Excursions completed

 Our Jules Verne adventure is really beginning to take shape.

Fred Olsen Cruise Lines had sent round a series of offers on land trips for each of the 26 ports of call along the journey, On average we were given the option of 5 different excursions for each of those destinations. We have actually booked 21 trips and paid £3042 in advance for the privilege. We had to be careful to make sure that Albina did not find herself on a trip requiring a lot of walking and a lot of stairs and that is why many of the trips were somewhat tame city tours by boat or by coach. In some cases I went on a more adventurous journey while Albina stayed on the boat but most of them will be joint trips, including a 16 minute journey on a Shikansen bullet train in Japan, something that I had already experienced 9 years ago when I visited Kyoto. Also, I was booked for a submarine trip in Hawaii and a scenic railway in St Kitts. The only question mark remains over the excursions in India. For some reason the three day trip to the Taj Mahal has been withdrawn and so we wait for new inormation on that. 

We did not choose an excursion for Acapulco as we hope to meet our old friends, Jack and Lyn, when we dock there on April 23rd. Jack is an old school friend from when we were both 7 years old, and for many years we were very close. He had an extraordinary career full of adventures, including owning oil wells in New Mexico and becoming a Vice-President for Special Projects for Haliburton. Lyn was active in the film industry. Then some ten years ago they turned their back on the USA and settled first in Spain, where I last visited him, and then in Mexico. 

In the meantime Albina has swapped one of her new hairpieces for a blonde wig which makes her look twenty years younger. If only she can use that as a reason to be seen more often, even if only to impress her friends with her new hair. Oh, the brittleness of femail vanity. I was happy to pay the extra at the Westbourne Grove shop for the upgrade and in the meantime Albina bought me a very warm and practical jacket for £50 at a nearby charity shop. It was worth at least £200. With such mutual charity who needs Christmas presents. 

On Thursday night we had an Oplatek reception in the POSK Theatre. Oplatek is an old Polish Christmas tradition where we share blessed wafers and hug each other, enemies and friends alike, wishing each other health and success and whatever else comes to mind for the New Year. On top of that we had a full meal, a Christmas carol show, and a last chance to chat and gossip before the end of the year. It was noticeable that those associated with the earlier administration which lost in 2021 boycotted the celebration. A sad reflection on them.