After a sweaty five hour drive in 25*C (not really, cos air con is brilliant!) we arrived in Southampton and wasted no time visiting the shops…:roll: There’s this massive shopping mall called ‘The West Quay’ and although Mrs Fox claimed that she can never find what she wants in M&S it didn’t stop her coming out with a few items…
After wandering around for half an hour trying to find the way out, we eventually ended up on the street and found a nice restaurant.
We’ve got a nice room on the fourth floor overlooking McDonalds…If they keep me awake tonight, I’ll knock on the window and wake them up at six in the morning when I go for my run…
Good morning Mags and Lion Queen, up early and ran along the docks for a swift five miler. Noticed the Oriana had berthed during the night and was waiting for us, so after a breakfast of Cornflakes and toast (that’s continental for you!) we will leave the car at the cruise parking depot and be taken to the docks to be processed!..:shock:
If all goes according to plan we should set sail at about sixish.
Ship Ahoy!..
Thanks guys, I’m somewhere off the coast of Cornwall and just taken out this internet package for the rest of the cruise so that I can keep in touch with you all…It’s so expensive so I’ll pass the hat round when I return…
The Oriana is the smallest ship in the fleet and the cabins are tiny, It’s about the size of a large fishing boat…:shock:
Nice ship though with some very nice art deco touches.
Just off up for breakfast now so more later…
Holiday breakfast is the best. You just turn up and there it is. Enjoy your day Foxy, you can always do a bit of fishing if you get bored on the journey but watch out for the Great Whites which are circling Cornwall at the moment.
Internet connection crap tonight so I’ll keep it brief…
This was me at the sail away party, had a glass of bubbly and felt a bit wobbly as I made my way back to the cabin, and we hadn’t got out of the estuary yet…
Breakfast is the best meal of the day Longdogs…No wait! could it be brunch, or lunch, or afternoon tea perhaps…No…Dinner is definitely the best meal of the day, but then again, supper and a nightcap are quite tasty…:-D:-D:-D
We are just rounding the south coast of Ireland and are due to berth at Killybegs first thing in the morning. We’ve booked a trip that goes at 9:30am so it’s early to bed and an early breakfast…I haven’t had to get up this early since I was taking the post!
Weather is still fairly warm but has clouded over this evening. Just seen a great act at the theatre, Maurice Grumbleweed out of the Grumbleweeds, he’s on his own now but still a very funny guy…
No signs of life yet floating around just a few seabirds landing on the ship for a rest. Mrs Fox is already snoring her head off, so it’s goodnight for now…
Thanks Longdogs and Tabby, and yes Realist a very nice ship but the cabins are a bit small but we’ll tough it out… Some of the guests are doing a ‘Back to Back’ - Staying on the ship for the next cruise to Guernsey…Lucky buggers!
Thanks TessA, 7:00am and we are just sailing into Killibegs in Ireland. Just some light cloud and a cool breeze, and with quite calm seas I had a good nights sleep. Just finished getting ready for an early breakfast, showering takes a little longer here as the shower is likened to a dripping tap so you have to run around a bit to get wet…
Taking a bus ride this morning to go and look at some cliffs, and at 600 metres high they are claimed to be the tallest in Europe…Photos on the way…
Sorry Summer…
Like Realist says, she is a lovely ship with polished wood lining the gangways in the public areas and art deco designs on the ceilings and the odd statue waiting to be photographed.
Apparently the ship has been sold to the Chinese to be turned into an offshore casino, gambling is illegal in China but not offshore…I must admit, although she is a beautiful ship she does look tired here and there and in need of a refurb…
Cheers Mags…
Managed to beat the alarm clock and was up before six, they hadn’t even tied the ship to the pretty little dock in Killibegs, Ireland. Cold and cloudy but while the captain took care of securing the ship, I took care of my gastronomic needs and went up for some breakfast.
We made the bus in good time and at 9:30am were whisked away to a little cafe and craft shop out in the middle of nowhere. The bus tannoy crackled as the guide, in a strong Irish accent, explained some of the memorable events in history that took place hereabouts…
P&O had laid on tea and scones before we climbed aboard another bus that took us to the ‘Slieve League Cliffs’ the main destination of the excursion. And what a breathtaking sight they were…
This is me pointing out what you could have seen if you had been present on the tour…
Having not done any exercise for the last four days, especially running, I was chomping at the bit once I saw a path leading to the top of a hill, I couldn’t resist the urge to take to the high ground. So while Mrs Fox suckled on a cup of coffee at the tea shack, I jogged to the top and took this photo of the viewing platform for the cliffs…Pushing the slow coaches out of the way…(only joking!)
And finally…I have a very good friend at home who is of small, compact and rather chubby stature with a slightly balding head and a well kept spikey beard, and it’s been a few years since he saw his sixtieth birthday…And it dawned on me while I was despatching a rather nice cream cake in the cafeteria that his description fits just about every bloke on this cruise…And even some of the women…:shock:
