To the Black Sea - Almeria Page

Up at 06:30 (!), as the tour started at 08:30 & one has to muster 15 minutes before. We were driven out to the Cabo de Gata, not cat but agate, which is on the far East side of the Almeria Bay & pretty well, desert. We saw some white flamingoes in the distance on the salinas but I felt that more could have been made of this trip.

Driven back to Almeria, we were taken round the town, largely on foot but there is not much on interest, apart from the Alcazaba which we up to but not in. There was a drink & big tapas snack but the town trip was mostly, a waste of time.

I spent much of the afternoon doing my slide show. Joyce played the Monti Czardas for me again. The evening ‘entertainment’ was Katherine Morgan of the Show Team singing in her precarious way. You keep expecting her to miss the note but she hits it. Then, the not-very-funny man. The hour went back for the 3rd & last time.

Thursday 3rd November 2016 At sea

Two circuits before breakfast & some after Geof’s talk about the Fall of Al-Andalus, again quite good with little flaws, especially narrating events in the wrong order but I did not task him with this. I told him about Recarred’s conference & the fact that Isabella & Ferdinand kept the admins of their kingdoms separate until she died. I skipped lunch altogether, because there was a cake festival at 15:45. I did deck walks while Avis went to the talent show. I had had enough of the tapped un-talent on the regular evening show this half of the cruise to want to expose myself to the amateurs but Avis said they were a better standard than ones we have been to before. It was still warm & somewhat humid, so my theory that I have finished the laundry on this cruise will not be the case. The cake fest was a bit disappointing, as all the cakes have been on this cruise. It was British Evening, so we had the usual sing-song. One Welsh lady had the full national dress fig & I went on-stage for “Maybe it’s because I’m a Londoner”, inviting the ‘hayseeds from outside the M25’ to join in, much to the surprise of Jonny, the Head Host! The show team did well with a new show. I had chatted to Katharine before, who wore a red dress, claimed her skin was white (no) & had blue eyes. She went to the Italia Conti School.