It’s hard to believe that my last post, W1801 – Postscript!, was four months ago, at the end of our epic honeymoon around the world cruise on Black Watch. Carol and I have done really well weather-wise so far this year – we missed all the rain, snow and very cold weather in the early part of this year when we were away on that world cruise, and since we got back we have enjoyed one of the longest, sunniest and warmest of summers back here in the UK. Now just as the weather is starting to turn much cooler and wetter, it’s finally time for us to resume our cruising! We have three more cruises still to take this year, with more back-to-back cruises booked for next year to – in fact over the coming 18 months or so it so happens that we will be cruising on all of Fred. Olsen’s ships.
Our first cruise, starting tomorrow, is M1822 – The Flavour of Spain, on Braemar. This two week cruise is one of the Captains in Cádiz cruises, where all four Fred. Olsen cruise ships will dock together in the same port on the same day for only the second time ever – this special event is to mark the 170th anniversary of Fred. Olsen’s beginnings in shipping. I read very good reports of fun and festivities the last time the four ships met, which was in Bergen, so we await with eager anticipation to see what Fred, has in store for us in Cádiz this time around. As well as Cádiz we are due to visit five other ports in Portugal and Spain – but only Almeria will be a new port for me, the others I have visited before, some on several occasions. Here is a map of our route:
We are sure we will see some familiar faces, both on Braemar tomorrow, and on the three other ships when we get to Cádiz.
In my next post I expect to detail our adventures in our first port of call, Lisbon in Portugal, which we reach in four days time.
Postscript
Regular readers will know that I first met my lovely wife Carol at dinner on the very first night of my first around the world cruise on Black Watch in 2017. Our friendship and romance blossomed during the voyage, and we got married just five months after returning back to the UK. On that dinner table there was another guy, Alan, who was like me a confirmed bachelor who had never been married. He also left that cruise in a relationship with a lady, Sue, that he met on that voyage; and I am delighted to report that a few weeks ago Carol and I attended their lovely wedding in Colchester. The wedding, which was held in Colchester Castle, had a medieval theme, and Alan, Sue and all the guests wore suitable costumes! Here are a few photographs from the day…
What were the odds of two confirmed bachelors on the same dinner table on the same cruise both finding true love and their marriage partners?
An Englishman Onboard 