Thursday 4th July 2019
This morning ORIANA anchored off the Channel Island of Guernsey, at St. Peter Port. I took a few photos after breakfast, before most of us took a tender ashore.
Today's port
Under the atrium
The top of the atrium
Our ship's tenders were being used as well as a local vessel that
usually takes visitors to the nearby island of Herm.
Oriana from the tender
View of Oriana
Harbour entrance
Once ashore, a group of us
headed inland a little way to see the Shell Chapel.
It was substantially the
work of one man (Brother Deodat Antoine) who arrived there in December 1913 and
wanted to build a grotto similar to one in Lourdes. It is a truly miniature
Chapel and is decorated with glass fragments and shells. It is beautiful and
eye-catching too, looking up at it on the gently sloping hillside.
There is a
nearby shop selling lovely glass ware and other items.
Confronted with three doors, we enjoyed the signs...
The nearby fields were
peaceful in the heat and it was a delightful area to visit.
Tender/ferry
Back at the harbour we had to wait to get back to our ship as the enormous-looking CONDOR LIBERATION arrived and needed time and space to get into her berth. It gave us the opportunity of photographing her. Many of us preferred the pictures we could take of the ORIANA.
The Condor Liberation ferry approaches
Condor Liberation preparing to berth
Condor Liberation going astern
She's in her berth
It had been another interesting day and in fact our last full day on board as tomorrow we are due back in Southampton at an early hour.
Ships seen: Oriana, Condor Liberation
Friday 5th July 2019
Commodore Gibb's sword
Details
Oriana
We arrived back in Southampton waters, having picked up the Pilot in the early hours. We berthed at the Mayflower Cruise Terminal and our cruise on the lovely ORIANA had come to an end.
It was named as a Farewell Cruise and indeed it was
as the ship is soon to be handed over to new owners and sail off to faraway
places. It was strange to be part of this event, even in such a small way, but
it felt as if history was being made and we were glad to have participated.
FAREWELL INDEED TO ORIANA.
