18th April 2011
Today I’m flying from Gatwick airport to Genoa in Italy, prior to joining the COSTA VICTORIA in a couple of day’s time. Lucky me. I haven’t landed there before so it was disconcerting to look out of the port side aircraft window and see blue sea right up until the moment we landed and the brakes were put on, as we hurtled down the runway. It was only as the aircraft turned at the end of the runway that I could see that it stopped not far ahead of us and there was water on three sides.
Only last week I’d met a retired seaman who had docked in Genoa in 1959 and immediately been asked to join a Mission to Seafarers team who were about to play a quick game of football on the land that was still being reclaimed to build an airport! He asked me to think of him when I landed at Genoa! Because he played for a Mission to Seafarers side, and I’m on my local Mission Committee, I put this in my diary.
The Airport bus took me into the centre of the city, and a local bus took me to my hotel near the ferry terminal. I checked in and asked if it was possible please to have a room looking out over the harbour and the ships and was allocated one on the 6th floor. Gosh, it was good – my hands were unpacking but my eyes were taking in all the ships I could see from the window: MSC LIRICA, THOMSON DREAM, MOBY OTTA, MARRAKECH,
AURELIA, JANAS, FANTASTIC, LA SUPREMA and MAJESTIC were all in a curved line in front of me.
I could take quick pictures as first MARRAKECH (with a tug)
and then MAJESTIC left. Over on the far side of the harbour I could see the funnel of a Moby ship and yellow hulls of what could be Sardinia/Corsican ferries so I was looking forward to a harbour trip tomorrow.
Across the road at the Ferry Terminal I found out the arrivals and departures for the day
then walked along the roadway to look at the cruise ships before they left for the night.
The air was warm and comfortable under a blue sky and I watched ZEUS PALACE berth where MAJESTIC had been. How strange to see her in GNV colours now, but she still looks good.
The sun was getting low as I returned to the hotel for dinner and another look at my ship photographs of the day.
Ships seen: MSC Lirica, Thomson Dream, Moby Otta, Marrakech, Aurelia, Janas, Fantastic, La Suprema, Majestic, Zeus Palace
