Around the World without Wings

Monday evening and I am sitting in my front room relaxed after four days at home. I have started to dig my allotment, and have cut the field called 'the lawn'. I have also watched Deb working herself into exhaustion washing, drying, and ironing our holiday clothes. We have also been to Shropshire to see Deb's mother, plus her brother and his wife, and our son came for dinner on Sunday. That does not complete the reunions as we go to Cornwall very soon to see my brothers, and we still have to organise a trip to see our daughter and her husband. Various friends have seen us and the opening comment is 'you look well' and 'how was it?' Well the reply is that we both feel very well, and it has been the most amazing, memorable, fabulous experience that either of us has had.

As we showed the family in Shropshire our photographs (well some of them) it brought back the memories roughly in the order that it happened, and it reminded us of some of the major experiences that we have already forgotten. When the photographs become physical prints rather than bits of digital memory on the laptop, and as the video starts to be laced together, we will be able to relive, and remember, so much more of the magic that we have been exposed to.

I have had so many comments (on the blog) from people suggesting that my words allowed them to live the cruise with us, and I feel humble that you have shared a little of our dream from which we have finally woken. The words I tapped into the laptop, and those that Deb also produced and shared on 'Crows Nest' (social network site) now become vital. They will remind us of our feelings that correspond to the photographs, and the little souvenirs that are starting to find places on shelves and window sills.

A decision has already been made that we will try to have a similar cruise again in the near future. We have a Ruby anniversary in three years, and Deb reaches the landmark age of 60 in four years, so these are a couple of target dates. To make this possible we will have to seriously reconsider our financial position to find a way of making the trip possible. One thing that is not an option is to go back to work. My decision to retire was made to let me concentrate on doing what I wanted to do, rather than what other people told me to do for over 40 years, and I am sure Deb feels similarly inclined.

If money restricts us to just having this one journey to see the multitude of paradises that exist around the globe then so be it. We have seen more in three months than tens of thousands of people will ever see. We have oohed and aahed and laughed, and yes shed a tear or two as we travelled through luxury sky scraper cities one day, and then backstreets of poverty the next. We have seen commercialisation gone crazy to excess in some countries, and then people with hopes that one day they can have some of the same in a country just a few hundred miles away. I have seen smiles on faces of people with no money for new clothes, and I have seen richness beyond belief where countries battle it out to build the tallest tower, or the biggest mosque, and yet the people don't look any happier than those families living in a hut in the middle of a forest.

That cruise around the world was meant to be a holiday of a lifetime, but it has been so much more than a holiday. It is going to be difficult not to bore our friends and family with our excitement and yet we want to share our experiences. Soon I will settle down to putting some new words on my laptop that will hopefully chronicle the trip as a book that can share our thoughts to a wider audience. It will form a permanent record of the journey, with the places we have seen, the excitement we felt, the problems we encountered, plus a few thoughts about the people we met along the way.

So to the hundreds of people who have read my blog since January, I give you my thanks for bothering to work your way through my spelling and grammatical nightmares. It is difficult resting a mouse on an arm of a chair, typing in a sometimes rocking and rolling ship, and not to rely on spellcheck to find mistakes….that's my excuse anyway.

If you enjoyed the little stories and descriptions, then look out for the book near the end of the year. It will retain the title from the blog, and will have more stuff I have not showed you yet as well as the material from Deb's diary.

(If there is a publisher reading this who has seen any possible hope for my material, then please leave a comment on the blog with a contact….only joking….unless of course……..)

If any of you ever get the chance to go around the world then grab it with both hands, and don't forget to let us know how it went.

Good luck everyone and cheerio from George and Deb.

Tuesday

Tuesday 10th April awoke to the ship already moving far more erratically than I like. The captains words of yesterday were correct and we were heading into some stormy seas.

After breakfast we did our usual thing and went to the Crow's Nest while I updated the blog, and Deb sat reading until Zumba time. By the time the religious service started behind us and Deb went to her class, the movement at the top of the ship was too much and I left with her to go back to the cabin. I felt no interested in working on the laptop, or reading the last few chapters of my book. I may have grown my sea legs while away this long, but I was discovering that I have not grown my sea stomach.

I walked around the deck that cheered me up with an extremely bracing wind, infused with spray, lashing against my face in one direction and cooling my back in the other. Back in the cabin I waited resolved I needed to be somewhere else, so grabbed our passports and manifest number for the immigration exercise that was going on. Yes we even have to be immigrated back into our own country.

Setting up a temporary camp at the back of Carmens, I waited until Deb's Zumba class finished. This was much lower down in the ship and the sea's motion was less noticeable. Our numbers had been called for our checks, so when Deb finished we joined a queue to meet the British officials. This was not at all painful and the gentleman concerned actually smiled and chatted for just a few seconds, unlike the US officials who snarled at anyone trying to converse.

For the remainder of the morning we packed another suitcase and my stomach tried to survive until lunchtime. Strangely even while a little nauseous I was able to eat some fried chicken and chips without feeling any worse. There was a show by the entertainment officers after lunch to display their singing talent plus a rendition of 'If I were not aboard this ship…..' The singing (or reciting a poem in Gavin's case) was very good, and the comedy song at the end a treat to laugh at. At the end the audience gave them a well deserved round of applause. These officers have worked very hard and are very good, and although some have been with us all the way, there was a change and an improvement when Natalie took over…..perhaps I am biased but I think she is extremely good in the role of Cruise Director.

By that time the sea was really angry with anyone tip toeing on its garden with Force 8 winds and a swell approaching five metres. The cabin TV information page displayed the sea as 'Rough'. I dragged Deb up to the Orangery for a cup of tea but all I really wanted to do now was to curl up on my bed. That is what I did until Deb asked if I wanted to go to the final party as it was time to shower. I had a shower but decided I was not interested in a drink, and especially up in the Crow's Nest. When the time came, I went for a walk while Deb took the opportunity of the party without me. I had already decided dinner was also out of the question, and when I made a last minute decision to dress (formal night) and go to dinner, the action of putting cufflinks into my shirt became the final straw.

Only the second time I have been sea sick. At least it stabilised my stomach for a while, and I put on my tidy clothes and a jacket and went outside on Prom deck to sit at mid ships where the movement was limited. Soon I was cold so I sat and waited for Deb to come by after dinner. After asking what I wanted to do, she kindly accepted my idea of going to the cabin and ignoring the show.

That was the end of the day except for a fest of two bread rolls and butter that Deb went and obtained. That was my dinner and supper and went down well enough as my stomach required something. I was soon asleep while Deb read her book, and mine still waited to be finished.

Wednesday

It is the last day, and as I woke up on Wednesday 11th April, I was slightly happier to see that the weather (although still rough) was not as bumpy as last night, with less rolling and pitching. The night had been bad with Force 8 to 9 winds and extremely large waves making the ship crash and bang as well as wobbling around. I was hungry and had a fried breakfast that was delicious.

Not brave enough for the Crow's Nest yet, we sat in the Andersons area and read our books until Zumba took Deb away for her last session. I stayed and finished my book, so returned that to the library before watching the end of the Zumba in Carmens. We went from there to the Orangery for a cup of coffee…..plus a Danish pastry.

It was now time to complete what we could of the packing.

Before lunch we went and looked at the display of paintings from the art class and Deb's pictures hung proudly amongst the others. She is pleased with her efforts and I am hopeful she continues when we get back into a routine at home.

After lunch the suitcases that were ready joined the growing display of cases in the corridor outside the cabin. Ours have the imitation flower garlands tied to them in the hope that this makes them easier to find tomorrow morning. That is assuming the garlands stay on with the bashing they will get on their way to the recovery hall. It was time for a rest now, and the ship feels better as we have come out of Biscay. Aurora is still creaking and wallowing along but has just about gotr the better of the sea at last.

This evening there is a show where three acts share the bill. That means a violinist, and two comedians, will give us about 15 minutes each. As for the rest of the evening I am not sure, it might be a quiz or a final quiet drink somewhere perhaps. Whatever we do, it will be a sad as the ship has become home over the 14 weeks and many 'goodbyes' to friends will be made tonight.

We should be off the ship by 10:00 tomorrow to get a taxi to the hire car depot and then the drive back to Stone. All being well we ought to be in the house, by early to mid afternoon, to settle into a new life as retired people.

I will prepare a final blow entry when I get home to round off a series of reports that have been read by many hundreds of you out there.

Speak to you soon.

Last stop in the lovely city of Lisbon.

We have been here we think four times before this one and have a lot of good memories of the city having been on tours, trams, a lift, and considerable time just walking. Today we have no plans other than to go in on the shuttle, then wander around, have a cup of coffee and see what takes our fancy.

The weather looks promising and although it is starting cool, the captain suggests it might get quite warm later.

After breakfast we shuttled into the city to a square known as the 'Pracados Restauradores' and not to where we were anticipating. For Bobbie and others planning trips in the near future, the Black Horse Square is out of use while there are some road works going on, and the one mentioned is the alternative shuttle point. It is not far from the other place and is extremely beautiful with wide pavements and lots of coffee places (and clothes shops) to indulge yourselves with.

We strolled along to the narrower streets and soon found the other square, as well as the ornate lift (Elevador de Santa Justa) to the higher level (Barrio Alto) of the city. Bearings restored we just window shopped and noticed that clothes appear much cheaper now than on previous visits, but very much more expensive than Vietnam, Mumbai, etc. We didn't buy anything other than some deodorant (for me) and some Pringles (for both of us). Plus of course we stopped for coffee and custard tarts while we watched the locals, and many Aurora passengers, passing by.

Our visit was not long, and we were back on Aurora by midday as it was very apparent that the temperature had risen and the sunshine was tempting us to make the most of it. we spent well over an hour soaking up the warmth.

It is the end of the afternoon now and the captain has just come on to say that we are ready to go, with just 900 miles left to get to Southampton, arriving at about 6:00 at the Mayflower Terminal. He has also warned us that Biscay is going to have a Force 8 storm with five metre plus seas. It is how we started the cruise, and it will be a repeat performance to end it.

We are having our meal in Café Bordeaux this evening as a final treat, and if we feel like it , the show is Roy Walker that many of you will have heard of from his days on the Comedians and with the Catchphrase TV show. We have seen him before and he amused us then so he may have our company if the meal ends in time.

Sailaway is about to commence with a party at the aft. We have only taken part in this celebration of being British maybe two or three times in 12 years, and will not be leaping up and down, waving flags, and singing this time either.

Our dinner was excellent with delicious food, a bottle of wine that just demanded to be drunk, the waiters responding to our every need and 'Caravan' were playing to turn the meal into a sumptuous event.

We were too late for the early show so we went to Carmens to watch Jonti Hearnden with his second show. He talked about his career in TV and showed how many antiques based programmes there are. The talk was entertaining but concentrated too much on him and his co-stars rather than the special moments. I believe many people enjoyed it so cruise passengers look out for him on your travels.

Unfortunately due to Roy walker overrunning his show, Jonti's show started late and hence finished late. This went we missed getting to the theatre for the start of the second Roy Walker show, and he did not have us in the audience…..your own fault Mr Walker.

We went for a read in the cabin before bed. The sea is reminding us that it is more powerful than us and Aurora is beginning to bump up and down. There is worse to come over the final two days to come.

Easter Sunday at sea, and we do not have Easter eggs for the first time that I can remember.

At 8:00 we were just south of Almeria in Spain on a brighter day with the state of the sea back to 'Slight' after yesterday's slightly wild 'Moderate' conditions. The wind has reduced but is still whistling around the open decks as we walked to breakfast.

It is quite a busy shipping area with vessels ahead, left and right of all different colours and sizes. One going the other way was a cruise ship on the African side of the waterway but we had no binoculars to identify what cruise line is belonged to. There is a curiosity for a lot of passengers to identify passing cruise ships, especially when many people can say 'We were on there last…..'

Someone has just announced that it was the Queen Mary, but I thought she was elsewhere.

Later today we will be sailing by Gibraltar before turning right and heading northwards to Lisbon but more importantly home. A lot of British people have a soft spot for Gibraltar and some have openly expressed their disappointment that we are not stopping there. It is special place, with a character that is different from neighbouring Spain, but I personally feel it survives on its history and it is no longer as British as some want it to be. Aurora could have stopped here but I am glad that P&O chose Lisbon as the final port as it does not pretend to be anything other than itself.

Although few people are admitting it, there is an acceptance that the journey around the world is in the home straight, and many conversations are turning to 'Our next cruise is....' rather than the last three months. I am ready for the return now and, deep down, looking forward to seeing home, and our family and friends. We haven't got another cruise booked for the first time in several years, but we do have a number of things on our calendar for the summer. I don't think it will be long however before we get that feeling again when last minute deals might just tempt us away to a big white floating hotel again.

So what does the day offer us?

I don't expect the open decks will tempt me out too much so the peace and warmth of the inside public rooms will keep me happy. The film about Margaret Thatcher is showing today so that may well be a place to relax this afternoon. My only problem with the cinema is that it often sends me to sleep and I never see the whole film.

There is a photo call this afternoon when all the 'Around the World' passengers have been asked to assemble on the aft horseshoe decks for a panoramic memory of the 600 (or so) of us.

Mid morning,while I was having a cup of coffee in the Orangery, I looked towards land and saw a beautiful spectacle of the coast of Southern Spain covered by a blanket of fog. But looking beyond the coast there was a mountain range lit up by the sun with their peaks covered in snow. As well as being a picturesque scene, it was a reminder that we were most definitely back in Europe and it was still only early spring. I believe that some of the passengers saw snow on the mountains of Cyprus, and the temperature has cooled over the last week, but this gave final proof that the best was behind us.

The afternoon surprised me and we had the treat of a restful snooze in the sunshine. It was not hot but the spring warmth was very pleasant. This spurred me on to greater things and I had a game of cricket as well. Probably the last chance before Biscay puts an end to the games, so it was good to say hello to the geriatric cricketers again.

Following on from the exercise (we won) Deb and I joined the other several hundred of the 'round the worlders' for a group photograph…….a bit special really.

Failed another quiz before dinner where we had the bonus of champagne courtesy of Roger.

The entertainment was superb with the Headliner's brilliant 'Destination Dance' show. This is fast, athletic and a treat to watch. It was even harder for the troupe as two of them have quietly left the ship during the last week. Not totally sure why, and the laundry rumours are not firm enough to comment in case it affects their careers. The remaining singers and dancers had to work even harder and deserved the ovation they got at the end of their last show for us……absolutely brilliant!

Finished the evening with another music quiz from Gavin where we lost in the 'tie break' question about the date of a Boyzone single. Slightly miffed we had a couple of drinks in Andersons, and chatted about what we would be doing when we got home, and how we can ever top this experience.

This has been a lovely day.

We are just one hour ahead of home and just a few days from away.

The sky is clear this morning but a chilly wind is blowing us around a bit (Force 6 to 7) and the back garden has a lot of white horses running around it. Aurora is bumping along but nothing unpleasant. On the TV display our position is just south of Sardinia's western tip and north of the border between Tunisia and Algeria.

After breakfast it was time to go to the Crow's Nest to catch up on this review while Deb did a puzzle before going to Zumba. She has her art class to follow while I just relax…..what a life. My only challenge today is to get another book to read as I have finished the Rick Wakeman biography that has amused me for a couple of days.

To my friends who bought me the Kindle for a leaving present, I thank you very much but I did not load enough books onto it before we left home to keep me going for three months. Downloading on board is possible but the internet connection is not reliable, and certainly not fast.

There is another religious service in the Crow's Nest this morning to continue the Easter weekend. Most of the passengers not directly involved respected the service but a couple behind me chattered throughout. I wonder what these people were taught, when they were brought up, about respect for others?

Zumba was over and Deb started the art class so I went for a stroll and a cup of coffee plus finding another book to read. I decided the weather was far too cold and windy to sit on the deck but, as yesterday, a lot of people were trying to absorb warmth from the sun either under cover or by the open pool. They really are a hardy set of people to sit outside in this weather.

After lunch we had a talk from the captain and it was most enjoyable. He is willing to talk about himself and his past whilst some we have heard stick to details of the job, and the ship. I won't talk about the content as it will spoil others' enjoyment on future cruises. I will just say that I am sure you will find it entertaining.

Before dinner we had the final, final, Portunas Party and enjoyed a few glasses of bubbly on P&O and talked to the First Officer we spoke with many weeks ago before he had a three week break. He just about remembered us so full marks to Andrew Wolverson. There was another draw to win the champagne and wine carafe and our dinner table fiend Roger was the winner. Well done Roger and we look forward to helping him and Laura drink the prize.

After dinner Deb decided to go to the cinema to watch 'The Artist' which didn't appeal to me so I am sitting here putting this entry together and hopefully dropped on the blog tonight. I will possibly go for a drink on my own later, and when the film is over we will go and watch the second show by Fogwell Flax. He is a comedian and impressionist that we have seen somewhere before but can't remember where or when.

Final sea day tomorrow before we get to Lisbon where our tour has been cancelled due to lack of people booking on it. Never mind we can go for cup of coffee in the familiar city and look around the shops for a while. It is a lovely place that does not need a tour to discover its beauty. Ten minutes walk from where the shuttle drops us and we can be in the quiet back-streets of Lisbon with tile covered walls on the buildings, and trams clanging their way from place to place.

After that it is just a couple of days before we wake up in Southampton with so many stories to tell that we are going to bore you stupid for months.