Late, late, late

Diva is not good with the unexpected, especially when it involves time-keeping. 4 hours late docking in Portsmouth, 3.5 hours late leaving the Spirit of Discovery and 4 hours later than expected arriving home. So when the assistant cruise director decided to 'entertain' the guests waiting in their designated lounge, it did not go well. He told a series of misogynistic jokes and Diva used a loud voice to inform the people around her that this was totally unacceptable and the root of unequal pay and opportunity. She was gratified to find several people nodding and voicing agreement. He would not have dared to make the equivalent racist jokes and although he will not change his behaviour she has sowed the seed of objection in at least a few peoples' minds.

Portsmouth disembarkation was long and tedious and they had to transport their own luggage over quite a distance. Very unlike Dover, where there were many porters with trolleys to assist. 

Not a good last day. TSH was so tired when he got home that he forgot to check whether the wood-chippings he had ordered to be laid in the garden were in place or not. (They were)

TSH would like it recorded that he tried most of the ice cream flavours available - lemon curd, mince pie, rocky road.

Diva takes the biscuit

Whilst docked in Laverno, the tour was to Florence, which Diva had never visited before. She was impressed with the marble churches and the other massive buildings. It was not possible to go inside any of them, as the queues were extremely long, but they walked most of the main streets, either with the guide or during 'free time' afterwards.

TSH bought three silk ties (they were on offer at 15 Euro for three) from a stall on the market. There were no ties on sale as colourful as the one he bought in Florence in 1994 - Diva thinks this is a good thing.

The tour was well organised and the weather not too hot, so the day was not as strenuous as feared.

TSH also treated himself to an Italian ice-cream. Diva is not a great ice-cream fan, but was offered a small sample on a small piece of wafer. She ate the ice-cream and the biscuit  (both very good) before TSH pointed out that he had handed her the whole biscuit and was expecting some back. It was a very small biscuit!! TST was told that the biscuit was very good.

Dinner was taken on deck at night - pizza with the backdrop of a spectacular sunset and a few glasses of wine.

The next day was much easier - a tender to Portofino, followed by a stroll around the town. Everything seemed very over-priced, but this is a millionaires' Paradise.

It is true that irony does not travel. Hearing a group of American women discussing past and future holiday 'shapping', Diva said to them that she was aware that there were no shops in the USA. One of the women kindly took the time to explain that there were lots of shops and went on to describe the variety of goods on offer.

The show given by the cruise director himself - singing and comedy - is one of the best on Silversea.