Posted by Rainer Brockerhoff (away):
Well, here we are at the Costa Terminal in Savona, waiting for our cue to board the Costa Europa. Contrasted to last year, they now have an Internet lounge with free access – but still no WiFi. I expect access on the ship to be forbiddingly expensive, so don’t count on any further news for the next days.

The trip was unusually tiring, probably due to the fact that we didn’t get any good sleep beforehand, but at least this time we found a nice place in town at the Hotel Riviera, and slept about 14 hours.

The ship leaves in the afternoon (it’s about noon, local time) and goes westward to Barcelona, Morocco, Funchal and Madeira. The weather cleared up overnight and it looks like we’ll have an excellent time. Stay tuned for developments!