InvictaMoto's Family Travels

Had a Google search for flights to Fort Myers from London.  I found that Air Canada had listed the flights via Toronto and I was wondering if it was available a little cheaper. In the end I used the Skyscanner app on my phone and it picked the same flights as before but through a travel agents in Reading it worked out cheaper than direct. So after googling them to check that they are ATOL registered  I booked.  The fare comes out at £672.78 each. That includes all taxes plus the ATOL airline tits up cover.  A little cheaper than Virgin and much cheaper than BA. Why Fort Myers (RSW)?   The first week we are at Punta Gorda in the Fisherman's Village Resort.  If we fly into Miami or Orlando we end up with a longish drive to the resort from either the main airports that we British flock into. MIA to Punta Gorda - 178 miles Miami International is 178 miles from the resort. Given the arrival time in Miami, the mess about to enter the US through and Homeland Secur...

https://devalltravel.blogspot.com/search?q=NO13 The Saga cruise was posted to a different blog and so I have made a link to go here.

Flickr photo album .

Arrived Dover around 8am the time we were supposed to leave our cabin and wait in the lounge for our departure slot. At least we got breakfast. In fact we were early enough to have packed and left the hand luggage in the cabin and once fully breakfasted we could go back and collect it and assemble in the Britannia Lounge until customs formalities are complete and disembarkation can start. All in all the cruise has been pretty fantastic. The food and service were excellent the whole time from the off to the return. I'd certainly think about another cruise. Whether with Saga or another line I don't know. Saga are more expensive and many things are included that may not be on other lines. But at least the experience has been a very good one. Roll on our next holiday!

A day at sea so we didn't get up too early for breakfast. Once that was out of the way we had a couple of hours reading in the Drawing Room. One of the benefits up there apart from the view is tea and coffee plus cakes and biscuits. The jazz lunchtime show kicked off in the Britannia Lounge with Kenny Martin and Elaine Delmar Then lunch and a rest in our room watching Skyfall before siesta!!!  This evening we have a cocktail evening and dress is casual. For most that means suit and tie. So for me jacket and trousers but no tie! And Claire looking lovely in a blue dress. So off to shake the Captain's hand and hopefully get a few cocktails down us before dinner. Then to bed after packing the suitcases and leaving them to be collected ready for disembarkation.

The sunset at about 2300 local time somewhere in the North Sea.  The GPS is close to  N59 8.5 E4 36.2

The last day in Norway. We were awakened by the captain over the tannoy telling us we had arrived in Bergen. For some reason I had been awake until about 4am and so a wake up call for coffee at 0715 and then tannoy announcements were all I needed! After breakfast we took the shuttle bus into Bergen. It's not far but we are in an industrial berth and not one of the tourist berths. The Minerva is! Maybe that's why the upped anchor earlier than us yesterday!! Having to wait for the buses to arrive and then get into the city, and of course, get back again, wasted quite a lot of our shore time. Claire at the fish market quay.  Loads of seafood but again not sold as we would expect in Folkestone!  No Norwegian version of Chummies. We did have a small taste of a 59kr pot of caviar. Large balls but not as tasty as the lumpfish we buy at home in Lidl or Aldi for the equivalent of 20kr!! We did buy a small punnet of strawberries. A Slimming Worl...

We have pretty much a full day in Olden and with it being Sunday there might not be anything open. We are alongside the dock today and another ship is at anchor in the fjord and using its tenders. The other ship is the Swan Hellenic Line "Minerva". It used to be the Saga Pearl. Maybe today we will find an elusive post box for our cards bought and stamped on Friday? After breakfast we'll take a stroll into town. Or maybe lazily take a ride on the tourist train. We are on holiday after all. Light breakfast taken.  We took the little tourist train. It was 300kr for two. A little pricey but we saw things that if we had been on foot we'd never have seen. The train takes you past Olden centre and out on the road to the Briksdalsbreen Glacier. We opted for the local tour as we went to a glacier yesterday. A couple of stops to look at the lakes formed by the glaciers in the ice age and the waterfall on the outskirts of the town. ...

Arrived Jondal early morning. Awakened to the loud noise of machinery as we anchored in the fjord off the town. Good job as we may have overslept!!  The mountains towering in the background are snow capped. Out of the bright sun it is very chilly. After breakfast we had a more leisurely start as we were part of the second wave of people on the Folgefonna Glacier trip. In wave two we were coach 5! So possibly the most popular of the trips to date. Firstly as the roads are very narrow we had a short trip some ten miles further up the fjord to a small village, Herand, with a harbour. Our guide today is a young guy studying in England at Warwick, but who is back home know. Very knowledgeable about the area and Norwegian history. His name is impossible to write from the sound but is something like Chirtle!! Then we set off up the mountain. Waiting occasionally for cars and campers. Plus a long wait for coach 1. Eventually we a...

Up early for our first trip to the flower island, Flor & Fjaere. Looking through the cabin window we watched our arrival at Stavanger.  The weather was overcast but dry.    Just after we docked the Cunard ship, Queen Elizabeth docked along side.  She was massive.  After breakfast we got ready to leave the ship via deck 4 and boarded the small boat which sped out towards the island.  The scenery was amazing with the mountains in the distance.  As we arrived on the island it started to rain of course however there were plenty of umbrellas to hand.   In 1965 Asmund and his wife Else Marie Bryn bought the farmstead on the island and built themselves a cottage. The gardens were created in 1987 when Asmund, due to poor health, was forced to move to the island permanently for the fresh air and peace and quiet.  Planting pine trees as a wind breaker and designing a small garden became his rehabili...