Forgot to tell about the art onboard

Queen Mary2

.

The Art Gallery on deck 3 featured original and lithographs

by great 20th century masters such as

Dali, Chagall, Erte & Picasso,

as well as renowned contemporary artists such as

Alexandra Nechita, Howard Behrens, Martiros and Bill Mack among others.

The knowledgeable Art Director Jay was available

to provide information about the artists

and the pieces during regular gallery hours

& during preview sessions prior to the art auctions.

.

4 art auctions during the voyage at Winter Garden ,deck 7:

Champagne Art Auction

- Champagne for all who attend

Auction Extravaganza

- Raffle

Evening Gallery Auction

- Wine & Cheese serving

The Under $1.500 Art Auction

Final Champagne Art Auction

- Champagne for all who attend

...

Hadn't heard of Erte before!

The Father of Art Deco.

Born in St Petersburg in 1892 as Roman de Tirtoff,

derived his name Erte from the French pronunciation of his initials "R.T."

Moved to Paris at age 19 to work in the center of art & fashion.

Went on to work for Harper's Bazaar for 22 years,

also designed for the opera & traditional theatre,

spent a brief period in Hollywood.

The Metropolitan Museum of Arts purchased

a collection of some 200 Erte gouaches.

.

"If Michelangelo were to come back from the dead

he could hardly have greater or more eulogious publicity t

han has been accorded to Erte"

by art critic John Russell

of London Sunday Times

.

Funny Mickey Mouse paintings
.

This Raphael Hermans's painting from 1974

was the favourite!

It was in the staircase of 12 deck

so it was kind of sign to know that finally near the stateroom 12081

after walking all the way up from Britannia Club
...
Also these kinds of painted history boards were like pieces of art

.

Last morning on QM2

View from the balcony in the last morning

Woke up at 4.45am!

Quick shower

.

by the way, the showers were by Oras, a Finnish brand

& make up to cover the "panda face"!

Wanted to see the Statue of Liberty as passing by it at 5.15am

.

There it is!

It was still totally dark,

but the weather was soft & pleasant.

Stayed outside till 6am to see the skyline of Manhattan

as the sun was rising.

...

Brooklyn harbour

Manhattan skyline

Had passed already the Statue of Liberty

.

Last breakfast at Britannia Club of Queen Mary 2

It was called express breakfast,

some of the items were not available,

but luckily could choose the basic ones like

cranberry juice, fresh fruit salad,

omelet with ham, cheese & mushrooms,

croisant and tea

...

Last photos from the balcony:

Small tug beside QM2

The American couple had earlier disembarkation time

so they hurried up and left.

The British couple had purple 1 tags so

the disembarkation time was the same at 8.45am.

Good system and well organized:

passangers were disemberked by the colours of the given tags.

or example Purple 1s were private passangers

from deck 12 without organized transportation

and were asked to be in the Winter Garden at 8.45

Winter Garden

and wait there until they were annouched

to go out to the ship for immigration.

Everything went very smoothly.

.

Well, on the taxi queue a French man got a bit furious

when someone took his cab,

his own fault - didn't stay in the queue like others did.

Part of QM2

Other part of QM2

Transatlantic Day 5

Sunrise on Saturday morning
.

Saturday started as usual - going to the gym,
running there for 45mins

...

Dress of the day:

Black trousers by Hugo Boss - boring!

Black cashmire 3/4-sleeve pullover by Repeat

Black ballerinas by Prada - also boring!

Beige-brownish silk scarf by Gucci

Silver bracelet with moonstones & topaz

(bought it in Greece, cannot remember the brand)

...

Breakfast at Britannia Club

Cranberry juice, fresh fruit salad,

omelet with ham, cheese and mushrooms,

croisant & tea

...

Had to bring back the book to the library,

didn't finish it yet,

so will try to find it in NY to buy it.

...

Didn't go to the spa in the morning - surprise!

Instead went out to deck 7,

the weather looked so beautiful,

no clouds at all!

Very mild sea, air temperature 13 degrees Celsius.

.

It was so lovely to rest there on a sunbed

on aft deck!

Were there for 1,5h

and got "panda effect"

= burnt the face!

Had sunglasses on so the face got red

except the eye area stayed white.

Looked a bit funny,

needed a lot of make up for the night.

Didn't think the sun was really so strong,

but of course at the sea it is always strong.

...

Lunch at King's Court

Crabmeat salad

- delicious!

Grapes & litci

3pc white chocolate chunk cookies

cup of tea

...

Now it was time to go to spa!

Spent there 1,5h and

at 3.30pm had an appoinment for facial.

Chose 80mins Oxygen facial

- after cleaning & massage had 50mins oxygen treatment,

felt weird at first:

cold air was sprayed to the eye area, f

orehead and around mouth

- fell asleep even though tried very hard to stay awake!

After the oxygen 2 ampuls were spread to the face:

1 was hydrating

1 had a kind of botox-effect

- face looked much better afterwards,

less wrinkled,

but the panda effect was still there...

...

The weather had changed to a bit misty

.

.

Started packing,

unfortunately it was the last night.

Actually felt already that it was time to do something else.

All the luggage that don't want to carry,

can be left outside the state room

between 6pm till midnight

with a special tags on them.

Got purple 1 tags.

...

Dress code: Elegant Casual

Black dress by Marc Cain

Black high heels by Prada
Pale peach rose & a bangle in seashell colour by HM

Black evening bag by LV

Hair: self-made up do

...

Tonight's show:

Farewell Variety Show

with Aaron Shaw, Bettine Clemen, Royal Cunard singers & dancers

- show was ok, Bettine was good - she's a personality

Aaron sings well , but the songs he sang were boring, like "Lady in Red"

- awful song!

Liked much more when he sang Mario Lanza type of music

The Royal Cunard singers & dancers are all right

but something was missing,

technically they are good but there was no soul in it.

...

Dinner at Britannia Club

Canyon Ranch Spa Selections:

- will miss the possibility to choose these kind of

light & delicious meals in a normal restaurants
.

Arugula salad with roasted tomatoes & parmesan cheese

.

.

Mozzarella stuffed chicken breast with tomato salad

.

- not mentioned on the menu but there was also spagethi,

which was a bit tastless & too much

.

Lemon & blackberry tart

- excellent

.
Had also some cheese

.

A glass of pinot grigio

...

Put the suitcases outside the stateroom before going to bed.

...

Time was set back by 1h for the last time

Transatlantic Day 4

Sea was calm during the night. Had a good night sleep.
Before breakfast 45mins walking and running in the treadmill.

Dress of the day:
Black trousers by Hugo Boss
Beige silk pullover by Mango
Beige, brown scarf by Gucci
Black ballerinas by Prada
Topaz earrings by Thomas Sabo
Breakfast at Britannia Club
- also both couples of our table were there
Had cranberry juice, fresh fruit salad, lox bagel & chamomile tea
Paul & Maia had put the menus of every day

on our place of the table with a text:
“We have strived to provide you with an excellent food

and dimming experience in the Britannia Club restaurant

our only hope is that you have enjoyed our service as much as

we enjoyed serving you
From your waiters
Paul and Maia”

.

Florist at work

.
Went to see today’s shopping specials at deck 3 Grand Lobby:
“The beauty and allure of Eastern jewellery”
50% off ticket prices
Nothing special, so didn’t buy any

At the same time = 10am passed the place where Titanic sank in 1912
.

Weather has changed to cloudy.
Sea state moderate.
Temperature 13C. Sea temperature 15C

Spa department with aqua therapy centre was calling again!
Afterwards tried to read once again but for some reason couldn’t keep the eyes open.

Skipped the lunch.

At 2pm had 50mins Deep pressure massage
“Stimulate and invigorate your muscles

and release tension with this deep,

focused all-over body massage.

Designed to release tight, fatigued muscles and joints,

you’ll feel like a new person”
- had very tight upper back muscles – didn’t take away all the pain but helped a bit
- refreshing oil left a nice energetic feeling
Included Peppermint scalp refresher
“This aromatherapy scalp treatment will complement any massage.

The refreshing blend of essential oils on your scalp

helps stimulate circulation from head to toe”
- felt good
- hair is completely oily after the treatment

– luckily had booked an appointment to hairdresser’s
.
Fetch some snack from King’s Court on the way back to the state room
- banana, 3pc chocolate chips cookies, tea

At 5pm hairdresser
- Serbian hairdresser put rollers to make my hair curly
- Didn’t stay curly but nicely wavy

Dress code: Formal
Saw earlier that ladies were wearing trousers on formal nights so:
Black trousers by Stella McCarthy for HM
Black strap top by Max Mara
Black rose by HM
Black-silver-crystal bracelet by Furla
Black-crystal flower earrings by Thomas Sabo
Black wedge sandals by Prada
Black evening bag by LV
Hair open, wavy
.
Had early dinner at Britannia Club

with the American & British couple

.
Canyon Ranch Spa Selections:

.

Cucumber salad with sesame seeds
- so simple and delicious

.

Grilled basa with green tomato relish & grits cake

- some kind of white fish - good

- grits cake - don't really know what it was, mild taste, like rice

.

Tiramisu
- one of the best ever!
.
pinot grigio
Luce della vite, Toscana
.

Galley Brigade

The entire Culinary Brigade consists of 150 Chefs

who are under the Supervision of the

.

Executive Chef Karl Winkler

Born in Salzburg, Austria,

he spent time perfecting his culinary skills in Europe,

New York and London.

He has been working for Cunard Line for past 33 years.

His most challenging undertaking was Executive Chef of the start up team

and launch of the largest

Ocean Liner Queen Mary 2.

His philosophy is simplicity,

creating food with the freshest ingredients chosen from

an extensive repertoire of his career in the hospitality industry.

.

More facts about the Galley & Dining Operation:

- 85 dishwashers, pot washers & galley cleaners working around the clock

- The storerooms consist of 21 refrigerated rooms

- For Transatlantic voyages

the Food & Beverage Dep. submits i

ts requisitions every 3-4 weeks in advance

- 120 pizzas are consumed each day

- 6000 cups of tea are served daily

- 700 English scones are served during the Afternoon Tea

- over 8000 linen napkins are used & laundered every day

- app. 87.000 pieces of china & glassware are used on a daily basis

.

Heard that there is a possibilty to take a Galley Tour!

Tickets available at Purser's Desk

- but whwn went to asked for them,

the girls said it was only in the beginning of the week

- a bit weird because our dining friends had the tickets for it

Well, the girls at Purser's Desk

Anna & Wendy were not the most friendliest ones onboard...

It's just how the things are said,

small things that matters

..
Friday night’s show “Apassionata”

with the Royal Cunard Singers & dancers
At 8.45pm

.

“A dance extravaganza of exciting styles of dance

from around the world.

From Glenn Miller’s Swing

to the tantalising Argentinean Tango.

This show features some of the most incredible dances ever seen at sea.

Fabulous close harmony vocals of the principle singers

combined with the most glamorous and beautiful costumes

recreate the grandeur of the Hollywood Musical

and international specialist dances.”

.
- good dance show but as seen pretty many dance shows before,

quite hard to impress me
- perhaps the best one was the Russian dance

– most of the dancers were from Ukraine so no wonder!
.

.
Time is set back by 1 hour again

Transatlantic Day 3

Woke up late – at 8am
Didn’t sleep so well. Rough sea!

Waves 4 meters.
Otherwise beautiful looking sunny morning.

No hope to run on treadmill!

Needed something more stable.
So chose 40mins with crosstrainer.

Even that was a bit difficult,

but at least could hold the handles.

Dress of the day:
Black trousers by Hugo Boss
Black&white top by Rocco Barocco
Black cashmere cardigan by Gap
Black ballerinas by Prada
Breakfast at King’s Court on deck 7.
Had from buffet fresh fruit, salmon-cheese omelet, croissant & tea
- everything was so fresh and tasty!

Checked the Mayfair shops’ day's specials:
The 2009 handbag collection from Guess
- didn’t find anything interesting

.

A part of the shopping arcade

.
Instead bought a beige silk pullover by Escada Sport.

The shops don’t have fitting rooms

but you can take the clothes to your state room

for 3 hours and try them on there

– nice service!

.

always beautiful flowers everywhere

.
The daily program has become routine already:
Going to spa, trying to read book before having a nap…
.
Lunch at King’s Court
Tuna salad
.

.
40mins walk outside on deck 7.

.

Beautiful sunny weather!

Some Americans were in the outside Jacuzzi with glasses of champagne

and some brave British people were lying and reading in the deck chairs outside!

Didn’t find it that warm.

.
While outside captain made an announcement that whales on portside in 800meters
- with binoculars saw the bursting water from them!
.

No-one using the outside pool today

.
At 5pm Ayurveda: Abhyangam massage for 50mins
Ayurveda is a combination of traditional

and medical treatments considered

to be one of the treasures of India.
Abhyamgam
“Feel light, more energetic and active with

a complete Ayurvedic body massage.

Performed with warmed medicated oil,

this fairly vigorous massage treatment

increases body temperature and

improves blood circulation;

tones and relaxes the muscles;

and helps increase your resistance to disease.”
- very nice experience
- refreshing scented oil was marvelous
- like a massage when you feel energetic afterwards, not sleepy
...
Dress code: Semi-formal
Red dress by Hugo Boss
Black high-heels by Prada
Black evening bag by LV
Black-silver-crystal earrings & bracelet by Furla

Hair open, soft curls
.
Night’s show already at 7pm:
“A Night at the Theatre”
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) presents:
“Hobson’s Choice”
“Hobson’s Choice is written by Harold Brighouse.

RADA will present an abbreviated and adapted version made

by Will Norris presented by special permission of Samuel French Ltd

on behalf of the Harold Brighouse Estate.

Hobson’s Choice is one of the British theatre’s best-loved comedies.

Set in Salford, Manchester in the 1880s,

Brighouse wrote it in 1915 to try to lit people’s spirit i

n the gloom of the First World War.

It was first performed in America,

has been revived frequently throughout the English-speaking world

and was turn into a classic film

by Davis Lean starring one of RADA’s most celebrated graduates,

the great Charles Laughton.”
The actors:
Matt Bannister, John Cummins, Mark Inman,

Caroline Kilpatrick, Alexandra Maher, Lizzie Winkler.
- it was so nice to see a play for a long time
- good actors, well-made production
- story was good, funny

.

Dinner at Britannia Club

Canyon Ranch Spa Selections:

Appetizer

Southwest roasted pepper & avocado salad with pineapple vinaigrette

(no pic)

Entree

Grilled tuna, kumquat vinaigrette

Dessert

Lime pots de creme

.

Flambee time:

.

No clocks were set back at night!

Transatlantic Day 2

Morning view from the balcony

.

Wednesday morning started with partly cloudy weather,

2-3m high waves.
Ran 40mins in the gym. Quite a challenge to stay on the running machine

– without any incline it was like running up and down.

Occasionally it was very light to run in the speed of 9km/h – felt like flying.

On the other hand occasionally it felt nothing like that!

Wednesday’s dress:
Black-white-lilac-pale pink cashmere dress by Diane von Furstenberg
Black ballerinas by Prada
Crystal earrings by Swarovski

Ponytail
Breakfast at Britannia Club
Both couples had already arrived and waited for their portions.
Had fresh fruit salad,

toasted bagel with cold-smoked salmon, cream cheese, capers and lemon

– loved that!

Got already the NY-feeling!

Rating: 5-/5
- breakfast couldn’t get any better!

Much better than a buffet one where you always eat too much.

.

Britannia Club

.
Time to continue reading the book that started yesterday.
Same thing happened as yesterday

– after a couple of pages fell asleep…

Lunch at King’s Court
Green salad and a shrimp sandwich

Walked outside on the 7th deck in a sunny

but very windy weather for app.15mins
.

Grand Lobby

.
3.30pm afternoon tea at Queens Room
Tea with
Small salmon and tuna sandwiches
Conches with cream & raspberry jam
Madeleine
- very very nice! - Also very heavy!

At 6pm hairdresser
- he made the hair really nicely up!

Dress code: Formal
Same black dress by Max Mara and Prada shoes as on Tuesday…
But made it look a bit different with accessories:
Pale peach colour rose on the neck & sea shell replica bangle, both by HM
Dinner at Todd English

.

Aperitif:

A glass of Veuve Cliquet Rose Reserve

.
Starter:

Fried calamari with artichokes, preserved lemon, caper aioli
- excellent!
.
Main course: “Love Letters”
Pumpkin puree and amaretto biscuit with Madeira glaze
- didn’t say anywhere that it was pasta
- delicious, ate all even though the portion was quite big

.
Dessert:

Panache of seasonal sorbet: banana, raspberry & mango
- banana was interesting – never had it before
- mango was gorgeous
.
Rating: 4/5
- To dine at Todd English a reservtion is required

&

a cover charge of $30/person is applied

.
Had a drink at Veuve Clicquet Champagne bar before the night’s show.

Champagne Bar, Ceck 3

.
At 10.30pm “Singers in Concert”
Featuring the Royal Cunard Singers

and the combined talents of the Queen Mary 2 musicians

for a concert style show.
- the singers – 2 women, 2 men – were very good
- didn’t like the music, found it boring,

some kind of 60s & 70s contemporary songs,

recognized only couple of the songs
...
Clocks were set back again by 1 hour!