Croatia is a country we have yet to explore. We set the clock back one hour last night and we pulled into port about 9 am.
There were busses available from the port to the old section of the city but we decided to walk the 3.5 miles. Very warm and uphill the entire way. Lots of stairs to descend into the city.
The Port
The old section of the city is completely contained in an old fort and is a thriving community containing shops, apartments, churches, theaters, restaurants. We followed a walking tour to see the sites. So much of this city was similar to other cities in Europe we have been to.
A cable car was installed in 1969 to take visitors to the top of Stincjera peak. Great view from the top. There is a castle at the top also and a museum containing artifacts and memorandum about the war with the Serbs in the 1990s. This peak was a crucial military stronghold.
The walled city from aboveinside the wallslooking over the walls
The following photos show structures and life within the walls.
We had lunch at a restaurant within the walls. Shade created by the high walls and a nice breeze was welcome. The food again was great. Croatia is in the EU but still uses local currency. Apple pay makes life so easy in these circumstances.
The entire city was jammed with tourists. Bus load after bus load. Lots of families, student groups, seniors. The city felt very safe. English was used by every business we went in. Posters, signs, billboards. All in English. Many languages were spoken on the streets but English was the common one.
A few pics from the war. Compare with photo from today above.
We took in the sites and started to walk back. About an hour back to the ship and then dinner in the Lido. Cards on the back of the ship to finish the evening. …
Corfu Greece is a city that we visited last August. Our goal today is to have lunch at a restaurant we enjoyed on the last trip, purchase a coat that Terri looked at last trip and then to the cigar store for some cigars from Cuba.
We got a late start and were ready for lunch. The restaurant was about 3.5 miles from the ship. We went by the clothing store and decided to get the coat. Terri saved a photo from last year. If she wanted it, she could have called and they would ship. We were here so why not try it on and then buy?
The sales woman wasn’t satisfied with one sale and Terri was soon trying on many more things. After 30 mins, nothing of interest. We decided to have the coat shipped anyway to avoid having to carry it on the plane.
On to the restaurant.
We didn’t remember the name, only the location. After 15 mins of walking we found it. Closed. For good. We decided to walk back to the old town area and find another restaurant.
We ended up here. Right in the old town area. We ate lunch on the street. I had meatloaf and Terri had chicken. Very good. A new favorite stop in Corfu.
Rain was threatening. We decided to start our walk back to the ship and stopped in the cigar shop. He had little stock and told me that Cuba has halted all exports of cigars to jack up the price. When they start exporting again the price will be 50% higher. I asked if he received any stock from the Dominican Republic and he said that he could only carry cigars from Cuba.
It rained on and off on our walk back. Back on the ship we sat by the pool and then watched as the ship left the port. Lots of cruise ships in the port. 4 other large ships with lots of people.
We walked the promenade as the Captain gave his signature blowing of the ships horn. The whole ship shakes and he seems try to play some kind of “shave and a haircut, 2 bits”; kind of rhythm. He does love to blow his horn.
Dinner in the Lido and then evening entertainment. Tom Crosbie was the entertainer. He was able to show that he has memorized the entire works of William Shakespeare. He asked audience members to give a page number and he would tell the first and last word of the page and then recite a portion of the page. Impressive. He did some finger dexterity stuff. Less impressive. He then finished with the rubrics cube. Solving it in under 30 seconds each time. One time even blind folded. We were tired from our walk through Corfu and had a good nap through a portion of his show.
Terri was desperate to even up the rummy score. She did clean my clock and we are now 3-2.…
After 7 ports in a row we looked forward to a day at sea. We had a late dinner last night after the volcano and then went to bed close to midnight. We also lost an hour because of a time zone change. We slept in until after 9 am.
Even though the ship is 2/3 full, it feels empty. On the positive side there is no wait for anything. The staff quickly learns your name and what you require for breakfast or what kind of drink you want when you sit in your favorite spot on deck. You can’t but help but feel like you are a special customer when the staff recognizes you by name. Part of the training but still very nice.
This is the first day we hit the gym since we departed from Barcelona last week. If felt good to move some iron after a week off. Lunch followed and it is nice to see things getting back to normal. You can serve yourself again at the drink station and at some of the food stations. The captain usually speaks on the PA system at noon or so. He gives location, weather data and port information. He always encourages everyone to put a mask on, wash your hands and stay 6 ft apart. I can’t believe he buys into any of that. Very few passengers wear a mask. Warnings about each country are given before we come in to port but no country has enforced any kind of mask rule. Thank you.
We sat around the pool on the Lido deck and enjoyed the afternoon. We were interrupted by an announcement from the Captain that we were changing course to assist a sailboat that had given out a distress call. Those aboard were low on water and food and we would be sending out a small rescue boat to assist. Crowds of passengers came out on the promenade deck to watch. The small rescue craft did meet with the vessel and then the ship had to wait for the Italian coast guard to arrive. We did find out later that the sailboat was being towed to shore.
Dinner in the main dining room again. Almost completely empty. Lots of staff, few customers.
The show on the main stage was a group from London called Unity. The four met on the set of the West End production of Momma Mia. There were more or less a “Man Band” and did do some Backstreet Boys hits as well as some theater tunes and some hits from the Four Seasons. Well done. One of them played the piano for some of the tunes. They would have really shined if there was a house band backing them up. No such thing post pandemic thing yet. We did enjoy the show even with the canned music back up. Harmony was spot on!
After the show we played some rummy. Terri must be letting me win. I am up three games to one.…
Today we arrived in Sicily in the port city of Giardini Naxos. We have a HAL excursion set for this evening. Meeting time 3:45. We are in a tender port and took the tender ashore about 10 am. We decided to explore the port city and then for stop for lunch. I made the mistake of not downloading the map of Sicily before we left home and had to do it ashore. T-mobile gives us world wide access but throttles the download speed. It took about 45 to download as we took a break in the shade. Very hot today.
The port city did not have a whole lot to offer. Many ancient ruins but nothing very interesting looking. Taormina was about 4 miles away and we did see that there was a large, ancient roman theater. We decided that we indeed have enough time to get there on foot, sight see, have lunch and then taxi back to the port.
The Oosterdam from the portThe Roman Theater location from the port
We stopped to get some water at a market and were on our way. Some sidewalks, some street walking, and some pedestrian trails. The theater was up the mountain. The heat made the climb a bit more difficult.
Terri says she is following me but I keep ending up taking these kind of photos.
A portion of the roads had lots of traffic and little walking room. Just over an hour into to the walk we arrived here. Taormina.
The city was jammed with tourists. We walked through the old city and to the roman theater ruins. There was a gate to buy a ticket. I did try to go through the exit just to get a peek of what I would be seeing before shelling out the 10 euro. “Bonjurno. No free” exclaimed the masked employee. A fellow country man walking out said “nothing is free here man, you have to pay to take a piss”. That advice I was already familiar with and it is true. 1 euro
We stood inline and bought our tickets. It is so refreshing to go back to using apple pay for everything. It is quick, very easy, everyone takes it and the receipt is on your phone instantly. We are still messing with cleaning pens back home. It also looks like the rest of the world has freed itself from the masks. Only those who represent the repressive regimes seem to need them.
The theater was spectacular and it is obvious that it is still used for concerts and other engagements.
The Oosterdam from the theatre. You can see the distance we covered in our walk. The tender port is just above the ship.
We decided it was time for lunch and stopped in a restaurant offering Sicilian style pizza. I do remember the style from when I was a kid on Detroits East Side. I grew up in a largely Polish and Italian neighborhood. The restaurant was jammed but they did find room for us.
After lunch we grabbed a cab and headed back to the port. This excursion was to a winery and then to Mt. Etna, which is a very active volcano.
The winery provided some snacks and three tastings. I do not really drink much wine. One was a sparkling white. Pass. Another white. Acceptable. A red. Headache. Terri said no on all 3. Less to carry, I thought.
After the winery we started on the road up the mountain. It would be cold after sunset so we brought some extra gear. 85 at the winery. We reminisced about watching the sunrise over the volcano on Maui. Very hot when we left but freezing at the summit.
We enjoyed walking around the summit but learned that we weren’t going to see the current lava trail until we started on our way down. Our tour guide was very knowledgable but rarely took a breath. It was a lot to take in. We did see the trail on the way back and I was able to take a great photo once we were back on the ship.
We did miss dinner but were able to grab some dinner on the Lido at 10:30 pm. Great day!…
Today we have tour of the Amalfi Coast. The tour company we are using is called World Tours. This company is not affiliated with HAL and our driver is to meet us out in the port at 8:15.
Luigi met us right on time and we loaded up in his van and proceeded to pick up 6 more folks who will be on the tour with us. 4 were from France and 2 from Australia.
Last time we were in Naples, we toured the ruins of Pompeii. It was a great site to see but was very crowded with tourists. Once to Pompeii will be enough.
The Amalfi Coast is a stretch of coastline along the Gulf of Salerno. This area has been an attraction to upper class Europeans since the 1700s. It is named after the town of Amalfi. The area is now an UNESCO World Heritage site and is an attraction of thousands of tourists annually.
We will be touring Sorrento, Positano, and Amalfi. Luigi promises to get us back to port by our boarding time of 5:30. Luigi spoke the entire trip about sights along the way and some history. He told us that Italy is really a very young country, younger than the USA, since the re-unification in 1861. It is evident that the area has lots of history. Ancient ruins are everywhere.
It is early morning in Naples and the roads are packed with cars. Italian drivers have a unique way of driving. Nothing is off limits. The horn is not used as a driving tool as it is in some countries. Thank you. Roads signs, speed limits, traffic lights. These are mere suggestions. No one will stop for anything. Just drive around obstacles. Luigi appears to be very capable.
Sorrento
Our first destination is the town of Sorrento. About an hour or so of driving through the city of Naples and then up the mountain. The drive is right out of a James Band movie. I can picture Pierce Brosnan racing a Bond girl along these roads. Hairpin after hairpin. The road is sometimes wide enough for two way traffic. It really doesn’t matter. For some reason we are in a hurry and over take anyone in front of us. I keep getting thrown against the side of the van. Good thing I have on my seatbelt in case we go over the cliffs.
A recovery stop along the way.
Sorrento is famous for Limoncello. It is made from the skin of the lemons grown here. The lemons are peeled and the skins is soaked in alcohol. The result is a very tasty drink. We stopped at a place prior to arriving in Sorrento to sample some. Nice. We also sampled some local wine and decided to have some shipped home.
A few mile further on and we were in Sorrento. Luigi gave us an hour on our own here and we walked the streets amongst the thousands of tourists.
We stopped at a family owned business that made Limoncello and other drinks. We sampled orange, strawberry, chocolate, and others and decided to buy. We aren’t able to bring alcoholic drinks back on to the ship without paying a fee so we decided to have a case shipped home. Very tasty drinks. if you would like to check out some product. http://www.saporiecolorisorrento.com
The hour went by quickly. It was very hot and vey humid.
Politano
Back in the van and some more crazy driving along the cliffs. It is evident that there is a lot of wealth here. As we pull into Positano we pass high end after high end store. Parking is 100 euro per hour. The most expensive hotel on earth is found in this area. 2000 euro per night for a standard room.
We spent another hour here. Steps everywhere. If you would like to book a hotel here plan on spending 1000 euro per night. Cheaper rooms get you farther up the hill. Some rooms are 16,000 steps down to the beach. Better be in good shape. People who book a a hotel for the first time here often make the mistake of finder a cheaper room, far from the beach and other areas of activity.
2000 euro per night
Amalfi
We stopped at the La Conca Azzurra Hotel for lunch. The couple from Australia joined us. They are originally from South Korea. He is a lawyer and she is an immigrations officer. Our conversation always end in the political realm. They enjoy watching American politics as a source of entertainment. I guess if you didn’t have to live it, it would be great entertainment. They looked like Koreans but she definitely had the yeeaaaahhhh…. drawl so prevalent in Australia.
After lunch and time in Amalfi it was time for the race back down to Naples. Luigi actually warned us that the trip down would be full of sharp turns, narrow and ancient roads. He didn’t disappoint. He passed many motorists and actually flipped one off. Glad to see the universal driving symbol of love is used here. The Bond theme song kept rolling through my head as we took turns at full speed. I was waiting for Luigi to open some secret compartment that Q installed to eliminate motorists in front of us.
Luigi dropped us off in the port at 4:50 pm. Plenty of time to board the ship. We said our goodbyes and thanked Luigi for the memories.
Dinner in the Lido and then some cards before bed. We did listen to a group at the Lincoln Center performing music from famous ballets. Good stuff and well done.
The port of Civitavecchia serves Rome which is about 40 miles away.
We decided a few months back that we would find an excursion from the port that did not go to Rome. We have already seen Rome and we knew it would be crowded and hectic. We found a nice tour through Viator that featured a winery and olive grove. The tour manager sent a message last week that the tour was cancelled because of a lack of minimum numbers signed up for the tour. Today we were on our own.
A bus took us to the end of the working port. It is possible to walk but it is not very pleasant. Lots of trucks, busses, and debris along the road. We got a later start than usually as it was already after 9. We weren’t pressed for time. Those who were going to Rome left early.
The bus left us outside of Fort Michelangelo. Yes, it was partly designed by him. The entire city was built over a previous settlement. Lots of ruins from ancient times. Many buildings constructed partly using previous structures.
Fort Michelangelo1757Medieval projectsSt. Francesco d’Assisi
We spent a few hours walking around town and took in the sights. We returned to the ship in time for a late lunch and enjoyed sitting around the pool.
We had dinner in the main dining room for the first time on this cruise. We do have a reserved table for two at 5:30 each evening but have been opting to eat on the Lido deck for convenience. The dining room was less than one quarter full. Getting back to normal is still a ways away.
The evening entertainment didn’t look interesting to us so we played some cards out by the back pool.…
Today we are in the Port of Livorno and have scheduled a HAL line excursion.
We were up early as our meeting time for this tour is 7:15 am. Many tours to different locations today. We are on the Cinque Terre and Portovenere tour. This is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Our departure time was 7:30 am. A bus ride to Portovenere started the tour. About a 2 hour ride from the ship.
Portovenere is the starting point for our tour of Cinque Terre. (chinka terry). From here we take a ferry up the coast line to view the five villages that form Cinque Terre.
Over the centuries, people have built terraces along the cliffs of this area and formed little villages. These villages are connected by paths and trains. The trains travel through many tunnels carved out through the mountain. Roads are very few and it is difficult to get to these villages by car. Portovenere was as far as the bus could take us. The best views of the villages will be from the ferry. At the final village, we will take a train to an area where the bus will be able to meet us.
Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso are the five villages and we will view them in that order. We will stop only at Monterosso to have lunch and board the train.
A guide joined us at Portovenere and we all have headsets to listen to him give a history of the area and point out interesting things as we take the ferry out. The area is listed in documents dating back to the 11th century. The villages were created in the cliffs as a means of protection. They are easy to defend and difficult to see from passing ships. Villagers farmed olive trees and grapes for wine. Some of the vineyards are still used today and local wine is available.
The trail connecting the villages is closed because of dangerous conditions. As the villagers left the terraces, the drainage system was no longer maintained and the terraces began to experience landslides. This area is now a National Park and is being protected from further erosion. It is a very popular tourist attraction and there are loads of people at each of the ferry stops. Many are lining the beaches and swimming in the sea.
We had lunch and sampled some of the local wine. It was hot and there were loads of tourists. We walked around Monterosso for a bit and then boarded the train. It was only a five minute ride to the first stop. We exited and met our bus outside the station. 2 hours back to the ship. An exhausting but very interesting day.
We had dinner in the Lido and then caught the 7 pm show on the mainstage. The Holland America dancers performed a show tributing different musical instruments and musical styles. We saw this show back on our Greece trip. Different performers made it fresh.…
today we arrived at the post city close to Florence. Since we have done Florence on a previous trip, we decided to stay in the port city for the day. The port is between Monaco and Nice.
This is a tender port which meant the ship is too big to dock. The ship tenders are lowered from above the promenade deck and passengers are ferried to shore. The tender ride was about 10 minutes and the water calm.
The sky was very cloudy and it looked like it might rain. When we got into port we decided to hike up to a fort du Mont Alban at the top of the highest mountain in this town. It was only 1.5 miles to the top. How hard could it be? The Fort was built in 1560.
With all of the twists and turns, it took about an hour to reach the top. The Fort is not open but it offered spectacular views of the surrounding area.
We enjoyed the view and started our way back. Much easier going downhill. The streets are so very narrow and it is difficult to keep out of the way of cars, busses, and motorcycles. It is beginning to rain and we decided to take cover in a nice little restaurant on the bay. The French are the finest at preparing food. Even lunch tastes like a gourmet meal. We commented on the fresh fruit and how it reminded us of when we were young. So full of flavor. Fruit from home looks great but lacks the flavor we remember. When we come to Europe it is the first comment we make.
We decided to take the next tender back to the ship. The rain was heavier now and we were exhausted from the climb up to the castle.
The ship is about two thirds full. About 1200 passengers aboard with 500 crew. All of the crew are required to wear KN95 masks which makes it almost impossible to understand them. The Captain and his staff seem to be exempt from this requirement. Must be the uniforms. There is little complaining from the staff as they are thrilled to be back and working again. The lack of a full ship really takes a toll on the entertainment and other activities. A day full of activities with few folks showing up.
Tonight we have dinner at the Pinnacle. This is the high end restaurant aboard the ship. Guest can schedule dinner here at anytime with an up-charge. As part of a promotion, we have two dinners included. It is easy to forget that we are aboard a ship with all of the restaurants, bars, activities and entertainment aboard. It is more like being at a resort that moves from location to location.
My date for the evening.
Dinner was fabulous. It is nice to have this option available.
After dinner we went to the main stage. Andrea Amat was the entertainer for the evening. Andrea gave a performance on the flute. Her repertoire was well known tunes that were back up with images on the screen behind her.
Andrea is from Spain and her accent is quite prominent. She did a short tune that was popular with the Spaniards in the audience as they participated in singing parts of it.
The tune “Happy” was filled with images of animals doing funny things Tik Tok style. She even did a trio with two pre-recorded videos of herself. She was able to perform all three parts of Dance of the Mirlitons from the Nutcracker. The two videos and her performing live. The audio and accompanying videos were very well done.
She finished with the March from Carmen. Nicely done show. Nothing too difficult but very enjoyable. …
We arrived in port about 7 am. We opted for an interior room on this trip and we don’t have any idea of when we get to port or the weather until we go up to the Lido for breakfast. Beautiful sunny day and very warm.
We are docked in a working port and HAL had a shuttle to town. Our cruise director said it would be $16 roundtrip for the shuttle. It would be tacked on to our account. I’m not sure how they are going to do this as we just climbed aboard the bus without anyone checking names. I suppose they could be tracking us using the Navigator app used on aboard the ship. We shall see.
Marseille is the second largest city in France and it is also the oldest. A lot of the city reminded us of Paris. Quaint little shops and bakeries. Restaurants with great food.
We decided to do a walking tour of the old city using an GPS mycity app.
First stop is the Vieux-Port originally established by the Greeks in 600 BCE.
The Church of Saint Ferreol. The original building was built on land owned by the Knights of the Templar. This building was dedicated in 1542.
Jardin des Vestiges
While clearing land for a shopping center, ruins from 2000 years ago were found.
Hotel de Cabre 1535. Oldest building still in use in Marseille
InterContinental Hotel Dieu. Originally a hospital that opened in 1188 and for 600 years underwent several alterations. The present building was inaugurated by Napolean III in 1866.
Hotel de Ville 1656 – now city hall
Cathedrale de la Major
Fort St. Jean
Views from the Fort
A long day of walking to see the sights. We did stop for lunch in a nice little Brasserie. We decided to take the little people mover train up to the fort in the interest of time. All aboard was 4:30 and we were back on the ship in time for dinner.
The evening entertainment is still not where it was pre-pandemic and we opted to play some cards before bed.…
May 31 arrived and it is time to go. We are flying Lufthansa to Frankfort and then connecting to Barcelona.
Covid 19 warnings
Holland America Line (HAL) notified us almost 3 months back that we will need to be fully vaccinated and have a negative Covid 19 test within 72 hours of embarkation. The final vaccine must have been administered within 6 months of departure or a third “booster” must be received to meet compliance. Masks aboard the ship are optional except when we are in the port of Greece where they are mandatory.
Lufthansa also notified us of similar requirements to board the plane. Same Covid protocol as HAL when traveling going to Germany and Spain. Masks are mandatory on the plane for the entire flight. Failure to comply can result in the airline or HAL the right to refuse boarding.
Many notices and warnings were sent by HAL and Lufthansa about the protocol. In the past week, it was daily.
Our neighbor Courtney picked us up at 1 pm and we were off for our 3:40 flight. Check in went smoothly. No warnings from the Lufthansa staff or any inquiring about Covid 19 documentation. Our flight left 40 mins late and I was worried about a tight connection we had in Barcelona for our next flight. The mask police were in full force on the flight. I received numerous orders to put my mask over my nose. I forgot that the virus is very aggressive on European planes. People piled on top of each other in the terminal sans mask is ok but when they get on the plane the mask becomes the symbol of compliance. Get with it.
We arrived in Barcelona late. I received a notification while we sat in the plane at the gate that our next flight was already boarding. We were in the very last row. We guessed that we didn’t stand a chance in making the next flight. It is in this kind of moment that everyone seems to be in your way. People were trying to get by us that also had connecting flights. It seemed that we were all in the same situation.
The line for customs in Spain was long. There were only three agents working in an area that could have had eight. Don’t they know we are in a hurry? Each of the agents had a very serious “don’t mess with me” expression on their face but I knew better from the years that Terri and I travelled together. She travelled a passport that had her maiden name on it. Her passport was valid because she correctly updated it to her married name but that information appeared on the very last page of the passport. The picture page that all of the agents looked at had her maiden name. They appeared to look intently at her ticket and at her passport. They didn’t match but did any agent notice? Did any agent go back and look at the last page? The answer? One. In the many years of travel, France gets the award.
I assumed (incorrectly of course) that all of the warnings about entering the country of Spain with the correct Covid 19 credentials would be met here. Nothing.
Once through customs we began to walk quickly to get on the next flight. The Frankfort terminal is massive. Of course our next flight is not in the B terminal, it is in the A terminal. Lots of very quick walking to the shuttle. We had to wait for the shuttle to arrive. It seemed to take forever. We did have plenty of time if we had to rebook a flight but who wants to spend the day in an airport? The shuttle came and delivered us to the A terminal. When we got off we began to run. Our gate was near the end of the terminal. The terminal was huge. When we got to the gate we saw the last three people boarding the plane. We made it. We boarded and they quickly shut the door. Back to mask police but we were on.
A two hour flight put us in Barcelona. Surely (don’t call me that) Spain would ask for Covid credentials after all of the warnings. Not a chance.
We met with the HAL transportation folks as we exited the terminal. We are always very impressed with how organized they are. We waited for about 30 minutes. The shuttle came, porters packed out luggage and we were off to the port. We received numerous warnings from HAL during the past few weeks about arriving at the terminal at the correct check in time but we had little control over that. Check in was a breeze. I can remember some Carnival cruises we took decades ago where we waited in line for a very long time as they processed thousands of people. Not the case here. We showed our boarding pass, had a photo taken, and finally showed someone our Covid 19 credentials. I think a note from my 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Haney, that read “Jeffery has been immunized” would have sufficed. The appearance of propriety is what counts. I worry too much. The HAL process took about 3 minutes and we were on board. Our keycards were in our mail slot next to our room. We are good to go
We weren’t in Barcelona long enough this time to hit something on our bucket list. La Sagrada Familia. I did speak with a HAL employee at the airport about this. She is writing a book about Antonio Gaudi and was very knowledgable about this church. Definitely worth going into. Tickets must be purchased online in advance. I could see the church from the plane as we flew in. Next time, I thought.
We did manage to play team trivia. I encouraged a couple to join us. It was actually a woman and her son. He just graduated from Med school and the cruise was a gift from Mom. They were from Ft. Worth Texas and proved to be valuable team mates. We did miss the question about the most expensive spice by weight, what cynophobia is and the year Facebook was launched …
Enjoy traveling with us without leaving your home. Our many travel blogs have been merged into this one site. All are organized by date and you need only to enter the date or begin a blog through the menu. These blogs have been invaluable to us. it is very easy to forget things and having this record gives us an opportunity to re-live experiences. We have followed other traveler’s blogs and have learned many things by asking lots of questions. One of the most frequent questions is how tolerate such long trips in such a small space. It is really very easy. The room is just a place to sleep. It feels like part of our home after a long day. Very familiar with all of our belongings. It is actually a relief after a day of touring. During days at sea we use the gym, sit by the pool, chat with new friends, write in the blog, read about coming ports of call. If you are considering a cruise, do it. The week long cruises in the Caribbean will give you an idea of what ship travel is like but the long ones are really the way to go. It may seem pricey but if you compare it to costs of staying home you will find it is quite reasonable. Do you have people waiting on you at every meal? Swimming pool and gym? Top notch live entertainment every night? New ports of call at your doorstep? It is hard to pass up. Look into it!
if you would like to post a comment or ask a question you will need to be a registered user. This is the only way to keep spam posts from overwhelming the blog. Your first post will have to approved. It will not show up right away. Wait for the approval. Once approved you can post at will.…
Final day on the ship today as we pull into our final stop back on Mykonos.
Today we are touring an island about 30 minutes by ferry from Mykonos. The island is Delos and it contains only ruins, no inhabitants.
We met Gibson right off of the ship and he transported us to the ferry. The ferry ride was rather rough but the ship was big enough to handle the huge waves.
Delos is the largest archeological site that exists and many of the ruins date back to 3000 BC. The condition of these ruins is very impressive. As you look at the stacked stones, imagine a limestone covering on both the inside and outside of these buildings.
We spent about 3 hours looking at all of the ruins. This is the birthplace of the mythical Apollo. This city had a water supply and sewer system running beneath the city. At its height, the population of this city was 20,000.
The city reminded me of the ruins of Pompeii. It is incredible to think these ruins have been here for about 7,000 years.
We took the return ferry back to the ship at 1:30 pm. When we returned, Gibson said we had also signed up for a farm tour. We passed on that and had him take us back to the ship.
We began to pack and then had dinner with the Daleys. Euchre followed with the final score be 8 games to 7. Oshnock’s win!
Today we visit Santorini. Our ship pulled in about 7 am. We have a 3rd party excursion and are hiking the rim of the volcano. The Caldera rim trail connects Fira(thira), the capitol of Santorini, to Oia (ee-ah).
We were up early, had breakfast on the Lido and then got on a tender to the island. The tenders were based out of Santorini, not the usual tenders that are launched off of the boat.. We upgraded before the trip to “Club Orange”. This allowed us a few perks and one is priority boarding. Other passengers need to obtain a tender ticket (often times waiting in line) and then wait until the assigned time. We can board anytime we wish. We also get priority seating in the dining room and a special menu with items not on the regular menu. We agreed that the upcharge is worth it.
About a 20 minute tender to the island where we were to find a cable car to the top of the volcano. It was easy to find and was a fast way to get up the mountain. Walking up is an option and later in the day, donkeys are another option. As we rode the car up I could see the switchbacks in the walking/donkey trail. This would be our route back.
We met Cris at the top of the lift. He was born in raised “right here in paradise”. We already liked him and after a few minutes we were off. Cris said we needed 4 hours to complete the trail and that anytime we felt like “giving up”, he would call a car to come pick us up. Giving up wasn’t an option we would choose.
Fira in the background and our ship in the mouth of the volcano. This is still an active volcano and when it originally erupted 3600 years ago, the land collapsed and filled with water.
Oia could be seen from our starting point.
The beginning of the trail was paved or had pavers. Later we would be on gravel and sometimes just bare earth.
Wind was an issue after an hour or so. Steep climbs and descents also were challenging. In one area, the wind howled like I have never heard before. We both bent over to take on the wind and I felt I would be lifted right off of the ground.
The blue roofs and white walls of the buildings are used to represent the colors of the Greek flag.
The earliest humans lived in the natural volcanic caves. They began by hollowing out the natural cave to make it bigger and then they started building on the outer part of the cave, following the interior roof line. The result was a rounded roofs. The island is prone to earthquakes and the rounded roofs proved to hold up better when such an earthquake happened. This was the beginning of this style of architecture in Greece.
Oia appeared in 3 hours. Cris was impressed by the 4K per hour pace.
We took pictures and then Cris called for the car. Quick ride back to Fira and the lunch.
We chose a restaurant overlooking the ship.
Terri had some local wine and I had the local beer. Volkan was the name of the brew. “Filtered through lava rock” . I thought it had a nice taste.
The wall down to the pier was steep. We opted to use our feet and skipped hiring a donkey. The way down was littered with donkey dung and was an incentive to keep a good pace.
The tender back was a bit rough. We sat out by the pool for a bit, dinner and the euchre tournament with the Daley’s. 7 to 6. Oshnock’s lead. …
Today we arrived in Argostoli. We have no excursion planned because this was a late change. HAL did off a few excursions but they didn’t look that interesting.
We left the ship about 8 am and started the walk into the main square. Businesses were just beginning to open and we spotted a few places where we could stop for lunch or a drink. Our goal today was the top of a ridge we spotted on a map of the island. This would give us a good view of the area.
From the top we could see all around the island. We took some photos and headed back down and stopped at a local cafe and had a drink.
We went back to the ship and prepared for dinner.
Tim and Kelley celebrated their 40th anniversary at dinner with us. It’s hard to believe it has been this long. Congratulations!
Euchre after dinner as we watched the sunset. Terri and I are really becoming a great team and are in the lead! Just a friendly game.
Today we arrived in Corfu. The ship pulled in about 7 am. We had breakfast in the Lido and then headed out to visit. No excursion planned for today and no real walking tours. This was a day of “winging” it.
We walked through the customs and a gentlemen with a carriage offered a ride. I asked how long the ride was and he pulled out his map and showed us all of the places we would visit. “50 minutes”, he said. “She is a good horse”.
After a short ride on the main road we turned down a less traveled street. “Bob Tail” kept her nose to the task and our guide pointed out landmarks along the way.
There was an “old town” and a “new town”. If someone hadn’t pointed that out, we may have not known. Our tour ended near the fortress that we wanted to see. We paid the driver and headed off on foot.
There are so many ruins in Europe it is hard to remember the significance of each set.
We stopped for a lunch at a cafe nearby. Great food. Nice view.
We wandered around town for a bit and walked back to the ship. Dinner at the Lido and cards with the Daleys. The entertainment aboard this cruise is weak. I am guessing because of the low passenger count and Covid 19. The music playing on the back of the ship is good and we tend to play cards there.…
Today we pulled in to Nafplion. We have a HAL tour booked at 7:30 am. Ancient Corinth and Mycenae. This is our first tender port. If one is not on a HAL tour, a tender ticket must be picked up which gives a tender time. Just a way to control passenger traffic. Tours meet in the mainstage and then are directed to the tender. It was a calm morning and the ride in was an easy 30 mins.
We met our guide, Ann, after we left the tender and boarded the bus.
The Corinth Canal was the first stop. This canal was a 2,000 year old dream. Connecting the Aegean with the Adriatic and eliminating the need to travel around the Peloponnese peninsula. It is believed that Periander( 602 BC), was the first to conceive of the idea. The project was too complicated back then. Plans were developed through the centuries. The final design was completed in the late 19th C. The canal is only 25 meters wide and makes it useless for today’s modern ships.
A bungee jumping business is set up underneath the Corinth Canal bridge.
Lots of mask police. The greeks feel the same was about all of the government demands. They feel that they are the only people on earth with a corrupt government. I assured them that they are not alone.
One of employees at an outdoor excavation sight we were touring insisted that after we toured the park we could not turn around and go in the museum. She was quite nasty to our tour guide. It was all Greek to me.
Ann was having none of this. She took us through the park, back up to the entrance and into the museum. Miss”put your mask on” was also working in the museum. She kept repeating the only line she learned in the liberal college she attended. “Put your mask on”.
We spent the entire morning touring the area. Many of the pictures show things from 1500 BC. Look and enjoy. Its difficult to remember so much history about all of these.
We had lunch at a nice local restaurant. We had moussaka, boiled potatoes, salad, lamb, and of course, baklava. We sat with a couple from Idaho. They had 6 kids and 29 grandkids. The women next to us was from Long Island. Her husband stayed back on the ship. We all discussed our travels in the past and in the future. Alaska and Antartica seem to be a popular destination. Folks on this cruise are amazed by the World Cruise we took. When we were on that cruise, we were “first time world cruisers”.
We started back for the tender port but made a few stops along the way. We arrived to pick up a tender at 3:30. Last tender to the ship was 4:30. No real chance to visit the downtown area.
The sea was rough. Water was pouring in through the side door. A woman near the door was completely soaked. After 30 mins or so the tender rounded the opposite of the ship where the sea was much calmer.
We met Tim and Kelley for happy hour and then went to dinner. We enjoyed the sunset from the back of the ship and played a few games. …
We pulled into port about 9 am. Our guide said he would meet us on the pier at about 9:15 am. I had sent a message to him yesterday but the internet was very bad and I wasn’t able to receive his response until this morning. The tour was titled “Sightseeing with a Mykonian”. This was a tour booked through trip advisor.
Matt met us right on time and Tim and Kelley were able to join us on the tour. We drove the short distance to town. Short enough to walk but really no sidewalk to walk on.
We parked the car and began a walking tour of the city. This is usually a very busy tourist area. This morning there were few folks around.
Matt grew up in Mykonos and learned a lot of the history from his grandfather. His parents own a hotel in another city on the island. He didn’t like they way they took advantage of tourists and decided to start a cleaning business instead of working for them. “All you need is a broom and a mop”. He does have a degree in nuclear science. He said Greeks do not appreciate this and to get a job he would have to move to Switzerland to work on the Cern collider. He did not want to leave his family and decided to stay in Mykonos and start a tour business.
Mykonos nickname is “Island of the Winds”. Today was very unusual as it was calm. Calm and very hot. We walked along the narrow streets and then around an area known as “Little Venice”. Here we saw some wind mills that originally ground wheat. Wheat was easy to grow in this area.
Typical tourist shops were interspersed among the churches and other historical buildings we visited. Most of the building were four to five hundred years old. I imagine prior to last year, this island was jam packed with tourists. Matt shared with us that some times as many as five cruise ships will be in port. Today we were it.
Closer to lunch time we headed to the beach for a nice swim in the ocean. The Mediterranean Sea is about 20 times saltier than the Atlantic or Pacific oceans. It did have an effect on our buoyancy. No match for the Dead Sea which is 40 times saltier.
Matt prepared a lunch for us. Typical Greek food. Ham, beef, mykonos cucumber, tomatoes, figs, bread, and greek yogurt. We enjoyed that in a shady spot right on the beach.
We parted ways with Matt after lunch. Tim and Kelley headed back to the ship. Terri and I did some shopping. After browsing several shops we headed in to one jewelry store. The owner offered me a chair and a beer. I’m not sure why all stores don’t do this. Terri had a glass of wine while she tried on some bracelets.
Nothing fit her tiny wrists. We did find one she liked and the owner said he could make it fit. He took it back to the workroom, bent it, cut it, and polished it. By the time I finished my Alpha Beer, he was finished. It looked marvelous!
We decided to find a place to have a cool drink. Shopping is hard work!
We stopped at a place on the water called Velitos. We had a drink and watched a guy throw old food into the water. Pizza, buns, rolls, other baked goods. The fish devoured the scraps in no time.
We finished our drink and then headed down the street to Kastro’s for dinner. Tim and Kelley joined us. Great Greek meal.
We returned to the ship by ferry and met up in the Lido for a competitive game of Farkle. Kelley seems to have the magic wrist in this game. Tim mentioned that Montenegro was no longer on the itinerary. We both had excursions through Trip Advisor and were able to cancel them with no penalty. No word from HAL on this yet.
Today we arrived in Lamassol, Cyprus. We picked up our pilot about 8 am and he brought us into port at 9 am.
This was a late change made by HAL. We couldn’t find any third party excursions available so we went with a HAL organized excursion. Lots of benefits with using HAL but also a few downsides. Cost is a factor and clientele is another. Most HAL excursions are double what one can get through a third party. The benefit of the additional cost is that HAL takes care of any delays in the tour. The ship will wait. No waiting on third party tours. The clientele on a HAL excursion tends to be older and less mobile folks. These folks are also experts at complaining. We knew this when we booked this tour.
The tour was a bus ride to Nicosia. Nicosia is a major city in Cyprus but has been divided since 1964. Turkey controls one half and Greece the other. Our guide shared his feeling that the Greeks and Turks do not hate each other. They treat others as equals. All of the problems with the division are with the governments of both nations. The government creates division where there is none. I couldn’t help but think of how things are back home. The government tells us who to like and who to hate. As I learned on the World Cruise, people are more alike than different. As English becomes the universal language of communication, it is easier than ever to discover this. People in Greece or Cyprus roll their eyes at the same governmental interference that we do.
Our guide was very good and very knowledgeable. It was difficult to process so much information on the bus ride. We did stop in the city for about an hour. Enough time to grab some lunch at a local restaurant. We came across a little place and ordered some local fare. I had lentils with rice and Terri had chicken and potatoes. We shared our orders and enjoyed the unique flavors. I detected some cinnamon in the lentils. Unusual but very good. There was enough food for 4 of us. We ate what we could and asked for the check. I handed my credit card over but the waiter said they do not take credit. Cash only. I had only 5 euro on me and needed 15. I asked about an ATM and he saw that I had US dollars. He said that he would take them. I looked up the exchange rate, gave him USD, thanked him and we left.
Besides a CC that has no foreign transaction fee, I use a debit card that has no ATM fee and allows one to get local currency.
What remains of an aqueduct and the statue of liberty in the town square.
We traveled up to the Khirokitia archeological site. Remains of a civilization were uncovered in the 1930s. The settlement here was from the neolithic period of the stone age. Interesting to see and learn about. Difficult to get pictures that convey any sense of what the eyes see.
Remnants of living quarters above and a reconstruction of what they originally looked like.
Another hot day. 100 degrees mid afternoon.
Our bus dropped us back at the ship about 3:30 and we went up to the Lido for dinner about 5.
After dinner we played a few more hands of euchre with the Daleys and enjoyed the beautiful evening.
The Mediterranean Sea is very calm empty and sleeping on a bed is wonderful. It was after 7 and we went up to the Lido for breakfast. It was practically empty. I did learn that we were only carrying about 800 passengers. These ships like to run full. 1400 is the max and in a normal year they would be carrying that amount.
No more self serve at the Lido. Now there is an employee to get whatever you wish. At full capacity, I doubt if this system would work.
This day was spent mostly at sea so we went to the gym for a one or so hour workout. The gym was empty.
While I worked on the blog, Terri did some power walking around the promenade deck.
After lunch it was time for team team trivia. Four on a team. Kelley joined us while Tim did an international beer tasting. We invited a gent to join us that was sitting alone. Arnold was from Spain. We asked about family. “When you get to be my age, there is not much family left.” We guessed that his wife is gone and he said that he would rather do things and be with people rather than sit home alone.
Question #2. Which fast food restaurant had the first drive in. My answer was Wendy’s but the team wanted McDonalds. Answer? Wendy’s
Question #6 Which type of music promotes plant growth. I was certain it had to be Acid Rock but the real answer was classical. Who would have thought?
Our team finished with 6 correct out of 16. The top team had 15.
We picked up the local pilot at about 3:30 PM and he took us into port. The island of Rhodes was our destination.
The Medieval old town city was visible from our balcony.
We had dinner and prepared to have an evening on the island. It was 6:30 pm and the sun was beginning to go down. The evening provided some cooler weather that we enjoyed. Humid and in the 90s all day.
The city was surrounded by a wall and then had a moat. There were only so many entrances to get inside of the walls and visit the city. The wall was built in the 14th century but today had modern business built into them.
The Knights Hospitaller of Saint John built the walled city and lived along this road. Above is the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes.
The city was packed with tourists as there were five cruise ships in port.
The city was filled with music. We saw a few Bouzouki players, a young boy playing accordion, and a guitarist strumming and singing. It was a beautiful evening to be out.
All aboard was 10:30 pm. We will be spending the night in port.…
