Storms at sea can be so illuminating!  I apologise for the pun in today's opening line - blame it on Richard.  But, actually, he makes a good point.  As we sailed away from Montenegro last night and out into the Adriatic, we were treated to an amazing free light show.  There was a very active electric storm.  No rain but a very distinct hooley blowing in from the direction of Venice and some incredible lightning strikes.  The whole sky lit up from left to right and sometimes we could see as many as 3 separate strikes hitting the sea at the same time.  The storm was several miles away so we felt very safe but it really was spectacular to watch. I then had my own personal lightning strike in the cabin.  I stubbed my toes ... read more

Stepping back in time Today was all about Montenegro and a first time visit for both of us.  And what a well kept secret this country is.  It's quite small; only 200 kilometres wide and 300 kilometres long but it is absolutely stunning.  Most visitors come by air but to arrive by sea is a real treat - you cruise from the Adriatic along a fantastic fjord - as good as almost anything Norway has to offer but bathed in glorious, hot sunshine.  We docked at the medieval town of Kotor which still has its original walled city full of wonderful little alleyways and squares where the population meet in bars and cafes for dinner and drinks.  With zero traffic, it's easy to wander wherever you want with absolute ease.  The backdrop to the city is ... read more

Everything we hoped for Our arrival in Venice begin exceedingly early with our first glide onto the lagoon at about 5.15 am!  The good news for us is that we're both early risers so by 5.20 am we were on our balcony, mugs of tea in hand watching our favourite city come into view.  It's just like toy town for grown ups - every turn you make gives you another glorious view to feast your eyes on and it never disappoints.  This year we were moored in the cruiser terminal which is on the outskirts of Venice so a water shuttle bus carried us from the ship right into St Marks Square. We planned 3 things for today: the Doge's Palace, St Marks Cathedral and a gondola ride.  The day began well because we arrived at ... read more

Relaxing on the Adriatic Today was another wonderfully relaxing day at sea as we made our way towards the highlight of the cruise: Venice.  Everything we did today was leisurely: a lovely breakfast in our favourite restaurant, a read of a good book by the pool, then a lovely long swim and dunk in the jacuzzi followed by a lovely lunch.  This afternoon we went to a lecture on astronomy which started off being about Galileo and ended with some amazing photographs of the moons of Jupiter.  After that we wandered to the top deck where we watched a fantastic glass blowing demonstration.  There are 3 full-time (and exceptionally talented) glass blowers on board and we sat mesmerised for 2 hours.  And all of that was while surrounded by half an acre of lawn.  There really ... read more

Lots of dead bodies! Finally, after a far too long gap of 32 years, I got to come back to Palermo in Sicily today.  The temperature climbed to 36 degrees so it worked well that we had chosen to go to the Catacombs.  They have over 8,000 dead bodies lying around on shelves or rather spookily standing up - well hanging from hooks but it looks like they're standing up.  Everyone was buried in their finest clothing so it's a bit like a macabre clothing museum with costumes dating back to the 1500s.  And still they have the 2-year old Rosalia Lombardo who died back in 1920.  The embalming process used on her was an amazing success as she looks like she's asleep and recent x-rays have proved she still has all her internal organs and ... read more

Sun, sun and more sun! Today was the perfect holiday weather - slightly too hot, wide blue skies and a very pleasant breeze blowing off the sea.  We spent several very pleasant hours clambering over some Phoenician ruins which included numerous spectacular mosaic floors.  But, you know, the old adage of 'you can't please all of the people all of the time' rang very true today.  We chatted to the couple on the next table to us at lunch and asked if they'd been ashore today.  To which the husband replied "oh no, every time this damned ship stops somewhere, there's another wretched Roman ruin".  And that followed another strange conversation with a couple yesterday.  We asked if they'd cruised before.  "Oh no and I won't cruise ever again either.  I hate the way you're surrounded ... read more

Thank goodness - a rest day! Today is exactly what cruising is all about.  A perfect blue sky, bright sunshine all day long, a constant sea breeze to keep you cool and two pools of different temperature water so you can choose to wallow in warmth or thrill to the chill!  Guess what, we wallowed in warmth and then got even hotter in one of the lovely bubbly jacuzzis. At lunch, we learnt of a little known oasis of cool calm ... and the best view on board.  At the front of the ship, right on our own deck, is a lounge with recliners with the fattest mattresses we've ever seen.  There's nothing to spoil your view of the looming Mediterranean moving underneath us.  The only thing that spoiled the serenity was the loud and frequent ... read more

Spain's best kept secret is now revealed! Whoever could have known that a day that started so normally - you know, smoked salmon and cream cheese followed by the contents of a salad bowel all freshly prepared and then eggs, bacon, mushrooms, black pudding, sausage, tomato, hash browns, toast and even ice cream if you'd wanted it! - could end with the revelation of an amazing secret.  We hit land this morning - not dramatically thank goodness; just by gliding into the dockside in Cadiz.  This is a beautiful Spanish city with miles and miles of perfect sandy beaches.  We'd booked ourselves on a trip to nearby Jerez de la Frontera to visit a sherry cellar - which was a slightly strange choice for a virtual tee totaller.  The smell as we entered the bodega was ... read more

Day 2 has gone by in a haze of total laziness!  Breakfast was followed by reading books, a look at the spa, a snooze, a very pleasant hour learning how to make a scrapbook (which is a planned world  trip hobby).  That was followed by more reading which sunk into snoozing rapidly followed by snoring before a serious bit of walking as far as the restaurant for lunch.  Then a snooze to let lunch sink down.  Tried holding a book.  Failed miserably. Ended up snoring instead.  Managed to drag our butts as far as a swimming pool.  Dried off while reading.  Had to go back to cabin to sink into fluffy towelling robes before watching a film on TV followed by more reading on the balcony which deteriorated into snoozing and the inevitable snoring, Dinner tonight ... read more

And so to sea - eventually!  At the end of her last voyage, the Celebrity Eclipse had contended with an outbreak of Norovirus so it comes as no surprise that the ship was ordered to undergo a major deep clean.  After our plans about enjoying the ability to embark nice and early, we ended up sitting in the lounge at Southampton for over an hour.  But they gave everyone free champagne as a thank you for waiting and we're now safely on board a scrupulously clean ship!  Our cabin is gorgeous with the best bathroom we've ever had at sea - seriously fancy showers where you can clean bits you didn't know a shower could reach!  Recliners on the balcony, fruit and champagne at the ready and canapés due to arrive in less an hour.  Our ... read more