Lunastella

Day 8 – Naples, Italy (South of) A great sleep was had by all! Rejoice! I was up by 7 and headed straight to a very empty gym….the emptiest yet…it is day 8 I guess…intentions are waning. We were already docked in Naples and I had wonderful 4G coverage (yay!), so I could do my Alice workout without difficulty (full body conditioning set today). No difficulty accessing the video, but a lot of difficulty in actual implementation….god that was a hard one. Spa café coffee time! I love docking in Naples as you are so close to the city centre - no tender, no shuttle bus, you just have to walk off the ship and you are right there in the middle of the city. View from Oceanview or possibly the gym... We had booked a pizza workshop in Naples for 11am but I got an email during the night to say it had been moved to 1pm. So DM decided to skip the workshop as the heat in Naples around lunchtime would be too much for her (it was going to be >30 degrees). She was happy enough to hang out on the ship and enjoy some quiet time without her children taking photos continuously and telling her to ‘get out of the shot!’ But now DS and I had a dilemma – how to spend a morning in Naples? We had no time to go to Ischia (which we did the last time, loved, loved, loved it!), or Pompeii (which we did on another trip), or Capri (ditto), or Amalfi coast (double ditto). Ischia (on a previous (non X- don’t kill us-cruise…2017) We decided that food might help us make a decision. So we headed up to Oceanview to deliberate (and eat). I had a banana and some pineapple, and what looks like yoghurt and granola, and some pastries. I’m sure coffee was involved. Breakfast DS and I are always drawn to the underground, but so is everyone else apparently so all the tickets for the Catacombs that morning were booked out. Instead, we decided to wander through Naples old town with the intention of ending up at Santa Chiara Complesso Mounumentale. Google don’t let us down! Our walk through Naples The cheapest Aperol Spritz ever! No DS keep walking…. Santa Chiara Complesso Mounumentale is a religious site in the centre of Naples which has fantastic cloisters and archeologically museum. Such a peaceful retreat in a busy, noisy, hot city. It is filled with lemon, orange and olive trees and colourful frescos. Plus its only €6 entry and they have toilets (free ones!). Nope, not a building site, ancient baths Feeling suitably pious after our visit to the cloisters, we stopped by a bar on the way to the pizza workshop as we were still way too early. We didn’t mean to drink anything alcoholic or eat any food…but it’s so hot and I mean, how was I to know a Napolitana spritz contains alcohol?? The waiter said the ingredients were a secret….this was a strong secret! On the plus side he gave us loads of snacks to snack on and line our stomachs. It was the cheapest spritz in the history of spritz (ok more expensive than the €3.00 one we saw earlier, but still only ~€6-7). We were very happy. Just the one mind you. Spritz All the snacks! On our way to the workshop We had to meet for our pizza workshop at a shop close to the port. There are loads of these types of workshop/tours available in Naples, with average prices ranging from €50-80, however we had found one for €15 on AirBnB Experiences which seemed to promise exactly the same content as all the others, so we went for it….sure what’s the worst thing that could happen??? Nothing, it would turn out, it was excellent value! There was already a big crowd waiting when we arrived as the morning class (which was cancelled) and the lunchtime class had been merged into one. But once we got to the restaurant (just a few mins walk up the road) they split us into two groups which worked out really well. The class took place upstairs in a modern pizzeria. The workshop space We started off by learning how to make the dough - floor, water, yeast, salt and lots of kneading, lots of kneading…adding more and more flour as you go…this is hard work… Kneading Ok time for a break, that was genuinely tiring. We were invited to sit and share some anti-pasta (bruschetta and arancini with a glass a prosecco). Thank you very much. Tasty. Bruschetta Arancini Ok, break over, back to the pizza making quick smart! The dough can take up to 12-18 hours to proof (depending on the temperature), so obviously we didn’t use the dough we had just prepared to make the pizza (just as well perhaps…). Instead, he gave us dough they had made earlier (i.e. made by a professional chef, not our attempts). We learned how to stretch out and shape the dough, which is harder than it looks. Then the instructor (who was not one to joke with by the way, to the detriment of one of the other students who got a stern telling off!), gave us tomato sauce, burrata and basil as toppings. Then we headed down to the pizza oven downstairs to cook. It literally takes 2-3mins! We even got to take it out of the oven. Roll it there Roisin! Ready for the oven Fingers crossed The final product! I was pretty impressed with how mine turned out, the instructor even complimented me on my crust (!). They offered us a drink (wine or beer) while we ate our the pizza. I could only eat half of it after all those snacks earlier. The instructor/chef sat with us while we were eating and talked about the history of pizza, he also wrote out the instructions for making pizza at home and he gave us a certificate. It really is excellent value, I would definitely recommend. How to make pizza at home So proud, tops my PhD! It was a short and sweaty walk back to the ship, and coupled with all the food (and ahem the drinks…), we were ready for a lie down. But some jobs to do first - pick up a present for my DH (a University of Naples t-shirt to add to his collection from my many travels) and some cash for a tip for Munir, our cabin attendant…as the cruise is nearing to an end….sob…. As I said, it was very hot and very sweaty today You can even see Mount Vesuvius from the ship We got back to the ship at about 4pm and headed straight to the cabin to see how DM had spent her day…and to enjoy the air conditioning. She was fine, think she’s on her third book of the cruise at this point Feeling suitable refreshed, I went down (sorry up) to the solarium as per my afternoon routine. It was a relatively short ‘relax’ today as I was back in the cabin by 7pm to watch our sail-away from Naples with views of Vesuvius in the distance. Goodbye Naples DM went for an early dinner in Oceanview and DS wasn’t hungry at all that pizza, so it would be a late dinner solo tonight (I can always eat). But first we collectively went to the Arte show in the theatre at 7.30pm. There was singing, there was dancing, there was acrobatics, it was entertaining, albeit a bit loud, but maybe that’s just me. Arte OK time to experience dining solo on Beyond. I have gone on one cruise by myself, just a 2/3 day trip from Southampton to Hamburg on the Queen Mary II, and I am very used to travelling on my own for work (pre C19), so eating alone is not a problem for me. But where would I go?? I could have gone to any of the 4 main restaurants, but I decided on Tuscan. Why? There is no why. “Table for one” said I, “just for one” said she, “yes just for one” said I. Once seated, “will you be dining along this evening?” said she, “yes, just me” said I. And again, “dining alone this evening?” said he, “yep, you guessed it” said I. I get the message, I am a loser with no friends! I was asked 3 times in less than 5 minutes! But I had my kindle for company, and I was seated next to a lovely couple from Liverpool who were doing a back-to-back cruise and we talked for a while over dinner. Table for one I wasn’t too hungry I so kept it simple - pumpkin salad to start, followed by salmon and vegetables. The sommelier came absolutely nowhere near me, dining alone is like being completely visible and invisible at the same time. When my salad arrived I asked my waiter for a glass of white wine to accompany it and she was shocked that the sommelier had not served me – she said it must be because there was no-one in the seat opposite me. Gosh, I really do need that glass of wine now! My lesson from dining alone (at least in Tuscan) – you are definitely made to feel like you are dining alone, but people will be very friendly so you won’t be lonely. But it did made me question whether I really want to go on my planned world cruise alone….won’t be for many years yet though. Salad Salmon I wasn’t planning on having dessert as I couldn’t even finish my salmon, but when I spied tiramisu on the menu…first time all cruise….I couldn’t resist (good thing DM wasn’t there - no dessert without eating all your dinner flashbacks came to mind). It was very good, I finished it all. Tiramisu Back in the cabin, DS and DM were enjoying the balcony, well actually, they were trying to solve the daily Wordle, but it was defeating them. We watched the remainder of House of Gucci and went to bed. Our last day full tomorrow!

Day 7 – Civitavecchia, Rome, Italy (Middle of..kinda) The best sleep yet! Must have been all that relaxing yesterday. We had already docked in Civitavecchia by the time I went to the gym, but still the 4G signal on my phone was really low so I couldn’t follow my planned upper body conditioning set….is this a sign….should I just head back to bed….no…I shall improvise! I tried to remember as many upper body exercises as I could, but it certainly wasn’t as efficient as following Alice. Why didn’t you use the ship’s wifi you say! Laugh out loud I say. You can forget about trying to watch a video using the ship’s basic wifi – it basically allows you to send a WhatsApp, and maybe read some emails, but that’s it. My DH would never survive….an upgrade would be required for sure. We have been in Rome multiple times before for cruises, conferences, weddings, weekends away etc., so we didn’t feel any need to go into Rome today…plus it’s a public holiday and the Pope is giving a special mass so the city is likely to be mobbed. Instead, we planned a bit of a random walk around Civitavecchia and a semi-ship day. Sorry if anyone is here looking for tips on Rome…I have written about it in one of my previous reviews….I’ll try to find it….ok I can’t find…but I have found the key pieces of info – where should you eat!!!! · La Tavernetta (for lunch) · Renato e Luisa (for dinner) · Gelateria del Teatro or Gelateria Delle Palme (for ice-cream or giant lollipops with pictures of Pope Francis on them) · Albergo Cesari (hotel for pre/post cruise) · An early morning coffee on the roof of St. Peters before the crowd arrives (who knew there was a coffee shop overlooking the entire Vatican!) View from St. Peters Coffee at the top! (at ~8am, no crowds) Ok back to the present. A leisurely breakfast in Cosmopolitan was called for (and leisurely it was, especially compared to our previous days in Cosmo – it was busy!). I got water, coffee, grapefruit juice, all the liquids covered so, accompanied by Greek yogurt and pears (why not?) and 2 poached eggs and wholemeal toast, possible a pastry snuck in there too…well if you offer…rude to say no. Only managed to snap the yoghurt and pears for some reason…not the most photogenic, sorry Civitavecchia is not a tender port, but like La Spezia it is a commercial port, so we took the free shuttle bus to the port entrance. Most people were heading to the station to take the train to Rome, but we had other plans….possibly less interesting ones. Basically, we just walked around the town…passed by some churches, the fort, the local market, and the beach. We did have some vague plans to take a bus to Tarquinia which is close to Civi and has lots of Etruscan art, a necropolis, museums, and even a cathedral, but, it being a public holiday (perhaps), the bus wasn’t running, or if it was, there was like 1 a day, so we couldn’t go….not sure how disappointed DS and DM were really….being lovers of ruins and all…. A tower A building A market A fort Random, but very Italian Me! And me again! The walk didn’t take too long and by 12.30 we were back on the ship, after a very long wait for the shuttle bus. But DS made a friend while waiting: No idea where DS and DM disappeared to (hopefully not overboard…), but I wasn’t too concerned so I went to the hanging chairs in Eden to read for a while before meeting DS for lunch in Eden (she tracked me down). We had what had become our ‘usual’ – Roquefort salad, some sourdough, but today I mixed things up with a banana (the first one I have encountered on-board, but guess I wasn’t really looking but now they are everywhere!). As before, we ate outside in the shade. Lunch…variety is not the spice of life Service was very attentive, either the waiters were very bored today or they just wanted to get us out of there asap. I literally had to clasp my Heineken to my chest in fear of it being whipped away at any moment. We watched the washing of the windows. First outside. Then inside. New house has a lot of glass, I am taking notes. After lunch I headed to Café al Bacio for an americano and some chocolate cake that was enormous, truly enormous, so enormous that it would have been obscene to take a photo…I ate it instead. No evidence. Other cakes in Café al Bacio Where to next you may ask…well you guessed it, Solarium for reading, writing, listening, maybe talking if I must. The view The afternoon was spent pretty much in situ. I had a walk around jogging track at about 6pm before returning to the cabin to get ready for our earlier than normal dinner. Walk views We had a quick aperitif in the Sunset bar (Campari on ice, a rediscovered favourite), while taking some obligatory pre-dinner photos. The sunset bar DS rocking the Miami vice vibes DS trying to get me to do something more ‘interesting’….it didn’t work At 7pm we headed down to our reservation in Fine Cut. We managed to snag a window seat again, win! Inside Fine Cut Menu (again) DS and DM We saw the pilot again I had crab cake, 6oz fillet steak (the waiter tried to convince me to have 9oz, no way, have you seen the size of the ice-cream sundae in here! I got asparagus and fries as sides. So tasty! Steak cooked to perfection. I was way too full to have a real dessert, I had some ice-cream (as I said before, ice-cream doesn’t count right??) Crab cake Steak & all the sides Ice-cream & choc sauce No shows or dancing for us tonight, instead we have a movie night planned (House of Gucci – given we are in Italy and all). But first, we enjoyed an epic sunset from our balcony – the sunset veranda living up to its name! Stunning. Apologise in advance for all the photos…but look at that light!!!

Thanks Surfguy, much appreciated.

This is confusing me 🤷‍♀️.....

Day 6 – Ajaccio, Corsica (or maybe not) We woke up to lots of movement and noise, a storm had come! It was rainy and cloudy….hey I didn’t order this on my holiday! Ah well. DS accompanied me to the gym, and I did a warm-up on the treadmill followed by a 40min lower body conditioning set…it almost killed me. While we were up there, Captain Kate announced that we couldn’t yet dock in Ajaccio due to strong winds and she would provide us with an update in an hour. Everything is hanging in the balance! Pause for dramatic effect… As we went to Cosmo yesterday, it was Oceanview time today. It was the busiest I had seen it, I guess because no one has anywhere to go this morning. I asked for some Greek yoghurt (just on the off-chance) and indeed they had it behind the counter - ask and you shall receive! I had it with some oats and strawberries, followed by a hard-boiled egg and bread, and what looks like chocolate brioche. And coffee, always coffee. Breakfast The weather was deteriorating, so Captain Kate made an announcement that today would be a seaday after all. This was not a problem for us as we had already planned to treat today as an unofficial sea day. This is such a port intensive cruise and we wanted at least 2 days onboard to just chill out, so we were happy enough with the outcome. Plus, we have been to Corsica before, and have seen everything we want to see. So what did we do all day….well not a lot, so this will be a short report! I will therefore take this opportunity to show you some general photos of the ship. They left a part of the hull unadorned, so you can see the workings behind…pretty cool Nice seating areas The ‘chandelier’ in the grand plaza- not a fan, give me a real one (anyone??) Martini bar Café al Bacio- We were here a lot A shop Art? I basically spent the day in the solarium. I read (& finished) my book, slept, listened to music, wrote, swam, and repeat. We went to Eden for lunch (people have finally discovered this place, its busy today!). I had the gorgonzola salad (again), although the gorgonzola was MIA. This was accompanied with some nice bread and a glass of Riesling. Today, we took it outside on deck. It’s a nice quiet outdoor place on deck. Lunch Lunch view We had booked the Rooftop Grill for dinner tomorrow night, but after looking at the menu on the App, it just doesn’t compare to the other speciality restaurants, so we wanted to change it. I had no success changing the reservation on the App, so after lunch we went to see a real human person in Guest Relations (first time there, no queues like on previous cruises). We tried to book Eden but it was completely booked up for the remainder of the cruise, so we switched it to Fine Cut instead. We also managed to procure some Celebrity playing cards so no more hiding our HAL ones! Feeling lethargic and with a minimal step count today, I decided to rouse myself from the solarium and went for 5km run in the gym (on the treadmill), then back to the lounger for some more lounging until about 7. DS did this I did this On this However, I possibly had a post run prosecco….no photographic evidence of that though… Dinner tonight was to be in Cyprus and that ticks off all 4 of the main dining rooms for us. No pre-dinner drinks tonight…what is wrong with us, its either go, go, go or nothing. But we did get some obligatory pre-dinner photo shots in. From the back, just to mix it up Cyprus was busy and service was slow (the first time all cruise really), perhaps because we were earlier for dinner than usual. Cyprus Nice decor Menu (some of) Everyone is smiley tonight Being in a Greek ‘themed’ restaurant DS and I went with the Greek dishes - we shared a mezze board and hot cheese saganki, then I had lobster tail (here I departed from the Greek theme). The lobster tail was served with broccoli (yay) and rice (less yay, so I ordered a side of fries. None of the speciality desserts appealed so I had the always on apple pie (very good). Had one glass of Riesling and a glass of chardonnay over dinner. Starters Main Dessert It was about 9pm at this point and I was ready for bed, but DS and DM had other plans – first off was a pub quiz in The Club. We got 12/18, not so good! Pub quiz…an easy one Next up we went to see/hear CeCe Teneal who was doing a tribute to Aretha Franklin in the theatre. She was great, amazing voice, very enjoyable, glad they made me go. But, bed now??? CeCe in the theatre No apparently not, Now we were going to see ‘Paradise’ in Eden at 10.45 (!) , so late, I got a limoncello to sustain me. The performance involved singing, dancing, acrobatics, and even painting (bit random). I am glad they persuaded me to stay up, as it was something different that I haven’t seen on a ship before. Paradise OK bed now, please!!

My brother does a cappucino index (to measure cost of living) whenever he travels, maybe I could start a toliet index!

Hi Peanut We had a 5-day dining package which was about €169 each I think, so I am not sure what Voyage costs on its own.

Day 5 - Part 2 - Back to the ship Short recap, its day 5 and we are in Corniglia in the Cinque Terre. It was at this point we decided to head back to the ship and skip the other two villages. It was only 2.30 but we still had multiple forms of transport to take to get back to the ship…first, the bus down to the train station, then, the train to La Spezia, then, the bus to the port entrance, and then, the shuttle bus to the ship….we got back just before 4pm, so it was a good idea we skipped the last two! Love the look of the port building in La Spezia It was so hot, so hot…the bus to the port almost killed us. An iced-americano from Café al Bacio was much needed. Feeling suitably cooled down and at the same time perked up from the caffeine I went to my daily afternoon slot in the Solarium. No ticket required. I spend a couple of hours watching containers being loaded onto the ship opposite, very meditative. Takes so much precision to move these things, fun to watch if that’s your kinda thing I had a great spot in the solarium - if I stretched enough I could see (maybe Captain Kate) push off from the dock and leave the harbour. Time for a poolside prosecco methinks. Off we go! We were planning to go to the Elements show in the theatre at 7.30, but the cruise director made an announcement that due to technical difficulties with rehearsals there would only be one show tonight at 9pm, which would be smack bang in the middle of our dinner in Le Voyage, so unfortunately we missed it. So instead of rushing back to get ready, I had more time to enjoy the view. View I headed back to the cabin at 7 to get ready for dinner. Finally, we got back to the obligatory pre-dinner outfit shots - we finally figured out how to get out on deck again! Best bet is to exit near Eden, which involves walking through here: An art installation The area outside Eden is lovely, very colourful. DS looking fine tonight Me a bit tired to be honest Next up, a quick game of cards (using HAL cards, don’t tell anyone!) and a pre-dinner Campari on ice, in Eden. While listening to some music… DS and DM ready for play…who’s competitive…. My campari...oh and DS Time for our third speciality restaurant – in Le Voyage. Voyage Menu First impressions of Le Voyage – where are the windows??? how am I supposed to know I am on a ship??? Once I relaxed and got over the lack of windows, I appreciated the calm understated luxury of Le Voyage. Very different from the other restaurants onboard There are 2 dinner options - a 5 course tasting menu (which includes a supplement on top of the 5-day package) or a la carte. We went with a la carte. First though, they offered us a glass of champagne…yes thank you very much, nice touch. Real champagne! Then we had an amuse bouche (it involved scrambled egg and caviar, not a fan of either, so it wasn’t for me) and bread (fresh from the oven!), that was definitely for me. Amuse bouche (boo) Bread (yay) I had the crab salad to start (amazing and so pretty) but DM didn’t like her onion tart (as it had melted cheese), so I swapped with her, good daughter than I am. Crab salad (yay) DS also let me try her prawns (definitely the best dish of the night, great flavours of Thailand). Next up, five-spice duck for me (I really didn’t like it, but it was just a bad choice on my part, I didn’t like the flavour, nothing wrong with the dish itself). So glad I ordered a side of mixed vegetables though, they were the best side dish yet! Duck (boo) Veg (yay) For dessert, DS and I shared a deconstructed black forest gateaux and a millefeuille – both excellent – this was followed by madeleines fresh for the oven and some chocolates…we were so full we couldn’t finish these. Desserts (double yay) Overall, I would return to Le Voyage (which is just as well as we have it booked for the last day), but I would choose a different main course. Oh, I had a glass of Sancerre with dinner (just had to pay the difference in price from the classic package). After dinner we went back to the cabin to change into more comfortable shoes before doing 3 laps around the jogging track to digest. Much needed. Round and round we go We passed a Latin dancing class in the Rooftop Garden but didn’t join in, it was a long day, bed time. Dance class in action

Thanks Ryan. More to come, so hopefuly so more nuggets of info on the way!

I have no idea.

Thanks Hcat, The sun, the sea, the sky in this part of the world makes it very hard to take a bad photo (I have zero photo skills, but DS has a degree in photography so she has given me some tips over the years, plus she actual took some of the photos (credit to DS!). Cosmo did seem abit larger than Tuscan. But you are right about the tables, we always felt very far way from each other. Its weird why they are so big...social distancing perhaps! Good point, maybe I will write about the bus tickets on the port board. Thanks.

That's what I heard too.

If he asks the server at the cereal station in OV they will make him up a bowl....at least they did for me...but it wasn;t busy at the time.

The inspector had a card machine with him so there was no way to not pay...he said that if we dont pay not it would be something like €300 each back in our own country (which I didn't quite believe), but we just paid there on the spot. It was our mistake after all. I Google everything, I dont know why I didn't google this...I blame the heat....

Thanks Georges Gal. It was a long day so I decided to break it in two...and keep the suspense!

Thanks Thropup, I really appreciate the positive encouragement. The photos look better on my phone than when I upload them to CC though, so sorry the quality is not as sharp here for some reason.

Hi WorkerBee Glad I can be of help! I think you can buy the tickets in those tabac/newspaper type shops and grocery shops, but they might have them in the terminal building. I would recommend Corniglia for sure, and if its October, it dont be so hot...so you can take the steps 😄

Day 5 - La Spezia, Italy (North of…but more south…slightly) Part 1 – Day in Cinque Terre Yikees, I am sore today, that core session yesterday was a silent killer. But no gym this morning as we have a big day ahead of us exploring the Cinque Terre (or the 5 villages). It would be a long and hot day. That said, we still went for a leisurely breakfast in Cosmopolitan. Needed to fuel up. As it was still early, we were the only diners initially. Coffee, good; grapefruit juice, good; water, good (all this liquid could be a problem later, do I ever learn!). Empty Cosmo I asked for Greek yoghurt (instead of that substance they call yogurt in Oceanview) and they had actually some!!! Finally, some proper yoghurt. I also had granola….not proper granola, but 1 out of 2 ain’t bad. This was followed by French toast and bacon, unlike me, but see above. French toast (would recommend) We were off the boat by 8.30. La Spezia is not a tender port, but it is a commercial port so we took the free shuttle bus to the main terminal building. Then we had a choice - either walk the 2km to the train station or take a public bus - we opted for the bus as too much walking this early in the day might cost DM later…we don’t want to leave her half way up a mountain. But this, it would turn out, was a costly mistake…and we still don’t forgive her… I assumed we could buy tickets on the bus…this turns out not to be the case….we had cash in hand…but the driver was blocked off so we couldn’t pay him…and no-one else seemed to have tickets either….oh maybe the bus is free we thought (stupidly it turns out)… as luck would have it (or not) two ticket inspectors got on the bus demanding to see our tickets just before we were due to get off. I had the three €2 coins in my hand, but that was not good enough…it was so embarrassing, I am very law abiding normally. Apparently, we should have bought tickets in a shop (but what shop, no idea???) before we got on, so they fined us…fair enough, we were in the wrong, but at €35 each…€110 in total…it the most expensive 10min bus ride in history! Ah you live and learn. Note to self. Feeling suitably mortified and poor, we were not in a bad place when we got the train station. Hence, no photos of any of this part of the day. The queue for the Cinque Terre ticket was incredible long, but moving - €18.50pp gives you unlimited access to the trains and hiking trails in this natural reserve. If you are over 70 (DM!) its, saving! By 10am we were on the train to Monterossa which is the village furthest from La Spezia - its takes about 45mins. We figured we would start there and work our way back to La Spezia. We planned on visiting all five villages if possible….we did 3 (not bad considering!). Once you factor in the time it takes to wait for each train, the time it takes to walk around each village, the time it takes to drink a prosecco, time just runs away. Plus, we are very risk adverse people and like to get back to the ship at least an hour or more before departure, so fitting in all 5 villages would have been ambitious in hindsight….maybe if we omitted the prosecco stops… We visited Monterosso, Vernazza, and Corniglia. In Monterosso we had prosecco; in Vernazza, ice cream and in Corniglia, pasta…..had we went on to Manarola and Riomaggiore who knows what we would have happened! First up Monterosso Monterossa has the best beaches. We should have brought our swimwear….it was hot hot hot today (>30 degrees) and we would have liked nothing more than to plunge into the clear blue sea….ah well, the plunge pool on Beyond will have to do on return. Lovely beaches With lots of shade Pretty, but small, village Yes it is too early for prosecco, but who will know(!) Next up Vernazza, which was really busy, it seems to be one of the most popular villages. Despite numerous trips to this part of Italy it was my first time to go to the Cinque Terre - sure they are really touristy, but I guess they are touristy for a reason – 10km of beautiful coastline with 5 pretty villages, and lots of hiking trails, what’s not to like?? Had we stayed in the area on a land trip I would definitely go hiking from village to village over the mountains. Trying to find shade while waiting for the train Vernazza We took some shade in the church We ate some ice-cream We got the ice-cream here We took a photo of DS in her Cinque Terre shirt! And one of me ...not wearing the shirt and I dont look happy about it And we wandered around Next up, Corniglia. We liked Corniglia the best, but note that this village is up on a hill so you can either walk the 350+ steps or take the bus from the train station (we took the bus, the hottest, sweatiest bus trip ever). The views from the top were were beautiful. I match! The town itself We decided to have lunch in Corniglia. I did a quick Google of best places to eat in Corniglia and found A Cantina de Mananan – so be it! Lucky for us they had a table available (plus it has air con!). Overall, it has a nice vibe, simple food, but fine for lunch. The restaurant I had ravioli What did I say??? Nothing…said DS…she just cant comprehend how many photos we take Oh, no, all good I will finish Day 5 tomorrow, DS got me tickets to see David Sedaris in the National Concert Hall tonight. Better go.

Ha, I am all about the bread, and extra bread, please, plus extra veg! While on holiday and all. I didn't know Elite could go to Tuscan for breakfast...I need to go on more Celebrity cruises to get those points up!

I wonder if we have it in Ireland, will check, we have mostly the same as the Uk channels (at least pre Brexit!). I have never seen the Edge, despite living in Dublin, but I have dined 'with' Bono twice, well not quite 'with' exactly but I have been in the same restaurant as him twice (different restaurant). Once he was with Bob Geldolf, Dublin is a small city!

My mistake Covepoint, I should have said first female US captain of a major cruise ship. Duly noted.

Very true!

Hi MJ, I really like the Hopper design, but I understand that it may not be to everyone's taste. There were lots of comfortable seating...if you can avoid the swinging chairs! I haven't been on Edge so I am not sure what Eden is like there, but on Beyond the 'different' entertainment was on at 10.45 at night so its easy to just have a nice lunch or dinner there without any entertainment. When we went for dinner they was some nice live background music, but it wasn't too loud or anything like that. I have never heard of Hotel Portofino, but I love shows like that, I am off to hunt it down now!

Day 4 Santa Margherita, Italy (North) I had a pretty good sleep, no banshees or fridges tonight thankfully. I went to the gym about 7am, but just for a short 30min core session (with Zoe, not Alice!) and some time on the rowing machine….which confirmed to me, yep, still don’t like the rowing machine. I took the spa stairs down to the spa café for my morning coffee to go I was back in the cabin before 8 and somewhat unusually DS and DM were still in bed. While I slept well, DS and DM did not apparently! They got up and ready and we headed to Oceanview Café for breakfast for the first time. The things I do for research. So much effort! A went to a hundred stations just to get some granola (not like any granola I have had before), strawberries (from a tin perhaps?) and yoghurt (which tasted nothing like yoghurt), followed by some pineapple (which you guessed it, didn’t taste too much of pineapple either) and a mini pastry ( in fairness these are always good, mores the pity). And coffee, of course. Doesn’t look that impressive really Munir was still cleaning the cabin when we got back from breakfast, so we chilled out on the resort deck for a while. And took some photos (of course) Santa Margherita is a tender port. From here, I believe most people either go to the Cinque Terre or to Portofino. We had opted for Portofino as a) we never been there before and b) we planned on doing Cinque Terre from La Spezia tomorrow. Back to the cabin to drown myself in sunscream and then headed ashore. Tender to shore was swift and from there you can take a public bus from Santa Margarita to Portofino, but we had already decided to walk the 5km as its really scenic (hence the short gym session, all planned so course! Santa Margarita is very pretty too. You could definitely just stay here for abit and eat Italian food. Why didn’t we go that again??? No, we had to walk….but it was a fine walk. Some snaps from the walk The first 3.5km is very exposed, there is little or no shade at all, and it was very hot. DM was silently cursing me along the way. For the last 1.5km you can either walk through a forest, which provides a very welcome shade, but its very undulating, so it’s a trade-off. We went for the shade….DM is still cursing me as the buses speed on by (although less silently now). She is closer to 80 than 70 at this point, so fair enough. The walk is beautiful, it takes you right along the coast, past all these little coves and beaches filled with Italians enjoying Sunday morning by the sea. The sea looks so inviting, we were so hot, I would have jumped right in had I had the foresight to bring my bikini…my towel…my hairbrush etc etc.…ah maybe not. So inviting! Getting closer now It took us about 1.5hrs to reach Portofino, but we had lots of little rest stops on the way. Once there, an ice-cold drink was much needed. Portofino is super expensive, but that was hardly surprising; the mega yachts in the harbour provided a not so subtle hint. But at this point I would have sold DS for a cold drink and access to a bathroom (note there are public toilets further down on the dock for €1, but I wasn’t to know that at that stage). I’ve got to stop drinking so much coffee in the morning. Beautiful harbour There are lots of bars/restaurants along the harbour but we walked up the main street to find somewhere. We found a seat in the shade at a pizzeria and ordered orange juice, small beer, and an apple pastry to share. We cooled down and watched the world (well the tourists) go by. DM looking very hot One of the main sights in Portofino (apart from the very pretty village/harbour) is Castello Brown which is on a hill/cliff right next to the town. DM took one look up and said ‘I’ll leave you to it so”. So we paid the €5 entrance fee and climbed and climbed until we were rewarded with amazing views and access to the castle itself (which is more a villa than a castle). There are a few rooms which you can visit in the villa, but its all about the views I think. We came down a different way than we went up but didn’t get too lost…. Views from the top I am glad we persevered, but I am also glad DM did not, it might have killed her. She was happy to sit in the shade at the dock watching kids and dogs play in the water alongside the super yachts. We were back down in about 35 minutes. We toyed with the idea of having lunch in Portofino (pizza is cheap!) but decided instead to head back to the ship. There was a boat going back from Portofino to Santa Margareta on the hour every hour but we just missed it, so we took the bus (which appeared to be free…..maybe because it’s a Sunday or maybe we inadvertently fare hopped without knowing it(!). No-one else seemed to be paying. The bus runs every 15 minutes but we just missed one, so we went into the church for some refuge from the heat. The bus only took about 15 minutes….a much faster option than walking if time isn’t on your side. There was a massive queue for the tender back but it moved quickly and we really appreciated the iced towels for once…. I am dying in this heat! Back to the ship please! Did someone mention lunch again? It was 2.20 when we got back, limited lunch options so, but just in time for a quick dash to Oceanview Cafe before it closes at 2.30…others had a same idea it seems. We took the lift from deck 2 and 14 (normally we take the stairs but that’s a long way after our walk in the sun!). Everyone in the lift was wearing a mask and one lady got on and asked ‘why is everyone wearing a mask?’…emmmmm well you know, small spaces and all that… Overall there is very little mask wearing among passengers, but all staff are wearing them. I have been wearing one when in confined spaces with lots of people around, for example, in the lift, on the tender, on public transport etc. For lunch I had salad (loads of leaves please, more, and some more, thanks), chicken salad, bread and a glass of wine white. I shared a little coffee cake with DM which put me in the mood for a proper coffee – I got one to go from the mini Café al Baccio. Salad….again Pool time! I have a blog post to write. Back to my usual spot in the solarium, god its hot in here today and the busiest I have seen it (which in fairness is still not very busy at all). DS cooling down I typed, listened to some music and generally relaxed. I waivered about whether to go to a stretch class in the gym at 5pm. This morning’s core workout is going to hurt tomorrow, I can feel it already, ah I better go….quick dash back to cabin to change into more suitable attire. When I arrived at the studio in the gym I was the only person there….perhaps I had the wrong time, the wrong day, arghhh that was a very long walk for nothing. Suddenly, the PT, realising that someone actually wants to do the class, appears. She seems happy enough to do the class just for me which is pretty nice of her (someone else joined a little later), but how good is it to have an almost personal class for free! You have to pay for most of the other workout classes such as F45, but I’m not that type of masochist (or should I say I am not that type of masochist anymore, I only ever did 45 in Australia while on sabbatical and something weird came over me like being an outdoorsy workout fiend). Not here. The class was good and stretchy. Now back to the solarium for me. And relax I listened to Captain Kate’s daily update. She said we would be sailing to La Spezia so slowly that one could swim faster (but she wouldn’t recommend it). I headed back to the cabin to change for an earlyish dinner. No obligatory pre-dinner outfit shots or drinks today, what’s wrong with us??? We went to Tuscan for dinner and got a lovely window seat. Tuscan Menu Me & window seat I like the style in there, lots of black, lots of art, including a poem on the ceiling for some reason. Not exactly Italian style but I like it. I went with the Tuscan specials – eggplant caponata bruschetta (excellent), and a pasta dish with mushroom and goats cheese (pretty good) (although the goats cheese was somewhat MIA), and a coffee custard dessert (not good, not good at all, what was I thinking of - my own fault for choosing something called blue mountain coffee custard pot, what did I expect!). Afterwards we went up to the ice-cream place outside Oceanview and I got a cone instead. Bruschetta Pasta And extra veg of course No, I cant even look at it We were back in the cabin by 9(!)….it was our first early night….much needed after all our excursions of the last few days. Big trip to Cinque Terre tomorrow!!!!

Oh RTR, you are in for a treat if its your first Celebrity cruise and on Beyond. You will have a fab time!