On 7th November I set off for a cruise of the Mediterranean with my Mum, my sister-in-law Andrea and her mother, Lil. Andy and Lil travelled to the airport on a bus leaving Bristol at 1 o’clock in the morning and Mum and I were fortunate to be driven there by Colin. We had been instructed to check in at 4 o’clock for our 7 o’clock flight. We met Andy and Lil at the check-in desk at 3.30 and were disappointed to learn that the Al-Italya airline check-in desks were dealing with two other flights before ours and we could not check in until 5 o’clock. Quite a disappointment when we had strived to get there so early!
About 4.15 we decided to join the check in queue which was so long we thought it might be 5 o’clock before we reached the desk. Unfortunately with several desks open the queue moved forward quickly and before we were halfway there an official asked us where we were going and when we said Rome he said to leave the queue and wait and he would fetch us when we could join it again! About twenty to five we decided to join the queue again and were proceeding nicely towards the desks when the same official spotted us and said ‘I thought I told you to wait until I called you!’ He said to wait and that he would definitely call us forward. At five to five we joined the queue again and yes, you guessed it, he saw us again! But luckily he was in a good mood, and escorted us out of the queue to an adjacent check-in desk just opening so we were the first to go through. Unfortunately the long wait to check in meant there was no time to have a snack before boarding but at least we could pass the time until then by looking in the duty free shops. We had brought two different currencies with us for the cruise - dollars which was the currency used on board the ship and euros to spend whenever visiting ashore.
Once on board I checked the in-flight magazine to see if we could order food and was disappointed to find there was none available! So it was a pleasant surprise a bit later to be offered coffee and soft drinks accompanied by an Italian pastry as by this time we were all quite peckish. The flight was a pleasant one and lasted about two and a half hours, landing in Rome about 10.30. From there we were transported to the Marco Polo by bus which was about an hour and a half drive away, so we made sure to look out of the windows as this was our only chance to see a bit of Rome. It was a lovely sunny day with blue skies and we were lucky to have such weather during the whole of our cruise. Finally just after noon we were able to board the ship and were soon checking into our cabins. We discovered we had been allocated different tables for dining each day so we left the two Mums in our cabin whilst we went to change this. We changed them for a window table for four in the second sitting each evening and discovered we could go and have lunch right then - so went back to the Mums who had been grumbling how hungry they were and their faces lit up for joy when we said we could go and have lunch straightaway. I don’t remember ever seeing my Mum move so fast, as she said ‘What are we waiting for’!
We were very impressed with the beautiful dining room - The Seven Seas Restaurant on deck 6 - where we proceeded to enjoy a 5-course lunch which was really excellent. Afterwards we went up on deck and found chairs to relax in on the sunny side of the ship and stayed there about three hours until the sun went down, most of us taking a short nap in the process, having hardly slept more than 3 hours the evening before. We were just around the corner from the front deck with swimming pool and discovered they were serving afternoon tea so enjoyed a cuppa each before going off to our cabins to change for dinner, agreeing to meet up on the front deck just before 8 pm when the ship was due to sail. This was great watching the ship leave Civitavecchia port and gain the open sea. We stayed on deck watching this until it was time to go down to dinner at 8.30 pm.
7th November was Mum’s birthday which we had all celebrated in advance of travelling. Mum had received all her presents earlier, and the ones from Colin and me the evening before. We thoroughly enjoyed our splendid dinner (with me looking out the curtains until no further lights of the shore could be seen). All the crew and staff on board were from the Philippines and really lovely guys. Our waiter and bus boy were Austin and Roadan, who both looked after us beautifully. Then towards the end of dinner we could hear singing and a guitar playing, approaching our table, and it was the restaurant manager, head waiter and our waiter who came with a birthday cake and to sing Happy Birthday to Mum, which was a lovely surprise for her and us as we had not told anyone it was her birthday. Afterwards we went to Charlston Lounge on Deck 8 to listen to the band and enjoy a cocktail, but we were soon falling asleep in our seats and had to retire early to our cabins after such a long exhausting day.
On Thursday morning we woke up and the ship had already docked at Portoferraio on the Island of Elba. We first had a fantastic breakfast in Raffles restaurant on deck 8 where the choices on offer were amazing, all served buffet style. We enjoyed croissants, fresh fruit, yoghurts and coffee and for those really hungry there was a huge variety of hot cooked breakfast items, including a chef out on the deck cooking omelettes with six fillings. Whilst dining Mum saw a rowing boat nearby and asked if we had to go ashore on that!!!! I was happy to inform her that we would be boarding something a fair bit bigger! We finished breakfast in time to get on the ship’s tender which was ferrying those passengers ashore who had not booked themselves onto shore excursions (who had priority). Mum was a bit worried about boarding the tender but it wasn’t too bad. We climbed down a metal set of steps from a door opening out of deck 6, to a metal platform from whence we could climb aboard the tender. All this was suspended by steel hawsers from a higher deck and looked sturdy enough and beneath the steps was an inflatable boat, I guess in case of anyone falling in the sea! There were guys helping people aboard who had difficulties. The ship had three of these tenders operating each day ferrying people backwards and forwards from ship to shore and back to ship again, each capable of holding 150 passengers. I enjoyed the trips on the tender the most out of the four of us - Andy and Lil being more susceptible to sea sickness than we were, and Mum worrying about getting on and off it.
Once ashore on Elba we walked out of the port and then followed a route around the Medicean harbour stopping at little shops on the way. It looked so pretty with the colourful buildings, the yachts in the harbour and above us the imposing Renaissance fortifications that wind their way about the high rocky promontory. The basin of water is protected by the Della Linguela Fort at one end and the Torre del Martello at the other, with the village protected at the back by two further forts, Falcone and Stella, and at the front by the fringed Medicean bastions of Bernardo Buontalenti. Even Admiral Nelson had to admit it was “the safest port in the world.” See below for a short potted history of this island. We bought some lovely jewellry in some of the shops in the harbour, all beautiful craftmanship using semi precious stones, which Mum and I can never resist when we see it on sale! We sat on seats enjoying the sunshine and harbour views and later ventured to shops behind the marina front but we didn’t venture too far because it was very hilly, and Mum couldn’t walk too far due to her painful knee for which she is awaiting an operation very soon. We ended up enjoying beers on the outdoor terrace of a cafe before venturing back to catch a tender that would get us back to the ship in time for lunch.
After lunch I left the three of them relaxing on board and took a tender back to the island. They did not want to go back because of having to go by tender whereas I did not mind a bit. Once ashore I climbed the hillside which zigzagged backwards and forwards as it climbed, plus I climbed a flight of about 100 steps until I was high above the harbour and was able to take pictures over the rooftops of the boat moored outside it. It was quite a long walk but eventually I arrived at the house where Napoleon lived during his exile on Elba, which is now a museum, situated in the highest part of the township. This is close to Fort Stella, a position from which he could dominate the township, the port and the open sea. I really enjoyed my visit throughout the house, especially looking at the paintings on the walls which depicted Elba as it was during his time there, eg, the ships of the British Armada in the harbour and countless other scenes. Walking back to the harbour afterwards was a lot quicker as it was all downhill and I made it back to the ship in time to join the others for afternoon tea on the open deck. Later we returned to our cabins in order to get ready as this night was the first of the semi formal evenings which meant dressing up. Our Norwegian Captain Aage Hoddevik was holding a welcome reception for all guests. This was great as each person was greeted by him and had a photo taken with him, and there were liberal supplies of champagne and canapes circulated to everyone during the reception. The Gennadi Orchestra were playing whilst this was going on, a brilliant band of grand piano, drums, bass guitar and three musicians playing brass instruments. Afterwards the captain gave a speech welcoming us aboard and introducing the managers of all the different aspects of the cruise management which was very enjoyable as he was so humorous in his presentation. After this we went down to the Seven Seas and had yet another fantastic dinner in the restaurant, and then cocktails in the polo lounge after that.
Portoferraio, Elba - a Potted History
According to Greek mythology it was the port of call of the Argonauts. The Romans and Etruscans used the port, calling it Fabricia, for their mining activities and as testimony to their passage there are the remains of two splendid Roman villas, one on the promontory and the other next to the Forte della Linguella. The Museum of Archaeology houses important remains which tell the story of the ancient navigators. But the true birth of Portoferraio is linked to Cosimo 1 de Medici who decided to transform it into the main port for his fleet against the Saracen pirates. In 1548 with the name of Cosmopolis the new township was founded and its layout decided.
It was to be a true model of military urbanism. Contained within the village are the main churches. Inside the Duomo is dedicated to the nativity of the Madonna a Visitazione of Passignano. A painting of Sagrestani completes the refined decoration of the church of Santissimo Sacramento. The art gallery Foresiana built inside the Franciscan convent of San Salvatore houses important Italian paintings of the 800s. The Napoleonic chapter from 1814 and 1815 pushed Elba and its capital Portoferraio into the centre of international attention.
The Napoleonic Palace is a simple construction in keeping with Tuscan style which the Emperor left relatively unchanged. The central part was heightened and a ball room created. A nearby building was transformed into a small theatre. To this day several objects d’art, furniture and documents relating to the Napoleonic period are preserved in the palace – one of the most important being Elba’s first flag and the emperor’s personal library, donated to him by the township - and in the nearby church of Reverenda Misericordia a service is held every year on 5th May in suffrage to Napoleon.
Portoferraio has many important beaches and a diverse coastline that ranges from rocky
promontories and inlets of sand to smooth white pebble beaches.
On Friday we woke up in Livorno, Italy. From here it was possible to visit either Florence or Pisa but we soon discarded any idea of taking the shore excursions which were quite expensive – 175 dollars each if visiting Florence. Once ashore we enquired the cost of taxis to Florence and these were horrendously expensive too, 240 euros for a round trip in a taxi which translated to around £60 each for sharing the cost and therefore not much cheaper than taking the shore excursion. We instead decided to avail ourselves of the special bus service laid on between ship and the nearby town of Livorno and this worked out fine. A short time later we were dropped near the shopping centre of Livorno and told there would be buses every half an hour taking people back to the ship. We really enjoyed our time in Livorno and visited many shops and we all bought several things, mostly presents to give people for Christmas and later on discovered a market where we spent the last of the money we had allocated ourselves for that day. Going back to catch the bus later I was walking on ahead and after a while realised I had gone wrong on the directions and the other three were nowhere to be seen. I realised when I eventually found my way back to the correct bus stop that I had gone seriously out of my way and that the others had caught an earlier bus. When a bus finally came there was a message for me saying they were on board. By the time this later bus got back I was very disappointed to arrive at the restaurant and find it had closed! Luckily they were still serving lunches for another half an hour at Raffles restaurant so I was able to eat there and that is where Andrea found me, saying they had boarded the crowded bus thinking I had already got on it and did not realise I wasn’t until it had already pulled away.
We spent a good part of the afternoon out on deck playing Scrabble until tea time and afterwards we played more games in one of the lounges whilst being entertained by a pianist. Then after another excellent dinner in the restaurant we watched a comedy show in the Ambassador’s lounge on deck 8 at the back of the ship. Whilst being entertained we could feel the ship rolling and this made Andrea and Lil feel rather unwell so we all retired to our cabins by about 11 pm.
On Saturday we woke up in the harbour at Villefranche in the French Riviera from where we could visit either Monaco or Nice. The harbour looked very pretty as we enjoyed breakfast on board and then we caught the tender to get ashore. We had decided to visit Nice as it was closer and upon enquiring the cost of a taxi it was 30 euros for the 2.4 mile journey – expensive by English standards but welcome after the 240 euro charge from Livorno to Florence! I asked the taxi driver where he suggested we went and he took us to a Provencal market taking place just behind the promenade and sea front and we were delighted with his suggestion. There were countless stalls of Provencal produce including handicrafts and we had a lot of fun browsing the stalls, buying herbes de provence, lavender sachets, local honey, handicrafts, ceramics and toiletries all typical of Provence. Walking through the flower selling area we were overwhelmed with the beautiful scents of the flowers and were truly regretful that we were not allowed to take anything like that back to the ship. After leaving this market behind and exploring a couple of the streets beyond it we came across another market selling mainly handicrafts in a square next to a church where there were lots of jewellry stalls as well. My best purchase of the day was a beautiful amethyst and amazonite necklace to add to my growing collection of silver and semi precious stone jewellry which I started on my visits to Peru and have since added to during several visits to Tunisia and now France.
After leaving the market behind we walked to the seafront and rested a while on the promenade, enjoying the sea and the glorious weather. We had no idea how to get a taxi back and started walking along the promenade, keeping an eye out for a passing taxi and after 15 minutes were able to flag one down who took us back to Villefranche. When we got back there the others decided to stay on shore and have lunch there, not wanting to go on the tender more than the trip back to ship later. Having missed the brilliant restaurant lunch the day before I decided to go back and have lunch and we agreed to meet up again at 3 pm. Zipping back and forth on the tender was a real pleasure for me and I made it back in plenty of time to meet them at the agreed time and place. By this time they had had enough of walking so we waited and got on the mini train that wended its way along the harbour front and through the town and in this way saw a bit of Villefranche - see a little bit of its potted history below. We then caught the tender back to the ship and as we approached we had to wait while another tender got out of the way. Then something went wrong as we came alongside. Instead of sliding into position as we normally did, the tender kept bouncing off the life-raft and surging up and down and no matter what the guys did they could not stop this bouncing and surging so that one minute there was a two foot height difference between tender and platform and next instant a metre or more gap to step across. As I carry a foldable stool everywhere to enable Mum to climb anything but the shallowest of steps I was wondering how on earth I would ever be able to get her from tender to platform without mishap. Fortunately there were guys on both platform and tender to help her and it was such a relief when the levels met that they were able to help her step across. Split timing was of the essence. And of course all the bouncing and surging meant the platform was in continual movement too but luckily a man descended from the ship and helped her climb the steps. Poor Mum was really shook up by the experience and no one could blame her. Others waiting to get off seeing her ordeal must have felt quite apprehensive too. This disastrous misadventure was soon the talk of the ship .... Fortunately a couple of cups of tea and some delicious cakes later Mum had calmed down considerably.
That evening after another delicious dinner we watched a Magic Show from Moscow which was really amazing, all sleight of hand stuff that was so incredibly well done that it had everyone really entertained and spellbound. The ship was rolling from side to side as the show progressed so that by the time we all left it was really difficult to walk properly, so we decided to retire for the night and not go looking for further entainment.
Villefranche - a Potted History
Villefranche is the port city to Nice and Monaco and is a village hidden among wooded slopes above the crystalline waters of the Cote d’Azur and one of the most picturesque fishing ports. Brightly coloured buildings rise beside the narrow streets and stairways from the harbour. At the harbour you can see the fishing boats and yachts that are moored alongside boutiques and cafes that look out to sea. Medieval chapels along with the impressive hilltop fortress are a part of Villefranche history. Over 7000 people call Villefranche home. The moderate climate, sandy beaches and ambiance of its Old Town make it a popular tourist stop. Currently real estate prices are so high that property there is only affordable by the very wealthy. Villefranche is indeed the start of the South of France, part of the Cote d’Azur with a romantic, historic feel. This village is very walkable and compact. Summers here are hot and humid with winters that bring rain and an occasional chill. On the coast, sea breezes keep temperatures cool enough to need a light jacket on summer evenings.
On Sunday we woke up in Cannes. We went ashore knowing that being Sunday all the shops would be closed which was something of a disappointment. We had to travel by tender again but as it was the last time Mum was able to bear the thought, knowing yesterday’s disastrous return was just a one off unfortunate event. Once ashore we were able to walk from the port, along past the harbour which was a forest of masts, admiring the beautiful boats and yachts moored there. We came across a bus waiting at a stop and got on it, asking the driver if it would show us part of the town and he said yes. It turned out that by staying on the bus we would come back to where we had started out from so this proved interesting and enabled us to see a bit more than was possible just walking. When we got back we doubled back to a market we had seen and spent some time there but without buying anything as prices were much higher than at Nice. Then at a nearby Exposition we decided to have one of the fruit smoothies on offer which could be made to order from a variety of fresh fruits. We chose them made with raspberry, kiwi, pear, passionfruit and peach, and it was while enjoying these that I felt unwell for the first time, perhaps from the highly concentrated combination. Fortunately the feeling passed after a short while and we were able to walk back to catch the tender back to the ship, this time without any problems.
We got back to the ship in time for lunch, and spent the afternoon up on deck and had afternoon tea as usual. After dinner in the evening there was a magnificent Phillipino Folkloric show which for everyone was the highlight of the week. This hour long show was dancing and singing performed by the guys and girls working on board and was truly amazing with colourful costumes and brilliant dexterity in the complicated dances and rituals. While this was going on the sea was getting rough again. We’d managed to get front row seats for this show and as everyone left afterwards they were reeling and rolling past us which was a source of amusement to everyone concerned. We all made our way back to our cabins but en route Mum and I still managed to pay a visit to the shop on the way and buy some of the bargain price watches that were on offer for just that day.
Cannes - a potted history
Cannes is a city which ranks second in France for conventions after Paris. Located just a
few kilometers from the Nice Cote d’Azur international airport, Cannes is also accessible from the airport of Cannes Mandelieu, the second busiest in France for private aircraft. Thus, the Festival Hall, the bridgehead of the tourist economy in Cannes, hosts nearly 150 events each year – conventions, festivals and international markets. And for holiday tourism, Cannes, the world’s most famous city due to its International Film Festival, has never lost its power of attraction on its French and foreign clientele. Such intense tourist activity benefits fully to the hyper developed hotel and restaurant business and luxury boutiques, offering the most prestigious luxury showcase in France, between the sea and sun. Cannes is also home base to large private yachts in the Mediterranean, so the city has long been positioned as a major nautical activity centre. Tourists jostle with conference goers, outnumbering business travellers only in the summer months. Their interests lie in the long, curvaceous, sandy beaches of La Croisette, its expanding Old Port, its palatial hotels, the designer shops lining the famous promenade and the luminosity and gastronomy of the Cote d’Azur itself.
Monday we woke up in Toulon. Again after an excellent breakfast we went ashore, this time walking down the gangway much to the delight of my three travel companions. There were ample shore excursions going to St Tropez but Toulon being a major port and city in its own right, we were quite happy to explore on our own. We were able to catch a mini train which took us on a tour of the promenades, parks and gardens and then dropped us in a central position on the marina front, from where we could also catch the train back at 30 minute intervals. As with Cannes, we soon discovered that Mondays are closing day in the shops. We were so disappointed to see all those interesting shops and none of them open! Also every day except Monday there is a huge Provencal market which we were also sorry to have missed. For this reason our visit to Toulon was something of a disappointment and when we heard later that those who went on the expensive shore excursion to St Tropez found the shops closed there as well, we were jolly glad we hadn’t gone on it. After a while we did find a shopping centre open and although not as interesting as the little shops we did buy a few things. Again I managed to lose the others when we failed to meet up again at the agreed time after I whizzed off to look for more presents leaving the others resting in a cafe. After waiting 15 minutes beyond the agreed time I made my way back to the harbour and got on the next train back to the ship .... only to find that this time I had got back before them. I waited for them up on the sunny deck and two trains later I could see them getting off and I went down to meet them and get Mum’s card swiped to prove she was back on board. This and the fact that we had to disinfect our hands every time we boarded ship, after checking our things in the X-ray machine and whenever we entered any of the restaurants were good practice, to evade passing on any illnesses or be left behind when the ship sailed!!! Toulon is France’s major naval centre on its Mediterranean coast and the French Mediterranean Fleet is based there; it is also the most beautiful European natural harbour. It is where Provence and the French Riviera meet and is a sunny city, the capital of Provence and has 2000 years of history.
After tea the ship set sail on its longest leg of the journey yet with 308 miles to cover until arrival in Palma, Majorca next day. This meant sailing 3 hours earlier and we would not dock in Palma until late morning on Tuesday. It also meant we were sailing faster than usual and it wasn’t long before the ship was rolling and poor Andrea and Lil were looking distinctly queasy. It ended up with them retiring to their cabins and not venturing out again until the following day. Ship personnel left sick bags everywhere for any passengers feeling unwell. We all missed the Captain’s farewell party at 7.30 because of this. Even Mum and I felt the affects but were able to go down to dinner at 8.30 as with ample lifts and my help Mum managed to make it to the restaurant okay, where we found that two-thirds of the passengers were absent. Mum and I managed dinner okay but when I looked out of the window and saw the towering waves and pointed them out to Mum, she promptly lost her appetite and couldn’t eat any more! We managed to make it back to our cabin without mishap afterwards and retired to bed early, as lying down the feeling was quite pleasant. I was soon asleep and by the time I woke up next morning the conditions had eased. Andrea and Lil joined us for breakfast and then we played scrabble on deck until the ship docked in Palma late morning. We sailed into the harbour to Spanish classical guitar music which was very pleasant. We then had an early lunch and went ashore afterwards. Buses were laid on for those not booked on shore excursions and we were soon dropped near the cathedral, on the promenade from where we could catch the bus back whenever we were ready. We really enjoyed our time in Palma. The shops were open and prices were very reasonable. In no time I had bought comfortable leather shoes and a very unusual design sweater and later some souvenirs and more gifts. We lingered in a pavement cafe enjoying San Miguel beers and got back to the bus and then the ship in time for afternoon tea. We felt quite sad that it was our last night. We handed out our gratuities to waiter, busboy, Mario our cabin boy and the restaurant manager, and after dinner went to Charlston Lounge and listened to the band until they had finished for the night. Mario was brilliant - he transformed towels into rabbits, an elephant and a monkey and always turned down our bed each night and left a chocolate on the pillow. Also on that last night we paid one last visit to the shop and I bought a Marco Polo T-shirt and baseball cap and Mum bought two sweaters and a blouse. Andy and Lil bought perfume, cosmetics and souvenirs.
The following morning we arrived in Barcelona after covering a total of 919 miles throughout that week. We got up early to settle our accounts with the purser, had time for a leisurely breakfast and a couple of games of scrabble in one of the lounges and then made our departure from the ship at 10 o’clock. It wasn’t until the night before that we learned we did not have a transfer from dock to airport but this wasn’t a problem. At the dock we were able to get a large taxi which was able to transport all four of us to the airport with our luggage. The downside was feeling unable to do any visiting in Barcelona, lumbered as we were with so many things. By the time we reached the airport we had about six hours to kill. After two hours we were able to check in early and spent the rest of the time going round the airport shops and had a late lunch until our plane finally departed at 5.30 pm. We had a smooth flight home and Colin met us at Heathrow and we were home in Bath by about 8.30. The worst shock of being home was the difference in temperatures as we had a hard frost that night. After the sunshine and blue skies in the Mediterranean this took some getting used to. We later learned that temperatures at home had been good too until the night of our arrival home when they suddenly plummetted.
Mum and I were very sad to be leaving the ship, Our week on board was just a part of what was a long voyage which was continuing across the Atlantic and then down to South America and finally it would continue to the Antarctic - a further 81 days in total. Many of the people befriended on board were continuing to the Antarctic and one lady who we didn’t meet has lived on the ship for the past 20 years and been all over the world several times. All those who had regularly cruised on the Marco Polo were very sad that Orient Lines had sold it and the new owners would take possession of it in spring of next year. Many were going on a last cruise in March lasting several weeks. Mum and I may have been tempted to go on that last cruise had it not been for the fact that Mum will be having a second operation sometime next year and I have to save like mad for my next overseas jaunt. Andrea and Lil enjoyed the cruise while the weather and sea conditions were good. Unfortunately when the boat was rolling in high seas they suffered terribly with sea sickness, even constantly taking tablets, so I don’t think they would be tempted to go on another cruise in the future. Although Mum and I cannot go on Marco Polo’s last cruise before it goes to new owners, we are planning a three week Caribbean cruise which sails from Southampton, probably in the autumn of 2009.
I now look forward to my next adventure which is Ecuador and the Galapagos followed by Peru in Summer 2008. A friend from work is joining me for the three weeks in Ecuador, after which I will continue to Trujillo, Ilo and Cusco in Peru. I will definitely be travelling light for that trip. Being in the beautiful city of Barcelona and unable to go visiting due to luggage encumberment made me realise how important it will be to travel light on my next South American adventure. especially as I will be constantly on the move all those weeks.
