Location: Los Alcázares, Murcia, Spain → Costa Toscana, Mediterranean Sea
Summary: A slow, restless start to the week as I counted down the days to my Mediterranean cruise. By Friday the excitement had fully kicked in, and by the weekend I was waking up in France and Italy aboard the Costa Toscana.
Monday, 24th October
Last day at work and a thank‑you gift
I woke around 03:30 but managed to get back to sleep until 08:30. After coffee and some work on my website, I shaved and headed to the office for my final day before my holiday.
On the way I stopped to buy a flowering pot plant for Sofia at my insurance office. She has been incredibly helpful recently, and I wanted to thank her properly. She seemed genuinely pleased with the gesture.
At the office, Martin and I worked hard, joined at various times by Dave, Viv, Kate and Aria. When we finished, I went to Rocco’s for a beer and chatted with a couple of people I’d met last week. I then moved to Harry’s Bar, where I sat with my friend John. Martin joined us briefly to check that I’d sent the final fax correctly, had a quick pint and headed home.
Tuesday, 25th October
Holiday insurance and restless excitement
I woke around 06:30 and, unable to get back to sleep, got up for coffee and Radio 2. The music was lively enough to have me tapping my feet while using my foot massager.
Mid‑morning I went to the bank to collect my holiday insurance documents. Lola printed them in English and Spanish and confirmed my bank cards would work abroad.
The rest of the day was spent trying not to get too excited. The closer the holiday gets, the more I worry I’ve forgotten something.
Wednesday, 26th October
Check‑in stress and a catch‑up with Mike
I woke around 07:00, had coffee and tried to check in online for my cruise, but the website wasn’t working. I contacted the holiday company and waited anxiously for a reply.
At 11:00 I met my friend Mike for coffee. When I got home, the holiday company had messaged to say they had already checked me in and that my tickets would be waiting on the coach on Friday. Relief.
In the evening I watched Tottenham narrowly avoid a win in the Champions League before bed.
Thursday, 27th October
Returns, errands and the traditional pre‑holiday sleepless night
I woke around 07:00, stripped the bed and put the linen in the wash. I walked to Euronics to return the awful plastic glasses straps I’d bought from Amazon.
I then went to the pharmacy for extra tablets, just in case. On the way home I passed an optician and popped in. Although they weren’t open, the man inside let me in and sold me two proper glasses straps, far better and cheaper than Amazon’s.
I stopped at Dicast for Fairy Liquid, then went to San Juan for breakfast: coffee, tostada with tomato and orange juice.
Back home I finished the washing, packed my case, tidied the kitchen and waited for Bob to arrive to give me a holiday haircut. After that I watched television and tried to sleep, but as always the night before a holiday, I couldn’t. I didn’t fall asleep until around 03:00 despite going to bed at 22:30.
Friday, 28th October
Departure day — Valencia, here I come
I woke at 04:30 after barely 90 minutes of sleep. I showered, had coffee and pottered around until Bernard arrived at 05:45 to take me to The Arches.
The coach arrived 10 minutes early. I was the first pick‑up, so I sat at the back in the centre to stretch my legs. We collected another 24 passengers on the way to Valencia, where we were dropped at the cruise terminal to begin our Mediterranean adventure.
Saturday, 29th October
Day 2 — Marseille, France
I woke up in my cabin at the bow of the Costa Toscana as we approached Marseille. The excitement of the cruise had finally taken over.
Sunday, 30th October
Day 3 — Savona, Italy
I woke already docked in Savona, ready for a day exploring Italy on this long‑awaited cruise.
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