Firstly, thanks everyone for all the good wishes, and I'm sorry I didn't have time to reply to (some of) you before I went.
Now. The cruise. Hmmm.
As you can see from the pic, John had a very happy time. We both did. The service was amazing, and everything on the boat incredibly posh. Croatia was beautiful, our room (sorry. Suite) was palatial, we were waited on hand and foot. But while I loved a lot of it, I kept feeling like an imposter; as though sooner or later, a small tug would approach from the shore with a loud hailer, telling us that it had all been a mistake and we must get off and come home NOW.
The good bits:
The food - marvellous. Special mention - the cream teas. Every day.
The drink - ditto. Special mention the bloody marys.
The weather - sun all the time.
The views - breathtaking.
The staff - delightful. Special mention Andre, who remembered both our names and our addiction to cream teas.
The not so good bits:
Being asked, very casually, whether we had a swimming pool at home ( no-one's ever asked me that before).
The HUGE woman in a thong bikini covered with tattoos (the woman, not the bikini). I wanted to take a pic of her, but couldn't without her seeing me.
Not having enough of the right kind of clothes. My old tee shirts - Tesco, circa 2005 - didn't look quite right on deck.
Not being allowed to swim off the boat.
Feeling fat and unhealthy now. We've just had beans on toast to bring us back to earth.
So - general conclusion: the jury's out. Watch this space.
But it's lovely to be home again.
PS (Aliya) no quoits, I'm afraid. But there was a kind of golf thing (we didn't do it).
Back to beans on toast - but back home too. Glad you enjoyed your cruise overall and pleased you're blogging again.
ReplyDeleteAnna :o]
Welcome back. Glad you had a great time.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Anna and Keith. Waking up today to grey skies and cold I'm wondering whether the jury isn't hovering in the doorway with a "yes" verdict!
ReplyDeleteSounds as if the good bits outweigh the bad bits, Frances - it all sounds lovely. Those cream teas sound wonderful.
ReplyDeleteSounds great.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Teresa and Colette. I think I've now put my finger on the problem (for me). Apart from the (slight) pretentiousness of it all, and the fact that it wasn't really me, what I missed was feeling part of a place; just cruising by and popping in sin't the same as actually staying there.
ReplyDeleteBut it's another cold grey morning, and this time last week...Sigh.
Very interesting to hear your opinions and observations, Frances. It can be a bit pretentious at times, but I suspect you were on one of the more upmarket cruises? They do vary quite a bit. Glad you managed to enjoy some of it. I've loved visiting some new places without actually staying there!
ReplyDeleteYou're right, Rosemary. It was very upmarket; a treat as we hadn't had a holiday for three years. I'm glad we did it, and there was lots that was enjoyable, but I don't think it was quite me(good thing, really, given the eye-watering cost!).
ReplyDelete