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Rulocal

Rulocal

A really nice guy who is working relentlessly for world peace (when sober) Read more🇬🇧Ashton-in-Makerfield
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  • RulocalInfinity, Iceland July 2013Rulocal

    More new friends.

    July 23, 2013, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Just love cruising for meeting nice people.
    On this one we've met a couple from Bonney Scotland, John and Angela.
    And Jim, who's English and his wife Hanney, who's originally from Holland.
    Then from Arizona USA, there's Jim and Jean Tammen.
    And last night we met the American comedian Buz Sutherland, who was on the theatre.
    We were in the Oceanview cafe having dinner with Jim and Jean, when the comedian came over to say hi to Jim, who he'd met earlier.
    He got chatting and said if we wanted he'd go and get some of his tricks to show is as he did a bit of magic as well as the comedy.
    Well 5 minutes later he was back and did some amazing card tricks for us.
    After he'd finished he gave the props to Aimee, along with a signed DVD for her and one for Jim, and a signed photo for each of us.
    He was a really lovely guy and he told us about his family, who it turned out he was really missing, as he'd been away for over a month up to now.
    On fact he started to get tears in his eyes, so made his excuses and left, what a really genuine and nice guy.    Read more

  • RulocalInfinity, Iceland July 2013Rulocal

    Akureyri

    July 21, 2013 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Today we visited Akureyri in northern Iceland.
    It's only a small place with not a lot here, but it must be lovely to live here for the views alone.
    The town is set at the end of a spectacular fjord and surrounded by snow capped mountains.
    The actual port area is quite small and can only take two cruise ships at a time, so the town is not to crowded with tourists.
    There is a lovely if modern church, set on a hillside which I've spoken about in my last Iceland blog, it's not a particularly pretty church, but does have an interesting bit of modern history attached to it, through the stained glass windows above the alter, which were in the original Coventry cathedral.
    Also it has stunning views of the fjord and the cruise ship with the mountains in the background.
    As I've said it's a lovely town and I personally prefer it to Reykjavik which was our previous stop.    Read more

  • RulocalInfinity, Iceland July 2013Rulocal

    The Famous Blue Lagoon

    July 20, 2013 in Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Well what a fabulous day we had.
    Celebrity Captains Club, arranged a trip to the Blue Lagoon for all the elite members on board, and best of all it was free.
    I checked on the excursions list and this trip was listed at $299!!
    I couldn't imagine Royal giving you that for free lol.
    The lagoon itself is an amazing place, it is a natural lagoon which is geothermically heated.
    Apparently it is so chock full of minerals that bacteria cannot live in it, so it's perfectly safe to bathe in it, in fact it's supposed to be very good if you have any skin complaints.
    The water is one third fresh water and two thirds salt water, and it's like taking a hot Radox bath, also it's only waist deep so safe for everyone, the only thing you should watch is the lagoon bottom which being volcanic, is quite rough.
    You can also use some of the volcanic mud, which they have in containers around the lagoon, as a face pack.
    It's said that it can make you look ten years younger, but I'm afraid it didn't work on me, I only managed to look 8 years younger!! lol.
    It was a fab day out and one I'd recommend to anyone, it's definitely the best thing about coming to Reykjavik.    Read more

  • RulocalInfinity, Iceland July 2013Rulocal

    Reykjavik port Iceland

    July 20, 2013 in Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    This is my second visit to Reykjavik, and I'm afraid my opinion is still the same, the people are mostly friendly, but the city itself is very austere, dour and dull.
    It may have plenty of exciting Viking history but except for the odd Leif Ericsson statue there is not much to show for it.
    A lot of the buildings in downtown are covered in painted corrugated iron, and date from the 1920s.
    Even the main cathedral/church, I'm not sure which it is, is very modern and uninspiring.
    The only colourful thing we found was a skateboard park that had brilliant graffiti.
    On fact imho there's not a lot about the city to make you fall in love with the place.
    Also both times I've been here the weather has been dull, overcast and drizzly, so that won't have helped.
    So Reykjavik has been ticked off the list, but I don't think I'll be returning, not unless the cruise was a real giveaway price lol.    Read more

  • RulocalInfinity, Iceland July 2013Rulocal

    Sea day

    July 18, 2013, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ 🌫 12 °C

    Didn't do a lot yesterday as once again the weather wasn't good.
    Aimee and Sheila went for a swim in the solarium pool, which is hotter than you'd have your bath at home.
    On the theatre last night the act was an American comedian, I'm afraid a lot of his humour didn't work with the non Americans, and he had to work really hard to get a reaction from most of the audience.
    Nic and I did our bit to help with a bit of barracking, which he appreciated, only problem was we were in the circle, he even said any aren't you down here, pointing to the stalls.
    At the evening drinks we had a pouting competition which Nic won easily.
    Anyway Reykjavik next so we're going for a walk in the town.
    Tomorrow we've got a free tour to the lava fields and the Blue Lagoon, all courtesy of the Captain's Club, I've looked in the excursion booklet and it's a $399 trip, so we're all looking forward to that.    Read more

  • RulocalInfinity, Iceland July 2013Rulocal

    More Torshavn

    July 18, 2013 in Faroe Islands ⋅ 🌫 12 °C

    After visiting Burger King, we walked around the shopping mall and got Aimee some swimming goggles. Then we decided to do something a bit more cultural.
    We'd spotted a monument on a hill above the town, so decided to walk up and have a look.
    It turns out it was built in 1880, to commemorate the visit to the town in 1874 of the Danish king.
    There is not much to the monument but the climb is well worth it for the wonderful views of Torshavn.
    On the way back down we spotted a golden retriever with a couple of puppies in someone's back garden and stopped for a look.
    A young couple were in the garden and invited us in to see the dogs.
    It was a lovely and friendly thing to do and the dogs were beautiful, but stupid me didn't get any photos.
    Except for the chilly drizzly weather we had a lovely time in Torshavn.    Read more

  • RulocalInfinity, Iceland July 2013Rulocal

    Missing the diamond lounge

    July 17, 2013, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    The only problem with the ship is as with all Celebrity ships there's no dedicated diamond/concierge lounge.
    So that means no all day speciality coffees, don't know how I'll manage without my morning latte's.
    But being a trooper I'm sure I'll survive, lol.
    We spent the morning in the solarium as its family hour between 9 and 10am so kids are allowed in the solarium pool.
    Aimee was happy because it was to cold to use the outside pools, and as we know she loves the water.
    It's formal night tonight so I think we're going to the restaurant instead of our usual haunt of the buffet for dinner.    Read more

  • RulocalInfinity, Iceland July 2013Rulocal

    First night on board

    July 16, 2013 in England ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Well I can't remember much from my last time on board the Celebrity Infinity, but I can remember it being quiet of an evening, that doesn't seem to have changed as it was quite quiet last night, except for a group of Brits who sat behind us in the theatre, they yapped through the whole show.
    I didn't say anything what with it being the first night and all.
    They may have been excited with just coming on the ship, so the benefit of the doubt was given, for now anyway lol.
    We all turned in straight after the show as we were tired, the first day on board is always a long one.    Read more

  • RulocalInfinity, Iceland July 2013Rulocal

    Beer is beer

    July 16, 2013 in England ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Went to a beer tasting session with our Nic yesterday.
    They have us three different beers to try, an English beer that I'd had before, Fullers London pride, a New Zealand beer and a Japanese beer both of which I'd never heard of.
    As you tried each one, the head barman told you all about it.
    Well after the first one most of us had stopped listening and were chatting with each other.
    So we didn't learn much about the beers but made some interesting new friends.
    Nic and I ended up chatting to a Thai couple Otto & Aor, and a Spaniard, none of them spoke good English but after a couple of beers we all seemed to understand each other perfectly, lol.
    Nice hour or so.    Read more

  • RulocalInfinity, Iceland July 2013Rulocal

    Harwich

    July 15, 2013 in England ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Great night in Ipswich.
    Just got on board, brill check in, lovely ship, I've been on it before but don't remember it much.
    Nic and Aimee have already found the ice bar lol..

  • RulocalInfinity, Iceland July 2013Rulocal

    Ipswich

    July 14, 2013 in England ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Well here we are in sunny downtown Ipswich.
    Only took four hours to get here, I'm very surprised I thought it would have taken a lot longer.
    Just had lunch at the Punch & Judy pub, now having a couple of pints of cider.
    It's a beautiful day and a great start to the holiday.    Read more

  • RulocalAdventure, Iceland Norway 2013Rulocal

    Stavanger

    June 12, 2013 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Can't tell you much about Stavanger, as I was ill and didn't get off the ship.
    I took a couple of photos from deck 11 before I went to bed. I can tell you that the City of Stavanger was officially founded in 1125, the occasion was marked by the opening of the main cathedral.
    It was originally a thriving herring fishing port.
    But in the 1960s with the discovery of North Sea Oil, Stavanger became an overnight success and is population skyrocketed.
    Since then the city with simple Viking roots has emerged as a cultural hot spot.
    You can travel back to the viking age with a visit to a nearby Iron Age Farm which is a living museum.
    I'm disappointed I missed that and will definitely do it if I come to Stavanger again.    Read more

  • RulocalAdventure, Iceland Norway 2013Rulocal

    Olden

    June 11, 2013 in Norway ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Wow! This is more like the Norway I was expecting.
    We were told by some the there was not much in Olden, the town was tiny and not many shops etc.
    Well on that point they were correct, very small and not many shops or bars etc. But my god what the town lacks in size, it more than makes up for in its placement.
    Set right on the Nordfjord one of the most beautiful fjords I've seen (not that I've seen many) and surrounded on all sides by majestic snow covered peaks. This is definitely the Norway I'd come to see.
    Everywhere you looked the scenery took your breath away, I was saying to Sheila that I could live here as I'd never get tired of the fantastic views.
    Her answer was I'd be on my own, because as beautiful as it was it was far too quiet and remote for her. Lol
    From Olden you can get to the Briksdal glacier, but I'm afraid I didn't go as firstly the shuttle bus to take you, was £35, which as with most things in Norway is very expensive, also the bus could only take you part way there, you had another hours walk to get to the glacier itself, maybe next time. Lol
    One really lovely thing to see in Olden is Geiranger Church, it's situated about a mile from where the ship docks. It's a beautiful little wooden church built in an octagonal shape, and the original church dates back to the 1300s, and from there you can get some great views of the ship and the surrounding countryside.    Read more

  • RulocalAdventure, Iceland Norway 2013Rulocal

    Molde

    June 10, 2013 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    Molde is another beautiful little Norwegian town, it's dubbed the town of the roses, as it's mild climate has been perfect for growing those beautiful flowers.
    The town was once a trading post for timber and herring, but that was over a hundred years ago, and nowadays it is a favourite port of cruise ships, whose passengers come for the wonderful nordic scenery.
    During WWII Molde served as Norway's makeshift capital, and a refuge for the king and a hiding place for the country's gold reserve.
    The town is also home to one of Norway's top football teams FC Molde, managed by ex Manchester United star, Ole Gunnar Solsjar, (the spelling is probably way off, but I'm sure you know who I mean).
    Btw Maz informed me that they are also this year's Norwegian division one champions.
    The Molde stadium is in a really beautiful place, being right on the sea front overlooking the fjord, it is only a small stadium, holding probably about 10 or 12 thousand supporters, but looks very modern, and as I said in a beautiful place.    Read more

  • RulocalAdventure, Iceland Norway 2013Rulocal

    Alesund

    June 8, 2013 in Norway ⋅ 🌧 9 °C

    Alesund is a little fishing town that, as with all these Norwegian coastal towns is set in spectacular surroundings, it has the picturesque harbour to the front, and the majestic snow capped peaks of the Sunnmore Alps guarding it from the rear.
    Apparently after a devastating fire in 1904, the whole of Alesund was rebuilt in the Art Nouveau style, losing the historic look of its Viking past.
    But it is still a charming place, with pretty houses and wonderful scenic views anywhere you look.
    Another great night in the diamond lounge last night, with the couches and chairs once again moved around to make one big company, we must have been 18 or 20 strong last night.
    As usual we've met some really nice people. As I've said many times before one of the best things about reaching diamond or diamond plus on RCI, is having a focal point where everyone meets at night.
    It's there that instead of just meeting people on holiday as you normally do, you make friends, that you tend to see on other cruises, all because of the focal point, that and the free booze..... Lol    Read more

  • RulocalAdventure, Iceland Norway 2013Rulocal

    Trondheim

    June 7, 2013 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Today we visited the town of Trondheim, just Maz and I got off as Sue wasn't too well, and Sheila as normal preferred to take advantage of the empty ship and chill out.
    The town didn't have a great deal to see, but it was very pleasant to stroll around, and the weather was gorgeous once again.
    One place we did see was a quaint little church right in the town centre, I forget the name of it but the thing was the back part of the church was being used to feed the homeless and the towns less fortunate, which I thought was brilliant.
    Anyone who knows me, knows I'm not a lover of religion of any denomination.
    But this was great and it was brilliant to see a place of worship being used in this way.
    The next thing we visited was the cathedral, which was beautiful, but they where charging between £10 and £20 to go inside, which was a complete contrast to the little church we'd just visited, and please don't try telling me that some of the money the cathedral charges goes to the little church to feed the homeless, because cynical old me won't believe you.... Lol    Read more

  • RulocalAdventure, Iceland Norway 2013Rulocal

    Sea Day

    June 7, 2013, Norwegian Sea ⋅ 🌙 27 °C

    Yesterday was a day at sea, so nothing very exciting happened, just a complete chill out day of eating and reading.
    We had a very thick and eerie fog during the evening, at one point you could not see one end of the ship from the other, very creepy... Lol
    Also we did have a sunset last night about 11.30pm and a sunrise at about 2.30am, unlike yesterday where we had no sunrise or sunset, just daylight for 24 hours.
    This really is an amazing part of the world.
    Can't wait for the next few days and the Norwegian fjords, the first stop is Trondheim which dates back to the 9th century, so should be interesting.    Read more

  • RulocalAdventure, Iceland Norway 2013Rulocal

    Akureyri port, Iceland

    June 6, 2013 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    We are sailing down the inlet to Akureyri and the scenery is fantastic, so dramatic.
    The mountains either side of us look as if they are only a couple of hundred yards away, towering above the ship and covered in snow.
    If this is anything to go by the Norwegian fjords are going to be fantastic.
    Also the sun is shining and just a couple of fluffy white clouds in the sky, all in all it's a beautiful day.
    Got off the ship with Maz and Sue for a walk around the town, what a beautiful little place.
    It was more like I imagined Iceland to be, with the quaint little town overlooking the fjord and the high snowcapped mountains in the background, it is quite stunning and picturesque.
    The ship docks right in the town so it's only a very short walk to the centre, and one lovely place to see is Akureyri church, known as the church on the Hill, because, yes you've got it, it's built on a bloody great hill. The church itself was only built in 1940,and is quite plain.
    But the interesting thing is its association with Coventry cathedral. Apparently during WWII the beautiful stained glass windows of Coventry cathedral where removed because of the bombing and stored for safe keeping.
    After the war somehow three of the windows went missing and ended up in an antique shop in London, and an Icelandic antique dealer from Akureyri bought them and donated them to the church, and they now make up part of the alter windows of the church.
    The bumf you get on the ship telling you about the town says that the centre window was donated by Coventry cathedral, which is a bit boring, my story comes from a description on the wall of the church itself, and I think it's more interesting.... Lol    Read more

  • RulocalAdventure, Iceland Norway 2013Rulocal

    Reykjavik Port Day Two

    June 5, 2013 in Iceland ⋅ 🌬 12 °C

    The weather was cold and wet again (probably didn't need all the shorts and T shirts I've brought) LOL
    We didn't bother getting of off the ship, just had a nice relaxing day on board ship, it was quiet as there are still lots of hardy sorts who did tours.
    In the evening we had a few drinks in the diamond lounge then a nice meal in Portofinos restaurant, then off to the show, it was an American guy called Tony Tillman, who was an all round entertainer, in the Sammy Davis style, and when he sang Sammys classic 'Mr Bojangles' it made the hairs on my neck stand up (metaphorically of course as I'm bald nowadays) lol
    But seriously as Sammy he was brilliant, and also a great singer in his own right.    Read more

  • RulocalAdventure, Iceland Norway 2013Rulocal

    Reykjavik

    June 4, 2013 in Iceland ⋅ 🌬 10 °C

    Well what can I say about Reykjavik?
    It's cold dull and wet and very expensive, to me it feels like most of the Scandinavian towns or cities I've been to, cold and dull.
    We got a taxi to the centre as it worked out cheaper than the shuttle bus.
    Then we had a walk around the downtown area.
    Granted we only walked around for about an hour because of the weather but it didn't feel vibrant at all.
    But I got the taxi drivers mobile phone number and email address, as I'm back here in July with our Nic, Sheila and Aimee, and we'll probably do a taxi tour as the price was a lot cheaper than the ships tours.
    One nice thing about the place was the people, the ones I spoke to where friendly and helpful.
    Btw I mentioned it being expensive well as an example, in a small takeaway type cafe, fish and chips where €14.50 so god knows what a restaurant meal would cost.
    Anyway I'll let you know more in July    Read more

  • RulocalAdventure, Iceland Norway 2013Rulocal

    No Bobby Davro

    May 31, 2013, North Sea ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    Well it turned out that Bobby Davro wasn't on last night, it was a printing error in the cruise compass.
    Apparently he was on the last cruise.
    It was a shame as I'd liked to have seen him.
    On the plus side I didn't have to make the decision to stay up that late, and anyone who knows me knows that I very rarely stay up past 9pm, what with me being an old fart, so it wasn't all bad lol.Read more

  • RulocalAdventure, Iceland Norway 2013Rulocal

    Royal family suite

    May 28, 2013, North Sea ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    Went to see Maz and Sues cabin, but as I said they'd been upgraded to the Royal Family Suite, and very nice it is.
    Large living room, with 36" TV and DVD player, (free dvds available from the concierge). A big master bedroom with a smaller flat screen TV, en suite bathroom.
    A smaller double bedroom with separate bathroom, lots and lots of wardrobe space, and I almost forgot, a third toilet in the hallway.
    But the best bit is the balcony, as the suite is right at the back of the ship, the balcony has a beautiful 360°view.
    Having said all that, it's a great cabin, but I wouldn't pay the price RCCL are asking for it.
    This cruise would have cost £5000 per person and that's only for 13 nights.
    But imho as an upgrade it fits perfectly with what Maz and Sue paid for their Grand Suite.
    Last night we had a lovely night in the diamond lounge then about 8pm we all went for a quick bite to eat, then off to the theatre, the act was ok, not the best I've seen, but also not the worst.

    Btw if I can stop up late enough tonight, Bobby Davro is doing a late night show at 11.30pm, it's well past my bedtime, but I may be a brave little soldier and stay up, we'll see.    Read more

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