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Our Mediterranan Cruise 2019
  • Robin and Tracey Noorland
  • Robin Noorland
  • Robin and Tracey Noorland
  • Robin Noorland

Our Mediterranan Cruise 2019

July 2019 Weiterlesen
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  • Beginn der Reise
    16. Juli 2019
    Our Mediterranan Cruise 2019
    2Three seats each!

    Bangkok to Abu Dhabi to Barcelona

    16. Juli 2019 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C

    Checked in and got through immigration with a huge sigh of relief... I was an overstayed by two days. We have to leave Thailand within 90 days, but when I checked this morning I was two days over. We were a bit worried and I even chose a kind looking immigration officer to queue up. The least I expected to happen was a fine. The worst was have my visa taken off me. But, all was good. She said and did nothing, just the usual stamp and go. Phew!!!

    Landed at 6.30am. Took a while to get through immigration, chilled out with a coffee at the airport, in a cab and got to H10 Universitat hotel about 10am.    Weiterlesen

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  • Our Mediterranan Cruise 2019
    Plaça de Catalunya
    Plaça de CatalunyaTapas and beer at Granjasla CatalanaH10 Universitat roof top bar

    Barcelona, arrival

    17. Juli 2019 in Spanien ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Checked in about 9am, unpacked and went for a walk as nothing much open. First impression? The stunning architecture, clean streets, low buildings (well, compared to Bangkok) and (omg!) the cool air - so clean and almost chilly.

    By 11am we were hungry, which isn't very Spanish of us, so it was tapas and beer in an outside cafe and some good old fashioned people watching.

    We checked out a few shops and headed back to hotel for a much needed nap then off to the Rooftop bar for a wine.

    Slow day. We were absolutely knackered after only a few hours sleep over the last 36 hours. Ordered room service and "hit the sack".    Weiterlesen

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  • Our Mediterranan Cruise 2019

    Barcelona, bus tour part 3

    18. Juli 2019 in Spanien ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Lastly, we'd prebooked tickets for 6.45pm to Sagrada Familiar, an incredibly beautiful architectural triumph by Gaudi. So back on the bus at 5.30pm after a quick change of clothes - such a hot day today. This was the highlight of our day. The building is still ongoing 135 years after it was started.

    We did at least get seats in the top deck each time.

    The day ended back on the hotel's roof top bar for wine, cheese and cold cuts - yum yum yum.

    Robin's worried all our days are going to be this exhausting... he should be worried 😉.    Weiterlesen

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  • Our Mediterranan Cruise 2019

    Barcelona, back on the bus, part 2

    19. Juli 2019 in Spanien ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    A few minutes up the road and we were in the sky again, this time on a gondola heading up to the Montjuïc Castle, a fortress 173 metres above sea level and build in 1640. It has great history but we couldn't go down into the castle. We could just walk around the fortress, but the views were spectacular.

    By 3pm Robin was weak from hunger, so, again, it was tapas and a beer 🍻.

    The temperatures are about 28c - a bit cooler than Bangkok. And the sun sets at 9.30pm! It feels weird still sitting outside at 9.30pm and it's still practically daylight.    Weiterlesen

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  • Our Mediterranan Cruise 2019

    Barcelona, last day & boarding the ship

    20. Juli 2019, Western Mediterranean ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    A much needed sleep in this morning and then we were back at the Gothic Quarter for another looksee. Still very impressed with the architecture and churches in the area.

    Check in for the cruise was between 1pm and 7pm. We arrived at 2.30pm. Check in was ridiculously easy and quick compared to flight check-ins. Our bags were taken at the building entrance, straight up to to the check-in desk, then on the ship and up to our room. We're on the Aloha 12th deck, A710. We explored the shop, had dinner and were on our balcony by 10.30pm as we set sail!

    We've got 8pm dining each night in the Botticelli dining room. We can eat there every night with the same people or miss a night here and there if we've got something else to do. We've got a good group: Mark and Pat from Ontario, Canada; Elvis and Jeanne from Jacksonville, Florida; and Rhonda and Tom from California. We were the last table to leave the dining room tonight, so that tells a story.    Weiterlesen

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  • Our Mediterranan Cruise 2019

    Cruising to Gibralta, Spain

    21. Juli 2019, Western Mediterranean ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    It's a full day at sea arriving in Gibraltar tomorrow morning.

    Very easy day, just exploring the ship again and trying, unsuccessfully, to get our bearings. At 11am we went to a lecture about Gibralta; what to do and what to expect. Then we found a couple of deckchairs by one of the pools (there are three pools) and cooled off for a couple of hours.Weiterlesen

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  • Our Mediterranan Cruise 2019

    Gibralta, Spain

    22. Juli 2019 in Gibraltar ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    We could feel the ship docking this morning at about 6am. Can't really feel ocean movement at night but we can feel slight motor vibrations.

    Walked into the town which took about 25 minutes. Very quaint. Cobblestoned and very British influenced. Interesting place. Cool that everything is dutyfree so I got my new fav perfume for almost NZD50 cheaper! Yeah. Robin got a pair of white shorts - very Europeans 😉

    We had a tour booked for 1.30pm but we missed it. We were going to see the monkeys and look through some WW2 caves. We were soo disappointed. It wasn't entirely our fault. We went to the meet up point 15 mins early, but there were just a bunch of guys smoking; no tour signs. So we moved on a bit, waited, nothing, back to ship, nothing, back to pick up point 5mins late, he was gone! Phoned the tour company and they credited us. Learned to just trust our gut and stay put.

    Oh, well, more pool time.

    Dinner in the set dining room hearing about everyone's Gibralta experiences.    Weiterlesen

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  • Our Mediterranan Cruise 2019

    At sea, cruising to Marseille, France

    23. Juli 2019, Western Mediterranean ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Quiet day at sea heading to Marseille. Hung around the pool, read, ate...

    We popped into the Wheelhouse Bar and listened to Luca blast out a tribute to guitarist legends before having a scrummy dinner at the Salty Dog. I also tested out a couple of cocktails - whisky sour is my favourite so far.

    Then we were off to a production called "Disco... Blame it on the Boogie". 70s discotheque show with the Emerald Princess singers and dancers. Only 45 minutes, which was long enough for Robin, but really great dancing and singing.    Weiterlesen

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  • Our Mediterranan Cruise 2019

    Marseille (Aix En Provence)

    24. Juli 2019 in Frankreich ⋅ ⛅ 34 °C

    Early start today. Had a 9am shipside pickup. Downed our brekkie and followed the directions for our tour pickup. But, again, didn't go too smoothly. The driver was late because the port authority wouldn't let him through because they didn't have us and another family as being onboard the ship - I'm pretty sure we're onboard.

    Finally got our tour guide. 40 min drive into Marseille. Our guide (Marc) gave a quick foot tour then left us to wander the streets. Was similar to Gibralta, but French, lol.

    Checked out a gorgeous church then a quick drink. Super expensive place so no shopping today. But there were heaps of tastings along the street, like nougat and florintines. Headed back to the car at the meet up point and we were back at the ship by 1pm.

    Exciting times! Did a load of washing. Two washers and two dryers for our entire floor of about 300 rooms (so about 900 people). But we grabbed a machine and job done.

    Spent a few hours by the pool - in the shade, people watching, trying another cocktail (a martini something).

    Busy evening. Formal night for dining so got a bit dressed up. First it was an hour of ABBA in Club Fusion, dinner at 8pm (our set dining time), then off to the Princess Theatre with our dinner group to watch an hilarious Irish comedian, George Casey. Then we topped it off with a night cap in the Wheelhouse Bar.

    Porting in Genoa tomorrow. It's meant to be about 33c.    Weiterlesen

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  • Our Mediterranan Cruise 2019

    Genoa, Italy, part 1

    25. Juli 2019, Ligurian Sea ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    What a day! Off the boat at 8.30am, back on at 6.30pm. It's now 10pm and I finally writing up our day.

    We were booked for an historical tour of Genoa, but we assume it wasn't fully booked, so was cancelled so we did a hop on hop off bus. 10 minute walk to the bus.

    First it was a full round trip of the city to decide where to stop. First place off was Cattedrale San Lorenzo, a stunning cathedral from the mid 1200s.    Weiterlesen

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  • Our Mediterranan Cruise 2019

    Genoa, Italy, Part 2

    25. Juli 2019, Ligurian Sea ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Then it was off to the Piazza de Ferrari E Palazo Ducale, a royal palace dating back to about the 1600s. A lot of it had private exhibitions happening, but we went into the prison and up to the tower. That's was so fascinating. It was almost unchanged from the 1600s and still had original prisoners' pictures and writings on the walls. We also saw the tower prison for the elite or royal prisoners in the tower - quite respectable for a prison, even had windowsWeiterlesen

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  • Our Mediterranan Cruise 2019

    Genoa, Italy, part 3

    25. Juli 2019, Ligurian Sea ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Next stop was the shopping district to buy me a tank top - it got up to 34c and I'd worn a linen shirt which was drenched in sweat after 1.5 hours on the top deck of the bus. Ten minutes in one shop and two tops for 14€ and we were off again and I was feeling much cooler.

    Stop two was the Christopher Columbus monument. Good, but not a lot to see. So we were back on the bus and stopped at Portello which is a lift that goes up a hill for amazing panoramic views of Genoa. Then we walked down a beautiful cobbled and steep path to the bus.    Weiterlesen

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  • Our Mediterranan Cruise 2019

    Genoa, Italy, part 4

    25. Juli 2019, Ligurian Sea ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Finally, we headed back to the port, had a pasta and campari and Robin had a beer. Our last visit was to the the Museo Galata del Mare (Maritime Museum). This place was amazing! So much history, but the life-size boats were incredible and we could go on them and see how sailers lived and worked. Each of the five floors were a different period from 1100s to current time. Robin was over museums by now so he left me and the second floor to wander on my own.

    By far the best was the floor where the Italians traveled by sea to America. We walked from the docks in the late 1800s, to loading luggage on board, to the bunk rooms, officers' quarters, to landing in America, off the ship, to tiny B&B rooms. Then it changed to an early 1900s passenger ship, then to a submarine. Awesome!

    We were back on board at about 7pm, had a shower, rest and off for dinner at 8pm.

    Florence tomorrow. Eight hour trip. My feet already hurt, they'll be raw by tomorrow night.    Weiterlesen

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  • Our Mediterranan Cruise 2019

    Florence, Italy, part 1

    26. Juli 2019 in Italien ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Docked close to Livorno at about 6.30am. It's gonna be a hot one today - high thirtys, ouch.

    After another amazing breakfast, we were in another minivan, this time heading into Florence. Plan was to tick off seeing the statue of David and then to see the leaning tower of Pisa. We got to one... the trip to Florence should have taken an hour and a half, but ended up three hours! OMG, the traffic was crazy slow on the highway. Our tour guide said that with this traffic we would never get to Pisa in a half hour and back to the ship in time. I was so disappointed.

    It was scorching hot so we did a slow wander around the city. Saw David and his other statue mates. Saw some stunning architecture. Ate gelato, drunk tiny espresso coffees, then pizza and prosecco. Food ticked off.    Weiterlesen

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  • Our Mediterranan Cruise 2019

    Florence, Italy, part 2

    26. Juli 2019 in Italien ⋅ ☀️ 35 °C

    The heat was getting to us so the solution was to duck into some shops, which ended up with Robin buying a leather overnight bag. It's gorgeous and was relatively cheap compared to NZ. Maybe not compared to Bangkok, but you can't be sure you're getting the real deal there.

    Back in the minivan at 3pm and we headed back to Livorno via the countryside route and a stop at a summit for some photo ops. The drive back was so pretty with vineyards, olive groves and gorgeous Tuscan homes. Our driver, Nikki, was a crazy man (apparently all Italians are) and after a close call with a car we were back onboard the ship in an hour and forty-five minutes.    Weiterlesen

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  • Our Mediterranan Cruise 2019

    Rome, Italy, part 1

    27. Juli 2019 in Montenegro ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Cruised into Civitavecchia early this morning with a bump and a bang. Early start... 7.30am we had a shuttle to catch to the coach parking, then it was off to Rome for the day.

    Another stinking hot day and a city full of high season travellers. We had a great driver and only 12 of us in a minivan. Arrived about 9am at Vatican City for a quick 45 minute look around.  We bought tickets for a full tour starting at 12.45pm and hop on hop off bus tickets. Then it was to the Colloseum for a 45 minute look. Didn't go in as not enough time today. The outside was pretty awesome though and still with great views of the coloseum. Then into the city centre and dropped off in the city centre and being picked at 3pm outside the Vatican museum. It's an amazing city with, like the other places we've been to so far, incredible architecture.

    First stop for us, breakfast! Second stop for us, finding a Vodafone shop to get more data - very important. By now it was 11.00am so we figured we should hop on the bus to the Vatican as we had to do half a loop to get there. Well, we couldn't find the bus stop. Robin used a real (going back to the dark ages 😅) map as the new sim card was an hour away from being activated. So we headed in the direction Robin said and still couldn't find the stop. I popped into a tailors and asked the shopkeeper where to get to the bus. Turns out we were going in the wrong direction and were half way to the Vatican, so we just kept walking. Got close to Vatican, stopped for a beer - geez it was hot! Got the sim card working. Discovered we were still 20 minutes from the Vatican and it was 12.30! We ran. Got there in time, joined the group, phew.     Weiterlesen

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  • Our Mediterranan Cruise 2019

    Rome, Italy, part 2

    27. Juli 2019 in Italien ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    By now it was nearly 1pm. It took until 2pm to actually get into the Vatican. OMG, there were thousands of people, it was ridiculous. So by 2.10pm we'd ditched the tour because we were being picked up at 3pm. We then whizzed through the buildings, saw the Sisten Chapel, took photos and were out the front for our 3pm pickup. It was all way way too rushed. Anyone planning on going to see the Vatican book ahead and give yourself at least three hours. Having said all that, it is a truly amazing place and absolutely beautiful.

    We dropped some people off at the airport and got back to the ship about 5pm.

    Went to a music quiz event and failed miserably. In bed by 9pm, lmfao! 

    Another absolutely exhausting (but fantastic) day.    Weiterlesen

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  • Our Mediterranan Cruise 2019

    Solerno, Italy part 1

    28. Juli 2019 in Montenegro ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Today we had a fully guided tour and it was amazing! Today was my favourite trip so far. Robin's favourite so far is Florence.

    Pick up was 8.30am - a very respectful start. We had a wonderful tour guide and a super-driver. Wow, he handled the winding, narrow hills and streets with incredible skill.

    First stop was at a lemonchello factory (Limoncello di Capri) for sampling and buying. Yum! We didn't buy lemonchello, but I bought a gorgeous Capri watch.

    Next stop was Sorento. Oh wow! Such a beautiful town. Stunning buildings, quaint restaurants and shops, great shopping, stunning beaches and waterfront... all of it was picture-perfect. We had two hours there, then it was off to Pompeii.      Weiterlesen

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  • Our Mediterranan Cruise 2019

    Sea day

    29. Juli 2019, Western Mediterranean ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    A day at sea heading to Kortor, Montenegro. Very "cruisy" day by the pool, reading, sipping cocktails. After five very full on days we were really looking forward to a bit of down time.

    We did bingo and won nothing even though we had nine cards for all four games (36 chances to win). Hopeless.

    Dinner with our dining group at 8pm. In Rome half the people disembarked; they were either doing a seven day cruise or were starting a 14 day cruise ending in Barcelona. We met our two new table mates; Dorian, an old lady from New York and her 21 year old granddaughter. Both are really lovely.

    Not many photos but I'll put a few randoms on this page.    Weiterlesen

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  • Our Mediterranan Cruise 2019

    Kortor, Montenegro, part 1

    30. Juli 2019 in Montenegro ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    We had another guided tour today, but we had to take a tender to the dock and find our tour guide - easy peasy.

    We hit the road with three other couples and did a bit of a drive up and then down the hills and arrived in beautiful Perast, which is where Our Lady of the Rock is located. It has limited vehicle access, sits at the base of the mountains and is spread along the shoreline.

    We did a foot tour. It was so gorgeous and picturesque. Not too hot today either; maybe mid-20sC.    Weiterlesen

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