En Route to Southampton

Since passing Gibraltar and entering the North Atlantic Ocean, we rounded the southwest tip of Portugal at Cabo Sao Vincente, and then sailed parallel to the coast of Portugal. From there we joined the Traffic Routing Scheme off the coast of Cape Finisterre at the tip of Spain and entered the Bay of Biscay. It was in the Bay of Biscay where we experienced rough seas at the beginning of our journey. Surprisingly, this time the bay, notorious for rough seas, was remarkably smooth. We were thankful that we wouldn’t be beginning and ending our journey seasick.

As I mentioned before, many passengers spent their final days at sea touring the ship. The entertainment staff helped with that by scheduling a tour of the ship’s galley, a virtual tour of the bridge, and an interview and Q&A with Captain Aseem Hashmi. It was the passengers’ opportunity to see many of the behind-the-scenes activities. Captain Hashmi has a terrific sense of humor and is quite entertaining. He was frequently seen walking about the ship, dining in the Lido, and stopping to chat with passengers.

It was in those final days at sea that we visited the lounges for final chats with friends and to exchange last thoughts about our journey. Ancient sailors entertained each other during long days at sea by telling stories. Things haven’t changed. People love to tell stories of things that happened to them and others onboard ship.

Some of the stories are the same you hear on every voyage, like the story of the two couples put off the ship for fighting in the laundry room. How true they are is anybody’s guess. But you can be sure that the ship’s officers will take action when it’s needed. On a previous voyage, we actually saw a man put off the ship on Easter Island for drunkenness and inappropriate behavior. That passenger’s behavior forfeited him the rest of his journey and cost him a lot of money to get home from such a remote place.

Some passengers get in trouble not because of their actions but those of family members. One passenger told us the story of being awoken at 3:00 a.m. by an officer on the bridge paging a passenger. Apparently, when the parents of a young man didn’t find him in his cabin late at night, they feared the worst and reported him missing. After the ship’s crew did a search of the ship and didn’t find him, they resorted to paging him—twice, awakening everyone on the ship. He sheepishly reported in and had to explain to his parents and the captain that he had been in the cabin of a young woman. The storyteller said that the parents had been fined $2,000 for disrupting the ship.

News always circulated about the ship quickly. During our voyage, we heard of passengers unexpectedly leaving the ship for many reasons: emergencies at home, medical treatment for conditions that required hospitalization, disagreements with spouses, etc. Given the number of passengers and crew on the ship and the age of many of the passengers, it wasn’t unusual to occasionally see an ambulance waiting at the pier when we docked. We sadly waved farewell to a couple that left the ship when the husband developed double pneumonia and required hospitalization. It’s situations like this when you are glad (or wish) you had taken out travel insurance.

And depending on the location of the ship, a passenger may need urgent medical care before the ship arrives at the next port. While we were sailing near the QM2, we heard that a passenger had been taken off the QM2 by helicopter.

Long voyages can test even the best relationships. When someone asked a couple taking the full world voyage how they managed to get along living in a small cabin for so long, the husband joked that they only spoke to each other on alternate days. Sometimes no method worked. One passenger explained that his wife got off the ship and flew home because she was homesick.

It makes you wonder whether people leaving the ship unexpectedly accounted for the large amounts of laundry left in the launderettes. Or could it be that in their rush to pack at the end of a segment some passengers simply forgot they had left wet laundry in the launderette? Imagine unpacking at home and realizing that you left all your underwear behind on the ship.

Launderette

Given the small confines of the Launderette, the heat, and the noise, it isn't surprising that disagreements occur. If surveyed, I would imagine that a large portion of passengers would request larger laundry facilities and more than three washers and dryers on each deck.

Packing on the final days of the voyage is always a chore. It sadly marks the end of the journey and presents the challenge of fitting everything in a few pieces of luggage, while leaving out what you will need when the ship arrives in port. Many times we’ve heard the story of passengers who packed everything, put their luggage in the corridor at the prescribed time, and discovered the next morning that they hadn’t anything but their night clothes (if even that) to wear off the ship. Imagine having to disembark wearing only the bathrobe provided by the ship.

On one voyage when my mother put her luggage out in the corridor, the door shut behind her, leaving her standing in the corridor in her nightgown. Fortunately, we were in the cabin next door and were able to call for the purser’s office to unlock the door. One unfortunate woman tripped in her room, hitting her head. Another passenger found her dazed and standing in an elevator in her underwear. Life on a cruise ship is never without surprises.

On one of our last evenings on the ship, we attended a final cocktail party for the world voyage passengers. It was a festive occasion, but also a sad one since we said goodbye to passengers who had become good friends.

World Voyage Passenger Farewell Cocktail Party

That evening also marked our last formal dinner in the Britannia Dining Room.

Kumar and Muba – Our Excellent Waiters

Ensuring that we had packed everything and laid out clothes and shoes for our arrival in Southampton, we turned in for our last night onboard the Queen Elizabeth.

Final Days at Sea

With only two days at sea before the end of our journey, the pace of activity on the ship stepped up. Suddenly passengers, both on the world voyage and those who joined the ship in Dubai, scurried around the ship trying to see every part of it they hadn’t already seen and experience all the ship had to offer. With so little time left, passengers who really had intended to use the fitness center, exercise on the sports deck, or power walk on the promenade deck throughout their voyage worked out like crazy to make up for lost time.

We took advantage of our final days to walk about and enjoy the fabulous artwork. The ship is like an art gallery at sea. Touring the decks viewing the artwork was as good as going to a first-class art gallery or museum. Artwork of all types is everywhere—in the public rooms, corridors, stairways, and the cabins. Below are photos of only a few of the pieces that abound on the ship. We wish that we had taken more.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth

Ship Model of the Queen Elizabeth

Marquetry Image of the Queen Elizabeth Hull

Images of Ships--Square, Arched, and Round

The Marvelous QE2

Reminders of the U.K.

Some of our favorite pieces were the art deco works of Giancarlo Impiglia. Anyone who sailed on the QE2 will remember his large murals outside the Lido. I had the pleasure of meeting him when he was a guest speaker on the Queen Mary 2. I purchased a copy of one of his art books for my sister, and he came down to the bookstore to autograph it for me. When I asked him if he lived in Italy, he said he lived on Long Island. “You and Ina Garten,” I joked. Surprised, he replied, “Do you know Ina? I taught her to make spaghetti sauce.” He was so in earnest it made me laugh. Like I really know a famous TV chef! But I have had the pleasure of meeting Giancarlo Impiglia.

Paintings by Giancarlo Impiglia 

Edible Works of Art

Temporary Works of Art

Artwork in Our Cabin

In addition to the permanent artwork on the ship, a gallery displaying art for sale is located on Deck Three. 

Country Fayre

The Entertainment Staff put on a Country Fayre one afternoon for passengers to raise money for a number of charities. Over the past two months, passengers had been donating items they no longer wanted for the event. The fayre was a lot of fun with passenger volunteers helping with games, book and jumble sales, food, and auctions. The event raised $9,026. I didn’t win any of the games, but I came away with a book by a favorite author to read on the flight home. A good time was had by all.

Later that evening, our cabin attendant, Kenneth, showed up with our luggage, which had been stored during our journey. It was time to start packing. Somehow we had to squeeze everything we brought with us, along with what we accumulated over four months, into our cases—cases that had been full when we arrived. We were going to have to do some creative packing.

Gibraltar

Fog again!!! All morning we waited in anticipation of seeing the Rock of Gibraltar. The rock is close to the entrance to the Atlantic Ocean from the Mediterranean Sea. As we got closer, we couldn’t decide whether what we were seeing was the Rock of Gibraltar or a heavy cloud formation. It was another site we would be seeing through fog.

The Royal Marines and Dutch Marines captured the rock in 1772, during war with Spain, and the British have maintained a military base and Royal Navy dockyard there ever since. John visited Gibraltar in 1965 while serving on HMS Tiger and again in 1972 while on HMS Antrim. Bright sunshine greeted him both times.

On the opposite coast we could see the faint outline of the coast of Morocco in North Africa. Ferries cross the Straits of Gibraltar back and forth between Gibraltar and North Africa. Before reaching Gibraltar, we sailed through the Mediterranean past the coasts of Libya, Tunisia, and Algeria.

Fortunately, the mist and rain cleared a little so that we could get some grainy photos of Gibraltar.

Gibraltar from the East Side

Gibraltar from the West Side

Once we entered the Atlantic Ocean, we had completely circled the continent of Africa.

Be Careful What You Wish For

When we entered the Mediterranean Sea, I wrote about how nice it was to have movement on the seas after traveling through such placid waters. The change was enjoyable—that is until we got more movement that we wanted. Once on the Atlantic, huge swells started tossing the ship about, and walking through the corridors became a bit challenging. Maybe those placid waters weren’t so bad after all.

In the afternoon, we went to see the latest Star Wars movie in the Royal Court Theater. Since the theater is at the front of the ship, it is subject to more movement in the rolling seas. It was as though special effects had been built into our seats so we could feel what it was like being on one of the fighter aircrafts in the movie.

Two days out of Southampton we saw the Queen Mary gaining on us on our port side. The QM2 is a much fast ship and it didn’t take long for her to pass us. When we looked out later, we saw that she had left us in her wake. She would be arriving in Southampton the day before we arrived there.

Queen Mary 2

Next, the Bay of Biscay. 

Valencia, Spain

After nearly four months at sea and traveling approximately 39,000 nautical miles, we entered the last port we would be visiting before the end of our voyage--Valencia, Spain.

Spain sits between two major bodies of water: the Atlantic Ocean on its northwest and southwest coasts and the Mediterranean Sea on its east coast. Valencia is on the east coast looking out at the Med. It is an area famous for its Llandro figures, the traditional dish of paella, and the oranges and rice it produces.

We took the shuttle bus into Ciutat Vella, the Old City of Valencia. The city is a contrast of the old and new. Modern buildings of glass and steel compete with traditional stone buildings for space on the city’s skyline. The route was lined with flowers, orange trees, and huge ficus trees. A light rain fell on us and the sky was dark, threatening heavier rain. It made the narrow winding streets appear darker than they probably were most mornings.

Wandering through the stone-lined streets, we passed churches, plazas filled with sidewalk cafes, apartment buildings with flower-filled balconies, and stores selling everything from souvenirs to elegant wedding gowns and lacy baptismal dresses.

Valencia Side Street

Our path eventually took us to the Plaza de la Reina near the Cathedral of Valencia. A large fountain in the middle of the plaza featured a large figure that is said to represent the Turia River. The eight female statues represent the eight irrigation ditches in the river. Much to the dismay of the waiters trying to draw patrons into their outside cafes, nearby people were feeding the pigeons who were flocking to the plaza.

Plaza de la Reina and Fountain

The Cathedral of Valencia was built between 1252 and 1482 on land that once was the site of a Roman temple and later a mosque. Since it was added on to over the centuries, the cathedral includes a number of different styles of architecture, including Romanesque, Gothic, and Baroque. It is a read hodge-podge of styles.

Cathedral of Valencia

Side Entrance to Cathedral

The streets leading away from the plaza were filled with dozens of coffee and pastry shops. Although it was a rainy day, they were doing a booming business. We were told that instead of having breakfast at home the people of Valencia stop at these shops on their way to work or shop. The pastries in the shop windows would tempt anyone.

City Square

The city was teaming with activity. We learned that a festival of some type would be taking place that evening, and workers were hanging decorative banners from balconies on the cathedral and surrounding buildings. Police were already in place to help control the expected crowds. We saw a policeman stop to talk to a person in a wheelchair. He lit a cigarette and held it to the lips of the person, who couldn’t move.

Policeman Helping a Friend

Some of the people in Valencia found some interesting ways to make money. The street buskers were quite imaginative in their methods.

A Tripping Waiter

A Woodland Dweller

In 1974, I traveled to Valencia to visit my sister who was attending the University of Valencia. Since that time, Valencia has changed a great deal. The Turia River, which had been rerouted from central Valencia to outside the city to eliminate the threat of future flooding, had been developed. Parks, sports fields, an opera house, a dinosaur and science museum, a planetarium, an aquarium, and events or civic center now filled the riverbed. A children’s playground shaped like Gulliver, from Gulliver’s Travels, is a real favorite with children who clamber over it like the Lilliputians who tied Gulliver down.

It’s not often that a large tract of land becomes available in a city on which to build a large community center—at least not without major disruption to the city. Valencia has done an outstanding job turning the riverbed into a vibrant center for its citizens. Bridges that crossed the river are still in place and help eliminate traffic in the new area. Mounds of geraniums lined one of the bridges.

15^th Century Bridge Crossing Former River

Unfortunately, we had to be back on the ship for an early sailing, so we didn’t have enough time to see all that we wanted to see in Valencia, especially Europe’s largest aquarium. It is definitely another place to visit again.

Leaving our last port of call signaled the rapidly approaching end of our world voyage and the need to start packing. In only a few days we would be arriving back in Southampton.