STAR CLIPPERS
I met the girls at 7.30 pm for our last dinner together. Having gorged myself on waffles during the afternoon snack I decided to be sensible at dinner, I ‘only’ ordered three courses! After dinner a few of our party decided to call it a night, I, however, decided to head up to the piano bar to watch the slide show and sea chart raffle. Upon arrival in Athens, I met Emma, Sarah and David, my companions for the next few days. We exchanged introductions and then made our way out of the airport, where our transfer was waiting to take us to Piraeus. When we arrived at the port I was hot (it was 28 degrees and I am more accustomed to the cool Newcastle climate) and tired but seeing the Royal Clipper for the first time made it all worthwhile! We boarded the ship and got ourselves all checked in. After a quick tour, we grabbed our life jackets and headed to our muster stations to partake in the compulsory safety drills. After a wonderful welcome dinner, we made our way up to the sun deck for the first sail away. It’s hard to explain the feelings this evokes but anyone who has experienced it themselves will know how magical this first night truly is! In the morning, Royal Clipper anchored off Amalfi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, surrounded by dramatic cliffs and coastal scenery, famed for its Cathedral and its production of Limoncello. After exploring the shops and taking the obligatory photo atop the cathedral steps, we stopped for a drink and discussed the possibility of dinner ashore. We decided to head back to the ship, freshen up and then make a final decision on where we would eat. However climbing aboard the tender back to the Royal
Clipper it soon became clear that we would not be dining ashore, to say conditions were rough would be an understatement! I must admit I found the whole experience rather exciting although I can understand why some of my fellow passengers didn’t. The best way to describe it – Imagine you are on a rollercoaster and someone has tampered with the controls, setting them to the most extreme (a la Mr Bean). The following day we anchored off Sorrento, from 8.00 am we were up reasonably early for a quick breakfast before venturing ashore to explore the town. A popular tourist destination, Sorrento overlooks the Bay of Naples and from here Star Clippers offer excursions to Pompeii. One member of our group was familiar with a pizzeria claiming to be the oldest in Sorrento and so we disembarked the tender and set off, hoping to enjoy a ‘slice’ of history (pun very much intended). Thankfully it didn’t take us too long to find and we were soon sat, full of anticipation for what was to come. I decided to order the Sorrento pizza, well when in Rome (or should that be Sorrento). The pizza was delicious and if you are ever in Sorrento, I would highly recommend you visit Ristorante Pizzeria Da Gigino. Back onboard the Royal Clipper for the final sail away. Once again the conditions had begun to worsen and it looked like we were in for another exciting evening!
The following morning I woke up a 7.00 am grabbed a quick shower and then headed down for breakfast, all ready for checkout at 08.15. I was then transported by coach to Rome Fiumicino Airport, terminal 3 at around 09.30 and I exchanged goodbyes with everyone before venturing inside. I landed back in Newcastle at around 8.30 pm and I must admit after a long day travelling stepping off the plane into the cold North East air was wonderfully refreshing. I was tired, and at times I felt like I was still aboard a moving ship (a very strange sensation), but after the week I had just had that was a price I was more than willing to pay!