T minus 13 days and counting

Gerry aboard the QM2
Originally uploaded by revger

Yay, we've passed the two week mark. By this time (allowing for time change) in two weeks, we'll be in London enjoying what we can in our 24+ hours in that city, if all goes well. I still have much to do between now and then and wonder when it's all going to happen. The problem with vacations, as I see it, is the lead-up time. It's way too hectic and demanding; by the time I'm settled in on the plane (or car or whatever) there doesn't seem to be much left of me.

I have been holding some books in reserve though to read while away. I'm not a really good reader, I feel. I read much slower it seems than many of my friends. It takes me a long time to get through a book usually. Plus my never-ending bouts of depression affect my concentration, so I can't always focus on what I've just read.

But for travel, I choose lighter books. I have two Donna Leon books lined up. She has written and continues to writes a police detective series set in Venice. They always have the same main character: Guido Brunetti, a commisario in the Venetian police form. Guido solves crimes but also deals with his own jadedness. Leon writes in everyday life into her books, so we get to go home with Guido and spend time with his family. He's a bit jaded and rather philosophical. Having spent 2 weeks in Venice, it's great to revisit that really marvelous city every so often, even if it is through Donna Leon and Commisario Brunetti.

I also have another book that will travel with me called "The California Book of the Dead" by Tim Farrington. I don't know much about this one except that Allen read it and really enjoyed it. He said it was fun. That's enough of a recommendation for me.

And just to prove it, this picture is of me onboard the QM2 carrying the book I was reading on that voyage.

Decisions, decisions...input sought!

Countdown: 17 days.

The three of us, Marilyn, Allen, & I, came up with a scheme for how we might visit the various cities we'll visit: we'll each pick one thing that we want to do in each city. That way, we go in knowing three things that we want to do. And three things, when you have less than 12 hours in a place is probably doable. So I have seven things to pick...but I'm having some trouble, so feel free to comment and help me out.

First off there's London; not technically a port of call, since the QM2 doesn't navigate up the Thames very well. But we have a little over a day there before the cruise and a little less than a day following. We've been to London before in 2004. (You can view my pictures from that trip on my flickr account: http://is.gd/uuu5- [open in a new window]) I'm wavering in my choice here between the British Museum and the Twinnings Tea Shop. I know, really different directions for that one.

Our first port of call is Lisbon. I'm not sure what to do here and would really love some help. We've watched a few travel videos about Lisbon and it seems lovely and I know I'll like it, but nothing is popping out as the one thing I want to see or do there.

Then we go to Gibraltar. We're only in Gibraltar for a morning. I know I want to go to the top of the Rock. Depending on lines, that could take the whole morning, I realize. (It'll be a Sunday morning too...who knows what'll be open and what won't.)

Following Gibraltar we sail for Rome (well, Civitavecchia, which is a port city about 2 hours from Rome; we've already booked ourselves on a do-it-yourself excursion to Rome). I really want to get to Vatican City and see St. Peter's & the Sistine Chapel. (Is that one or two things? I'm sort of lumping them together.) I know this is high on Marilyn's list too. Any advice about the best way to do this? First thing of the day, as soon as we arrive? After lunch? Later afternoon? Help!

Monte-Carlo is next and here I'm really not sure. I don't really have any interest in the casinos. And I'm not sure what else there is to do there. I do know I have to get off the ship--I've long had an interest in visiting the tiniest countries of Europe and Monaco certainly counts among them. (So on this trip, I finally get to start fulfilling my dream with two countries: Monaco & Vatican.) The QM2 offers excursions into France--Nice and other Côte d'Azur towns. But they're pretty expensive, so I doubt we'll go that route. Perhaps it will just be a day of wandering. Maybe I can rent a Formula I or IV or whatever it is and pretend I'm in the Grand Prix.

Finally, there's Barcelona. Allen really wants to see Gaudi buildings and I'm very interested in the Sagra da Familia to0, his still unfinished cathedral. It looks amazing. But what else in Barcelona should I consider? It seems like a great city--one that I'll definitely want to come back to.

Then it's back to London for a day (after three more days at sea). So give me ideas and thoughts to consider. Then follow this blog and see if your suggestions make it.

Photo credits: Queen Mary 2 image scanned from their brochure; Big Ben @ Westminster, by Gerry Brague; Rock of Gibraltar, by Steve Colcott; St. Peter's Catherdral @ Vatican City, by Giorgos Vintzileos; Sagra da Familia, eqkrishena (All photos except Queen Mary 2 scan are from flickr and are used by permission under their Creative Commons License.)

With Breathless Anticipation

Today, we hit three weeks in the countdown...only 21 days. I keep saying that I think I'll be able to make it.

There seems to be an awful lot that I have to do between now and then. Unfortunately, I have to produce the worship services for my congregation while I'm away (two of our members have volunteered to supply preach) as well as the bulletins for them. This is on top of my other usual duties and the worship services and bulletins that need to be done for the Sundays between now and then. Yikes. I'm going to need this vacation!

The picture with this post is of Marilyn on our first QM2 voyage. She and I were enjoying afternoon tea at the time in the Winter Garden. It's a very civilized thing to do. I look forward to several afternoon teas while on our 11-day sailing.

I call Marilyn my "travel therapist." She's a very good friend with whom Allen & I often have traveled. (Sometimes Allen hasn't gone and it's just been Marilyn & I.) She's retired and loves travel as much as we do. But she doesn't want to do it alone; few of us do. So we are frequently the grateful acceptors of her invitations to see more of the world. Because of her, we got to spend five weeks in Tuscany a few years ago, four of them in a villa. She & I spent two weeks in Venice in 2007 (which affords a leisurely pace to explore that wonderful, unique city, rather than arriving and dashing out one or two days later as many do).

Marilyn and we like to take it slow. Slow travel is a movement gaining some followers and springboards off the slow food movement, which itself was a reaction to fast food. Take it slow; don't rush through meals or travel or anything else for that matter. And it's a way of travel that I've come to appreciate. Rather than a tour that hits several cities in the course of a few days, I'd prefer to plunk down and get to know an area in more depth. Sure, I miss out on the other places I could go, but those who are sweeping through their vacations madly scurrying about with rolling suitcases careening behind them miss out on a lot too.

In some ways, this cruise is a combination of the two. We don't spend longer than 12 hours in any of the ports of call--only a chance for a taste of each city. But I'm looking at this as the little samples that they hand out in food courts and ice cream shops. I'm going into this fulling knowing it's just a sample but realizing I can come back and spend time on another voyage. I don't have to fit everything in on that one day.

Three weeks...21 days. Keep breathing!

I'm still going...

Gerry on the top deck of the QM2
Originally uploaded by revger

Yesterday, I was chatting via facebook with a friend and I told her I was going on this trip. She said she hated me at that point. I replied that I was still going in spite of that. She allowed how if it was a choice between a friendship and a Mediterranean cruise, she'd probably take the cruise too. :)

We're at 25 days to go and counting. The picture I'm adding here is of my first trip. As it says, I'm on the top deck which, as you can see, was empty. That's because, even in mid-May, the North Atlantic is not a warm place. It was windy and pretty chilly, which accounts for the strange look on my face. (There's a 2nd picture of me from here with an even stranger face.) I'm hoping that May in the Mediterranean is a gentler, warmer experience.

Still counting down but testing connections

QM2 Teapots in the gift shop
Originally uploaded by revger

I'm really testing the connection between my flickr account and my blog account to see how it works. This is a shot from my previous sailing on the QM2. These teapots, cartoonish replicas of the ship, were on sale in the gift shop for, if memory serves, over $300. I, needless to say, did not purchase one. Maybe they'll have dropped enough in price to get one this time...like a $290 drop.

Less than a month

In 27 days we leave. We fly to London on 12 May arriving on the 13th. We are in London for about 24 hours before we find our way to Victoria Station to board a bus transfer to Southampton in order to board the Queen Mary 2.

I decided I would blog about this trip and upload pictures as I go. And then I made the further decision to start blogging before the trip began...like now. So here I am.

Allegedly, if you click the title of this blog ("Less than a month") it will take you to Cunard's website about our trip. (If that doesn't work for some reason, copy and paste this address: http://is.gd/sBC2) I've also put a map of our itinerary here.

I've never been on a cruise before. I have, however, done a crossing on the Queen Mary 2 in the first year she sailed, 2005 when Marilyn & I sailed across the Atlantic for 6 days. It was much more fun than I expected, frankly. I had a little bit of anxiety prior to that voyage about being on a ship that long. (No anxiety really about sinking or anything like that--since I can't really swim, if we sank, I was a goner. Why worry?) But the QM2 is big enough and entertaining enough just by herself to have made that sailing seemingly end very quickly.

This time Allen is coming along too. For that I am very happy. I don't mind traveling with just Marilyn and enjoy her company. But I do miss Allen on those occasions. (After the crossing in 2005, he did meet us in London where we stayed for a week.)

So I guess in this lead-up time, I'm thinking I'll write about trip preparations, some stuff about myself and the other cast of characters, and other issues as they come up related to the trip. There probably won't be many pix in this part but once we're traveling, I hope to blog and upload.

Thanks for reading. Ciao.