Cruise 08

Okay, so we finally came full circle and arrived back in Palma, Mallorca. There we disembarked and flew back to Bristol. Well, what a holiday and all thanks to the kindness of my old dad. He'll be 78 next month and has kept in reasonably good health since the heart by-pass. His facility with words is not what it once was but one of the highlights of the trip for me was having a good chinwag with him. I especially liked it when we had a son or two sat with us too. There's something fascinating about the generation thing. It made me remember my dad's father too, a Roman Catholic steelworker born in the black country but who moved to Newport, South Wales as a youngster.

[Pics: My dad and sister in the lift; Mallorca dawn; typical food display on board; last shot in the Captain's Club/Library]

Cruise 01

So this cruise. We left London at some ridiculous morning hour to fly from Bristol (where we met up with the rest of my family) to Palma, Majorca (or Mallorca), and the cruise's beginning. We had a little time in Palma before sailing but didn't venture too far. There is a Reformed Baptist Church there I was aware. See their website here. The pastor since 2004 has been an Englishman Andrew Birch, who I remember meeting on one occasion. Sadly, it was not convenient to seek him out. No time to see the magnificent cathedral either. So we concentrated on getting to know the ship. There's a library area but sadly no chapel.