Day in Lisbon
Lisbon, was a much busier port, as it is the capital of Portugal. It had trams running through the streets everywhere. We walked through the city to the train station and travelled to the area of Belem. There we walked along the sea front in the hot sun to the Belem tower, which was originally built to protect the city. We walked all round the tower and up 93 narrow spiral steps to get to the top, where you could look out over the city. However, we then had to queue for ages to get back down out of the sun.
Once back on the ship, we had burgers from the poolside grill out on deck and then headed to the cocktail bar to escape the sun. After yet another amazing dinner, I hung out in the teen club for a bit before watching a hilarious comedian. He sung funny songs with his guitar as well as told jokes.
Day in Oporto
We took a tour to explore the city of Oporto. A coach drove us along the sea front, and then we boarded an old tram which took us further into the city. It was really interesting to travel on something that used to be an ordinary part of public transport many decades ago. The tram dropped us off near an old tavern where we ate local meats, cheeses and bread. I also tried some port, which I did not like much as it was very strong. Then we walked through the old narrow streets with their tall houses, all of which were covered in brightly coloured tiles to reflect the heat.
After lunch on the ship, I went to another rock school workshop. This time we were learning Justin Beiber's song "Love Yourself". That night was another fab gala dinner. We then saw a show in the theatre based on songs from the movies and later listened to a duet sing in the cocktail bar.
Day at Sea
I spent most of the day at rock school rehearsals. We learnt "Beat It" by Michael Jackson as a group and one of the girls learnt to sing "Valerie" by herself. I played piano for her. I spent the rest of the afternoon playing table tennis up on deck with my dad. That evening we watched Badness in the theatre. They are a Ska band that play lots of Madness and Bad Manners songs. They were brilliant, they had everyone singing and dancing along. Then we listened to a singer in the Tamerind lounge before heading back up to the cocktail bar.
Day in Guernsey
Guernsey was our last day on the ship. The port at Guernsey is too small for the Ventura, so they used lifeboats to take us ashore. When we got on the lifeboat, it was moving lots and kept crashing into the side of the ship, making it difficult to get on. Once we were in the sheltered area of the port, the sea was much calmer and we could get off much easier.
We walked along the harbour to Castle Cornet, an old castle built to protect the island from French invasion. After exploring there, we walked along a pier to a lighthouse where we were quite far out to sea. Then we wandered back along the harbour and though a local market selling jewellery and trinkets. Once we had crossed the water and got back on the ship, I went to our Rock school sound check ready for the performance in the evening.
Our last dinner was as tasty as ever. Then it was time for me to go and get ready for my performance. First my friend and I performed Valerie. It was scary going first but it all went well. Then the others joined us on stage for the main 3 songs. I was singing too then, which I prefer to playing. I loved every minute. Finally, a few of the older ones finished with their own composition. After our performance, the girl band who had been teaching us performed their own set. They sung all the classics and were really good. We then saw a theatre show based around a rock band and finished our night by heading to the late night buffet.
Overall, my holiday was brilliant. Cruise ships are great for teens because you can explore new places with your family but still escape your parents and hang out with teens if you want to. I loved it!
No comments:
Post a Comment