Countdown to Queen Elizabeth – 433 days

 

This is a very important week for Cunard. Firstly we celebrate the anniversary of the maiden sailing of our first ship, Britannia. Also 7 years and one day after Queen Mary 2’s keel was laid, Queen Elizabeth’s keel will be laid in a special ceremony in Italy. In fact as you read this I will be in Monfalcone, to join the celebrations marking this important stage of Cunard’s latest liner’s construction and look forward to sharing the pictures and news with you on Monday. Firstly though, as usual, here’s “This week in Cunard’s History” for the week, 3^rd to the 9^th July:

 

July 3 1951

Caronia II leaves New York for her first voyage to Norway’s North Cape and the Land of the Midnight Sun.

 

July 4 1840

The Britannia leaves Coburg Dock in Liverpool to cross the Atlantic at a speed of 9 knots, completing the journey in 14 days and 8 hours.

 

July 4 1986

QE2 participates in the Statue Of Liberty centennial celebrations in New York Harbour.

 

July 4 2002

The keel is laid for Queen Mary 2 and the first of 94 blocks that make up her hull is lowered in to the dry dock. The first block (numbered 502) weighed 600 tons. At this time Commodore Warwick was appointed Master Designate.

 

Many of you will recognize Chris Cunard’s name, not only for the obvious connection but for his regular comments on this blog. Chris’ interest in Ocean Liners began at the age of 11 when he first set eyes on QE2 in Auckland Harbour. Since that day he has travelled extensively aboard the Cunarders. In 2008 he co-authored QE2: A Photographic Journey, a 120 page colour photographic tribute to the QE2, and lectured aboard QE2 during her farewell season. He has since lectured aboard Queen Mary 2 and in October 2009 his two new books will be released – QM2: A Photographic Journey and The QE2 Story. Chris maintains an independent Cunard website which can be found at www.chriscunard.com. Chris wrote to me a few weeks ago to remind me about the special anniversary Cunard will be celebrating on the 4^th of July, and I was delighted to take up his offer to write a guest Blog to mark the occasion.

 

Guest Blog – Chris Cunard – Cunard Author and Lecturer

 

As you’re undoubtedly aware, 4 July, 2009 marks the anniversary of what is arguably one of the most important voyages of all time. On 4 July, 1840 Sir Samuel Cunard’s flagship Britannia embarked on her maiden crossing. This began the regular trans-Atlantic passenger service, a move that would forever change world politics, demographics and economies.

 

 

When thinking of Cunard Line’s history it is staggering to realise just how different the world was back then. Today we take global travel and communication for granted, however when Cunard begun operations, their paddle steamers offered the first reliable link between the old world and the new.

 

Cunard Line has been a household name for 169 years! When Cunard Line was founded there was no Coca Cola, no Ford and McDonalds was still 100 years away! There was no Microsoft, no Dell and no Google. If that’s not enough of an eye opener, when Cunard Line was founded, the Statue of Liberty was 46 years away and HM Queen Victoria had only been on the throne for three years!

 

The foundations were set for Cunard Line in 1839, when Sir Samuel Cunard set sail from his native Halifax, destined for England. He did so to answer the British Government’s call for tenders to operate the first regular trans-Atlantic mail service.

 

 

Cunard had long been a savvy businessman and respected entrepreneur in Nova Scotia. In fact, his strong commercial mind was evident early in his life, when at age 17 he bought and managed the Halifax General Store.

 

As he matured, Cunard became a prominent figure within the greater community and a key decision maker in Halifax. He joined his father’s business and expanded its interests into coal mining as well as steam shipping, which provided invaluable experience for the life that awaited him in England. Cunard saw the potential for steam powered vessels and their ability to offer a faster and more reliable service than traditional sail.

 

It was therefore the combination of Cunard’s exceptional mind, a sound business case and his belief in steam technology that provided the perfect ingredients to tender for the trans-Atlantic mail service. Cunard won the tender and formed the British and North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, which quickly became known as “Cunard’s Line”.

 

The British contract instructed the new company to build a fleet of at least four ships capable of travelling at a maximum speed of 9 knots (as a comparison, the Queen Mary 2 can achieve 29.5 knots), in order to offer a weekly mail service.

 

Cunard formed a relationship with noted maritime architect Robert Napier who designed his fleet starting with Britannia. Despite the mail contract being the driving force behind the design of the new Cunarders, Sir Samuel saw an opportunity to carry fare-paying passengers aboard his ships and thus, the age of the trans-Atlantic passenger crossing was born.

 

Britannia was a far cry from the current fleet. At 207 feet long she was a sizeable vessel for her day, however compared to the likes of Queen Mary 2 (1,132 feet) and Queen Victoria (964 feet) she was tiny. There was no Royal Court Theatre, no ballroom and no swimming pool. Accommodation was sparse, built into any available space not taken up by the mail service. Food was sourced from livestock carried aboard and the fare was far from gourmet. However, despite these hardships, the new company flourished and built a solid reputation for safe crossings that arrived and departed on time.

 

Cunard selected Boston as the American port for his service, a decision that was met with elation from the citizens of the U.S. City. In fact upon arriving in Boston aboard Britannia, Sir Samuel was welcomed with well over 1,000 invitations to dinner parties. Queen Mary 2 guests would find it interesting to note that the Boston Cup, located just aft of the Chart Room (having been transferred aboard from the magnificent QE2 in April 2004), was commissioned by the citizens of Boston to commemorate Britannia’s maiden arrival.

 

Britannia’s arrival in Boston inaugurated what has become the greatest shipping company of all time. Cunard Line has endured from the early days of steam to the modern age of the jet. Cunarders such as Lusitania, Mauretania and Aquitania carried countless thousands to a new life in America, while the original Queens were instrumental in the allied successes during World War II. Cunard has become part of our history, not simply by offering enjoyable voyages for their passengers, but also for their role in helping to shape nations.

 

The experiences that guests enjoy aboard Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria are timeless, arcing back to a day when a passenger ship was the only way to travel. Indeed the Cunard marketing statement of the late 1940’s – “Getting there is half the fun” – is as true today as it was when written. Travel aboard an Ocean Liner offers passengers the precious gift of time, something wonderfully rare in today’s fast paced world.

 

Alastair, I hope that this very short snippet of Cunard history assists in reinforcing the magnificence of the Cunard heritage. I strongly believe that if Sir Samuel Cunard knew his legacy would continue with such strength, attracting such a loyal following of passengers 169 years after he first set sail on Britannia, he would be immensely proud.

 

 

Thank you Chris; this is a great and fitting tribute to this important anniversary. I agree that this history is what makes us who we are today and one of the many reasons why “We Are Cunard”. I’ll be back on Monday with a special report from the Keel Laying ceremony of Queen Elizabeth – with hopefully lots of pictures and may be some video! Cheers Alastair

Countdown to Queen Elizabeth – 436 days

 

As you will no doubt be aware from my Blog last week, Cunard was proud to host James Taylor on the Transatlantic Crossing from New York arriving in Southampton last Thursday. Thanks to Brian O’Connor and Eric Allen, a two-part exclusive James Taylor video diary was recorded starting with embarkation in New York on 19 June that captures interviews with James and his family and the afternoon sail away.  

 

Here is part one.

 

  

Coming soon, part two, which will include my fellow Entertainment Director Ray Rouse interviewing James Taylor in front of a live audience in the Royal Court Theatre, a guest autograph and photo session, video clips from his Cunard Command Performances and guest reaction to this exclusive event aboard Queen Mary 2. 

 

Countdown to Queen Elizabeth – 440 days

 

I know many of you will have been on board when we have been raising money for leading charities to support their incredible work. Since December 2007 Cunard has had a proud association with The Prince’s Trust so I thought you may be interested to find out more about how this works. Firstly though, as usual, here’s “This week in Cunard’s History” for the week, 26^th June to the 2^nd July:

 

June 26 1970

QE2 offers medical assistance to a sick seaman transferred in the mid-Atlantic from the “Zosmarr”

 

June 27 1919

The Mauretania returns to Cunard’s North Atlantic service for the first time after the first world war

 

June 28 2009

Queen Victoria makes maiden call inside the Arctic Circle and Norway’s North Cape

 

Anyone who has been on board over the last 18 months will have been aware of the “Navigational Chart Auction”, where the ship’s nautical chart for that voyage, goes under the hammer, and proceeds go to The Prince’s Trust. Not only does it make a unique souvenir, but the money raised, can help change young lives. This is an example of a transatlantic chart from a recent crossing on Queen Mary 2.

 

 

My job along with my fellow Entertainment Directors is to auction the chart at the end of every voyage and the amount raised can be over $10,000, though the average is normally between $300 & $600. It certainly is a special memento which details the ships position throughout the voyage and is signed by all the Bridge team including the ship’s Master. Here is yours truly recently on Queen Mary 2.

 

 

In addition to the auctions there have also been other events held on board as well as guest donations and we  have been pleased to be able to display a letter by the Purser’s desk, from HRH The Prince of Wales, expressing his gratitude for the continued support from Cunard guests and crew.

 

I thought it would be interesting to find out Cunard’s association with The Prince’s Trust, and Amie Hoyland, Head of Corporate Partnerships, was kind enough to answer some of my questions.

 

Could you tell us a bit about the amazing work The Prince’s Trust does?

Since The Prince’s Trust began, it has had one sole aim: to help change young lives. This is an ambitious goal. Too many young people in the UK have fallen through the net, through underachievement at school, or through experience of the criminal justice system, an unstable home life, or long-term unemployment. These are the young people who feel they have no future.

 

We address this by giving practical and financial support to the young people who need it most. We help develop key skills, confidence and motivation, enabling young people to move into work, education or training.

Are there any particularly special projects you are involved in at the moment?

Yes, at The Prince’s Trust we are very proud of the achievements our young people have made and recently held our annual Oscar-style event called Celebrate Success, where we recognised the exceptional progress and transformations made by those we supported. Louise Firinne won the Capgemini Enterprise Award for her successful business that she set up with the support of The Prince’s Trust. Louise was born in Australia and suffered abuse growing up, which led to her fleeing to the UK. However life for Louise was still incredibly tough, she was homeless and had mental and physical ill health. Click here to see a video of how she overcame this and turned her life around.

 

It was an honour to meet his Royal Highness when the Duchess of Cornwall named Queen Victoria in December 2007. We are aware of how passionately he feels about the work his Trust does, could you tell us a little more about his personal involvement and his wishes for the future in the Trust?

HRH The Prince of Wales is still very involved with the work of his Prince’s Trust, as he has been since he first set it up in 1976.  This involvement takes many forms – from attending many events each year on behalf of The Prince’s Trust (from visits to Trust programmes being run on council estates to gala dinners and awards ceremonies) – to day-to-day contact with the Chief Executive about the running of The Trust.  His Royal Highness particularly enjoys meeting the young people helped by his Trust, and often receives letters from the young people telling him how their lives have been changed thanks to The Prince’s Trust.  The Prince of Wales always replies personally to such letters.

 

Turning to the future, His Royal Highness has said in various speeches that he is still humbled and inspired in equal measure by the type of exceptional achievements that many young people who have been helped by The Trust have managed to fulfill, especially given the extremely difficult backgrounds which many of the young people have had.  HRH The Prince of Wales has also mentioned in his speeches that many people have said to him how the mission of The Trust is more pertinent than ever in the current economic climate.  Last year alone, The Trust helped to change more than 40,000 young lives.  More than three in four of those young people moved into work, education and training following their time with The Prince’s Trust; achievements which are vital in the face of the economic downturn. 

 

Please could you tell us about how the Trust’s association with Cunard started?

As you will have read above, Their Royal Highnesses, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, attended the naming ceremony for the Queen Victoria in December 2007. Cunard generously approached The Prince’s Trust to benefit from fundraising linked to the launch of this new ship and the partnership started from there. We have not looked back since as Cunard, its guests and crew have raised over an incredible £360,000! Paul Brown, Director of Marketing at The Prince’s Trust says: “I am absolutely thrilled that Cunard is helping huge numbers of young people to believe in themselves and get into employment or training”.  

 

Do you know how much has been raised by guests on board Cunard ships for The Prince’s Trust, and could you give us some idea of what that will mean to The Trust, and the work this fundraising will enable it to do?

Yes, so far a phenomenal £173,000 has been raised on board, for which The Trust would like to thank Cunard’s guests for their generosity. A large proportion of these funds have been raised from the ships’ navigational map auction that takes place on each voyage. These funds will enable The Trust to help more young people on their journey towards a more successful future. Young people like Ben Armstrong, who was helped by The Trust through our in school programme and recently won our educational achiever of the year award – click here to watch a video of his moving story.

 

Have you had an opportunity to sail on one of our ships yet?

Not yet! But Prince’s Trust staff have been lucky enough to have lunch on board. In October 2008, Cunard held a farewell lunch on board QE2 which raised over £20,000 for the charity. It was such a pleasure to have the opportunity to go on board such an historic ship for the last time.  Amongst the guests were Nicholas Witchell, BBC’s Royal Correspondent, and Tor Stimpson, one of The Trust’s valued young ambassadors whose life has been changed thanks to the support of organisations like Cunard. Here she is with Cunard’s President and Managing Director, Carol Marlow, Captain Ian McNaught and The Prince’s Trust’s Director of Marketing Paul Brown.

 

 

“I have confidence in myself and my future looks bright for the first time, thanks to the support I received from The Prince’s Trust,” said Tor. “Cunard’s fantastic fundraising efforts will help even more young people change their lives for the better.”

 

Finally, do you have a message for our readers and guests?

On behalf of the young people The Prince’s Trust helps, thank you to all of Cunard’s guests and staff for your tremendous support. One day, we hope that all young people will have the chance to succeed. Sadly this won’t happen overnight as there are more than one million young people in the UK who are not in employment, education or training. However thanks to your support we can keep making a positive difference.

 

Thank you very much Amie for a great interview. It’s always inspiring to hear how much great work the Prince’s Trust does and if you would like more information you can visit www.princes-trust.org.uk. She has kindly invited me to a special event at the end of July which will celebrate the completion of a 3 month “Team Programme” for 15 youngsters so I’ll post some pictures of the event at the end of next month. 

 

Meanwhile I’ll be back on Monday with a special Blog reviewing Queen Mary 2’s Transatlantic Crossing with James Taylor; cheers for now. Alastair

 Countdown to Queen Elizabeth – 441 days

I have just found out that the 2011 World Voyages for Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary 2 have been announced. Queen Elizabeth’s maiden World Voyage will begin on the 5^th of January 2011 (13^th January in New York) for 103 days visiting 38 ports including three overnight stays. Queen Mary 2 will begin her 96 day voyage in New York on the 13^th of January calling at 32 ports including Cape Town and Durban.  There will be some key dates for your diaries as Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth set off from Southampton together on the 5^th of January arriving in New York on the 13^th to join their flag ship Queen Mary 2 for what promises to be an amazing occasion as the three sisters will all be together for the first time. There will also be a meeting of Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary 2 on the 22 February when both ships will spend the night in Sydney. Visit Cunard’s website to view these voyages in more detail.  

 

Cheers - Alastair

Countdown to Queen Elizabeth – 442 days

 

As many of you will be aware the legendary singer song writer James Taylor is currently sailing on Queen Mary 2 from New York to Southampton and will be entertaining guests while he is on board. I’m going to pass over to Brian O’Connor who is sailing with him for an update on the crossing so far:

 

James Taylor departed New York on Queen Mary 2’s 19 June Transatlantic Crossing.  Along with his band, joining him enroute to England to kick off their summer tour, are his wife Kim, twin sons Rufus and Henry and his mother Trudy Taylor.

This Cunard voyage fulfils a lifelong dream of Taylor’s who shared in a new book entitled “My Favorite Place on Earth” in which a chapter is written about him…in it he reveals that his favourite place is in the middle of the North Atlantic.  During the voyage, Taylor and the band are rehearsing for a 10 week tour that will visit nine countries and perform 22 concerts.

During the Crossing, Ray Rouse, Queen Mary 2’s Entertainment Director interviewed James Taylor in the Royal Court Theatre in front of a live audience.  Following the interview James graciously greeted, signed autographs and took photos with more than 200 adoring fans.  He stayed one hour longer than scheduled because he wanted to meet each person who had waited in line for nearly two hours.

James and his band will present two Cunard Command Performances, a late and early concert for the two dinner seatings on the final two nights of the voyage.  Tickets have been distributed and, as one would expect, both shows are FULL.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brian will be posting a special Blog next week with a full report on the crossing and of course James Taylor’s performances, hopefully with some video footage.

 

I’ll be back on Thursday with a special Blog about Cunard’s involvement with the Prince’s Trust charity which does amazing work with underprivileged youngsters. In fact there are lots of fascinating Blogs coming up including a special guest Blogger to mark the 169^th anniversary of Britannia’s maiden crossing. Then of course I’ll be in Italy for Queen Elizabeth’s keel laying ceremony, so lots to share with you. Thank you again for all the comments, please do keep them coming.

 

Cheers - Alastair

Countdown to Queen Elizabeth – 447 days

 

Many of you will remember the Heritage Trail on QE2 and its host Thomas Quinones, well as he comes to the end of his first contract on Queen Victoria we thought it would be a good idea to catch up with him on the newest Queen. I also have some answers to your questions and comments coming up, but firstly, here’s “This week in Cunard’s History” for the week of the 19th to the 25th June:

 

June 19 2008

Queen Victoria makes maiden call at Olden

 

June 20 1914

The Bismarck is launched at Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg. She becomes the Majestic after the war. When Cunard and White Star merge she flies the Cunard flag, but becomes the cadet training ship HMS Caledonia in 1936

 

June 20 1975

QE2 offers medical assistance to a sick seaman from the Russian fishing trawler “Luga”.

 

Before I get to Thomas I would like to answer some of your questions and comments. Firstly Jim and Margaret Egan were asking after David Pepper who is currently working for one of our sister companies, P&O Australia and although missing Cunard is apparently enjoying it. Sorry I missed you Paul (Weyhill), but hope you enjoyed your crossing on Queen Mary 2. The feature “This week in Cunard’s History” appears each Thursday and then sometimes I post an extra blog on a Monday.

 

I was delighted to read that Anthony Gaiani Jr is interested in a career at sea and is after Commodore Warner’s job! Ned Tutton is a newly qualified third Officer, (he posted a guest blog as Queen Victoria transited the Suez Canal), will be doing a special Blog in a few weeks time about the cadet programme on Cunard ships – so watch out for that, I’m sure you’ll find it interesting.

 

Shaun was asking about how the ships pick up pilots and indeed that is a great question which often comes up, so I’ll get a special blog together about that in a few weeks time.

 

I know many of you will know Thomas Quinones, who has become one of those great Cunard personalities, but just in case you haven’t here’s more about him.

 

 

Thomas was born in Mannheim, Germany where spent his childhood, before moving to San Juan, Puerto Rico. Fluent in three languages and having gained a degree in Business Administration his career in the travel industry began not at sea, but in the air working as a flight attendant for German Airline, Lufthansa. It was whilst he was working there that he was offered a short term contract as a Spanish translator aboard Cunard Countess in the mid 80’s. He has remained with Cunard ever since and for more than 25 years has fulfilled a variety of social and public relations roles on various vessels in the fleet including Cunard Countess & Princess, Sagafjord, Vistafjord and Queen Elizabeth 2. This has enabled him to meet and engage with a number of the world’s leading and influential figures. Keenly interested in the history of the Cunard Line, he is probably best known for his passion in sharing the past with guests on QE2’s “Heritage Trail”. Home is now Birmingham, the big heart of England where he enjoys classical music, opera and spending time in the wonderful English countryside.

 

I first met Thomas when I joined QE2 in 2006 and his passion for Cunard is certainly contagious. He taught me a lot about Cunard’s incredible history and it was fascinating to hear first hand, how QE2 evolved over the years. Thomas is one of those great Cunard characters; no one will ever forget his Heritage Trail or for that matter his role in the annual Christmas Pantomime! Here’s a picture I found of us in Spitzbergen (The Norwegian Island in the Arctic Circle), watching out for Polar Bears!

 

 

I was delighted when he joined Queen Victoria in February this year. It was great to catch up and he told me that when he was working for Lufthansa he had no idea what it would be like to work on a ship. Joining Cunard Countess made him realise he had been missing something in his life. He said he was hungry for a big change in his career and has never looked back since deciding to leave the airline and commit his time to working for Cunard.

 

I asked Thomas what “We are Cunard” means to him. “It means a lot” he said, “looking back; it’s incredible that from just two weeks, I have now covered a quarter of a century. You go through different stages in life and being on a ship is the same. The secret is you have to find the heart and soul of it; that helps you to understand the product and what the company is looking for. It also helps you to understand the needs of our guests and what they are looking for to have a holiday of their life. It may be a short break or even a World Cruise, either way, you are Cunard for them and they have high expectation from you.”

 

QE2 has a very special place in Thomas’s heart. “My life on QE2 was my home away from home, meeting so many wonderful people over the years like President Mandela of South Africa, who I met on a World Cruise in 1998. When QE2 was involved in a rescue of a Spanish Fisherman in the mid Atlantic I was the translator. Meeting Her Majesty the Queen on her last visit on June 2^nd 2008 and also the Duke of Edinburgh, saying farewell to her from Southampton were real highlights. For me, QE2 was not only the last ocean liner of the 20^th century she was one of the great hotels on the high Sea.”

 

“The Heritage Trail was something that I conducted for a long time, showing guests the past, present and future of Cunard from 1840 up to 2008. It started as a 45 minute event, but soon became a real production when occasionally I dressed in period costumes, lasting up to 2 hrs!” If any of you have ever attended one of his incredibly popular Heritage Trails you’ll know what a unique and unforgettable event it was.

 

As for the future Thomas says “Yes I want to continue the tradition of the Cunard History; this time on Queen Victoria because I feel we have to let our guests know how important Cunard is for future generations.”

 

It was an emotional day for many when we arrived in Dubai and saw Queen Elizabeth 2 docked in front of us. This is the closest Thomas was able to get to a ship that held so many memories.

 

 

As we sailed that evening we chatted about fond memories; “The farewell voyage and leaving QE2 forever was something you cannot explain at the time, but now that time has passed and you realise that her new home in Dubai and it’s time to let her go. I started my new experience on Queen Victoria in February 2009 and she is my new home from now on. It was great to be a part of QE2’s history, but now my future is on the new Cunarders, and I would love to be part of the New Queen Elizabeth, with friends and family that I have met all these years. To all my friends we are Cunard for you.”

 

I couldn’t have put it better so thank you Thomas for this special Blog. As for a Heritage Trail on Queen Victoria – we’re working on it! Thank you all for logging on again. Until next week; cheers for now. Alastair

 

 

Countdown to Queen Elizabeth – 479 days

 

Before I go in to more detail of Queen Mary 2’s “Voyage of the Vikings”, here’s the breaking news I promised last week. Yes here is the long awaited update on Queen Elizabeth. Well I’m pleased to tell you that the first stage of her construction is coming along well. That’s where the steel that will make up her superstructure is cut and made in to sections. The next milestone is when the keel is laid. This is when the very first section, (or block as it is known), of the superstructure is placed in the dry dock, marking the beginning of the actual construction. I can confirm that the date for this ceremony is going to be the 2nd of July and I’m excited to say I have been invited to this very important event. I’ll be reporting with lots of pictures and hopefully some video as well, so look out for my special posting on Monday July 6th.

 

Meanwhile it’s all change here on Queen Mary 2. I left the ship in Southampton on Saturday and Ray Rouse returned to take the Entertainment hot seat. Meanwhile John Duffy returned as Hotel Manager while David Stephenson is away for a couple of weeks. Commodore Bernard Warner has also gone on leave while Captain Nick Bates takes the helm.

 

This week was the first Norwegian voyage of the season for Queen Mary 2, and what a fantastic week it was. It is such a beautiful part of the world, so I thought I would share some pictures with you thanks to the help of some of my colleagues on board. It’s a perfect time of year to go, with the long summer days, although you have to go further north to enjoy what is known as “The Land Of The Midnight Sun”, when the sun never even sets. Having said that it stays light until very late; in fact this stunning picture was taken at 2.30am by our resident DJ, Graham Cracker (well, who else would be up at that time of night!)

 

 

Flåm is known as “The little place between the mountains” and is a tiny village with a huge character and incredible fjord views you could gaze upon for hours. Because of the depth of the fjord Queen Mary 2 was able to dock literally in the centre of town but as you can see from another of Graham’s pictures, that’s not exactly difficult.

 

 

This destination is a paradise for walkers as you can enjoy a gentle stroll around the village and along the river, or for the more adventurous a long walk is rewarded by so many stunning views you can’t help but keep taking pictures. The first one I took was of Queen Mary 2 dwarfing this little village; no excuses for getting lost here!

 

 

I bumped in to our Personnel Manager Brian Lynch and Executive Chef Karl Winkler and set out for what was going to be a short brisk walk. An hour later we were still walking, enjoying the scenery when Brian mentioned he vaguely remembered a track that headed to the top of an amazing plateau which would be well worth the walk. As we headed, more off the beaten track we came to a bridge which looked rather wobbly but we thought what the hec; it looks OK.

 

 

It was only at the other end when we saw a sign that red: “Do Not Cross”! Yes only on one end by which time it was too late. The trek was one of those “It’s just over the next hill” types as we climbed higher and higher, with less and less of a track to follow, as previous walkers seemd to have had the sense to turn around. Joking apart it was a fantastic trek, and all credit to Brian we were rewarded with one of the most amazing views from the top.

 

 

Meanwhile another and slightly more relaxing way to enjoy this town, is to take a 14 mile journey on one of the world’s steepest railways. It spirals its way through twisting mountain tunnels to Myrdal which is 865 metres above sea level. Flåmsbana (Flaam Railway), was built in order to provide a line of communication between Sognefjorden and the main railway and the views are simply spectacular! Although construction on the line started in 1923, it didn’t officialy open until 1980. You can either take the train both ways, or one way and walk the other or even take your bike and ride up or back. This is a popular crew activity and a few members of the Entertainment Department took the train to the top and cycled back. Their pictures were stunning and for Mel (one of our dance couple) from South Africa, it was paticularly special as it was the first time she had ever touched snow! Here she is in red in a beautiful picture taken with fellow day trippers, all ready for the dramatic descent.

 

 

I wish I had the space to post more pictures as Peter Bielek (Sommelier – in the centre of the picture) took some stunning shots. Alas space is running out, but I had to include this one of an amazing old building with yes grass on its roof. I know I live in a Thatched cottage but this is something completely different!

 

 

The day was beautiful and after we enjoyed our final view of the village; the biggest building left (that would be us!). However every day on this voyage there have been numerous photo opportunties, as Queen Mary 2 sailed through the many fjords. Here’s another shot courtesy of Graham Cracker later that evening.

 

 

Our next port was the city of Stavanger, located on a peninsula on the southwest coast of Norway and the centre of the third largest metropolitan area in the country (after Oslo and Bergen). The city is steeped in history and there is a huge amout to do here from walking to exploring the city’s many museums. There are lots’s of shops and quaint side streets.

 

 

Despite it being a big city by Norwegian standards, Queen Mary 2 still dominated the skyline. It’s always lovely to see the amount of interest she generates as well with many locals and other holiday makers coming down to see her.

 

 

I was going to tell you about Bergen and Geiranger, but that’ll have to wait for another time I’m afraid as we have run out of space again. Meanwhile I’ll be back on Thursday with a regular weekly update and a special guest Blog from Queen Victoria. Cheers for now, Alastair

Countdown to Queen Elizabeth – 483 days

 

One of the great ideas to come out of our Bloggers meetings on board was “A Day in the Life” of our crew members so I’m pleased to present the first; our ship’s Tailor Remedios Esmalde. I’ll come to that in a minute. Meanwhile both ships have been in northern waters this week with Queen Victoria completing her first Baltic voyage of the season, and here on Queen Mary 2 we have been enjoying stunning ports in Norway. I’ll post a blog on that next week. Firstly as usual, here’s “This week in Cunard’s History” for the week of the 12th to the 18th June:

 

June 14 1995

 

QE2 Leaves New York for Southampton on her 1,000th voyage.

 

June 14 2002

 

Lady Thatcher lunches on board QE2 to commemorate the 20^th anniversary of the Falklands War.

 

June 15 2008

 

Queen Victoria makes maiden call at Honningsvag.

 

June 16 1927

 

The Laurentic is launched at Harland & Wolf in Belfast and becomes part of the Cunard Fleet in January 1934.