Day 98 - Barcelona, Spain

 

Date:  April 16

 

Location:  Day 98 – Barcelona, Spain

 

Next Port: Valencia, Spain, April 17

 

Report:  We enjoyed a sea-day morning, before arriving in Barcelona around 12:30 p.m. That meant our daily devotional group got together at 8:45 for the first discussion we’ve had in some time due to our schedule.

 

This was followed by a town hall meeting at 9:30 in the theater with Mark Conroy, Regent’s President and CEO, and Christian Sauleau, Regent’s EVP of Operations. Both joined us in Monaco for a few days. It gives them an opportunity to meet with and get direct feedback from their customers. In this case it includes the 360 or so full world cruisers, many of them repeaters who are known by name.

 

It was an interesting 90-min. session. Mark told us a bit about Regent and its parent company. Before opening it up to questions from the floor, he addressed the simmering issue of “smoking.” In particular, some people are bothered by people smoking on adjacent balconies or some smoke drifting into their rooms form the ventilation system. (Thankfully, Karen and I have not experienced either of these problems.) Then the discussion turned to the limited smoking in public spaces – the small part of Compass Rose restaurant, and portions of the Voyager and Horizon lounges. (Surprisingly no one mentioned the Casino!) Mark and his team promised the issue would be addressed by the company and that we would receive a personally addressed letter in the next six weeks or so that outlines what structural changes will be made and what the policies will be for 2008 cruises. (Capt. Dag had a good suggestion for an immediate partial solution: make Compass Rose a non-smoking restaurant just like theothers. Times have changed around the world. Non-smoking restaurants are not oddities.)

 

After a quick lunch, we headed into Barcelona on the shuttle bus with Barb (Jim was going on a biking excursion). Karen and Larry had been to Barcelona twice before so had only two goals for this short stop: Walk La Rambla and see what progress had been made on the construction of the Temple de la Sagrada Família.

 

Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, is a visually stunning city. It has a beautiful Gothic Quarter where we stayed on our two previous trips, wide boulevards, majestic buildings, beautiful beaches and harbors, nice museums, former Olympic sites, and some pretty wild sculpture and art.

 

It was only a short shuttle bus ride to the Maritime Building which is close to the towering column that supports a large statue of Christopher Columbus pointing west to the New World. This monument is at the foot of La Rambla – a 10-15 block long, tree-lined walkway between two small streets. It is full of small cafes and tables; small vendor kiosks selling flowers, birds, small animals and souvenirs; and mimes, jugglers and acrobatic teams. Larry and Dodi joined us for a fun stroll up La Rambla taking in all the sights.

 

We took a small detour into Placa Reial – a large rectangular square lined with porticos and cafes. We also visited the Boqueria, Barcelona’s spectacular food market. Though many of the stalls were closed (Monday?), the food displays were beautiful.  Karen purchased some of our favorite marcona almonds.

 

At the top of La Rambla, Larry and Dodi hopped on the on and off bus for a tour around the city. Barb and we took a taxi to the Temple de la Sagrada Familia. If you have ever been to Barcelona you know that this is a unique temple that was begun in 1892 and is Barcelona’s most unforgettable landmark. It has been called one of the most important architectural creations of the last 200 years. The city’s famed architect, Antoni Gaudí, worked on the project for 40 years until his accidental death in 1926. The overall plan and his in-depth studies of the project, based on the innovative geometrical shapes of naturalist style, are the cornerstones on which the current architects continue his work to this date.

 

Actually, since our last visit 2-1/2 years ago, one can see that considerable progress has been made. In fact, four sky cranes are now operating on the site. Eight of the 12 bell towers of the façade dedicated to the apostles and having a height of more than 100 meters are complete. The oldest façade is dedicated to the Nativity and the most current one contains very modernistic sculptures depicting the Passion. The four belfries awaiting construction are the Façade of the Glory, the 170 meter central dome in honor of Jesus Christ, the Tower of the Virgin Mary and the Tower of Four Evangelists. The vaults of the main nave are finished and work is focused now on the area of the transepts and the apse.

 

We walked through the interior construction where we saw men working on plaster elements that were being placed high up in the nave and others laying out mosaic patterns. We took the elevator up the towers of the Nativity Façade and walked down the 60 meters on a tight spiral staircase (275 steps!). We walked through the museum where we could look into the model workshops, see Gaudí’s drawings and models, and see photographs of the 125 years of construction. I doubt that we will ever see this temple completed in our lifetimes, but it will be fun to watch its progress!

 

We caught a cab back to La Rambla, which was even more crowded with folks and entertainers enjoying a delightful spring afternoon. We found Kirk enjoying a beer at one of the cafes and joined him for a glass of Sangria and our marcona almonds. At 6:00, we hopped on the last shuttle bus back to the ship.

 

We had a light supper in La Veranda where we joined Shirley and John – very nice folks from Vancouver, B.C. They boarded in Muscat. We met them at our block party and enjoyed this opportunity to get to know them better. After dinner, Larry attended the show by the pianist Brooks Aehron and Karen turned in.

 

We have thoroughly enjoyed each of our three visits to Barcelona.

 

Karen and Larry

 

Photos of our cruise are available at the following web site:

 

picasaweb.google.com/larryworldcruise

 

Photos of our visit to Barcelona have been uploaded. 

Day 97 - Monte Carlo, Monaco

 

 

Date:  April 15

 

Location:  Day 97 – Monte Carlo, Monaco,

 

Next Port:  Barcelona, Spain, April 16

 

Quick Summary:  We pulled into Monte Carlo’s beautiful small harbor during sunrise at 7:00 a.m. Our Seven Seas Voyager obtained the single cruise ship dock space within walking distance of all the attractions. We spent a lazy, spring Sunday walking up and down the hills of this small principality.

 

Report:  Our port-side balcony provided a ringside seat to our arrival in Monte Carlo this morning. We enjoyed seeing the fiery ball of the sun being reflected in the windows of the villas surrounding this small bay. The reflected light on the cream-colored sandstone buildings and hillsides reminded us of the sunrises we enjoy so much from our condo in Chicago (but there we don’t see millions and millions of dollars of yachts and mega-yachts swaying at dockside). What a sight!

 

We had a late (for us) breakfast in La Veranda and were surprised to see Alexis waiting on people. It seems he was working one last meal while waiting for his friends to arrive. So we said our second good-byes.

 

We joined up with Larry and Dodi for a walking tour of Monte Carlo. Right at the end of the cruise dock they met a couple of friends from their hometown of Ashland, Oregon who happened to be sailing on the Holland America’s Amsterdam. They had just gotten off a tender and our paths just happened to converge at the same time. Quite a coincidence. (The Amsterdam, which is on a 101 day World Cruise, and another HAL ship, the Veendam are also in port today. Both had to lay-out and use tenders to reach the dock.)

 

At the end of the dock we used stairs and an elevator to ascend the Rock of Monaco to the Monte Carlo Museum. From there it was just a short walk along the rim of the cliff to the Royal Palace – the home of Prince Albert. He was in residence, but didn’t come out to say hello! We watched the changing of guards at 11:55.

 

From this vantage point you can also look down into another boat harbor with millions and millions of dollars floating at anchor. We also saw the roof of the soccer stadium and the roof-top gardens and pools of many villas and condos.

 

Then we walked through the Cathedral where Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III were married on April 19, 1956 and where both are now buried.

 

(We were here on a Med cruise in 2004 and took an audio tour of the Palace – and would highly recommend it to anyone reading this journal who plans a trip here.)

 

Returning to the Museum, we caught a sightseeing train for a tour of Monte Carlo – from the Palace over to the hill with the Casino on it and back. We enjoyed the open air tram that was equipped with an audio headphone system describing the sights. After that we walked back down to the port and had sandwiches on the quay with Dodi and Larry, and their friends.

 

After that break, Karen and Larry walked along the docks up to the Casino, back down again and along the docks to pick out our mega-yacht. Our son-in-law will be happy to know we found one!

 

We returned to the ship at 4:00 and enjoyed sitting on our balcony facing the harbor.

 

(In the whole time we have been here today, we have only seen one boat move in or out of the harbor – and that was a modest sailboat. Can you imagine the cost of maintaining crews on all these mega-yachts?)

 

For our sail-away we had cocktails and canapés on the pool deck. Capt. Dag drew close to HAL’s Amsterdam and then the Veendam – and blasted them with music and thee long bursts from ourhorn and one short when they responded in kind,

 

We joined Judy and Kirk on the pool for drinks and then dinner in Compass Rose. We always have fun with them.

 

Our second visit to the Grimaldi’s fairly-tale principality of Monaco was just as special as the first. It really is a neat small corner of the world.

 

Karen and Larry

 

Photos of our cruise are available at the following web site:

 

picasaweb.google.com/larryworldcruise

 

Photos of our visit to Monte Carlo have been added.

 

Day 96 - Livorno, Italy

 

Date:  April 14

 

Location:  Day 96 – Livorno, Italy

 

Next Port:  Monte Carlo, Monaco, April 15

 

Quick Summary:  Having been to beautiful Florence – the city that gave birth to the Renaissance – several times, we headed out to explore the heart of Tuscany. We visited the medieval towns of Siena and St. Gimignano and enjoyed a day in the Tuscan countryside with spring bursting out all around us.

 

Report:  Livorno, midway down the Italian peninsula, is the seaport to the rolling hills of Tuscany and cities with such familiar names as Pisa, Florence and Siena.

 

Since we had already explored the wonderful art in Florence when we lived in Germany in the 70s and three years ago while on a Med cruise, we decided to see for ourselves what all the excitement regarding Tuscany is about.

 

Warm “June” weather has come early to the region and spring is fully underway. The fruit trees are blooming, the wisteria is magnificent, the corn fields look like lush green carpets, the grape vines in the vineyards are already showing a few green leaves, trees are showing that light green of new growth, and farmers are busy with their plowing. The slender, dark green cypress trees offer great contrast. Yes, the rolling countryside, punctuated by brown and orange castles, manors and small villages truly created beautiful landscapes at every turn.

 

After a two-hour ride from the busy port of Livorno, we arrived on the outskirts of the walled city of Siena, 43 miles south of Florence. Siena stretches over the slopes of three steep hills and is practically unchanged since medieval times.

 

Siena’s bankers, textile magnates and wool traders of the 12th century were in direct competition with Florence. For 400 years the rival cities were at each other’s throats. The Black Plague in 1348 killed more than 80% of its population of 40,000. In 1553, Cosimo I sent a force led by the brutal marquis of Marignano to subdue the pesky Sienese once and for all. He besieged the city for a year and a half before storming it in 1355 and burning all the fields and most of the buildings. Some 2,000 Sienese fled to the hills and kept the Sienese Republic alive for another four years before being part of the Grand Ducal of Tuscany and ruled by the Florentines. Since the plague, Siena was so busy defending its liberty that it had little time, energy or resources to develop as a city. Thankfully, it was never bombed during WW II. Thus, it remains today mostly as it looked in the Middle Ages.

 

(Amazingly, this dislike of the Florentines by the Sienese continues today – both guides expressed it in a not too humorous manner.)

 

We explored the church of San Domenico, a gothic church built in 1460 and dedicated to St. Catherine, the patron saint of Italy. It has a gilded marble tabernacle that contains her mummified skull. A finger bone is displayed in another case. (Relics were used in the early Catholic Church to prove the stories about the saints to the masses.)

 

A funeral for a ninety-nine year old former archbishop was being conducted in the Duomo, so we were not allowed to enter. However, the white marble façade had just been cleaned and it was magnificent.

 

We then entered the Piazza del Campo where the three hills of the city converge. The large open sloping plaza is bordered by elegant palaces, the Palazzo Publico (city hall) and the Torre del Mangia – a 102 meter bell tower built in 1325-44.

 

Our tour ended here but we then enjoyed a leisurely Italian lunch (salad, pizza and red wine) with Hilde, Jarmo, Cynthia and John at small tables facing the busy piazza. Twice a year, in July and August, some 40,000 spectators jam this area to watch horses race around the circumference in the Palio. The horses represent each of the 17 neighborhood wards of the city and the jockeys ride bareback. The “jockeys are just for decoration,” and they don’t have to be astride the horse (and frequently aren’t) when it crosses the finish line.  

 

From Siena we drove through the rolling hills to beautiful San Gimignano. We saw this small town’s famous towers from quite a distance. They must have been a welcoming sight in the Middle Ages as the town became a famous rest site for pilgrims from Northern Europe enroute to Rome. San Gimignano’s population was also devastated by the plagues of the 14th, 15th and 17th centuries.  It became something of a poor backwater and has only gained fame in recent years because of its distinctive skyline and the immaculate preservation of its Middle Age structures – particularly the “family towers.” Only 16 of the original 72 towers remain, but San Gimignano must have been something in its day. These towers represented wealth and influence of the merchant families. They were built for defensive purposes, but could be used for short time and in a pinch as bunkers. The higher your tower the richer your family. (Guess things haven’t changed too much over the centuries.)

 

We enjoyed our short guided walk through this finely preserved small walled city in which 1,200 of the city’s 7,000 residents still live. After the tour – instead of free time – we joined the guide for a private tour of the modest sized basilica just fronting one of the two piazzas. Its interior walls and ceiling were completely covered by colorful frescos. On one side were panels depicting the New Testament stories and the other side showed stories from the Old Testament.

 

The first half of the ride back to Livorno was again through the Tuscan hills. The light of the late afternoon sun made for some beautiful tapestries of fields, orchards, vineyards and small villages.

 

We arrived at the Voyager at 6:45 and sailed at 7:30. After such a long day we decided to eat light in our suite, play some cards and work on the journal.

 

Tomorrow we end this segment of our trip when we arrive in Monte Carlo. We will be saying good-bye to many new friends, but seven deserve special mention:

 

·        Cindy, Bob and Grant – from Houston. We’ve enjoyed great times with this family on excursions, in our sea-day devotionals, in the pool and around the ship.

 

·        Noelle and Robert – from Australia and the parents of two sons who work on the Voyager. Both were active in our sea-day devotionals and Rob added a great deal to our Easter Service.

 

·        Mssr. Claude – from Paris and a true French gentleman. We met Claude soon after departing Ft. Lauderdale and thoroughly enjoyed his company on excursions, at dinner and at the concerts. He always had a twinkle in his eyes.

 

·        Alexis – from Brittany, France, and our favorite waiter from the aft deck of La Veranda. Alexis is leaving early because he has been promoted to head waiter. (We’d like to think our comment cards helped!) Instead of completing the World Cruise, he will enjoy six weeks off before joining the Voyager again in his new position in June. After that contract, he will have some additional vacation before returning in time for the 2008 World Cruise. We won’t be joining him on that one…but do hope to see him again on a future Regent cruise…or maybe even in Chicago.

 

Tomorrow we begin the last segment of our odyssey. It’s hard to believe that this grand adventure will be coming rapidly to a close.

 

Karen and Larry

 

Photos of our cruise are available at the following web site:

 

picasaweb.google.com/larryworldcruise

 

Photos of our visit to Tuscany have been added.

 

Day 95 - Sorrento, Italy

 

Date:  April 13

 

Location:  Day 95 – Sorrento, Italy

 

Next Port:  Livorno (Pisa and Forence), Italy, April 14

 

Quick Summary:  We enjoyed another delightful spring day in Italy, this time in Sorrento. We drove along the Amalfi Coast to Positano, visited a small family farm and had a nice lunch in the old town of Sorrento. On our departure, Capt. Dag circled close to the Isle of Capri.

 

Report:  We opened the curtains to another sunny day in the Mediterranean just as the anchor was being dropped into the harbor of Sorrento. Sharp cliffs rise steeply from the ferry marina to a string of villas and hotels perched high above.

 

Due to the narrow switchback roads, we had to use small electric transfer buses to climb up to the main town to get to our tour bus. We then continued a long climb up from the walled city to reach the outskirts of Sorrento before turning up onto the peninsula. At one high point we could see the Bay of Salerno on one side and the Gulf of Naples on the other.

 

We passed through numerous orange and lemon orchards. In fact, if you could find a square yard of earth you’d find a citrus tree. We also saw many olive trees…with rolled netting strung between them like ropes. When harvesting olives, the nets are spread out on the ground and the ripe olives fall into the nets.

 

From the high point, we headed up the Amalfi Coast drive. This winding road hugs the cliffs and provides breathtaking views. We stopped at an overlook of Positano and its black sand beaches. This once-sleepy fishing village has in recent years become the poster child of the good life on the Italian Riviera. We were impressed with the delicious strawberries that our friend Beverly bought from a vendor and shared with us. We also saw the huge citrons (lemons) that are sold in this area.

 

On the return to Sorrento, we visited a small family farm that has been turned into a tourist destination. (We understand that this type of operation is not unique to this area.)

 

Four generations of this family have worked this small four acre farm. It is amazingly productive and is almost completely self-sufficient. They make cheese, bread, wine, sausages, olive oil and preserves – using only what they have raised on the farm. Thus, they also have a barnyard full of animals, including cows, pigs, goats, chickens, geese and a couple peacocks!

 

We were treated to some of their products – two cheeses, olives, home-baked bread, sausage, wine – and a cheese-making demonstration. It was amazing what these families produce on this small, hilly farm.

 

Throughout the day, we remarked how beautiful it was to be in the Sorrento area during the early spring. The landscape was filled with flowering trees, wisteria, pansies, daisies, etc.

 

Our tour ended in Sorrento. We walked through the old town for a bit with Beverley and Jim before stopping in a small restaurant for a nice Italian lunch. Karen and Larry shared a pizza and salad, and a bottle of wine with our friends. After this late lunch, we walked through town and then back down the hill to the marina. We were back on the ship by 4:00 p.m.

 

We pulled up anchor at 5:00 p.m. and headed to Capri. Captain Dag invited us all to the Pool Deck and Deck 12 for a close-up, slow, sail-by of the Isle of Capri. The waiters were out in force with cocktails and canapés

 

What a beautiful experience! We pulled very close to Capri's islands and rock outcroppings. We were traveling very slowly, and the setting sun dramatically lit up the rocks. Blowing our horn (whistle) several times, everyone knew we were there! We then turned 180 degrees and headed to the Blue Grotto. Our close-by attracted quite a few spectators!

 

We then joined Dodie and Larry in the Observation Lounge, followed by dinner in Compass Rose.

 

Another great day in the Med!

 

 

Karen and Larry

 

Photos of our cruise are available at the following web site:

 

picasaweb.google.com/larryworldcruise

 

Photos of our visit to Sorrento have been added.

Day 94 - Naxos, Sicily, Italy

 

Date:  April 12

 

Location:  Day 94 – Naxos, Sicily, Italy 

 

Next Port:  Sorrento, Italy, April 13

 

Quick Summary:  Naxos is the pretty seaside town fronting the bay at the base of the ancient cliff-top village of Taormina. Overlooking the picturesque coastline of southeastern Sicily is the smoking volcano of Mount Etna. We enjoyed many contrasts during a beautiful spring day.

 

Report:  Larry was on deck to watch the sunrise as the Voyager approached the small harbor of Naxos at the base of snow-covered, 10,800 ft., Mt. Etna. He was joined by Karen for a brisk morning walk as Capt. Dag dropped anchor off Naxos. Our sunny breakfast on the aft veranda with the picturesque cliff-top village of Taormina and Mt. Etna in the background was one of the nicest of our trip.

 

At about 9:00 am, we took one of the first tenders across to Naxos for our tour of Taormina and Mt. Etna. The drive along the narrow Naxos harbor front and the climb to Taormina was quite spectacular in itself. There were several gorgeous vistas off the coastline and cliff-top villas in the early morning sunshine.

 

Taormina is a very well-preserved medieval city…though it was first inhabited by the Greeks more than 2,500 years ago. The Romans followed, as did many others. Much of the architecture is from the 15th century…with nice city walls and gates, small plazas, fountains, narrow pedestrian streets, etc. At the end of the main shopping street, we climbed a slight rise to the Greek theater that was reconstructed by the Romans in the 2nd century A.D.  From the ruins, we had beautiful views of the bay with the Voyager and of Mt. Etna.

 

After about 75-minutes of free time to wander on our own, we rejoined the bus for the 75-minute drive up Mt. Etna. We climbed through several charming villages, and past summer homes, orange and lemon orchards, and vineyards. Then we were into the lava fields. The most recent major eruptions were in 2001-2002, and they destroyed some homes on the upper slopes. Our guide said that most people are more fearful of earthquakes than the volcano. (Karen finds that hard to believe.)  We did see many small shrines to Mary in the sides of homes for protection from the flows.  As we continued to climb, we soon were in patches of snow. At the 6,500 foot level, the road ended at four restaurants situated around a cable car and three cinder craters.

 

What contrasts…from seaside tropical vegetation to black cinders and snow. From Greek and Roman ruins to a cable car system that has been rebuilt four times due to lava flows during the lifetime of our guide.

 

We had an Italian lunch in a new restaurant – the previous one was buried a couple of years ago under 30 feet of lava. After lunch we walked around the rim of the Silvestri Crater, made snowballs and enjoyed the views down the flanks of Mt, Etna to the sea and to the snow fields above us.

 

We arrived back at the ship at about 5:00 and departed Naxos at 6:00, heading toward the Strait of Messina…the narrow 1.7 mile body of water that separates Sicily from the Italian mainland.

 

We passed through the Strait in the dusk at approximately 7:30. Because of the low light it was difficult to get a photo of the entire opening showing both sides. Larry did manage to get a shot of the large ferries that ply back and forth.

 

The passage by the Stromboli volcano at 10:00-10:30 was a bust. Internet passages such as this had us all excited:

 

As long as there are historical records, Stromboli has been constantly active, which makes it almost unique among the volcanoes in the world. Most of its activity consists of brief and small bursts of glowing lava fragments to heights of 100-200 m above the craters. Occasionally, much stronger explosions or periods of more continuous activity can occur. The most violent eruptions during the past 100 years, in 1919, 1930 and on 5 April 2003 were large enough to take lives and or destroy property even at considerable range from the craters.

 

Stromboli has been quite active during thelast five years, popping off every 20 minutes or so. We could see the dark cone looming in the clear sky and passed through a cloud of sulfur, but no activity.

 

(Later Mario, the art director, told us he was onboard last October and saw red lava flowing into the sea and great clouds of steam.)

 

Oh, well, we guess it proves that even on a world cruise you can have some disappointments. But it still was a great day...Taorima was grand and Mt. Etna was a blast.

 

Karen and Larry

 

Photos of our cruise are available at the following web site:

 

picasaweb.google.com/larryworldcruise

 

Photos of our visit to Sicily have been added.

Day 93 - Sea Day (Surprise...Not!)

 

Date:  April 11

 

Location:  Day 92 – At Sea (Surprise!...Not!)

 

Next Port:  Naxos, Sicily, Italy, April 12

 

Quick Summary:  Capt. Dag was up to his surprises again! Instead of a sea day, we had a great afternoon ashore in a small Greek fishing village!

 

Report:  Capt. Dag pulled off one of his trademark surprises today. At 10:00 a.m., he made a general announcement that it was a shame that we didn’t get to spend a second day in Greece. So he was inviting all 560 of us to lunch in the seaside village of Katakolo.

 

About 30 minutes away from Olympia…the site of the original Olympics…Katakolo is a small town in the western Peloponnese that has some summer tourist traffic, but basically consists of two streets of shops and a dozen or so outside waterfront cafes.

 

Capt. Dag and the Voyager made an unscheduled stop here last year and it was a real hit. At about 10 days ago arrangements were made with three adjacent restaurants that, depending upon the weather, the Voyager planned a repeat engagement this year. The details were finalized yesterday while we were in Rhodes and the surprise was sprung on the passengers this morning.

 

One couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day – sunny, cloudless brilliant bluesky and comfortable spring temps.

 

We docked at about 1:45. A couple dozen of the Food & Beverage staff preceded us into town and helped get the buffet lines set up in front of the restaurants. By the time we all walked into town (there was a shuttle bus for those who couldn’t make the ½ mile walk), three buffet lines of typical Greek food were ready for us. Our crew pitched in with the locals in serving the meal and providing the wine, beer, soda and water.

 

Afterwards everyone enjoyed the sunshine or did a bit of shopping in Katakolo’s small stores.

 

By 5:00 our small “yacht” pulled out of the picturesque harbor and we were on our way again to Sicily. Our thanks to Capt. Doug, Jamie and Laurens for another memorable surprise. We don’t think there are too many other captains or cruise lines who do such special things for their passenger “families” – it sets them apart and we appreciate it.

 

Tonight we had a farewell dinner for our friend Claude who will be returning to his home in Paris when we dock in Monte Carlo on Sunday. We were glad that Ken, and Margi and Dave were able to join us. We met Claude early on in this voyage and have had some great excursions and times around the ship with him during these past 93 days. We will miss certainly miss Claude and hope to see him someday in France or on another cruise.

 

Karen and Larry

 

Photos of our cruise are available at the following web site:

 

picasaweb.google.com/larryworldcruise

 

Photos of our visit to Katakolo have been added.

 

Day 92 - Rhodes, Greece

 

Date:  April 10

 

Location:  Day 92 – Rhodes, Greece

 

Next Port:  Naxos, Sicily, Italy, April 12

 

Quick Summary: We spent a relaxing day exploring the old walled city of Rhodes – with no tours, no guides and no museums.  We then enjoyed a “Big Fat Greek” party on ship before dinner.

 

Report:  Today was a lazy one compared to the hectic pace we set these past several days.  The Voyager docked about 10 a.m. in the beautiful port of Rhodes, the fourth largest Greek island nestled between the Turkish coast and the other Greek Islands. We had company in the port with two other large cruise ships also enjoying the beautiful day. We had a chilly start to the day that warmed up to a perfect Mediterranean stop.  We joined Larry and Dodi on the shuttle bus to the old town where we spent some time shopping the open-air bazaar shops and jewelry stores. The best part of the day was the relaxing Greek lunch overlooking the activity below.  Wine, beer, mousaka, pizza, gelato…what more could one ask for!

 

We walked back to ship where we enjoyed a beautiful sail-away, followed by a ship-board “Big Fat Greek” party, followed by dinner with Barb and Jim.  Another fun day.

 

Karen and Larry

 

Photos of our cruise are available at the following web site:

 

picasaweb.google.com/larryworldcruise

 

Photos of our visit to Rhodes have been added.