Here we are in Grenada!

Hello from Grenada! So after arriving a day late thanks to Monarch Airlines - never again! So the pictures above are the short walk from the resort to the beach - not a lot of people around as you can see!

So the first three days - a steady 30 degrees C and sunshine - and spent at the beach and why not! Day 4 and we took the local bus to St Georges - and to find this internet cafe from a year ago
above the bridal shop in the back street!

You'll see some pictures from the fort, and the old Kirk destroyed by Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and both without roofs... however with $1m raised, the Kirk restoration is about to get under way...

Oh well after a painful experience here in the internet cafe (!) with pictures not loading, the PC crashing, etc. it's time to go and a find a local Guinness and lunch!

See you next time... whenever that is on this blog!!! (In reality I'll add a few more pics when we get home...)

The QM2 trip - revisited!!

Well... just over a year on... it's back to the first port of call of last year's cruise! An opportune moment, a good deal from good old http://www.travelzoo.com/, and a week's stay in Grenada!! We travel out from Gatwick on Wednesday 17 March, coming back in the wee small hours of the early morning of Thursday 25 March.

So you know when you say "we must come back here one day", well it's happened sooner than we thought!! So I wonder how everyone is from last year's trip?!?

Day 29 - last full day and some driving around Los Angeles...

So an early start as we headed to Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank for the Studio tour. Visited the backlot, saw various sets (e.g. Chicago hospital from ER and the coffee shop from Friends), sat in on a scene from the latest U.S. sitcom (the New Adventures of Old Christine?) and then visited the museum, which featured costumkes from Harry Potter, the Matrix, Superman, Batman's car, etc. An excellent morning.

Then off to Santa Monica, a walk up the famous pier and a go on the ferris wheel! The sun was shining and what a great view of the beach.

Then off to Hockey Monkey in Anaheim to buy Shaun some new skates, before ending up at the Honda Center for the Anaheim Ducks v. Calgary Flames - after twice being behind the Ducks won 3-2 in overtime, so what a superb game to end up a busy but really good day.

Here's an idea to bring into British Ice Hockey - during the American TV breaks, six of the Might Ducks girls come on armed with shovels and clear the surface of surplus ice! Must mention it to the Swindon Wildcats...

So it all ends tomorrow! Pack up our things, check out of the hotel to get to LAX for the 5.25pm BA flight that gets us in to London Heathrow Terminal 5 at 11.35am on Friday morning. Thanks for following the blog - I hope you've enjoyed being on holiday with us!!

Day 28 - welcome to Los Angeles...

So the Queen Mary 2 rolled into the Port of Los Angeles around 6am. A really nice arrival with a great view of the sunrise over Saint Pedro with clear blue skies.

So a farewell to our room...

So we were ready for us to get off at 8am. Er... yeah right. After joining the queue of around 500+ people on board to be "inspected" by US Immigration at 8.15am, we eventually stamped at around 9.30am. We then managed to get off just after 10.30am. Then a lift in the Enterprise hire car mini bus, to get the hire car around 11.30am. But hey! For an extra $5 a day more, look at our car!!

So off out of the port and on to the Harbour Freeway all the way into Downtown in L.A. The traffic flowed really well and we were actually in the room in the Downtown Sheraton at around 12.30pm with the car parked, valet parked of course (!).

Then time for a wander. After the obligatory Starbucks and a few pastries, off towards the Staples Center to suss out arrangements for later. So outside - here we are outside a statue of the best and most famous ice hockey player of all time, Mr Wayne Getzky, who of course gave his name to our cat (hope he's enjoying his holiday with you Shaun!).

Then inside the shop to buy my Lakers t-shirt in preparation for tonight's game, but not before we investigated a certain L.A. Galaxy shirt that may soon need to be in the bargain bucket section...

Then time to get changed, ready for the L.A. Lakers v. Oklahoma City Thunder at 7.30pm but not before some nosh at ESPN zone! So here it is - wall to wall basketball and ice hockey (there must have been four different games of each on the giant TV screens) as you enjoy a burger and a beer. Not a place you should spend less than four hours in!

So off to the Staples Center - and what a great view. The only major bit of star spotting was the famous Lakers supporter Jack Nicholson - sitting around 30 yards away. A closer game than predicted, with the current #1 team in the NBA the Lakers eventually winning 105-98.

With free internet here at the Sheraton, the best deal we've had yet (!) and the keyboard in English!

Day 27 - last full day on the QM2...

So... a last day of getting around and taking a few final photos, a few other bits and pieces and then getting ready for the last dinner. Oh and another round of tea, scones and cakes in the Queen's room served by the waiters in white gloves. Oh how wonderfully quaint.

So here we are with one last session with our table mates, and Ralph and Helga:

Day 26, off Baja California (Mexico)

So we're almost into countdown mode with only two last nights to go. So what of today? Cloudy this morning and then some sunshine in the afternoon. And it sounds like the rain and only 14C in L.A. is moving away for Tuesday.

So had a bit of a "British" day today - pub lunch and fish in chips in the Golden Lion where we met Alex and Frances who were originally from Scotland but now live in Florida, and discussed curry houses in Glasgow amongst other things tartan.

Then we attended something so very British - an afternoon Tea Dance in the Queen's room. Unbelievable. An afternoon band, waiters go around with white gloves serving tea, sandwiches and cakes, and people dance on the dance floor all very seriously. Felt completely out of place in my shorts and flipflops and I'm sure had a number of critical glances. But every song the dance floor was full - including "gentlemen dance hosts" who invited the single women up to dance. Let me make it clear most of these ladies were not under-50 shall we say, but respect - they could do a rumba when they wanted to.

Then a late afternoon frazzle to top up the tan. Off now to have a drink and get ready for the last formal dinner. Until next update...

Day 25, going loco down in Acapulco...

... or so the Four Tops song goes!

Arrived like clockwork at 7.00am, and took the 8.30am tender boat to Acapulco. So here I am in the internet cafe still to see the place, but giving our blog followers time to catch up with last week's photos! Anyway here's a few from this morning already...

Some views from the ship, the QM2 looking back on the tender boat into the sun, and with Alan and Vivienne heading out to look for this internet cafe!
















So after a spell in the internet cafe, we wandered along the coast and spent some time on the beach watching the fishermen pulling the fish from their nets. Not much of a sight but the amazing thing was... around 50 huge pelicans wandering around only feet away! Watch out for the picture update when we get to L.A.!

We then wandered around the town, took out some Mexican pesos (20 to the pound), and had a look in the market. We then grabbed a taxi and headed up to the cliff divers, these nutcases who jump 40 metres down a cliff face into the water. An amazing spectacle. Oh, had to have a Corona in a local bar as it was so hot (understandably).

We then headed back to the town, bought some bits and pieces in another market, found our way back to the port and had a couple of Mexican margueritas (as you do). Spent the last pesos on another t-shirt and headed back to the boat (picture below). Nice place Acapulco!