Travels With Mel

15/11/2023

Last travel day, as I head home from Singapore!.. Spent the morning walking to the Waterfront, took refuge in the aircon Shoppes At Marina Bay Sands (only 32°C but about 90% humidity..)
Took train to Harbourfront & then monorail to Sentosa. Took time have lunch near the beach, then ride the Sentosa cable car on the island, before taking the connecting cable back over to the mainland. It went up to Mt Fabre & back to Harbourfront, so I could catch the bus back to hostel, have a shower & collected suitcase, then on another train to airport! Ready to board.. 😄

14/11/2023

After two long-ish flights, from Rome to Abu Dhabi, finally made it to Singapore!
Got to see a lot of the Gardens By The Bay, even getting here late arvo 5pm, including accidently timing it right to be up on the Skyway for the big light show at 745pm! 😄💜

Was planning to go out & see more today, around Chinatown & the Bay area, but when a heavy storm came thru, I had a nap in the arvo instead, staying curled up in my cosy little pod at the hostel! 😆

12/11/2023

Well that was a long & interesting day. We made it to Pisa ourselves by train, after the debacle missing Livorno port yesterday!.. 4hrs each way on train & missed out on our extra Rome day, but worth it to climb the Tower! 😄💜

The steps are really worn, that's why they only allow a set amount of tickets each day for climbing. We were lucky there were only about 30 left online for late arvo, 345pm, when Sue booked while we rode the train there!
256 steps to walk. Only one of the bells gets rung now at midday. And they do it even with people up there! 😮

For the early start of the day, we managed to disembark the ship by 7am, after managed NOT to fully inform everyone of the procedures, groups or times to leave the ship, leading to chaos queues at the gangway. They also held up one of our guys, saying he hadn't paid his account, when he had queued for 3hrs til midnight the night before, to ensure it was finalised... And others appear to have been overcharged for items on their account.. NOT a great endorsement for . While the cruise was mostly positive, too many things happened on this trip, that means I wouldn't sail with them again in this area of the world.. 😕 They were great in Alaska, just not ideal here..

11/11/2023

Sooooooo.... how does another missed port sound.. ☹️🤬😢 Captain decided it was too windy to enter Livorno port. So lost our tour to Pisa. No refunds as it was an external company & NCL left it til 11am sitting outside port to tell us, so it passed the refund deadline... So frustrating, as we saw the pilot boat come out & huge container ships safely going out of port..

Now debating catching train from Rome tomorrow as a day tour back to Pisa?... Will we port on time at Rome? Will that be too rough? Pretty sure they'd chuck us off the ship even if it was blowing a hurricane!..🙄
Is it worth stressing ourselves or just stay in Rome?.. It's a mystery... 🤔
We did end up with a fun night at Teppanyaki & I saw the cool trio "Howl At The Moon" perform late! 💜

10/11/2023

Amazing day out at Pompeii ruins! 😮💜 Started rainy at dock, had sun as we took trains from Naples to town of Pompei, hammered rain as soon as we walked thru the gates, then sun again!..

So we got to see first-hand how the drainage system worked around Pompeii!.. 😄 Just amazing to walk the rocky streets, around the villas, theatres, Basilica, Forum & the Garden of the Fugitives, "Orto dei Fuggiaschi", with the plaster casts of 13 victims found..

Took train back to Naples, then back to the ship, where the final big show night was "Burn The Floor", with fantastic dance & songs!
One more day out tomorrow at Livorno, for Pisa & Florence!

09/11/2023

We had a good day roaming around Messina & doing a bus tour, riding around the city & out along the coast of north-eastern Sicily to Ganzirri. Then saw the midday clock show in Piazza Duomo!
The astronomical clock tower at (here goes..) "Basilica Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta", has large moving figurines at different levels in the belltower. They all take turns in a 10min display, the lion roars, the rooster crows, the angels & saints do a lap around, the cathedral model rises up thru the 'cloud', all set to Ave Maria music!
Also saw Fontana d'Orione & the Fountain of Neptune.

Ship departed around 5pm. Got to see all the lights onshore as we cruised out at sunset into the night.

730pm we saw the musical show "SIX", with 6 amazing female singers depicting the lives of Henry VIII's wives, plus 3 more talented gals on the bass, guitar & keys! Awesome show! 💜

08/11/2023

Valletta, Malta! We docked at 7am & waited to get a shuttle boat across the harbour. Watched the MSC ship come in & do a wicked drifting reverse park onto the other pier! 😄

Spent the day walking, walking, walking... Got drumsticks at Hard Rock Cafe! Visited the Upper Barrakka Gardens & Saluting Battery, just in time to see the midday cannon firing! Followed by St John's Co-Cathedral with the most gorgeous interior! 😮 Decorated marble floor slabs over the tombs of the Knights, crypt of the Grand Masters, gold decorated pillars, vaulted ceilings with art frescos, other art pieces by Caravaggio... Amazing!

Also saw the Triton Fountain, where we copped a big rain shower in the "sunniest city in Europe". 😆 Made our way back past St John's & saw Grand Masters Palace outside (closed for reno), then the Lower Barrakka Gardens & War Memorial Belltower, before heading back to shuttle & our ship.. Big day!

08/11/2023

Yet more footage of another great show by the Pour House Band, at Syd Norman's bar on !
Fleetwood Mac's album covered from start to finish, with anecdotes & historical info about it.
💖🎶🎸🥁🎵

08/11/2023

More footage of another great show by the Pour House Band, at Syd Norman's bar on !
Fleetwood Mac's album covered from start to finish, with anecdotes & historical info about it.
💖🎶🎸🥁🎵

08/11/2023

Another great show by the Pour House Band, at Syd Norman's bar on !
Fleetwood Mac's album covered from start to finish, with anecdotes & historical info about it.
💖🎶🎸🥁🎵

07/11/2023

Stunning day in transit from to ! A fairly relaxing day, apart from some adrenalin on the high ropes course at the rear of the ship! Wow, what a view! 😮💜🌍
Finished the day with an awesome tribute, sitting front row after we were first in line, 90mins before the show! 😀 Totally worth it!

07/11/2023

Amazingly pretty day at sea, perfect weather! Ended up doing the high ropes course - I was fine until walking the plank over the open ocean - THAT was freaky! 😮

06/11/2023

Great show by the Pour House Band, Syd Norman's bar on !
Fleetwood Mac's album covered from start to finish, with anecdotes & historical info about it.
💖🎶🎸🥁🎵

06/11/2023

Made it to anchor offshore from Santorini. The tender boats were running from 730am but we had to wait for groups to be called. Unfortunately at the same time the cruise director announced that all shore tours that were booked were now cancelled... So suddenly about 7000 people from our ship & MSC ship next door, all had to tender & disembark on the tiny pier at Fira... What could possibly go wrong?!.. 🤔

So 4hrs later... We actually got to tender, then faced a 2hr wait for cable car to the top, OR walk 600 steps uphill around donkey s**t & the people riding them! Some of our crew opted to ride the donkeys, but it was a 45min wait, so the other few of us beat them to the top walking anyway. And it was a hard slog! 😄😣 Views up top are worth it & we wandered streets for hours, had lunch, walked more, then caught a bus to Oia. Made it to the top to see the very last moments of sunset..

Made it back to the cable car, tender, onboard, dinner, now Fleetwood Mac Rumours show by Pour House Band!

05/11/2023

Some very cool art, for something different! 💖

05/11/2023

Hooray, we made it to port! We walked around Mykonos Town, little winding streets everywhere, found our way thru "Little Venice" area, to the big Windmills on the headland. (Mykonos is known as "The Island of The Wind") Yes. It is windy! Walked back to the main town & caught shuttle bus back to ship for late lunch.

Don't depart until 10pm, so a few of us went back out again. Walked back to the windmills in time for sunset!
Had a great dinner back onboard, then saw a fun comedy-magic show in the theatre!
Leaving port now for Santorini tomorrow morn - fingers crossed for good weather again, as it's an offshore tender port!..

04/11/2023

Spent half the day just laying on a banana lounge, with mudslide cocktails, watching the world go by. And watching fb videos! 😄 Saw the nice sunset before going back for a nap in the cabin at 6pm.
Seeing sunset from Athens would have been better, but..... 😮‍💨

04/11/2023

Well that's depressing... our first (& the most interesting) port of Athens has just been cancelled... Captain's call to abort, due to pilot not being able to leave port to get out to the ship & guide in, with rough conditions to enter or leave the port.. "For safety reasons we will sail on to Mykonos for tomorrow morning". 😖 Everyone wants free internet or a cruise onboard credit instead..

04/11/2023

Absolutely kicking band & song choices! 💖🥁🎸🎶😄

04/11/2023

Spent much of the day wandering the ship & doing more exciting handwashing, as I refuse to pay US$2 per pair of knickers for laundry onboard... 😮 All had dinner together late, then I went to see the "Pour House Band" again (they are so cool! 😄) Found everyone else afterwards, at the rear deck SpiceH2O bar for the 80's party! It ended at 11pm & we all moved on to the Bliss nightclub. Long day at sea, Athens coming up!..

03/11/2023

02/11/2023

Starting the 10 day cruise, from Rome's Port of Civitavecchia! Boarded the ship around midday, set sail after 5pm. Spent lots of time looking around the ship, having some great meals & drinks, then I checked out a late show at "Syd Norman's Pour House" bar. THAT will need to be my nightly hangout! 😀 Fantastic band, 4 amazing singers & variety of songs. Loved it! 💜🎶🎸🥁

02/11/2023

Buskers in Rome, near - I had the pleasure of jamming on the drums with them! 😄🎶🎸🥁 Thanks Les for the footage!

01/11/2023

Full day in ! Spent the morning sightseeing on foot, down to the Forum & the Vittorio Emmanuel Monument.
Passed some buskers near the Forum, a three piece band jamming & filmed them playing a song, dropped €5 in their case & said how good they were, told the drummer he sounded great & I play drums too. He jumped up & handed me the sticks, "you want to play?!" 😀 So I jammed on a song with them, was lots of fun! Sue & everyone filmed so should get to see & post that later!

We checked into the hotel at midday, had a rest for an hour, then went out walking - right as it started to rain!... 😆🙄 So umbrellas all round & off we went to see Trevi Fountain, (a sea of people & umbrellas) then Alex & I also walked to the top of the Spanish Steps when we visited there. Had late lunch at a little restaurant nearby, (the pizza was sooooo good!) then walked back half an hour to the Colosseum. Loved the night tour of the tunnels underneath! Very interesting, as the public don't get to see those areas much, the ambience is amazing in the darkness, the tours are limited & security is very tight..

We finished off the night with amazing cones for dinner/dessert! Mine was mango, chocolate cookie & lemon scoops, which were a surprisingly good combo 😋

31/10/2023

The ultra fast & cheap landmark tour of - grab a metro card & GO!.. 🤣
Disclaimer: exterior views only, but less than 3hrs to see the Louvre, Champs Élysée, Grand Palais (under reconstruction), Pont Alexandre lll, Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower!

One more day would have been great to see everything in more detail. But I have seen them before about 20yrs ago & was running low on time to get to the airport for flight to Rome..
Also rode the open ended, driverless trains!

30/10/2023

Wrapping up day/night at - the final show of at 10pm!
Really cool light show, water fountains, displays on the Castle & fireworks. But man I wish I'd run for the exits before it finished & about 20000 people left at once for the train station!.. Human tidal wave... 😮

30/10/2023

What a lovely, rainy, crowded day to visit ! 😆
Spent a good portion of the day seeking shelter, queuing at the indoor rides, or walking the park in a rain poncho with umbrella in hand! Which is fun to juggle while trying to take pics!

Thankfully the rain mostly stopped late arvo, to see a brief sunset thru clouds near .
Still got around to most rides, multiple times, racked up another 20000 steps by dinner time & enjoyed being able to sit down to rest by 7pm - getting old! 🤣

30/10/2023

Last day in , leaving for Paris! Took a rainy morning walk back to Holyrood Park, then back to pack up & take a train-tram trip to the airport.

Quick flight across the water into for sunset! Trains to the hotel, checked in & walked back out for yet another train! Headed to the late night Vedetta du Pont Neuf, . Got to see the 10pm sparkles, along with the other lit up landmarks, Louvre, Notre Dame, etc, shining along the water! Great end to the day 💖

28/10/2023

Spent the morning at Arthur's Seat, then spent the afternoon walking around on a tour, seeing interesting sights that inspired J.K.Rowling to write the books. So much cool architecture in the city, old graveyards, etc!
Saw some great bagpipers on the , along with an awesome busker, Laura Silverstone, who I've seen on social videos, youtube, fb! She does some cool tunes! 💜 Also stopped at the Makers Market in Tron Kirk.
Ended the day with a fish & chip meal for my last night in the UK, at Nether Row cafe, next to The World's End pub! (Whole history of the Flodden Wall, Edinburgh as a walled city, etc!..)

14/07/2021

Still a must-see on my bucket list! 💖 southern rim sunset view