Falmouth, England

Hello from Falmouth! Well, not exactly. When we were here two months ago we arrived to this:

June 11

Early this morning I heard the fog horn blaring so I almost expected to see the same view. Then when the ship's thrusters/engines kept running even after we anchored offshore I thought we would see the same foggy view.  I found out they were needed to keep the ship in place while we were tendering.

But we had blue sky. And wind. And sailboats!

We had to take a very bumpy, very long 30 minute tender ride (each way!) to get to shore in Falmouth. After talking with some crew members we all decided to stay onboard the ship. It wound up being a great decision. I was able to sit on the balcony in the sunshine watching the sailboats.

Until I couldn't. 

By midmorning the clouds had moved back in.

Followed shortly by the fog.

Once in a while I could see a few more boats here and there.

But by afternoon it was nothing but pea soup. I could occasionally hear people on the sailboats but couldn't see them. Just a sea of voices.

The Falmouth harbor cam showed things were similar onshore.

By the crowds left here onboard it looked like I wasn't the only one who made the decision to stay put. 

At the end of the day our location (according to marinetraffic.com) looked like this. Can you imagine the ship and tender operations without using thrusters/engines?

Crossing my fingers for better weather tomorrow when we're in Cobh, Ireland. See you then!

Southampton Turnaround and a New Cruise

Hello from Southampton! Here at 8 PM I just realized I didn't even take a picture of port today.

I DID take a photo of the White Cliffs of Dover last night. Thankfully the rain stopped just long enough for me to finally get a picture.

I DID take a picture of the bunkering barge as it was getting ready to pull up alongside the ship this morning.

I DID take a picture of the laundry room where I spent some time getting everything I owned washed.

I DID take a picture of the Internet cafe where I printed off some important papers.

I DID take a picture from inside the glass elevator when the ship was empty.

I DID take a picture of a beverage I made (and consumed) while sitting on the sunny balcony.

I DID take a picture of the new Bayou Cafe menu. It's similar to Crown Grill but they're still calling it the Bayou Cafe.

I did NOT take a picture of my dinner because it was a flop. My split and grilled with garlic lobster tail was not split - and not cooked. Like raw. Thank goodness for a tiny baked potato or I would have gone hungry. And thank goodness it was a complimentary dinner anyway because there is no way I would pay $39 for that. It was their first night with the new menu and I heard the cooks were struggling with it. Yep, I can confirm.

I DID take a picture of my view at dinner. 

So, where are we going this cruise? Greenland, I'm finally coming for you!

But first, tomorrow we're in Falmouth, England. See you then!