Centre Parcs Leisure Resort (Woburn) with Jamie & Rachel

 Center Parcs Leisure Resort 

Our wonderful holiday at Center Parcs had begun and we were nestled amongst the forest in our cosy woodland lodges. Muntjac deer even made a surprise appearance.

The plan for the afternoon was to make a splash in the fantastic subtropical swimming pool and once inside we couldn’t wait to conquer all the flumes! We felt like we were abroad with palm trees dotted all around us. The boys wasted no time in riding the raging rapids and got swept down and around the twists and turns. They had such fun! Next up was the gravity defying drops of the Cyclone and the Twister. We certainly had some daredevils in our group! It was then time to chill out on the lazy river, letting ourselves float along slowly with waterfalls cascading down upon us. 

It was then time to get our creative juices flowing with a spot of pottery painting. Everyone got to choose an item of pottery, and we then channelled our inner artist and set to work creating our masterpieces. We were all thrilled with our efforts and agreed they would make a great memento.

We split over two lanes and with everyone in good, competitive spirits the game commenced. There were some fantastic shots and many strikes with plenty of cheering and encouragement to match! Leonore was crowned champion in lane 1 and Lloyd who couldn’t believe it was victorious over in lane 2! Congratulations to everyone for being such great sports. 

It was game on and everyone had certainly bought their A game! With some excellent shots and terrific sportsmanship we enjoyed a fun afternoon! 

Crazy golf was on the agenda this morning and with a few stretches to limber up we knew we were all “in it to win it”! With our golf clubs and balls in arms, we were ready! There were some fun but challenging obstacles to tackle, but this just added to the fun!

It was down to the archery shed where we channelled our inner Robin Hood and Maid Marion . There was a slight twist to our archery session as we weren't aiming at target boards but at lifelike rubber animals. We felt like real hunters shooting at wild boar, wolves, stags and a mountain goat!

Mediterranean Cruise Adventure with Russell, Midi & Marguerite

 Mediterranean Cruise Adventure

As soon as we climbed aboard our impressive ship we were surrounded by glitz and glamour. Our first dinner with the Captain meant we could put on our glad rags and dress to impress.

We even and had our photos taken by the professional photographers at different locations around the ship. We felt like celebrities! 

On sailing days we enjoyed all the activities the ship had to offer. We needed no persuading to make a splash in the fabulous pool and enjoyed the danceathon afternoon! 

Cocktail o’clock always sounded like a good idea and a firm favourite was the Pina Colada! And yes, you guessed we couldn’t get that song out of our heads! 

Our first port that we docked at was in Ajaccio, the capital of Corsica and we were keen to explore the French island. 

It is also the birthplace of the emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. There is a large statue of him overlooking the town which we passed. We hopped on an open top tour bus to see the sights of Ajaccio and the surrounding area. After a short tour of the town, we travelled down the coast along Sanguinary Road towards the Genoese tower, a series of coastal defences constructed by the Republic of Genoa between 1530 and 1620 to stem the attacks by Barbary pirates.

Every evening we were treated to some amazing shows. From slick dance performances to stunning vocals. Our firm favourite had to be Women in Rock where three rock divas took to the microphone and belted out some well-known rock ballads.

We competed in a table tennis tournament and we had our very own secret weapon amongst us. Who knew Marguerite was so good! The girls took part in a vocal workshop and once again they proved to be a talented bunch! 

You would always find us dancing the night away to the late night disco showing off our groovy moves. 

Waking up in Pisa we jumped on the shuttle to Livorno. Once there we bought our coach tickets which was due to depart within the hour so we thought it would be the perfect chance to sit and sample an Italian coffee whilst watching the world go by. The tour coach was a large double decker and very modern and we took our top deck seats to give us the best views. We made our way into the centre of Pisa giving us the opportunity to see the world-renowned leaning tower. The Tower stands at 60 metres and until 1990 was leaning at about a 10-degree angle. Although it was designed to be perfectly vertical, it started to lean during construction. It was then a quick stop and photo with the city police then onto some pictures of us holding up the tower and a wander around the beautiful city. 

Our next stop on our cruise adventure took us to the eternal city, Rome. With nearly 3000 years of history, we couldn’t wait to see some of the sights. We stopped just outside the city at the Basilica of St Paul, which was breathtaking. Some of us lit candles for loved ones, whilst some of us sat and prayed. Our tour then took us round the rest of the city, and we learnt there were four Basilica’s in Rome with St Peter’s being the biggest not just in Rome but the world, and we got to see them all. We drove past the Colosseum and our guide told us about the gladiator fights that took place there.

Docking in one of the largest seaports we were keen to disembark and explore the city of Naples. We set off into town with our tour guide Anna telling us about the history and its inhabitants. The first thing to notice was the crazy drivers! Anything seems to go in Naples! As we headed out of town the beauty of the area became obvious with stunning views of Mount Vesuvius and the island of Capri and across to Sorrento. 

We never tired of these sunset views. It was just simply magical.