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Through the harbour and up to the quay. And there she stands waiting for me.

Wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen.

Friendly old girl of a town.
Let us clink and drink one down.
Salty old queen of the sea.
They were some of Danny Kaye’s lines all those years ago. 
And on Thursday we had to have a yet another look at The Little Mermaid sitting on her rock only a few hundred yards from the ship. She is still small, still little, but somehow she looked more mature and more serene than she was. That, despite being surrounded by a large group of Japanese tourists, all desperate to get selfies with her.

In fact we found that there were massive crowds wherever we went, and it was only after we returned to the ship that we found out that it was a public holiday – Ascension Day.
Copenhagen is beautiful. The architecture is stunning, whether the buildings are old or new, and the whole city is wonderfully clean and tidy.

Jane and I had a hop on/hop off day which proved very successful except for the fact that it was impossible for Jane to get down to the jetty to board the canal boat, for the canal tour included in our ticket (Don’t worry, I managed to get a refund!) and, no, I didn’t do the canal tour on my own!

At that stage we had a coffee and a beer in a lovely square and watched the world go by. The sun shone and the tourists were happy. We returned to the Langelinie Promenade and hopped off the bus by the Queens Royal Yacht

and then strolled back along the promenade.

Back at the ship we found that the lady Captain Inger had departed on leave. Although she grew up in the Faroe Islands, she and her husband live in Denmark. The new master of the ship is Captain Alistair Clark and we hope to meet him this evening at his cocktail party.
This was the view as we left Copenhagen in the early evening.

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Oslo

The approach to Oslo is stunning. After crossing the Skagerrak, we entered the Oslofjord, which at times is fairly narrow, but for the most part, tree lined. Wooden homes of all shapes, sizes and colours are dotted about amongst the trees. Some are holiday homes, but others are permanently occupied.

The journey along the fjord took us about three hours, but the sun had risen just before 5.00 am and it was a beautiful morning. We arrived on our berth on time at 10.00 am.
Jane and I first came to Oslo on the QE2 during the summer of 2004. We had had our first taste of cruising earlier that year when we had managed to get a cabin on the maiden voyage of Queen Mary 2. People were talking about the QE2 being pensioned off, as she was then nearly 40 years old, so we decided that we ought to take a cruise on her before that occurred. It was a Norwegian fjord cruise and Oslo was the first port of call. 
We came back again in December 2007 on the maiden voyage of Queen Victoria. That voyage was billed as a Christmas Markets Cruise. There was snow on the ground and it was freezing cold and the Chritmas market was less than impressive!  I think Cunard realised that winter cruises to this part of the world are not a great idea. But in the summer Oslo and the Baltic are wonderful places to visit.
We also came to Oslo on Queen Elizabeth on a Baltic cruise in 2011. The highlight was, of course, St Petersburg but close behind was a place in Northern Germany called Travemunde. I reported on that day on the We Are Cunard website.
I have also been reminded by Helen Barnes that we did a North Cape cruise two years ago and that involved a visit to Oslo.
Oslo is a great place, with a multitude of museums and palaces. This time we walked in an easterly direction initially and then drifted to the west in search of the Ibsen museum where Ibsen lived for the last 11 years of his life. We eventually found it close to the Royal Palace.

The Palace guards were happy to be photographed.

On Thursday we are in Copenhagen. Another great city.
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The Baltic and Tribute to Liverpool

That’s what the cruise is called and we are on our way. Bright and early start with no mishaps apart from the missing jacket. Everything done. House left clean and tidy (by my standards) for Linda, our house sitter. I even remembered where the Hoover was kept and how to use it. I remember getting the jacket off the hanger, but just as we were about to leave, the jacket had gone. The conclusion reached by the others was that I must have packed it. Searched everywhere, no joy. Linda will no doubt spot it as soon as she arrives.

There were only 2 cruise ships in so the journey was easy with me in Martin’s taxi with all the luggage and Ian Gordon following, driving the Vauxhall with Jane aboard. 
A little subterfuge found us at the head of the check in queue and quickly sitting with Stewart and Elizabeth Wilson waiting for the signal to board. In our cabin by 12.05 pm must be another world record.
And this time it was not “who you know”, as it was when Annie Guy or Sandy Gravestock were on duty, but “what you know” – nipping past the awkward meeters and greeters when they were looking the other way. 
We first met Stewart and Elizabeth at the Captain’s table on the maiden voyage of Queen Victoria in December 2007. Stewart and I were sitting either side of a tall, attractive lady. I had established that she was the Captain’s wife, but Stewart did not know that and asked her if she liked cruising. She and I led him along for some time and he has never really forgotten or forgiven me for winding him up.
Stewart puts together wonderful stamp collections made up of stamps from around the world featuring Cunard ships. He is also a great Cunard historian and the narratives in the albums record a wide variety of facts about the ships and their careers. Stewart has donated a number of the albums to Cunard and each ship displays two of the albums in glass cases in their libraries. The librarians turn the pages each day.
During lunch on Monday, we bumped into John and Pat from Sheffield. We had dined with them on the Queen Victoria last year. They told us they had been on the segment of this years World voyage from San Francisco to Auckland and had met up with the Stafford twins and joined their table for some of the voyage.
The weather was wonderful as we set off, on time, down Southampton Water. Eight days ago I was travelling over the same stretch of water at some 40 knots. Queen Elizabeth peaked at about 15!
Daylight departures are rare for us. Here are one or two buildings and views. Does anyone know what they are? Answers in ‘Comments’ on the blog please. A fog kept rolling in and out but the sun shone as well.

It was very foggy here!

We sat with some Australians from Sydney at lunch. They told us that there were 460 Australians aboard. Apparently, last year a travel agent in Oz advertised a package which took in 5 days on QV, a night in the De Vere in Southampton, followed by this cruise on QE. Then on 25 May when this ship arrives back in Southampton they move across to Queen Mary 2 which takes them to New York. They then fly back to Sydney.
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So much for the polls!

Not much sleep last night. Amazing how the exit poll painted a very accurate picture of the likely end result (70 seats still to be declared as I write). All that talk of coalitions by the pollsters showed how inaccurate they can be. Not surprised to see the Lib Dems doing so badly after turning on their coalition partners. Will David Miliband be flying back from the US to take over from his brother?!

We are in the middle of the packing process before boarding Queen Elizabeth on Monday for a Baltic cruise. We take in Oslo, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Tallinn, St Petersburg overnight, Warnemunde, Kirkwall in Orkney and Liverpool on Monday 25 May for further 175 year celebrations with the other 2 Queens. Then one day to get round Lands End and back to Southampton.

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Follow up to Sunday’s Queen Convoy

ICaptain David Saph had two photographers aboard his unnamed RIB. Your blogger and one Cark Maunsell.

Cark has Dropboxed his photos to me and I have added some of them here.

They indicate to me that either (a) he has a better camera than me or, (b) that he is a better photographer than me.

When I arrived home I explained to my dear wife Jane that we had been screaming up and down Southampton Water, and slamming into the waves at speeds in excess of 50 mph. She listened dutifully and then asked me why we had not been invited to lunch on Queen Mary 2. While I had been away, her younger brother Nigel had dropped in.
There we were, rushing up and down Southampton Water, getting soaked when Captain David executed wheelies and handbrake turns round the buoys. We dreamt of burgers or KFC’s (and ended up with Costa coffees) while Nigel and Christine were having lunch on QM2 with the Master of the ship and the CEO of Carnival, amongst the great and the good. Is there no justice!
Here are Nigel and Christine before they boarded QM2 and a piece of their cake!

The news is that Jane and I join Queen Elizabeth next Monday for the 16 night voyage to The Baltic including an overnight in St Petersburg. And our return takes us to Kirkwall in the Orkneys and then to Liverpool for yet another reunion of the 3 Queens. All part of the 175 celebrations. Linda is again house sitting for us.
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The 3 Queens leave Southampton

.,We screamed across Southampton Water today at speeds in excess of 40 knots. No, not aboard one of the Queens, but on David Saph’s massive RIB.

David bought Landfall from us in 2013. We boarded his 8 metre RIB near Shamrock Quay at 1500 and motored past St Mary’s, the home of Southampton Football Club and past Ocean Village. 
As we had some 40 minutes before the Queens began to leave their berths, we raced down Southampton Water towards Calshot. At the mouth of the Hamble River, we reduced speed to 6 knots and motored almost to the RSYC before returning to Southampton Water. Then a high speed dash back to Dock Head.
None of us had travelled so fast at sea before (apart from David at the helm). It was extraordinary.
Anthem of the Seas, the latest massive Royal Caribbean cruise ship, left the scene first.

She has been in and out of the port over the last 2 weeks. It was clear that she realised that she was an unwelcome guest today. Then Fred Olsen’s Balmoral scuttled away to leave the stage for the Cunarders.

Queen Elizabeth was berthed at the QEII terminal and she pulled out first.

Queen Victoria was on her own at the Mayflower Terminal and after Queen Mary 2 started to leave Ocean Terminal, QV was moving to join her sisters. QM2 moved to port and sailed past QE and the sailaway down Southampton Water began. QV joined the procession, bringing up the rear.

Earlier at a lunch on board Queen Mary 2 the Captains of the 3 Queens posed for photos. Commodore Christopher Rynd, Captain Inger Klein Thorhauge and Captain Chris Wells.

It was a great day. Many thanks to David Saph for making it possible.
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175 years of Cunard

On Thursday evening Cunard hosted an event at the Southampton Art Galłery to launch the celebration of Cunard’s 175 years. The impressive exhibition of photographs and posters is worth a visit. The Mayor of Southampton spoke about the contribution that Cunard has made to the port and to the city and Angus Śtruthers responded on behalf of Cunard.
Today, Sunday 3 May 2015, the 3 Queens return from their respective World voyages and this afternoon the 3 ships will leave the port together. The parade will be led by the flagship Queen Mary 2 followed by Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria. They should form up at 1630 and be at Dock Head by 1720 reaching Calshot just before 1800.
Queen Mary 2 will head off to New York, while Queen Elizabeth sails to Hamburg and Queen Victoria to Guernsey.
Your blogger will be on Southampton Water this afternoon and will report later on the sailaway procession.

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La Coruna for the second time

We were here exactly a fortnight ago. La Coruna appears to have become popular with Cunard as the last port on voyages to and from the Med or the Canaries. You can see from these charts why that is. La Coruna is right on the northern tip of Spain.

As soon as you leave the harbour you are in the Bay of Biscay, and (if the conditions in the Bay are reasonable) then it is a fairly easy 15 knot voyage to get to Southampton on time.
La Coruna is, in addition, a very attractive city. This time we found our way into the old town, which is full of churches, schools and narrow streets. We also found the monument dedicated to Sir John Moore.

If his yet to be knighted namesake is reading this, he will no doubt be impressed. It rained briefly after we first left the ship, but then the sun came out and it was a great day. The main square was being set up for a Christmas market. 

In the evening, Jean, Tim, Jane and I had dinner with Deputy Captain Simon Love and Victoria, the Commodore’s secretary, in the Verandah Restaurant. A great occasion.

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Gibraltar

I can never get very excited about Gibraltar. It’s something to do with the Apes (actually they are monkeys and not apes). Jane loves to see them, but to me they are dirty, horrble, little scavengers that jump on your head, steal your sunglasses, cameras and mobile phones and eat your ice creams and sweets. And they bite if you annoy them! They live on the Upper Rock and they leave the area covered in their debris. Keep well clear is my advice!

Sadly it rained for most of the time we were ashore. That meant that we didn’t make it up the Rock and so Jane missed the Barbary apes! But the downside for me was that it did mean that I had to commit to more shoe shops and to the dreaded M&S. Small though, so less to see and very little Per Una. I did find Jane some very nice black ankle boots, which passed the test, as they were easy to get on. Some of her favourite shoes can be a nightmare.
Those of you that have flown planes into Gibraltar will know that the flight path can be blocked by cruise ships. It didn’t happen to us this time, but I do recall our arrival, on one occasion, being delayed until the BA flight from London had landed.

The ship has now been decorated for Christmas and looks fabulous. Immaculate Christmas trees have appeared all over the ship.

And after our departure from Gibraltar we had a day at sea and then the final port, La Coruna.
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Barcelona

 Barcelona is a magical place. Walking up La Rambla sets the scene. Although it was 1 December it was busy with plenty of tourists and many of them were Spanish.

We set off to explore the narrow, traffic free streets off La Rambla to the east. There were multitudes of neat, small shops and galleries. Jane always wants to stop at every shoe shop, but as there were so many, it was agreed that we would only look into every other one. This one was magical.

When I took out my camera, the assistant asked me to restrict my pictures to general ones, rather than close ups. I’m not sure if she thought I was going to set up in opposition!

My intention was to move slowly north so that we eventually found ourselves outside El 4 Gats – a favourite restaurant recommended by Nigel Freer some years ago.

It was a regular meeting place for Picasso and his chums. Jane was reluctant to have lunch, but I hoped to persuade her otherwise. I failed!

We then came across a Christmas market, which appeared to have only opened that morning. The usual tat, but Jane came across a stall packed with miniatures (which she loves) so we had to peer at hundreds of small Christmas baubles.

Our return to the ship was eventful. One of the shuttle buses had a lift which took a wheelchair and its rider some 8 feet up to the seating level of the coach.
At the ship, the first one out was an elderly man on a mobility scooter. His wife was bossy and he was clearly nervous about manoevering the vehicle onto the lift platform which had no guard rails round it. He would be driving out onto a platform sticking out the side of the coach and 8 foot off the ground. 
The coach driver operating the lift was standing on the ground. I could tell that the old boy was having trouble so got myself behind him to encourage him. He lined himself up and told his wife to ‘shut up’. He gripped the handle bar too tightly and in so doing pulled the accelerator and shot forward on to the lift platform and over the front of it! 
I grabbed the old boy and the back of the scooter and the bus driver pushed the front of the vehicle into the air. The old chap eventually let go of the accelerator and we pulled him back. It took us some time to coax him off!

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