\n
It’s our first full day on board Queen Anne,<\/b> and after a solid
\nnight\u2019s sleep for both of us, we\u2019re looking out over a calm, but rather grey
\nlooking North Sea.<\/b> Feeling lazy after the hectic rush of the past few days \u2013
\nstress levels high yesterday after getting lost on the approaches to
\nSouthampton,<\/b> (more about that another time), we\u2019ve ordered a room service
\nbreakfast, before setting out to explore the ship. Update, the breakfast in the
\nroom was fine, and suited my requirements for a recharge, but for the rest of
\nthe voyage I shall be breakfasting either at the buffet or, if I feel like
\nkippers, in the restaurant. It’s also nice to have pre-breakfast stroll, and few
\npossibly a post-breakfast laps around the quarter deck.<\/p>\n
I clocked up quite a few steps this morning, prior to a
\nprearranged rendezvous with my wife, up on Deck 14.<\/b> The latter is the
\ndesignated \u201csmoking area\u201d<\/i><\/b> and whilst Eileen<\/b> vapes these days, rather than smokes,
\nthe former is viewed with equal disdain in certain quarters. Mind you, it\u2019s rather
\nchilly on the uppermost deck, and whilst there\u2019s some basic shelter from the
\nrain, the area is still quite exposed, especially when it\u2019s windy.<\/p>\n
As mentioned in the previous post, this is our second voyage
\non board what is Cunard\u2019s <\/b>newest cruise ships, and whilst I was quite critical
\nfollowing our initial sailing \u2013 just under a year ago, I think I\u2019m correct in
\nsaying the ship\u2019s management and crew appear to have got over most of their
\nteething problems.\u00a0 <\/span>Certainly, from what
\nI\u2019ve seen so far, things are running a lot smoother, and the ship\u2019s appeal is
\ngrowing for both Mrs PBT\u2019s <\/b>and I.<\/p>\nTomorrow\u2019s port of call is Newhaven,<\/b> which acts as the deep-water
\nberthing point for Edinburgh.<\/b> It\u2019s disembarkation by tender, which basically
\nmeans leaving the ship, and transferring to shore, using a number of the vessel\u2019s
\nlifeboats. Eileen<\/b> isn\u2019t over keen, although needless to say I\u2019m up for it. I
\nshan\u2019t be taking any of the excursions into Edinburgh<\/b> though, or bothering with
\nlocal public transport, because Newhaven<\/b> looks worthy of exploration on its own.
\nI\u2019ve earmarked a couple of pubs, and they will do me, plus there\u2019s a spot of
\nshopping that Mrs PBT\u2019s<\/b> has asked me to pick up for her.<\/p>\n
We lunched in the ship\u2019s pub, the Golden Lion<\/b> today, and we
\ndid the same yesterday, almost immediately after boarding. Most of the dishes
\nin the pub are included in the cost of the voyage, although if you\u2019re mad
\nenough to splash the cash, you can opt for a creation from Michel Roux. <\/b>Why
\nwould you, though? Unless you\u2019re one of the vain, gullible people taken in by
\nthe cult of the celebrity chef!<\/p>\n
The standard fare in the pub is pretty good, and yesterday
\nwe both enjoyed hake, chips and mushy peas, whilst today I had a rather nice
\nchicken and mushroom pie, with mash potato. The portions aren\u2019t huge, which is
\nprobably just as well, but they\u2019re tasty and well presented. The Golden Lion<\/b>
\nalso offers a good range of bottled beers (the draught selection isn\u2019t up to
\nmuch), from the likes of St Austell, Badger, Adnams,<\/b> and yesterday\u2019s excellent choice Maharaja
\nIPA<\/b> from Renegade Brewery.<\/b> My only complaint is the bottles are almost frozen,
\nrather than chilled, but then as Paul Hogan<\/b> used to say, \u201cYou wouldn\u2019t want a
\nwarm one!\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
So far, the weather has been remarkedly benign, with virtually
\nwall-to-wall sunshine, and a North Sea<\/b> that looks as smooth and as calm as the
\nproverbial millpond. Our cabin, sorry \u201cState Room,”<\/i><\/b> is comfortable and well-appointed
\nand, should we need anything else, there\u2019s our room steward, who goes by the
\nunlikely name of \u201cRommel\u201d <\/i><\/b>to take care of things – no remarks about the Afrika Korp<\/b>, and the “Desert Fox,”\u00a0<\/i><\/b>please!<\/p>\n
There\u2019s not much else to report at the moment so, providing
\nI haven\u2019t bored you all to death yet, I\u2019m going to sign off, and report back
\nlater in the voyage. After yesterday\u2019s debacle, I won\u2019t attempt to post any
\nphotos yet, but unlike Simon (BRAPA)<\/b>, who is also experiencing issues regarding
\nphotos, I shan\u2019t attempt anything generated by AI <\/b>\u2013 for the time being at
\nleast.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It’s our first full day on board Queen Anne, and after a solid night\u2019s sleep for both of us, we\u2019re looking out over a calm, but rather grey looking North Sea. Feeling lazy after the hectic rush of the past few days \u2013 stress levels high yesterday after getting lost on the approaches to Southampton, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[137],"tags":[467,247,843,5110,3699],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-248689","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-beer","tag-day","tag-full","tag-north","tag-sea","tag-tales"],"yoast_head":"\n
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