Browsing the archives for the Trips category

Day Eleven

No Comments
bio, Cruise, Italy, Trips

image

You’ve got to admit this is a nice place (here in Venice) to sit while I wait for the next bus to Mestre. I’m staying there to be near the airport where I’ll get my very early morning flight to Los Angeles.

I came into Venice to spend the day riding vaporetti. One special place I went to was the first place I stayed the first time I came to Venice. I saw it from the ship when we were leaving Venice on Day Three.  Then I saw it again yesterday from the ship as we arrived. Unluckily I never got a picture of the street in front of it. Today, after studying vaporetto routes I found a line 52 vaporetto would get me near there; I took it and found it, then walked around the area. Afterwards, rather than wait for somewhat slowish vaporetti, I found the Accadamia bridge and crossed it to walk to my favorite restaurant on Calle Dei Fabbri.

Day Ten Split et al

No Comments
bio, Croatia, Cruise, Trips

Early in the morning of Day Ten we arrived in Split Harbor by tender from the ship anchored outside the small ferry harbor. The best way to describe what happened next is that we were then “subjected” to a tour that had been foolishly purchased that took me from Split to a supposedly once famous Saldona and after that to the supposedly interesting and intriguing Trogir, the old part of which is a late medieval city. What I had wanted to see in Split was Diocletian’s Palace that I only had a few minutes to explore before returning to the ship by tender.

The daylight portion of the trip from Split was clear and I had high hopes of being entranced by the views it gave me of the Dalmatian Coast, but alas my photos of the coast were not great.

Day Nine

No Comments
bio, Cruise, Trips

All of Day [and “Night”] Nine was spent on ship, and as I write this I don’t recall much of it. I had planned to spend time at the gym and do other worthwhile activities, but what I recall was eating and resting.

More Day Eight

No Comments
bio, Cruise, Trips, Turkey

The so-called House of the Virgin Mary was yawn time, but I should brag that I did visit it. I didn’t fill the terracotta jug the guide gave us with water from her spring,  but I did light a candle. I forgot to make a wish though even though the guide said every wish he made here came true.

Our guide was Khan,  whom I thought of as the rug merchant, most interested in time for selling carpet. Khan had  emphasized that he would avoid crowds as he took us to locations,  and that was true.

After a carpet weaving exhibition that was more interesting than I expected we had a tasty lunch at a Lakeside (where did that come from?) hotel.

Ephesus was last on the tour and was quite impressive – certainly more vast (in one place) than anything to be seen in Athens. Ephesus has not been restored as thoroughly nor as carefully as the Roman forum that I found myself comparing it to especially in land area covered.

Day Eight Turkey and Ephesus

No Comments
bio, Cruise, Trips, Turkey

image

Up at 5 and waiting for the omelet chef to start working as the ship prepares to dock at Izmir. Whoops I had to break off to get my omelet.

Not so many at breakfast as yesterday implying not so many planning to tour here as Athens. People pick a place to tour based on whether their friends know it. “Everyone knows Athens so we’ll go there. Ephesus? Where’s that? Nah, not going to Ephesus!”

Day Seven Athens and The Acropolis

No Comments
bio, Cruise, Greece, Trips

image

Where did the Number 72, as 72 steps up to the Acropolis come from? I lost count around 100 and others said my count was low.

But the steps and the heat won’t stand out in my memories as much as not finding the tour bus in the small parking lot where it was supposed to be. Finally I found it and got on.  Now the problem is the parking lot is closed and the driver must find another way out.

This really isn’t the best photo I took but maybe best with this camera phone.

Day Six Dubrovnik

No Comments
bio, Croatia, Cruise, Trips

Dubrovnik, Croatia was the place. Supposedly one of the most beautiful places in the world. I would agree but what I know mostly is their ice cream is good though unusual and their cable car is hard to find but spectacular.

Day Five – First Day on Ship

No Comments
bio, Cruise, Trips

image

image

image

Wandered the ship around 3:30 AM then back to bed until 6AM. When I dropped by the cafeteria a cleaner named Ferdinand got me freshly ground coffee.

What led me to this trip was a desire to see the Dalmatian Coast yet this picture shows all I could see even by 10:30 this morning after starting looking around 8.

Finally when I came out around 11 the haze had lifted, and I could see the shore.

And then there’s sitting in a lounge staring out a window after learning you won’t be ferried to shore for another hour or more.

Day Four Leaving Venice

No Comments
bio, Cruise, Italy, Trips

Day 4 is the day for leaving Venice and embarking on the Norwegian Jade cruise ship. Some views of that are here.

First I wanted to talk about transportation in Venice. With no cars and buses and without roads they can travel on what’s left is valporetti (plural of valporetto) and walking.

I got the impression the principal income in Venice from tourists must be what we pay for a vaporetto pass: 18 euros for 24 hours which in American dollars is about $27.

Back to leaving Venice: after a delicious lunch at the newly re-discovered osteria and picking up my bags left at the B&B I took a vaporetto to Piazzale Roma. My best guess was I would have to walk about half a mile in the sun to reach the ship. Forty-five minutes later after walking what must have been more than a mile  a sweaty exhausted me arrived at the ship.

Day Three in Venice

No Comments
bio, Cruise, Italy, Trips

Of course the obvious question is what became of Day One and Day Two? They are drifting away from me in that foggy sea of memory. Let’s see: after being packed into the tiny area Air France calls a seat I landed at Charles De Gaulle  airport where I planned to spend a relaxing productive time between flights.  Instead I had to quick-step to Terminal 2F (more than a mile) for my connecting flight to Venice.

At least when I finally got to the gate women from Air France helped load my belongings into the security X-ray,  very different from going through security in the USA.

Anyway I finally got to this little Venice B&B. Gosh this is supposed to be about Day 3 and what I now remember of Day 3 is spending the morning from 9:30 on looking (systematically I hope) for the simple osteria I had eaten lunch at the first day I visited San Marco square fifteen or more years before. Every subsequent trip to Venice I’ve searched in vain for it. This time I found it (Osteria De Campana, 4720 Calle Dei Fabbri) when, exhausted,  I was about to give up!

The wifi I was counting on in this little (let’s say “tiny”) B&B apartment doesn’t work on my smart phone.  But the woman and her husband are so helpful how can I complain — take the washer-dryer I couldn’t find: I had spilled wine on my shirt and Levis on the plane. She said to give them to her and yesterday when I came in I saw them hanging on her patio. Later they arrived neatly folded on my little couch.

My time in Venice was actually Day Three, part of Day Four before boarding the ship and Day Eleven after returning from the cruise. It almost felt like home.