St Georges, Grenada Blog 22nd January 2020 Grenada, Isle of Spice. You can certainly smell the nutmeg, cinnamon and mace as you walk through the terminal and out onto the streets of St George’s. Columbus named the island, which is the most southerly of the Windward Islands, Concepcion but never landed. Grenada was part of the Commonwealth until independence was granted in 1974 A good walk up the hill to the old Fort George was well worth the views over the Old Town and into the scenic Carenage with bars and restaurants to while away the few hours we were here. Just by the old fort on the steep road back into the old town is the damaged pinnacle of the old Presbyterian Kirk. Known as ‘The Isle of Spice’ it is popular destination for holidaymakers ... read more

Curaçao Blog 19th January 2020 Our second visit to the capital of Curaçao, Willemstad and its historic centre are on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. We docked in the neighbourhood of Otrobanda one of two neighbourhoods on either side of the canal that divides the city. To reach the other side, the Punda, you cross the Queen Emma Pontoon bridge also known as the “Swinging Old Lady” which opens and closes to let ships and boats through. A ferry operates when the bridge is open. Unfortunately we are here on a Sunday, although most of the shops and bars were open the famous floating market wasn’t. Just as well as on a warm day and it was it stinks, particularly at the end of day when the fish has started to go off. There’s a lot of ... read more

Madeira Blog 8th January 2020 We left Southampton on the 4th January heading to the balmier waters initially of Madeira before we head across the pond to even more calmer waters. Four sea days to Madeira and the six sea days to our first Caribbean port of call of Barbados Having visited Funchal on a number of occasions its good to reacquaint to some of the picturesque areas of the Island. The island lies west of Morocco and north of the Canaries and the day before arriving we have already seen whales and dolphins as we head into warmer waters. As this is post Christmas and New Year, they still have the decorations up (they are up until Easter). Our last visit was during their famed flower festival, todays visit they are prepping all the gardens, ... read more

Barcelona 9th April Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia and Spains second largest city. Everywhere you’ll see the ornately works of Antonio Gaudi, 20th century Modernism emblematic constructions declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. I make no apology for this Travel Blog turning into a food blog but you cannot come to a city that prides itself on its cuisines, with many different styles including Catalan. So starting out from the statue of Christopher Columbus at the bottom of La Rambla we headed up to the Plaza Catalunya. We were meeting friends for lunch, including 8 other fellow travellers who are travelling with us QM2. But first some sites, including the famous market of La Rambla, Mercat de la Boqueria where all the locals shop in particular for fresh produce including fresh fish, Jamon, meats and all ... read more

Limassol 4th April Our first visit to Cyprus and the city of Limassol, Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean and lies tucked away in the North East corner. The history of Cyprus goes way back with Richard the Lionheart seizing the island on the way to the Holy Land to do battle with Saladin. When he left to continue the Crusade he sold the island to the Knights Templar. Limassol is a city on the southern coast of Cyprus. It’s known for the centuries-old Limassol Castle, home to the Cyprus Medieval Museum and its collection of pottery and tombstones. On the seafront is the Sculpture Park, with sculptures by Cypriot, Greek and international artists. To the northeast is the Limassol Archaeological Museum, exhibiting artifacts from the Neolithic to the Roman periods. As always ... read more