The Azores

I am very impressed with the Azores.  The storm by passed us and we had no problem docking at either of the ports.  The islands are very green and with the contrast of the white buildings with red tile roofs they are beautiful.  We are now headed for the USA.

We had a real treat yesterday.  A big pod of whales came very close to the ship.   They were so close the Captain had to veer to the right.  I have not heard what type of whales but they were medium size. About the same size as a humpback; but I don't think they were humpbacks.

We have also had a few schools of Dolphins and I spotted 4 very large Dolphins along side of our ship a couple of days ago.

At 7:00 every evening we have our before dinner drink at the Crows Nest and also play Pub Trivia.  Last night we almost won which is the exact opposite of us asking for the booby prize.  My team consists of Joan and whoever I can find that is close enough to mouth answers or whisper to me.  I call them my roving team members.  I have a feeling the rest of the teams might cry foul if we won but that is very unlikely except for our good showing last night.

We did have a ball last night so we did do some dancing with the officers and some of the other guys. After dancing we went up to the Crows Nest to listen to Lee on the piano.  His wife, Daphna, joined the ship recently.  We have got to know her and I have enjoyed her stories about Israel.  Her home is in Jerusalem.

2 sea days

We really  needed these sea days.  This cruise has been port intensive and they can become tiring especially for the stair climbers. Our friend, Sue, who goes everywhere admitted that this is the first time she has become weary.

I am typing this as we are docked at one of the islands of the Azores.  Ponta Delgada, on the island of Sao Miguel today and Horta, on the island of Faial tomorrow.  The buildings of Ponta Delgada are newer than most of Portugal and white instead of sand color.  A nice change.  I will continue on a separate blog about Horta and as long as I have good WiFi free I will go ahead and post this short post.

The weather has changed and it is raining.  No free WiFi for me.  There are possibilties that we won't be able to dock at  Horta.  A storm is on its way.

Last Ports

Gibralter is not a good place to visit unless you are going to walk the rock.  Not much at the bottom of the rock so I took the opportunity to do things on board.

Our next port was Huelva and it is a delightful city.  Wide pedestrian streets with great stores and great values.  The town is trying to get the cruise ships in and I think the good vibes they sent to all of us will help in that direction.  Our friend, Don, use to live close and he said it is incredible how far they have come.

We found a little restaurant and a delightful waitress who did her best to translate  the menu for us.  The beer and Joan's wine were excelent.  The waitress actually spoke great English except the menu translation and she was a delightful girl.  We had a lot of fun with all the employees.  They laughed a lot at me and my attempts at Spanish.

Lisbon is a beautiful big city and lots of steps and hills.  We spent our time at Casa Colon in the city center and didn't stay out long.  Again, it was Sunday and not much opened except cafes and souvenier shops.  One exception and that was a very large shoe and purse store.  I am not up to walking uip stairs and hills but where we were was flat and we walked quite a bit just looking at the outside of buildings.

The WiFi at the port was really iffy and not good enough to down load for an hour or so.  Besides I would have to sit on dirty cement.  I willl check out the Azores on the 27th and 28th.  Otherwise, this blog is about my only avenue at communication with home.  

Xfinity Problems

The reason I have been getting some emails and not others is because of the need to update my app for Xfinity.  This takes close to an hour so I can't do it on the ship.  I will try to find free WiFi on shore in Seville.  I am at a lost why I get some emails and not the others as most of the ones I get are from other countries but one just came in from Colorado.  I am also getting facebook but I don't open those as it takes too long to down load.  

I am sitting next to the big rock (Gibralter) but there is no where close to do free WiFi plus I am making sure my battery is  at 100%.  You do not want to run out of battery on a long down load.  My advice to everyone is find a cruise line that does not charge for WiFi.  

Barcelona

I have been to Barcelona twice before but never really saw the sights.  From the airport to the ship and the ship to the airport.  So, it was the HoHo bus - red route first.  What a magnificent city and as The Trumpster would say, HUGE.  Magnificent buildings and plazas.  One problem.  Every few feet there was a red light when we were in the dead of the city.  Instead of an hour or two we were 4 hours completing the route.  Admittedly, we hopped off - once for ten minutes and once for about 30 minutes.  I wanted to continue but my friend wanted to go back to the ship.  If I ever get here again I will take the green route where most of the famous cathedrals are located.  

We did come across a "department" store and it was 9 stories and carried everything from groceries to hardware, clothing, and many things  you wouldn't think of or imagine.  It also had two public rest rooms and I think they are called Banos.  After 3 hours on the HOHO bus the Banos were a welcome sight. 

My impression of Barcelona is the city is a must see but three or four days minimum is needed.

I am not getting my emails and I have to go see Courtney this afternoon.  I haven't had a thing four two days and that seems rather impossible.  Actually, I did have one that came through.  Dana sent one from Switzerland and it made it to the ship but nothing from the states.

Te Phillipino staff show was last night.  Jennie, the gal who mkes my latte' every morning was one of the dancers and Christa who is the waitress at the Crow's Nest was one of the singers.  I also knew the other male singer but his name escapes me now.

Sete

Whoever heard of Sete.  i have driven from Italy through Cannes, Nice and other towns but Sete is way off the road and is basically a port town and full of blue collar workers.  There are rumors that they are building a cruise ship terminal and room on the docks for cruise ships.  This working port was the cleanest and neatest of all ports I have seen.  

There was not a lot to see and the shops did  not have good products.  A lack of neat things.  Most of the clothing stores were low end.  Peggy only bought one thing and for Peggy that is a wasted day.

We did stop and have a sandwich and a French wine.  Father James came along and sat down for awhile to tell us about his visit to the Vatican.  He had a friend who works there and met a lot of others.  No time for an audience with the Pope but he had not expected that would happen.

Joan said her pizza did not sit well so she stayed in her cabin.  I ended up playing Trivia wiith Don and Nancy.  Our Ausie couple left in Rome so that left me alone at the table.  I ate with Harry and Margo.  

As I am sitting here typing this post while we are docking in Barcelona.  I plan to do the HoHo bus and take the route that will take me to the Cathedral that has been being built forever.  Century after century.  This is not my first time in Barcelona but it is the first time I have the opportunity to explore the city.  I think Ihave been here two or three times before.

Livorno. (Leg Horn)

Unfortunately, Sunday is not one of the days to visit an Italian City.  A few things were open and a lot of things closed.   Livorno is a jumping off place for Pisa, Florence, Lucca and Tuscany in general.  Most of the passengers went to other places.  We did walk around and found a department store caled Zara or something like that which we had been told was great.  It was closed.  Peggy and Sylvia told us about a great little cathedral to visit but when we got there it was closed.  Later, Peggy said Zara's opened at 12:00.  Sometimes things just don't work out.  We did have a nice walk about and ended up getting a Gelato.

One thing that has been nice about this cruise is the money.  We have only had to use one currency and  that is the Euro.  Except for the lesser Pacific Islands that usually accept dollars, we have to exchange to six or seven different currencies.  Australian, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong and I can go on and on.  This is great using only the Euro.

We are now at Monaco and we have to tender.  Having been here several times I opted to get a Manicure which is needed.  I wouldn't mind walking in the Gardens as that is a relaxing walk but The only other thing I would want to do is the aquarium.  Prince Rainier was a great supporter of Jaques Costeau and other Marine expeditions and endeavors so it is only fitting that he had this great aquarium built.  But, I have the manicure to be done and I wouldn't have enough time.  It has always been on my to do list but not on the must do list.

Civitavecchia

First, we did find a nice place and had a typical Neapolitan pizza.  What makes their pizza different is the thick ring of crust  with spots of charcoal.  Th rest of the pizza is thin crust.  We had a typical Margherita pizza with just sauce and good mozzarella.  Wine was the order of the day instead of beer.  So we accomplished what we wanted yesterday.

Civitavecchia is the worse port in the world or at least the worse port of this cruise.  This is not just a new conclusion as this is my third time here.  It Is the jumping off place for Rome.  I did Rome from here with Dana and Zion and that was enough.  This is the typical day if you go to Rome.  Exit ship at 8:00.  Catch bus to Train depot and arrive at 8:30 if you are lucky.  Exit train in Rome at 11:00.  Get Taxi and fight traffic to Spanish Steps and it is now 12:00.  Climb steps to Cathedral and Look around.  Stop at nice little Trattoria and eat lunch.  Walk slowly down nice street looking in shops and end up at train depot at 3:00.  Board train and arrive back at the port train depot at 5:30 if you are lucky.  Take bus back to ship and board at 6:00.  Ship leaves at 6:30.

Now I have another gripe about this port.  In the past we could walk to an open market but that is no longer possible as we must take a shuttle out of the port then catch a bus into town to the center of town.  We each bought two tickets; one to go and one to get back.  The lady who sold the ticket personally took us to the bus and spoke to the driver.  Even the advertisement inside the bus showed two stops and the stop at the beginning and a stop at the end.  Apparently the driver has his own agenda.  From port to train depot and train depot to port.  No stops are allowed.  He also insisted that we give him the second ticket so we could go back to the port.  We felt ripped off but started laughing because what can you do about it.  We each were out 4 Euros.

Napoli

I am in the library with my Ipad on my lap as I have found a warm spot.  I have on  a short sleeved sweater and lightweight jacket so the bottom of my arms are cold.  I guess   I  have been in Naples five times so other than going out for their famous pizza and a walk about I will stay on the ship most of the day.

The ship is actually nice when most of the people have left.  Quiet but also still.  When everyone is on board the ship becomes like a bee hive.  Coming and going all the time.

Last night the masked gala was ho hum and I don't say that because I have become jaded.  I say it because they should have opened the theater for the dancing.  The Ocean Bar's dance floor is about the size of my bedroom.  You Don't put a hundred people in my bedroom and expect them to dance.  I did dance a couple of dances but not so much fun.  I left and went back to my cabin to read. 

I haven't talked about the food on board.  I don't cruise to eat like others on board and it is very easy to distinguish the food cruisers and others.  The food is quite good in both the dining room and the Lido.  I also believe, at least the two times I have been there, that the Pinnacle food is even better than on the Amsterdam.  They have a different chef for almost every year and this year the Pinnacle has an excellent French chef.

The flowers on board are gorgeous but our Amsterdam florists were the best in the world so it is hard to beat them but this florist is trying his damnest to do just that.

I will post this now but if anything exciting, dangerous or spectacular happens while I am out I will cover the "happening" in my next post.

Spectacular Croatia

As you all know our two previous tours were less than successful.  Albania -- nothing to see except our shepherding dog.  Montenegro -- would have been good but for Mother Nature's interference.  The tour of Croatia was designated a cultural experience..  I have found these type tours are the ones I like most.  You see some sights but you also experience their food, music, everyday life and the country side.

After doing the tour of Dubrovnik's old town(?sp - I am in library and have none of my materials with the proper spelling.) which was very exciting seeing the wall and St. Dominic's Monestary we headed out of town along the coast and into the country.  Quite a few people walked the wall which is in much better shape than the Great Wall of China but, of course, built much later in time.

We were taken to a typical wealthy home in the country when Croatia was actually a part of Yugoslavia

but before the USSR was involved.  A small farm that looked like it could sustain the family and the neighbors.

We were given the tour of the farm and the equipment they used and then we were treated to a good lunch, with local wines, and local music.  The food was very good and the music palatable.  I do not like Turkish music as it sounds like fingernails on a blackboard.  On the way back we were treated to an old resort town which was now blended with modern adjustments.  The beach was beautifu and apparently they get a wealthy class of Europeans, including a lot of yachts.

Beautiful Venice

The last  time I was here it felt like it  was 5 below zero but our day in Venice (mainly around San Marco square) was a gorgeous sunny 72 degree day.  St. Marks Cathedral looked spectacular with its outside frescos having been restored and most of the scaffolding was gone.  It appeared the scaffolding was in the area of the last fresco to be restored.  Last time I was here the cathedral was covered by scaffolding.

What do you do in Venice.  First, a capuccino  and an Italian sweet.  Then a stroll through the square and a lot of people and pigeon watching.  I have to say the pigeon population is down from around 500 to 100 which is a very good change.  Three small groups with permanent stands at three restaurants were playing classical music.  No street entertainers which I miss.  

Then a walk through St. Marks.  Not enough time to do the museums so we mostly went window shopping at all the shops surrounding the square.  We also went to the Venice version of Rodeo Drive with all the expensive shops such as Channel, Dior, etc.  After buying a couple of things it was after 3:00 and we headed for an Italian Lunner.  My word for the meal before Dinner but after Lunch.  Pasta and Chianti and a great table outside but in the shade and we ate at a leasurely  pace.  We then headed back to the ship around 5:30.

I woke up this morning and I could see nothing from my cabin window.  Fog had come in and hopefully it will clear soon.  I woke up with a hitch in my hip so either too much walking yesterday or I slept wrong.  I won't be able to go out today but that is ok as we have to be back by 12:30 anyway.

Montenegro

Montenegro appears to be the exact opposite from Albania.  Eleven per cent unemployment as compared to fifty per cent unemployment.  Albania kept communism for many years where Montenegro rejected it.  Good leadership seems to be one of the differences and Montenegro is on its way to being prosperous and possibly joining the European Union.  It is a beautiful country and wonderful things to see.

Now I will tell you about the tour from hell.  A very interesting guide and he had a good manner of telling the story of Montenegro.  Mother Nature did not cooperate.  A downpour hit and by the time we got to the old town of Budva the streets were like a river.  We waded through and it contiued to pour but the umbrella kept off the rain but the boots were soaked and the jeans were wet up to the knees.  After our tour of the old town we headed back to Kotor.  Just like home an accident backed up traffic and we couldn't move for an hour.  Not fun when you are soaked.  It was about 62 degrees so we managed but I opted to get my wet boots off and cut the tour short.  The bus did take us back to the ship and it didn't clear up until around an hour before we were to leave.

The hills look black but it isn;t because of the dirt or rock but because of the black pines.  I just wish we coud have had the good weather we have been having instead of the downpours. 

Durres, Albania

I can only think of one tour worse than the one we took here.  That tour was in Nicaraugua and I said "They were not ready for us.". Even though Albania has been out of the control of the USSR since 1991 it has been a very difficult transition with poor leadership and continuing communist influence.  Many people wish for the return of communism so they don't have to work for their food.  They don't remember the limits on food and the long lines.

I didn't enjoy looking at the bleak gray buildings and frankly there was not much in Durres of interest.  Lots of walking on very bad sidewalks and roads.  We were also walked to a square where there was nothing  except one cafe.  No stores.  Plenty of gypsy kids with their hands out.  Just as we were leaving we did notice a bear on a leash but we had to get to the bus. 

Our next stop was a winery.  Probably 95% of us have been to wonderful wineries all over the world.  This winery was bleak and even the bottles looked Russian and if a bottle can be depressing these were depressing.  Antiquated methods but not liike some of the home wineries in Italy that have charm.

We did have one interesting happening.  When we were at the museum a beautiful golden retriever like dog decided he was going to stay with us.  If a car came too close he would bark at it viciously and protect us.  He did the same thing to pedestrians who he thought was a threat.  He walked with us for a long time and I think he wanted to escape Albania and I was about to put my sticker on him when he decided we were safe so he did leave us.

Our guide was fine and he did relate lots of anti communist feelings.  Too bad Bernie Sanders young supporters weren't around to hear about the fruits of communism.

Corfu, Greece

The last Greek Island and it is the biggest.  The city of Kerkira is the largest island city but we got the shuttle to the old town and enjoyed walking to the other side.  We also saw the fort which is extremely tall as it is on what appears to be a small mountain.  I said it was a fort but it looked more like  a fortification.

Not particularly a good shopping area but we did find a grocery store which provided a couple of items needed such as hair spray.  I am running low.  Pharmacies in Greece are strictly pharmacies and they do not carry a lot of other stuff.

Finally, we move on to another country.  It has been Greece all the time..  Remember, we even added  another  Island to take the place of Istanbul.  Tomorrow we go to Albania and we do have a tour to get a feel for the country.  My first time in Albania so I will report my impressions later.

Katakolon (Olympia)

Another Greek Island and another beer.  I think they are synonymous.  This island is where the rich and famous have vacation mansions so nothing really gets going until the season starts.  I think it started with our ship because all the shops and cafes were open.  The only reaon for a ship to dock is the ruins of Olympia.  That is the only thing here other than this nice little town.  Not particularly a good place for bargains but really nice stuff (rich and famous tourists) and fair prices.

Last night we had our white gala and I did look smashing in my new white outfit.  I used rinestones to  make it more dressy since it is an outfit I can wear many times at home.  I was surprised that so few people wore all white.  There was an attempt by many to have a white top or a white pair of pants or skirt but paired with another color.  But, when you think about white you know spaghetti will not be your choice for dinner; maybe you should have white wine; and white is not slimming.  All good reasons for not wearing white.

Kusadasi

Well it was a great bazaar and great shopping but one problem.  I thought I was in Viet Nam again.  Or, on the corners in Hong Kong.  The merchants practically dragged you into the stores. I have heard all the pitches in the world but there is a new one here.  My turn.  My turn.  Joan was with me and she did go into a HAL recommended store and bought a soft black leather handbag.  Beautiful and very similar to Coach bags,  They were not as pushy.  After awhile the merchants wear you down.  I was exhausted fighting them off.

There were several cafe's along the water and we sat for about two hours just enjoying the sun and talking to quite a handsome young man who was fluent in English.  He answered questions about the history of his country and was very charming.  We also talked about the lack of cruise ships and the economic harm to these merchants.  It is really sad since they rely on the tourist trade.  HAL and Seaborne are the only lines allowing their ships to go to Turkey and it appears at this time only the port of Kusadasi.  I did not feel at all unprotected except from the hungry merchants.

After a beer we were led to a shop for wallets.  Our young man took us to his cousin's workplace but the owner took over.  He was the worse.  He took all her bags and even Joan's sun glasses and sat me down to hold everything while he showed her wallets.  She didn't find one she liiked so (very common tactic) he had more upstairs and wanted her to go upstairs.  That is a no no.

Needless to say we were tired of the merchants and went back to the ship.

Istanbul --NOT and Lesbos, Greece

We did our sightseeing from the Deck in Istanbul.  One change was made and the crew who were scheduled to leave were taken to the airport so they were able to disembark.  The Captain took us up the Bosperas (?sp) Strait up to the Black Sea and then back on our way to Lesbos.

Lesbos was another easy walking town and Margo, Harry and I walked to the Cathedral.  Souvenier shops, bakeries, candy stores and cafes were open but not much more.  It is Sunday.  The Greek Easter is around the 20th of April.  The candy stores were incredible with all their Easter goodies.  The Cathedral was a beauty both in and out.

We received a letter from the Captain saying we are going to Kusadasi tomorrow.  Also, in that letter we will be getting free wine and/or beer at 5:30 this evening.  All along I have been saying he was making a big mistake by not doing so immediately.   A lot of the passengers on his ship are here because of the Istanbul stop.  Well. at least part of it.  I shouldn't blame the Captain.  Actually it is Seattle.  He can't do any thing without their direction.

Tomorrow is serious shopping day since I have seen all the local ruins on two prior visits.  I have been told by crew and passengers that this is the best shopping.  I wasn't able to shop before since I was on tours which took all the time.  

Myrna, Greece

Myrina turned out to be a friendly city and easy to navigate.  It is close to the Dardanellas on the way to Istanbul.  We do have to stop at the Port of Istanbul to pick up about 50 people but no one gets to debark including the crew that were scheduled to debark.  They now have to stay until Venice.  We still don't know about Kusadasi.  The warning by the State Department says to leave the country so I am wondering about this port.  It is far from Istanbul

Getting back to Myrina - - I was in one shop and I said to the lady taking my money for a purchase that our ship coming in was a surprise.  She said yes and more - - "It was a gift from God."  The people were so happy we were there with smiles, hellos and lots of help.

I woke up to cards and a big Happy Birthday sign.  And, when I came back from Myrina I had candy and another card, baloons, ribbon that says Aged to Perfection and another sign.  So much for keeping my BD a secret.  Joan is taking me to the pinnacle tonight for more festivities.  I also got a lot of emails with BD wishes.  just before my BD I received chocolate dipped strawberries.

So I will keep you posted as to where we go next.  A cruise with true adventure.

Captain's Announcement

Our Captain just notified us that we will not be going to Istanbul due to the State Department warning Americans to leave the country.  We don't know yet about Kusadasi, Turkey, port city for Ephesus, etc.  We are going to some island and I don't quite know where this is.  It is sometjhing like limnes but I will have to wait until the Captain's letter is delivered.  As a matter of fact I need to look on the globe as I have never heard of this place and I don't even know what country it belongs to.  

Today we were in Kavala, Greece and it is quite an easy city to get around.  Easy to walk to town and some of the sites including a very well preserved Aquaduct.  We bumped into Sue and Peggy and Peggy had done some serious shopping.  As she was showing off her table runner (shawl) she attracted a Greek man who spoke some English.  We all engaged him in a conversation and eventually he announced he was 70 years of age.  Peggy told him she was 80 and would he be her boyfriend.  He thought for a moment and asked what were they capable of doing.  We, of course, cracked up and I am sure we were the talk of the neighborhood.  

We then went to her great shop and did a little shopping ourselves then on to a little restaurant for lunch and a beer.  It was so nice we were able to sit outside.  Wonderful beer and food and temperature of 70 plus.

I sure wish we could go to Israel but we are too far away.