My first cruise (part 2)

This is still Bonifacio or rather the coast it is situated on...

Some movie scene was shot in this mini fort, but I have forgotten the details...

Apparently, these steps were built in one night only. Yeah. Right. If you believe that, you'll believe anything.

I would feel very uncomfortable living in one of those places, wouldn't you?

Then we were off again, heading for our final destination before returning to Nice. I decided to test my nightshot abilities. Doesn't this look pure kitsch?

The morning didn't look to promising, Elba shrouded in clouds...

But there was hope...

The day's shore leave took us to Portofino, which struck me as very "touristy". So I opted for a little walk up the hill to enjoy the view.

Someone claimed this was Paul Allen's yacht, he of Microsoft fame. Can you see the helicopter sitting at the back?

And then it was all over and we were back in Nice. Another walk along the promenade and this time up the hill to investigate that waterfall...

The waterfall is artificial and from what we could see it mainly functions as a bidet for seagulls.

My first cruise (part 1)

Normally our annual strategy meetings take place in conference centres or big hotels. This year, management decided to do something slightly different and hired a cruise ship for a 3.5-day trip around the Mediteranean. And before you go green with envy... we DID work. Honestly. Ok, not all of the time. But most of it.

Arrival in Nice and it started well... we were at one terminal, our bus at the other. So we waited. And waited.


Before we went on board there was time for a walk along the esplanade:

A waterfall up the hill, with no river in sight...

In the evening we left the harbour of Nice and headed towards Corsica...

The cruise ship was a sailing boat...

Did I mention it was a sailing boat?



Our conference was a dramatic change from the usual cruise clientele and the crew didn't quite manage to adjust. We were most bewildered by the daily "cocktail spectacle" before dinner. This was surely the most bizarre evening of all. Why were they dressed up as brides? And I want the drug the host must have taken every day before the show.

I missed the first days shore leave because of work, so no pictures. But on the second day my boss decided we should all take a break and see Bonifacio...

Some decided to stay on board and play with their mobile phones...

I joined a small group and took the boat trip around Bonifacio...

Just outside the grotto the colour of the water was simply amazing...




The guide claimed that the hole in the ceiling of the grotto has the same shape as Corsica...

Half-marathon

Without much training I ran a half-marathon in Leverkusen today.

Net time = 2:14:33

Not bad, especially because there was probably some alcohol left in my blood this morning. We had our "undisclosed number of years after leaving school" class reunion yesterday evening. I, of course, know what the "undisclosed number of years" is and it makes me feel incredibly old and depressed; but at least some of my former class mates aged even worse than me.