WE
ARE SAILING |
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| Cruising
just has to be the most relaxing of all holidays. Your room travels with you and new destinations appear at your window each day but with some ships offering food round the clock in a variety of restaurants, the only worry is keeping your waistline in check. |
|
Transatlantic
Rhapsody as we do the QE2
There is no doubt that those of our ancestors who could afford to cross the
Atlantic by liner knew a thing or two about creature comforts.
This was brought home to me on the journey back from the States.
The flight out had been difficult and it took us days to recover from jet
lag and airport delays. 
Coming back on the QE2 was a dream.
From the second our taxi stopped at Pier 90 at The Passenger Ship Terminal
we began to understand what service was all about.
Our cases were removed
from the boot (or should that be the trunk, of the cab) and we didn't see
them again until they were delivered to the cabin.
Relieved of the customary weight we seemed to walk on air As passports and
tickets were checked the music of a string quartet drifted from close to the
gangway where earlier passengers were sipping a drink as they waited to board.
Once in our cabin we flopped back on the comfortable beds and flicking though the TV channels found one that gave the view from a camera mounted on the bridge. Eventually a man was to be seen casting off ropes on the fore deck and as the scene began to move we joined the others who crowded the rails on the after deck.
It was a brilliant day and the a commentary helped us pick out the various buildings as we clicked away taking pictures of the fascinating skyline.
There was the Empire State Building. The first time I saw it was in the local cinema and King Kong had been hanging from the top of it and swatting planes.
As
the Manhattan slipped away behind us, and a bright orange Staten Island Ferry
beetled by, we looked to the West and saw the sun glint on the torch held
aloft by the Statue of Liberty.
Somebody read the words "Send me your poor your huddled masses yearning
to be free... "
A band towards the back of the ship played God bless America and for a moment
eyes glazed over and the there were lumps in the collective throats of the
passengers.
It had been a magical departure and as we watched a plane climb into the sky somewhere beyond Brooklyn I was very glad not to be on it.
The daily programme that was slipped under our door posed the problem of deciding which of the many activities to tackle.
There were shows, lectures, a cinema and even a computer learning centre.
Entertainment ranged from karaoke in the Golden Lion Pub to fashion shows
or a murder mystery and for those who wanted to take things really easy there
was an excellent library on board.
There were of course games like Black Gammon and Scrabble and each day I passed
an enormous jigsaw that never seemed to get finished.
The atmosphere was that
of a warm and friendly house party.
I narrowly missed winning a prize by coming second in a scrabble contest.
(There were only two of us playing!)
There were five superb restaurants, where you could dine in formal splendour and The Lido where you could relax in the sun over a late breakfast.
You could almost eat round the clock and I particularly remember the superb ice carvings that were on display at the Gala Midnight Buffet, that and the never ending flow of dark chocolates.
The QE2 is a big lady with a tonnage in excess of 70,000 tons. Even so when she met up with Hurricane Louis on a Westbound Atlantic crossing she got hit by a 95 foot wave. I’m happy to say that our trip, while lively due to following gales was not quite so dramatic.
It
really was impressive to see how she pushed along at an average speed 28 knots
while we enjoyed the life of luxury.
Each evening we donned the glad rags and I put on the ‘incredible shrinking dinner jacket.’ (Every year when taken from the wardrobe it seems to get smaller!)
As we got closer to Britain
the skies lightened, and leaving the stormy weather behind, people began to
sit out in the sun, play deck games or walk briskly round the boat deck in
an attempt to keep the waistline in trim.
No easy matter considering the amount of glorious food that we enjoyed. 
One last agreeable evening was rounded off in the swimming pool under the stars and then when we woke the ship was in the Western Approaches.
Britain lay ahead with small boats sailing in the Solent and cricket teams on Southampton Green.
FROM CRUSING IN
STYLE, 
TO STYLES IN CRUSING
There are many different kind of cruising experiences.
You can even ship off in a cargo boat. Commercial vessels visit interesting ports throughout the world and many take passengers.
Nowadays modern multi-purpose ships have spacious lounges and comfortable accommodation.
Passengers have
special deck areas for their use and many vessels have a fitness room and
swimming pool.
In a week you can visit Iceland; or in three visit Martinique and Guadeloupe on a round trip to the French West Indies.
Most ships carry about
eight to twelve passengers and destinations include, Australia, New Zealand,
Africa, The Far East, South America, The Mediterranean, India China and the
Baltic.
If your plans are elastic and you’ve got the time you could sail off
round the world.
All you need to stoke the dream is a brochure.*
Swan
Hellenic runs cruises where you can feed the mind as well as your tummy.
On their ship you can improve your appreciation of the ports of call, with
lectures from guest speakers.
They also have a full programme of excursions,
led by expert local guides, who seek out what other travellers miss.
I have happy memories of a similar trip in which we cruised past small Greek Islands as we listened to lectures about our next ‘raid’ ashore. We landed at Crete and advanced on Knossos but the Minotaur was not in.
We
scaled the slopes of Mount Parnassus to visit Delphi and sheltering in the
shade of an Olive tree almost felt the presence of the gods.
We marvelled at Troy where they had constructed a giant wooden horse.
At night we sailed through the Corinth Canal and came up on deck to watch
the searchlights playing on the steep walls that passed so close to us.
The approach to Istanbul was just as dramatic. The sun glinted on the temples
and on the mosques and we awoke to the sounds of one of the worlds busiest
waterways.
It was a great cruise
and it ended with a flight back from Thessalonika in Greece,
but not before we had visited the statues of the Greek gods in the marvellous
Archaeological Museum.
My witty companion suggested I keep moving, just in case they were stock taking!
Fact File
Strand Travel, Passenger Cargo Ship Voyages. http://www.strandtravel.co.uk/Strandvoyages/sv_freighter.asp
Swan Hellenic http://www.swan-hellenic.co.uk/
Cunard & QE2 http://www.cunard.com/
