Georgia

Paige and pups! On our way back to Michigan we stopped to visit Paige.

Thomas just left on deployment for the first time, pray for his safety and speedy return from such a crazy part of the world. While he is gone her pups Beau and Odin keep Paige company.

George went on to the lake the next morning and is busy cutting grass I expect. Paige and I in the meantime have chatted nonstop, fixed her sewing machine, shopped for bargains and attended a meeting about a project to help the homeless in Macon she is working on next week. Not sure what we'll tackle today.

They have made a nice home here on base and have sweet new friends. I'm so glad there is such a good support system for them.

I should be at the lake Wednesday as I'm breaking up the drive with a stop near Louisville. It will be nice to get there after being gone so long. Other than the houseboat trip my plan is just to enjoy family and friends this summer. Maybe paint a little as I can.

Arividerchi Roma

We have spent the day riding the HoHo bus and traipsing through the city. My feet are incredibly sore!!
Line was too long for St. Peter's so we just walked around it and had a drink to cool off in Vatican City. The crowds were huge today everywhere.
Packing up now and enjoying the Chianti Bruno picked for us.
It will be nice to be home...coffee in my pjs, my own pillow, family and friends around.
More photos soon.

Last day..

Slowly we are moving toward breakfast. Last evening was so nice having dinner with Kathy and Bruno in a suburban ristorante. Delicious too!

We had spritzers, an orangish drink made with prosecco and they brought little tapas in the trendy, young bar we visited. Since there was time before our reservation at 7:30 we looked for fungi bouillon and a bottle of wine for tonight. Success!

Ill post photos later of our days in Rome. Off to eat and more sightseeing.

I enjoyed your comments Joanne and Kris!

Touring Rome on foot

We are just back from a day of touring the Forum and Colosseum after walking to the Pantheon. Started at 9 am and now it’s 3:30.  It rained so we now have a new umbrella and two plastic ponchos which were very well used.  The sun came out and went away several times, ending in sun at the end.  Our guide was very good  and full of knowledge about the area and talked and talked.  All was very interesting but our feet are hurting and a little nap is in order before Kathy picks us up for dinner.

 

Photos later.  zzzzzzzz

Sperlonga to Rome

GRRR..I just lost the first copy of this!!!

 

We traveled by train from Sperlonga to Rome today without much problem thankfully.  I had repacked the suitcases to get them as slim as possible which was good as they just fit in the overhead racks on the train.  Good thing George could lift them as I was just able to get the small ones on and off the trains.  No pickpockets or gypsies bothered us.  Just lots of travelers and tourists everywhere made the walking a rush.

 

So nice for us, Kathy and Bruno met us at the hotel and showed us around the area.  We stopped for some lunch first then found our meeting place for the tour tomorrow and walked around Trastevere enjoying gelatos. It’s wonderful having real Romans showing us around!!  Thanks so much you two!!

 

Tomorrow we’ll tour the Forum area and Colosseum top to bottom, then Bruno and Kathy will meet us again and take us to dinner near their home.  If time, we’ll see their place as well.

 

It’s very busy here with many people and vehicles.  So very different from quiet Sperlonga!!        

  Lobby of Hotel Amyclae

 

 

Ciao Roma...

A few photos of our first day in Rome.

   At our hotel Pace Helvezia     Learning from Bruno      Some of the Forum artifacts

 

 

    Trastevere street cafe

  On our rooftop with St. Peters in the background

Naples and Pompeii

After a nice day at sea, catching up, cleaning up and getting ready to leave, we had a last stop at Naples.  I had arranged for us to do a private tour with the CC group of 8.  Amalphi coast around to Sorrento and then upper Amalphi for lunch was beautiful.  Our lunch was a typical one of melon w prosciutto, capers salad, pasta and of course lemoncell at the end. 

 

From there we went over the mountain to Pompeii and met a guide named Guido.  He was really knowledgeable and we enjoyed the tour.  We arrived back at the ship in time for a last dinner with our new friends and a goodbye as we parted to pack.

 

Up at 6 to eat and walk off the ship.

  

 

Off to Roma...

This morning we take the train again. Not first class this time and then through the pick pocket territory. All makes me very stressed!!!

We enjoyed Sperlonga very much and rested to kick this virus. Looking forward to seeing new sights. Am behind in posting photos but we have many!!!

Sperlonga

We arrived via train and taxi yesterday. It's beautiful here. A small seaside town. Old area is up the hill and we will probably not venture up. Both still have colds with coughs that make sleep sketchy. Meds have helped. We slept much of the day yesterday though and feel better.

A lovely respite from sightseeing. George is walking .. the beach. We leave tomorrow 9am for Rome.

Kotor, Montenegro

After leaving Greece we had a relaxing day at sea sailing around the Ionian Sea to Montenegro.  Kotor lies at the bottom of a deep fjord surrounded by mountains.  It was said that the sail into the city was stunning so we arose at 5:30 to see the sights before anchoring at 7am.  Unfortunately it was very hazy and foggy, so visibility was not as nice as expected.  But we could see what a beautiful place we were visiting.  Kotor was a late change to the schedule when Istanbul was cancelled but we decided it was even lovelier and we were not sorry to be here.

 

We had a quick breakfast and met our tour group for a boat trip to the church of the rock.  I thought George would enjoy an adventure of this sort after so many city days.  We rode in a boat with about 40 to the church situated on a rock in the bay.  It was started on a sunken vessel and each year they still drop rocks into the water to maintain the site from the sea.  The church was small and picturesque with many frescos and paintings covering the walls.  It was also a museum with an odd collection of old things, including old singer sewing machines!!  The guns and swords were interesting.

 

On the way back to Kotor we stopped in Perast to visit a palace turned museum with interesting artifacts.  Much of it was Venetian in style as this area was occupied by the Venetians for many years. 

   

    George at church of the rock

 

      Perast church

 

  Perast

 

 

 

    After getting off the boat we walked to the old town section of Kotor.  It was Sunday and they were having a triathelon and the streets were crowded and loud.  As we walked inside the gate we ran into Carol and Pat again!!  All of us were looking for lunch so we had the pleasure of lunching in a beautiful spot with friends once more.

 

      George wanted to walk up the 1342 steps to the castle above Kotor but the girls sitting at the bottom reminded him that it was not a good time to do it…1:00 in the heat of the day.  And it was hot!!  So he had to settle for this photo..pretending to start up!!

 

  A little further along we found steps up to an overlook.  Carol declined to climb so we waved to them below as they returned to the ship.

 

After a gelato and more walking we made our way back to the ship and a quick nap!!   The ship weighted anchor at 5:30 for a beautiful sail away down the fjord to the open sea again.  More photos to follow when George gets them loaded.  Meanwhile he is playing pickle ball once again despite his sniffles.  I am sitting in the main piazza third level, watching all the hubub below and around me.  Selling diamonds, displaying the sparkling costumes, and music surrounds me.

Days of Greece... Oia

     A painting for sure!  Oia cliff.    Always climbing up or down.  Carol and Pat

 

 

 

                            Arriving in Santorini ,the ship anchored in a the caldera for the day.  It was a bit cloudy but soon gave way to blue skies.  We chose not to do a tour today and just explore on our own at our own pace.  So we found a speedy boat to Oia across the bay.  The views were spectacular with the volcanic soil dark and rich against the white of the homes.   There is little other color other than the intense blue used for the doors and shutters, and of course the Greek flag.   In Oia the  cliffside shops have been painted and everything is sparkling white for the tourists.  It was beautiful, if a bit too perfect!!

 

After wandering we took time for coffee in a second floor café.  Lovely!!  Then we wre off to find the bus to take us to Fiera and the main town of Santorini with the cable car down.

Greece..

We have spent the last three days in Greece.  Beautiful lands with sea vistas.  I will send photos tomorrow on our sea day.  Only four more days left of the cruise then off to Italy for 5 days.  Thanks to Pam and Marie for keeping up with the ads in production and the grant filing.  Crazy!!!  I hope everyone is well..Mary, Karen, and everyone else.  We are having a wonderful time and are enjoying meeting new friends but think often of those back home. 

 

 

Livorno and beyond...

We next docked in Livorno for visiting Florence, Pisa and Cinque Terra.  Having visited the beautiful cities previously, I opted for Cinque Terre to see for myself what the villages were about.  This was a long tour with bus, train and possibly boat rides  which always makes for a very long day of hurry and wait times.  Because of the rough seas the boat was cancelled and we took the train to the villages instead. (after a long bus ride.  Only good thing was that we had the first seat with a wide view of the trip)    It was an experience for us to stand at the track as the fast trains blew past us..feeling as if it would suck us into it’s wake.  This was good practice for our journey from the port to Sperlonga after we depart the ship.

 

We visited three villages  via the train, spending the most time in the last one, Montrolla.  It was larger and offered cafes and shops to while the time away.  After  a nice lunch of bruschetta and wine we continued our walk around the town.  Up and down the streets, around and over the hills.  It was not as difficult as we were led to believe, though hiking to each town would be more difficult.  As always in Europe one needs to watch every step to avoid stairs, steps, potholes and stones.

 

 

 

 

From Livorno we sailed south through the straights between Italy and Sicily.  A sea day was a welcome change from visiting ports and gave us a chance to catch up on tasks and with friends.  Each of us had done different things while in port and it was fun to compare notes.  Formal night topped off the day.

 

 

Yes, these are the Majorca pearls George bought me on a pit stop from his biking tour of Palma.  I love them!!

 

We are now in Greece and visited Olympia today.  Tomorrow Mycenos and a leisurely day exploring.

 

 

Marseile redoux

On this second leg of our journey we visited Marseille again.  Because I had been in Cassis on my first visit to France, I thought it would appeal to George and wasn’t too far from Marseille.  So as we exited the ship we hailed a taxi to see if we could find a boat to take us to Cassis around the shore.  Upon mentioning the name, our driver said he could take us there himself so off we went.  It turned out to be a beautiful day.  First a cruise to visit three claques or bays made by rivers via a charter boat.  Rough seas brought water down on us but we enjoyed the trip and the sea adventure.  Once back on shore there was time for a bit of wine and a snack, no nachos though like in Spain!!  Some shopping and then our driver took us up to the heights overlooking the sea.  George says it has been his favorite day so far.

 

 

 

another fun day with Pat and Carol!!

Barcelona .....

Two days in beautiful Barcelona were clearly not enough!!  I have to return to visit the museums we did not see and to visit more of Spain, my list is getting very long.  And the more I talk with these travelers, the longer the list is getting.  There are so very many places on this planet to see and only so many trips we can take. But I am  missing family and friends and home right about now.

 

I booked a private tour with the Cruise Critic group for the first day in Barcelona and it turned out really nicely.  Only eight of us in a nice van with a great guide, Marta.  First we visited Park Guell which was designed by Gaudi and is amazing.  Nothing is straight and everything is very organic looking.  He also designed the Sagrada church which is still under construction after 100 years.  They plan to finish in 2026!!  Then on to Monserrat which is a cragged mountain at the edge of the  plain.  Here is a monastery and the Black Madonna of miracles.  Many make pilgrimages to pray for help, and in return climb back on their knees.  The views from the heights were amazing and the cathedral beautiful. The monks here school boys in music and train them to sing in a choir until their voices change.

 

We made the long drive back to Barcelona and stopped to walk around the Sagrada.  Gaudi took over the design of the church and made more of his fantastic designs here.  The spires are still under construction.   I would love to see the inside but time was out and lines were very long.

 

For the second day, and the start of the second leg of the cruise, we took a taxi to the top of the hill near the fort and rode the cable car to the beach.  Views of Barcelona were beautiful from this height.  The beach was lined with sports facilities, large pools and courts for tennis and other sports.  The complex was part of the Olympic layout which also included arenas and facilities up on the hill.  No swimming for us but there were swimmers doing races which were fun to watch from the beer garden near the beach.  What did we eat…Nachos!!

 

  Park Guell mosaic bench

Park Guell 

 

Monserrat view

                                                                                                                                                                                     Monserrat jagged mountain

 

Monserrat cathedral         

 

  Barcelona city view  not our ship

 

 

 

 

 

Today we slept in, did laundry, worked on the blog, played pickle ball, met Cruise Critic group then lunched together, played cards, sat on the aft deck watching Italy and Sicily pass by as we went through the narrow straight with a pilot boat.  Beautiful. Then formal dinner and a show.    Tomorrow I will try to catch up more after our visit to Katacolyn and Olympia and the beach! We are hoping for a nice sunny day.