January 9th – Enjoying the Finer Things in San Juan

When there are five ships in port (including 3 monster ships), then the port area in San Juan can become a bit of a zoo of traffic, touts and taxis. But, if you can get beyond the maddening crowds and into the colourful backstreets of Old San Juan, then this picturesque town really begins to show you its charms.

Our mission to find the lesser-seen side of Puerto Rican culture today was helped by the fact that we were joining one of Silversea’s exclusive World Cruise Collection tours that promised to take us on a “Musical and Culinary Journey”. We were taken to what looked like a fairly ordinary old townhouse in the centre of San Juan, which, as if we had passed through the looking glass, opened up into a magical succession of cultural spaces and musical experiences.

The owner of La Galeria, an amazingly youthful 84 year-old called Jan D’Esposo, had bought up and renovated six adjoining 18^th century houses in the highest point of San Juan (one of the houses formerly belonged to the Spanish Captain of the Artillery, hence the amazing views from its roof terrace). She now uses the conjoined houses as a Club, a Hotel, and the headquarters of the Puerto Rico Steinway Society, from which she energetically promotes the musical arts scene of San Juan.

We were greeted by a superb duo who played Latin Jazz on piano and double bass – as we sipped on our sparkling wine, it was as if we had been transported to Old Havana, the scene made more surreal by the presence of a gregarious white parrot who sat on the piano and bobbed up and down in perfect time to the captivating music.

We toured the many different levels of this deceptively large house, before we stopped in to hear a breathtakingly good classical recital on Jan’s best Steinway (she has 4) by a young local lad who is studying at Julliard. That this excellent performance was being laid on for just the 15 of us made it even more special.

Our final experience was on the roof terrace, where we savoured the views over Old San Juan with its centuries-old fortresses, sturdy bastions and church towers contrasting against the deep blue of the sea all around, while being treated to a soothing Spanish guitar performance. With endless supplies drinks and finger food it all felt very decadent, and it seemed like we were in another town entirely from the hordes of Carnival passengers we had left behind at the port.

After an incredibly enjoyable morning, we then had a wander around the town, which had emptied out nicely as most of the mainstream cruisers had headed back to their buffets on their mega-ships. Thankfully San Juan hadn’t been particularly affected by the earthquake that had hit the south of the island a couple of days before – the locals told us that they had felt their beds shake and the power went out for a while, but it was good to see that this architectural treasure trove was still intact (and had fully recovered from the 2017 hurricane too).

Many people expect Puerto Rico to be just about beaches, chain restaurants and mainstream resorts, but our day showed us that its atmospheric capital, San Juan, is a vibrant hotspot of culture and creativity. What a great way to start the 2020 World Cruise!

January 6th – World Cruise 2020 Begins

Another year, another World Cruise! After a fabulous Gala Dinner at the opulent Breakers Hotel in West Palm Beach, on January 6^th we sailed out of Fort Lauderdale to start the 2020 World Cruise.

This year will be a little different for us, because we will be leaving the ship in Rio, before re-joining the World Cruise in Sydney - we have to make room for Silversea’s Expedition Team who are joining the and World Cruise and taking the passengers down to Antarctica and around the Pacific.

Even so, we have some great ports to visit, and as ever, it’s will be lovely to catch up with all our World Cruise friends, and to make plenty more friendships along the way. Looking forward to it….

May 18th – The World Cruise 2019 Ends in London

So, after 133 days of travelling around the world, visiting 52 ports in 31 countries, our World Cruise has come to an end in the best stop of the lot – London!

We had a gentle cruise down through the Thames Estuary and then excitement mounted as the skyscrapers of London came into view. Passing the Millennium Dome and Canary Wharf, we glided into Greenwich where we’ll be disembarking tomorrow morning.

What a great way to end what’s been a fabulous last 4 and a half months. It’s been so long that we can scarcely remember where we’ve been, but arriving back in Europe and visiting my 2 favourite cities in the world – Seville and London – has really been a great way to end our 8th World Cruise in a row.

Tracy and I will next be at sea in late September on the Sliver Shadow….
 

May 17th – A Gentle Penultimate Stop in St Malo

As you approach St Malo’s forbidding fortifications from the sea – the grey of its solid stone merging into the grey of the brooding skies – you’d be forgiven for thinking that this is one of France’s most historic cities.

There is an enormous amount of history to discover here; yet, most of what we were seeing were post-war reconstructions, after the city had been on the receiving end of a terrible hammering in fighting between the Germans and the Americans. But, they’ve clearly done a fantastic job, which makes St Malo absolutely perfect for a low-octane day of bracing walks around its walls, exploring its windy beaches, wandering its atmospheric shopping streets, and stopping in for lunch in one of its many restaurants.

We managed to achieve all these things very well, on an enjoyable penultimate day of the world cruise. Seeing as the world has been our oyster for the last 4 and a half months, of course, it was appropriate to end our world tour eating some lovely oysters.

What a gentle way to cruise into the last couple of days of this World Cruise!

May 14th & 15th – Eating and Drinking Round Beautiful Bordeaux

There can’t be many better city centre locations to dock than Bordeaux. You have a lovely approach to the city down the Gironde, passing by winelands, green fields and chateaux, before you arrive at the harmonious golden stone buildings of what is for me France’s most elegant city – Bordeaux. Then, you’re right in the centre of town, overlooking an attractive park, where young people come to picnic or promenade along this gorgeous riverfront.

This being a gastronomic centre, in the evening, of course we had to go out for a meal, although we chose to go Lebanese rather than French, and a very good choice it was.

But, the next day was the main event, because we had been invited by some very generous friends to join them on a trip to St Emilion for an exclusive vineyard tour. We were visiting Chateau Fonplegarde, which is a Grand Cru Classe vineyard that has been bought by a wealthy American couple who have spent a fortune doing it up and improving their wine.

I don’t think that I’ve ever done a more in depth wine tour than today – we were taken around the terroir, saw the vines, explained their growth cycle, and taken through the processes that turn the grapes into the nectar that we were about to taste. Some vineyards like to pretend that this is all down to a kind of magical alchemy – but, the level of care and science that we were shown at work, prove that this is no magic, but a carefully controlled process from soil, to vine, to pruning, to picking, to crushing, to fermentation, to ageing in barrel, to bottling.

And of course, we had to experience the fruits of their labour, by tasting a 2011 vintage – it was beautiful.

Then, after a bit of a tour of the gorgeous little village of St Emilion, we were treated to a superb meal in a local restaurant. Even though it feels like all I have done is eat and drink over the last few days, I somehow managed to find a little extra space for some more gastronomic gluttony.

I think I have discovered what the phrase “joie de vivre” is all about!

May 13th – Savouring the “Guggenheim Effect” in Bilbao

When people talk about “The Guggenheim Effect”, they’re referring to the remarkable impact that the spectacular Guggenheim Museum had on sparking the renaissance of Bilbao. From the 1990s, Bilbao has rejuvenated itself from being a decaying and polluted post-industrial relic, into now being the lively, thrusting, cultural centre that it is today.

But, if we’re talking about “The Guggenheim Effect” in relation to this cruise, then it was an effect of inducing extreme happiness and contentment in a group of 200 or so World Cruisers, nearing the end of their journey. Because, today’s farewell dinner at the Guggenheim Museum proved to be a spectacular success.

Of course, you can’t have many better locations than this truly amazing building; while, the food (by a Michelin-starred chef) was probably the best that I’ve ever had at a mass-catered event. The ambience was added to by an excellent children’s choir that reduced many people to tears with their innocence, enthusiasm and beautiful voices.

Events like this are exactly why people go on World Cruises with Silversea – no expense was spared in its staging and we were totally spoilt, but it retained its personal level that reminded us that we’ve become one big (mostly happy) family over the last 4 months.

PS. In the morning, seeing as we didn’t have a lot of time to go into Bilbao and back, we did a lovely walk from the port into the very pleasant town of Getxo, to see its attractive beach, historic old town, and taste some great Basque tapas.

May 11th – Enjoying Lisbon’s Renaissance

I don’t think that I’ve ever seen Lisbon look better than it did today. The cloudless skies were deep blue, all those historic buildings were sparkling in the sun, and the city seems to be undergoing something of a renaissance these days.

When I was last here a few years ago, Portugal was in the grip of the financial crisis and austerity, many of Lisbon’s streets were looking pretty run down, and I was offered heroin on its main streets quite a few times. But, in the intervening years, it’s fairly obvious that there’s been a lot of investment in the city, which is now looking much more prosperous.

Admittedly, parts of Lisbon still have a fairly “lived in” feel – but, that scruffiness has always been part of the city’s charm – so, I hope that all the new boutique hotels, the tourist tuk tuks, and the commercialised tourist trade don’t dilute too much of Lisbon’s down-to-earth charms.

As long as you don’t mind hills, Lisbon is a great city for just exploring at random, and seeing what historic gem you come across next – a half-excavated Roman amphitheatre, sitting below a Moorish castle, next to crumbling medieval buildings, across from Renaissance churches – this place has so much character.

So, we walked our socks off up and down multiple hills, before having a superb lunch in the classy Solar do Presuntos Restaurant in the centre of town – absolutely delicious fish and seafood were had by all.

So, Lisbon was a great place to start this final leg of the World Cruise – it’s hard to overstate just how happy everyone has been to be back in Europe after the challenges of West Africa. But, when you’re in a superb city like Lisbon, it’s hard not to be happy.