Spain via cruise days -1 to 3

On board our ship, The Balmoral

A relaxing start on Tuesday found us on a lunchtime train to New Street where we treated ourselves to a pasty from the pasty shop (well a super large one between us) before boarding our train to Southampton. 

We arrived just before 17.00 walked to the Ibis budget, which was very budget, but it is only a bed for the night, with a continental breakfast, which is fine as we'll be onboard by lunchtime.

Jackie with Paddington Bear in Southampton

We had a little walk around Southampton before a drink and crossword to fill in time before we could reasonably go to dinner. I'd found a Thai restaurant online which had some great reviews. By the time we got back it was rammed with only one table available. That was fine, we only wanted one! We can thoroughly recommend Thaikun Thai for the great food and lovely service.

The town gate into Southampton old town

Wednesday morning was spent searching the charity shops of Southampton for a book Elizabeth has a yen to re-read. No joy, but amazingly it was one of the two John Grisham Waterstones had in stock! 

Oh no! Jackie's only just onboard and has started on the alcohol already!

To the cruise port to collect luggage labels. We booked so late they hadn't had time to send them. Embarkation was still very smooth with just a short wait to be allowed onboard. Lunch and unpack before going to the pool deck for the sail away party. The only table we could find was right by where they were creating the sangria and woowoo cocktails. That's a shame! These seemed to be very generously mixed and a good start to the trip. Along with the canapes, hurrah.

Our inside cabin for 8 days. We don't have a window but, the solution is to turn on the TV where they have a bridge cam looking out front. We can watch sunrise!

Two sea days followed, which I like, though I'm not sure everyone did, the Bay of Biscay was a little lumpy for some. Some relaxing, lectures, dancing, eating,  drinking and the captain's welcome party and formal night. We came joint first in one of the quizzes, but lost in the tie breaker with the height of the Eiffel tower. A circuits class in the gym yesterday was jolly hard work which makes us feel better about the eating and drinking.

Teddy has been looked after exceptionally well - a chocolate each night!

Saturday Vigo

Crew readying the ship for our arrival in Vigo

A port we'd never even heard of, on the NW coast of Spain. The largest city in Gallicia. Lovely weather and a scenic city with lots of history from sunken treasure to Jules Verne and Earnest Hemmingway. 

Our first proper view of our ship in beautiful sunshine

We disembarked and obviously had to walk to the highest point the Fort of Santa Maria of Castro. Half way up (we went via another little castle, so not the direct route) we came upon travellator running up the centre of the pavement. You don't see that every day! 

View from the castle halfway up

When we returned to the Old town we saw the escalators running up the centre of the old cobbled streets. Looks odd, but makes perfect sense. We got to the Fort before the crowds which was good before making our way back down to the meeting place of our free walking tour.

We decided to use the moving walkways up this part of the hill climb

We like the Guru walks, led by a local who you pay what you think they were worth. We found ourselves with two of our four table mates, Karen and Mark, so that was pleasant. A good, informative, two hour walk finishing perfectly for a 13.00 lunch, or so we thought, forgetting this is Spain and eating is always late. We did find somewhere the guide had recommended however for chiperones (baby fried squid), my favourite and steamed mussels. Bread and aioli and a glass of wine. How splendid. 

Three anchors and cannons from Spanish treasure galleons sunk by the British in Vigo harbour. 1 ship carrying gold has never been found, but could be 1500m down

Back on board for an ice-cream before our early departure at 16.00. See if he can get the blog out before we lose the WiFi!

At the fort on top of the hill

Us at the fort with our ship behind

On our walking tour

With Jules Verne on a octopus in the harbour. Apparently Vigo inspired him to write chapter 8 in 20000 leagues under the sea

The cathedral. Not the original, apparently that was burned when Francis Drake sacked the city. However the olive tree survived and is now the emblem of the city. Unfortunately this tree isn't the original, but was grown from a branch of it. It's still over 200 years old

An old street in the city

The old opera house, built along with many other buildings in an effort to compare the city to Paris

September in the UK

On the train for our Tuesday walk with John. 

I had a lovely time while Brian was on his walk with Paul. I worked in the garden and painted in the kitchen. Painting some of the diamonds on the wall that were in colours I didn't like. We've got a number of testers in blue and lilac which I used. Despite painting at least 25 squares you can see no difference. But I know!

I had lunch with Helen, Abi and John. John was very good, he collected me for Sunday club, as he was driving past, I wouldn't normally go, particularly having just watched a weepy movie, but it seemed rude not to!

It was a 14km (8.6 miles) walk from University station, near Bournbrook into Birmingham City centre. This photo is near the end in Gas Street Basin

Tuesday walk was just John and I, both Brians and Keith being away. We actually drove to Bromsgrove, as this gave more options for return trains, and he still wasn't drinking. We then went to Malvern Link and walked 9.5 miles to Worcester. It was such a nice walk, and definitely a summer walk as it goes over a large muddy flood plain that we did it again this week, with both Brians. This time however, after nearly two months, John had a couple of pints. It was an Uber back from Bromsgrove!

The week before had been a shorter, gentler walk, both for Brian after his return from Scotland, and for me as I'd just had a colonoscopy. It showed nothing, so assuming the biopsies come back clear we may be good to plan going away for the winter. I'd had the phonecall about it when I returned from my walk with John so it was a bit last minute, and did interfere with my eating plans for the rest of the time Brian was away, but better to get it over with.

Followed by drinks in the Crraven Arms

The weekend of Brian's return we had Darren, who finished our patio, to replace the back fence, and the gate. We expected it to take all weekend, but no, only the Saturday. This gave us the Sunday to look at it and think that it really did need painting. It was just big and orange! 

The new orange fence!

As ever, nothing is quite normal, so with two cans of paint I've now created a set of misty grey mountains. Obviously they will fade but hopefully the trees won't look quite so hideous by the time they do. 

There she is painting the mountains on the fence. The owl in the foreground is what Jackie calls roadkill! It was thrown out by someone in the village and we rescued it before the scrapman came along. He's now bouncing around in the wind in our garden"

We also bought and built a new shed, which was the main reason for getting the fence done really. Some more slate which I then spent the best part of a day washing before putting down, and a few more plants. It is one of those bits of DIY that doesn't look nearly as much work as it actually was!

The (nearly) finished article, complete with new shed. Next doors cat quite likes it too, she's sitting on top of the fence near the shed

Wednesday Brian went to Manchester with Fiona to help her move Abbie, eldest granddaughter from the house she had been living in, to a room in a shared house. 

Moving granddaughter Abbie out of her apartment in Manchester with daughter Fiona 

Lots of sorting therefore had to be done, and they drove home with a full car. A good family outing though.

And into her new bedroom in a shared house a few miles away

Hold that lift, we can get a lot more in it yet!

Fiona's full car ready to take Abbie's spare stuff back to Leamington for storage. It was a long drive back with all that lot on board - glad I wasn't driving!

This is how young people take photos! We had time for lunch in the pub near her new house before Fiona and I drove back

Last weekend we had a lovely time near Bristol at Bev and Iain's. Not just us, but Helen and Ian and Phil and Sue too. We all arrived Friday afternoon and went up the pub for supper. We were definitely the 'loud' table as much beer was drunk, by some! One of the some was Brian, who insisted on G&T when we got back despite us taking no alcohol gin for such an eventuality! 

Friday night in the pub in Bristol. What a tremendously enjoyable evening (and the most I've drunk for a very long time!!). LtoR: Ian, Helen, Sue, Phil, me, Jackie, Bev and Iain

He has looked better than he did on the Saturday, though he used the rain as an excuse not to go out walking Freya! Saturday we went into Bristol to Noah's, a fish restaurant we have been to before. It's positioning is a bit odd, underneath a flyover, but this does mean you have to know it's there, and it's still always busy! We actually all had the Saturday special of haddock, chips and mushy peas, rather than any of the more elaborate offerings, but they were the best fish and chips I've had in a really long time, and I'm very fussy about fish and chips! 

Waiting for the bus into Bristol in the rain on Saturday lunchtime. Iain had the app for the bus company on his phone, which showed the bus was cancelled. Jackie's Google app showed it running so we waited. Jackie was getting nervous as we got wet, but it did really arrive much to her relief. She had peaked!

The fabulous fish and chip restaurant in Bristol. Only locals know of it and it's always busy. Casual tourists would never find it

A bit of a brewery crawl followed before getting the bus home, for a much earlier, quieter night than the previous one. Sunday was BBQ breakfast outside. Quite amazing after the rain the previous day, but lovely, out in the sunshine. We did walk Freyja then, along with H&I , while P&S headed off to Bournemouth. We then joined Bev and Iain for Sunday lunch in the pub, not because we were in any way hungry, but so we wouldn't have to cook anything for the rest of the day. A fabulous weekend.

Bev and Iain timed our walk through Bristol harbour perfectly. The swing bridge opened in front of us and this galleon sailed by

The pub and brewery tour of Bristol carried on into the night!

You've got to look carefully at this. See the scaffolding on the building opposite where we were waiting for our bus? On top in the centre is a young man who has just climbed up after a dare from his mates in the rooftop pub opposite. Don't know if he got down safely, our bus arrived!

On Sunday morning Phil barbequed our breakfast with Ian's help

After the rain on Saturday, Sunday was a pleasant and warm so we could eat breakfast outdoors on Iain and Bev's patio. Thanks guys, a lovely weekend 

We saw Denise and Paul this Friday for lunch, had Alex and Rob over for dinner yesterday and are having a curry with Monday club tomorrow. Tuesday we get the train to Southampton before boarding the Balmoral, the third of the Fred Olsen fleet and the one we haven't been on for an eight day cruise to Alicante from where we'll spend a few days with Elizabeth and my father before flying home again. It's all go!

Another week and another train to a walk with a pub at the end. Brian's back from his hols! 

We did the 9.5 mile walk from Malvern to Worcester that Jackie and John did the other week. This is at the trig point on top of Old Hills near Callow End

From near the same point is a fabulous view of Worcester cathedral

A biplane flew overhead. It was fitted with a pole to allow wing walking, but I wasn't quick enough with my photo, its just out of sight. There was no-one on the wing - maybe they'd fallen off!!

On the bridge over the river Severn on the edge of Worcester. The pub awaits!