©Jenny Harrod 2019

The canary island cruise that wasn't!

Well here I am, still alive and out the other side of the relapse.

Have actually had a busy few weeks and it has taken me a while to recover.

Had just got over the worst of the relapse when we went on our Canary Island Cruise, well, I say Canary Island, in actual fact the nearest we got was Madeira. The first night of the cruise (Sunday) was spent  in Southampton - yes, we actually travelled further by sea getting there across the Solent. The cause was apparently a severe storm in the Bay of Biscay which delayed not just our little ship (The Artemis) but also The Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Mary.

Our first port if call was therefore Vigo in Spain on the Thursday. Not that impressed to be honest especially as I managed to trip over in the middle of the road and graze my knee, and bruise my hip and ankle quite badly. I felt so sore and sorry for myself, particularly as I had caught hubby's cold and felt absolutely wretched with it.

Second call, on Thursday was Lisbon. This was much better. We went on a river cruise and then caught the shuttle bus to let us have a stroll around the town. The square was lovely and we sat watching the world go round whilst eating hot chestnuts. Was lovely to be in a t shirt and crops thinking of the bleak weather back home. Plus, you will all be pleased to hear I managed to stay upright and able to admire the b;ack and white tiled pavements from a vertical position.

Best of all, on the Sunday at our third (and final) port of call was Funchal in Madeira. We both loved Madeira. We had a trip on the cable car which would have been better if it hadn't been raining! Still it was nice and we soared over the remnants of the mudslides they suffered in February and saw the rebuilding in progress. We then walked (sorry, were frogmarched) through the Monte Palace Gardens. I was so slow that everyone else had to wait for us - I don't think the guide was impressed but it was my holiday too. I was probably overcautious having had the fall in Vigo, plus of course it was very damp and slippy after the rain and there were hundreds of small steps to contend with. It would have been OK had there been a handrail but some parts didn't and I needed hubby's arm as well as my stick to get down them.

The afternoon was lovely - the sun came out and we had a stroll around the town and another garden where we had an ice cream and brought some postcards. We popped into a supermarket and brought  a couple of madeira cakes as gifts, some goodies to enjoy on the balcony and ..... some more tissues for my beaconesque nose!

All too soon we had to get back to the ship and prepare for almost 4 days at sea. No chance to ride camels in Gran Canaria, or see the volcano in Tenerife. This was supposed to have been a belated treat for my 50th birthday and I was so disappointed. "What about compensation.....?" I hear you say. P and O had obviously thought of that. Had we been delayed for 24 hours we would have got something, but we left Southampton after 23 1/2 hours!!!! I know no-one could predict the weather (and I really feel for those poor people who have been stuck in airports for days) but they could have given us some extra onboard credit for the additional time we had been held prisoner onboard!

When we arrived home (eventually - having had to pay £25 for a taxi to travel a mile to the Red Jet terminal!! The traffic was snarled up terribly) We received a letter from P and O, saying they were sending a gift as consolation, unfortunately it also said that the MD was sorry she couldn't have come on board and apologised to us all but she had been in Australia for a few days on the Oriana!!!!!!!!!!!!! Talk about pouring salt on the wounds (ouch my poor wounds!)  how insensitive was that?

We waited for a week and then a parcel arrived. Admittedly we had expected vouchers for money off another cruise, which would have been sent back with a letteradvising them what they could have done with them, however.. P and O were even cheaper than that. They sent 2 bottles of wine, one red and one white with a few tacky chocolates. I expect they cost about £1 to the Company and more in postage. We accepted them with a heavy heart but thinking we were still better off than people who had holidays ruined by the Icelandic volcano earlier in the year.

Now we are just a few days from Christmas and have just had some sad news. Some of you you may remember me going to a birthday party for our neighbour when she was 100. Sadly she passed away over the weekend at 101 and her poor daughter is now having to organise a funeral between Christmas and the New Year.

As I wish you all a Magical Christmas and a Happy Healthy New Year please spare a thought for all those who have lost loved ones this year and raise a glass for "Win".

Merry Christmas

Jenny.

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