Back to Ochiltree

Woke to a sunny day in Belfast and had a good breakfast again. Packed up and got a taxi to the ferry terminal in plenty of time to get the 11.30 ferry back to Cairnryan. 

Once again the crossing was smooth, possibly even more so than Tuesday. 

Lucy and Donald enjoying the crossing! 

The weather in Scotland was stunning when we arrived. Blue skies and sunshine!

We stopped for a late lunch at a garden shop at Ballantrae. Lovely spot with a large playground for children and a train!

The views along the coast coming back were beautiful. 

We stopped to take a picture of Ailsa Craig, the island of granite where they get the rock to make the curling stones. It was really clear today. Roger said the water was quite warm. 

Got back to Ochiltree about 5 to bright sunshine, a garden that needed water and millions of sweet peas for Lucy to pick. 

Wednesday, Belfast

We had a really good breakfast then got a taxi to the Titanic Experience. We were nice and early so not too many people around initially. 

It is such an amazing exhibition with loads of multimedia stuff as well as static exhibits. Shows the stages of planning and building the Titanic as well as descriptions of experiences of the survivors from the sinking. It took us about 2 hours to go around. 

On the deck! 

After the Titanic, we went outside and had a brief look. Saw the huge film studio where Game of Thrones is filmed. 

Then it was onto the Hop on and off bus to do the tour around Belfast- sometimes called the Bullets and Bombs tour as it takes you around the Falls Road and Shankell Road areas where the troubles were centred. We also saw the Northern Ireland Parliament building which is amazing and set in 26 acres of garden. 

Driving down the Falls Road was interesting as there are many murals on the sides of buildings commemorating the end of the troubles. They are amazing pieces of art that have huge significance for the Irish people. 

The Peace Wall was also interesting with lots of murals and significant quotes.

Had lunch in a mall over from the hotel, then found a pub for dinner tonight. 

Belfast

Tuesday morning

We got up early so we could get away by 9 am to get to Cairnryan to get the 11.30 am ferry to Belfast. It is a 2 hour trip and we had perfect sailing conditions. Lunch on board then we got to Belfast around 1.40pm.

We were able to get a taxi to the Hotel Ibis on Castle St and checked in by 2.

Got organised then went for a walk in the city. 

Some beautiful buildings here, surprisingly untouched during the troubles except for the Europe Hotel which was bombed several times because all the politicians etc from London used to stay there! 

This is the Town Hall and the photo does not do it justice. 

We found a wonderful deli with amazing food in it. 

Have not seen this flavour spread before! 

Decided to have dinner in the hotel as we were done walking anywhere else for the day. Nice meal too.

Leaving the ship and more!

After drifting in the Mediterranean for about 15 hours, we finally got to Civitaveccia at around 6 am on Sunday morning. 

We had packed our bags the night before and all we needed to do was walk off the ship with our hand luggage. We decided not to have breakfast on board to save us some time but as it happened, we had plenty of time. We had to wait for about half an hour for the driver to pick us up for our trip to the airport.

Thank goodness, it was not as fast as the trip from the airport and we got there about 9am. Our flight was not until 5.35 so we were not able to check in until around 2pm. Meantime we got some food and found seats that we were able to sit down in for our long wait. Little did we know but the waiting was again to go on and on.

After we checked our bags and did the security thing, we wandered through the shops to find our gate for departure. We found some seats there and waited again. The plane that we were to go on was late arriving to Rome, then we found there was going to be another delay - this time for about an hour or so, due to storms over France! When we got on board and the plane was ready to go, there was another delay of around half an hour. At least they came around and gave us water! 

Finally got off the ground on the first leg of the trip to Glasgow. We had to go through Amsterdam as it was a KLMflight. Actually the captain and crew were very good and explained what was happening at the appropriate time. When we were getting close to Amsterdam they actual told all the people with connecting flights what the status of those flight was. Some people missed flights and were placed on later flights or the next day while our flight had been delayed by an hour anyway so we were able to make it. As it happened, we had to wait a bit longer than we thought. Eventually got on the plane and off to Glasgow, where Lucy and Donald, affectionate known as “the in-laws” were there to meet us. By the time we got back to Ochiltree, it was after 1am and we had to have a cup of tea before heading to bed! 

Monday

A bit of a sleep in then breakfast and the washing. Good to get that done as it had accumulated during the cruise. 

Had a lazy day then a nice BBQ with Bruce and Russell and Ian and Shona, great friends of Lucy and Donald. 

Bed early as we had to get up early on Tuesday to catch a ferry over to Belfast. 

Cagliari, Sardinia

Docked here about midday today. We had free shuttle buses to the gates of the port as you are not allowed to walk around the dock area. Was a short walk to the town, but very hot, so we decided to do a tourist train around the “interesting” parts of the town. Just as well as we would never have walked up some of the hills! 

Sardinia has been occupied by many different foes over the centuries. There is an old Roman fort that was partially dismantled so they could use the blocks for building other things. 

It is quite a mix of old and new, but not as interesting as other places we have been over the last few days. More graffiti on building walls, rough streets, people parking at odd angles! 

We decided to go back to the ship after the trip  as it was very hot and humid. 

Roger on the dock by the Jewel of the Seas. 

Palma

We have just spent a delightful morning in the city of Palma. 

The cathedral here is amazing. It sits atop a hill overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and took 3 centuries to build. It has the most colourful stained glass windows I have ever seen. Gaudi’s influence is seen here too in the area around the altar. He designed the centrepiece which is quite amazing. 

There are little chapels along each side of the cathedral, some colourful and others quite somber. 

We then went for a wander through the old part of the city. 

It was very hot, over 30C. We decided to get back to the ship before we wilted away. Thank goodness they put on shuttles to get into town. Some brave souls decided to walk the 4km trip! Hope they did not get heatstroke before they got there! 

Barcelona

Arrived in Barcelona this morning just before 10am. It seemed like a long trip as we left Corsica at 4pm yesterday.

We had breakfast outside while the ship was cruising slowly up the harbour then took our time disembarking. We bought tickets for the shuttle which took us to the World Trade Centre at the bottom of the famous Los Ramblos. It did not seem like a long way as you could see the ship from where they dropped us off, but walking would have involved quite a hike over an uphill then downhill bridge as well as negotiating the traffic! 

We took our time walking up La Ramble as it is signposted and stopped to buy water then found a lovely cafe where we got a wonderful cheese sandwich made with home made bread rolls fresh from the oven, still warm, with freshly squeezed orange juice. 

Took some detours and found some interesting places and shops. One was a fabric shop with patchwork and other stuff. Found an apron with elephants on it for Max to wear when he helps his mum with baking. 

All the shops seem to be having sales here. Lots of bargains to be had at big name shops too! 

Found a Disney shop...

We made our way back to the top of La Ramble and a couple of department stores. Bought a gelato and sat eating it by the main square. 

Lots of comings and goings including buses to and from the airport. 

We walked back down to the World Trade Centre to where the shuttle was waiting to take us back to the ship. 

Completed my walking ring on my watch today, nearly 12,000 steps and still counting as you do a lot of walking around the ship each day too! 

Ajaccio- Corsica

We docked earlier than expected at Ajaccio in Corsica. Looking out the window over the marina it looks lovely. At breakfast we got a better view because we were higher and there were more windows! 

The town is typically French in style. Narrow streets, tall apartment buildings in many different colours, all needing a good coat of paint. 

Because this is the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte, there are statues of him all over! 

We went on a Little Train for a trip around the centre of the town. It was quite interesting. 

The market in the centre of the village was interesting. Lots of vegetables, fruits, cheeses and charcuterie. Some huge tomatoes on one stall for €5 per kg. You would only get 2 they were so big! 

We wandered through the tourist street and bought nothing except a paper for Roger! Had a lovely gelato then walked slowly back to the ship in time for lunch. 

Barcelona tomorrow so the ship will be leaving a bit earlier than yesterday. 

Cannes

Monday dawned warm and a little cloudy. 

We arrived at Cannes about 7 am . 

We got up early and went to breakfast before the crowds then went for a wander around the ship. After a brief discussion, we decided not to go ashore as it was a 15 minute trip on a smaller boat. Neither of us has completely recovered from the lurgies we got last week.

Spent the morning on deck chairs and going walking, morning tea then lunch! A bit of a rest then up to the Schooner Bar to clean up in the geographic trivia quiz. The prize was a Royal Caribbean highlighter pen each! Just what we have always wanted! 

Afternoon tea then a nice sit down in the Solarium reading and boat watching. Met an interesting acupuncturist from India who works on the ship. He is a qualified medical dr  who has studied traditional medicine as well. Might be worth a visit! 

Rome for 5 minutes!

After a quiet night at the hotel at Gatwick, we were up early to check in for our flight to Rome. Too early as it happened as we had to wait about half an hour before the check in for the flight opened! That finally done, we went through security and waited in the departure area to find out which gate to go to. Roger decided to find a magazine shop and by the time I realised we had to get a move on, he was nowhere to be found. Of course he had not taken his phone either and I began to panic as the gates close 30 minutes before departure and we only had 10 minutes to spare...

Finally he turned up and we raced to the gate. Nearly closed the exercise ring on my watch doing it too! 

The flight was just over two hours and was uneventful. However, when we got to Rome, things changed again. A huge number of people were waiting to get through immigration. It took an hour for the crush to get to the counters. No single lines here - they were 6 abreast in parts. Time was getting on and we had to be at the ship before 3pm. Finally, just after 2pm we got to the baggage claim and out to the concourse where our driver was waiting. 

We had a fast trip to the port, I think the driver was speeding, and managed to get to checkin for the ship at 10 to 3! By 3 we were aboard and in our stateroom.  We then went to get a late lunch, and back to unpack. 

Dinner was at 6 - a three course menu which was ok. Not sure we can keep eating at that rate though! 

Saturday - pack and go!

Saturday dawned fine and hot again! Not complaining about the weather at all. 

Carol and David cooked a big breakfast which was delicious and we discussed what to do for the rest of the morning.  We decided to go to the open day at a little church near Birchington in a little village called Acol. 

The church was built as a school and church so it was used all week. 

We were greeted very warmly by the people there. The church is very well kept and holds about 50 people. 

This is the cross that used to be outside on the roof but it fell down at some point. They decided to hang it inside above the altar and discovered that when it is lit up, the shadow looks like Noah’s Ark! 

We then went down to Minnis Bay to get ice cream. Some brave souls were swimming in the shallows a long way out. Many more at their beach huts or on the sand. It was about 28C there yesterday! 

Packed the bags then drove down to Gatwick to stay the night before flying to Rome on Sunday morning. 

Friday - more shopping!

Woke early again today, but by the time we had breakfast and tidied up it was getting on in the morning, so we decided to go back to Westwood Cross again for some bits and pieces. We stopped at the medical center to pick up some eye drops for the conjunctivitis we seem to have picked up from somewhere! 

Carol and David needed to go to the supermarket too, so we went to Sainsbury’s. Their superstore has just about everything you need, so we started with early lunch then I found a couple of new tops that I needed for the cruise! David found a bargain! A new alarm clock for just £2.50! Roger bought some shorts and we also bought food for dinner. 

On the way home we stopped for a look at the Spitfire Museum at Manston, which used to be an air base in WW2. They have a Spitfire and a Hurricane in the museum along with lots of memorabilia from pilots who were based at Manston. Many of the street names around Birchington and the area are named after some of these people. 

It was turning out to be hot again so we went back to the Little Bungalow for a cool drink and a relax in the shade. 

Unfortunately, it was still really hot at night and was a little uncomfortable sleeping. Still we did get a better sleep and seem to be recovering a bit from the colds we brought with us. 

Whitstable and Herne Bay

Decided this morning to take a trip to Whitstable. I found a little fabric shop on line that looked like a nice place to go. 

The day was looking to be quite hot so we went before it got too unbearable. 

Whitstable is a quaint town on the coast west of Birchington. It is a mixture of old and new. Found a parking spot then walked to the Fabric shop. It was quite fun poking round in the wee shop. Not a huge range of patchwork fabrics but found some nice little pieces to make something for the grandchildren. 

Found a little cafe for a cold drink then headed towards Herne Bay. Another interesting little place obviously catering for the summer vacations. 

The Pier has a fun fair at then of it and lots of little food shops along the side. 

We had a sandwich for lunch at a nice place on the seafront. Roger had a battered fish sandwich and I had a prawn sandwich. Then we had a delicious ice cream.

Back to Birchington for a rest and greet Carol and David back from their trip to Derby.

Another present from Jack!

Yes, he must be so pleased to see us that he brought us a mouse at 4.30am yesterday morning. 

We managed to go back to sleep for a while then decided to go to Reculver, a few miles west of Birchington. There is an old abbey and Roman fort there as well as a small village and ice cream shop.

Reculver is on the coast which is a fairly shallow coastline but has cliffs raised up so it is not easy to access all the way along the coast. 

There are some spots for swimming but the water is quite muddy due to the shallow beach.

On the way back we went through a little village called St Nicholas at Wade. It has a lovely old church there and two old pubs - The Sun and The Bell. One is right across the road from the other!

We came back to Birchington and stopped for a nice lunch at The Quex Barn, bought some locally made bread and pickles then back for a rest at The Little Bungalow! 

Shopping Expedition

Woke early this morning as it was light really early and we had gone to bed early because we had a bit of sleep to catch up on!

Around 6am we decided to try to contact the family in NZ so we got onto FaceTime and were lucky to get both Suzanne and Max as well as David and Gayle. They were all in the car on the way home from work so they called back when they got home. The internet connection was not the fastest and it did disconnect a bit, but we were still able to talk to them and catch them up with the flights etc. Eilidh asked why we were still in bed when it was nearly time for dinner! Had to explain that it was morning where we were.

Jack, the cat, decided to bring us a welcome present. He had caught a bird and was sitting on the grass guarding it and looking at us. It was a reasonably big one too, but unfortunately was past its last legs and into the bin it had to go!

After a leisurely breakfast we took the car over to Westwood Cross shopping centre near Broadstairs, about 7 miles from Birchington. First stop was a pharmacy to stock up on cold remedies - we have both got coughs and colds so it was good to get something to help. Next was coffee at Costa. Have to say the quality of the coffee here is getting better but the service is really slow as it seems the one person at the counter does everything so you have to order, pay and wait until she makes the coffee. Meanwhile the queue was heading back out the door! Hobbycraft was next and I spent a bit of time wandering round both floors, finding bits and pieces to keep me happy. Roger always likes bookshops so we had to visit Waterstone’s as well as WH Smith. Marks and Spencer’s was next and managed to get the bits I needed as well as some stuff for Max, ordered by Suzanne! Have crossed all that off the shopping list now so anything more is extra! Found some nice summer tops but managed to refrain from purchasing them.

Ha d lunch at M&S then headed back to Birchington where we rested for the afternoon.

Big excitement in the evening in between nodding off - England beat Columbia at the World Cup so there will be a lot of relief around that they have made it through to the next round! 

Finally - after lots of delays

Well, we finally made it to our destination! A chapter of delays and frustrations.

First, our flight from Christchurch to Auckland was delayed by 20 minutes. Fortunately we had plenty of time to get the next flight, because it too was delayed by over an hour! They had to spray the plane for some reason and it was late getting back to the gate we had to leave from. The gate was away in the back of the airport and it took minutes to walk there. Finally boarded about 11pm and got away. They did make up some time in the air but we were still about half an hour late getting into Los Angeles.

Even though we were doing a direct transit back onto the same plane, we still had to go through immigration at the airport. So they have this wonderful electronic system for immigration then you still have to go to a person to get your passport stamped and fingerprints taken again (for Roger). After spending nearly an hour in lines, some of the transit passengers started to get anxious that the onward leg of the journey would be delayed even more because  of the length of the queues for immigration, the AirNZ staff decided to create a special line just for the flight. That being done, we still had to walk miles around the airport to get back to the departure gate. Managed to find a duty free shop, but they didn’t even take Apple Pay! Rather behind the times...

Arrived at Heathrow around 12.30pm only 45 minutes later than expected so made good time. Luggage arrived too which was even better!

Immigration was a breeze compared to LA and customs was a walk through with no officers to be seen.

We got a shuttle to the car company and it took ages for the man to process the car - he had trouble with the credit card and had to start all over again. Finally, we got on the road by 3 pm and found our way to the M25,which lived up to its name as the biggest car park in the world. Lots of stops and very slow at times. Thank goodness we were able to get off and use the M26 and M20 towards Canterbury and arrived in Birchington just after 5pm, which is just about when the iPad app said we would get here.

Carol and David had left us food for a meal and a well stocked fridge so we have been very spoilt. Bed early and hopefully a good night’s sleep!

All packed and ready to go!

At last, the day has arrived! The bags are packed and we are almost ready to go.
The cat is safe in her little house at the cattery and the housework has been done.

We are off to visit friends in the UK and take a cruise in the Western Mediterranean, visiting the South of France, Spain, Sardinia and Corsica.

I will try to keep the blog updated as we go, but this is dependent on accessing wifi to load up the pages.

Keep warm, our NZ friends and try not to be too envious as we fly into the sweltering heat of the UK at the moment!

Update:

First flight to Auckland is delayed but we should still have plenty of time to get the international connection!

The heat is on in Saigon

Another day of 32 degrees here in Saigon. The humidity is around 90% but there is often some wind that tempers both so it is bearable. 

Went for another walk today and found a lovely park with lots of trees and gardens a playground and seats. But there were lots of young people there all engrossed with their smartphones. There were also lots of motor cycles pulled up on the side of the road with people on phones. Aha! I thought - Pokemon Go has reached Vietnam. But then when I checked my phone, there was a strong free wifi signal, so that was probably the reason! There was an international school right next to the park and on the street beside the school was a row of sports shops.

One of the funny things about the shops here is that you often find a lot of shops in the same area selling the same things. We passed through an area with stationery and art supplies this morning too.

We found a Starbucks just over the road from the Independence Palace so stopped there for a cool drink and a cool place to sit. It seems that there are more Starbucks here than McDonalds, and we have only seen one Burger King, which was at the airport.

We then wandered back towards the market along from the hotel and bought a couple of cute wee outfits for Max and a couple of tshirts for Roger at the market. Pretty good quality and very cheap. 

We seem to have got used to the erratic traffic here in HCMC. We actually saw someone getting a ticket from local police this morning, not sure what it was for though. There are literally thousands of motor cycles, much fewer cars and nobody seems to obey the road rules, that is assuming there are some! Saw a t-shirt this morning that highlighted the Saigon road rules - green light means I can go, Amber light means I can still go, Red light means I will go anyway! That is pretty much how it is. Pedestrian crossing mean nothing and cars will not stop if you are in front of them. Amazing that there are not more people killed or seriously injured. 

There does not seem to be many western tourists around in HCMC. Quite a few group tours with Asian people on them. A few French speakers around also, but it does not feel like a tourist Mecca.

Getting packed up later to head out to Hanoi in the morning. The flight is not until mid day, but we are being picked up early because of the traffic going to the airport and the check in time. Looking forward to visiting that city again. 

A Long Walk

Just back from a long walk down to the Saigon River via a lot of very busy streets!

It was 32 degrees when we left the hotel about 8.30am and I am sure it got hotter.

We walked over to the park across the road from the hotel and saw people using the free gym equipment placed there. Then found our way along a small street where shops mainly sold antiques - I am sure that few were genuine!

Eventually we got onto a street which had more upmarket shops and found Starbucks so we stopped for a drink. Able to get free WiFi there and picked up a message from Suzanne so were able to have a conversation with her.

Walked further down a very wide street towards the river and found we could cross the road very carefully!  People here do not seem to recognise red lights and pedestrian crossings! Walked along the riverbank some way then found our way to the Opera House which is a lovely building in the midst of a wealthy area which includes top shops and expensive hotels.

Eventually found our way back to the hotel for a rest.

Heritage Saigon

This morning we were collected by our lovely guide for a four hour tour of heritage sites in Saigon.

Started out at the Museum of Traditional Medicines which was established by one of the modern pharmaceutical companies to recognize the place of traditional eastern medicines in the history of Vietnam. It is a beautifully built building designed to replicate traditional houses with a large amount of carved doors and walls. First we watched a video telling about the history of traditional medicines and how they evolved along with a blend of herbal remedies from China as well as other neighbouring  countries. Most of the exhibits on each of the three top floors were of the tools used in making and giving the medicines - kettles, storage jars, scales, etc, while the ground floor was a small shop with many different types of tea and herbs as remedies for various ailments. 

From here, we went on to the War Remnants Museum, which houses many exhibits relating to the American War, including an interesting photographic exhibition called Requiem. It is a series of photos taken by war correspondents many of whom died in the conflict. There were also displays of armaments and photos of the damage caused by the defoliants used by the Americans during the war.

Outside the museum is a replica of one of the prisons used to house dissidents during the period after WW2 and during the American War. There is even a guillotine, last used in 1960 to behead a local who was accused of being against the communist regime. We also saw a number of US tanks, aircraft and helicopters left after the Americans left Vietnam.

The next stop was the Reunification Palace, built originally for the President of South Vietnam, but now a museum and used for conferences and meetings. We just looked at it from the outside. Then back into the card for a short trip to see the Notre Dame Cathedral and the General Post Office designed by G. Eiffel - the same person who designed the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It is a beautiful building, well kept and still in use as a post office today. From here you can also see the US embassy from the time of the American War- now a fairly old and tatty looking government building - where the famous scene of helicopter landing on the roof to evacuate personnel from the compound took place. We did not get a chance to go into the cathedral as it was closed when we were there. 

Back to the hotel after the tour and a brief rest before heading out for an ice cream. After a delicious treat, we went back to have a look at the market again, then braved the busy road to cross over to Saigon Square - a shopping center and another big shopping center built by a Japanese company. Big department store as well as other smaller stores.

Bought a couple of things there, then back to the hotel.

Went to a local restaurant close by the hotel for a meal which cost 168,000 dong - about $10 NZ!

Food is very cheap here and the restaurant was very nice. Had an interesting art form on the wall which was supposed to represent the country of Vietnam.