Adonia cruise - part 6

Saturday 30 August - Seville

We were due to leave at 10am so Caryll nipped ashore again while I had a leisurely breakfast. I bumped into Captain Box just as I was surreptitiously trying to carry a chair up to Deck 10 (err - a tad embarrassing) and he introduced me to his wife! Whoops.

 

With everyone back on board from wanderings and the one morning tour, we slipped our lines. The Sailaway party was in full swing as the Ice Bucket Challenge took place on deck in aid of McMillan nurses. 

 

Just after sailing under the lifting bridge – Adonia came to a stop. A circuit breaker on the port propulsion unit had tripped. After around an hour of sitting mid-river, Captain Box announced we had missed the tidal window and would have to stay there until late that evening. We were assisted over to a commercial dock about half a mile further downriver from our previous berth.

After some lunch Caryll and I walked ashore again (no shuttle buses could be procured) and as far as the Plaza d'Espana where we enjoyed the trees, museums and huge main building with canals and bridges.

 

After an ice cream we decided to get a horse and carriage ride back. The driver spoke no English but we thought we had mimed 'the big boat' to him, until he took us to the yacht marina! Gesticulating that this was wrong and to keep going further along the river, we knew where we were but couldn't find the entrance, so he stopped the horse on the outside lane of a dual carriageway and flagged down a police car on the opposite side to ask how to get into the port! By now I was seriously worried about the poor horse!! It seemed the only way in was right up the dual carriageway to a slip road on the right.

Having finally reached the port he stopped at the port gates miming he couldn't go any further! Hmmm - it was 41c again and a long walk back to Adonia. Waving our cruise cards at the gate sentry we prepared to set off walking - perhaps the carriage hadn't been such a good idea - when the gate guard shouted at us in Spanish and herded us into a Port Police vehicle!

By now I didn't care where he took us - but we were unceremoniously returned to the very bottom of the gangway in full view of everyone!!! One lady rushed forward asking if the vehicle was a taxi - err no I said! It was a police car picking up two pathetic looking women at the dock gate - I can look pathetic she said!! So - that was our adventure in Seville.

After dinner we won the quiz again and went to bed. We left at 11.30pm with the prop unit all repaired, despite the rumours going round the ship that the captain had run her aground, but sadly missed the second river transit back out to sea!