LOTOS various cruise pics

We had a lovely time which was made all the better for the fabulous company on our table at dinner every evening. Loads of laughs and good fun.

I ate everything. I didn't fuss. I didn't stomp my head off (ok I did go in the gym.)

Neil had an educational trip, he learnt about spinning and worked out how to "sudoku", he learnt some good jokes and read Slipless in Settle.

We didn't need amazing weather to have a fab time but the glorious weather in Portugal, swimming in the sea and then sailing home through a calm Bay of Biscay made it all the more fun....

and I MASTERED HOOLAHOOP OMG!!!!



(left elbow!)

English and Welsh...

aaahhhh ALI! He looked after us well, nothing was too much trouble for him.

Room service... the tray kept getting bigger..!

The gentleman on the far left could have got a game for India the way they were playing this series...hahahahahaha

lobster... overrated apparently(?)

I always serve cheese like this...

Total Distance travelled 3,674 NM

Cabins: 520
Passengers: 1,040
Crew: 360

4 laps of deck = 1 mile
ship length: 196m

cooks-69

Food consumption (you don't want to read this)

eggs 27,000
milk 3866 litres

vegetables 7.6 tonnes (good! we still got our 5-a-day!! and the rest)

cheese 672 kg (yes we've seen it)

pork 2,000kg
beef 2,000kg
lamb 667kg

Now you know why I had to master hoolahoop!

Lisbon (Estoril)

Up early (Room Service of course)

Straight off the boat on to the train station

to catch the metro (tube) and train to ESTORIL

Well why shop when you can GO TO A BEACH??!!






We have never IN OUR ENTIRE LIVES been on a beach by 9.30am but even that was too late, it was packed! But chance for my last dip in the sea (OH MY GOODNESS ICY COLD SEA) before sailing home.

Heck does the camera really never lie? Are my thighs really this tree-trunk-like?

Slipless in Settle was a good read anyway, I leant it to Neil as the cricket was from his neck o'th'woods and he really enjoyed it.

Portimao, Algarve

OMG OMG OMG Wotafabday!

Major hotness and sun sun SUN AT LAST!!!

I jumped in the fountains




and spent some euros in town (backpacks, shoes)




but why shop when you can GO TO THE BEACH!!




A superb beach, top quality sand...




and great fun in the rollers.









with a perfect opportunity for "doin-a-lottie"




Looking back to the beach from the sailaway made us realise just how big this stretch of sand was. We could easily spend a week here, loved it.




Waving goodbye to our pilot...



..as the sun went down..



and now we are looking a healthier colour. Wotafabday.

Gran Canaria

Oh dear.

Apart from the market...



All the shops were shut. It was a Sunday.

Even Macdonalds was shut!!!!! Whaaat?



So we headed to the beach......

Do they iron/roll/sift/flatten beaches in Gran Canaria???








Husb managed to find a space on the beach. "Here dear???"




But it was so cold, so cold, so so so so cold brrrrrrrr we didn't last long on the beach, not when a free delicious lunch on the Braemar was there for us.

The highlight of the day in Gran Canaria was the sand sculptures on the beach.

ESPECIALLY THE ELEPHANT =)








A bit of a disaster really but we laughed about it.

And we had a bit longer to get dressed up for formal evening!