Eastern Mediterrian Cruise

We left Bolzano early to catch the train to Venice.  The first train was crowded, we sat in second class open seating.  The next train was very crowded.  We had first class reserved seats but were at the wrong end of the train platform and had to get on the train before we got to our car.  This means we had to carry all our luggage through the train with people going the opposite direction, what a pain.  When we got to our seats, somebody was there.  I requested that they move which they reluctantly did.

The couple across from us were from Italy, but living in Austria, on their way to a cruise too.  When we got to Venice we were very lost, no clue what to do.  We grabbed a little lunch, basic ham sandwich.  We checked some of our luggage with the cruise line and ended up asking information how to get to the cruise pier.  We had to walk a long way and then catch a people mover to the pier.  We got checked in pretty quick and were on board walking around in no time.  We bought a soda and water drink package and a wifi plan.  The wifi plan was a little disappointing, very slow but disconnects too.  The sodas are only on certain decks which is a real pain.  The food selections seem to be pretty good and the food tastes good. 

Another disappointment is the live music that goes on until midnight, we are usually in bed by ten or ten thirty. Our room was just off the center foyer of the ship. We asked about a quieter room and were told the cruise was all sold out.

Since the music was not going to stop we went for a walk.  We noticed the hot tub was still open so Elizabeth got changed and we went to the Solarium, she soaked and I played on the iPad.  So far the verdict is still out on whether I will like the cruise, time will tell.  I have eaten way too much today and can see it being a problem in the days to come.

Day 2 Bari Italy

Since the music lasted late into the night we went to bed late and slept late, we won't have that option tomorrow.  We both slept well, we woke up warm but went back to sleep.

The breakfast buffet was nice, eggs, bacon and potatoes can't be wrong.  The seating inside the restaurant was full so we sat outside which was nice.

We had booked an excursion to Alboporto to see the Trulli houses.  They are small stone houses constructed without mortar.  They were neat houses, to look across the town and see so many of the stone roofs was great.  Driving to and from Alboporto in the bus allowed us to see some scenery.  There are over 70 million olive trees in Italy.  They also had almond, peach and cherry trees.

We had some free time and stayed close to the center of the town because the streets were very inclined and we wanted to take it easy.  We had some frozen lemonade drinks that were very good.  We bought some local brazil nuts which were a good snack.

We ate in the Windjammer cafe again, it's good food without the need to dress up which fits my style.  After dinner, Elizabeth went to the hot tub and I sat near her writing postcards.  I really like to send postcards, I just don't like writing them.

Day 3 Corfu Greece

We took an excursion to a little town at the top of the island.  The island terrain is very rugged, a lot of hills and valleys, winding roads and beautiful views.  We spent more time on the bus than we do walking the sights.

Elizabeth found a couple of blouses she liked and we got a couple of olive wood pieces while we were ashore.

Day 4 Myconos Greece

We slept well, got to sleep in a little.  The boat is moving more than usual, and as the day wore on, it was fairly rough.  They tied up all the deck chairs.  It was difficult walking a straight direction. The ship was anchored here, not docked, which meant that if you were going ashore that you had to travel by tender. Elizabeth is more of a big ship kind of girl, not a small boat that moves up & down kind of girl and chose to not go ashore. Being the supportive husband I am, I chose to keep her company.

Day 5 Athens Greece

Ever since I was a kid I have dreamed of going to the Acropolis.  As a kid I read a lot of books about Greek Mythology and this was often the site mentioned in the stories. From the ship we took a tour bus to the Acropolis.  It was a long steep walk up the Acropolis but we got to see the Parthenon and the Temple of Athena.  The temples were not as complete as I hoped and there was some scaffolding and restoration in progress.  What is most impressive is the base of the foundation of the Acropolis.  It really comes into perspective when you see it from afar.  Later on the way back from the Acropolis we saw the temple of Zeus, it was only a few columns of what was once over one hundred.

Another stop on the tour was the 1894 Olympic Stadium, the site of the first modern Olympics.  It is totally made out of marble and still looks new. 

We also encountered a little adversity today, when we checked our e-mail, we had a credit card alert.  It turned out to be some unauthorized charges were being made on our card.  To straighten it out, we had to make a "ship to shore" phone call, it lasted 24 minutes and cost $198. 
After we talked to Royal Caribbean about the card problems, they cancelled the charge.  We had to make a second call which they also did not charge us for.  It was the only credit card we brought and I was very concerned about having enough money for the rest of our vacation, we have six more days and no credit card that we could use.

Day 6 Dubrovnik Croatia
Dubrovnik was a unexpected pleasure, I was not really looking forward to going there but it turned out to be nice.  We first took a cable car to the top of an overlooking hill.  Looking down on the walled city was very nice.  It started to rain a little so we did not get many pictures.  We were lucky the wind died down and the cable car was able to take us back down the hill, a group after us was stuck at the top for several hours.
 

Sometimes I think it would be nice to live in one of these famous old towns, so much history and so beautiful.  Our guide told us it was extremely expensive to live there and most people like herself live outside the city.  I guess some people might say the same about Houston, it is expensive living in the Montrose or the Heights but cheap to live in the suburbs.

This was a short excursion and we did not get a lot of time to explore on our own.  I climbed up on the city walls and took a few pictures.  I would have liked to have walked the wall all the way around the city and taken more pictures but we did not have the time.  I would consider coming back at a later time.

Day 7 a Free Day at Sea 

Today was a day we travel back through the Greek Islands.  It was amazing, all the deck chairs had people in them, all day long.  We slept late and during the day took a nap.  

Disembarking in Venice Italy, the Start of our stay in Venice

We got off the ship at 8:00 and took a water taxi to our hotel.  The canal was blocked so he had to let us off in a different place and we walked a few blocks to get there.  We were too early to check in so they kept our luggage and we went off sightseeing.  Our first stop was San Marcos square. We got there fairly early, before a lot of people got there and it was nice.  We got in line to go into San Marcos church.  The couple behind us told us about the square flooding yesterday at 10:30, I was thinking at night but after we came out of the church you could see water backing up into the square.  High tide comes twice a day and it is about 11:00.  It really makes getting around difficult.

We went up to the top of the Campanile, next to San Marcos for panoramic views of the city.

The Palazzo Ducale was very impressive.  Everything about it was noteworthy, huge rooms with beautiful woodwork, doors within doors.  Massive staircases, reliefs carved in the ceilings, frescos and wall size paintings.