Robin Noorland

Robin Noorland

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Our Mediterranan Cruise 2019
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Day 11
Friday, July 26, 2019 at 2:00 PM
☀️ 35 °C
Altitude: 80 m
Italy Giardino della Rose 43.76333, 11.2633343°45’48” N 11°15’48” E
Florence, Italy, part 2
July 26, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 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.Read more
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Day 11
Friday, July 26, 2019 at 9:00 AM
☀️ 28 °C
Altitude: 68 m
Italy Battistero di Firenze 43.77333, 11.25543°46’24” N 11°15’18” E
Florence, Italy, part 1
July 26, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 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.Read more
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Day 10
Thursday, July 25, 2019 at 5:00 PM
☀️ 26 °C
Altitude: Sea level
Ligurian Sea 44.08692, 9.0111844°5’13” N 9°0’40” E
Genoa, Italy, part 4
July 25, 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.Read more
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Day 10
Thursday, July 25, 2019 at 1:00 PM
⛅ 25 °C
Altitude: Sea level
Ligurian Sea 44.14402, 8.9909344°8’38” N 8°59’27” E
Genoa, Italy, part 3
July 25, 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.Read more
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Day 10
Thursday, July 25, 2019 at 9:00 AM
☀️ 25 °C
Altitude: Sea level
Ligurian Sea 44.17973, 8.9850644°10’47” N 8°59’6” E
Genoa, Italy, Part 2
July 25, 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 windowsRead more
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Day 10
Thursday, July 25, 2019 at 6:30 AM
☀️ 25 °C
Altitude: Sea level
Ligurian Sea 44.19031, 8.9840844°11’25” N 8°59’3” E
Genoa, Italy, part 1
July 25, 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.Read more
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Day 9
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
⛅ 34 °C
Altitude: 205 m
France Place des Cardeurs 43.52833, 5.4483343°31’42” N 5°26’54” E
Marseille (Aix En Provence)
July 24, 2019 in France ⋅ ⛅ 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.Read more
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Day 8
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
☀️ 24 °C
Altitude: Sea level
Western Mediterranean 36.55833, -1.8636°33’30” N 1°51’36” W
At sea, cruising to Marseille, France
July 23, 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.Read more
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Day 7
Monday, July 22, 2019
⛅ 24 °C
Altitude: 4 m
Gibraltar Site of Montagu Basin 36.14672, -5.3661136°8’48” N 5°21’58” W
Gibralta, Spain
July 22, 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.Read more
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Day 6
Sunday, July 21, 2019
☀️ 25 °C
Altitude: Sea level
Western Mediterranean 37.30524, -0.6973337°18’19” N 0°41’50” W
Cruising to Gibralta, Spain
July 21, 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.Read more
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Day 5
Saturday, July 20, 2019
☀️ 26 °C
Altitude: Sea level
Western Mediterranean 37.75322, -0.192637°45’12” N 0°11’33” W
Barcelona, last day & boarding the ship
July 20, 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.Read more
Ohh beautiful
7/22/19Reply
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Day 4
Friday, July 19, 2019 at 5:00 PM
⛅ 28 °C
Altitude: 42 m
Spain Jardins de la Reina Victòria 41.38673, 2.1666841°23’12” N 2°10’0” E
Barcelona, the Gothic Quarter, part 3
July 19, 2019 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
We headed back out after our second day of busing and headed to the Gothic Quarter. By now we were fairly tired so it was a quick look around and a bite to eat. We'll probably head back here tomorrow.
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Day 4
Friday, July 19, 2019 at 1:30 PM
⛅ 27 °C
Altitude: 129 m
Spain Jardins del Mirador 41.36667, 2.1683341°22’0” N 2°10’6” E
Barcelona, back on the bus, part 2
July 19, 2019 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 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.Read more
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Day 4
Friday, July 19, 2019 at 11:00 AM
⛅ 26 °C
Altitude: Sea level
Spain Poros, Kefalonia Ferry Port 41.37167, 2.1783341°22’18” N 2°10’42” E
Barcelona, back on the bus, part 1
July 19, 2019 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C
Slower start today - on the bus at 10am'ish. First stop was the cable car port ride that goes from the hills to the beach. Had a wander along the beach, then back on the cable car and on the bus to our next destination.Read more
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Day 3
Thursday, July 18, 2019 at 5:30 PM
⛅ 28 °C
Altitude: 42 m
Spain Jardins de la Reina Victòria 41.38673, 2.166741°23’12” N 2°10’0” E
Barcelona, bus tour part 3
July 18, 2019 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 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 😉.Read more
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Day 3
Thursday, July 18, 2019 at 1:00 PM
⛅ 28 °C
Altitude: 42 m
Spain Jardins de la Reina Victòria 41.38676, 2.1667241°23’12” N 2°10’0” E
Barcelona, bus tour, part 2
July 18, 2019 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
Next was Camp Noi (Football Club of Barcelona). Robin really enjoyed that tour and we had a nice beer in the stadium.
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Day 3
Thursday, July 18, 2019 at 9:30 AM
⛅ 24 °C
Altitude: 42 m
Spain Jardins de la Reina Victòria 41.38674, 2.1667241°23’12” N 2°10’0” E
Barcelona, bus tour, part 1
July 18, 2019 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
Another fab day! Booked the City Tour bus for two days at 40€ each. Got on at 9.30am and finished at 8.30pm. Wow, we were knackered.

Our first stop was the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (National Art Museum of Catalonia). Stunning ramanisque, renaissance, gothic and modern displays.Read more
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Day 2
Wednesday, July 17, 2019 at 5:41 PM
⛅ 29 °C
Altitude: 42 m
Spain Jardins de la Reina Victòria 41.38667, 2.1666741°23’12” N 2°10’0” E
Barcelona, arrival
July 17, 2019 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 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".Read more
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Day 1
Tuesday, July 16, 2019 at 4:59 PM
⛅ 33 °C
Altitude: 11 m
Thailand Suvarnabhumi Airport 13.69532, 100.7474813°41’43” N 100°44’51” E
2
Bangkok to Abu Dhabi to Barcelona
July 16, 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.Read more
Wow who did you fly with?
7/22/19Reply
Fleur
7/22/19Reply
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