Day 4 -Choppy at sea

We were supposed to dock  Doha in Qatar, but due high winds were unable to enter the port, so in gale force 8 winds we sailed towards Muscat, Oman. 










To pass away the time we went to Minstrels for quizzes and musical bingo.

In the evening we dined in the Meridean restaurant and saw Rocky horror show, we then  had a glass of Rum in Hemingways bar. 

Day 3 Dubai - Old Town

It was a short taxi ride from the ship into the old Town of Dubai and our first stop was the Gold souk, the array of golden jewellery on show was quite staggering. We then moved onto spice souk with a huge variety of spices and dried fruits. 

We moved onto the Dhow wharf where all the merchant Dhows berth with their wares from all over the Gulf states.

We then hopped on a Abra (water taxi) for the short trip across the Dubai creek and quick visit to the Dubai museum, we then strolled over to the Arabian tea house which is situated in a Lovely, shaded courtyard. We ordered the Arabian breakfast, a selection of sweet and spicy dishes served with Arabic bread, washed down with a lot of refreshing mint tea. 

























There was just time to buy a few souvenirs before heading back to the  ship.

Thirty  minutes before we departed Dubai we attended the mandatory Lifeboat drill dressed in our life jackets.

In the evening we went to the ship's show lounge to watch a superb musical show that was based on an African themem quite apt regarding our future plans.

Day 2. Dubai - Joining the Thomson Celebration

Early in the morning we took a taxi to Port Rashide and managed to join the cruise ship Thomson celebration with our cabin 494 on deck 3.

We just sunbathed and slept in the day. At night we had a quick drink in Hemingways, had dinner in the Lido. Later that evening we saw the Queen tribute show in the Broadway show lounge and had a nightcap in Minstrels lounge.

Time to get on our Travels : Day 1.

To Escape the cold Winter weather in Cyprus we decided to pack our bags and head for warmer climes. We had a couple of last minute hiccups as the car due to take us to the airport broke down, but we managed to get a replacement.

Last night we found out that  a last minute change to our itinery had been made by the tour company, so it was a flurry of last minute emails and phone calls to sort it out and make the changes...a bit stressful to say the least.

We boarded the Emirate flight on a Boeing 777-300ER to Dubai at 19.30 and this was the first time we had flown with Emirates and we were very impressed withe the standard of service, entertainment and the standard and quality of the plane.

The flight to Dubai took just over 3 hours and was extremely comfortable.  Mileage was 1503 Miles

A Cold Snap

The Month of January ends with a cold snap  hitting the Island of Cyprus  with temperatures hitting close to zero here in Pissouri and heavy snow in the Troodos mountain.











Due to the Cold mornings, Rob had to don on his Winter training gear for his early morning circuits.

Mandy's Birthday Lunch

The day began with a visit to The Vintage Cafe to attend the regular meeing of the Paphos Scooter club.

We then made our way up to the village of Nata and had a lovely Lunch at The Periklis Tavern. The one thing we all noticed on the way up to Nata was the colour of the countryside, after all the recent rain the usually bare land has  turned into a sea of colour.

Our final stop of the day was The "Grape and Grain" in Pissouri bay and the sounds of Glen Barnes

After the Rains

Well, 2017 started off with a week of wet weather with some heavy storms hitting the Island. As soon as we got a break in the weather we headed down to Pissouri bay to blow away the cobwebs with a walk along the seafront.

2017 A New Year Begins

So here we go with Another New Year, We would like to wish all our Family, friends and vistors to the Blog a very Happy, Peaceful and Healthy New Year.

New Years eve

On a brisk New Year's Eve we made our way over to O'Vraka restaurant to celebrate the end of the Year and to Welcome in 2017.  After a 6 course dinner the entertainment was provided by Ben Mills, Chris King and Vicky Mills.

A smashing atmosphere made for a special night out in Pissouri Village square.

Fun in the Park

We drove over to say "Goodbye" to Jude's parents but not before we took the little fella over the local park for rides on the swings and roundabouts.

All too soon it was time to make our way back to the airport and , we made an early start from Cardiff and drove down a foggy M4 to Heathrow.

                      All in all, it had be a wonderful trip back to Cardiff.

Boxing Day

Boxing Day started with a walk over to Cardiff Bay, once again we noticed the number of changes in the area since our last visit.

In the afternoon we met up with some of Rob's old friends from the docks, Michael, Kieth and Lieghton for a couple of drinks and  they shared some old memories and  plenty of laughs.









Mandy and Rob said their farewells to the lads and enjoyed a lovely meal at Demiro's restaurant on Mermaid Quay.