So far I’ve enjoyed it. 30th June 2013 marked my
first week on board and when at sea I’ve: swam in the pool, endured Barry
Manilow love songs in karaoke and hung out with the Philippeno crew, watched
many sunsets from the Bridge, always get excited to see a Pilot board and exit
the ship – James Bond style – and have just started to play table tennis…I’m
getting quite good. Now we have a new
Captain and Chief Engineer, they’re both very talkative and lunch & dinner
times are interesting. My last post
talked about how the Captain is very internationally minded and believes in
keeping the crew happy – “A happy crew means a happier place to work and live,
and the job gets done better.”
**I wish more employers thought like him**
But
there is a downside, as I’ve discovered in Barcelona: My Genoa post talks about how lucky I was in
Italy as the container terminal was, at maximum, a 45 minute walk from the town,
both in Genoa & La Spezia.
30JUN we were supposed to be berthed in Barcelona, Spain at about 17:00,
but didn’t arrive until about 20:30.
Apparently this is not uncommon in Mediterranean ports: “They play salami with us” says the Captain
(I still haven’t figured out what he means by this): they say one time but the ship could be
sitting outside port for a good two to three hours until the Pilot comes.
“Not like in Asia: they
say 17:00, they mean 17:00” (apparently…I’ll be sure to let you all know).
By
the time the ship docked in Barcelona, it was too late to go into town and we
leave early tomorrow morning. And the
container terminal in Barcelona is located near the airport: about one hour
away from the city centre.
Unfortunately it’s not as if you can leave the ship and walk out the
gate here and hop onto public transport…as the Captain says: “They have put us
in the middle of the bloody Sahara out here” (apparently last time they docked
a little nearer the cruise terminal.
Barcelona has a new container port now, located quite far from the
city).
So
no chance to go ashore this time and, most importantly for me, no access to
internet! It’s not possible to pick up
a Wi-Fi signal in container ports unfortunately…you have to go to one of the Seafarer's Clubs usually located in the
cargo area…but today was Sunday and, according to the agent, it was closed…or
wait until you’re in town.
So,
ladies and gentlemen, you’ll get this post (and my last posts) as and when you
can. As a passenger, be prepared that:
depending on the ship’s schedule, you might not get the opportunity to necessarily
go ashore, or even to go to the little club reserved for seafarers that DOES
have internet if it’s a Sunday evening in Spain (Barcelona).
But
all in all, for meeting people and getting to understand different cultures,
have time to yourself and for being allowed up onto the Bridge frequently (not
allowed on cruise travel due to the high volume of passengers) to watch
sunrise/set, walk to the front to sit in the Castle and dolphin spot, I’d say
container ship travel is the way to go.
I certainly like the people I’ve met so far: hearing their stories,
learning about life in different cultures, getting good at a different sport
(table tennis) and writing, writing, writing!
****Update: It's now 2nd July and due to a quick turn around in Barcelona, I've got a chance to go ashore and explore in Valencia as we have over 12 hours here! You see? Eventually it balances out***
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