ollienbertsmum

I have done everything as a part time student. I have continued my day job. All my learning has been directed at learning how to do my day job better. I started my Masters when I was 48 yrs. All the other students on that course were at a similar point in their careers. It was however quite mature compared to your 30 years- you would have been the baby in the class. My phd was also part time, I came across to Sheffield a couple of times a year. At the beginning, sitting in the library felt awkward, especially the very first day when I was sitting in front of a library computer and could not see how to turn it on. I had been using computers for years but not this model. I had to sit for ages making paper notes before someone opposite came and pushed a button at the side. I know the meaning of ‘Imposter syndrome’. I felt old enough to be the granny of everyone around me. I have however learnt that this does not matter. There is nothing wrong with Granny power.

I have come back from a family meal to so many lovely messages. Thank you all. I have never been much for ceremony, I only went through this for my elderly parents’ sake, but wearing that red gown has made me feel quite proud. My degree is in ‘Human Communication Sciences’, by profession I was a speech and language therapist (speech pathologist in US). My study was about how professionals support parents of children with speech difficulties in carrying out their speech homework. Doing a full time job at the same time was hard. The pandemic slowed things down. I started in May 2013 but did not submit my thesis until October 2021 by which time I was 62 yrs. Pre pandemic I think it was cruises that kept me going. I was working so hard but always had a cruise to look forward to. We have our first post-covid cruise in May. Just a five day Croatia and Slovenia, but it is a cruise. 😀😀😀

Finally had my graduation. Got to wear my red gown, I had it on through lunch and got quite attached to it. It feels strange that this is really the end of me coming to Sheffield University, I have been a part time student and the whole journey from application to graduation has been ten years ,! ! I don’t share many photos but I am sharing today’s.

Not sure where it would come from but I like it. Assuming that it is washable it would be useful on a dining table with dips, olives or something similar. I am on a quest to get rid of all of this sort of ‘stuff’ in my home. I am fed up of cleaning around junk. It is such a slow process though because we have lived in the same flat since 1988. Moving house is the best motivation.

Wishing Sarah a resolution to her back problems. I had never realised that epilepsy could have that sort of complication.

Gibraltar is just one country and it is British. The small isthmus on which Gibraltar is situated has a land frontier with Spain which you can cross with a passport. Once over the border you are in the Spanish town of La Linea. This has nothing to do with the alcohol issue on NCL ships which seems to be due to the company not doing the necessary paperwork to legally sell alcohol.

That is a good way to take care of your body. Might try and do the same once January is over.

Oh that is cruel, I was taken in. I am doing Dry January. I have seen that there are dry versions of all sorts of drinks but not this sort! I am not finding it hard this year. Having retired I do not come home from work and feel that I need to reward myself with a glass of wine. Ten days in I am thinking ‘really???’. Retirement is better for work stress than alcohol. Not sure how Friday will go. I am finally doing my in-person graduation at Sheffield University. Not sure if i will feel cheated when the rest of the family are drinking. I may well have a glass of Prosecco - and then keep going till 2nd Feb.

When we went to Livorno we have 1. Been on RCL ship and gone on the cruise ship ‘Florence on your own’. We are big DIY fans, but getting to the train station put me off. I was happy with the outcome. 2. Taken the ship tour to Cinque Terre 3. Taken a private car to a wine tasting that included a quite trip up the leaning Tower. That was the best option but I cannot justify the expense when it is just DH and I. 4. We have taken the shuttle (twice) to the train station to visit Pisa and Lucca. That was with NCL and works well. 5. We have taken the shuttle into Livorno and walked around (and it was a nice day out). I have never taken a taxi from Livorno to the train station. Just seems too much effort when NCL offers the shuttle. If we go again I am not sure what I would do.

You can be prevented from leaving until all the ship paperwork has been completed. All being well your timing will work though. There will be lots of people wanting to leave at 8 am, I would be looking to leave earlier.

Absolutely get how you feel. I would say that “where would you like me to leave your reviews?” but give the tip saying “have yourselves a couple of beers on me”. After 3 days I think I would be giving about 50 euro each.

As a European, I would still tip. In your case you are getting quite a lot of service. I would give the driver and guide the same - I think I would give ten euro each day. Perhaps 20 on the longest day. It is a tip not a salary.

I have stayed in different parts of Barcelona and never been unhappy, but we stayed in that area on our last two trips and felt it was a good choice. Lots of walking is the best way to go! I am a big fan of Rick Steves audio tours. Have done a few on my travels. You have two on your doorstep. https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/audio/audio-tours August will be hot though so get out early or go late afternoon. Get yourself to the beach in the middle of the day.

Lucca is a great choice for a short stop. I really enjoyed walking the walls.

I think everybody has a different ability to sleep in a plane. I have tried numerous ways, even with over the counter meds. Nothing has given me more than fitful sleep. It seems that around me everyone is getting their full 8 hours. I too would avoid a power nap (which I will have when at home when predicting a late night out). I do an early dinner and waking adjusting to the new schedule. I do like Cruisemom’s suggestion of changing your sleep pattern prior to your trip.

Another fan of smelling the roses. For example one of my best memories of Marseille was of a day wandering down from the Notre Dame De la Gard and passing a cooking utensil shop. We spent ages in there. My best purchase was a device for pricking egg shells before boiling. Who would have thought such things exist. I use it weekly and always recall my trip to Marseille when I pick it up. Although we usually plan to get back to the ship to eat a late lunch, some of the meals ashore have included “pinch me” moments when you cannot believe you are eating in special places. To add to Hank’s conversation about rushing around - I have to add DH’s photography skills in Avignon. He is a retired history teacher but his interest tends to be military history. So I was standing sur le pont d’Avignon along with many other tourists. I asked him to take a photograph for me. Only later did I look at it and see that he had only included the complete arches. DH had missed the brief about the bridge collapsing. I really do feel that I need to do a land tour in Provence. There are too many wonderful places that I have not yet seen in my few port stop hours.

On the 8 Med cruises I have been on the only port i have visited that was clearly selling wine well to cruise passengers was Corsica. When I asked why, i was told that it is hard to get Corsican wine outside Corsica so tourists buy it when visiting. We have done the same in Tuscany when we have bought vin santo which is not readily available at home. I do think buying champagne in Cannes sounds somewhat fun though. https://www.nicolas.com/fr/Champagnes/Champagnes/Champagne-Brut/c/020102/ This is a website for a wine shop in Cannes (just picked it out from Google) so you can compare prices. This would not be duty free. The prices are pretty similar to what I would pay in a supermarket. I reckon the own brand could be worth a taste. I am usually happy with Prosecco, until you put a glass of champagne beside - then I will tell you exactly which I like best. Not sure what ship you are on, most will not allow you to consume your own alcohol on board. We have occasionally brought wines at port and they have delivered to cabin on the last night. They have not always made it off the ship LOL. If you were thinking of taking it home, it would probably only make sense if you are traveling home by car or train. If flying you would have to put any bottles in the hold. I have a friend who did that once with a red wine. Not a nice outcome. If you have a post cruise trip planned it could be a nice treat on your hotel balcony. At least with sparkling wines you don’t have to seek out a corkscrew!

So I am excited for you. Three weeks of cruising wow. But what is Buc Ees?

This short video should help. It is worth visiting at least one, but they are expensive (everything is these days) so I would choose wisely. I went to Casa Batllo with youngest on the morning before we boarded our cruise. We would not have had the time or inclination to then go on to visit La Pedrera on the same morning.

For any of the flights i have made within the EU the time I arrive depends on whether or not I have checked in/have luggage to check. I regularly fly from Malaga. Before you board the plane (in the departure lounge), there is a passport check. There are two queues EU and ‘rest of the world’. At that point, If you are flying outside the Schengen region your passport is stamped to say that you are leaving. If you are staying within the region you will continue clocking up your days. Whether you are a citizen of US, South Korea, UK, etc etc I cannot see a difference. Two hours would be plenty especially without checked luggage. maybe Barcelona is different to Malaga.

Visiting Main Street after your day in Spain sounds like a good plan. It would work best if you could be dropped off at the Market Place or as John Bull says, by Trafalgar Cemetery (actually nice for a short visit). The only taxi issue for me would be if you are on a big ship and all the taxis are focused on giving rock tours or working as shuttles to and from the ship. You would see that on the day and turn back sooner. It is all flat and so an easy walk. An anecdote about the taxi shuttles … I used to half to walk past the shuttle queue from time to time. I used to think how ridiculous it was (about $2 per person I think) when it was such a short walk. One day there was a really long queue and it was hot. I really felt sorry for those in the queue. I stopped the person at the end, who looked well capable of walking. I said that the port was really near, they would be back at the ship sooner by walking. I got blanked in a way that meant this person clearly thought I was trying a scam of some sort. I gave up trying to be helpful to tourists who could not be bothered to consult Google maps. I hope that you have another nice day in Gibraltar.

Where did you hear that?

Pound sterling is used in Gibraltar. You can pay with your UK bank card - I have lived here for 40 years and use my UK bank card for most purchases. You may wish to pay with notes. If you do you can ask for sterling change. Shopkeepers and taxi drivers understand that you don’t want Gibraltar notes. We do the same when traveling to UK. It would be mean to knowingly tip someone using a currency that they cannot easily exchange. I hope that it was accidental. You do not have to use Euro in Gibraltar. A shop would accept them, most shops would accept dollars, dirham and Swiss Francs !! Tbh . However you would get an unfavorable exchange rate given that the shop is going to have to go to the trouble of changing it into sterling.

On a good day you have enough time. Skip the breakfast buffet, self disembark and be one of the first off the ship - you could be at the airport before 8 am. On a day like Dancer Bob’s, or the one where we got in late because we picked up a boat of migrants, it might not be enough time. How much of an issue would missing your flight be? If it would cost me stress and money I would enjoy another day in Barcelona.

I had this dilemma for my upcoming Cruise in May. I just panicked about getting to the airport in time using a transfer and booked a 7 pm flight back to Malaga. Thinking about it I think it was a rubbish decision, but there were lunchtime flights and i hate worrying about missing my flight (even though it is only a 2 hour flight and both of us are retired so no worries about getting back to work). I now have far too much time to get straight to the airport and not a lot of time to do anything significant in Venice. Given that DH moans when the flights are not direct, I doubt that I will choose another cruise departing from Venice!!