Our first port of call was to cold and wet La Coruna. We walked to the beaches alongside the promenade before coming back to the Sapphire Princess to spend the afternoon
Our seven day cruise on Sapphire Princess took us from Southampton to La Coruna, Bilbao, Le Verdon, St. Peter Port and finally back to Southampton.
Day 3 Monday 27th May La Coruna, Spain
We could hear the ship’s fog horns blowing throughout the night. It didn’t keep us awake that much but it was mildly unsettling.
Once the ship had docked, I checked the weather forecast for La Coruna on my Met Office app. Rain was forecast throughout the day. I treated myself to the breakfast special of Eggs Benedict in the International Dining Room.
La Coruna
The forecast rain was falling as we left the ship and walked past the casino and its statues. The shopping complex at the side of the casino look even more dilapidated than on our last visit to the port.
We walked a little way along Rua Real and then turned and walked through the city to be reach the promenade and the beaches. On the way we passed these decorated shop shutters.
This stencil was on an alley wall.
We were not the only ones feeling cold!
La Coruna’s promenade
The sky was overcast and the wind quite cool.
We walked back on the other side of the road. We didn’t find any shops that interest us and the bars did not look inviting either.
We walked for five blocks before we decided that a warm drink was needed to warm us all up
The small cafe that we stopped at went back into several more rooms and was much larger and it looks from the outside. Almost every table was filled with business people or shoppers and we were lucky to find a table free. The two milky coffees and a hot chocolate were only six euros, definitely a bargain.
Rua Real
The walk back to Rua Real was through a busy shopping centre and took about 10 minutes. Luckily the rain had stopped while we were in the café.
Rua Real was now busy with fellow passengers and like us all window shopping. The street vendors were out in force selling everything from jewellery to umbrellas. At the end of Rua Real I went briefly into the large square …
… before we turned and went back down to the harbour and back to Sapphire Princess.
In the cruise terminal we paused to check out the prices of tonic water and that one euro account he didn’t buy any.
Afternoon on Sapphire Princess in La Coruna
Lunch was a pizza at Alfredos in the Atrium with salads and deserts from the International Café.
The rain had by now been replaced by blue skies and we sat out on the balcony enjoyed the sunshine and the warmth.
We all went up to the Sports Deck to join in a game of football n(or in my case to watch.). At the side of the court was this skeleton structure presumably for supporting satellite communications.
Evening on Sapphire
Sapphire Princess left at about 4.30 pm.
Later we watched some more of a movie before getting changed for an early dinner. At the Savoy restaurant we were turned back as Myles was wearing shorts. After a quick dash back to the cabin we tried again. This time we were told the Savoy was full and to try the next door restaurant, the Verona.
It was Italian night and all the servers were in red or blue striped tops. I had the prawns, a Caesar salad, chicken breast stuffed with cheese and then a strawberry sundae. The prawns were served on a bed of lettuce with a spicy sauce and was excellent.
After our late night watching the comedian we opted for the first performance of Paul Baker in the theatre. While we sat the theatre filled until at the time for the show it was standing room only.
We enjoyed the show and realised that we have probably seen him perform in Starlight Express and in Chicago in London’s West End.
At 9:30 I went to the upper decks to see the sunset before back to the room for a very early night with my book.
From the Cruise Log
La Coruna – Monday, 27th May 2019
Overnight Sapphire Princess maintained various southerly courses towards La Coruna. At 05:43 the Officer of the Watch instructed the Engine Control Room to “Stand by Below’ as once again we readied the vessel for manoeuvring. With the pilot on-board at 06:02, Sapphire Princess proceeded inbound as we prepared to come alongside our berth. Sapphire Princess cast her first line ashore at 06:52 and we were,’Finished with Engines’ as Sapphire Princess settled down for a quiet day alongside in the Port of La Comna.
At 15:30 Sapphire Princess was almost ready to depart and once again the OOW rang “Stand by Below”. The Gangway was shipped and with all of our guests on-board we let go our last line at 16:09. Sapphire Princess then followed reciprocal courses out of the harbour. Once clear we set southerly courses towards Bilbao.
At Noon
Position: La Coruna
Sky: Partly Cloudy
Air Temperature: 15°C/59°F
Pressure: 1021.0 mbs
Wind: Northerly, Force 3
Sea: Calm