Mareblu

Whoopee!👏

We’re just over an hour from anchoring in Santorini. Our friends with us aboard Vista are doing Santorini Panorama today, as they haven’t been to the island before. We’re staying aboard this time, as we believe there’ll be at least another four cruise ships ahead of us. The tour (as I remember) finishes at the top, with free time to spend in the village. Then the cable car queue is to be faced. The facility can only move a max of 600 pax per hour. No thanks! Before Istanbul was dropped from our itinerary, we were scheduled to visit on a day when we were apparently the only vessel in Santorini. Such is life. !

My internet is strong on Vista here in the Aegean sea.

Hi Don, and yes, I couldn’t agree more about coffee in Horizons at an early hour. It would make so much sense to be able to enjoy this facility with an open coffee bar. It would spread the Barista crowd, and make full use of the panoramic view from a large, comfortable venue. We were granted full barista service for our M&M the other day, but that was from 11.00am.

We are currently happily settled in PH 11033. Not a peep have we heard since sailing from Civitavecchia on 11 April. The suite is quiet, comfortable, and perfectly situated almost opposite the Executive Lounge for an early morning wake-up tea or coffee. The central elevators are also very near. There is what some may consider “noise” occasionally, as the pool deck above is attended to, but it’s hardly worth mentioning, as the movement is indistinct and distant. My only niggle is the too-soft bed. I recall Oceania beds through our many voyages as being very comfortable. This new bed is not denying us a good night’s sleep, but sitting up in bed or turning over through the night is quite a challenge.

Transatlantico is a term rarely used, and refers more to a “nave” plying a particular route. Nave is the term for all vessels. “Barca” is a boat.

Perhaps, before casting aspersions, you should research the language. The word for ship is “nave”. That applies to all vessels, whether passenger, cargo, etc. I’m sure that just like my Italian (by birth) husband, Fincantieri’s executive staff are educated.

Singapore?

Nor the Scots in🤣

Culloden battlefield site, where the courageous and hopelessly outnumbered Jacobites were defeated, is a haunting and sobering visit experience. Close to Inverness and easily accessible. My ancestor John Fletcher of Inveroran fought there, but survived. His father, my sixth g. grandfather, was Fletcher Clan Chief. I have visited their gravesites at the Fletcher castle cemetery by Loch Tulla, near the Pass of Glencoe.

Hadrian’s wall is an incredible construction.

My friend who admires Lord Yum Yum is a MacLeod by marriage. Her husband finds her infatuation worth a chuckle in his rich brogue🤣

It means she’s a Highlander. Frasers are prominent all through the Highlands, particularly around Inverness and Orkney Isles. Explains Rosie’s beautiful red hair in her photos.

A friend who lives in the Highlands told me the Scots believe that when you visit and feel that comforting, familiar sense of belonging, a mystic cord has been tied to your body. The spirits of the Highlands can gently tug that invisible link at any time, and often, during your life, no matter how far from Scotland you stray. I love these myths and legends. They raise us to their realm.

Campbell is the dominant clan in the Highlands. The Duke of Argyle is Campbell Clan Chief. He’s a delightful, particularly handsome man. My close friend (originally from NZ with Shetland Isles ancestry) calls him “Lord Yum Yum”.