We had our last day at sea as Arcadia sped along trying to make up time before arriving in Southampton. Once there we called at the Concorde Hotel on our way home
Our cruise to the Azores, Madeira and the Iberian Peninsular would take us to Ponta Delgada, Praia da Vitoria, Funchal, Cadiz, Malaga and finally to Gibraltar
Day 15, Thursday 3rd May
Arcadia was again going quickly as we were passing through the Bay of Biscay. At 21 knots and with the windy conditions we did get quite a bit of movement in the night and in the early morning. The view from the balcony was on an overcast sky.
After breakfast we called to pick up our gin from the upper floor of the Meridian restaurant. The tables were organised by floor and after a quick check of our receipt and a signature I was soon on my way with the bottles.
Then we tried walking around the Promenade Deck. It was hard work with having to contend with both the wind and with the ship rocking below our feet. We gave up after three laps (or about one mile) and called at reception to have our latest bill printed.
In Cafe Vivo I had a tea accompanied by a slice of carrot cake.
We picked our books up and went forward to the Crows Nest. We did find seats that looked out the side of the ship and sat down in the comfortable chairs to read.
Late lunch and blue sky
We walked back to the stern of the ship and went for a late lunch in the Meridian. On this last lunch I finally cracked the ordering code for having a salad. I had been ordering side salads and these came devoid of anything but lettuce, cucumber and the odd bits of carrot. The trick is to order the salad as a main and instead of a bowl it came on a plate with a complete ensemble of vegetables and greens.
After lunch the sun was on our balcony and I sat outside to read and look out for sea life. Loking up I watched these contrails drift by.
As the afternoon wore on and the sun moved to the port side of the ship I added a fleece, a jacket and even a hat to keep warm. Away in the distance I watched small boats and yachts trying to make headway against the swell and the wind.
Then it was time to start packing and put our first suitcase out in the corridor. The sky was still blue but it was quite chilly out on the balcony.
We decided to avoid the Crows Nest again in the evening and instead went to the Intermezzo bar for a quiet drink before dinner.
For dinner I had the gravelax again followed by calves liver. The flowers on the dining room table had a turn as still life while we waited to be served. This was again with my iPhone using Portrait Mode
As we were having a coffee after dinner we heard another emergency medical call, this time there for someone in the shops. As we walked to our final quiz, we were diverted to another deck as the medical team were still helping the ill passenger. The quiz was good fun but again we didn’t win any prizes.
Back in a cabin we had a little packing to finish before putting out our second suitcase.
