turn straight into a turn in the opposite direction. (Two basics, New Yorkers, Allemagne turn and other turn.) In the Intermediate class at 4 we did the fan and hockey stick and were thoroughly confused by the precision of changes of direction!

I spent the rest of the day packing and wandering the ship and chatting to Trevor and Jenny after dance class. I found myself packing 8 bars of uneaten chocolate to take home. I’ve never taken chocolate home before. It gives me energy and I snack on it when I’m tired. When I packed for the ship I was not sure if I’d taken enough bars. I can’t believe I’m taking some home! Taking phenylalanine seems to have made a difference in my chocolate habits. It even tastes different. I’m aware that I packed a lot of clothes that I had never worn. I’d taken away Summer clothes (for Egypt – but we didn’t get there) and Winter clothes (that perhaps I should have worn on a couple of days but I misjudged the conditions).

Suitcases are meant to be put outside the door before 11. (I’m not sure if that’s 11 before or after we turn back the clocks. I’ll go for the one that best suits me.) It’s a bit difficult to do that if I stay dancing until 12.15, as I need to put away my dancing clothes. One case was outside before dinner and the second one is within 5 minutes of being ready, whenever dancing ends.

My weariness (from the cough – only when I talk! – or CFS?) was showing. I only went to the dining room to say goodbye and thank you to everyone. I had a very quick dinner in the Lido instead. I decided against going to the show. I turned up a bit early for the evening dancing and saved seats for everyone (something I hadn’t done for a few days for various reasons) but Chris must have decided she’d rather be with the people she’d sat with for the last three days and walked past the saved seats. I laughed at myself for feeling like Nellie-no-friends but ended up having one of the best evenings of the cruise.

I was once again asked to dance by the Sports Director. Then we discovered it was a rumba and he didn’t know the steps. However, he learnt very quickly! I then arranged for him to rescue Volodomyr who’d been snaffled by Ruth and could have been there for 20 minutes or more if not helped out! As a thank you, Volodomyr waltzed with me. I had a last chat with Sarah and Andy (who I’d ‘met’ on the internet before coming away). They tell me they arrived with seven suitcases and bags between them and had to buy an extra one because of things they’d bought while away. I will never feel guilty about too much luggage again. Jenny and Judith arrived and I sat with them and we laughed the rest of the evening away, between dancing. Poor Trevor, meanwhile, had gone to bed early as he had reached the ill stage of the respiratory infection. The night ended at 11.30. I suppose that was to make sure we got our cases out at a reasonable time.

I have to be careful putting my last suitcase out in the corridor, as by then I’m dressed ready for bed. What if the door locks behind me? I don’t fancy going down to Reception in my night clothes. (Mind you, I’ve heard stories of people who have packed ALL of their clothes, and have had to wander around the customs hall in night clothes the next morning to find their suitcases in order to dress for departure.) I just carry my room key between my teeth so I can get back in if needed!

Dancing, Art and Chocolate

Tuesday 11^th December

This was set to be such a busy day that I actually set my alarm for 10.00 – and was up and showered before then!

We started at 11.30 with a Waltz class (part 2). This was earlier than usual. I spent a lot of my time trying to haul one of the beginners around. He could not turn 180 degrees in three steps. By the end, we had a good approximation of what we were meant to be doing.

As soon as the class ended it was a scramble for seats in the ballroom as Anna was doing a live performance of her artwork at 12.30 and we all wanted to be in the front row. We hauled our own seats into place as we refused to take our hands off a seat in case anyone else got it. There were a few little squabbles! Anna appeared in a ballgown covered in sequins for the interview, and then proceeded to do a charcoal sketch wearing it! Lily, a member of the entertainment staff, was posed for Anna to sketch. (Unfortunately the easel kept collapsing so the gallery manager had to hold it up!)

I was puzzled as the sketch looked nothing like the shape of Lily’s shoulders. Anna invited Trevor to come up and add a few lines anywhere he wished, and one of the women did likewise. Anna kept working, and then to our amazement turned the canvas upside down and all became clear! What fantastic showmanship, to draw it upside down!

 I had time for a quick lunch with Trevor, who by today was obviously suffering from a respiratory infection and could hardly breathe in. Hopefully he went off to rest. A lot of people have become ill on this cruise with either The Cold or The Throat.

Next on the programme at 2pm was Strictly Cunard. We had 6 couples competing. Four of them, including Chris, danced with Woody. Another couple had only just learnt the rumba on this ship. How brave of them to compete. I thought they captured the intimacy of the dance well. Another couple did the jive. I thought they were the best but the prize went to a woman dancing with Woody. Voting was by the audience. A certain number of slips had been handed out and those people got to vote. While the slips were collected we had a stunning rumba from Nadiya and Volodomyr. The only annoying part was the three judges, who seemed to spend the time talking about themselves or our wonderful ship, rather than talking about the contestants.

At 3pm the Soundwaves Choir was singing in the lobby (and up one of the grand staircases). They had been rehearsing for 45 minutes each day and did a great job.

I left after 20 minutes as afternoon tea at 3.30 was a chocolate fantasia. Even arriving 5-10 minutes early I had trouble finding a seat, and when I left at 4.00 there was a long queue of people waiting to get in. The chefs had done a fantastic job of preparing chocolate creations and a couple of ice sculptures.

Then it was time to head back to the Gallery to see the full range of Anna’s pictures, including the one from earlier in the day that she had finished off. It’s now for sale in the Gallery for around £2,000.

What a packed few hours! I was glad to get back to my room to regroup and catch up on my diary and photos. In addition to this there had been several reminders over the day that Queen Victoria was celebrating her sixth birthday. There was even a cake in the lobby. When we dock at Southampton, Camilla will be coming onboard as part of the celebration, seeing she named the ship. I have heard that she wants to see the gingerbread village that the chefs normally put out for Christmas Eve. They have had to race around to get it ready 10 days early! They will then take it to pieces again ready to put out at the correct time.

I heard from someone that the Captain had told her that it was fortunate we did not manage to get to Rhodes. We would not have got out, as the weather conditions there had still not improved. Christmas in Rhodes, anyone?

Dinner was meant to be a birthday celebration for the ship. All that meant was a specially printed menu!

I went to the show, a spectacular of Victorian songs and dances. Unfortunately this meant that I was not in the ballroom to save seats for everyone. Chris left the show before the interminable announcements but could only find 2 seats together. Seeing I was rather weary I decided not to dance. I did a few odds and ends to fill in time until Nadiya and Volodomyr danced, and then had an early night.

Malaga

Monday 10^th December

The clocks went back one hour and that time was very much appreciated as we were due to arrive in Malaga at 8.00 and depart at 1.30. Not good timing for tardy Diane!

I met up with Trevor at breakfast and caught the shuttle bus with him to the edge of the port. There was a long line waiting for the bus, extending back into the port buildings. I got onto the third bus to come along!

We split up as we had separate plans and agendas for our time in Malaga. I’d been there before so was concentrating on places I hadn’t seen. I managed three churches but rapidly ran out of energy and headed back towards the bus by about 11.30. I was really dragging my feet.

I had been fascinated by the citrus fruit hanging on the tree outside the Cathedral.

I was even more fascinated by this Sock Tree in bloom. What a pity it didn’t have more ‘fruit’.

During the time in Malaga the sun had come out. I made the most of it by sitting on my balcony for 2 hours in the sun. I was actually too hot after a while, despite a change of clothes, but refused to give up any moment of sunshine! While there, I watched the staff rehearsing safety procedures with the lifeboats.

I was concerned by my lack of energy as I had a dance lesson with Volodomyr at 5.30. I had made one change in my daily routine. I normally take phenylalanine tablets (an amino acid) on an empty stomach before breakfast. I’d forgotten about them and had taken them on a full stomach after breakfast. Did this make them release whatever it is too quickly, rather than a slower release during the day? I therefore ate some chocolate (which contains phenylalanine) and had two more tablets. I also did a lot of resting, even lying down on the bed for an hour. It helped.

At 4pm I’d been invited to the Gallery for the private viewing and to meet the figurative artist Anna Razumovskaya, who had come aboard at Malaga. She’s a larger-than-life figure, dramatically dressed and full of flair. We spent a lovely hour (well, 45 minutes, as she was late) looking at her paintings and talking to her about the process. As I walked out at 5, I discovered we were just passing Gibraltar, so rushed out to look and marvelled at the fact that I’d walked down the Rock just five months earlier.

I arrived for the lesson at 5.30, only to find that the Bingo had been moved at the last minute and was in the ballroom, due to end at 5.45 but actually went on until closer to 6. Frustrating! We sat and waited. I’d invited Trevor along to dance with Nadiya, seeing a lesson involves both of them together. I wanted Trevor to run distraction, as it were. I wanted as much time dancing with Volodomyr as possible, rather than having Nadiya correct my posture minutely. That worked pretty well. However, although I’d said I wanted to just dance and practise following a partner, and envisaged dancing for a whole track, that obviously is not their way of doing things. They presented us with a short waltz routine to dance! We went over and over the same steps. Friends of Trevor’s had come in order to video me. Looking back at the video, I think I was better in the first couple of dances. Volodomyr admitted that as I got tired, my head came further and further in. What a pity. I will have to build up my stamina! Then we worked on slow foxtrot. It was lovely to dance both of those again! However, I was better at the waltz! I think I only had about 20-25 minutes instead of the 30 minutes I paid for, but I also suspect that I could not have physically lasted much longer. It was better to stop at that point. (I was fortunate that my lesson was at a time when the ballroom floor was perfectly level. I had hopes of another lesson if we did not hit rough weather. It’s very difficult to take a long step back and then feel the floor disappear under you – or to find yourself going uphill in the middle of a step. However, the seas did not cooperate.) Volodomyr told me several times that I am a good dancer and he was pointing out tiny things to make me better (like the most picturesque way to turn my head). Very nice to hear!

The four of us went upstairs to the Lido for coffee to debrief and chat about the cruise for a couple of hours and then Trevor and I had dinner at the buffet while the other two went to a show. Trevor appeared to be just starting The Throat, so decided to take it easy that night.

The Holiday Decorators were taken on in Malaga in order to decorate the ship for Christmas. It was great to see the decorations appearing gradually over the afternoon and evening and the next couple of days.

I was late to the ballroom and had to sit with a couple I’d only spoken to a few times, rather than with the usual group. Without me there to reserve seats early (each seat holding a shoe or an ipod or my handbag), they had not been able to get any together! I enjoyed the dancing. As well as dancing with Ron and Rob, I had a couple of dancers with one of the eccentric but good dancers, and a couple of the show dancers turned up so I asked one for a waltz. That was the best dance I’ve had on any night. His frame was superb and he really moved around the floor. I also had a social dance (to a waltz tune but no recognisable steps) with one of the staff members I’d been chatting to. That’s about the only dance that I’ve managed to talk throughout. Normally I’m concentrating on following. I enjoyed it.

Browsing the onboard shops

Sunday 9^th December

Getting to the dance class was a bit of a rush, as I was collared by someone at breakfast who wanted to talk something over with me. It ended up being 5 minutes on topic and 40 minutes meandering around her life story, the sort of conversation that leaves me with a concentration headache from trying to follow what she’s trying to get at. I’m still unclear what she wanted of me; I only hope she doesn’t use my silence as corroboration in any complaint she intends to make!

Dance today was cha-cha. We reviewed our basic steps, New York and Allemagne, and then learnt a series of lock steps. Once again, the steps were easy but changing from side to side with our partners was a bit more difficult. We were shown how to move our bodies as we practised alone. I managed to dance it with two of the Hosts. Ron’s reaction was to later compliment me on the way I was moving my body (and actually getting him into the right position thereby) whereas Woody told me: You don’t move your body; I move it for you! (I might have been more impressed by that statement if he’d actually been moving the way Nadiya and Volodomyr were showing us! Oops, Diane; forget that you want to dance properly and remember that your role is one of subservience and you must do as the man does, even when he’s wrong!)

I wandered along to the shops to see if they had anything interesting out for sale and to my amusement found they had the very brooch that I was wearing that day. On my last cruise (different line: Riviera on the Oceania line) I had been given $500 onboard spend, so bought a gold-plated rose brooch to use up the last $170. Back home I’d checked it out online and discovered that it was a vintage brooch, dating back to the 60s, by one of the three top costume jewellery people of that day (Trifari). Further research found the same brooch in an online shop for $17! If you buy it from someone who’s selling off Mum’s old jewellery, you can get it cheaply. If you buy it from the ship then you are paying the cost of the brooch plus the commission for the person who bought it for Susan Caplan (vintage jewellery seller) plus the commission for Harding Bros (who manage the onboard shops) plus commission for the ship – and the price escalates. Interestingly, the same brooch on Queen Victoria was only $122. I had felt that Riviera charged far more than other ships. (The girl in the shop was very concerned when she heard how much I’d paid, and seeing I still had the box with the price on it, and Queen Victoria’s shops were run by Harding Bros too, she insisted on phoning her manager to see if she could price match and return that $47 to me. She couldn’t. I assured her I was not upset as I had not expected it, and besides, the brooch had been bought with onboard spend.) I tried on a lovely Christian Dior vintage necklace for $400. When I get home I’ll be looking for that on www.etsy.com, which had the cheapest price on my brooch. (Terrible photo in the bathroom, but look at the brooch.)

During the Intermediate dance class we learnt a routine which challenged us all (locks, twist turn, fan, allemagne). I thought I had mastered it until I had to dance it with someone else. He didn’t have a clue about leading me so I just danced my parts and hoped he’d get out of the way when I had to move forward. It sort of worked by the end of the class!

Trevor and Jenny had booked a private lesson with Nadiya and Volodomyr. I went down to video the last part of their lesson for them and it inspired me to book my own lesson for Monday afternoon. What I want is to dance with someone who can move around the floor and can help me follow his steps. I have become tired of the politics involved with the Gentlemen Hosts. My conversation this morning was with a married woman who is upset because she has been assured at the Purser’s Desk that the Hosts are allowed to dance with married women (if their own husbands don’t dance), but the Hosts tell her they are not allowed to dance with her. However, we see them dancing with other married women whose husbands only come occasionally. What’s fair about that? While Ron and Rob seem to be dancing fairly with those on ‘the list’, it’s obvious that Woody (the best dancer) is playing favorites. He’ll dance with the gorgeous Chris six times, but only twice with others. I am definitely not a favorite. I’ve begun to feel that he thinks he is doing me a favor by dancing with me. I don’t think I want to be condescended to any further, so I decided to refuse him tonight. I’ll treat myself to a dance lesson with Volodomyr instead. He’s taken a turn with me in most of his dance classes while the Hosts have ignored me, so I think I’ll enjoy a 30-minute lesson with him (a treat seeing I didn’t get my tours in Egypt). I don’t think I have the stamina for a 60-minute lesson though.

I didn’t feel like rushing tonight, so I relaxed in my room, had dinner in the Lido and just filled in time until the dancing. Tonight was the Masquerade Ball. It was great to see the variety of masks. I must confess to enjoying refusing Woody twice when he asked me to dance. I enjoyed dancing with Ron and Rob, who showed every sign of enjoying their dances with me. It makes a difference!

Nadia and Volodomyr put on another stunning display.

Dancing on a tilting floor

Saturday 8^th December

Once again Trevor phoned at 10 to see how I was (slightly more voice, no longer drugged from the cough mixture). That’s one way of making sure I get up instead of me continuing to lie there, rocked by the high seas. I must be adjusting to life at sea, as I have not been seasick this time, not even nauseous, and I’m sure the ship has been as rocky this time as on other ships.

Because it was a sea day, the dancing classes resumed (12.15 to 1.00). Today it was foxtrot. I gather the Americans do three different styles of foxtrot, which has made it confusing when we dance in the evening. Their main one has been ‘social foxtrot’. I’m used to what the Australians call ‘slow foxtrot’ and the Americans call ‘silver foxtrot’. This is what we learnt in our lesson. It was lovely to move in the way I’m used to, even if I have no chance to actually do it on the floor at any other time. We learnt the feather and three step, followed by natural turn, followed by feather and three step in the opposite direction (i.e. ladies forward and men back). Rather difficult to do in high seas when you suddenly find yourself going downhill, or the floor drops out from under you. I did not attempt rise and fall. I wasn’t going up on my toes with a floor like that. The steps were easy (6 forward, 6 back) but turning the body in the right direction was more difficult. I practised along my corridor, to the amusement of people who suddenly opened a door. It started a few conversations – all good fun.

I don’t know where the afternoon got to. Life on board ship is lazy but fun. There are always things to do.

For the first time Nadiya and Volodomyr ran an Intermediate dance class (5.00 to 5.45). We went over the steps from the earlier class, concentrating on footwork and diagonals (impossible with the unpredictability of the ship) and then learnt the impetus turn. Again there were not enough men so I managed to go through it once with Volodomyr and was awarded a smile and a ‘Good!’ When I told him I hadn’t danced for 23 years, he said it must be ‘body memory’ – a good term.

It was a bit of a rush to get to the dining room before last orders (6.30) but I made it with five minutes to spare after a shower and a change of clothes into semi-formal. As I was feeling better I went to the dance practice and later to the dance evening, but left about 11.30.

I’d bought some new cough mixture from the onboard shop and was able to sleep lying down, a great improvement. Once again, the waves rocked me to sleep. Of course, a Temazepan would also have helped! I often woke up after a wonderful sleep to hear others talking about the storm in the night or the violent movements of the ship. See what I missed out on.

Katakolon (for Olympus)

Friday 7th December

I was woken at 8 by the Captain’s announcement that we had arrived, and then at 10 by Trevor’s phone call to check up on me. My voice was much stronger and he thought I sounded brighter. I’d definitely agree. I think there are still some lingering effects of the cough mixture but not as bad.

This is my fourth visit to Katakolon so I had not planned any tours. I’d thought of taking a bus or train to Olympus if I had the energy, but it was quickly apparent that would not happen. Instead it seemed a good time to catch up on my diary, wander the two streets of Katakolon and continue my resting programme.

I spent less than 2 hours out in Katakolon. I had not judged the weather properly. I should have worn my leather coat, as it was decidedly chilly outside.

I found a little internet cafe and then I wandered. There are some lovely jewellery shops in the main street, but stopping to look in the window is a hazard. There’s always someone trying to entice you inside, no matter how often you say that you are not buying and have no money: just try it on, come and see what else we have, etc. I managed to successfully say no.

The narrow footpaths outside non-jewellery stores are crowded with display stands.

Any available spaces are used to entice tourists to open their wallets.

However, I found everyone to be polite and friendly. Perhaps the non-English-speaking Greek man in the handbag store was a little too friendly; I don’t like having my head or shoulders caressed by a stranger. (It could have been worse, I guess. At least he didn’t pinch my bum!)

I was glad my umbrella was in my handbag as it started to rain on my return to the ship, and even hailed for a couple of minutes.

I had very little voice, so sat alone at afternoon tea, and went to the Lido (buffet) for a quick dinner alone. I could not face trying to talk to anyone. I was distinctly lacking in energy and just felt like a quiet time in my room.

As I coughed the night away, I wondered if the people in the next stateroom could hear me. I ended up piling all the pillows up so I could sleep sitting up. That was much easier. (A few days later I chatted from the balcony to the woman next door who assured me she could not hear me. Good. However, on the last night I could hear a few faint coughs from the room on the other side, so it might depend on how sensitive one is to noise.)

Piraeus (for Athens)

Thursday 6th December

What a day to land in Greece: St Nicholas’ Day when all the shops are shut! The tours went ahead, of course, but I’m told there was no one around in the shopping areas. Those who like to shop must have been disappointed.

I spent the day resting. Cough mixture does not agree with me! I could hardly put one foot in front of the other. I did not know if it was my body battling the infection, or my systems depressed from the cough mixture, or if the infection had triggered a bout of CFS. (A week earier, Trevor had reminded me that although doctors don’t know what causes CFS, they do know that it can be triggered by a simple infection. That’s why it’s so important to rest, even if the infection is a minor one.)

I had room service lunch. I sat in the sun on my balcony. I read. (I have now finished 4 books. It took me 12 days to get through the first one and a half books, but 2 days of illness and I’d read two and a half more books! I think that shows a little of the change in me during this cruise.) Trevor phoned at 4 to check up on me. Bless him. He can’t stop being a doctor even when he’s on holiday!

I briefly visited the sale of latest season Radley handbags (50% off) but did not fall for any of them, and felt the prices were too high. I’m used to buying them from an outlet centre.

Once again I felt impelled to go to dinner as I’d been asking the Head Waiter when we would be having empanadas for dinner, and the night before he’d pointed out that they would be on tonight’s menu, and implied that they were there because he’d asked for them. I didn’t like to point out that they were the vegetarian option, while I like the spicy meat version! I arranged to have my main course while everyone else had starters, and then went back to my room to rest and have an early night.

Kusadasi

Wednesday 5th December

Having been to Kusadasi twice before, I was in no hurry to get out there. I’d decided not to visit Ephesus again, much as I love it, as my priority was to visit a pharmacist. I actually made three trips out during the day, as the ship’s berth was only 5 minutes walk from the town.

The throat was not as bad this morning, but the voice was beginning to go. I was also weary, which is often my reaction to an infection.

Woody had given me directions to a pharmacist who spoke English. Unfortunately I went up the wrong street. He’d said uphill. I chose the road with a steep uphill path (puff, pant) rather than the gentle uphill one. I found it eventually, on my way down the intersecting road. I bought a box of wound pads for the blisters, so I could continue dancing, antibiotics, and cough mixture. Total? €35! I had a quick wander through the bazaar but could not see anything interesting.

My second trip out was to use the internet, again at Starbucks. However, this time I could not connect and had to go through a different free wifi system. Seeing I had to sign up for it, I used one of my game-playing aliases to be on the safe side.

At the end of the day, about 90 minutes before we were due to sail, I decided to go out again and wander the bazaar. I bought apple tea and looked in a couple of carpet places. They don’t believe me when I say I’m not buying, but if they want to show me lovely carpets, then I’m happy to look. One man told me that we are the last cruise ship of the season. They will now close up for 4 months. He would be happy to sell me carpets at a loss, as it’s money to get them through the Winter. I saw silk carpets for €450, the size to put beside a bed. I would have been prepared to start bargaining from that price if I had seen one I loved. The only one I really loved was huge and would have been more like €3,000! As I walked back to the ship, the shops were busy putting up metal shutters. I was obviously one of the last tourists of the season.

Dinner was a bit of a nightmare as I could hardly talk, and it was a real effort and painful to do so. I sat next to someone who kept asking me questions and could not hear my one-word answers and would ask me to repeat them! After dinner I tried one dance with Woody but could not follow him. I decided I was suffering from the effects of the cough mixture. He was also on cough mixture and was dizzy. Not a good combination! I went back to my room instead.

When I told Trevor about my medication, he told me to be careful of cough mixtures. They knock out the cough reflex. If you are unlucky, then all the gunk can go to your chest. He ended up in hospital with pneumonia after eliminating his coughing! I decided to only take the mixture at night.

Kusadasi - or not?

Tuesday 3^rd December

As I had not gone to bed until 2am, I put up the ‘Do not disturb’ notice and slept and rested until 11.30. My throat was sore and I definitely felt under the weather. In other words, it felt like a slightly bad day with CFS! I’m on paracetamol but I think I will take up the offer of another passenger and take some of her soluble aspirin to gargle with. They don’t sell the soluble aspirin on the ship and Doctor Trevor says that’s the best!

As I write this, we are sitting outside Kusadasi harbour, waiting for the weather to behave as forecast. It is now 2.30 and the Captain has been giving us updates since midday. The pilot has finally managed to get onto our ship, but the waves are washing over the harbour in Kusadasi and the wind is too high. We have made an approach to the harbour but it was unsuccessful. This is definitely a Magical Mystery Tour. We were due to land here at 1pm and stay until tomorrow evening. Meanwhile the entertainment director is rushing around organising events to keep us happy.

Unfortunately my entertainment involved washing underwear to see me through the rest of the cruise! It has to be done some time so this seemed as good as ever.

This cruise is unlike any other I’ve ever been on. Because of past experiences of needing lots of rest, I brought along about 15 books. I haven’t even finished the second one and it’s Day 13! I also brought along lots of chocolate (which I need when I get overtired) and I’m not getting through that at the same rate. Perhaps the morning phenylalanine tablets (an amino acid found in chocolate) are providing a substitute for me. The chocolate doesn’t even taste as good now that I no longer crave it for its effects on my system.

We finally pulled into the harbour around 3pm. It’s a slow business and I watched much of it from my balcony, seeing we were mooring on my starboard side (that’s the blue carpet side, for those who know the ship – port side has red carpets).

 Unfortunately I went inside for a drink during the 5 minutes when we magically moved sideways a metre or two. Do they pull us in by ropes, like on the narrow boat holiday I had on the Thames? I had only seen ropes at the front of the ship, not at the back. (Photo taken before my drink)

The waves were still interesting to watch. I can only imagine what they had been like before, when we could not get into the harbour.

My only visit to Kusadasi for this day involved over 2 hours in Starbucks checking emails and posting my blog on their free wifi. I bought a cup of coffee for 5 and gave them the change so I could sit without guilt for such a long time.

I rushed back to the ship late for my 6pm dinner session, but I knew I had to get there as I had ordered grilled salmon. It would not have been polite if I had not turned up for my special order! I got to my room by 6.20, changed, and was in the dining room by 6.30. Phew!

The evening followed its usual pattern of dinner and dancing, though I skipped the show. With the loud band music it was a bit difficult talking with a sore throat. I was surviving on Strepsils and aspirin.

At sea

Monday 2^nd December

I decided it was time to get up at 9.30, though I have little doubt I could have gone back to sleep if I’d let myself! When did I last sleep for 12 hours? I must have been more tired than I realised. Unfortunately I seem to have the bug that’s going around – sore throat and a bit of a cough,though I have not yet developed the cold that’s also going around. Seeing I only get colds about once a year, and I had dose myself with echinacea before coming away, then this is very unusual! In eight cruises I have only been ill twice, both times on the Queen Victoria with cough/cold type illnesses.

The morning was a leisurely one, catching up on emails on the expensive ship’s system (over $50 for 2 hours – though luckily I get that amount free as a loyalty reward) and then on my diary and photos on my own computer.

The dance lesson today was tango – a revision of what we had done before, with another added step. Chris did not come to this. I met Lisa (Japanese, from Tokyo) who had been brought along by Alan for her first lesson.

I had planned to go to the cinema for the afternoon but instead I saw Lisa in the Lido and she invited me to join her as she met up with Alan to learn shuffleboard. (I’m not sure what Alan thought about that, but he was a perfect gentleman and welcomed me! Afterword: he said it was an advantage as then he could go off and leave us and do other things.) We took part in the shuffleboard tournament. Most of my practice shots went right to the end of the board and out the other side. In the game I actually managed to score 7s and 8s, but a better player on the opposing team knocked them out! Such is the competitive nature of the game! We were eliminated in the first round.

Lisa and I went to the Lido for coffee and then met up with Alan for afternoon tea, joined by another solo traveller who is very brave in the way he walks up to strangers and sits down with them (the one who offered to show me round Valletta – insensitive but brave).

I went down to the medical centre to see if they had any large plasters to cover my blisters. To my surprise after all the horror stories I’ve heard, they gave me three free of charge – and suggested I find more in Kusadasi as they don’t have many of that size. I also worked out that I had two wound plasters in my first aid kit and looked at them closely. They have thicker padding. One of these worked beautifully for the dancing, which means that in future I could cut a cosmetic pad to the required shape and put that in a large plaster for extra padding. Dancing problem solved!

There were a couple of disasters at dinner tonight. First we heard a great crashing noise as a waiter had obviously dropped a laden tray of dishes. The pecking order was admirably displayed. The waiters all went running to see what had happened. Along came their line manager to send them back to work and fix the solution. Then along came the next highest in line. After that was fixed, our under-waiter dropped a glass of water over Dorothy’s dress, so she had to go up and change. If disasters come in threes, we saw someone at a nearby table talking to a chef, and by the look on his face as he returned to the kitchen, he hadn’t been complimented!

There was one evening where I hadn’t liked anything on the menu, so asked for the safe option of grilled salmon (which someone had told me one could do). Ever since then the head waiter brings me the menu the night before, so that I can see if I want the salmon. That way they can serve my dinner at the same time as the rest of the table, not 15 minutes later as happened that first day (not that I complained – I kept reassuring them that I didn’t mind at all). Chris is also shown this menu now, as she also had a night where she ate the dinner but later told the head waiter that it was not good and the other selections were not appealing.

Once again, the evening consisted of dancing until after midnight. It was good to be able to get out on the dance floor again, after a couple of nights out of action because of blisters. Trevor co-operated to dance a couple of quicksteps with me so it could be videoed to prove I’m dancing again. Unfortunately the only one that showed up well was a very slow one; we were actually doing a quickstep to a foxtrot tune. Oops. It shows the steps but not as well as I was dancing a few nights earlier, the night that caused the blisters! This can't be posted to the blog but I'm currently downloading it to facebook.

  

Cyprus

Sunday 2^nd December

I was awake at 8, ready to leave on tour at 9.30.

I had been told that Limassol was boring and the shops would be shut on a Sunday, so four of us booked a tour to Paphos in order to see the Roman remains. It reminded me why I don’t like tours! We were in a bus for an hour each way, stopping once on the way out to see the birthplace of Aphrodite (the .rocks at Chris’s shoulder). As we got onto the bus, the non-English-speaking driver caressed Chris’s cheek and said ‘Aphrodite’!

The sea was beautiful!

Before leaving, we had been told that we could stay on the bus to go just outside Paphos for a short visit to see the tombs and the mosaics. Chris, Peggy and I were keen on that idea. The half hour there was very short by the time we queued to pay our entrance fee, then queued for the toilet, then walked to the tombs, only to discover that it had been badly explained and the mosaics were back in Paphos! We then rather impatiently waited for the 6 people who were up to 15 minutes late back to the bus.

We found the mosaics in Paphos and they were incredible. (See my shadow in the second one? I thought I’d put myself into the picture.)

The ruins were being restored by a group from Poland (I think), which seemed a very unusual pairing.

Then we sat by the harbour with a drink and a toasted sandwich before boarding the bus for the hour’s drive back.

I asked at the port if there was free wifi and a couple of officials thought about it and tried to direct us to the Seaman’s Mission, where we would be able to get it. Trevor and I wandered around for 5 minutes with his phone, but could not find it. I didn’t think I had time or energy to catch the shuttle bus into Limassol to look for an internet cafe so gave up my search.

At dinner, those who stayed in Limassol told us they had a wonderful time. They found a fabric shop with beautiful fabrics (if you had someone to make them up!) and leather handbags on sale for €5, and a lovely harbour to stroll along. It sounds as though it’s a choice between Roman remains or a pleasant day!

I spent a few minutes reminding Chris of the steps in the quickstep, but then went back to my room. I was in bed before 9. I’d intended to read for a couple of hours and then sleep, but was too sleepy to read. I slept for over 2 hours and then woke up so had my sleeping pill to be sure I’d sleep through the whole night. I woke a few times but managed to go straight back to sleep each time.

Rhodes - or not!

Saturday 1^st December

I was woken about 8 by the Captain’s announcement that we could not dock in Rhodes at that time as the winds were higher than forecast, gusting up to 50 knots. That meant that the pilot could not even leave the harbour. We sailed past and came back for another try, but it was no good. I decided to go back to sleep. It was a bit of a waste by the time the entertainments director started announcing all the wonderful things put on for our entertainment, then my cabin steward knocked on the door, opened it and saw all was darkness and went away again (hasn’t he learnt yet that I sleep in on sea days and as this was an unexpected one, I could not put out the ‘Do not disturb’ notice?), and then the Captain gave the final announcement that we would miss Rhodes. With lots of phone calls to ports, they had managed to rearrange so we will arrive in Kusadasi early and get an extra afternoon.

I wandered down to a brunch of a baked potato and then went to the theatre to see the second half of ‘The Last Exotic Marigold Hotel’. Partway through it the film stopped so the entertainment director could make her ship-wide announcement about all the changes in programme. We were almost booing her. When she finally stopped we all clapped and cheered!

By going to the film I’d missed the last-minute Samba lesson. Oh well, I could never Samba well!

After lunch with Chris and Peggy, we found a semi-deserted corridor near the lifts so I could drill Chris in the quickstep. I went barefoot because of the blisters! It’s amazing how far she has come after only 10 days of ballroom dancing. No doubt childhood ballet lessons helped.

After dinner I attempted one dance but struggled to get around the floor with Ron. One never knows whether to dance through the pain or whether to rest in order to avoid doing greater damage. Seeing I’d forgotten to put plasters over the blisters, I went for the latter. Perhaps I could have danced through the ache in the left hip and the right knee, but not the worry about what I was doing to the broken blisters without covering!

We went to the cinema instead, and saw ‘Salmon Fishing in the Yemen’. It was a lovely film. Afterwards we watched the dancing for a bit, and saw that nothing deters a true dancer: the 83-year-old dancer who had fallen yesterday, was hobbling around the dance floor tonight. No bones were broken though the swelling had been bad. (On the last day she said she was in a lot of pain around the hip area. Trevor thought she should have had an xray of that area in case of a minor fracture and recommended she get this done on her return. Seeing she was flying elsewhere within a couple of days she was not keen to do so. It sounded as though she wanted to complain about the pain but not do anything to help herself!)

I chatted with Chris and Peggy, and later with Trevor, and finally got to bed about 1am. Oops!

Time to rest?

Friday 30^th November

We put the clocks forward another hour overnight. Not enough time to sleep, especially when I had to be up and breakfasted by the midday dance class! I managed. I have to set my priorities, after all.

Today’s lesson was tango. It was well taught, though I think the professionals chose the wrong steps to teach us. The first bracket had 8 beats while the second bracket only had 6 beats. When we string it together and try it to music on the dance floor, what will happen in those other 2 beats? Perhaps we should have been taught to do the second section twice in a row?

After a quick lunch in the Lido buffet restaurant with Trevor (while Peggy and Chris had a slow lunch in the restaurant) I returned to my room for a slow afternoon and a bit of a rest.

The daily programme includes dance practice to recorded music between dinner and the show. Tonight the ballroom was in use by sequence dancers, so the latin and ballroom dancing was upstairs in Hemispheres, the night club. For those who are looking for a cast list, two dancers in front are two of the dance hosts, Ron and Woody. The lady on the right is an example of what can happen on the dance floor. Later in the evening she was dancing with someone who’s a bit of an exhibitionist and she tripped and fell. Doctor Trevor rushed to the rescue and made the decision that at her age (83) she needed an x-ray as the foot was swelling badly, even with ice, and pulled rank and insisted that someone be sent up from the medical centre. He suspects a broken metatarsal. For someone who has been dancing all her life, and still continues even with scoliosis, this is really upsetting.

Chris came for a short time. See the wonderful chandelier!

While the others went to the show (violinist) I did odd jobs and got back to the ballroom in time to stake seats for us. It really is difficult to get enough seats together after the show, made more difficult by the fact that we never know quite how many will join us. The tables and chairs start off neatly, but are soon disarranged so that everyone can see the floor. Just imagine me pulling two tables together, gathering six chairs and staking each one out with a camera or dancing shoe or handbag. It’s the only way to stop others pinching them!

Cast list again: Trevor and Chris in the first photo, Allan, Peggy (Chris’s mother) and Pam in the second photo. That’s the six singles from our table. There are two couples who come occasionally, but we six are the hard-core dancers.

Tonight seemed to focus on the quickstep for me. The floor was not as crowded and when I danced with Trevor (several times) and Woody (once) we managed to virtually fly around the floor taking lovely long steps, with lots of locks and spin turns. In contrast my quickstep with Ron consisted of tiny steps in a pattern I could not recognise. As I sat panting after a quickstep with Trevor, I asked him what the difference was between that and running. No difference – just more enjoyable! I also did a few cha-chas and rumbas.

One sour spot in the night was that I felt one of the hosts was a bit too familiar. I will start being less friendly to him if he does not know the boundaries his role entails.