8 September - Marseille

We cancelled our excursion to Axien Provence and decided to do our own thing, find somemfree wifi ( we quickly found out that was difficult to find). We got the shuttle bus onto the city and proceeded to walk Along the water front, where there were some market stalls.

We then took the little train for a city tour - this was an interesting ride through the narrow streets and up the hill to the cathedral. We stopped at the cathedral for about 15 minutes ( until the next little train arrived) and took in the sights and then returned to the waterfront .

On returning to the waterfront we thought we would walk to the shopping area , however we found the streets to be dirty and grubby and really nothing of interest so returned to the market on the waterfront.

After looking around we decided to return to the ship and have a relax . Sometimes. You do not make the right choice - we did not enjoy Marseille - next time we might try and see some of the country side.

7 September Barcelona

We decided to do our own thing on this day - so once the ship docked we departed to find the hop on hop off bus.

This provided us with a great overview of this city - we were not sure what to expect but found that we really liked what we saw,including the old bull fight ring that is no longer used.. Wonderful buildings - the architecture was brilliant. Modern and old at the same time. The Cathedral which is still under construction was something else - very difficult to describe.

We loved how they had incorporated the tram tracks into the lawn throughout the city.

We ended up in the middle of the city and had a lovely paella for lunch before heading off back to the ship - getting caught in a huge deluge of rain. Such fun, everyone one was wet.

6 September Cannes - Monaco, Monte Carlo

We were not too sure what to do on this day, but then thought we would get the bus ( from the wharf) and do Monaco and Monte Carlo on our own. There was a guide on the bus and unfortunately they wanted to make sure we got value for money, so took up a fair bit of time talking to us . Eventually we sainted off, and Peter got to look at the black marks on the road from the GP, 

I got to admire the Palace and we had a great walk through the beautiful gardens.

There was a Bocce (bowling) tournament being held out side the Palace  - we thought Tuross could set up in a similar style next time we hold something.

We found Monaco to be a fascinating place, although we would never be able to afford to live there.

Next we were off to Monte Carlo - the "land of the beautiful people". Outside the casino, it was interesting to watch the cars "cruising" past and at one stage there were two Ferrari , two Bentley , Porche and another couple of expensive cars  parked at the front entrance. Loved the street with only exclusive shops - Cartiers, Louis Vuitton

 etc

All in all a good day.

5 September Florence ( Livorno)

Feeling pretty tired from our day in Rome, again we were up bright and early for another excursion. The ship docked at Livorno and today we were off to Pisa and Florence. Again it was very pleasant being able to see the country side during our travels.

First stop was Pisa. the coach had to park in a parking area and we then walked for about 15 minutes. We were there relatively early about 8.15 am but the crowd had already started to build up. Again, we can now cross this off the "bucket list". 

The only drama was the public toilets were not open until after 9 am, so many of us made our way to Macdonalds - what we did not know was you had to purchase to get a ticket to use the loo - no worries, we all just held the door open for each other .

On walking back to the coach we were go smacked by the number of coaches - Irene counted over 100.

Next stop Florence - again seeing the queues we were pleased we were on an organised tour.  Seeing the original statue of David was so worthwhile - you were just stopped in your tracks and stared! So beautiful. I could not take a pic of the original statue, so a pic of the copy in the square will have to suffice.. 

We had walk through Florence, and we were very taken with everything this city had to offer.

. Irene ended off the day by checking out the leather bags - and yes there are a couple of additional coming home on the suitcase - how could you not buy leather bags when in Italy!

4 September Rome, Italy

The ship actually docked at Civitavecchia a one hour bus trip from Rome - plenty of time to view the country side and have a quiet doze. Again our guide was excellent ( how they remember all the detail is beyond me). After arriving in Rome we had a short walk to our first stop -the Trevi Fountain. This was somewhere Irene had always wanted to go and was not disappointed. She through the coin into the fountain and hopefully will return one day.( Peter reluctantly complied with tradition).

Next it was off to the Colosseum  - how did they make these buildings. This was awesome , it is so large and powerful. We did not come across Russell Crowe ( Gladiator) but your imagination could certainly run wild with how things might have been.

Neither of us are particularly religious but going to the Vatican - St Peters and the Sistine Chapel was really special . The work, detail and splendour was magnificent. We did not see the Pope but at least we can now cross this off our list.

It was very crowded at all these venues and it made us appreciate going on a ships tour and not having to wait in line for hours to gain entry.

3 September Naples - Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri

What a day.....to finally see Pompeii. This was one of the " must see" on our list and while we only spent a couple of hours there our guide was so good and imparted so much information. Walking through the streets you are looking all over the place to take it all in. 

Next stop was Sorrento for lunch - very busy and did nt get to see much of it. We walked down ( very steep and a lot of steps to the bottom) to the port to catch the hydrofoil to Capri

Capri you see by going up in the ferricular - such great views.

We were a bit disappointed in Capri, we found it pretty but very expensive - perhaps it was at the end of a very long day and perhaps you need to stay there. We did however have a spritz before leaving - at 3 times the price we had usually paid for it.

I-2 September Anzac Cove and sea days

Peter had been looking forward to experiencing Anzac Cove - albeit from the deck of the ship. We had decided we would get up for the dawn service and were not disappointed with the sun rise over Gallipoli. Very moving to be so close to that part of our history.

The ships services was carried out and it was good to see that many others had made the effort. 

30 - 31 August Mykonos and Istanbull

Irene had been looking forward to Mykonos ( her Shirley Valentine moment) and it was fascinating to see the white houses with the Mykonos blue window shutters and doors - just the same as the pictures you see. The streets are so small, shops carved into the stone - such fun walking and exploring. It is only small and does not take anytime to walk to see the windmills main features of the town. While there we did manage to visit a supermarket and buy some local wine - seems to be drinkable.

Before returning to the ship, we thought we would have some lunch - calamari. Well, who should be sitting next to Peter but Bob Simpson - Doug's friend. We have since seen him a couple of times on the ship.( someone please tell Doug!)

The next day we were in for a treat - Istanbul.

We took a guided tour that visited the Blue Mosque, the Grand Bazaar, Topkapi Palace and Haram and St Sofia plus we were shown a demonstration of hand making the carpets - mind blowing the dexterity and skilfulness of these people.

Such history and so much to take in - from the 22,000 Izmire blue tiles ( in 33 shades of blue), at the mosque, to the two gold candlesticks ( weigh 48kg each) and the sheer size of some of the diamonds and emeralds - you could only imagine the opulence from previous eras - particularly the Otterman. 

Irene was also intrigued by the number of dogs out the front of the blue mosque on the lawn - it turns out they are street dogs but are vaccinated, desexed,tagged and looked after and fed by the guards - don't think the same goes for the cats that can be seen everywhere.

Our guide had said that it would get very busy as it was a Saturday and most likely there would be around 3 million people around the Grand Bazaar area by the afternoon- we think he was right - so many people - too many. We found the Bazaar confronting so did not stay for a long time.

What also contributed to the crowd and traffic was the Korean prime minister and president of Turkey were making an appearance at St Sofia - security everywhere, such tall bodyguards  - just made the afternoon a little more interesting.

It was a long day but one very worthwhile and a day not easily described.

27 - 29 August Slovinia and Croatia

On our second morning we docked in Koper, Slovinia at 6 am. It was a quaint little seaside village and we were able to walk to the old city and have a good look around . 

We then returned near the ship and took a bus trip to Piran a seaside resort along the coast.

It was wonderful to see another part of the world.

The next morning we found ourselves in Split, Croatia - another ancient roman medieval town. Our first adventure was a tour to the town of Trigor - an island that is only 100 metres by 300 metres. Took us no time to find our way around, listened to an accappela group and also visited the open market - the most magnificent fruit and veg.

We then returned to Split, visiting the Diocletians palace - a marvel to think something that old still remains -  built in the 4 century AD.

Off we sail again - a sea day tomorrow and then onto Mykonos ( really looking forward to my "Shirley Valentine" moment)

26 August - Boarding the Dawn Princess

After spending a beautiful 3 days in Venice, we were picked up and taken to the Dawn Princess by water taxi. We very quickly found our cabin - and finally unpacked .

We spent a relaxing night , sailing for Koper, Slovinia.

Day 3 Venice

It rained overnight, but this morning the sun has come out again. We are spending a little time this morning attending to email etc as we are to board the Dawn Princess tomorrow.

Peter has not had good news this morning. His father is still in hospital , now with pneumonia and Sandie has been informed by the staff he is very "poorly". At this stage all we can do is await further updates and keep everything crossed.

Irene has heard both her parents are now home and additional assistance in the home has been organised for them.

We are very lucky to both have sisters that are able to deal with these family issues while we are away - THANKYOU 

Our plan today is to take in a bit more of Venice via a boat trip through some of the backstreets ( oops - canals) out of the tourist areas.

 Thomas was our driver / guide for a backstreet stroll through Venice. It was really interesting and we saw a number of canals not frequented by tourists and a number of pubs and cafe's popular with locals - this info may have been useful 2ndays ago. Thomas was a captain in the army ( Milan) and has now returned to Venice. 20 years in army.

Anyway the tour was interesting and even saw the police having a "blitz" with the sped camera ( see below)

 So it seems the same things apply on water as the road. This is truly an amazing place and I am gob smacked by the logistics necessary for every day life.

Once we had returned, we decided to have our usual spritz - sitting out the front of the hotel, and low and behold a large cruise ship went slowly past - just seemed like a normal event...you can just see the top of the ship in the pics below.

Another interesting thing - at high tide, the water starts to come up through the manholes in St Marks Square - pools of water very quickly make their way across the cement.

Well this is our last night in Venice, we have just had a very nice dinner and have been watching a very large thunderstorm arrived- it has been so entertaining from our balcony to watch people scatter, restaurants rearranging the seating and the mobile vendors packing up in a few minutes.

We have thoroughly enjoyed our stay here and would certainly make a return visit - so vibrant, busy  and artistic.

We board the Dawn Princess tomorrow and we are so looking forward to unpacking. But, I am not sure when the next blog entry will happen - that will depend on access to wifi - so keep having a look and I will update when able.

By for now...