The ABCs of Greece & Italy! X, Y, and Z, and that Friends is THE END!!! :) See you in Asia and Australia, Join Me THERE!!

[Steppesister]

That's worse than getting shivved???

I like my vacations. What can I say?

Nah. Just calls 'em as I sees 'em.

 

[Steppesister]

Hi Liesa, I'm finally getting caught back up.

Your adventures are so interesting. I love the time you put into each chapter. I don't always read the links but just the chapters are so informative, I feel like I'm there. Your pictures are always fabulous too.

Your meal in Greece has me craving some Chicken Swarmer and salad. I did have some humus at lunch before I even read this.

Looking forward to more.

Welcome back!!!

I like this medium for journaling the trips I take and reporting gives me a much needed creative outlet.

I love Greek food. I don't think I'd want it everyday, but I do love what I've had a lot! Especially dolmas and gyro! Adore hummus too!

 

[Steppesister]

Your photos are stunning. Nary a cloud in the skies.

Only just enough to give a tiny bit of interest to the sky.

Where's a good pirate ship when you need one?

Always out to see and always out of rum.

Ah! You hired a pirate ship!


No?

No, the handsome, swarthy pirate that came with it was too expensive.

I had this image in my head of the four of you standing on shore, dripping wet like drowned rats.

That water isn't really warm like the Caribbean, so swimming isn't something I think I'd do there- at least not much. I'm such a weenie when it comes to my swimming water temps.

A slight improvement over your last tender ride?

I'd say so!!

I did send you a PM about it, though.

Corrected. Thanks!! (did you ever think about applying to an editing company?)

I know my parents rode them when they visited about 40 years ago. They never mentioned any alternative modes of transport to the rim.

I think the donkeys have always been there, and the walking path too. I mean I'd assume there was a way to get to the top before the cable car was installed. ??

The best part of that video is the unintended commentary.
Over-protective partner: "He doesn't like heights either... don't look out the window Michael."
Michael: "Why not?"

I am left with the unanswered question if Michael was puzzled at her concern or... passed out.

I thought the running commentary that my Dad and Laura were having about the birds was hilarious. It was fun riding that thing!

Sounds... lovely.


not

I wasn't a fan.

Luggage? Are there accommodations up there? That'd be cool!

OH yes!!! TONS of high-end hotels and Bnbs. Most with private pools overlooking the rim. Super gorgeous.

Had to look "stenosis" up... Great word to describe it!

I thought it was rather clever.

Definitely an expert move.
You saved $120 which you can now spend on any manner of ceramic crap, cheesy dish towels, bottle openers, fridge magnets, and polyester clothing made in a thousand sweatshops in China.

We had a REALLY nice lunch though!

These two shots alone are amazing. Santorini has been on my bucket list for a long time (about 40 years... when my parents went and described it to me.)
Shots like that just reinforce why I need to go.

I really hope that someday you can get there!! It certainly is pretty and if you don't mind the sheer number of people, there are pretty views to be had. There are also some off-the-beaten-path places to go and things to do if you want to escape the crowds.

Absolutely! I mean... I've been in other buildings where I've not shared the same ideals or viewpoints or what have you of the occupants/architect... but that hasn't prevented me from admiring them.

Exactly. I just do not for the life of me understand this "tear it all down" mindset. I really don't. Just because it's offensive to you, or EVEN if it/he/she/they have an unsavory past, it may not be that to someone else OR we can learn from it OR we can simply admire it for artistry's sake. I'll have a bit of a scathing commentary on that coming up when I get to my Florence chapters....

I first read that as "Ditch the parents!"

LOL!

I dunno... If these are the "lowest common denominator"... I can't even imagine how jaw-droppingly stunning the better views are!!

It was pretty, just too people-y. There were other islands that were just as pretty with far fewer tourists.

Uh, oh!
You need to get yourself one of them donkeys.

I just don't think I could do that to the donkeys. There were passengers who were talking about them in line and how they saw them mistreated and worse, the owners weren't treating the guests very well either. I overheard comments while standing in line to get back on the cable car to go down that they were outright rude when someone did something "wrong" when they didn't understand what they were being asked to do or not to do. Getting yelled at isn't something I'm keen to do while on vacation.

Excuse me? This is generalizing! How dare you!?!?

Oopsies!

And... you didn't post the selfie! Or were you too busy grimacing in pain to get one?

Nah, I'd rather folks admire the scenery.

 

[Steppesister]

I finally figured out that this was a new trip report that had recently started, not a two-year-old trip that was finished.

Your trip looks like it was amazing.

Your first two days of getting from Nashville to the cruise ship sounds like a very stressful deal. I was picturing your race through the train station trying to get mom and luggage on a train before it pulled out of the station. You were incredibly lucky more than once on that trip. Lost luggage and/or delayed flights would have been disastrous. My sister went on a cruise to Croatia in July and their luggage was lost and their flight landed in a different city than booked. It was a nightmare.

Yep! I'd started it about a million years ago when I THOUGHT I was going on this trip. Then.... that.... happened. I gave up and abandoned it, but never took the link out of my siggie, so was able to find and revive it rather than start over. The trip went through MANY iterations and the group changed 3 times, but this what I'm writing now is what it ended up being.

We had such a lovely time!! 31 days of European bliss!

We definitely had our fair share of close calls this time around. Things smoothed out considerably after the initial chaos, but holy smokes it was a rough start. But that story of your sister's takes the cake. I can't even imagine landing at the WRONG AIRPORT!!! How does that even happen?!!

 

[Steppesister]

Loving your report and look forward to more! Merry Christmas!

I'm so glad you're enjoying the report so far. There is soooooo much more to come! 5? more stops in Greece/Turkey/Italy on the cruise portion and then 2 1/2 weeks in Italy. Stay tuned!

I hope your Christmas week is fantastic! Celebrate well!~

 

[Steppesister]

Sounds like you're sharing the cheat code for your favorite Nintendo game or something.

If only I played them! Who has that kind of time?!

Where there are tourists...

I honestly don't understand the obsession with that crap. Why not be super selective and buy stuff that's more authentic and quality that reflects the craftsmanship of the place you're visiting?

Looks like something you'd see on a poster in a travel agency or something!

I ended up with a few that were keepers.

Selfies only lead to bad things happening. I think that's a proven fact.

Agreed! I'm living (barely) proof!

 

[pkondz]

I like my vacations. What can I say?

Okay I’ll give you that one.

Always out to see and always out of rum.

Well okay. There is that.

No, the handsome, swarthy pirate that came with it was too expensive.

Still? I Heard that he just got a million bucks.

That water isn't really warm like the Caribbean, so swimming isn't something I think I'd do there- at least not much. I'm such a weenie when it comes to my swimming water temps.

You should come up here in summer for a dip in one of our lakes.

Corrected. Thanks!! (did you ever think about applying to an editing company?)

I did, but their application form had a typo and I corrected it and never heard from them again.

I think the donkeys have always been there, and the walking path too. I mean I'd assume there was a way to get to the top before the cable car was installed. ??

I have a feeling that the cable car is a more recent addition.

I thought the running commentary that my Dad and Laura were having about the birds was hilarious. It was fun riding that thing!

That was then???

OH yes!!! TONS of high-end hotels and Bnbs. Most with private pools overlooking the rim. Super gorgeous.

Ooohhh… with high end prices I’m sure.

We had a REALLY nice lunch though!

Standing by!

I really hope that someday you can get there!! It certainly is pretty and if you don't mind the sheer number of people, there are pretty views to be had. There are also some off-the-beaten-path places to go and things to do if you want to escape the crowds.

Maybe some day. No idea.

Exactly. I just do not for the life of me understand this "tear it all down" mindset. I really don't. Just because it's offensive to you, or EVEN if it/he/she/they have an unsavory past, it may not be that to someone else OR we can learn from it OR we can simply admire it for artistry's sake. I'll have a bit of a scathing commentary on that coming up when I get to my Florence chapters....

It was pretty, just too people-y. There were other islands that were just as pretty with far fewer tourists.

Looking forward to reading all about it.

I just don't think I could do that to the donkeys. There were passengers who were talking about them in line and how they saw them mistreated and worse, the owners weren't treating the guests very well either. I overheard comments while standing in line to get back on the cable car to go down that they were outright rude when someone did something "wrong" when they didn't understand what they were being asked to do or not to do. Getting yelled at isn't something I'm keen to do while on vacation.

That’s unfortunate. For both the animals and the tourists.

Nah, I'd rather folks admire the scenery.

But you paid such a high price!

 

[vamassey1]

You are the traveling expert. So many good moves.

Photos are beautiful!! Now I want to re-watch Mama Mia.

 

[Steppesister]

H is for: Have Fish, Will Eat!​

With only a few bruises and some mediocre selfies, it was time to see if Mom and Dad actually made it down to Ammoudi Bay by way of taxi like we’d planned. I've come to learn that the poopout factor is a real thing when you're in your 80's.

The bay area is tiny, and had we had more time, we’d have gone a bit further down the trail and around the corner (about 5 minutes walk for those who may find yourselves in Santorini someday) and taken a peek at the swimming hole that’s so popular. Alas, we didn’t have all day and had a pre-arranged fishing expedition planned. Well, I mean, fishing in the sense of eating some. All of the 5 or so restaurants on the shores of Ammoudi Bay are fish tavernas serving whatever was caught fresh that day and we wanted some!! Each one has an eye-catching display to entice its customers and these are perhaps some of the most photographed in all of Santorini.

​

Another text or two was sufficient to gather us back together and after perusing the several eateries' menus we settled on this one:

​

The link to their website is pretty fun. It has a drone flight on their homepage so you can see the little area we ate in.

http://www.ammoudisantorini.com/

Their menu is fairly extensive with several options for each course:

http://www.ammoudisantorini.com/files/Ammoudi-menu-english.pdf

Like all restaurants in the Mediterranean, save a very few, Ammoudi Bay Fish Taverna is closed November-March. As an FYI, while you’ll enjoy hardly any tourists to fight for space over and cooler temps, you’ll also struggle to find stuff open. Towards the end of this trip, Anara and I would run into that issue in Tuscany. We asked our taxi driver what the locals do during the winter, and he told us they travel, workout, spend time with family, work on their hobbies or work the family farm. Most go home as a high percentage are seasonal workers. It’s a completely different life rhythm than we have for sure.

(This resident enjoys a laid back lifestyle all of the time.)
​

I’m not altogether sure Mikki was happy with either the restaurant choice or where we ended up sitting. Perhaps she was in a mood, eh? (See what I did there?) At first, we were right along the rail overlooking the water, but it was pretty breezy and a bit uncomfortable, so we moved a little more to the interior. In my opinion the view was just as spectacular, so whatever. We could still see the fishing and day cruise boats coming and going on the gentle waves of that gorgeous azure sea. It didn’t take long to understand why people keep coming back here.

​

Right away we were given some fresh bread with a dish olive oil and tapenade. I could eat my weight in this stuff! Mikki ordered a cocktail and the rest of us got the hoity-toity gas water.

​

For our appetizers we shared an “Ammoudi Salad” which was fresh and tasty. Then again, a salad’s a salad and sometimes we eat them because we need to. Or face the consequences. My folks don’t love calamari, but we ordered one anyway. Under one condition: If my mom could have the “parts without tentacles”. Fine, whatever. It all tastes the same.

​

While we munched on these goodies, the cooks were busy cooking up our whole catch of the day. If you’ve never had fresh fish cooked in charcoal, you've missed out on one of life's most wonderful things ever. We think it was Sea Bream. I’m not 100% sure; if it wasn’t that, it was Branzino. Regardless, it was heavenly. Absolute perfection in a fish dish. We couldn’t quite finish it all but came awfully close.

(This platter was about 20"x20")
​

We’d now scored 2 perfect meals in a row. Would our dining luck continue?

With stuffed bellies, it was time to work our way off of Santorini and back to the ship. My folks had gotten the number of their taxi driver that had taken them down to Ammoudi and they tried to give him a call. It ended up being a complete waste of time. Whereas he did tell us he’d be there in 10 minutes, that was a lie. We hiked up the short little hill to the point cars had to stop and waited. It was incredibly windy in this area and actually kind of cold. I was becoming cranky.

​

We waited and waited and waited. Dad called a few times with no answer. At that point, we gave up and started trying to hail another taxi who would take us up the hill. There aren't many who are willing to go down to Ammoudi due to the tight quarters and steep hill. In all, perhaps 30 minutes passed before we finally found someone who, for $50 would not only take us up the hill but all the way back to Fira where we could get a ride down on the cable car. Huzzah! It was all hunky dory!

That is until we saw the line for the cable car.

Yeah, no one was going to go anywhere in a hurry. At all.

It stretched all the way through the little souvenir shop district and down into the residential neighborhood beyond.

Great.

Mom was already having a really hard time with walking, let alone standing. The only ray of hope was that it was moving and folks in line were estimating it was about a 45-minute wait. So not quite as shocking as it looked at first.

The best part of the wait? We had top notch entertainment! Every hundred yards or so there was a kid eager to earn a bit of quid by playing their accordion. I searched in vain to find the one song they knew to show you that we heard many… many times. And just when we thought we couldn’t stand it one more time, we had gotten almost to the point where we could buy our tickets when there was a little commotion. Someone was escorting an elderly gentleman and asked us to step aside; the poor guy had taken a little tumble and was bleeding from his forehead and arm. This made me so sad, and I hoped that it wouldn’t wreck his vacation too terribly much.

Another $3 pp paid and away we finally went… down, down, down… I took another video to share the journey with you! Aren’t you excited?! Wheeeeee!!

https://youtu.be/IEQF1jkbxCc​

We easily made our way to the security check at the docks for the tenders where the smiling staff welcomed us back with cool, scented washcloths and iced, infused water. Mom was too busy in a panic over finding her SeaPass to bother with either. Mikki and I found our way onto the return tender telling Mom and Dad we’d see them later on in the room.

The evening skies did not disappoint as the two of us spent an hour or so soaking in the lukewarm tub.

​

Dinner wouldn’t be nearly as good as lunch had been. Sadly, the buffet food just wasn’t very good. It appears I ended up with some Indian food. Clearly, I wasn’t very hungry after the veritable feast we’d had just a few hours prior. I did enjoy a cocktail though in the lounge while listening to that wonderful string duet we enjoyed so many times.


And that wraps up our day in Santorini. It was lovely. It didn't go quite as I'd originally planned but that's ok. Mikki and I had thought that we wanted to hike along the rim trail back to Fira (about a 3-4 hour walk) after lunch, but by the time we were done, we felt like we'd seen enough. I think if I were to ever go back and had more time with an overnight there, I'd love to hike the rim trail, but it just wasn't in the cards this time. Overall, what did I think of the most popular and visited island in Greece? It was ok. It was definitely packed solid with people making it less attractive to me personally. Yes, the views are stunning; yes, there are some very nice high-end restaurants and more shopping than you could ever imagine, but that's just not my thing. There are several other sights to visit other than Oia including a winery, some ruins, and more remote swimming options, but the stop was short so we ended up doing what most folks do. Would I go back? Yes, I would, but may very well choose other options for sight-seeing which would require an overnight stay.

And that, my friends, wraps up this chapter. The next day would find us in Ephesus, Turkey, so stay tuned for a write up of our favorite day of sight-seeing on the cruise portion.... Ancient ruins, a Biblical feast, a rug factory and more!!

Meantime, Merry Christmas Friends. I'm moving to my Winter Quarters in Tucson on Wednesday with a stop in Ft. Worth to see my eldest daughter and her family so will be absent for a short spell. Keep the comments and check-ins coming though. It's always great to hear from you!!

 

[KathyM2]

Santorini looks amazing...and despite the crowds you managed to get some amazing pictures!! It's hard with cruise stops to do what you want to do because of limited time...it's nice to get a taste of places you hope to go back to someday and do properly if you can!! Hopefully you will someday!!

Lucky you going to Tucson for the winter!!

 

[pkondz]

With only a few bruises and some mediocre selfies

Well, I mean, fishing in the sense of eating some.

Well... technically, that's kinda why you fish anyways... to eat. You're just cutting out the middle man.

Each one has an eye-catching display to entice its customers and these are perhaps some of the most photographed in all of Santorini.

Really!

​

Amazing how they just crawled up there by themselves.

What an interesting trap! Never seen one like that.

It has a drone flight on their homepage so you can see the little area we ate in.

Watched it. Sooo picturesque!

Ammoudi Bay Fish Taverna is closed November-March. As an FYI, while you’ll enjoy hardly any tourists to fight for space over and cooler temps, you’ll also struggle to find stuff open. Towards the end of this trip, Anara and I would run into that issue in Tuscany.

Huh! Had no idea. Just figured it would be busy year-round.

(This resident enjoys a laid back lifestyle all of the time.)

I might be slightly envious.

Perhaps she was in a mood, eh?

<groan>


(good one, though.)

It didn’t take long to understand why people keep coming back here.

From the little I've seen, I get it too.

Right away we were given some fresh bread with a dish olive oil and tapenade.

I wonder how they would feel if I asked for a bit of balsamic to add to the oil.

Probably throw me in the pot with the fishies.

My folks don’t love calamari, but we ordered one anyway.

I don't love it either... if it's overcooked and rubbery. And there are soooo many restaurants that do that!

Under one condition: If my mom could have the “parts without tentacles”. Fine, whatever. It all tastes the same.

Bit squeamish is she?

If you’ve never had fresh fish cooked in charcoal, you've missed out on one of life's most wonderful things ever.

Not cooked in charcoal. Yum! That sounds really good.

(This platter was about 20"x20")

Holy cow! Huge!

I was becoming cranky.

Uh oh!!!!

In all, perhaps 30 minutes passed before we finally found someone who, for $50 would not only take us up the hill but all the way back to Fira

Bet you were getting worried, though.

It stretched all the way through the little souvenir shop district and down into the residential neighborhood beyond.

oh boy...

I might do like those others who decided to walk.

The best part of the wait? We had top notch entertainment! Every hundred yards or so there was a kid eager to earn a bit of quid by playing their accordion.

Zorba the Greek??

https://www.google.ca/search?q=famous+greek+songs&sxsrf=ALiCzsZW2Wj8nGfnhJW3QVidTG0yMg4z-A:1672030239426&source=hp&ei=HyipY-fIF9jYytMP-Lq-4A4&iflsig=AJiK0e8AAAAAY6k2L7970Bo239onxv0O2Fh3TYvINCti&oq=famous+greek+son&gs_lcp=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&sclient=gws-wiz&safe=active&ssui=on#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:642568c0,vid:8UgndyMfe-8

Someone was escorting an elderly gentleman and asked us to step aside; the poor guy had taken a little tumble and was bleeding from his forehead and arm. This made me so sad, and I hoped that it wouldn’t wreck his vacation too terribly much.

Oh dear. Hopefully just a scratch and he was patched up and good to go.

I took another video to share the journey with you! Aren’t you excited?! Wheeeeee!!

Whee!

So what is it with all these people getting on and being scared of heights????

the smiling staff welcomed us back with cool, scented washcloths and iced, infused water.

Nice!

Mom was too busy in a panic over finding her SeaPass to bother with either. Mikki and I found our way onto the return tender telling Mom and Dad we’d see them later on in the room.

And to this day, Mr and Mrs Elder Steppesister can still be found on Santorini. And if you listen closely, you can still hear the forlorn call "Where is it? Where's the SeaPass?"

Beautiful!

Sadly, the buffet food just wasn’t very good.

Yeah... buffet food often isn't...

It didn't go quite as I'd originally planned but that's ok.

Nature of traveling, I'd say.

Mikki and I had thought that we wanted to hike along the rim trail back to Fira (about a 3-4 hour walk)

Long! Would you have been in danger of missing the ship's departure time?

Overall, what did I think of the most popular and visited island in Greece? It was ok.

Glowing praise indeed!

The next day would find us in Ephesus, Turkey, so stay tuned for a write up of our favorite day of sight-seeing on the cruise portion.... Ancient ruins, a Biblical feast, a rug factory and more!!

Can't wait!

Meantime, Merry Christmas Friends. I'm moving to my Winter Quarters in Tucson on Wednesday with a stop in Ft. Worth to see my eldest daughter and her family

Merry Christmas to you too! Safe travels and enjoy the time with your family.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Merry Christmas, Liesa. I hope you have a trouble-free drive to Ft Worth and Tucson.

Your fish dinner looks delicious. But a crowded, hilly Santorini looks very beautiful but a little stressful.

 

[afwdwfan]

We asked our taxi driver what the locals do during the winter, and he told us they travel, workout, spend time with family, work on their hobbies or work the family farm. Most go home as a high percentage are seasonal workers. It’s a completely different life rhythm than we have for sure.

Hmm... Interesting. Although maybe not so surprising given how different the European life rhythm is for ours in so many ways.

My folks don’t love calamari, but we ordered one anyway. Under one condition: If my mom could have the “parts without tentacles”.

There aren't many who are willing to go down to Ammoudi due to the tight quarters and steep hill. In all, perhaps 30 minutes passed before we finally found someone who, for $50 would not only take us up the hill but all the way back to Fira where we could get a ride down on the cable car. Huzzah! It was all hunky dory!

Well, I'm glad you were able to find the one running since the other guy apparently didn't care to come get you!

That is until we saw the line for the cable car.

Yeah, no one was going to go anywhere in a hurry. At all.

It stretched all the way through the little souvenir shop district and down into the residential neighborhood beyond.

Yikes! I'm glad it at least moved and you were all able to endure it.

Dinner wouldn’t be nearly as good as lunch had been. Sadly, the buffet food just wasn’t very good.

Buffets are good for volume but I've never felt anything at a buffet is "fresh." I can see how it would disappoint after that lunch.

Overall, what did I think of the most popular and visited island in Greece? It was ok. It was definitely packed solid with people making it less attractive to me personally.

I can see that. I've never been, but from all I've heard about it, I kind of feel like I'd have the same reaction.

Meantime, Merry Christmas Friends. I'm moving to my Winter Quarters in Tucson on Wednesday with a stop in Ft. Worth to see my eldest daughter and her family so will be absent for a short spell.

I hope you had a Merry Christmas and have a safe trip!!!!

 

[Paulaparm]

More amazing pictures! Have a great trip and visit

 

[vamassey1]

More beautiful photos! Your day did seem a little rushed due to needing to get back to the ship. I think an overnight would be better too.

I hope your travels are going better. I didn't know your daughter had moved to Texas. Does she like it?

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

The next morning was another glorious, sunshiny day of perfect Mediterranean weather, soft breezes, blue skies, and even bluer seas. Our ship was safely anchored in the caldera of Santorini with its towering rocky rim surrounding us 270 degrees.

Wow, those skies are so blue and the cliffs look like they make for some amazing views.

Anyway, the cable car was super cheap at $3 pp each way and can move 1,200 people in an hour.

That's pretty incredible capacity!

The streets of the area just above the port where the cable car dumps its passengers out is a maze of $hitshops where you can find any manner of ceramic crap, cheesy dish towels, bottle openers, fridge magnets, and polyester clothing made in a thousand sweatshops in China.

It's just like a Disney ride!

Let me be clear, like most other places in the world, driving does not mean the same thing as in N. America. If you can simply avoid going off the caldera's rim, you are doing great in Santorini.

Sounds like we are gaining in appreciation for American roads...

What an incredible view!

We stopped now and then for “that perfect shot” just like everyone else but, because there were so many doing the same thing, no one got a perfect shot; everyone was reduced to the lowest common denominator.

I don't know, these photos look pretty stunning to me.

It was on this half-hour hike down that I realized I am helplessly lazy and incredibly out of shape.

Aren't we all?

We diddled around a little and took some photos down by the water, and I learned the hard way that I’m not only out of shape but not 20-something anymore either and can’t climb up and over rock walls very well anymore. I bunged up my knee and arm which sported giant bruises for the remainder of the trip all for the sake of a selfie.

You know what I hate about getting old? My recovery time has gone to crap. If I hurt something, it stays hurt FOREVER.

I've come to learn that the poopout factor is a real thing when you're in your 80's.

Or your late 40's.

Yeah, this...would not entice me.

As an FYI, while you’ll enjoy hardly any tourists to fight for space over and cooler temps, you’ll also struggle to find stuff open. Towards the end of this trip, Anara and I would run into that issue in Tuscany. We asked our taxi driver what the locals do during the winter, and he told us they travel, workout, spend time with family, work on their hobbies or work the family farm. Most go home as a high percentage are seasonal workers. It’s a completely different life rhythm than we have for sure.

That's just a completely foreign concept to me.

Mikki ordered a cocktail and the rest of us got the hoity-toity gas water.

Pull my finger!

My folks don’t love calamari, but we ordered one anyway.

This sounds like something my parents would do to me.

"No, I hate squash."
"Here, I ordered you some squash."

That is until we saw the line for the cable car.

The best part of the wait? We had top notch entertainment! Every hundred yards or so there was a kid eager to earn a bit of quid by playing their accordion. I searched in vain to find the one song they knew to show you that we heard many… many times.

This is just like It's a Small World.

Stunning!

It was definitely packed solid with people making it less attractive to me personally.

Lots of people will ruin many a wonderful place.

Meantime, Merry Christmas Friends. I'm moving to my Winter Quarters in Tucson on Wednesday with a stop in Ft. Worth to see my eldest daughter and her family so will be absent for a short spell. Keep the comments and check-ins coming though. It's always great to hear from you!!

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas!

 

[Jules76126]

Jumping back in on this report. I remember when you started this way back in 2020. Glad to see you made it on the trip.

I have been to Greece about a decade ago. I viewed Santorini from the boat we took to the island of Ios. Spent about a week on the island. So pretty. We went in late May before the high season started. I would love to go back to the Greek islands some day. Had amazing weather and barely a bad meal. The tzatziki sauce was amazing.

 

[irene_dsc]

Interesting to see your Santorini report. It is way different than my memories from spring 1990 (imagine that, lol). My biggest memory is that everyone in our watercolor class was renting little motor scooters, and when it was my turn to do a practice run around the parking lot, I wiped out and scraped my leg pretty badly. I then opted *not* to rent the scooter, and lazed around while everyone else went touring! So, yeah, I never actually saw the famous caldera (I had forgotten that was the reason it was famous, if I ever really knew.) I suspect I was grateful to have a day to myself at that point.

 

[franandaj]

OK, Here I am back again trying to get all caught up.

A little background: When I booked this cruise, it was advertised as “sailing” out of Venice. Since that time, Venice is no longer allowing cruise ships to make port there as the wake and weight of the ships is seriously damaging the wetland and shorelines surrounding the area causing irreparable damage to the structures of Venice Old Town and other islands nearby.

It's good that they aren't allowing cruise ships to dock there for the sake of Venice, but bad for you and your situation.

Instead, cruise lines are now docking in a port city nearly 3 hours south called Ravenna.

I think I might have spent a night there35 years ago on the way from Venice to Rome.

Breakfast was amazing. I got the requisite croissant pastry, this time filled with chocolate and a thick, strong latte.

That looks amazing!

We soon found out that it costs money to go potty in Italy. (This is true in many parts of the world, just a heads up.) Money in the form of coins which we did not have, that is.

Yup. Make sure you carry coins....I wonder if they will get credit card enabled ones...

In all it took about 30 minutes to be onboard including passport checks

That's not bad!

I think I will leave off there, because just writing that makes me want a cocktail and to decompress again from that exhausting travel day.

It sounded pretty exhausting!

 

[franandaj]

Stoked to finally be onboard a cruise I’d booked and re-booked 3 times over the last 3 years, it was time to celebrate; to party; to EAT; to tour…

I've booked mine 5 times, It was supposed to be April of 2020, then March, 2021, Then March 2022, And April of 2023, finally it will be Feb of 2023. I'm even working on the opening of the TR already!

Obviously, Mikki and I were relegated to those, but we wouldn’t see them until after dinner and turn down service.

I can't even imagine doing the bunks. Fran and I spend a bit of time in the cabins so we like our large bed that is on the ground.

Oops! Time for another drink! (They’re ‘free’ with the purchase of an $2100 cruise).

Seriously? And only $2100 for the Cruise? I think ours was that per person.....

We were given a nice table and left to peruse the menus.

Interesting menu, there's a little of everything on there.

Turns out, this would be our best meal by a very, very wide margin and we probably should have done the upcharge and eaten here for all of our meals.

Well, you could have eaten there every night and had something a little different each time. That's why I'm glad we cruise with Disney, because I know their menus pretty well, and know almost what to order at every restaurant. Some people may think that's dull, but I find it comforting to know which things to look forward to at which restaurant.

(Yes, it's a Chihuly.)

At the front of the line boarding the ship? Sea pass, gone. Ready to head down to dinner? Phone, gone. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree… my future is bleak.