Capnpugwash’s adventures continue to the Black Sea.

[conniedoug]

Monday - Eggs Benedict, Tuesday - Gammon and fried egg, Wednesday - Kedgeree etc

 

Eggs Benedict? Your favourite!:D

Delighted to hear that you are having such a good voyage.

Loving your posts but hugely envious of your terrific weather.

Take care

A

[rolfecms]

Not sure I've noticed P&O breakfast specials? Do you have an example?

 

Monday - Eggs Benedict, Tuesday - Gammon and fried egg, Wednesday - Kedgeree etc

 

Breakfast specials - a novel idea and an inducement (for me at least) to venture out in the early morning hour to check out the latest offering!

 

Thanks so much for taking time to share your trip with us.

[Summergee]

I now have a reason to think about P&O. I love kedgeree.

[LibraLass41]

The specials on the breakfast menu are pre-printed for every day of the week, so you will able to see at breakfast anytime what is being offered each day....devilled kidneys was on Friday last time I was onboard and very nice there were too, with a couple of rashers of bacon and toast.:)

[Catherine Janaway]

I now have a reason to think about P&O. I love kedgeree.

 

Me too and to much of a fuss to make it for myself!

[capnpugwash]

Update No 11

 

The afternoon passed without incident but it was quite warm so we didn’t do very much at all, I had a steam and the steam room was packed out, possibly because tonight is a formal evening, I went out to the deck to cool off for half an hour and returned just in time to attend the individual quiz, I could have saved the effort as I was 4th overall, top half of the players so I suppose it isn’t too bad. We are now back in the cabin to dress for dinner and Mrs P has decided to partake in the champagne, no problem really but I must discourage her from developing this habit, it is OK sometimes but certainly not on a regular basis.

 

The sea is quite calm and we have a 20mph north-easterly breeze cooling the 23/70 degree air. We have been passing dolphins this afternoon who probably come into the Mediterranean for the rich fishing that is available in this relatively shallow nd confined area.

 

We went into dinner and found that Graham Cole who was an actor for years in The Bill was sat alone on the adjacent table; we made room for him on our table so that he was able to join us, our thought process being that it is nicer to eat with anyone, rather than eating alone. He seemed to enjoy himself, I have met him a few times over the years at various lunches and the whole table seemed to enjoy his company.

 

After the meal it was quiz time and we tied first again but after applying our one point handicap, we were reduced to almost runners up. There was a tie for first and we would have failed badly on the tie-break question. We had drunk the rose wine already and it wasn’t too bad although I wouldn’t have wanted a second glass.

 

We have another sea day tomorrow and are currently just passing the north-east corner of Tunisia as we proceed to Gythion on the Peloponnese peninsular of Greece, where we are scheduled to arrive Friday morning.

 

Today is Thursday September 22nd and we had some movement on board overnight, nothing dramatic but more like bouncing on the waves, quite pleasant really. This morning we have small wavelets, a 20mph breeze from the north-east and at 7.25am air temperature of 23/70 degrees. The forecast is for the wind to abate a little and the temperature to rise to 25 degrees. Our position is south of Agrigento, halfway along the coast of Sicily and 75 miles north-west of Valletta in Malta and around 220 miles due north from Tripoli in Libya. We have 438 miles remaining to Gythion and our speed is currently 23mph so we should easily accomplish that on time arrival tomorrow morning.

 

Breakfast was very uncrowded today for some reason, people staying in bed or doing something else but the result was that there were less than 50 passengers in the restaurant during the 45 minutes that we were there.

 

More later.

[u2cruiser]

Did Mrs P have to use a tumbler for her glass of champagne too? Is that why you haven't requested flutes? So it doesn't look as appealing? ;)

 

Breakfast specials sound very nice, though your bowl of porridge is by far healthier :)

 

This is such a relaxing cruise :D

[capnpugwash]

Did Mrs P have to use a tumbler for her glass of champagne too? Is that why you haven't requested flutes? So it doesn't look as appealing? ;)

 

Breakfast specials sound very nice, though your bowl of porridge is by far healthier :)

 

This is such a relaxing cruise :D

 

Now have the flutes, so everything is back to normal. The tumbler was far too much for her :eek:

[u2cruiser]

Now have the flutes, so everything is back to normal. The tumbler was far too much for her :eek:

 

Haha! No wonder she sends you off to the solo coffee meetings :D

[capnpugwash]

Update No 12.

 

We went to the main Restaurant for lunch today and I had fish and chips which was quite nice but not great, I don’t really know why I bothered, this was followed by whist which also wasn’t great and now I am back in the cabin for a cup of coffee before going for a swim, it is such a lovely afternoon that it seems a shame not to be in the water.

 

Around the pool area there are those nasty flat blue and white plastic sun beds and the only chairs are the wooden types which are at the tables by the bar, they are quite comfortable unlike the sun beds but I am reliably informed that some heavy plastic pool side chairs have been ordered and delivery is awaited. There are 10 or so wooden steamer chairs on deck 5 but they are occupied for most of the day and rarely become vacant. Obviously plastic is very low maintenance compared to wooden chairs but wood is so much more traditional and in my view better.

 

Another planned improvement is to provide coat hooks affixed to the wall of the cabin for coats etc. This will help a great deal as storage space is at quite a premium. There are 4 little nipples on the rear of the bathroom door bur I find that most things fall off or swing out into the way of the door and prevent it closing. There is a 4 foot square mirror over the dressing table which should be halved or quartered in size and surmounted by some shelves so that the dressing table surface can be kept quite clear, at the moment that is pretty much the only surface for laptops, sunglasses, make up and the like. It would be so easy and be such an improvement.

 

I went for a swim and the water was churning fore and aft reminiscent of a washing machine, it wasn’t rough but for safety sake the two hot tubs either side of the pool had been half drained and netted to prevent their use. After the swim it was lovely just sitting by the pool in the warm sun. After a while I went into the spa area to have a steam and a shower, that accomplished I sat back on the deck in a cooling breeze and the shade trying to lose the heat that I had amassed in the steam room.

 

Quite soon it was time for the individual quiz which I managed to tie with three others but I was fortunate enough to win the tie break, so I was ble to add another prize sticker to my collection.

 

After dinner we tied in the syndicate quiz and lost the tie break as we were 14 years out on when the Bunsen burner was invented, close but no cigar or more importantly no bottle of wine.

 

More later

[Lake Barcroft Sailor]

Update No 2

 

As I descended from deck 10 it stopped at 8 and a lady boarded and regarded me as you would something stuck on the sole of your shoe in a park. In an effort to make conversation as the time for first sitting was approaching, I said sweetly “Are you going to dinner?” She looked at me as though I was crazy and replied “I have no idea!” .

 

 

 

I just caught up with these posts. I just wanted to let you know that I could not stop laughing at the response to your question. As they say in the twitter world, it is a LOL response. I will chuckle for days. Poor thing, having no idea of where she was going. At least she made it to the ship.

[Sandy Shore]

Update No 12.

 

that is pretty much the only surface for laptops, sunglasses, make up and the like :confused:

 

Jim - don't take so much make-up with you next time. Guy xx :rolleyes:

[capnpugwash]

Update No 13

 

Today is Friday September 23rd and we have smooth seas again this morning with a 20mph breeze from the north-east. We have crossed the Ionian Sea overnight and are only 25 miles south of Gythion, this town is at the very south of Greece in a fairly large bay which should afford us a degree of shelter as we tender into the port later. With only 700 passengers on board it ought to be a relatively speedy disembarkation. We are heading north-east at 19 knots and the sky to the east is just showing the first signs of the impending sunrise with purples, pinks and browns on the horizon, I don’t think that the sun is due to rise for another 40 minutes but it seems keen to get going this morning. I am going to head up on deck to witness our arrival. I did spend the last hour up on the very breezy top deck and witnessed a glorious sunrise over the mountains in this area. We are still making our way to the port and have about 6 miles to go, our speed has reduced to 15 knots.

 

We finally arrived at a little before 8.30 and are now anchored 300 yards off shore and we have 3 tenders in the water. If they do 2 journeys each the ship will be quite empty which of course is yet another benefit of travelling on a small ship. The air temperature is currently 25/77 degrees and the high is forecast at 31/88 degrees. There is no rain forecast for the foreseeable future.

 

We went ashore after breakfast and the tender was excellent, there was an access ramp at the ship and also at the port and the tender rode so high that there was not the usual drop, I would imagine that wheelchair access would be possible although we didn’t have any on our one. Gythion is a working fishing port and there were a couple of dozen local vessels of various vintages and conditions but the town had a very nice feel to it. We sat in the main square under some shady awnings with a very nice cooling breeze and had some murky coffee which was ok. This area seems to be shared between a few cafes which surround it. Having finished the coffee I found the waiter who had served us in this area and he indicated that the cost was 1 Euro each, very good price. There were some cabs lurking and for a 1 hour tour of the surrounding area their price was 50 Euros which seemed a little on the high side so we walked around and then headed back on board.

 

It was getting quite hot by now and it was a real pleasure to get into the pool on the ship as I was almost alone on the deck apart from a couple of sleepers in the shade. It shows the wisdom of not always going on tours, I think.

 

We had lunch and then a game of friendly whist which we just lost. I am back in the cabin now contemplating a little rest and relaxation after the strenuous morning. The dress code tonight is casual so that is no real effort.

 

More later.

[soobs]

where are you? you must have had a good day and a good evening as we have not heard from you

 

cannot wait for next update 14 i think?

[u2cruiser]

where are you? you must have had a good day and a good evening as we have not heard from you

 

cannot wait for next update 14 i think?

 

LOL must have been the walk around Gythion that tired him out - he's not used to it. ;)

[capnpugwash]

Update No 14

 

I played in the individual quiz and once more was successful with the tie break question, my luck must finish soon. Dinner was a very pleasant interlude and then came the syndicate quiz, we weren’t very good although we did finish in 4th place. I am quite tired now as I woke very early this morning, we have less than 90 miles from Gythion to Piraeus and we are currently creeping along at 12 knots in calm seas with a 27mph head wind. It is a very balmy night.

 

Today is Saturday September 24th and I woke at 6.45 to find us already moored in Piraeus, I didn’t hear us arrive but had little distance to cover really, just a short hop around the bottom of the Peloponnese Peninsular. It probably takes longer to say that than it did for the journey. I have been here once before and I think that it is quite a large port area. The tours today are either to Athens or to the Corinth Canal, we have been to both the city and the canal and whilst interesting we will be staying in this area.

 

The captain of the ship, David Perkins is being replaced today when David Box takes over command of the Adonia. This is just a routine crew change and he has been on board since Southampton familiarising himself with the ship. I think that I have sailed with him before but I am not certain.

 

Yesterday we started our run of 6 daily port visits, Gythion, Piraeus, Kusadasi, Mytiline, Istanbul and Nessebur; just thinking about it, makes me tired. I am sure that some of you think that I am crazy but I really much prefer days at sea, of course there are interesting ports on the itinerary and I enjoy visiting other countries and experiencing their individual cultures but traipsing round museums and churches is anathema to me. Without being xenophobic I think that the London based museums are amongst the finest in the world and whilst they may not have a sample of a particular rock, brick or tile, it really doesn’t matter that much to me. And don’t get me started on churches; the next time I go in a church I would like to be carried in and out in a box.

 

I went off to the cruise terminal building as they have free Wi-Fi here but perhaps because there were so very many people accessing it the bandwidth would only allow me a very low signal and it wasn’t enough for me to Skype our children or even send and receive emails, I returned to the ship quite underwhelmed by my experiences.

 

The pool was great although as Piraeus seems not to be the most popular destination I had to share it with two ladies but it was certainly cooling and relaxing. It is a sea water pool and the extra buoyancy is noticeable as is the saltiness on your lips and eyes, it is not unpleasant but the showers around the pool are very welcome when you get out.

 

England continues their World Cup exploits against Romania today. It is being recorded to be shown at 5pm this afternoon, we should win but they can be a ferocious opponent so injuries are always a concern. Another concern is that I will miss the 6pm individual quiz today as it clashes with the rugby.

 

More later

[Balernocalling]

Hi there,

I have really enjoyed reading all your updates!! I am on Adonia in December with my husband and two friends and will be visiting some of the ports you are going to so I will be very interested in your accounts of them.

Keep up the good work!!

[philayl]

Update No 14

 

I played in the individual quiz and once more was successful with the tie break question, my luck must finish soon. Dinner was a very pleasant interlude and then came the syndicate quiz, we weren’t very good although we did finish in 4th place. I am quite tired now as I woke very early this morning, we have less than 90 miles from Gythion to Piraeus and we are currently creeping along at 12 knots in calm seas with a 27mph head wind. It is a very balmy night.

 

Today is Saturday September 24th and I woke at 6.45 to find us already moored in Piraeus, I didn’t hear us arrive but had little distance to cover really, just a short hop around the bottom of the Peloponnese Peninsular. It probably takes longer to say that than it did for the journey. I have been here once before and I think that it is quite a large port area. The tours today are either to Athens or to the Corinth Canal, we have been to both the city and the canal and whilst interesting we will be staying in this area.

 

The captain of the ship, David Perkins is being replaced today when David Box takes over command of the Adonia. This is just a routine crew change and he has been on board since Southampton familiarising himself with the ship. I think that I have sailed with him before but I am not certain.

 

Yesterday we started our run of 6 daily port visits, Gythion, Piraeus, Kusadasi, Mytiline, Istanbul and Nessebur; just thinking about it, makes me tired. I am sure that some of you think that I am crazy but I really much prefer days at sea, of course there are interesting ports on the itinerary and I enjoy visiting other countries and experiencing their individual cultures but traipsing round museums and churches is anathema to me. Without being xenophobic I think that the London based museums are amongst the finest in the world and whilst they may not have a sample of a particular rock, brick or tile, it really doesn’t matter that much to me. And don’t get me started on churches; the next time I go in a church I would like to be carried in and out in a box.

I went off to the cruise terminal building as they have free Wi-Fi here but perhaps because there were so very many people accessing it the bandwidth would only allow me a very low signal and it wasn’t enough for me to Skype our children or even send and receive emails, I returned to the ship quite underwhelmed by my experiences.

 

The pool was great although as Piraeus seems not to be the most popular destination I had to share it with two ladies but it was certainly cooling and relaxing. It is a sea water pool and the extra buoyancy is noticeable as is the saltiness on your lips and eyes, it is not unpleasant but the showers around the pool are very welcome when you get out.

 

England continues their World Cup exploits against Romania today. It is being recorded to be shown at 5pm this afternoon, we should win but they can be a ferocious opponent so injuries are always a concern. Another concern is that I will miss the 6pm individual quiz today as it clashes with the rugby.

 

More later

Oh dear Jim, have you had a bad experience in a church, perhaps last time you were in one you got married eh!:eek::D:D:D:

[u2cruiser]

I'm with you on sea days and not traipsing round churches and museums. That's why I avoid ship tours. I go brain dead after someone telling me historical details for more than 5 minutes. They all blend into one place after 6 days of it. A couple of hours walking round the town and a nice cooling drink suits me just fine.

 

Haven't you shrunk with all that swimming and steaming?

[Andiamo]

Jim,

 

It just occurred to me that I'm following your travels blindfolded, so that makes it more imaginary. I'm so used to your blogs from QM2, where I can pretty much follow your every move and picture our favorite staff members serving you. This trip is a strain on my brain, but I am loving it.

 

Looking forward to reading more.

 

Jeanne

[ColumbiaSC]

I agree with Jeanne. I feel blindfolded since I can't visualize the ship you are on. I can follow you around the Queen Mary 2. But that is not all that important --- I am enjoying capnpugwash's reports as usual! I think he has improved the "ratings" on the P&O Forum. At least on the P&O Forum we haven't had to endure the postings of S.

 

I am in complete agreement with his comment about being next in a church when a clergyman is officiating. I remember Four Weddings and a Funeral. The W. H. Auden poem will be recited at my graveside service!

 

Don, Lord Kay of Shandon.

[hmh60]

I am not following you blindfolded as we sailed the Royal Princess up the Amazon. Same ship but different names for dining room and bars. I'm a large ship traveller so Royal Princess was not my favourite. I did love the boat deck loungers, but you had to be there early to get one. We are looking forward to our QM2 crossing in April. Have followed your voyages on QM2 and enjoyed your postings. Have a fabulous cruise and look forward to more of your adventures.

[capnpugwash]

Update No 15

 

I skipped lunch today spending the time in and around the pool, played cards this afternoon and then watched England trounce Romania, we sailed out during the match and there were 5 other cruise ships there. Among them were a Windstar yacht, a Silverseas, Princess and a Thomson cruise ship. Dinner was a lovely vegetarian curry and then we managed 18/20 on the syndicate quiz, our nearest rivals were 4 points behind us. We are currently winding our way through the lower part of the Aegean Sea heading towards Kusadasi in Turkey. We are making 18 knots and are due there at 7am. It feels cooler tonight although there is very little wind but it may be an illusion as today was so hot.

 

Today is Sunday September 25th and at 7.15am we have arrived in the harbour at Kusadasi, we have our lines ashore and we are tightening them on the winches to draw us closer to the quay. The town is on the west coast of Turkey about 50 miles north of Bodrum. The weather is fine with only a 2mph gentle breeze from the south, flat calm seas and an air temperature of 25/77 degrees.

 

We have no firm plans today; the local attraction is the ancient site of Ephesus which is mentioned in the Bible with the various letters to the Ephesians, quite appropriate really as today is a Sunday. We will go into the town for a while see what it has to offer.

 

More later.

[u2cruiser]

Have a nice day in the sunshine Cap'n.

No need to ask whether you'll be heading for the local Church this fine Sunday? ;)

 

It's a miserable 14 deg and raining up here in the bleak Pennines.

[CASPALL]

Hope Ephesus isn't too crowded for you.

I loved Kusadasi - a beautiful port

 

Caryl