Alcohol Prohibition
One aspect of living in several countries of the World at this time was the local prohibition of alcohol. Popular belief may be that this was limited only to the USA, after all the Prohibition there was widely publicised and Cunard wasn't slow in taking advantage of it by running one and two-night “cruises to nowhere.” They became popularly known as “booze-cruises”, because when out of US territorial waters, alcohol became available on board and was very freely indulged.
Another country that had very strict alcohol prohibition at the time was India. While Caronia was at Bombay, visiting hours were limited to only two periods of the day, during which the bars on board would be closed.
Of course there would always be exceptions! When entertaining local dignitaries on board for Luncheon or Dinner, the liquor ban was not that strictly enforced, so aperitifs and wine could be served in the restaurant, if the occasion warranted it.
The Great Africa / India Cruise
One feature of the programme on most cruises was to have guest lecturers aboard. When the Caronia was at sea on this cruise, illustrators of the Souvenir Book, Claire & George Louden gave several lectures to passengers in the Verandah Café, and later in the cruise an exhibition of their craft was held.
This first illustration is quite magical.
To quote from the book…
Poised figures, boldly silhouetted against the evening sky, placidly guide their canoes among
floating islands of papyrus. There is a timelessness hovering over the twilight hour that creates an
awareness of subtle sounds and sights normally by-passed in the bustling indifference of a busy world.
Thus, in the evening, a greater, deeper texture is added to the greatest art of all - the art of living.
Again, quoting from the book…
Victoria Falls is a spectacle of nature's unharnessed power rampaging in an overwhelming display
of might. ‘Sounding Smoke’, as the natives call it, is a name well conceived. The continuous
roar of the Zambesi River's dramatic plunge into a deep gorge hundreds of feet below can be heard for
miles, and the perpetual spray is carried over a wide area by the winds.
If you can contribute any information, do please get in touch…
Kimberley
with slide show
Map of 