Xmas Walk in London

 Decided to take in the Xmas illuminations in London. Hadn't been for many years so all new for us. We took the train and tube down to Green Park on a grey and damp day. The walk was around 3.5 miles through Mayfair and ending up at Covent Garden. Knees hurt today, as Baz says - look after them, you'll miss them when they're gone. The Mayfair an Soho areas were very busy, load of tourists, pedal Tuk Tuks blasting out Christmas tunes. I wonder what they cost a Christmas. Mayfair is very swanky and the bit we were walking had lots of high end motor salesrooms, Rollers, Lambos, Tesla - the lot. Interesting when you can't drive too easily in London what with Comrade Khan's taxes and tolls.

 This Annabel's night club, venue for the rich and famous, never been there. Don't qualify, I guess.

Next stop was New Bond Street, home to all the high end jewellers - just so you can load up with bling to drive your high end motors.

Off to Picadilly, Regent Street, Hamleys toy shop (which was heaving) then Carnaby Street and Leicester Square. Burlington Arcade and Fortnum & Masons advent calendar, followed by Regent St flying angels.

Final leg took us down Haymarket to Trafalgar Square where there was a a Christmas Market and the tree donated to us by Norway ever since the end of WW2. Bit underwhelming. Then up through Theatre land and over to Covent Garden. Nice and buzzy there with street singers and acts taking place..

HARBOUR TIME

Thunder & lightning last night, roads flooded but soon cleared. 

Took a tour around the different harbours & creeks in Valletta. The fortifications are impressive from the water, some of it goes back to the 1600s. See the lookout point that has ears & eyes just to help the guards. We went on a traditional Maltese boat, compare that with the ferry catamaran. Lots of ship maintenance work going, they have dry docks for 300,000 ton vessels. 

Bit cooler after the rain. We had Saturn & Mars in the night sky the other night. Nice sight.

VALETTA

Weather forecast bad today. Early brekkie & went back to bed.

Took the bus to Valetta about 11am. The buses are really something else here in Malta. Modern, pay by contactless - €2 for any number of journeys in 2 hours, digital displays for stops, good app, lots of buses. What could be better. Well, the problem is that there are many, many more customers than capacity. Every bus is jammed with standing people, the driver go past stops whether you put your arm out or not, can't keep to schedule because of the traffic. They are air conditioned tho', that's a blessing.

Valetta is very pleasant, named after a frog. Went to the palace where the Grand Masters of St John used to reside. Had a lovely lunch in a street cafe - Lin had rabbit's livers & I had a full monte seafood pasta. Then we went to the Royal Artillery saluting base to take in the 16:30 gun firing. Great. My Dad was based here with the Royal Artillery in 1930.

Could not resist the patisserie & returned there for coffee & cakes on way home. Now on balcony overlooking harbour. Someone's got to do it, you know.

Actually, the forecast was all wrong - good all day.

MALTA1

Leo went home, & we made it to Malta. The journey to Gatwick was uneventful & the flight pretty good too. Uber to hotel €14, hotel is nice boutique place overlooking the harbour. The views from the balcony are great as is weather so far. Had a few beers & snacks in harbour bar when we arrived, all good. Late getting out this morning, didn't catch ferry to Valetta until after midday. Weather sunny 24 Deg Celsius, no breeze. Wandered over to Fort St Elmo & visited the military museum. The stories of the island being besieged by the Ottomans & then Hitler are really something being saved by the Knights of St John, Keith Park & Pedestal.

Found a nice Maltese restaurant called Ta'Kris down a back alley, top notch. Lin had Majjal il-Forn (braised pork, onions, garlic with veg), I had Dad's Famous Bragioli (meat loaf wrapped in steak, slow cooked) All washed down with Gozo Merlot.

GETTING READY FOR MALTA

How would you get ready to go on holiday?  Well, for me & Lin it meant looking after the great grandson, going to wrestling, standing on glass floor a hundred foot or so above tower bridge, going to the Cutty Sark, standing across the Greenwich meridian & how did they get that ship in the bottle? I'm exhausted. Also went cycling with Robbie & Arsenal lost - doubly exhausted.

CHERBOURG

Had a chill out day today wandering around parks & city of Cherbourg. We walked miles & both of us are knackered & aching. Still got to pack! Finally ate our premium deserts, Lin had some concoction with key lime pie, chocolate shards & flavoured sauces. I had a Lake Como, vanilla scoops, cream with sprinkles, choc & strawberry sauce, topped with marshmallows. As Lin's mum would say - no calories in this.

The cruise terminal is where Titanic departed from and is nicely maintained in art deco style.

Home tomorrow, I wonder if there is any wildlife to see, on our way out we saw a pod of whales near Canada and on our way back between 50-100 dolphins racing & jumping out of the waves, quite spectacular.

BREST

Foggy, drizzly day when we arrived but turned out fine by the time we left the ship at 11am. Brest is an old walled city that was all but destroyed by the allies in WW2 because it was a vital Nazi submarine port. About the only bit that remains is Rue St Malo a narrow street of old houses. We were in a commercial port so only allowed to exit by Shuttle bus. We took the lovely cable car over the river to the Atelier des Capuchins, originally Franciscan friars, then a major factory, now turned over to a large open display, with local shops, cafes, old manufacturing tools and Napoleon's barge. Cheap cable car, 4.4€ return for the 2 of us that gave a great view of the 2 tier lifting bridge.

We next went to the fort/maritime museum which was very good except that it was nightmare of spiral staircases that you had to go up & down repeatedly. Mrs S - exhausted. While up in the fort battlements we saw several French warships steaming out, Brest is second only to Toulon as a naval port. Later on we saw as we overtook them as we departed that they were escorting a French nuclear Ballistic missile submarine out to sea. One of the ships, Amiral Ronarc'h is a brand new  FDI frigate (Future Defence Intervention) Apparently it has hack proof cyber system, anti air, anti ship & anti submarine missiles and an advanced air defence system along with helicopter and 25 commandos.

ALL AT SEA

Six continuous sea days before we reach Brest in France. Losing one hour per day, although it's not too much strain on sleeping as clocks are changed at midday. Lots of enrichment lectures; a forensic expert who's taking us through, among other things - Jon-Benet Ramsay, O J Simpson, the Golden State Serial Killer & Casey Anthony. Together we worked out who did it. An RAF Group Captain who told us about D Day; A Falklands War para; 

Had some diversions, first we swung north for a Canadian Heli evacuation of an ill passenger & then the Northern Lights popped up. Not very dynamic, but colours fading in & out the clouds.