Have you ever waited for a couple of hours for the sun to rise and it’s teasing you on the edge of the world, dotting up between distant islands, but just not quite making the effort? It was windy and cold, so by 2am we gave up and went to bed. That’s how my day ended - waiting for the sun to rise. Welcome to the Arctic Circle! My plan to start the day was to get up around 3am again to get a timelapse of the sunrise, but when it came down to it, I decided bed was better. Yesterday must have been long, as my sleep was also long and I didn’t wake until 10am. So breakfast was late and we missed the first landmark of note - some bridge. The next landmark was ... read more

It’s crazy that we got up early (7.15 am) whilst on holiday to go to the gym, but it was the best way to avoid the Pilates and yoga classes. They also cost extra. I wanted to get in as much whale watching as possible, so actually it makes sense. And let’s be honest, Glyn and I will doze off intermittently throughout the day what with all the sea air and food. After breakfast we headed up to the front of deck 10 where we’d met the whale watching gang yesterday. They work for an organisation called Orca and one lady was giving up teaching so that she could do Whale Cruise Conservation full time instead. Who knew that was a thing? The sun was shining and the sea very calm, so ideal for spotting marine ... read more

I’ve been on this boat for 4 hours and we’ve not gone anywhere yet. Apparently we are waiting for crew to get here from Heathrow, but it’s a lovely warm evening and I’m sat on deck supping a Tiger beer with my hubby, enjoying the view of the white cliffs of Dover. People who know us were very surprised that we chose to go on a cruise; we usually do everything on the cheap and never relaxed! However, I really wanted to go to Svalbard (which is half way between the top of Norway and the North Pole). Flying there would mean 3 flights: to Oslo, to Trømso and finally to Svalbard. It would take longer to get there and back than the amount of days you could afford to stay because it’s Norwegian and Norway ... read more

The day started at 3am because we were going on holiday. Travelling for the first time with another couple, Zanne and David, Glyn and I left in the dark as David drove us to Manchester airport. The flight left at 6.40am with just three of us and David took the train for a transcontinental journey he won’t be forgetting in a hurry. It turns out that the rail system in Germany isn’t as good as hoped; trains ran late with little info given and David got accosted by drunks and a Nazi in Cologne. Meanwhile, Glyn, Zanne and I landed happily in Hamburg after an uneventful 80 minute flight. During the descent into Hamburg, I noticed that The city was thick with dark green trees, like a dense forest with buildings poking out. Plus many bridges, ... read more

Today is our last full day in Zanzibar/Tanzania and we'd left it free as a relaxation day, only there's things to do and see. The question was how to fit it all into a day. So I went on TripAdvisor and searched out a driver to get us around and organised. 'Friendly Taxis and Tours' had consistent 5 star reviews, so I contacted them and Salim arrived at just after 8.30am. The first place was Jozani Forest, going south on the island. It is home to a colony of Zanzibar Red Colobus Monkeys of which there are only a few left in the wild. Salim left us with another guide along with 4 other tourists after purchasing the permits we required to enter. We stepped into the forest and quickly came upon a group of small ... read more