Good Day Everyone

I flew to Barbados on the 25 November to join Aurora 26 November and I will be on board until Honolulu on the 1 February 2012. Aurora is currently 13 nights into her 36 Night Caribbean and Panama Canal Cruise from Southampton - it's longer than a leg of the Round World Cruise! Our big sister ship Azura was also in port and as I had never been on board this was a great opportunity to visit my good friend and colleague Executive Purser Kathy Jones. Bless Kathy, even thought it was a turnaround day for Azura Kathy insisted  in giving me a tour of the whole ship - it took us two hours non stop and we covered all passenger and crew areas of the ship! Azura is beautiful - big but in a nice way and it will be a great ship to do the 2013 Round World Cruise on - especially for those of you who are still working  would like to be more adventurous, doing  a fly cruise  leg of the Round World Cruise and see some new and fascinating far flung places! I can now say I have been in Brodies, The Glass House, Seventeen, Sindu and all the other places that our passengers keep raving to me about when they talk about Azura - I can now say I have been there!

I was most impressed with the Glass House on Azura provides a warm and welcoming space in which to relax a while. Divine dishes such as Hampshire Lamb with Rosemary, Homemade Sausages with Grain Mustard Mash, and Prime North Atlantic Cod Fillet in Cider Batter will satisfy the gastronome in us, while the wine menus, complete with tasting notes compiled by wine expert Olly Smith, will appeal to the connoisseurs and quaffers alike. Olly surfed the world to pick out 32 unique wines for Azura's Glass House.

Kathy and James enjoy a glass of Peller! Canadian Sparking Wine....

The last part of anything good and happy is always tinged with sadness, not because you want to keep it going but because of the happiness and joy created, shared and memories that will last a lifetime! It has been a great challenge for me to write the first blog for P&O Cruises and I would like to thank Philip Price our Marketing Director for entrusting me to do so at the time - some three years ago when I was Executive Purser on board Arcadia. Since then there have been some great blog posting and for me the greatest pleasure was sharing the magical moments of P&O Cruising with you and capturing the 'unforgettable moments' of travel and milestones in people's lives - both passengers and ship's company. I have leaned so much more about the ports of call and the countries we have visited, hopping on shuttle buses, waving down taxis, taking shore excursions, walking on foot - you name it we were there! . I enjoyed capturing the atmosphere and architecture of many places with my digital camera, following by the task of sifting through them to get the best ones, resize them and get them loaded up via the internet onto the blog, getting them positioned correctly and in some sort of reasonable order - this is not a fast process! Finding the words was never difficult for me and they just roll off my mind as I type at my office computer. It is great to know that so many of you loved the passion for cruising that came through in my reports and in this world of gloomy news reports I always endeavoured to keep the blog 'light' and lively. I enjoyed reading you messages and even replying to them! 

As will most of us in the work place there are more demands on our time than ever and after three years I realised that I could not keep on giving the blog the same amount of time that it really needed from me, as in my exciting role of Executive Purser you just never know what the day will bring that will put extra demands on my time. Many of my colleague EP's marvelled that I could do it at all! Of course I could not have done it without the support of my colleagues and in particular people like Port Presenter Graham Howell, and Eileen Mann who were my roving reporters on the Round World Cruises and Grand Voyages - we had great camaraderie as we gather the information to write the blog posts. I never thought of myself as a travel writer before! Where would we be without our loyal followers and regular comments from Elaine ( Aururabore), Geoff Witts in Perth WA, Allan Gebbie ( whom I bumped into on board Azura!! - hello to all the Gebbie Clan in Troon) and Mary K to name and............the list is endless....! My thanks also to all the other people who filled in along the way, Nigel, Jo and Graham to name a few.....

Good bye www.jamescusick.co.uk - it's been fun. Looking forward to the new style blog for P&O Cruises at www.discoverpocruises.co.uk. Here everyone both ship and shore will be contributing to postings, telling you their own stories, and sharing special moments with you to keep up your excitement, and keep you booking a P&O Cruises Holiday! I know you all like to know about the inside view of life at sea on board our ships  and 'behind the scenes' in our shoreside office. Good Luck www.discoverpocruises.co.uk.

Best wishes,

James

'Everything you do can be done better from a place of relaxation'

Thursday 27th October 2011 – Palermo

Hello from the island of Sicily and in particular the city of Palermo once regarded as Europe’s most dazzling and grandest city.

On a whistle stop tour of the centre of the city any visitor should not miss seeing the Corso Vittorio Emanuele and the huge cathedral or Duomo. Although it has been modified many times over the years, but is still a good example of Sicily’s unique Arab-Norman style.

Dragging yourself away we walk onto to see the elegant Piazza Pretoria, home to the beautifully ornate Pretoria Fountain. This fountain was created by Florentine sculptors in the 16th century and was nick named the Fountain of Shame because of the nude statues.

Recently the fountain has undergone an extensive restoration which is now complete and the whole ensemble is wonderful to see and photograph.

In the Piazza Bellini can be found Palermo’s favourite wedding venue, the fabulous church of La Martorana. Probably one of the most interesting features of the building is the bell tower.

I decided to escort one of our organised tours to the Corvo Winery that is around 50 minutes from Palermo. The winery is situated in the village of Casteldaccia.

Among the best of all the wines on the island are from Corvo and this winery dates back to 1824. The guided tour of the winery included a visit to the little museum that has plenty of traditional Sicilian agricultural items alongside photographs. Continuing with the visit to the winery itself we saw the Slovenian and French oak barrels that were full of the glorious wines that were maturing.

Of course after the visit enjoyed tasting two of the labels of wine and a Marsala wine together with delicious snacks of Sicilian origin.

These are fine wines and the passengers certainly enjoyed their tastings and many then bought some of the wines from the shop.

Whilst out and about the streets of Palermo some of the passengers found other items of Sicilian interest to buy such as the puppets which even today are a Sicilian speciality, beautifully hand crafted and modelled on an original collection of 300 built at the turn of the century by a local craftsman.

I really enjoyed the day here in Palermo and the sun shone for us which added to the overall charm of the place and the people.

We now look forward to calm seas for our sail back towards our home port of Southampton. In many ways to cruise to the Mediterranean at this time of year is a prospect that some will reject as the sun has lost some of its power but on the other hand with less crowds and superb sunsets to enjoy it may be just the sort of tonic we all need before the winter months.

Graham Howell

Wednesday 25th October 2011 – Venice

Good morning from the most Romantic City in the World, others call it the Queen of the Adriatic – Venice.


Sailing into Venice

To sail into Venice is one of life’s great experiences and I always enjoy giving a sail in commentary as the ship eases her way into this most unique of all ports.

Sadly on this occasion the weather conditions were not on our side and the skies were full of menacing clouds and the early morning rain was falling.

We sailed by fantastic buildings such as San Giorgio Maggiore, the Doges Palace and St Marks Square. We continued on up the Guidecca Canal and then the Captain eased the ship into the basin and safely alongside.

San Giorgio Maggiore

Doges Palace

The rain had now eased a little as the passengers started to come ashore for their tours. Due to the weather conditions I did not take my camera ashore and therefore the photographs that I have included in this blog are from earlier visits. I hope this will not blur your vision of this most marvellous of cities, in fact I believe it will show you what she looks like at her best and maybe it will enthuse you to come and see for yourselves.

Basilica San Marco

More than one of our tours included a visit to the Basilica San Marco such an awesome sight, the most richly decorated church in Europe. The five glorious domes and Gothic arches tower above us are piercing the sky replicating Byzantine churches in Constantinople.

The building has a façade with five portals decorated with mosaics; the only original mosaic being the one located in the doorway at the far left that depicts St. Mark’s body arriving in Venice.

On the loggia above the arches are the replicas of the famous bronze horses, the originals are now away from the elements.

Bronze horses of the Basilica San Marco

Adjoining St Mark’s basilica is The Doges Palace a truly stunning building to look at from the outside, the white stone and pink marble give a most fantastic effect and first time visitors stand open mouthed at its great beauty.

Campanile

Another striking feature of the St Marks Sq is the soaring Campanile, a faithful replica of the original tower which collapsed in 1902.

In the Piazza San Marco are two of the best known cafes in the world – Florians and Quadri. In better weather it is the done thing to sit outside and enjoy the musicians playing as patrons sit and sip their coffees and teas. Not cheap of course but this is San Marco, the most beautiful open space in the world.

Piazza San Marco

Across the water from San Marco is the beautiful San Giorgio Maggiore church set on its own island and perhaps the finest piece of work in Venice by Palladio. I love this building, it stands on its own little island and is just perfect, what an architect! The views from the top of the belfry are awesome on a clear day.

All along the banks of the Grand Canal are the grand palaces and they represent some of the finest architecture of the Republic. Yes, some are a little faded now but they are still fabulous to look at and admire. Maybe no longer the grand homes of the wealthy as many are now converted to banks and museums, but it does not really matter as the fabric of the buildings remain the same.

See their tall arches that combine with the Gothic arches creating a style known as Venetian Gothic.

Always a great favourite building is the Ca’D’Oro which when built had a fantastic façade covered in gold leaf. All of this is now gone but it still looks magnificent.

Ca'D'Oro

Another one of my favourite buildings is the glorious Basilica Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari church in the San Polo district. If ever you are there do go inside this building, it costs just €3 to see the beautiful choir and masterpieces by artists like Titian including his tomb. It is fantastic to realize that the major piece by this artist called The Assumption is still in the position where he painted it.

The Assumption



In closing this blog I would like to touch on the subject of Carnival. Today this colourful celebration is held just before Lent each year and just lasts for 10 days. This is the time when the locals say ‘farewell to the flesh’ and people parade through the streets wearing colourful masks. I have a favourite mask shop that I go to who in fact is now the oldest established mask maker in Venice. Sergio has a shop close by the Rialto Bridge. His little shop is a treasure trove of traditional masks made in the old method and without gaudy feathers. These masks are popular with our passengers and really make a lasting memory of our visit.

Rialto Bridge

A day at sea now to recharge our batteries and prepare for our next Italian port of call which will be Palermo on Sicily.

Ciao

Monday 24th October 2011 – Dubrovnik

Good morning from Croatia and the beautiful city of Dubrovnik, the pearl of the Adriatic with its ancient walls and beautiful monuments.

The coastline is long and fringed with hundreds of beautiful islands that have lovely white sandy beaches. Hopefully by now you can see why Croatia has attracted visitors for hundreds of years before the tragic civil war of the 1990’s and now why we are coming back again.

We arrived to leaden skies but the overnight rain had long since stopped and the sun was beginning to peek through the clouds.

We had a full morning of organised tour departures to see away safely. Others who had perhaps been here before used our complimentary shuttle service into the old town.

The shuttle dropped them off at what is known as the Pile Gate, this is the main entrance to the old fortified city, perhaps the most interesting part of the town to visit.

Completely surrounding the city are the city walls that offer 1 ¼ miles of superb scenic sights over the coast and beyond to the outlying islands. In places these walls are 82 foot high and up to 6 metres thick.

The City Walls

Within the walls are some outstanding buildings and probably the best known buildings are the cathedral church of St. Blaise and the Franciscan monastery that were built using stone and remain largely the same today.

St. Blaise Cathedral

Franciscan monastery

I do not think there are as many places as pretty as Dubrovnik to visit for the day, and as we strolled the well worn flag stone streets, we soaked up the sunshine that had now appeared to warm our backs.

The Sponza Palace is another one of those special buildings here in the old city. This building is built in a classic style, its name referring to a place where rainwater collected. During the time it has housed the custom office, the mint, the bank and the armoury. Those graceful arches will pull your eyes up to see the beautiful windows above, and above again there is a statue of St. Blaise, the city’s patron saint.

Sponza Palace

Close by the Palace is another equally beautiful building, the Rectors Palace. Again here we see a building of classic style even though during its lifetime it has suffered fires, explosions and earthquakes, but today it is still as beautiful, and many stand in disbelief that such a building as survived so well.

Rectors Palace

The beautiful graceful arches support the arched ceiling above; this is a truly spectacular building, perhaps one of the finest along the Adriatic coast. By now first time visitors to Dubrovnik are probably asking why they have not come here before.

The local Croatian people are a delight of that there is no doubt, charming and always willing to stand and speak; proud of their heritage and wishing you to enjoy a little piece of their lifestyle. The Glavic family for example open their home to our passengers and two of the family entertain us whilst we sit down and enjoy home produced sausages and potatoes.

Whilst another local couple also open their home to us and we dine well on their garden grown produce of tomatoes, lettuce and home cured hams. From their home we can enjoy fabulous coastal scenery.

Other passengers enjoy the scenes over the city from various viewpoints including the newly restored cable car. This inexpensive lift whizzes us up to the top of the mountain so that we can comprehend the magnificent sight before us.

Others of course will go to the viewpoint just outside of the city where many holiday brochures depict the old city on their pages.

For what began as a gloomy start the day could not have been better, warm sunshine and super hospitality as always here in Dubrovnik. Thank you all again for allowing us to share in this special place.

Now time to relax and reflect on our day and look forward to a very special day tomorrow – Venice, perhaps my favourite city in Europe.

Thursday 20th October 2011 – Palma de Mallorca

A hearty good day to you all from the Balearics, the archipelago of 5 islands, Mallorca, Minorca, Ibiza, Formentera and Cabrera that lie off the east coast of Spain.

Overnight apparently we sailed through a thunderstorm that has changed the weather that we were expecting for Palma. We arrived to a threatening sky of dark clouds and a chill breeze. Thankfully as the day wore on the clouds dispersed to a degree and the breeze abated.

Mallorca is the largest of the islands at 1,405 sq. miles and there are around 600,000 people living there. Palma is a fine old city full of interest with plenty of twisting and turning alleys. The oldest part of the city sets out from the cathedral and is particularly interesting.

The enormous cathedral was started in 1230 and is built from golden sandstone and is built right on top of the former Great Mosque.

If I turn around and now with my back to the cathedral we find the Almudaina Palace that was built on the site of the Roman citadel. This is now the military headquarters of the Balearics.

Photographs taken let us now turn left and stroll along which will bring us to the Town Hall, a rather grand baroque style, probably one of the finest town halls in the Mediterranean.

On the outskirts of the city is Palma’s finest military building, the unique circular Bellver Castle, designed by the same master builder who redesigned the Almudaina Palace.

I had decided to accompany a group of our passengers on the tour that travelled up to the small town of Soller on the western side of the island a little further up the coast from Valldemossa.

The journey up from Palma was most enjoyable and really showed our passengers the greener side of this island idyll.

Once there we could all enjoy a quiet meander around the streets and maybe taken back in time a little by the buildings and the individual shops.

We were recommended by our local guide to try some of the home made ice cream that one shop sells here or if that did not take our fancy there were some delicious home made pies. It all looked very tasty I must say.

I was taken aback a little when I found a shop selling a really good choice of English teas. It would appear that it is not just us that like our refreshing cuppa.

The area around the town square was alive with action, people going about their daily lives, children on a school outing and the little tram plying back and forth to Port Soller. This tram is always popular and is offers a ride of a few minutes down to the coastal town of Port Soller where visitors can enjoy the scene there. How very pleasant to see this old form of transport still being used for its intended purpose.

Some of the major buildings in the square are built in a modernist style somewhat akin to the style of Gaudi in Barcelona. This is not surprising really since the man himself did have a hand in the updating of the cathedral in Palma.

The Town Hall is a little more modern but still sits nicely alongside the older buildings. The fountain looks well too, the whole area very pleasant and clean.

It was now time to make our way to the station for our long awaited train ride back down to Palma. The train is overhead electric powered and the wooden carriages do not have toilet facilities and are not air conditioned; but all of that does not matter really since the journey takes about 50 minutes to complete.

The Hidgkiss family enjoy the ride.

En route we were able to enjoy the lush green countryside passing small stations, rushing through 13 tunnels and crossing viaducts that gave us all a different perspective of the area.

All in all a great tour and thoroughly enjoyed by all.

Now two days at sea and we exchange Spain for the hot climbs of Greece and the island of Corfu.

Graham