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...

Venice Day 2

Before we start on the activities of day two, we have to provide some info about our accommodation ( forgot this yesterday) . We had upgraded so we had a front room with a view and we have not been disappointed. Irene in particular loves the hustle and bustle and being able to look out on the square . The room is decorated in "true Italian style" including the "baubles" or "pom poms" along the edge of the curtains.  The room is large, and we again had a laugh as we think it is almost three times the size of the Nottingham hotel room.

Today, we eventually got going after having a bit of a sleep in - (the Italian lifestyle must suit us.) and mid morning we went for a cruise to Murano Island to have a look at a glass factory. The glassblowers are very clever and the work is so beautiful - not all of it to our taste . We knew that being taken by the hotel is only a way to get you there to buy- we had also done some homework on buying Murano glass and the advice was not to buy at the factory as it is much more expensive - as there are a number of people involved in the process. We did see a couple of pieces we liked - but they were a little steep in price. It was a good way to spend some time and see another area of Venice.

Oh, forgot to say - we did buy a small piece of Murano glass yesterday ( not from the factory)- we think it will go nicely in the house ( as long as it gets to Oz in one piece)

We then made some enquiries of how to get to Burano - another little island where they make lace by hand. We found out we needed to get a water bus, and the most direct one was from Fondamente Nuove - Thomas ( the concierge ) said about an 8 minute walk, over near the hospital. Mind you, this 8 minute walk was through tiny little streets etc, but armed with our map off we went. Well, we only had to ask twice ( we are getting good with the language  -"scuzzi") for directions and made it to the bus stop.

Burano is a lovely colourful island - the houses are different from what we have seen on our island and most try and have some garden or colour on their house. The lace was beautiful and I managed to find a couple of light scarves / wraps that will be most useful .

It again has been an eye opener , previously while knowing that Venice existed on water - it's the little things. This morning when waiting for our boat to Murano, there was a "traffic jam" of Gondolos ( because a garbage barge had to get through ), we saw a garage for boats- fuel pumps, outside the hospital emergency was a fleet of ambulances, and just up the road (oops - canal) was a funeral boat, and it is amazing seeing the transportation of goods by "truck" barges - the water highway is so busy at times . 

Again we had a little afternoon tipple ( spritz) Peter reckons he is turning into a drinker with a travel problem!