Barry Fleming
Set off on a trip on 5 January 2011.Grumpy Gramps
Sailing from Southampton to New York on Queen Victoria and transferring to Queen Mary 2 for cruise to Perth. Get off and spend time in Australia before flying to Dubai to pick up the Queen Mary 2 again.
Want to be able to post photos and travelblog as we go around.
Travel Blog Posts
April 16th 2011
Our Blog No.18 Well having left the African Coast for the Mediterranean we had an uneventful couple of days at sea before we arrived in Civitaveccia the port for Rome where it took several attempts to get into the port because of very high winds.. This was on Wednesday 13th April. Fortunately the weather had improved by the time we got off the ship. It was just a port and nothing to write home about. We had booked a tour of Rome and took off a little late. A wonderful tour of Rome seeing so many of the sights. We stopped off at the Coliseum for a photo shoot. It was crowded with visitors and the traffic really heavy. Quite a sight especially as we were able to enjoy the perfect view of the Coliseum whilst ... read more
April 11th 2011
Our Blog No.17 After we left Dubai Nicky met up with Alan and Marjorie who attend the same cardiac group on a Tuesday as Barry does and where Nicky is the Health Professional. A lovely surprise - they had already booked last year and never said a word to us that they were travelling from Dubai back to Southampton with us. They celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary on Sunday 10th April. Before we arrived in Safaga on Friday 8th April we had four days at sea where stringent precautions were taken to ensure we were not invaded by pirates. It was taken very seriously by the Commodore. Fortunately there were no incidents as far as we are aware! Safaga was not a very attractive area and we had already made the decision that we didn’t want ... read more
April 4th 2011
Our Blog - No.16 Dubai We had a really amazing experience in Dubai. If we are honest there was nowhere except the old fort (now a museum) that we could recognise, even the Creek has changed as it is now organised and the abras go in an orderly manner across the creek. The dhows have been tarted up for the tourists and look quite gaudy. On the Friday we met up with Lyn and her husband who took us for a drive round the Palm area and Jumeira Beach. Everywhere looks so green and the accommodation such as apartments and houses are very modern but look very similar. The hotels are unbelievable and the Atlantis is enormous. Couldn’t believe the metro which covers a large area. There is also a monorail system on the Palm. There ... read more
April 1st 2011
Our Blog - No.15 Friday 1st April 2011 Well, our last day in Sydney was again great. We did in fact go out to Manly on the ferry having met up with Janet, Celia and Thomas at Circular Quay and then Elizabeth when we arrived off the ferry at Manly. A short walk through a pedestrianised shopping centre and we were facing the most amazing beach with great rolling breakers with lots of surfers and swimmers and sunbathers. Needless to say Nicky had to have a paddle but preserved her dignity this time by not getting too wet. Elizabeth had booked lunch for us all in a restaurant overlooking the beach which was really good. After lunch we all took the ferry back to Circular Quay. There was a sudden change in the weather and we ... read more
March 29th 2011
Our Blog - No.14 Sydney 28th March 2011 Well here we are again after a fantastic time in Tasmania thanks entirely to Gill and Barry who looked after us so well taking us to so many exciting places. Thank you so much Gill and Barry and look forward to your visit in September to the UK. Our last two days were spent relaxing as it rained a lot. We were lucky to have missed the floods in the north east of the island which were very noticeable from the air when we flew over on our way to Sydney. We did go to the cinema and watched The King’s Speech which we both thoroughly enjoyed. We had a good flight from Hobart to Sydney and saw the bridge and Opera House from the air as we ... read more
March 23rd 2011
Hi all Back again with Blog No.14. Since our last blog we have been having a wonderful time here in Tasmania. On Wednesday 16th March we went into Hobart - Battery Point and spent some time wandering around Narrina an old house built in the 1800's. Some really interesting items on display in the house and well worth the visit. A wander around Salamanca when it was quieter was great looking in some of the expensive art shops/galleries. Some beautiful pieces but very expensive. No room in our luggage anyway to take home!! A barbie at home finished the day off nicely. Thursday and off early to the National Park and seeing some interesting places on the way. Before the park we stopped at the Salmon Ponds which were well worth the stop. The grounds are ... read more
March 15th 2011
Hi all and welcome to our nextblog. We are still in Tasmania and enjoying every minute of it. We have been so lucky with the weather. It has been sunny every day so far although this morning is a little dull on the mountain (Wellington). We have been doing loads of sightseeing and visiting some fabulous beaches and scienic locations. Mount Nelson is a beautiful place and some spectacular views from the top but this was topped by our drive up to Mount Wellington. Superb views all round - we were lucky to go on a very clear day. We went to the launch of Cary Lewincamp's new CD called Home. He is a weel known guitarist in Hobart and we had seen him at the Salamanca Market. Very good and relaxing. Monday was a public ... read more
March 10th 2011
Hi all Us again! We visited the most amazing museum yesterday in Hobart. It is called MONA (Museum of Old and New Art) and only been open about six weeks. It has been designed and the contents inside to confront people. It is brilliant - we didn't feel really confronted but fascinated by the way it has been developed. We will have to go back again so we can take more in. Sorry but not allowed to publish photos on the net but some others for you all to see. Finally had my fish and chips last night after all this time!!! Back to Salamanca Market tomorrow morning for another wander. Be in touch soon. Love Barry & Nicky... read more
March 9th 2011
Hi all At last our next blog. From Friday 4th March to Wednesday 9th March 2011 Friday was a lazy day and we did some local sightseeing and a bit of shopping as Barry had to get some trousers as he hadn't packed enough long ones for our stay in Australia. Saturday and we went into Hobart and the area of Salamanca where they have the most incredible market on a Saturday. The weather was very warm and sunny but not as hot as Perth! A whole street is taken over with hundreds of stalls selling everything imaginable. It was great sauntering around seeing so much available. Big temptation to buy lots of wooden items but can't transport it so resisted the temptation. In the evening we went to Merren & Richard's house for a barbecue ... read more
March 3rd 2011
Hi all After leaving Perth on Monday morning we flew to Adelaide where we stayed for two days. It was a great pity but because of flooding on the line we couldn't take the Indian Pacific Train as originally planned. We had to get up early on Monday to catch the early morning flight but it was quite straightforward leaving. Janet & Celia took us to the airport and it was strange waving goodbye knowng we will see them again in about four weeks time. Arriving in Adelaide spot on time we took a shuttle bus that took us directly to our hotel right in the centre of Adelaide. We took an interesting walk from the hotel which is in Victoria Square and wandered up to the main shopping area where we browsed and found a ... read more
Tot: 0.117s; Tpl: 0.003s; cc: 7; qc: 84; dbt: 0.0858s; 1; s:notus w:www (50.28.60.10); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.7mb
