Aurora - Iberian Celebrations

Aurora - Iberian Celebrations

The party by the Riviera Pool was in full swing, first with Caravan, then DJ Steve leading us up to midnight. Starboard decks were packed so I stayed port. Saga Rose had arrived and was anchored by her sister. I was surprised to see her on the movements as she hadn't been scheduled to arrive until the 1st January. This would make up for missing their world cruise departures with fireworks back in Southampton on the 5th. Another unexpected ship came steaming in - Costa Serena, which had also been due on the 1st January making twelve ships this year instead of the listed ten. Heaven for a ship lover, especially as I hadn't expected to see the Costa until we arrived in Tenerife! Karen went to find her parents while I stayed put as the midnight hour approached.

We had been told earlier in the day there wouldn't be a countdown as we would go by Funchal time but DJ Steve did one. He also claimed we had a live link to London for Big Ben. So midnight arrived and the bongs started and small bunches of balloons released, one lot catching in the party lights - only it wasn't midnight. It was 28 seconds early. As the bongs continued the fireworks began and as soon as they'd finished, Aurora blasted madly, which got an enormous cheer. She continued to do this sporadically for a few minutes as the fireworks exploded in the sky all around us.

The fireworks lasted around twelve minutes and had been really spectacular. Why Funchal never gets a mention on the news every year instead of the usual places is beyond me. Their display is equally good as the likes of Sydney, if not better. I was really glad to have paid so much to witness it. 2008 also heralds the 500th anniversary of Funchal's founding and they have celebrations planned all year. Aurora blasted again once it had finished and DJ Steve continued his set until Caravan took over at quarter past. The crew had really enjoyed themselves and I'm sure I saw our waiter Tito but he looked very different in his ordinary clothes. They had their own party later in the night. One by one the ships began to up anchor and depart leaving just Saga Rose out there. Costa Serena and Saga Ruby went in opposite directions, Ruby going first. We weren't due to sail until 12.45am so I took a wander down to the stern to get the ships behind us before returning to the Riviera Pool.

David had appeared then just after 12.40am we cast off and blasted. Everyone was still enjoying their party, as was the crew, one of whom danced briefly in front of the video as he passed. As we neared Saga Rose all alone out there, I heard blasting and saw Diva was on the move. Unfortunately she was too far away for photos but I followed her as best I could with the camcorder until she'd gone out of sight behind us.

Once we'd passed Rosie around 25 minutes later, I said goodnight to David and went back to the cabin. We still had a signal, probably due to us going at 8 knots, so I phoned home and sent people texts wishing them a Happy New Year. I'd got my second wind so checked the video I'd made on the new camera of the fireworks to see how it came out. Also the photos weren't bad although the quality wasn't as good as my Olympus. I think that proved the bloke on Navigator was talking crap when he claimed mine, with 4 megapixels wasn't as good as something with 7 megapixels. I put the card in the door saying resting so I could have a lie-in then went to bed about 3am.

The morning we were still doing a leisurely 8 knots and it was glorious out there. I got up at 10.20am and went on deck first to get our 17 degree surroundings then back inside for the photos from the day before while Roque did the cabin. I got the bloke who had sold me the camera who asked if I'd managed to find a card. I was surprised he remembered as he deals with so many people. I also bought some more 200 albums then went to the Emporium for supplies. Back to the cabin and it was wonderful being able to shower and wash my hair upright without losing my balance.

In Carmen's at 3pm was Celebrity Give Us A Clue - The Rematch! I have no idea when the first one was but decided to go along to this. For those unfamilar with it, Give Us A Clue was a Thames TV show from 1979-92 featuring celebrities playing charades. There weren't actually any celebrities. It was the entertainments team plus a couple of girls from the Scottish Ceilidh band with Sarah Lou doing the Michael Aspel/Michael Parkinson role. Quite a few people turned up to watch but it wasn't packed and a very good way of spending 45 minutes. As I'm not one for lounging on decks getting skin cancer with my pale skin, I went back to the cabin and sat on my wonderful window ledge watching the world go by.

Before dinner I went up on deck to get the sunset. We'd been told we would see a green flash, a rarity, but no one did and were quite bemused. It was wonderful to have such good weather after the beginning of the cruise. Then I went to dinner.

Cliffon had been excited to learn we would be in with Costa Serena the next day as he has a friend onboard and said he would visit him. Tonight was casual/Country & Western but again barely anyone dressed up. By the time I went to the quiz we had speeded up and doing 16.8 knots. Jon wasn't hosting the quiz but did come along during it and remembered about Isobel and Tommy's champagne. When I went back to the cabin afterwards our speed had slowed to 7.2 knots!

I was up at 6.30am as we were due for 8am along with Costa Serena. Athena had arrived the night before. As we had a 3G connection I put the webcams on and saw we were a small white blob on Costa cam. I phoned home to tell my dad if he wanted to watch us arrive to get on the computer NOW then went up on Sun Deck with my trusty Olympus and camcorder and saw she was really close. As she backed in, we were still making our way slowly to our berth.

I went back in as it was nearly time for my Taste of Tenerife excursion. I went to the theatre to wait and sat beside Isobel and Tommy who were on a different one then got chatting to an elderly couple until my trip was called and we made our way down to the dock from Deck 4 to get on the coach. David, it turned out, was also on this one but sat the other side.

Our guide was an American called Patricia who had visited with students back in 1977 as it was cheaper than going to Puerto Rico for less days, and fallen in love with the island. She went back during the summer holidays and met her husband. We left the port of Santa Cruz and made our way to the former capital of La Laguna where we had a walking tour for about an hour.

We passed an exhibition of someone Patricia had never heard of so she asked if we'd like to go in and have a look. Inside she discovered he had been the local gravedigger many, many years ago who was noted for his nativity scenes.

The church was closed due to structural problems but as we stopped around the corner the lorry containing gifts and preparations for the festivities on the 6th arrived when the children traditionally get their presents, although she told us more and more are getting them on the 25th December now.

After returning to where we started, Patricia decided we should follow a bus down a narrow street as a short cut. Unlike the bus, we couldn't get through with so many cars parked both sides of the road and as the driver tried to back up, we found we had difficulty not to have a prang with one of the cars. So he had to stop and call the police for assistance, as it was a one-way street we'd come from and he would lose his licence if he went the wrong way down it. Good job we had plenty of time. Two police officers arrived on motorbikes and while one stopped the traffic, the other guided us out. We then made our way to Tacoronte where we stopped at Bodega Alvero for tapas and a wine tasting. I only liked the cava but the food wasn't bad. You could also buy alcohol there but a lot of people waited outside in the 21 degree heat rather than do that. There were also a lot of other tour groups there so it got a bit crowded inside.

Due to far too many coaches our departure was a little delayed as the others got out of the way. The final stop on the tour was a wine museum in La Barande El Sauzel to watch a film. We had a lovely view of the snow-capped Mount Teide. This place also did wine tasting so I can't see why we couldn't have done it there and visited somewhere else in-between. A few people, myself included, had no interest in the film, so we sat in the shade outside.

I took a photo of Patricia and said goodbye. Once we were back it was time to walk off the tapas by getting photos of the ships in port and I'd forgotten my water again. I decided to start with the Costa then slowly make my way back to Athena before reboarding. They have a path for pedestrians along the wall but not many passengers from all three ships used it.

The charity ship Africa Mercy was also in port, which is part of www.mercyships.org and would leave Tenerife for Sierra Leone on the 26th January. They are run by Christian volunteers who go around performing medical operations in poorer countries. Terry told me later at dinner the Rotarians raise money for them. The 1980-built, 16,572gt Africa Mercy is the newest in their fleet and the world's largest hospital ship. They bought her in 1999 when she was Danish ferry Dronning Ingrid and she was converted by A&P Tyne, beginning operation for Mercy Ships in June 2007.

As I headed for Athena at the other end of the dock, a taxi pulled up and the driver asked if I wanted a cab. Considering the length of the walk, it was tempting but I needed the exercise after all that cruise ship food so I declined.

I told the security guard after he held his hand out for my card I was just going to get photos of Athena then I'd be back. She really is an adorable little ship and it's amazing to think she is 60 this year. I don't know if she's due to pass the 2010 regulations but I certainly hope so. It would be a shame to see yet another classic disappear on the beach at Alang.

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