A Stormy Passage

All the signs had been there...hurricanes in the Caribbean, and a little later on, storms in the Canaries. And so, as we unwittingly embarked on our two night cruise to the north coast of Spain , the Atlantic Ocean was beginning to stir across the Bay of Biscay. By the time we woke up in our cabins on the first morning, the boat was rocking violently from side to side. As we looked through our cabin window, the sea didn't look terribly rough; just a few white crests topping the waves. But there was indeed such a violent swell that made it difficult to walk around the boat. I felt as if I were being tightly held in a dance, as my partner swayed me from side to side, occasionally tipping me backwards and forwards as we twirled. It was not pleasant! We ventured onto the uppermost deck to breathe the sea air, but this had been lashed with rain and waves, and we had to hang onto things to avoid slipping, or being blown over by the chilling wind. We could barely stagger about this place, where in better times people relax and children play on slides and swings. We quickly left, and for much of the day I lay on my bunk feeling decidedly sea sick.

We decided that we had better have something to eat, so at lunch time we made our way to the restaurant at the front of the ship. The ship's corridors were totally deserted, and when we reached the dining room we found that the staff outnumbered the diners.

We were given the best table in the place overlooking the prow .The sea looked vast and calm, and the gently swelling waves belied these feelings of nausea. Occasionally however, the ship hit a wave awkwardly, and with a loud crash and a boom the sea's spray would burst angrily over the deck. It was quite a thrilling sight.

Our food looked delicious , but alas I could only eat a little, and passed my plate to B. who tried his best! This Provencal Stew reflected the fact that , although we were travelling to Spain, Brittany Ferries is indeed a French shipping line. When we asked our waitress how she coped with sea sickness, she smiled, and admitted that it could be a bit of a struggle.

We spent the rest of the day resting. Thank goodness for our cabin which was basic but comfortable. We reflected that, as foot passengers, this trip was very reasonably priced. It had cost us little more than the Eurostar seat reservations that we had avoided paying by choosing to travel back this way. The main cost was unfortunately sea sickness!

The next morning things began to look up, as I watched dawn rise over the port of Bilbao. The weather forecast predicted a warm, sunny day ahead. We waited amongst the straggle of foot passengers until all the cars had disembarked, and then descended to the lower deck to take a shuttle bus into the centre of Bilbao, some km away. We watched as a small army of cleaners marched onto the boat , most of them carrying their own buckets and cleaning materials. Many looked tired and down hearted, causing us to reflect on how unfair and uneven life is.

Our shuttle bus took us to the customs , and waited at the other side for us to be admitted into Spain. I looked back at our ship which was now preparing to return to Rosslare in Ireland later that day. The St Malo is a hybrid ship, newly added to the Brittany Ferries fleet earlier this year. It runs on liquified natural gas and battery power. It would be a pleasure to travel on it again, but hopefully on calmer seas next time.

What a wonderful service. There were only about a dozen of us foot passengers, but nonetheless we were transported free of charge into the centre of Bilbao. We alighted with our luggage directly in front of the Guggenheim Museum, which was what I had primarily come to see. The sight before me took my breath away. The building was every bit as beautiful and impressive as I had imagined. What's more it stands alongside the river where riverside walkways invite you to explore the whole of Bilbao. But first we had to find our way to our hotel to leave our luggage. I can't wait to tell you in my next blog of the delights that we were about to discover next.