Roemin Aboat

Sitting here at home, looking out at the rain,  I can't believe how lucky we were with the weather in Norway and Shetland. Apart from the first day and a half at sea when it was wet most of the time, we have hardly seen a cloud let alone a spot of rain. The temperature has been more Mediterranean than Scandinavian and we needed sun tan lotion everyday. The downside, if you can call it that, is we have been up and about taking in the wonderful scenery from dusk till dawn. As that means about 18hrs a day we are all knackered and need a relaxing holiday. Rosemary Fitbit shows she has walked 32 miles and mine shows average of 12,400 steps per day for the last 10 days. I have until it stops raining to tweak this blog and make an album from the 430 photos so I don't forget our 50th wedding anniversary. Now there is grass to mow and hedge to cut when the sun comes out again. At least that will help shift the pounds we have put on from all the excellent food and wine we have enjoy...

The surprise hamper. We had the full Irish breakfast in the hotel before taking a taxi to the airport. We all just managed to get in with some luggage on our knees. Our Ryanair flight was delayed while it was cleaned and Marks flight, which was later than ours in any case, was delayed even longer. When we arrived home just before 5 o'clock we were greeted by Jacky with a lovely 'thank you' gift from Mark and Katie and Christina, a Fortnum and Masons hamper.

Katie was the first to leave the ship as she was flying straight back to Gatwick. We disembarked Celebrity Eclipse at 9:20 and took the shuttle bus to Merrion Square, then walked to our overnight hotel, The Schoolhouse, which is by the canal. Its still sunny and warm so we are sitting on the patio wondering what to do next, if anything! It really is a nice little hotel in a restored school house. We eventually decided to take a walk back to Temple Bar via Trinity College and the local canal for some site seeing, lunch and a glass of Guinness. On the return journey Rosemary and Christina bought some quality souvenirs from the Kilkenny House shop. A good way to round off the  holiday, all we need now is to catch up on some sleep before we fly home tomorrow.

Mark doing his bit of glass blowing We awoke to another luvely day and we are at sea all day. Breakfast time we were passing a few miles off Skye. We were on Skye this time last year in our motorhome. Calm seas but a little cloudy and breezy all the way down the Scottish coast. We had breakfast in main restaurant, as Mark and Katie like to start  their day with the Eggs Benedict. We watched Mark do some glass blowing on the top deck, which resulted in having a nice chunky vase to take home. After a hectic few days we all just chilled on balconies, around pools or in our rooms, meeting occasionally for coffees. Only one more dinner and sleep. We are on the 9:20 shuttle to Dublin city, Katie flies home tomorrow.

Mark trying to spot the Eclipse A smooth crossing from Norway to Shetland and tendering to shore using the lifeboats in Lerwick, was the order of the day. We ignored the advice to wear warm clothes and we soon realised our mistake as there was a cold breeze on shore. Fortunately Mark was on a later tender and was able to bring us some fleeces. However the sun came out by midday and it was soon warm again. We walked around to Knab Head, wild life spotting and saw seals just off shore and masses of wild flowers. Back in Lerwick we visited the Charlotte Fort, not a lot to see, then shared some great takeaway fish and chips from Harrys chippy. We were back on board via tender in time for a doze on the sunny balcony before cocktails and dinner in Sonata after a really nice day on shore. I booked a hotel in Dublin with TripAdvisor for our final night using the Shetlands 4G before we left Lerwick.

The fishermans wife statue Today is the day of our 50th wedding anniversary so the children arranged for the stateroom to be decorated with balloons and banners. We opened all the cards whilst sipping champagne mimosas and nibbling chocolate  coated strawberries for breakfast. We had cruised the short distance to Alesund for a day in the coastal town that was destroyed by fire in 1903 and rebuilt with German financial support. We walked ashore around the harbour area, browsed the shops and had a nice el fresco sea food lunch (except Mark had a pizza). Its amazing hot weather again, it could be a Mediterranean cruise. We were treated to another gourmet dinner on board later, this time in the French style Murano restaurant. Needless to say a birthday cake also appeared with a moving speech by the maitre de. We were in time for most of the resident theatre show, Amade, followed by an Eva Cassidy tribute in the show lounge from the talented Passion Duo, then an early night.

The seven sisters from our balcony We all woke up late, after 9am,  with low cloud and mist which soon cleared as we cruised further into the fjord. Now it's another warm and clear day with the waterfalls and patches of snow sparkling on the rocky sides of the fjord. We are due to dock at 13:00 so another 2 hours of scenery to go. The Eclipse did its 360 turn between the famous seven sisters and suitor waterfalls, to gasps from our American friends. We walked off the ship and then climbed the 400+ steps beside the waterfall to the Norwegian fjord centre. We caught the HOHO bus with Katie to the Flyfalsjuvet view point high above the fjord for a different photo opportunity while Mark and Christina walked back down to the shore. We found them having a cool beer in a bar and I joined them while Katie and Rosemary did a bit of souvenir hunting. Back on board for coffees and the sail away into the sunset and another perfect day in Norway. Before we left I went back on shore and...

The mountains beyond Skjolden.  Skjolden is at the end of the longest and deepest fjord in Europe and has a population of just 200 people. We were all awake before sunrise to take in the scenic cruise, some more awake than others. Spectacular, perfect weather again for a few hours strolling around the small Norwegian village. Walked beside the river to the lama farm and had a drink by the water watching the RIB tours come back. After lunch back on the ship we all caught up with some lost sleep ready for dinner at Qsine later. We had an invitation to go to the helipad at the bow for the evening sailaway with the officers and a glass or two of champagne and a unique view of the ffjord. We had a good view of the high Feigefossen waterfall from the bow as we sailed by.  The meal in Qsine was different with some very tasty fish fishes but there is just too much choice and we ordered too much food. Rosemary had to eat 6 french trimmed lamb chops! They were delicious ap...

Oh no, not the ships photographer again!!!

It looks like the ship will hit the bridge! We were not due in port until 13:00 so a lie in with coffee while Eclipse makes its way to the Norwegian coast. It's a much brighter day with 20deg forecast in Bergen and the clouds thinning as we approached the coast. Access to port is under the 62 metre high Askoy bridge which Eclipse just manages to sneak under with a clearance of only about 4 feet (according to Google). When we docked the weather in Bergen was warm and sunny. We had to queue for about 40mins to go up Mt Floyen on the funicular for the views and take photos of the goats. I had an expensive ice cream at the cafe and then it was back down to the fish market. Mark and Christina walked down different ways and Mark overshot the rendezvous point.  We went back to the fish market and had a delicious sharing platter of fresh shell fish including king crab and lobster with a cod and salmon kebab.

Looking down to central lobby It rained all day for our first day heading north between the inner and outer Hebrides so not a lot of Scottish scenery. But time enough to explore the inside of the Eclipse. I listened to a Norway presentation while Katie, Mark and Rosemary did the kitchen tour and Christina slept in. We all met up for a late lunch in the Seaview cafe and then an exciting  afternoon Bingo session which prepared us for a nap before dinner. It was a smart dress day so we decided to rendezvous in the Sky lounge on deck 15 for cocktails suitably smart while Rosemary had WhatsApp conversation with Jen. The 8:30 fixed dining seemed to work well for us last night, we had a six person table 264 and the waiters were good fun, so we decided to stick to it rather than go 'anytime' dining. We managed to catch a glimpse of Skye and Cape Wrath in  the murk before dinner. Another fine meal in Moonlight Sonata, rack of lamb and duck were both excellent and we rounded...

We were all relying on Ryanair Our taxi arrived 30 mins early so we were at Birmingham in plenty of time for our flight to Dublin. Mark and Christina were first to arrive from Luton at 8:15, we arrived at 9:30 and Katie was last having been delayed till 12:30. Well done Ryanair. We had breakfast while we waited for Katie and then we went directly to the port in a people carrier. We were checked in straight away and sitting in Café al Bacio drinking our first caramel machiatto etc. in next to no time. Our state rooms were ready so we were soon able to dump all our stuff and go to the cafe for lunch. We are all next to each other in sunset balcony cabins (state rooms) 6307,6309 and 6311. We had a welcome rest before the ship left at 5:00pm. We had a fixed dining table reserved for 8:30 dinner which we decided to use instead of flexible dining for the rest of the week. It gave us time to see the first show, Rock City.  By now it was dull and wet and we retired early to catch u...

Yes, only 10 days before we embark in Dublin on the Celebrity Eclipse to cruise the Norwegian Fjords.

We are home tired and full of cold but thoroughly enjoyed the whole holiday. All the elements which we put together and booked separately came together without a hitch. Starting with afternoon tea at Luton Hoo (which Mark had arranged) to Mark meeting us at Luton airport at the end of the cruise. We walked a lot again this holiday averaging 13,000 steps per day, including the two days at sea, with a peak of 18,000 on the day we climbed to the top of the old town in Ibiza. So cruising is not just sitting around the pool eating all day! We had been to the majority of the destinations before on other holidays but Ravenna in Italy, Sicily and Kotor in Montenegro were new. Ravenna was more interesting than expected with its mosaics and Catania was disappointing because of the wet weather. Kotor is a spectacular cruise destination which will undoubtedly get as busy as Dubrovnik. It has the scenery, the history and low prices, so glad we went when we did. The Constellation was OK and ...

We left the ship at 8:00am, after getting up at 6:30am, big shock to system. The site seeing tour took us round a few of the highlights of Barcelona from La Rambla to  the Olympic stadium. There was a stop to walk a round the cathedral and to take photos of the town from the hill over looking it. The bus dropped us the airport terminal 2 with 5 hours before our flight back to Luton. Plenty of time for duty free and handbag shopping. Easyjet are the furthest from drop off point we could get to drag the cases. I got caught by security with a can of coke in hand baggage and Rosemary was randomly checked for drugs. OAP's are a bigger problem than independence! There was no sign of the demonstrations in the main square. Just a few Catalan flags on balconys.

Just docked in sunny Valencia near the yacht marina and beach. We may be walking along the promenade today for paella. Yep, we did. We took the shuttle from the ship to the port entrance - it's a big port - then walked round the big marina that was built for the 32nd America's cup. We stumbled upon an event that was just ending with lots of people dressed in traditional Spanish costumes. The beach is huge and goes on for miles, lined with bars and restaurants. After walking the boards and having a paddle we had a jug of Sangria and mediocre (by Rosemary standard) paella before walking back. It's been hot today, 27deg Google says. Started packing as the cases have to put out by 10:00pm and we are dining late in Tuscan grille. Mark called to check if we will be affected by the Independence unrest in Barcelona. Hopefully not! Edit: The traditional costumes were to do with a parade to mark Valencia Day (9th October) which celebrates James xx kicking the moors out ...

We are tied up in Ibiza cruise terminal about a mile from the town quay and the much larger Freedom of the Seas is next to us. Its cloudy but clearing so we are going into the town on the shuttle and walking around the old quarter. It's almost the end of the season with the famous club's like Pacha holding closing parties over the next two weeks and some shops closed already. We managed to reach the top of the old town, numerous steps, tunnels and cobbled streets. Plenty of nice views, weddings and cruise ship tours but not very busy. We found a bar for tapas and drinks on the way down and we're back on the boat for 4:00. Rosemary tried to shop but could not find anything.

A nice sunny day for the  short day visit to Majorca. We took the shuttle bus to the cathedral which still looks magnificent in its setting by the harbour. We have been round it and the nearby moorish baths before, so decided to go on the hop on hop off bus to see the parts of Palma we have not done before. Hopped off at Castel Belveder which is high above the town and gives a good view of the town and the bay.  Palma has a huge marina full of expensive boats which probably just sit there all year. I had a look around the inner terrace and the roof of the circular castle which had free entry today for some reason. We hopped back on the bus after about an hour, getting off again to wander through the main shopping area. We stopped at a bar for a glass of wine and some tapas, which failed to arrive, before catching the shuttle back again. It was a pleasant enough way to spend a day on Majorca.

Cloudy this morning, so no breakfast on the balcony as we spend the day cruising towards Majorca. But there was an interesting presentation on Voyage planning by ships second in command and a lecture on the Balearics by the visiting archiologist. Lunched in Marco Polo, for a change, by which time the weather had improved. The afternoon was spent in the sunshine listening to Paul Simon, Eric Clapton, Andrea Bocelli, amongst others, till afternoon tea time. Not live of course, just on my MP3 player. We saw the Ukrainian lady violin player in the theatre before having dinner in the top deck Seaview self service restaurant. She got a standing ovation. The boys grilling fish and steaks to order at the back of the Seaview do a great job too.

We woke up to a very wet balcony and grey skies with rain forecast. Sure enough it rained as we walked into the old town to look at the cathedral and the elephant with a stick statue. There was no sign of Mt. Etna in the clouds so we were glad we had not booked a tour, it would have been very disappointing. It did brighten up briefly as we sat in the duomo square with a cappuccino and arrancini, the local rice delicacy. Back on board in time for afternoon tea of cream scones before we sailed away into the evening gloom, still no sight of Etna. a cosmopolitan for Rosemary and a classic James Bond for me, $3 premium on drinks package. Dined in the Marco Polo restaurant again, sat beside an interesting couple from Germany and Finland. Then I had a Talisker whisky in the Cellar Masters bar, followed this morning by a hangover. We had Martini's at the icy Martini Bar,