Cadiz has been built from a hotch potch of different cultures since it was founded by the Phoenicians in 1100BC. Very famous people have lived here from Hannibal to Julius Caesar and Columbus. It is a maze of narrow streets which open up into tiny squares. The Cathedral is an imposing building but inside I found it a little disappointing in that there is a lack of very ornate decoration one usually expects in a large Catholic cathedral. We were treated to a Flamenco dance in a Taverna. They take their flamenco very seriously round here. You can even do a degree at the University in it! It was a very good show helped by glasses of local beer and a bit of tapas, all very jolly especially as it was only 10 in the morning! ... read more

Valletta is an impressive city of lovely pale sandstone which has been quarried on the island for centuries. Due to its strategic position in the Med, it has been invaded and taken over many times from the early Phoenicians to Napolean's army. Eventually the Brits chucked the French out at the Maltese request, and it became independent in 1964. They still drive on the left and all speak English, though Maltese is a strange language of Arabic origin. They are of course proud of the fact that King George bestowed the George Cross on the island for the gallantry of the whole population during the 2nd world war. We stayed at the Domus Zamittello which is a lovely family-owned palazzo on the main Republic Street. The taxi driver dropped us off at the main square and ... read more

The islands are located in the Arctic Ocean half way between Norway and the North Pole. The first place we visited was Svalbard's Southern region and were at anchor off Gashamna in the morning and Gnalodden in the afternoon. It is a rocky place with a few glaciers and tiny plants. Zodiacs took us to the "beach" for a bit of a wet landing but we all have sturdy waterproof boots and all the right gear for the cold. However after a hike along the seashore and then up a hill mostly of scree or moraine we were all hot. We saw several birds both dead and alive and the remains of an old whaling station from 18C. Nice views from the top and fair weather.... read more

After leaving Corsica, the ship headed back over to Italy calling at Porto San Stefano. From here we were taken by coach into the hills to see an amazing park which was started in 1979 by a lady who loved Gaudi's sculptures in Barcelona. It is not very big but is delightful and really entertained all the kids there as well as us! After we had explored this we were taken up into the hills to see a typical Tuscan mountain village which was nice but devoid of people. Apparently it is crowded during the summer. At least the hike up the hill gave us our exercise. Back on the ship our daily activity is the Team Trivia. We have a team of 6 called the Golden Oldies and we have won several times and we ... read more

We had been to Palermo many years ago but when we got off the ship we didn't recognize anywhere. The streets were uneven and there was loads of litter so didn't stay long. There were important things to do on board like going to the hairdresser, playing Trivia at which we have won several times and finally having a Hot Rocks dinner on the pool deck. This is where you cook your own meat or fish however you like it and have with a salad so very simple but nice. The following day we docked at Naples, another place we had been to before but again didn't recognize. We had a coach trip all around which was OK but ended up none the wiser. Very busy city and the guide was very amusing. We won at ... read more