Mykonos, Greece

Mykonos is a small Greek island. We were scheduled to anchor and tender in to the town, but it was a very windy day and there must have been concerns with the roughness of the water for the tenders. The ship instead docked at a small port just ten minutes out of town.

We took a shuttle bus into town and then wandered the small streets/walks and through the many shops. It’s a small town with a number of little shops. Also, there are restaurants/cafes that overlook the water…like sidewalk cafes for relaxing, drinking wine, and watching the scenery. We did some souvenir shopping and enjoyed wandering through the small streets between all the white buildings with colorful doors and windows. Occasionally a moped or four-wheeler or small vehicle would come through the “streets” and you would need to step up on a curb to not get your toes run over.

We partook in the local atmosphere and enjoyed some wine and conversation while we looked out over the water and out towards the hills that where spotted with various white homes.

A familiar landmark of this town would be the four windmills just at the end of town. We were fortunate to end our day at this location and got some beautiful photos at sunset.

We really enjoyed this port and the comfortable atmosphere of the area. The Greek Isles are definitely a place to visit again!

Istanbul, Turkey (Day 2)

It was an early morning for “part 2” of Istanbul. We were on the bus by 7:15 am and heading for the “Bridge”. There are two suspension bridges over the Straight of Bosphorus, which is the waterway between the Med and the Black Sea. Part of our tour was to travel over the ‘old’ bridge or the one to the south that you see from the City. It is a 4-lane bridge and they enjoy morning traffic just like we do. We stopped for a photo op and got our close-up photos of the bridge. Our tour guide explained that a lot of the locals live on the Asia side and work on the Europe side. They either take a bridge or one of the local ferries to work each day.

We then ventured to the mosques. First, we visited Hagia Sophia or Saint Sophia. This was a Christian church, turned mosque, and is now a museum. It is a beautiful building…the colors, the mix of Christian and Muslim features, and the way the light streams in the windows is wonderful.

Next, we crossed the way to the Blue Mosque. We were pretty disappointed with the name. The outside is a simple grey and the inside has a number of blue flowered tiles, which is how it got its name, but it was not overwhelmingly blue as we were expecting. We did walk through the square of the mosque and then removed our shoes to enter the mosque itself. It is amazing how massive all the features are and how many domes makes up the interior.

The next part of our tour included a “carpet show”. Many rugs are made in Turkey and they are extremely proud of this tradition and product. They have shows to explain the knotting, the different types of materials, and just to show you all the various colors and patterns (then of course to try to see if you want to purchase one). It was an interesting process and the people are very gracious.

Istanbul, Turkey (Day 1)

We arrived in Istanbul at 2:00 in the afternoon. It was a beautiful sunny day and all the outside decks of the ship were filled with people taking in the amazing skyline of this City. The east bank is lined with mosques that are great architectural sights. To the west, you can see the suspension bridge that connects Europe and Asia together.

Once again, we took a cruise tour to see the sights. This tour is divided over two days, since we are staying overnight in Istanbul. Today, our tour took us to see the Topkapi Palace. This palace is located next to Hagia Sophia…so we got our first, up close look at the outside of this building. The Palace has many rooms that contain jewels from years ago, beautiful buildings within the garden areas, and just an overall grand place.

It was getting late in the evening, so it was not a good time to see the mosques…so they took us to the Grand Bazaar for shopping. The Grand Bazaar is one of the most famous markets in the world. It has about 4,000 shops and goes on and on with shop after shop, mostly jewelry, scarves, dishes, and purses. (I was anticipating this to be a lot like the market in Cairo, but it was totally different. The Bazaar area is covered like a shopping mall and has “store fronts”.) We did purchase a few gifts, but then headed back out to the main street…where we had found a Starbucks!

We enjoyed a latte and chai tea at Starbucks while we waited for the tour group to gather together. It’s crazy that you can be 10,000 miles from home, but still find your favorite drink.

Naples, Italy

We docked in Naples this morning and started our day with a short taxi ride to the train station. The taxi ride was an event in itself…they drive crazy here! Mopeds and motorcycles weave in and out of the cars; the cars and trains share lanes; and the taxi drivers just go anyway they want…even against traffic. We made it to the train station with only a couple of close calls, caught the local train, and were off to Pompeii.


The ride to Pompeii is about half an hour, and it’s not what you’d call a scenic ride. The train is on the “back side” of town and runs through the industrial district and low income housing areas. However, it’s pretty efficient and inexpensive.

We arrived at Pompeii, purchased our tickets, and entered the grounds. I don’t think any of us had any idea how big the “grounds” are. There are rock roads to follow in various directions, many, many brick walls, and hundreds of ruins and sights to see. We wandered around for over two hours and did not come close to seeing the whole place. We took tons of photos, saw various ruins, and were generally amazed by the massive size of this place.

We ventured back onto the train and went to Sorrento. This is a beautiful town along the coast…as you can see in the photo with the buildings on the cliffs.

The weather turned to rain, so we decided that it was a great time to get lunch. We ate at Aurora Pizzeria right in the main square of town. We had a wonderful experience…caprese salad, pizza, and wine (of course). The food was very good, the wine enjoyable, and just an entertaining place.

To get back to the port in Naples, we took the hydrofoil boat. This is a “commuter” boat that gets the locals quickly between the local cities – Naples, Sorrento, Capri, etc. The boat ride was an adventure as the water had gotten pretty rough. We arrived back at the ship after dark that evening.

Athens, Greece

We arrived in Athens bright and early…to heavy rainfall. We prepared for a wet day as we planned to be outside seeing the ancient ruins of the area. Today, we took a cruise tour to the Acropolis. It was a Sunday, so traffic was expected to be lighter than during the week. However, there was marathon happening in town; so there were streets closed, a lot of people out and about, and a number of places were closed.


Our bus ride was less than an hour to get there, and during this time, the rains subsided. We arrived at the site of the Acropolis and entered the grounds. We saw the four ancient buildings: the Parthenon, Temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheion, and the Propylaea. Unfortunately, three of the four buildings have scaffolding. It was difficult trying to get a photo of the Parthenon without seeing the scaffolding. We did take lots of photos!

Seeing the ancient ruins is pretty incredible. It is hard to imagine how long these buildings have been in existence and the history that goes along with them. You’re standing in the same place where a soldier or a senator stood thousands of years ago…amazing!

The afternoon was spent on the ship as we decided not to venture into the City. Athens is not a “pretty” City. It is densely populated, everything is white, and it’s a little overwhelming. As you can see from the photos, it’s just white apartment building one after another; then in pockets, you have these amazing ruins…crazy. It was a great visit; however, I am looking forward to seeing the islands.

Athens was one of the few ports that we actually left during daylight. We left the harbor just as the sun was setting. It was a beautiful evening.

Rome, Italy

Today we visited Rome. It was a whirlwind of a day! We were up early, had a quick breakfast, and then off for the day. We caught the train into Rome, which took about an hour from the ship’s port. Upon arriving in Rome, we went straight to the Vatican City. We had planned to start our day at Saint Peter’s and then see the rest of the city. As we walked towards Saint Peter’s, we could hear voices over a loudspeaker and see hundreds and hundreds of people. The Pope “was out”. He, along with some of the Bishops, were giving a presentation. It was not a mass, but we could not understand what the presentation was, as it is given in Latin or maybe it was Italian(?). What an opportunity…we saw the Pope and got some great photos.

The Basilica was closed because the Pope was presenting, so we decided to venture out into the city and see some other sites. We headed north, caught the metro, and went to see the Spanish Steps. Next was Trevi Fountain…and yes, we threw our coins into the fountain! Next was the Pantheon, however this one took a while to find. We went down this street and that, trying to find our way. We did get to see a lot of the City and some beautiful buildings. We eventually found the Pantheon. It is an amazing building. It was a cloudy day, so it was quite dark, but there was still a ray of light coming through the open circle of the dome.

We walked to Piazza Venezia where there is a large monument, a large building of pillars and statues, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. There are two burning flames that adorn the front of this structure. From here, we followed the street alongside The Forum as we walked to the Colosseum. The sights of the Forum show so much history and they are continuing to uncover more and restore this area for tourism. The Colosseum is such an iconic structure of Rome. It’s always recognizable, and such a pleasure to see in real life! We also went into the Colosseum…it’s amazing to think of what this must have looked like in its day.

Livorno, Italy

The port of call today was Livorno. This port provides travel plans to Pisa, Florence, Cinque Terre, and other parts of Tuscany. Todd and I had visited Pisa and Florence when we were in Italy for our honeymoon…so this trip, we decided to go to Cinque Terre.

Cinque Terre is an hour and a half drive north of Livorno. It is a National Park and territory protected by UNESCO. Cinque Terre is comprised of 5 villages along the Italian Riviera coastline. The homes and buildings in the villages are built into steep slopes and cliffs. The waves crashing on the rocks between the villages and on the beaches are beautiful. The hillsides and slopes in the villages are lined with dry stacked walls with acres and acres of vineyards. The vines are planted above the houses, or across from the houses on the slopes that receive the most sun; the houses are built on the shady sides.

We enjoyed walking along the “Street of Love” which is a spectacular path along the seaside from Manarola to Rio Maggiore. The Sea is aqua blue and you forget that you are looking at the Mediterranean Sea and not a tropical ocean…it’s an amazing site.

We spent a good portion of the day in the villages. We traveled from village to village on the local train. In the last village, we had some lunch and wandered the streets. Unfortunately (for us), it was siesta time…so most shops were closed. We enjoyed the sites and the beautiful beach. And we did find a gelateria, for an afternoon gelato…something not to miss while in Italy.

Villefranche, France (…or maybe not)

Today was our first port – Villefranche, France. This is a small town in the south of France just a few miles from Nice. We had planned to take a cruise tour to Nice, Eze, and Monte Carlo…which includes a beautiful drive along the coast of France. However, when we arrived for our excursion gathering, an announcement was made that the port had been cancelled.


Todd and I have been on numerous cruises and a port has never been cancelled…so we were pretty surprised by this. The weather was pouring down rain and very windy. The ship does not dock at this port; therefore, they must tender (use small boats) to get the passengers to shore. The Captain and port was very concerned about safety due to the strong winds; thus the cancellation of the port.

The ship immediately went back to cruising. It was a very rough day at sea with gale force winds for all of the morning. It was a Dramamine day for many!

A Day at Sea

The first full day on the cruise ship was a “sea day”. We were all pretty happy with this, as our jetlag continued to slow us down. We all enjoyed sleeping in and then getting some lunch. We wandered the ship and checked out our “home away from home” where we will be spending the next two weeks.


There were many activities scheduled for the day, and each of us found something of interest. Also, it was “formal” night for dinner. We all dressed up for dinner and enjoyed the first of many good dinners.

Travel to Barcelona, Spain

Our trip started with a couple flights to get us to Barcelona. We left Seattle on a nine hour flight to Amsterdam, then a quick two hour flight to Barcelona. Sandy and Patrick met us at the Barcelona airport, where we quickly found a taxi and headed for the ship. The jetlag is pretty consuming…so we were all anxious for a snack and a nap!

We did not get the opportunity to see Barcelona, as we boarded, napped, and the cruise ship soon thereafter left the port.

Auckland, NZ

The cruise ended in Auckland. We were up early and off the ship. Our flight was not until evening, so we decided to do a tour through the ship. We chose an all day trip…it was a long bus ride, but we went to the Waitomo area.

First, they took us to Woodlyn Park. They call this place “A World Unique Attraction”. That is a good description. You drive up a long gravel driveway onto a ‘farm’ type property. The bus stops at the entrance and you are escorted into a large building with concrete floors. To the right is a ‘theater’ with old wood and leather seats and some old curtains hiding the stage area.

After a while, the show starts…it’s a guy in jeans, boots and a tank top. What he tells you about is the way the Kiwis used to do things in the old days. He shows you the sawing process, the tree climbing process, etc. etc. Then he brings in the animals…does some pig tricks, dog tricks, and sheep herding. Then with some assistance from some audience volunteers, he shears a sheep. The show was quite interesting and entertaining. My explanation does not do it justice.

The ‘farm’ also has some motel rooms…in a hobbit house, a boat or a plane. You can see all of this at http://www.waitomomotel.co.nz/.

Next, we went to Waitomo Caves. This was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. The Waitomo Caves is a series of limestone caves with stalactites and stalagmites. They tour you through the caves and up and down levels to see the columns, caves, and canyons that have been eroded out.

The caves alone were a pretty amazing sight. However, they took us down by the water of the river and turned out the lights. Over head, you can see little blue lights like stars on the ceiling…glow worms. They shined a flash light in one area so you could see all the silks threads the worms have created. (Some of you may have seen these on the Planet Earth series on the Discovery Channel.)

We walked through the cave and down to the river’s edge where they have a boat and pulley system set-up to show the Glow Worm Grotto. It’s a large cave over the river with thousands of glow worms covering the ceiling of the cave. It is pitch black except for the blue, fluorescence of the glow worms. It’s like looking at a million stars in the sky.

We were not allowed to take photos in the caves…so I’ll have to scan some postcards to share. What an interesting day!

Now it is time for the long plane trip home…we get home about the same time we left, unfortunately we have to sit on a plane for 15+ hours of that time. We hope you enjoyed sharing our trip!

Tauranga, NZ

Today, we visited the city of Tauranga. We decided to wander around on our own and just take in the local sites. The ship was docked about a 5 minute walk to town.

We walked to the main shopping district in town and wandered the shops. This was the only place we actually did any shopping. We bought another metal fish…to go with the collection in the kitchen. Also, we got some Paua shell jewelry…its blue, teal, purple, shimmery…it’s just wonderful.

We checked the little corner store for a Mountain Dew or Pepsi…no luck, always Coke. We did find another Starbucks and made a quick stop there.

We headed out of the shopping area and towards the beach. Just north of where we were docked is a small hill/mountain called Mount Maunganui. This is a park and has trails to climb to the top, around the mountain, or just along the base. The beaches around the mountain are beautiful…teal and bright blue.

We took off our shoes and waded in the water…what a great way to spend a birthday, walking along a beach in the South Pacific!

Volcanic White Island, NZ

Today was mostly spent at sea. We slept in, had some lunch and enjoyed the warm weather from the comfort of our deck.

Late in the afternoon, around 5 pm, we arrived at White Island. This island is an active volcano, 48 km off the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island. The island is basically circular in shape and is about 2 km in diameter. The peak of the mountain rises to about 321 m above sea level.

The ship circled the island, so we were able to see the volcano from all sides. The most observed volcanic activity is steaming…which it was doing today. This is best seen on the south side of the island, as the previous eruptions have carved out a pathway to the sea on this side. As the ship rounded the south end of the island, the sulfur smell drifted aboard for all the sightseers.

Wellington, NZ

Wellington is the capital of New Zealand and is located on the south end of the North Island. It is the southernmost national capital city in the world, with a latitude of about 41 degrees S (this is almost the same as Seattle…but to the south instead of north). It has a pretty large urban area and is densely populated.

We decided to just go ashore and walk around today. We slept in, had some lunch, and then hit the city. The bus dropped us off right in the heart of the city (or the shopping district). We wandered around and tried to take in some of the highlights…the government buildings (including the beehive building), the library, Old St. Paul’s Church, and the cable car.

We wandered through the shopping area and found a Starbucks! We only had to go about 12 days without…not the whole vacation.

Akaroa, NZ

Akaroa is a small village located about 75 km from Christchurch. The ship anchored in the harbor and tendered folks in for the day. We chose to do another train ride today, the Tranz Alpine Tour. The ‘Southern Alps’ are located on the South Island of New Zealand, and this train takes you on a trip through them and up to Arthur’s Pass.

After the train ride, we took a bus back to the ship. Along the way, the driver stopped at a few scenic overlooks. One in particular was Cave Stream Scenic Reserve. You were able to see mountains in all directions and a river below. It was pretty dry, but there was also some nice flowers and plants in this area.

Dunedin, NZ

Dunedin (pronounced: due-need-in) is the second largest city on the South Island of New Zealand. However, we did not spend much time in the city. Today, we took a train ride from the ship through the Taieri River Gorge.

The Taieri Gorge Railway is New Zealand’s longest, privately-owned railway. It is primarily run for excursions and is one of Dunedin’s big tourist attractions. The Dunedin train station is a beautiful historic building.

Our trip started at the ship and headed north. We made a stop in Hindon to see the monument to the old sheep dogs. We then stopped in Pukerangi, where the locals come out and set up a ‘flea market’ for the tourists to visit (and spend money). The train then moves the locomotive to the other end and heads back to the train station in Dunedin.

At the train station, we transferred to a bus and headed to the Penguin Place, which is a yellow eyed penguin reserve. The yellow eyed penguin is heading toward extinction, with only about 4000 remaining. A sheep farmer decided to convert part of his property to a reserve and is running a private reserve to help save this penguin.

It seemed strange to be going to see the penguins when they are trying to protect them. What they have done is built little “bunkers” and covered trails for people to get down to the penguins. You walk through these ‘tunnels’ and then enter the little bunkers that have slots open for viewing. The premise here is that if the penguins do see you, you only look about 12-inches tall or so. Thus, they are not scared of you. These penguins grow to about knee height. If you appear smaller them, they do not see you as a predator.

The farmer has worked to preserve the area and has planted many native trees and shrubs for the penguins. Also, these penguins are very private…so they have built them little wood shelters as well. The farm continues to be run as a sheep farm, so occasionally the penguins and sheep run into each other. We just so happen to catch this occurrence…the penguin won.

Leaving Dunedin, we got some great photos of the people along the shore and the lighthouse. The waves were crashing and the scenery was beautiful.