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Cruise to West Afica
  • Susan Merrall
Feb – Mar 2024

Cruise to West Afica

A 31-day adventure by Susan Read more
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  • Susan MerrallCruise to West AficaTraveler

    Straight to Gibraltar

    February 26, 2024, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ 🌬 18 °C

    As I write this we are being thrown around a little by a force 7 wind and there is quite a swell. No-one is on deck. We are travelling at 14 knots according to the information on the TV screen which explains why it is so bumpy. Neither of us feels ill, thankfully.
    Flowers in art today; I seem to be developing a style of my own! Lost at bridge again; it's all Dennis 's fault.
    Meanwhile Susan has found a new friend, the CEO Saga Cruises no less. She has been chatting to him putting forward her point of view as to where Saga can improve and make itself more appealing to the slightly younger oldies. So this is what she gets up to while I am otherwise occupied. Perhaps they'll offer her a job sampling cruises or investigating new ports of call?    Read more

  • Susan MerrallCruise to West AficaTraveler
    Approaching Gibraltar
    Viewpoint photographyThe airport runway. There's a pedestrian crossing across the runway just to the left of this photoMekaqueThe mosque and gun position at the top of the rockHigh street

    Gibraltar

    February 27, 2024 in Gibraltar ⋅ ☀️ 9 °C

    Lovely weather today although cool this morning. Our bus driver told us we were lucky because yesterday had been wet and cloudy.
    The views from the top of the rock were amazingly clear. We could easily see the coast of North Africa and the Sierra Nevada in Spain.
    You can look down at the airport runway which separates Gibraltar from Spain. There is a pedestrian crossing over the runway!
    Susan was very brave and ventured out of the bus to meet the macaque monkeys. There were only four and a baby and they behaved themselves, not living up to their mischievous reputation.
    Walked into town after lunch. Full of English stores and pubs with pleasant frontages. Lots of liquor and tobacco shops as well as Next, M&S, Monsoon, etc. It's quite strange , everything is priced in pounds but they accept Euros. People speak both English and Spanish and seem to swap from one to the other at random. Children coming out of the high school were also conversing in both languages.
    It was a long walk from the port into town and quite warm in the afternoon so we are both quite tired. I bought a nice bottle of Cognac, duty free. It had been priced incorrectly so I got it for £10 less than it should be, a real bargain.
    A Beatles tribute group played for us this evening. The same one that we heard on our cruise around the UK last August. The same set and the same very good quality.    Read more

  • Susan MerrallCruise to West AficaTraveler
    Sunrise this morning through a rain splattered window

    Heading North in the North Atlantic

    February 28, 2024, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ 🌬 14 °C

    We were invited for a tour of the navigation bridge this morning. Computer screens everywhere with navigational maps, camera views in all directions, radar information on all ships near us and information on the course ahead. The ship was on automatic pilot while we were there but there were still two officers of the watch and a look out. The staff officer explained how the propulsion worked so that the ship can travel and swivel in any direction and also how the stabilisers worked and where they are situated. Unfortunately they wouldn't let me steer the ship even though it was a very small wheel, about the size of a dinner plate.
    We had a formal dinner this evening in the grill and were invited to the excursions director's table. Pleasant company talking about our experiences, likes and dislikes.
    My painting today of a Provence house surrounded by lavender fields was not up to my usual standards so has been binned.    Read more

  • Susan MerrallCruise to West AficaTraveler
    Vigo

    Vigo

    February 29, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    A very wet morning here in the Catalan district of Spain. Our scenic tour was a bit of a wash out. We could only just make out the eucalyptus rigs in the bay used for oyster growing.
    Not a lot to say about Vigo really. It claims Celtic origins but we saw little emphasis on this. The buildings in the old town are mostly 19th century but are grey granite so not too attractive. In season there would be an atmosphere in the squares where cafés and tapas bars would set up but , at the end of February, in the showers, it is not very inviting.Read more

  • Susan MerrallCruise to West AficaTraveler
    The harbour a Coruna

    A Coruna

    March 1, 2024 in Spain ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

    Pouring with rain all the time we are here except for a few hours when we were in Santiago. We berthed here overnight because the seas in the Bay of Biscay are a little rough! So we have not ventured out to explore A Coruna. Another day another cruise.Read more

  • Susan MerrallCruise to West AficaTraveler

    A windy Bay of Biscay

    March 2, 2024, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ 🌬 9 °C

    We left A Coruna at midday and are now travelling at 14 knots in a NNE direction. There is quite a swell and Susan is feeling the effect a little so we've decided to opt out of formal dinner this evening and take a more casual approach to the same food.
    Dennis was delighted by with our second place in the bridge tournament this afternoon and I am being persuaded to enter my Elvis for the art exhibition tomorrow. Not sure really.
    Susan has started the packing, placing the goods we have bought carefully in the centre of our cases, surrounded by clean washing ( we haven't forgotten that the washing machine has broken at home).    Read more

  • Susan MerrallCruise to West AficaTraveler

    Heading home

    March 3, 2024, Celtic Sea ⋅ 🌬 9 °C

    Last day for many things, enjoying the wide selection of cheeses for lunch, sampling the flavours of the ship made ice creams, eclairs, cakes, rare beef, giant prawns, scallops, etc.
    We were up late this morning but did not realise until we were having a walk around deck 6 (the promenade deck) in the breezy conditions. I commented that everyone was up and about early only to then realise that putting the clocks back last night was a mistake and therefore we were an hour behind everyone else - Susan' s fault.
    Last day of "Sir Keith", "Madame Susanne", "Would you like more wine?", "I have a table by the window for you".
    Oh well maybe 2026.

    ,    Read more

    Trip end
    March 4, 2024
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