Sea Days 8th and 10th October 2011
Our next stop was October 11th but we only had 2 sea days….. yes we missed out on Sunday October 9th 2011 due to the International Dateline. (Although interestingly enough, we never actually passed over the 180 degree line). The Kiribati islands that we are due to visit next are spread over both hemispheres and decided to take the time of the eastern Hemisphere (despite Fanning Island being in the Western Hemisphere). We never went further west than 160 degrees but took the time GMT + 14 hours….. So during our sea days we have gone from beings the latest point in the world, to the earliest point. (Explaining all this to Charlotte became part of the school lesson…..)
Maui 7th October 2011
Maui is the second largest volcanic Hawaiian Islands. We were anchored off Lahaina, on the west coast of Maui. We were lucky to be able to get ashore as ships for the last 2 days had had to abort landing there, as the seas were too choppy for the tenders. The tendering process did take some time, but we got off early and were soon on our way in the rental car. Coming into dock was quite an art for the tender drivers as they had to negotiate the surf (and also the surfers!!!)
We headed first to Twin Falls, (which was actually a collection of waterfalls a long a path), just over an hour ride on the north-east shore. We had a lot of fun swimming in the waterfall pools and jumping off the rocks.
We went to 3 different falls, which included wading though rivers – Charlotte was in her element. She didn’t want to leave – when we finally left it was a quick drive back and no time to go up Haleakala National Park, the 10,000 foot dormant volcano (the original plan..)
We went to 3 different falls, which included wading though rivers – Charlotte was in her element. She didn’t want to leave – when we finally left it was a quick drive back and no time to go up Haleakala National Park, the 10,000 foot dormant volcano (the original plan..)
Lahaina was a lovely little town, with lots of souvenir shops and local artists, that we got the chance to explore a bit before being the last to board the tender back to the ship.
Hilo – Hawaii – “The Big Island” 6th October 2011
Hilo is a cane field town with a population of 42,000. The Big Island of Hawaii is over twice the size of all the other islands combined. It contains the most southerly point in the USA. Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, at almost 14,000 feet, are the tallest mountains in the Hawaiian Islands and are actually the tallest in the world, if height is taken from the seabed, rather than sea level (which is Everest).
We rented a car and drove to Kilauea Volcano National Park,
where we saw a very interesting Visitors Centre, the Jagger Museum, Steam Vents and also Lava tunnels (geography lesson J).
We had great views of the steaming caldera and got to walk on the lava (that had cooled off!!) It was amazing to see all the different colours within the lava rock.
where we saw a very interesting Visitors Centre, the Jagger Museum, Steam Vents and also Lava tunnels (geography lesson J).
We had great views of the steaming caldera and got to walk on the lava (that had cooled off!!) It was amazing to see all the different colours within the lava rock.
Later we went to Rainbow Falls and the Boiling Pots, just outside of Hilo. Charlotte made friends with one of the local ladies who made a basket for her.
We bought a nice lai of lovely flowers, which made our cabin smell great for a few days! Looking forward to more of this in the South Pacific islands.
We bought a nice lai of lovely flowers, which made our cabin smell great for a few days! Looking forward to more of this in the South Pacific islands.
Heading out from Hilo, on our way to Maui, we had hoped to see the glow of the lava flowing off the volcano, which recently became active again, but not to be as we headed along the north coast rather than the south.
Jimmy had his operation today – Robbie and Kenny kept us updated that all had gone well, they had removed the lump and the left half of the thyroid, which, according to the doctor, looked clean but would take 10 days to know for sure.
Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii – 4-5th October
Honolulu, Oahu, is Hawaii’s state capital with a population of just under a million. It is very built up with lots of skyscrapers. Waikiki, the main beach, and one of the most famous tourist destinations in the world, Is a magical mile of beachfront hotels, shops, restaurants and endless entertainment.
After a quick trip to Walmart J we headed to the beach and rented body boards to go surfing! Despite my bruised ribs, Charlotte’s rashes on her thighs and our bloody knees (from the coral) we had great fun!! And what a thrill to catch the wave and surf right into the beach. Charlotte did really well and also hooked up with some other children who came to the beach to surf after school.
Coincidently their father lives in Moorea and their mother will be there when we are there!! Charlotte figures we should go on a “surfing vacation” next!!
Coincidently their father lives in Moorea and their mother will be there when we are there!! Charlotte figures we should go on a “surfing vacation” next!!
We over-nighted in Honolulu, which is a novelty as usually, we have to be back on board by about 5pm to head to the next port of call. This meant we were able to go and see a Spin Jam Fire show that night.
The next day we went to Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, an impressive crescent-shaped bay, lined with lava rock ledges, formed by two sunken craters.
It is renowned as one of Hawaii’s favourite beaches for snorkeling. We went there hopeful see lots of colourful fish and turtles, but unfortunately were disappointed, and didn’t see very much due to the cloudy water (which probably had more to do with the number of people there).
It is renowned as one of Hawaii’s favourite beaches for snorkeling. We went there hopeful see lots of colourful fish and turtles, but unfortunately were disappointed, and didn’t see very much due to the cloudy water (which probably had more to do with the number of people there).
We headed back to Waikiki beach to rent body boards again! Before heading back to the ship.
Hawaii Islands – Aloha!!
The Hawaiian archipelago stretches more than 1,500 miles and includes over 130 islands (although only 7 are populated). Land area is 6,450 sq. miles and population about 1.2 million. The islands are volcanic, all at different stages of “growth”. It is the 50th State of the USA (and we were told locals get offended when people refer to the mainland as “back to the States”).
Hawaii has 2 official languages – English and Hawaiian. The Hawaiian language has only 13 letters (the 5 vowels plus h,k,l,m,n.p,w ‘). It seems a lot of the roads seem to start with K which is confusing finding your way round!! We also learnt that the “w” in “Hawaii” is pronounces as a “v”.
Captain Cook landed at Kauai in 1778, but was finally killed in Kealakakua Bay, Hawaii, in a battle against Chief Kalaniopu’u’s people on Valentines Day 1779.
Sea Day September 29th – 3rd October 2011
We left San Diego, on our way to Hawaii – now just the two of us.
4 days at sea, mainly doing home school, to allow days off once we got into port. The seas were relatively calm as expected of the Pacific Ocean. The ship also provided plenty of entertainment. The number of children (old enough for Club HAL) on board had now dropped to 2 – Charlotte and a 13-year-old boy! So she had Jenna almost all to herself.
San Diego 29th September 2011
We arrived into San Diego - communications at last and able to call Jimmy and catch up with internet. Unfortunately it was the last stop for Kathy as she disembarked to fly back to San Francisco. Just Charlotte and I to continue into the Pacific, with plans for Jimmy to meet us in Tahiti hopefully on 16th October. We talked about us flying back to join Jimmy but he is adamant that we should stay on the boat and he will soon join us - Brooklyn versus South Pacific......
We rented a car with Kathy. First stop, we met up with Little Charlotte that we had met in Buenos Aires earlier in the year, with Trevor, Sarah and new baby Henry
Next stop Walmart!! One of the upcoming stops will be a very small isolated island, Fanning Island, so we stocked up with school supplies to take to the local primary school that have no electric and have school in huts. We got strange looks as we boarded the ship with all these Walmart bags!!!
It was sad to say goodbye to Kathy, who had been a good pillar of support over the last few days (despite the weather not cooperating!)
(to be continued)
We rented a car with Kathy. First stop, we met up with Little Charlotte that we had met in Buenos Aires earlier in the year, with Trevor, Sarah and new baby Henry
Next stop Walmart!! One of the upcoming stops will be a very small isolated island, Fanning Island, so we stocked up with school supplies to take to the local primary school that have no electric and have school in huts. We got strange looks as we boarded the ship with all these Walmart bags!!!
It was sad to say goodbye to Kathy, who had been a good pillar of support over the last few days (despite the weather not cooperating!)
(to be continued)
Sea Days 25-29th September 2011
We missed Jimmy not being on the ship, but appreciated Kathy being there, who joined us for the first four days of the cruise, from Vancouver to San Diego. I appreciated her company with Jimmy not being there.
During the first night, we could feel the boat moving more, and lots of strange banging noises. By the morning the seas has grown. We were due to stop at Astoria Oregon for the day. However, the captain made the call to skip this port as we were now in a hurricane!! Waves in excess of 20 feet. We rode out the hurricane at sea ..... (we were expecting a possible hurricane in the Atlantic but not in the Pacific!!)
Monday came and news from Jimmy that he needed to have surgery on his thyroid. Unfortunately the doctor could not do surgery til 6th October. However, Jimmys heard he is the best so worth the wait and pray the doctor doesn't find anything when he opens him up.
During the first night, we could feel the boat moving more, and lots of strange banging noises. By the morning the seas has grown. We were due to stop at Astoria Oregon for the day. However, the captain made the call to skip this port as we were now in a hurricane!! Waves in excess of 20 feet. We rode out the hurricane at sea ..... (we were expecting a possible hurricane in the Atlantic but not in the Pacific!!)
Monday came and news from Jimmy that he needed to have surgery on his thyroid. Unfortunately the doctor could not do surgery til 6th October. However, Jimmys heard he is the best so worth the wait and pray the doctor doesn't find anything when he opens him up.
Vancouver 25th September 2011
We met up for breakfast with Julian and his father Robert, who Charlotte had met on our Mediterranean cruise, at a nice restaurant over looking the bay.
After that, we checked our bags in, but decided against checking ourselves in yet, due to the lines. Kathy took us on a whirlwind tour of Vancouver. In Stanley park we saw the totems:
It poured of rain but this didn’t stop us!
We got back to the cruise ship terminal about 3pm. There was no one around any more – we definately beat the lines!! – I think we were the last to check in!!
unfortunately without Jimmy
We had a nice sail out of Vancouver, although a little windy.
The Last Disney Day – 24th September
Well all good things must come to an end – up early, as I had to go to immigration for “aliens” at 6am!!
We joked about how we would manage back out in the big world, where we would have to find our own food…… a bit like a wild animal that has been protected in captivity, being set free back into the wild! Fortunately for us, we only have to last 24 hours, before we are back in the protective cover of the cruise ship again.
Lots of good byes, as everyone’s fantastic 2 week trip was coming to an end
Charlotte had made lots of friends from England, Wales, Canada, Scotland, USA. We bumped into several people again at Orlando airport - people were surprised when we said we were flying to Vancouver…. – felt a bit embarrassed saying we were getting on another cruise ship again the following day!!
Charlotte had made lots of friends from England, Wales, Canada, Scotland, USA. We bumped into several people again at Orlando airport - people were surprised when we said we were flying to Vancouver…. – felt a bit embarrassed saying we were getting on another cruise ship again the following day!!
So a rental car to the airport, a flight from Orlando, to Dallas, where Charlotte was invited up to the cockpit:
and then to Vancouver. Kathy Zack was there at the airport to meet us and then off to our hotel.
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Castaway Cay, Bahamas 23rd September
Disney’s own private island, it's time to spend the day on the beach with Mickey and his Friends. The Princesses decided to stay on the boat, as it was too hot!
A great setting for some more photos with the characters.
The day started off hot and sunny. There was lots to do, in particular for the children.
Later on in the afternoon we decided to rent a paddle boat with Nancy and her mum.
However, we had only been out a few minutes when the heavens opened, and we had a true Caribbean torrential downpour. This seemed to put the end to the day as everyone started back, soaked, to the boat!
That night, Charlotte and Nancy participated in the Talent Show by doing an acrobatic routine with lots of cart wheels:
Later on in the afternoon we decided to rent a paddle boat with Nancy and her mum.
However, we had only been out a few minutes when the heavens opened, and we had a true Caribbean torrential downpour. This seemed to put the end to the day as everyone started back, soaked, to the boat!
That night, Charlotte and Nancy participated in the Talent Show by doing an acrobatic routine with lots of cart wheels:
Tortola, British Virgin Islands 21st September 2011
Another island we knew well, and actually the island where Jimmy and I first met, back in 1994.
Tortola is a mountainous island and we have always said that we think the BVIs are some of the most beautiful islands in the Caribbean. In addition to Tortola, (which is about 20 square miles and a population of about 20,000) there are more than 50 other islands, rocks and crags in the BVI chain, most fairly small and uninhabited. Tortola is a British Colony, just like Bermuda, with the main commerce being banking, insurance and tourism.
Tortola is a mountainous island and we have always said that we think the BVIs are some of the most beautiful islands in the Caribbean. In addition to Tortola, (which is about 20 square miles and a population of about 20,000) there are more than 50 other islands, rocks and crags in the BVI chain, most fairly small and uninhabited. Tortola is a British Colony, just like Bermuda, with the main commerce being banking, insurance and tourism.
I was up on deck early as we sailed through the BVIs into Tortola, and it brought back memories of arriving on Heat Wave after an overnight sail from St Martin.
We rented a car for the day and, as experts on Tortola, played travel guide to some friends of ours from the ship, stopping at various places around the island including the Bomba Shack:
and Cane Garden Bay, where the children had fun snorkeling.
It was strange to see so few boats (if any) in the bays. Normally this is such a busy place for boaters, but not in hurricane season!! Without the cruise ship in town, a lot of the tourist places would have been shut.
and Cane Garden Bay, where the children had fun snorkeling.
It was strange to see so few boats (if any) in the bays. Normally this is such a busy place for boaters, but not in hurricane season!! Without the cruise ship in town, a lot of the tourist places would have been shut.
We dropped Jimmy at the airport to fly back to NY, hoping that he would soon be back with us, before heading back to the ship and sailing out of the Virgin Islands, minus one passenger. We were getting to be experts at signing Jimmy off cruise ships…….
St Martin 20th September 2011
An island we know well after spending a lot of time here on Heat Wave! Half the island is French and the other half Dutch, with a population of about 75,000, plus about a million tourists per year. The ship arrived in Philipsburg.
Charlotte got to see her good South African friend Harmony, who lives in St Martin. They played on the beach for a lot of the day.
Jimmy went to an ENT doctor to get a better opinion on what was growing on his neck. The verdict was that he should get it biopsied and probably removed sooner rather than later. Bearing in mind our future travel plans, he made the decision to fly back to NY the following day, to hopefully get it all sorted out before we head out into the Pacific Ocean.
Sea Days 15th -19th September 2011
Despite crossing the Atlantic in hurricane season, the seas were very calm – at one point we could have water-skied on the ocean, it was so calm!
Disney provide 2 “wayphones” to let you keep in contact so Charlotte has finally got her longed after phone, in her element carrying it around and busy texting all her friends on the ship…. (I guess a taste of what’s to come)
There were lots of activities to keep us busy during the sea days (in addition to the home school:-)).
For Charlotte, there was:
For Charlotte, there was:
Afternoon Tea Party with Alice and the Mad Hatter:
Afternoon Tea Party with the Princesses:
Breakfast with Mickey and Friends:
The were plenty of photo opportunities and Charlotte soon had her autograph book full of signatures from the various Disney characters. It’s surprising how soon you get used to bumping into Mickey and Friends around the boat, and it all starts to seem quite normal!!
Disney provide 2 “wayphones” to let you keep in contact so Charlotte has finally got her longed after phone, in her element carrying it around and busy texting all her friends on the ship…. (I guess a taste of what’s to come)
Funchal, Madeira 14th September 2011
Madeira is a Portuguese island located on a string of islands, in the Atlantic Ocean between Portugal and Africa. Located off the coast of Africa, it is eternally spring on this small peaceful volcanic island. Soaring cliffs, clear blue water, stunning mountains and deep canyons, beautiful flowers and vast vineyards beckon. It was stumbled upon by chance when part of a fleet, exploring the west coast of Africa, was blown off course. The island is famous for its sweet Madeira wine, and embroidery.
That night, there was a great “Sail Away / Leaving Europe / Entering the Atlantic Ocean” party up on the top pool deck. It was a lot of fun, although in some respects, quite a bazaar scene, as we sailed out of the relatively quiet island of Madeira, with the music blaring, watching Mickey and Minnie grooving away together on the dance floor, and all the characters partying and dancing with everyone!
Jimmy took a full day tour organised by the boat. The island was not what he was expecting at all (and defiantly on the list to get back to), beautiful with spectacular mountain ranges in the interior and the coast, reminiscent of Hawaii and Tahiti.
Some of the sheer drops that go right into the ocean were spectacular, one in particular, Cabo Girao, which, at 1,935 feet, is the second highest ocean cliff in the world. There are very few beaches, and they are all black sand.
Some of the sheer drops that go right into the ocean were spectacular, one in particular, Cabo Girao, which, at 1,935 feet, is the second highest ocean cliff in the world. There are very few beaches, and they are all black sand.
Charlotte and I took a Hop-On-Hop-Off 1.5 hour sightseeing bus around the town (about the 4th of our trip so far! – great way to see the place).
We rode the cable car (also the 4th of this trip!) to the top of one of the mountains, with a great view over the capital of Funchal.
We rode the cable car (also the 4th of this trip!) to the top of one of the mountains, with a great view over the capital of Funchal.
Not far from the top, was the start of the famous Madeirean traditional toboggan ride – basically 2 or 3 people sit in a wicker sleigh with two guys on the side, steering, breaking, and pulling the sleigh down the steep streets. I was here about 11 years ago with mum, when we stopped here on the QE2 as we sailed across the Atlantic from UK to Bermuda. On that trip we did ride the toboggan:
That night, there was a great “Sail Away / Leaving Europe / Entering the Atlantic Ocean” party up on the top pool deck. It was a lot of fun, although in some respects, quite a bazaar scene, as we sailed out of the relatively quiet island of Madeira, with the music blaring, watching Mickey and Minnie grooving away together on the dance floor, and all the characters partying and dancing with everyone!
Gibraltar 12th September 2011
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory, perched on the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, (Spain), at the entrance to the Mediterranean. It is a mere 2.6 sq miles (and we thought Bermuda was small at 22 sq. miles). We had the same initial thoughts that we had had for Guernsey “How on earth did the British get this land?” (this time from Spain and not France.)
Gibraltar is at the narrow neck that separates Europe from Africa, and it is the only place where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Mediterranean Ocean. Its geographic location makes it the “Gateway to the Mediterranean”. The Rock of Gibraltar, is the major landmark of the region and dominates most of the territory. About 30,000 people live in the area. It is a tax free port with the main economies being financial services, internet gambling, shipping and tourism.
We rode the cable car up to the top of the 1,400 foot Rock of Gibraltar.
Most of the upper portion is a nature reserve, which provides sanctuary and protection for 230 native Macaques (Barbary Macaques), the only wild monkeys found in Europe. They look kind of cute until they start attacking you and ripping your bag out of your hands! (which happened to two people while we were there.) However, in general they seemed pretty peaceful, just walking amongst the crowd.
From the top, we could see Morocco, in Africa.
It was a hot day so Charlotte and I took the cable car back down (we haven’t experience any rain since we left England almost a month ago!) Jimmy did a nice easy walk down the rock, about 2 miles, past the tunnels from the wars, most of which are still operated by the military and closed to the general public.
Back down, we took a ride to Europa point, where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean, and from where the coast of Africa can be seen.
There were a lot of ships in the ocean, many just stationary, probably waiting to dock / pick up or deliver. It is a very busy shipping lane.
That night our dinner table was by the window and we had a great view of Gibraltar as the ship sailed out, and into the Atlantic.
Gibraltar is at the narrow neck that separates Europe from Africa, and it is the only place where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Mediterranean Ocean. Its geographic location makes it the “Gateway to the Mediterranean”. The Rock of Gibraltar, is the major landmark of the region and dominates most of the territory. About 30,000 people live in the area. It is a tax free port with the main economies being financial services, internet gambling, shipping and tourism.
We rode the cable car up to the top of the 1,400 foot Rock of Gibraltar.
Most of the upper portion is a nature reserve, which provides sanctuary and protection for 230 native Macaques (Barbary Macaques), the only wild monkeys found in Europe. They look kind of cute until they start attacking you and ripping your bag out of your hands! (which happened to two people while we were there.) However, in general they seemed pretty peaceful, just walking amongst the crowd.From the top, we could see Morocco, in Africa.
It was a hot day so Charlotte and I took the cable car back down (we haven’t experience any rain since we left England almost a month ago!) Jimmy did a nice easy walk down the rock, about 2 miles, past the tunnels from the wars, most of which are still operated by the military and closed to the general public.
Back down, we took a ride to Europa point, where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean, and from where the coast of Africa can be seen.
There were a lot of ships in the ocean, many just stationary, probably waiting to dock / pick up or deliver. It is a very busy shipping lane.
That night our dinner table was by the window and we had a great view of Gibraltar as the ship sailed out, and into the Atlantic.
Cruising with Mickey and Donald – Saturday 10th September 2011
Two nights in a hotel and then back to the Port of Barcelona, to join the Disney Magic, for our 14-day cruise to Florida, across the Atlantic Ocean in the middle of hurricane season! Mickey and Minnie were there to greet us while we waited to board!A cruise originally more for Charlotte, we have been very impressed with the ship so far, and can now understand why there are quite a few adults on the cruise without children. There are plenty of adult activities / areas on the boat and the children are kept busy (elsewhere). There is one area of the boat that, at night is like “Downtown Disney” with bars and clubs, with bands and dancing (child free after 9pm). While Charlotte enjoyed the great kids club, Jimmy and I enjoyed the champagne and martini tasting!
On deck there are 3 pools – the shallow Mickey’s Pool for the youngest, including a big slide, deeper Goofy Pool for families, with a big screen showing movies, and an adult only pool. As we left Barcelona, there was a great sail away party up on deck.
Once again, we won a prize at the Spa raffle – not sure if this had something to do with Charlotte pulling out the tickets, or the multiple entries!!
At dinner, we are rotated each night (with the same table and waiters), through 3 themed restaurants. We share a table with a similar aged American couple, living in Hong Kong, who have also traveled a lot, and have an 8 year old boy that they also home school. Needless to say, we have all found a lot in common and have great dinner conversations. (I don’t think this is a coincidence and shows how much effort Disney put into matching people up).
Often at dinner, Disney characters turn up (Beauty and the Beast did a dance one night). After dinner there are great shows in the theatre that seats about 1,000 people.
Our initial impressions of the Disney Magic have been very favourable, and below are some of our initial observations on the Disney Magic (when naturally comparing the Disney cruise line with Holland America)
- There are many more young people! (and not just the children!).
- Life exists after 11pm!
- The writing on the Daily Navigator is a lot smaller than that on the HAL Daily Navigator!! (I guess less “sight/age impaired” guests!)
- Where as a lot of the crew on HAL are from Indonesia, on Disney Magic quite a few are from India – plus a lot more European and American crew.
- Kids club is about 5 times the size of Club HAL, with many more activities.
- While service and food on HAL was great, here it is even better
- Jimmy is still looking for casino – the best he can find is a kids arcade!!
- Waking up to an alarm call from Mickey Mouse takes some getting used to!
Last but not least, we have also learnt that clothes shrink in salt air environment! (nothing to do with the food consumption!)
Barcelona, Spain 8th September 2011 – End of the cruise
Back in Barcelona, the 25 day Med Cruise is over. It is incredible looking back at the blog over the last 25 days, at all the different and diverse places that we have stopped at.
Lisa and Haley left early in the morning to catch their flight back to New York. We caught a taxi, (just managing to fit in all our ever expanding luggage), to a hotel in Barcelona for 2 nights. I have been enjoying fast non-stop Internet in the comfort of the room all day (and all night while Jimmy and Charlotte sleep!!), catching up with a lot, and making arrangements for future parts of our trip.
We went to a great fountain display:
We went to a great fountain display:
Palma De Mallorca, Spain 7th September 2011
Palma is the capital and a major port city of Mallorca, one of the Balearic Islands, off the east coast of Spanish. Half the population of Mallorca lives in Palma (about 300,000). It is a big, bustling place, with most of the tourist action in the old part of town around the Cathedral. It is one of Europe’s major holiday destinations, a city of modern hotel chains and flashy shops, combined with the old architecture of the Old Town.We rented a car for the day and went exploring the island. First, we drove north to Validemossa, a beautiful ancient old mountaintop village.
Then we headed along the twisty, winding, mountainous coast road across the north coast of Mallorca. This rivaled the Amalfi coast, without all of the population.
We stopped down at a beach in Port Soller for a quick swim and lunch
and then continued on our drive. It took well over 2 hours of driving plus stops to reach the headland of Formentor, at the most northeastern point of the island. Jimmy had been here 40 years ago and remembered it to be beautiful so wanted to visit again. It was already 5pm when we arrived.
We went to a beautiful beach but unfortunately could not stay long as we had to be back on the boat by 8.30pm, and had a lot of driving to do on the return leg (although we were taking the main high way back, which we knew would be a lot quicker.)
and then continued on our drive. It took well over 2 hours of driving plus stops to reach the headland of Formentor, at the most northeastern point of the island. Jimmy had been here 40 years ago and remembered it to be beautiful so wanted to visit again. It was already 5pm when we arrived.
We went to a beautiful beach but unfortunately could not stay long as we had to be back on the boat by 8.30pm, and had a lot of driving to do on the return leg (although we were taking the main high way back, which we knew would be a lot quicker.)
Palma has a beautiful waterfront, with a huge marina, that has thousands of boats and hundreds of mega yachts. They say the nightlife along the waterfront starts at midnight and ends at sunrise! After dropping the rental car back in Palma, and starting our brisk walk back to the boat, we were surprised to bump into a couple we met 10 years ago, when we all sailed together through the Gulf of Aden and up the Red Sea to Egypt! They were still working on the same mega yacht, an old wooden classic design that was built 20 years ago. Too much catching up meant that we had to sacrifice our exercise walk back to the boat (got to keep trying to offset the food intake!!) and jump in a taxi, to avoid missing the boat!
Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy 6th September 2011
An Ancient city with a long history, Cagliari has seen the rule of several civerlisations. It is Sardinia’s economic and industrial hub, having one of the biggest ports in the Mediterranean. The old part of the city lies on top of a hill, with a wonderful view of the Gulf of Cagliari. The Poetto beach stretches for 13km and was famous for its white fine-grained sand.We were in Sardinia about 5 years ago, in the north of the island, when we got to see a lot of this large, picturesque island. This time we only had a short stop here – all aboard by 1.30pm.
The day we arrived there was a large protest march, that was part of a nationwide strike in Italy.
After the last few hectic days, we decided to take it easy here – Jimmy got a haircut and admired all the boats in the harbour, I spent most of the time in an internet café and Charlotte decided to stay on the boat and play at Club HAL.
That night we all went to Formal Night.
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