Post #20: Piraeus and Athens

Parthenon at Acropolis
Typical tourists...been around for centuries (especially Rich)
Athens seems to go on forever (had a touch of the LA haze)Different angle
Temple of Zeus

The Acropolis from Zeus

Outside the Olympic stadium
Changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (very impressive)

The Plaka for a little shopping

The Tower of the Winds

Our lunch restaurant (we waited outside for it to open but ate inside)

Lunch is served

Above: Hill of Lycabetous (tallest point in Athens)

Below: Climbing the final stretch to the 'summit'

Above: The view from the top

Below: The Archeological museum.

Impressive displays of all kinds. Wonderful museum.
One of the Agouras...
One of the best preserved...all columns intact.

View up to the Acropolis from the Agoura

Janna, our driver Jimmie, and Lynn
Sunset from our balcony
Our table mates:

Pulled into port (Piraeus) while dark, got up to take pictures
Alarm at 6:30am…double yuk!
JB in shower
More pictures, waiting for room service
Good meal. Handy to have in cabin to ‘eat on the run’
Met Rich and Lynn at 7:30 and headed to dock
Sign up today about NOT bringing beer/wine back on-board (drat!)
Jimmie (our taxi driver) was waiting as planned (love it when a plan comes together)
Had set up tour with Paul of Athens Taxi…Jimmie is his son
He gave us a running narrative of history and local interest between each site
We started out by going to the Acropolis to beat the crowds.
Amazing, amazing, amazing…The Parthenon, oh my.
Many many pictures, and why not!
Good light, great angles, no people…wonderful
Doing refurbishment, so scaffolding in several places
Busses and crowds arriving as we left…sorry for them
Went by the President’s house…he was about to arrive, waited a while, then left
Parliament Building and the Tomb of Unknown Soldier for changing of the guards
That was fun to watch. The President’s guard is VERY impressive
I got yelled at (of course) “No pictures from behind!”
McDonalds so I could use the ‘facilities’…very busy place!
Temple of Zeus…what a place it must have been!
Olympic stadium…built in 1863…wide open from the street
Plaka (a fun shopping area) Bought a pin and colorful tile.
Hill of Lycabetous…highest point in Athens…nice hike and GREAT panoramic views
Greek and Roman Agouras…amazing
National Archaeological Museum…beautiful
Tower of the Winds…interesting for its design and function (look it up)
And, as an added benefit, all the ‘paid sites’ were FREE today.
This hardly ever happens, but we were there when it did.
Due to this we saved several Euro almost everywhere we went.
And in the middle of that had a great lunch.
We had a choice, touristy place, or ‘local’ place
We chose local…GREAT choice!
All the food prepared (like) buffet so can be seen as you enter
No English menu so the waitress took us up and explained each dish
We picked what we wanted and then selected our salad type.
Everything was wonderful!
We split their largest size of white wine…
Then the waitress brought us a ½ liter ‘on her’ (THAT helped the tip!)
Fresh red and green grapes arrived…we were stuffed (just like our eggplant)
Only 48Euro…OMG! Thanks Jimmie!
Jimmie was napping in cab out front (in case police came to ask him to leave)
He took us next door to a bakery for some baklava,
Didn’t know there were different ‘flavors’. VERY tasty.
This was an “I love it when a plan comes together” day,
As you don’t know exactly what you are going to get booking on your own
My arm hurts…from patting myself on the back!
Back to the ship for nap time and happy hour,
And then meet for drinks before dinner (Hey, someone’s got to do it!)
Pretty pink rose in bathroom on return…nice touch.
Comments about Athens…it is a HUGE modern City.
Very much like other very large cities.
Subway, electric ‘Muni-type’ buses, many taxis, trucks, cars…and tourists.
Lots of traffic EVERYWHERE…but it was fun none-the-less.
Within the city there are historical jewels…very lovely jewels indeed!
We didn’t get to know Greece, but I think we got to know Athens.
Jimmy dropped us back at the ship
We relaxed with a ‘happy hour’ during ‘sail away’ from Piraeus
Then joined ‘the gang’ for another fun dinner
and another anniversary cake as promised
Quite a day!

Post #19: Dubrovnik, Croatia

The ship from above

Dubrovik and the walled city from above
Janna, Lynn, our taxi driver, and Rich

On the Stradun

Roofs of housed within the walled city.

One of the many spectacular views from the wall.

And another...and others

Reading menu before deciding on lunch restaurant

At lunch

Looking up a 'side street' in the walled city

Lynn filling her bottle from the perpetual well.
What a handsome couple

Red and black can be fun

A martini sampler before dinner
The after dinner show.
Up at about 7:30…approaching Croatia
Got coffee in the aqua spa, walked around, checked out breakfast locations…
Brought JB a decaf mocha
Were to meet Rich and Lynn at 9:30, running late
Moved it to 9:45...had omelets for breakfast…both overcooked…oh well (pun intended)
For those that know Millennium, found the sewer smell now and then…but not by us
Thought we were anchoring near Walled City and tendering…not.
Docked by the new bridge and ship port instead…bus tix can be purchased on ship
We opted to take a taxi and do a panoramic tour…they are queued up at dock.
50 Euro for an hour. Great driver. Was 12 during 1991 war. What an experience.
He shared a lot about history, politics, education…very interesting.
Made it much more personal to then see Dubrovnik
Went up to the cross above the city and looked down…AMAZING
The steep narrow winding road made me long for my bicycle!
There had been a forest fire this summer, so lots of blackened trees
Saw remains of structures built by Napoleon…yes, THE Napoleon
The hills are terraced with many hand-placed rock walls
Several centuries ago they were used for grapes and olives
too much work today…tourism is now THE industry of Croatia
We walked the length of Stradun, and then walked the Fortified Wall
7.50Euro each…Kuno is the Croation currency but everywhere takes Euro
Every few steps was a Kodak Moment…simply amazing
I filled up one chip (over 500 pictures) and started another
MANY steps to climb, some ‘elderly’ folks struggling…not us ‘kids’!
Had lunch in a restaurant on a side street of the Stradum
3 salads for the others, but grilled squid for me…when in Rome!
Beer and wine of course…very relaxing (only 40 Euro)
Bought a pin for hat and some beautiful material for a table runner.
Also bought two bottles of Croatian wine (one blanco, one red-o)
As with Venice, one needs to be reminded this is a community
It has rich history, but you see kids, laundry, and people just ‘living’
Sort of like how Mickey and Minnie really live in Disneyland…or not.
No problem getting the wine back on-board (for those wondering)
Got back in time for a nap before sailing at 5:00pm
Sat on the deck during ‘sail away’, typing blog and drinking prosecco…
Formal night…oh goodie…we were both in red and black
That drew several nice comments from complete strangers
My new red tie and cummerbund were perfect!
Met Gerry/Marcia and Rich/Lynn for drinks before dinner.
More great music and people dancing.
Our new table mates are great. Lots of lively conversations.
Mixed up the seating so to talk with different people.
Filet Mignon night…oh darn. (very nice)
Captains reception after dinner to meet the head staff
Then medley of Broadway show songs: Les Mis, Phantom, Chorus Line, West Side Story
Excellent singers, great lighting effects, very nice presentation (I’d go again!!!)
Too late and too tired to post blog…tomorrow…we’ll be at sea all day
What else will I have to do???!!!??? Bingo, shopping lectures, bridge…NOT!

Post #18: Sail away from Venice

Pictures:
Room service
Walking from ship
On Vaporetto going to Venice
Approaching the St. Marks Square Vaportto stop
More shopping

Where we entered for tour
Our tour guide
Things we saw on tour (could not take pictures inside)
Lynn playing with the pigeons
The crowd along the walkway as we headed back to the Vaporetto stop

Sailing away; approaching St. Marks Square and just past it
At dinner and the sunset

Woke up in the middle of the night
Laid awake a long time
We both did, but at different times
Fell back to sleep, woke up at 7:30…phew!
Room service ordered between 8:00 & 8:30 (arrived 8:10)
Meeting Rich and Lynn to go ‘ashore’ at 9:00
Pretty good room service breakfast,
Overlooking construction site not the most romantic
The four of us left the ship for our long walk ‘to town’
Could have spent money on the ship’s shuttle
but we already had our Vaporetto passes
What we saved bought wine at dinner (like that mattered)
Had a LONG walk (30 minutes of Coach Carolyn walking!)
Caught a bus (much cooler…a WATER bus)
Arrived in San Marco square with an hour to spare…
An hour before our Doges’ Palace Secret Itinerary tour.
By-passed the long general admission line to get our tix
Purchased on line tix…VIP treatment…you’re in a line, and I’m not!
Strolled around and did shopping (my how our group can shop!!!)
Got some cool things though (Merry Xmas girls! I know what you’re getting!!!)
Lynn fed the pigeons and we got MANY pictures of that…what a sport!!!
Used the WC toilette…free with our Vaporetto Blue ticket
Went back for our tour…AWESOME. Basically a history of Venetian aristocracy
through the residence and offices of the ruling class.
Very organized society back then…cut throat yes, but organized.
Tour of the prison, with Casanova one the most well known ‘residents’.
Got to go through the Bridge of Sighs…sweet!
(Look it up on the internet, I’m paying for this time!!!)
Shopped briefly, JB got her plate, had a gelato (well R/L did),
Caught the Vaporetto back (I think our 7 day pass was worth it!!!)
Repeated the 30 minute Coach C speed walk from V stop to ship
Had to go thru 3 security checks before getting back on ship.
Were in time for the ever fun life preserver drill…then Sail Away
Now THAT was cool.
Many pictures and video footage!
Looking down at San Marco square and Bridge of Sighs…
Evokes sighs…
Venice and surrounding islands are beyond words.
To a person we would all come back…but for MUCH longer.
Great people, great food, great feeling…just GREAT.
After happy hour went back up to spa
Then to the On Line room to sign up for internet
It is VERY slow at peak usage times (before dinner, right after, etc.)
Set up account, and will try logging on later
Watched amazing sun set before getting dressed.
Bumped into Marcia and Gerry (again!) and had a drink with them
Great big band music!
Wore new ‘grand-kids tie’…BIG HIT!
Originally were assigned a table for four…we like each other
but not THAT much (I mean really, 14 straights days…and nights?)
We got reassigned to a table of 10…FUN PEOPLE.
Wildwood, Brisbane, Danville, Sarasota (Fl) and Rhode Island…
This should be a fun cruise…and our waiter seems fun as well.
Oh, and the food was pretty good. Most had salmon
Those with veal chop said it was tough…oh well.
At midnight went to one of the WiFi hotspot.
We are too far away to access in cabin (major bummer)
No problem getting connected
And no problem updating blog. Pix a little slow, but not too bad.
Now back in cabin typing this…JB turned out light…
Must be bed time.
Good night!