The point of a cruise

Another side of cruising. Forget viruses on giant cruise ships. This was my cruise on a much smaller ship, the last cruise of the Saga Rose in 2009. How I would like to do it again, if ever I can afford to! These pictures sum up what I took away from the experience, and show the point of going on a cruise, or at least the point as I see it.

The magic of arrival and departure by sea. Like at Lisbon:

Exotic coastlines. The Moroccan coast, so tantalisingly close. Where the Tuareg? Where the Foreign Legion? Is Rick's Bar still there in Casablanca?  

My very first-ever sighting of Gibraltar:

The dawn quayside, here Lisbon:

The joys of the ship itself. A kind of elegance not seen in the modern monsters. Comfortable lounges, a ballroom, the dining room, the passageways, landings and staircases, the inviting decks... 

The beautifully-presented food...

The chance to dress up a bit. Here's Dad:

And the nice people you get to know. Knut and Liz from Denmark, for instance, whom I first met on my early-morning promenade walks:

Or this sprightly ninety-two year old man, who told my Dad that he had a lovely daughter:

I think he meant that I was lively and cheerful, and assiduously at Dad's side to help him, rather than that I was in any way attractive! 

And this group of congenial people whom Dad and I did evening quizzes with, in the Polaris Bar:

Then there were the crew, some of whom we got to know well...

Other boats and ships would pass us, such as this tall ship:

Or we'd see ships anchored off ports, or dolphins playing:

But for me this set of sunset shots near Gibraltar, only possible from a ship, illustrates the very best reason for taking a cruise:

  

Goodnight.