CRUISE PART 3

Hello Friends,

After another lovely day here in Box we are just having a wee shower of rain, this will help Peter as he thought he might water the potato plants tonight !!

Now I better get the last part of the cruise story down before it all becomes a distant memory !!

The island of Lanzarote certainly was different from any other I have visited in many ways and certainly in the way that they grow the vines that make the lovely Spanish wines. On our way down from the top of the Volcano (one of only about 10 on the island) we stopped at a vine yard where we were all given a glass of wine...it was very nice !! pity it was only one LOL. All around was the vine growing area which stretched up the side of a hill. The “earth” of course is volcanic and so a very dark colour almost black actually and the vines are not grown in the normal “lines” but are enclosed in quite small horse shoe shaped walls built from the volcanic rocks. There is an indent in the middle where the vine is planted and where they grow protected from the dry winds, any moisture is retained within the hollow...I have put on a picture but they are not exactly as clear as I had hoped. Anyway Lanzerote was good so good were our guides that they did not realise the time we had taken and we were supposed to be back on board our hip by 1.15...it was 1.30 when we rolled up !! we were rushed aboard and almost before we were on they were bringing up the gang plank !!!

Our last stop on the trip was Vigo which if you look on a map is in the top left hand of Spain. We stopped there last year. We did not organise a tour as we knew just where we were going and knew that we could get around the town fairly easily. It is only a short stroll from the ship and although once again it was not as warm as one would have expected at this time of the year in Spain it was ok for getting around. The town is actually in two parts the lower area and much higher part. To get up to the top part one can take a lift (elevator) in a shopping complex up to the 3rd. Floor and exit from there take a walk across a bridge and there you are at the top of town..once up there we were met by a Spanish band playing...music ?....well they seemed to be enjoying themselves !!! then we headed back into the shopping mall for the usual coffee...and back on board our ship....

You may be interested in some facts about the independence of the Seas..

it is 1,112ft long, 185ft wide, has 15 passenger decks,14 elevators,aprox 3,634 guests, 1,360 crew. The Alhambra Theare holds 1,320, 3 main dining rooms hold between them 1,885 guests, of cousre there are another 4 eating places a self service area that holds 774 a cafe with 74 and two smaller dining rooms as I have never been there don't know how many they hold !! so it is all in all a pretty large ship. It amazes me that especially when the sun is shining most of the areas look fairly empty !! oh I forgot there is also a British style pub and a champagne bar !!!

and so the story ends...where it started back in Southampton where Peter was waiting to bring us home.

Next time I come back I will tell you what we have been up sinse we came home which has been equally exciting !!

Love One Another .