Sovereign Cruise Part 3

Sovereign Cruise Part 3

Sunday 26th June 2011
My cabin bed has the head board just under the porthole, so I didn’t pull the curtains at night; that way I could wake to the lovely early morning light and then choose whether to watch ‘the view from the Bridge’ on the television, or go back to sleep.

Today, the sight of sliced pink grapefruit for Restaurant breakfast started my day well. We anchored off Villefranche, France, at 11.30, so I was in a tender and going ashore by 12.30.

Oh, what a view of circles

Lovely angles

MSC SINFONIA was anchored in the bay too.



Floral welcome

My friends wanted to walk around the coast to Nice, but I met an interesting American couple and stayed to talk with them whilst we waited in the shade for a local bus. Another local bus took me into Nice so I could walk to the ferry port and watch SNCM’s ferry MONTE D’ORO leave and sail from the harbour.

Monte D'Oro

Monte D'Oro

People were strolling around in the hot sunshine, or sitting in the shade of restaurant canopies and looking cheerful and happy to be alive, just like me.

I met my friends for cool drinks and then we caught the bus back to the Villefranche harbour side, ready to get the tender back to SOVEREIGN. Nearby I could see suitcases and luggage on a little ‘lighter’, which took the luggage to the ship for newly-embarking passengers.

A little lighter

'What Else' in the harbour

Sovereign looking good

Sovereign stern

The Daily Programme is printed in English, as well as Spanish, so we could enjoy planning our time on board, including walking round on Deck 7.

Carpet on a Bar wall

In the Restaurant, we three friends had our own table, and dinner was again very appetising and as enjoyable as the late-night drink up in the Viking Crown Lounge. I know it isn’t really called that now, but the name seems to have stuck with many of us.

Ships seen: MSC Sinfonia, Mega Express, Monte D’Oro, Sirene II, Sirene III, What Else, and other local craft in the Villefranche bay


To be continued...