Grace Under Pressure 2

So looking back what have been the highlights of the trip? Well probably too many to recall to be honest because there really wasn't anything that I / we disliked about the whole adventure. So in no particular order here goes . 1 Just the whole ship experience which was such a different way to be on holiday. 2 The varied destinations. 3 The breathtaking views especially Oai and Dubrovnik. 4 The meals in the Beach House and Glass House. 5 The other people we met on board. 6 Dressing up for the Celebration Nights. 7 The entertainment which was fabulous. 8 That version of Midnight train to Georgia. 9 Looking forward to the next one. 10 Last but by no means least being able to share it all with TOM which was delighful (most of the time!)

Due to a deep dive on the internet I have managed to find a copy of 'that song' that sounded utterly sublime during one of the two fantastic sets by The Privateers. No more words are need. This is their version of the Neil Diamond version, of the Gladys Night and the Pips version, of the Cissy Houston version of the song written by Jim Weatherly. This is 'Midnight train to Georgia'    

Considering that the time difference between Malta and the UK is only an hour why do I feel like I have flown from the other side of the world? Maybe its the late arrival back in Manchester still working its way out of my system but I have struggled to keep my eyes open today. I have a case of imitation jetlag.

You know the old saying ' don't speak too soon' Well at one point today I happened to think that today, the day we flew back to the UK, wasn't as long and hadn't dragged as much as I thought it might have done. Silly me. So the end of what has been a fabulous, whirlwind two week jolly across the Medterranian on Azura and we are back in Malta. The day started off on a positive as we woke to discover that the bags / cases we had left outside our cabin before going to bed last night, were not there, meaning that they had been collected and we would next see them just after 10pm in Manchester. But it also meant that we needed to be out of our cabins by 8am so that the on board team could do their magic and transform it all ready for the next lucky couple who would occupy E325. So we tried to make breakfast last as long as possible, and tried to read for a bit before headign back into Vallette for a walk. Now cast your minds back a week ago when on our first trip we had...

   Today was our last official day onboard, one that involved what appeared at times to be a very slow sail back to Vallatta, which is home for the Azura anyway which is based in Malta. At times the boat hardly seemed to be moving, a bit like us as the effects of the past two weeks caught up with us. So we breakfasted in the buffet, read for a little bit, threw all our stuff back into our bags  in preperation for leaving the ship tomorrow. Hopefully having left our bags outside our cabin door tonight, we do not need to handle them again until back in Manchester. What has become a regular afternoon snooze was put on hold today as we had our rearranged date up in the Epicurian Resteraunt for 'Afternoon tea'. Now the Epicurian is the most expensive additional dining experince on Azura but at £35 per person we both decided that irrespective of how good the food might have been neither of us felt it worth that expense.  So we plumped for the cheaper afternoon tea option w...

  Now I have to admit this is the place I knew least about on our entire trip and there is a very good reason for that; there was hardly anything to know. I suspect it’s been added onto the itinerary as it’s a day sail away from Malta and that as none of the other cruise lines want to come here, P&O must have struck some sort of a deal. Did that sound harsh? But Taranto has been the least favourite destination for both of us, despite the much cooler temperatures (only 27 degrees) and even a few spots of rain! Divided into the old and new parts of town linked by a bridge, the next part was pleasant enough to stroll around without every feeling compelled to take out my camera to capture an image. As for the old part well I am not really sure what there was to see, I mean when you’ve wandered down one narrow Italian back alley with serious renovation issues, you’ve wandered down enough. We didn’t even go up on deck for the sail away because let’s be honest there’s nothing very...

If it’s Monday then it must be Corfu, famous for, uhm, well apart from the Durrell family, neither of us was really sure. And it promised to be a busy day ashore with four cruise ships due in port which is the most we have had on this entire trip. Again we were ashore on the B of the bang and in Corfu town itself not long after 8.30am with the temperature an already humid 27 degrees. It was a very pleasant place without there really being anything spectacular about it. A mix of wide pedestrianised boulevards, concealed squares, and narrow streets that became increasingly congested and difficult to navigate as the ships spewed up their cargos on shore. And above us the sight and sounds of hundreds of swallows darted back and forth between the rooftops But it was nice just to sit and people watch whether that be having a coffee at a café obviously frequented my locals or an ice cold beer sat on Liberty Street watching the various tour groups go by. After yesterdays exertions we ha...

There is just one word to describe the old town of Dubrovnik from high up on its fortified walls and that is stunning. Whether it was a combination of the early morning sun (28 degrees at 8am) or the light headedness climbing up some of the steep sections but I just hadn’t expected it to look so beautiful. It was up there with the cliff side views of Oia on Santorini. With the various shades of terracotta tiled rooftops, soaring towers and huge domes looking quite magnificent. No wonder the whole area has been designated a UNESCO world heritage site and the producers of Game of Thrones used it as its fictional King’s Landing, thus attracting a whole new group of tourists. And of course being off the ship and onto the short shuttle bus ride by 8.10am we got there before the crowds. TOM has been here before and so knew the best place to start on our circumnavigation of the 2.5km long walls that rose and fell in equal measure before our eyes, almost like the crests of a sleeping dra...

In many ways this was the first real surprise of the trip because I simply hadn’t expected Split to be such a major transit point for people heading off on trips to the islands off this part of the coast. As we pulled into port, the harbour was literally a sea of activity with boats criss- crossing back and forth. It was heaving with travellers of all ages, shapes and sizes lugging luggage back and forth or trying to find a shady spot in which to kill a few hours before their boat departed. It was also hot and humid so that by 8.30am after walking less than a km from the ship to the riviera just outside the old town, we were both ready to seek refuge in a water vapour cooled café, where two iced teas really hit the spot. If we do this again it won’t be in the height of summer or maybe just not where the temps have been hitting the mid 30’seach day. TOM has done really well on this trip but…he really needs to get rid of a lot of weight and do something about his overall fitness, b...

  Today is another day at sea as we head out across the Mediterranean towards the Croatian coast. And as such its been quite funny watching the newbies struggling to find their way round the ship just like we did only 7 days ago. It's amazing just how much you pick up after just a week on board although we are still discovering new places and things to do. There are a few more children around this week, possibly as some schools might already have shut for summer, or the kids have been expelled. And maybe it's me being a bit judgemental, but those who have got on board yesterday look as if they have been dressed more by Primark than Prada. There are lots of things / activities that one can join in with onboard; craft classes, dancing lessons (no we didn't) quizes, various sedate sporting events like deck qoits (I'm not at that stage yet) Today we went along to listen to a talk on the two biggest / newest ships in the P&O fleet, Arvia and Iona, both of which had...

  By the time we woke up we were back in Valetta, the first week of our trip over, almost in the blink of an eye. Where has the time gone? Just think at dinner tonight with Ali / Jay and Neil /Sharon well on their way home, we will be the old hands on our three tables for two...FFS!! With our departure time set for 8.30pm tonight we have the whole day here (and almost a whole day when we get back here in a week’s time due to a late flight home). So we decided to make the most of it by getting of ship early to avoid the heat. This does have a drawback however as it does mean lots of things are not open. There was for example a huge difference in the amount of activity on the main pedestrianised street we walked down and then back up an hour or so later.  We took the Barracka lift up to the higher levels of the city, we wandered for a couple of hours, managing to avoid most of the steep, stepped, side streets, we had a beer /iced peach tea and then watched the firing of the ...

  Today was our second day at sea as we headed slowly but surely back to Valetta. It was a day to catch our breath and take stock of what has been a whirlwind few days. A day to do nothing which was fortunate as it was also a day when I didn’t feel too well early on. Neither of us have slept particularly well on this trip, not because of excess noise or movement of the boat, we just haven’t. Last night I had a really bad nights sleep due to what I’d call a ‘fever dream’ one of those night where my head just couldn’t switch off replaying the same nonsensical thought over and over again. So, by the time I did ‘wake up’ I felt like I’d been 12 rounds with Olexander Usyk, which combined with a certain light headedness / dizziness meant any plans we had to do anything today was put on hold including a planned afternoon tea in the Epicurean. By dinner time I felt much better, and we headed down to the Oriental, all dressed to the nines again as it was the second formal night, to sh...