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A tram ride into Bordeaux where
we embark the Scenic Diamond
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After a good night's sleep,
we were in no hurry this morning and therefore had time
to enjoy a very good breakfast in the hotel's restaurant.
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At around 10:30am we
checked out of the hotel. |
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We knew that there was
a tram stop quite close to the hotel, but we were very pleased
to discover that it was even closer than we thought. |
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The tram journey took
about an hour, including a change in the centre of Bordeaux,
before we arrived at the ship. As soon as the crew spotted
us looking down the gangway with our luggage, they came
straight out to welcome us, took our cases and escorted
us aboard. We had expected to be told that our cabin was
not yet ready, so it was a pleasant surprise when we were
shown directly to our room. Once there, we were given a
welcome briefing and shown around, with an explanation of
the various features and facilities available in the cabin.
We were also invited to have lunch on board, which we were
not expecting, given than embarkation time was officially
3.00pm. |
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Our cabin looked comfortable
and spacious, and its layout was reassuringly familiar,
being almost identical to the one we had occupied when sailing
from Amsterdam to the Black Sea in May 2018. On that occasion,
the ship was named the Royal Emerald, having previously
been part of the Scenic fleet before being chartered by
Noble Caledonia. |
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All drinks were included
on this trip, including those in the minibar. |
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After our unexpected
complimentary lunch, we decided to stretch our legs with
a stroll along the Garonne
River, taking the opportunity to get our bearings and rediscover
a city we had so much enjoyed visiting in the past. Bordeaux
is the centre of France's sixth-largest metropolitan area,
although the city itself is considerably smaller and has
a pleasantly human scale. It is located in the Gironde
department (see the flag at the top of this page), which
forms part of the larger Nouvelle-Aquitaine
region. |
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Coincidentally, Bordeaux
was celebrating "Pride" today. |
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After watching the parade
for a while, we returned to the ship for pre-dinner drinks
and later, a delicious dinner. |
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It was good to be sailing
with Scenic once again. First impressions of the ship were
very good and we were looking forward to what was to come. |
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