Cruises...

[cocopops61]

I'm was in Southampton this morning and managed to get up close to this cruise ship and it was bloody massive,anyone on here been on a cruise or fancy going on one?

[Psaw2]

We have, but haven't done it. On a trip to Amsterdam in my early twenties, by ferry, I was violently sick on the way back, the boat was rocking like a cradle. I shouldn't of eaten a roll just before casting off. I was retching even though I had nothing to retch up, very unpleasant.

It took me three days to feel ok. And no I didn't in Amsterdam, im an introvert. You would have to walk into those places with people watching, which was enough to put me off. If I could have done it without anyone knowing, then yes I would. An extrovert who was with us wouldn't do it either, he said "are you going to do it", when I said no, he blamed me for his lack of courage.

We went to a **** cinema, and he was pleasing himself , amazing. This is a bloke who could walk into a nightclub and pick women up in five minutes. They flocked to him like flies on a turd. He wasn't attractive, ginger, squat, with a beard, I wish I had even a little bit of what he had. Mind you I didn't do too bad. No where near his league though. Not even close. And no, I wont go on a cruise ship, or any boat, ever again.

[cocopops61]

Traveling over the Channel on an old ferry is going to be miles worst than going around the world on one of those ocean liners,I'm presuming that there was bad weather back fron your trip to Amsterdam?
Getting up close to that ship in Southampton and it was like standing next to an office block it was that high,it looked like it could topple over to me going through some big waves,I don't think that I would fancy going on a cruise tbh,I bet the people on there thought of themselves as superior than the average man and would feel out of place
It's strange that you mention your mate in the cinema,there was a bloke where I worked who was in his 20's and not bad looking,he could certainly get a girlfriend if he wanted one but got some kind of kick out of visiting prozzies instead,I've seen some of the girls that work Forest Road and they look pretty rough if I'm honest and look like they are doing the business to buy drugs,why pay for that when you could get a prettier girl for free?

[Psaw2]

Yes there was a storm. If you go on a cruise, tips include don't get a room near the engines due to vibration and noise, or one without a port hole. The best rooms are looking out to sea with a balcony, but will cost more. People who have gone on a cruise say its wonderful. you get to know people easily as theres not many places to go. The food is excellent.

I will try it one day. What stops me is getting sea sick and not being able to get off till the next port. Certainly in my case, it is true that you feel like you are going to die, then worry you wont.

Thinking about how successful Jamie was with women was that he was highly intelligent, smooth, well dressed, and sophisticated. All he really did was engage in conversation of any sort and he was in, the hardest bit was done. Male or female, if you spoke to him you would be impressed, some have it some don't. Then again, maybe im wrong.

I have never gone with a prostitute, the main aim of going to Amsterdam was just that. Failed there. Maybe your mate had low self esteem, theres a lot of that going about. Think well of yourself, always.

[yoonited]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQMsj6S-qgA

I wouldn't care but they hadn't even left port.

[griff]

Don’t fancy it, I’d rather have an apartment and a car to get around somewhere warm abroad.

I went on a cruise on the old SS Uganda (Google it) when I was about 14. Venice, Athens, Dubrovnik, somewhere in Libya, Lisbon, all great places to go when you’re young and have your mates with you. Now these big boats are full of geriatrics even older than me. Why would I want to be stuck with then for a week or two when I’m fit and able and can make my own decisions about where I want to go and when.

The Uganda was a grand old tub but unstable. Coming back to Southampton we hit a massive storm and they were forced to tie stuff down, including a large piano in the common-room. Eighty percent of the passengers were heaving their guts up over the side but me and my mate Keith Fell (I’ve mentioned him before) were fine and took advantage of the offer to eat as much as liked in the galley. It made them even sicker.

[Psaw2]

That's amazing, eating while on a bucking ship. Are you of Nordic origins?, I cant think of another explanation, Vikings are sea faring.

[griff]

I’m definitely of Northern stock with a little Scottish blood, so probably. I’ll do one of those DNA test thingies one of these days and find out that I’m Egyptian or summat.

[Psaw2]

Ive done it and its well worth it. I would not trust anything your parents or grand parents have said about your origins, this is why. I grew up thinking my mother was Italian, and my father polish, only a quarter right. My origins from the 1500s are German, and they gave me a town, Berghausen in west germany. There are three berghausens in Europe. This is from my mothers side. She grew up in a hamlet called Trusgne, three miles on the Italian side from Slovenia.

My dominant genes are not Italian, but Slovene and Croat, the old Yugoslavia. The Italians politically took control of what is now Friuli, which was Slovene, after the first world war, and Italianised it, forcing people to speak Italian.

I also have healthy doses of Austrian, Hungarian, and Czech. Amazingly, I am 14% Spanish, how that happened god only knows. I also have traces of Iraqi, Iranian and Saudi. There is a distinct gene pool of central European jew, and I have a trace, those people get everywhere. My Italian heritage is 1%.

On my fathers side, he was Bielorussian. It took a big effort to get him to talk about anything, but he used to insist his family originated from Poland. I thought he said that to disguise the fact he was Ruskie, as they fought on the eastern and western front in big numbers, as they were anti commy, for the germans. If you said in England you were polish, you were on the right side, not so in his case.

My second gene dominance is polish, he was telling the truth, probably the only time in his life. I also have Estonian, Lithuanian and incredibly a trace of Fin. Its not as incredible as it sounds as central Europe is a gene melting pool, regularly having hordes invading from the east like Ghengis Khan.
I can only think that having a dose of Spanish could have been down to Hannibal. Parts of Friuli speak german, a throw back to the lombards.
If you get yours done it throws history open to you, in regards to your gene history, the building blocks of you. Don't take anything for granted, after all I am an Englishman from Cambridge, culturally, genetically I have no link to these islands, at all.

[griff]

Incredible stuff Frank. I’ll see if I can get someone to buy me a test for Christmas.

I always thought that most Cambridge folk were spies. You would have one heck of a job choosing who to spy for.