Part 1 Venice…One more city knocked off our “dream list”…

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As our ship made its way to the port of Venice, our mouths were agape in surprise as a feast before our eyes.

In writing our post yesterday we mentioned our busy day was subject to change and change we did! After all, we’ve determined that flexibility and adaptability are a way of life these days.

One historic building after another.

Running into our friends Nicole and Gerry shortly after we posted our 48-hour schedule, they asked if we’d be interested in getting off the ship earlier in the day to wander around Venice with them. 

The waterways were exactly as we had perceived them, crowded with a never-ending in a maze of canals.

They offered to get maps, charting out our day inquiring as to various transportation options were available to get us on our way to the much desired St. Mark’s Square location. With so much on our minds to accomplish in such a short time, plus greatly enjoying their company, we opted to let them take over the planning for the day and evening while we’d joyfully follow along.

Look at the crowds!

We agreed to meet at 2:45 pm, allowing us ample time to first lounge by the pool plus get our packing out of the way. Mission accomplished. We loaded up our passports, a bottle of water and a camera and off we went.

Every direction we turned there was another waterway.

Our goal was to walk the streets of Venice traipsing across endless bridges over the canals, see as much as possible, taking photos along the way, ultimately ending up in St. Mark’s Square after which an additional 15-minute walk we’d work our way to the Norwegian Spirit boat shuttle in a designated area along the shore, Riva Degli Schiavoni.

What a view!
The buildings along the canals were often unique, but most were attached.
The cathedrals are breathtaking.

The shuttle arrived every 30 minutes, would bring us as close as possible to our ship upon return, requiring another 15-minute walk.

As our ship continued on to our docking location.

Unbelievable shops, restaurants, hotels, apartments, and massive historical buildings lined our way on the lengthy rather vigorous three-hour walk.  Not quite the three-hour walk as in Petra, Jordan but nonetheless, quite a walk on a yet another very hot and crowded day.

Need I say, we have no regrets.

 All these photos were taken as our ship maneuvered through the main channel approaching the cruise ship pier in Venice.
Moving furniture is often done by boat in Venice, the preferred method of transportation
As we approached the pier for the cruise ships, they were lined up back to back.

Arriving at the pier in Venice an hour earlier than expected, we took our time getting off the ship to meet Nicole and Gerry for what proved to be a very interesting and enriching day.

We wondered if there would be a “parking spot” for our ship.  We squeezed into a good spot.

Today, as I write this, we must get off the ship in a half-hour, leaving many more photos of Venice to include tomorrow when I complete the Venice series while in our new home in Tuscany, busily unpacking and settling in.

Back tomorrow!

Our next crazy 48 hours….

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It’s Saturday, our final full day aboard the Norwegian Spirit. Tomorrow morning, we’re #2  on the disembarking list. We’ll get in line to get off the ship, wait in another line to grab a cab to the Marco Polo Airport in Venice, Italy in order to pick up our awaiting rental car and begin the almost four hour drive to our new home in Boveglio, Lucca, Tuscany.

We’ll arrive in Venice at 2:00 pm today.  Wisely planning our time to ensure we do exactly what we hope to do in Venice, adds to the excitement and enjoyment of the next few days. Disembarking a ship is one of the least favorite aspects of our travels (along with airports).  Carefully planning our exit gives us both a sense of comfort and control, easing the process along the way.

The anticipation of finally seeing our new home for the summer gives me butterflies. If it were a “vacation” for a few weeks, I’d be less concerned. But spending two and a half months is a long time, as long as we’ve stayed anywhere since leaving Minnesota on October 31, 2012.  

Our biggest concern is the fact that the house isn’t air conditioned. It’s hot in Tuscany in the summer. Recently, I contacted the owners, Lisa and Luca, asking about the comfort in the house in the heat. They assured us that the thick stone walls of the 17th century house stays cool all summer.

Having spent the past several months in very warm climates with much of our time outdoors, hopefully, we’ll be acclimated. As long as we can sleep at night, the warm days will be tolerable.

So here’s the rundown for the next 48 hours:

7:30 am to 8:15 am today:  Breakfast in the Raffles Cafe.

8:15 am to 11:30 am today: Currently we’re outdoors on the covered patio, overlooking the pool, writing our story.  Our laptop batteries last about 3 hours which always motivates us to complete our story within that time frame.

11:30 am – 1:30 pm today: Pack all of our bags, leaving out clothing and toiletries for tonight and tomorrow morning.  Recharge our computers.

1:30 pm – 3:00 pm today:  Spend our final time by the pool reading our books while enjoying the fact that most of the passengers are getting ready to disembark to Venice when the ship arrives around 2:00 pm, which leaves the pool area quiet and relaxing.

3:00 pm – 4:00 pm today: Now in port in Venice, our MiFi will work. We’ll head to the 12th deck to the Galaxy of the Stars lounge in the bow of the ship to do our banking, pay bills, update our budget from expenses on and off the cruise, entering all the receipts. We do this at the end of every cruise and every few days when staying put for a few months to ensure we don’t miss entering a single expenditure.

4:00 pm – 4:45 pm today:  Shower and dress for the evening in comfortable clothing and shoes bringing a warm sweater for me.

5:00 pm – 6:30 pm today: Meet our fabulous friends Nicole and Gerry for cocktails in Champagne Charlie’s for our final time together with them and our favorite bartender from Bali, Gusti! What a guy!

6:30 pm today: Get off the ship to go to Venice. Hopefully, we’ll be able arrange for an evening gondola ride at sunset.  This will allow us plenty of time to explore Venice. 

11:00 pm tonight: Return to the ship in time to place all of our luggage outside our cabin door, get some rest, planning to get up by 6:00 am.

6:30 am – 7:15 am tomorrow: Breakfast in Raffles Cafe.

7:15 am – 8:00 am tomorrow: Return to our cabin to gather our hand luggage, placing it on one of our luggage carts, finalizing packing our of digital equipment which we always carry with us.

8:00 am – 9:30 am tomorrow: Wait in our designated area for our number to be called to disembark the ship.  

9:30 am – 10:30 am tomorrow: Wait in line at the taxi stand for a ride to the Marco Polo Airport where we’ll pick up our awaiting rental car.

11:00 am – 11:30 am tomorrow: Pick up rental car. Email Lisa and Luca using laptop and MiFi telling them we are on our way and our expected time of arrival at the house.

11:45 am – 3:00 pm  tomorrow: Drive from Venice to our new home in Tuscany, stopping for photos along the way, hoping to arrive by 3:00 pm, our tentative time to meet Lisa and Luca.

3:00 pm – 6:00 pm tomorrow: Familiarize ourselves with the house. Unpack all of our luggage. Find a nearby restaurant for dinner.

6:30 pm – 8:30 pm tomorrow: Dinner at the local restaurant,-presenting our prepared Italian language instructions for my gluten-free, grain-free, starch-free, sugar free and low carb way of eating.

8:30 pm – 10:00 pm tomorrow: Email family and friends that we’ve safely arrived in Tuscany and finally test out our new bed.  ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ (Much needed by then!)

Monday morning, awaken early as usual: Photos! Story! Trip to the grocery store! Getting acquainted with our new neighborhood! Find a health club! Do laundry! Go for a walk!

Hopefully? Grinning from ear to ear as we enter this new phase of our journey.

By the way, any of these plans are subject to change. 

Dubrovnik, Croatia…A walk into another century…Amazing!

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Dubrovnik, Croatia

Having the opportunity to visit Dubrovnik, Croatia was only due to the necessity of the ship finding another port of call when strikes in Athens prevented us from stopping when all public forms of transportation were shut down.
Excuse the dates on the photos.  My error. Will remove them for next batch of photos.

This Windstar small cruise ship enhanced the view as we made our way into the harbor.
Dubrovnik Croatia, a beautiful shoreline.
There’s Tom, happy as a clam as we make our way in a lifeboat to the shore of Dubrovnik Croatia.
The shoreline as we approached.
The walled city of Dubrovnik.
Another city following a design restriction presenting a similar style to the newer homes and structures.
Both new and old Dubrovnik were beautiful.

We couldn’t be more thrilled to have visited Dubrovnik today, an enchanting walled city, filled with rich history and charm that is difficult to describe. 

No more than a few feet from the tender, we were greeted with the charm of this historical city.
The artwork depicting the treasures of the city were in abundance.
The narrow passageways led to one interesting view after another.

To think we may not have seen this city, this country simply further proves how much this world has to offer as we make our way on our relentless journey of discovery and wonder.  We can’t wipe the smiles off of our faces.

Many of the narrow streets had stairways leading to more narrow streets.
Every possible space was devoted to enhancing the productivity of the city.
Croatia is on the north of Slovenia and Hungary, on the east and south of Bosnia and Herzegovina and on the east by Serbia, is formerly known as the Republic of Yugoslavia. The Adriatic Sea forms Croatia’s long western border.
The view from our ship took our breath away, instantly eliminating any disappointment any of us may have had for missing Athens.  At this point, neither of us was motivated to visit more ruins and Dubrovnik didn’t disappoint with nary a “ruin” but well preserved streets, buildings, narrow passageways, quaint shops and restaurants.

With no available tenders, our ship, the Norwegian Spirit, decided to use its own lifeboats to transport us from the harbor to the shore. Gee, we hope it’s the only time we’ll see the inside of a lifeboat! 

Yep!  Lots of cruise ship tourists.  It would be ideal to visit this city in the off season.

Tomorrow, we’ll be nearing the end of this cruise, as the ship sails soon toward Venice, Italy. Also, our bags will be packed, awaiting pickup outside of our cabin door by tomorrow, Saturday,  at 11:00 pm while we keep our digital equipment in our possession along with clothing and toiletries to disembark on Sunday.

Sorry, no time to edit out stranger’s heads.

Taking a cab to the airport to pick up our rental car, we will begin the four hour drive to our new residence in Lucca in the Tuscany region.  Today, we printed our rental car confirmation, directions and a map to the property and a list of all of the foods I can and cannot eat, in Italian, to be used when we dine while in Italy.

Could it be more enticing?
With no room in our luggage, buying anything was out of the question, but nonetheless tempting with the wide array of handcrafted items at every turn.

This parrot was sitting atop a woman’s head.

Twice, we stopped for beverages, once by ourselves and a second time when joining our new friends, Nicole and Gerry.

.
Tom enjoyed the local beer.Not a big soda drinker it was the only beverage available without sugar. Ice wasn’t available, not unusual as we’ve found in many countries.

Another view of the square as we worked our way back to the lifeboat.

The architecture continued to be impressive.

 At the pier as we were boarding the lifeboat for our return to the ship.

Looking forward to “settling down” for the next few months while we tour Italy a day or two each week, sharing the details and photos of our outings and, of course, the minutiae of our daily lives, living in a country where we don’t speak the language as we learn the culture and embrace the local customs and lifestyle.

We’ll be back tomorrow from Venice!

Ephesus Turkey ruins, history, and a very odd touch of modern day…What?…A fashion show!…

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Here we are, in front of more historic ruins, Ephesus.  This photo is rather similar to the photo of us in front of Petra in Aqaba, Jordan.
Note:  Today, our ship was scheduled to arrive in Piraeus, Greece with many tours scheduled to go to Athens. We had decided to travel on our own while there.  Last night during dinner, the captain announced that we werenot going to Greece after all. Apparently, as of yesterday, there was a massive strike in Greece resulting in a standstill of all public transportation and services including all port facilities. 
The view from our balcony as we entered the city of Izmir, Turkey.

Many passengers, bound and determined to see the Acropolis and other ruins are sorely disappointed. We chalk it up to all a part of the adventure, especially when tomorrow morning, we’ll be in Dubrovnik, Croatia, the historic walled city. Dubrovnik was not a part of the planned Ports of Call.

Time for cattle herding time to Ephesus. Moo.
Actually, we’re enthused for the opportunity to see Croatia after hearing so much about it from many passengers on our previous cruises, as a favored stop.
At sea today, we have no option but to use the ship’s WiFi to post the many photos today from our visit to Ephesus yesterday. 
Tom reminded me these are called “containers” not “cartons” as I erroneously referred to them.

Fact about Ephesus:

·    Ephesus is considered one of the greatest outdoor museums in Turkey.

Ephesus is the most well preserved classical city of the eastern Mediterranean, allowing visitors to soak in the atmosphere of Roman times.
Ephesus was once a seaport is now six miles from the sea.
The ancient city continues to be restored in a manner of fitting pieces of a massive puzzle in place.  It could take hundreds of years to complete it.
The Celsius Library in its day was the third largest library in the world with a capacity of 12,000 scrolls.  The facade of the library has two stories, but the interior has three stories due to its origi
The toilets in Ephesus were arranged side by side (photos below) with no privacy.  The toilet stones were heated by the slaves for their masters in the winter.
The Grand Theatre in Ephesus had a seating capacity of 24,000, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
There is an underground passage to the brothel on Marbel Street in Ephesus.
The  first church dedicated to the Virgin Mary is in Ephesus.  The 3rd Ecumenical Council was held in Ephesus was held at the Church of the Virgin Mary and is known as one of the seven churches of the Apocalypse.  Virgin Mary spent the last years of her life in Turkey, in a small cottage near Ephesus, visited by Pope Paul, the 6th and Pope Jean-Paul
.
St. Paul, the Apostle gave lectures in the Tyrannus Hall and the synagogue in Ephesus for two years in his third missionary journey.
Seven Christians who fled Ephesus are believed to have slept in a cave nearby for 200 years.
Cleopatra spent her honeymoon with Antonius in Ephesus in the winter of the year 188. 
Izmir is an older city with its buildings less modern than other major cities we’ve seen.
The hillside on the drive to Ephesus could have been any hillside in any part of the world with no defining Turkish markers.
The vendors were ready for us as our bus pulled into the Ephesus parking area.

Our safety in Izmir, Turkey was of utmost concern. Apparently, Norwegian Cruise lines felt the same way, instructing all tour vehicles to avoid the dangerous areas of the city as they made their way to various points of interest, most of which was the one-hour bus ride to the ancient city of Ephesus.

Once on the road, we felt safe except for the few minutes when we departed that our
bus driver couldn’t find his way out the parking lots at the port.  

The old rickety bus bounced along on the hour drive, stopping once for a pit stop at a shopping area where overly zealous vendors watched our eyes for interest in any of their wares.  We kept our sunglasses on as we waited in the line to use the facilities in an effort to avoid eye contact, which we were warned was a dead giveaway. 
Ephesus required a two-hour walk on extremely uneven stones, slippery chunks of granite
and marble and a mixture of odd-shaped rocks and surfaces.  Tourists everywhere added to the difficulty of the walk, some tripping, some falling and many lagging behind our well
informed but difficult to understand tour guide, Nadia.
As our long walk began with a series of similar ruins.
Never miss a photo op at the ruins.

Wearing two-way radios on strings around our necks with an earpiece, we were able to adjust the volume as we walked through the area, losing the connection if we were too far ahead or behind.  Tom and I preferred to work our way through the crowds and stay ahead most of the time, although we didn’t miss anything.

Ornate rock.

Having seen Petra in Aqaba, Jordan, in May, our expectations were high. Had we not seen Petra, we would have been enthralled with Ephesus. Interesting? Yes. Profoundly so?  Not as much.

No more than 20 minutes into the tour, we both acknowledged that touring in a bus-sized group was not our thing. In the future, we decided that we are willing to pay more to either tour in a
small group of six or less, with our own guide or on our own. This “group thing” is not for us,
missing so much of the personal experience in the process.  

Varying stones were used to avoid a slippery surface. 
The ridges on the marble were etched to reduce the slippery aspect to provide traction for the iron wheels on the chario
The original medical insignia.
Another well-preserved work.
Perhaps, the craftsmen spent their lifetime creating these works.
Its hard to imagine the lives of the citizens during this era.
This piece was one of the most appealing having survived for centuries.
Decorative archway.
Decorative pillars and structures.
Ornate design.
The crowd was so thick at times it was hard to walk.
It was hard to believe how many people were there.
Some ornate design remains.
Check out this handiwork!
Its amazing this is still here!
Work yet to be completed.
The trough at the toilets.
Yes, these are toilets but with not much privacy!
The Celsius Library.
The crowds.
More ruins to be restored.
More work yet to be completed.

  

It was hard to find a good spot for our photo.
Feeling well again, the long walk was easy.
It was difficult to take photos without including other unknown tourists.
Lots of people.
The Celsius Library bears some resemblance to the Treasury in Petra.  But it is not nearly as magnificent.
At the Celsius Library.
It could be centuries before they piece together these stones.
In a way, we’re becoming a little bored with ruins, having seen so many in our travels.
More impressive ruins.
What was the purpose of these narrow spaces?
It will take many years to complete the piecing together of the ruins.
This is the road Cleopatra traveled while on her honeymoon in 188.
 Steps from the Great Theatre to the road below.
These original roads led to the Great Theatre.
Another view of the Great Theatre.
The Great Theatre view.
 The Great Theatre.
Oddly, as we began the bus ride back to the ship, we stopped at a local leather purveyor, expecting a primitive factory with workers pounding away on leather products. Instead, we were herded into a newer fancy pillared Greek styled building to a darkened room to be seated in
comfy theatre seats surrounding a t-shaped stage. 
The tree lined walk back to the bus.
Alas, a grouping of professional good looking, well-dressed models began parading the neon
lighted “catwalk” in what proved to be a contemporary fashion show, as one would see in Paris or Milan, all wearing expensive leather jackets, fur coats, and other leather goods.  

We were given a checklist on which to mark our numbered items of interest. Loud popular music blared in the background as the models, both female and male pranced down the runway, one after another, to quickly change backstage to yet another enticing outfit. 
Models prancing the runway in leather jackets.

How ironic.  Here we were, our brains wrapped around a classic Roman lifestyle from over 2000 years ago only minutes ago to a pop fashion show.  After the show, two large wooden doors opened to a huge showroom where the leather goods were displayed in a manner one would expect in an exclusive store.

There was no way out!  All 40 of us were trapped in this showroom while the owner tried to convince us, extolling the quality of their handmade laser leather products, to purchase their expensive products many upwards of US $1200.

How odd, that we were sitting there!  We just left a historical site and now we’re at a mandatory fashion show.  We’ll surely be writing the cruise line about this!

We couldn’t get out of there quickly enough. The captive audience listened while Tom and I sought the most available exit to hurriedly make our way out the door, relieved to be outside at
last. I must admit I enjoyed the fashion show so out of place in our historical day, but the trip inside the showroom made me want to scream. 

Passengers were brought onto the stage “to perform.” Not us!

With no practical way in which to avoid the crowds in these historic spots, at least in the future, we can go at our own pace.  In Turkey, with the dangers surrounding the rioting, it seemed to make sense to travel in a large group. Returning back to the ship by 5:45, we were anxious to shower and head to dinner in the Windows Dining Room.

The leather showroom where we were herded to make purchased. Not one passenger on our bus made a purchase.

We dined with a fabulous couple last night, Deanna and Wally, having the time of our lives, finally clearing out the dining room after 10:00 pm. Tonight, we’ll meet up with them again for yet another expected evening of incessant laughter and endless storytelling.  What a social cruise this has been for us!

The sky began to cloud over on our return to the ship.

After a long and event-filled day, we languished in our cabin, blissfully tired and pleased with another great day. 

Older buildings lined the highway.
For the first time on this entire cruise, now on our 10th day, we had rough seas last night as winds howled in the 55-60 MPH range, the ship rolling to and fro. Now, as more experienced cruisers, especially after the 50 foot waves on the Norwegian Epic in late April, we gave it little
thought to allow the rocking to lull us to sleep.
It began to rain shortly before we arrive at the pier to board yet another shuttle to get us closer to the ship.
Today, a sea day on our way to Croatia, we look forward to our last few days on the Norwegian Spirit and then of course, in three days, beginning our half-day drive to our future home in Tuscany for the summer.  Ah, life is good.

Izmir, Turkey excursion today…Off to see Ephesus…Rioting in the area…

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For news on Izmir, Turkey, please click here.

Last evening, as our ship the Norwegian Spirit, pulled away from the pier in Istanbul, Turkey.
Turkey’s interesting architecture.

At 11:30 am this morning, Turkey time,  which is eight hours later than the US Midwest, ten hours later than the West Coast, our ship will dock in Izmir.

Feeling a bit concerned about visiting Istanbul, Turkey we stayed behind yesterday planning to visit Izmir, Turkey today on a prepaid excursion, feeling an organized excursion would be safer than wandering around on our own.
We took these photos facing the sun as it set yesterday in Istanbul.
Our new friends, Nicole and Gerry had called yesterday, asking if Nicole could join Tom and I since Gerry sprained his ankle and won’t be able to go on the tour to Ephesus after all. Of course, we’d love for Nicole to join us. We planned to meet at the designated meeting area at 11:45 this morning. 
The excursion is scheduled to depart around 12:15 pm, returning to the ship at 5:30 pm. 
A haze obstructed the view as the sun was setting, a combination of heat and pollution, a result of the big city along the sea.

Last night, after attending yet another Latitudes members cocktail party in the Galaxy of the Stars venue at 7:00 pm, later dining in Windows Dining Room, another wonderful evening was behind us. Dining alone for a change we chattered on about our experiences thus far and our dreams for the future, albeit some of which is uncertain which much to our surprise, is fine with us.

The spires of the many mosques dotted the skyline in Istanbul.
Returning to our cabin around 10:00 pm, typical for us since we awaken quite early, we found these two items on the bed:
This adorable frog was sitting on our bed last night when we returned from dinner, made from one of our beach towels and a few washcloths!
This letter was on our bed last night when we returned from dinner.

Feeling committed to our non-refundable tickets and our plan to meet up with Nicole for the excursion, we decided to forge ahead. When in the future with so much “world” left to see when would we ever return to Turkey?

Most likely we’ll be safe. Wouldn’t it be great if our Uzi welding, security guard, Mohammad from Egypt, was riding on our bus and following us around! 
Ironically, there I was writing yesterday, providing all the reasons to avoid risk and here we are today, walking right into it.  So off we go today, camera in hand, ready to shoot what we hope will be better photos of our expedition as we explore the ancient city of Ephesus.

It’s a one hour drive each way to Ephesus, where we’ll spend approximately three hours.  I’m hoping it’s as exciting as Petra minus the difficult three-hour walk uphill half of the way.  In any case, if we prove to be safe, I’ll crawl through mud to return without incident (and take photos of that as well).

We’ll be back tomorrow with our story, hopefully safe and sound and grateful for yet another enriching experience as we continue on in our worldwide adventures.

Ancient buildings at every juncture.
Goodbye Istanbul.  May your citizens (and visitors) be safe from harm.

Istanbul, Turkey…Story and photos…

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Mosques and churches are abundant in Istanbul.
What a view of Istanbul!
The contrast between old and new is breathtaking in Istanbul.

It was not an easy decision, deciding not to visit Istanbul, Turkey today. Tomorrow, while our ship will have docked in Izmir, Turkey we are going on an excursion to Ephesus, not returning until late in the day, posting the story and photos on Thursday. 

As our ship overlooks this magnificent city, it is quite tempting, to simply walk off the ship and venture out on our own.  From the information provided to us by the excursion desk, it’s about a 30 minutes vigorous walk through the city to arrive at the mosques, the Grand Bazaar, the Underground Cistern, and many other renowned historical sites of interest.
We were able to zoom in on many historic sites from the deck of the ship.
Google Maps
Taksim Square wherein lies the political unrest in Istanbul, Turkey, is across the bridge from the Blue Mosque.  The far-left point of the blue line is the Port of Istanbul.  The end point of the blue line toward the right is the Blue Mosque and an area of most of the tourist attractions, a little too close for comfort by our commitment to safety.

Staying behind is not based on fear as much as on practicality and logical thinking. Most likely, if we did go out, we’d be safe. The odds are in our favor.
Honestly, it’s more my being cautious than Tom. 

Looming in my mind is all the bus bombings and terrorist attacks that have occurred whereby tourists have been killed, injured, and captured. In many ways, Turkey is safer than in many other countries.  But, in our own US, who would have thought the Boston Marathon would be a high-risk area, on that particular horrifying day?

When we planned this year’s long adventure, we made a commitment to each other: we will protect ourselves from the “things we do know” since we have no control over “the things we don’t know.”

Today, Istanbul falls into the category of “things we do know.” Thus, we stay behind, perhaps viewed as overly cautious and “chicken” by some and sensible by others.  Whichever the case, we’ve made peace with our decision.

Here again, old and new intertwined in Istanbul, Turkey.

We reminded ourselves that only four weeks ago, we traveled the Middle East, visiting many high-risk areas, reveling in the adventure of it all, grateful for the experience.  We’re not pushing our luck to see yet more mosques, shopping areas and historical buildings, however magnificent they may be.

We find this French style of architecture not only in parts of the US, but in other cities throughout the world.

We remind ourselves of our personal travel objectives: to focus our time, money, and energy experiencing amazing wildlife, vegetation, natural wonders. And most of all, living in and learning the culture of people all over the world.  This makes us happy.  Historical buildings?  Nice to see, but not as life-changing for us as it may be for others.

This simple church spire adds to the Istanbul skyline.

The Panama Canal, Petra, and Mykonos tell us a story that fills our hearts and minds with awe and joy.  Wearing the burka and thobe in Abu Dhabi visiting the Sheikh Zayed Mosque gave us a gift of cultural differences that will remain with us forever. 

Mingling with the Mayan people, eating their food from their shops and markets in Belize was so meaningful to us.  Tom getting a haircut from a Creole barber while sitting under a tree on a plastic chair atop cement blocks was a delightful experience for us both. 
Also, on our trip to the Monkey River in Belize, seeing the howler monkeys, the manatees, crocodiles, dolphins, the unusual birds and vegetation, the likes of which we’d never seen before, left us reeling with pure pleasure.  And, the lunch at Alice’s Restaurant will be etched in our minds forever, as Alice and her family ran circles around us to serve us their perfect version of local lunch.

Who’s to say what “trips one’s trigger?”  Luckily, both of us have similar expectations.  Five days from today, we’ll plant our feet in Italy for the summer, living for two and half months in a non-English speaking area, learning their ways of daily life, eating their locally grown foods, attending their summer festivities, enjoying their rolling hillside all the while and making friends along the way.

The Port of Istanbul, where we sit today, a 20-minute walk from the unrest in Taksim Square.

Yes, we are doing what we want, when we want, what feels safe to us while enriching our lives daily to the world around us. It’s not perfect.  It never will be.  But for us, this, our friends, is as good as it gets.

The tender took us to Mykonos, Greece…Pure heaven…Lots of photos!

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Our MiFi is working again after the company Xcom Global gave it a hit from their San Diego, California location.

This is Mykonos! Oh, my!
Mykonos from the tender as we approached the dock.

Early this morning our ship maneuvered into the harbor of Mykonos, a virtual paradise of crisp white houses, similar in design, dotting the hillside of this historic and quaint Greek city. 

Our first steps into Mykonos after stepping off the tender.

Island houses scattered about the clear blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea follow suit in their pleasing design and mystery, making one long to enter any one of these to see what lies beyond the white facades.

Mykonos, as we walked along the shoreline.

Awakening at 5:45 this morning, we dashed to the window after hearing the roar of the thrusters and anchor as the ships locks it in position, a short distance from the shore, requiring us tourists to travel by tender to step foot on the land.

Gerry, Nicole and Tom outside this quaint little church.

At 9:00 am this morning, tender tickets in hand, we’ll meet our new friends from Canada, Nicole and Gerry, to share a day’s outing by bus and on foot, exploring the sites of this interesting area.

It was s crowded in this tiny church, I couldn’t straighten out my elbows in order to take a level shot.

Having seen photos of Mykonos over the years, our curiosity was peaked to visit this appealing area and, much to our delight, we will see more today.  Ironically, since we left the US on January 3, 2013 our bucket list continues to grow, not diminish, as we hear more and more from other passenger extolling the virtues of a new place to visit.

The vendors along the boardwalk offered a wide array of fresh flowers and produce.

My current ‘song and dance” is Petra in Aqaba, Jordan and Tom continues with his passion for the Panama Canal which, up until Petra, was my favorite. The next few days could hold some treasures that possibly may top Petra for me.  But Tom, I suspect, will stand firm on his #1 choice as we travel along.

Look at those “real tomatoes!” They invited squeezing, but I kept my hands to myself.

Last night we dined at the prearranged dinner in the Windows Dining Room, with the two other couples having the time of our lives.  We’d met at the muster station drill on the first day, chatting on endlessly until the leader of the group hushed us to shut up. 

Three of the four in their group are school teachers and for some reason they were determined to sit with us to pick our brains. Of course, we were flattered, almost embarrassed, to be so chosen for such “brain picking.”  In any case, they all were fun to spend time with, each with their own interesting and unique story and perspective of life.

We can’t wait to buy fresh produce in Tuscany in one week as we prepare to begin cooking for ourselves! Mykonos didn’t disappoint.
The water was crystal clear.

At the late end of our evening, four hours later, we commented how in essence, we all are very much alike, seeking fulfillment of our own hopes and expectations of how our latter years could and should be spent. 

Amid the white everywhere on the island, the flowers offered a majestic backdrop.
The narrow walkways through the shops and houses was enchanting at every turn.
Nicole and Gerry, our French speaking new friends from Montreal were delightful touring companions.
Here’s these crazy retirees traveling the world. My pockets were so full, I look fat! No longer do I carry a purse.  Tom calls himself the “pack mule” since he always carries my overflow.

The common message:  Feel free, doing what you love and fulfillment will come. 

Tom referred to this little shop as “the Greek Victoria’s Secret!”
Shops and cafes lined the narrow stone walkways.
One narrow stone street after another.  Narrow vehicles serviced the areas deliveries and  trash pickup. It was impeccable everywhere.
Trinkets and souvenirs, not allowable in our tightly packed luggage, were in abundance in Mykonos, many passengers eagerly grabbing mementos of their travels.

 At every turn a new view awaited us, as endless lines of passengers paraded past

From time to time we’ve seen artwork from Mykonos.  Seeing it in person explained the charm this island has to artists worldwide.


Restaurants and cafes lined the boardwalk.
The streets were comparable to a maze, leading us to one more enticing view after another.
Stopping for a moment to rest, we looked up to behold  this olive tree filled with bunches of ripe olives ready for brine.

Feeling unencumbered by “stuff” that binds one to a life that can by suffocating and restricting. Spreading one’s wings, however that may be: riding a Harley in your old age, sailing in a regatta, falling from the sky, living in a jungle far from civilization, learning to sculpt, or ballet dance may all offer the tranquility we all desire. 

 The windmills of Mykonos, close to the shore for ships to unload the grain.
 Although all the buildings were white, many of the properties had colorful doors, roofs and window trim.
Churches were in abundance on this small island.
 An occasional stop was relaxing after the steep walk up the hilly roads.
Is that a bread oven up on that roof?  Ah, the days of home baked bread!
Stopping at a popular café for a cold beverage with Nicole and Gerry.
 I wandered into the main part of the café to find a restroom, which required a walk through the busy kitchen.
In the kitchen I discovered shelves of prepared foods appealing to the palate.
 Octopus?  I’d eat that!  Tom, not so much!
Prawns and what appear to be stuffed Portabello mushrooms.
 Moving right along through the crowds didn’t diminish the quality of our experience.
 Hand made fluffy scarfs.
A dirty faced kitty, among many stray cats wandering the streets.
 It was difficult to resist some foot stomping as this musician played. “Oompah!”
A single home overlooking the sea.  It would have been fun to go inside!
Our walk back to the area above where our tenders awaited the returning passengers.
As our tender pulled away from the dock to return us to the ship.
One last shot of Mykonos, a fine day to be had.

For us, we chose this life, however encumbered it may be at times, with its own weights and restrictions, ultimately leaving all decisions in our own hands.  We know we’ve made the right decision.

Tomorrow morning we’ll arrive in Istanbul but we have yet to hear as to our safety in visiting this troubled city. 

Stay tuned, we’ll be back with news.

Sea day…On our way to Mykonos Greece, arriving in the morning…

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No photos today due to poor Internet connection on a sea day with many passengers on the ship using WiFi.

On our prior seven cruises since 1/3/2013, our captains were rather chatty, announcing destinations, weather condition, points of interest plus generally anything at all that may peak the curiosity of the passengers and crew. Not so much here on the Norwegian Spirit. 

He’d hardly said “boo” until today when we attended a “Latitudes” members only, cocktail party at 1:00 pm for the 419 passengers on board who have attained a certain number of points starting at Bronze, then to Silver, Gold and ultimately to Platinum. 

Currently, we are Silver members, but when this cruise ends, we’ll be Gold members, allowing certain privileges, none of which are relevant to us at this point, other than the 15 minutes of free Internet time and invitations to a few cocktail parties with free drinks and appetizers.

Thus, today at the party, the captain finally spoke at the party as many of us eagerly await the cruise line’s decision to as to whether or not we’ll be allowed to get off the ship safely in Istanbul with the news of ongoing
civil unrest. He didn’t provide us with a definitive answer at this point. From there, we’ll have to make of our own decision, should they give us the “go ahead,” as to whether or not we’ll choose to get off the ship to tour
Istanbul.  With all the amazing comments we’ve heard, we’d love to see Istanbul.

However, if we can’t get off the ship in Istanbul in a few days, we’ll hopefully be able to venture out in Izmir, Turkey in order to take advantage of the tour to Ephesus, supposedly comparable in its wonders to Petra, Jordan, my favorite all time places to visit since we began our travels over seven months ago.

We’ve made it through the Middle East without incident (aside from illness), one would think an eastern Mediterranean cruise would be relatively safe. But, as we continue to watch the BBC world news daily (only news we can get on the TV), violence continues to rage everywhere in the world, including in the US (based on the latest shootings in Los Angeles county a few days ago). 

Tom and I have a theory that perhaps some share with us: that the terror throughout the world has been going on for years and its only the media’s constant announcements of these events that bring it forefront in our minds.  “World at War” then and “World at War” now, generation after generation, leaving each civilization suffering the ravages of political, religious and social unrest. 

When will it ever end? Never. As long as humans have the ability to think, to be coerced and manipulated and to strongly uphold their  beliefs, right or wrong in society’s view, this state of terrifying expression will continue, leaving those in its wake at dangerous risk. 

Drive-by shootings occurred only 1/2 hour from us in our “old lives.”  We chose to avoid these areas as much as we possibly could. Tom’s mother, a dear woman, passed away in 2008, having spent many years living in that kind neighborhood. In many cases, it’s poverty that increased the risks in certain areas. Perhaps, in many of these worldwide high risk areas, it’s not only the criminals, but where you happen to be at any given time.

Tom and I don’t know any “high risk” people (that we’re aware of) but we’ve increased our exposure as to where we will happen to be at any given moment.  We proceed with caution…possessing a desire not to diminish our experiences while we continue to grow our range of experiences.

After all, in the past month we’ve been to Egypt, Jordan, the Suez Canal, the Gulf of Aden, Strait of Hormuz, United Arab Emirates plus we’ve traveled past Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Iran, Yemen and Oman, albeit with a bit of adventure, coming out safely on the other side, having loved every moment while feeling safe most of the time.

Soon, we’ll know how as to the safety of visiting Istanbul, Turkey deciding from there our course of action and sharing it all with you here.

Tonight, a dress-up night on a sea day, we’ve been invited to join a party of four from the US for dinner in the Windows dining room. With our dressy clothing long gone to lighten our load, we’ll make the best of it, me in a casual long dress, spruced up with accessories and Tom, in black long sleeved dress shirt and dress pants.
With this as our last cruise for the next 17 or more months, we’re at ease to no longer hauling dress up clothing. 

Updates: Xcom Global responded to our frantic inquiries, explaining they have reset the MiFi and it should be working by tomorrow morning. Secondly, the property owners of the house in Tuscany have graciously agreed to accept our credit card payment for the two and a half month rental, making paying the balance much easier for us. Plus on the 16th, they’ll meet us at the property at 3:00 pm to let us in and familiarize us as to how everything works. 
Moving right along, photos coming after tomorrow’s visit to Mykonos, Greece!

MiFi troubles…Naples today…

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It was fun to see the Celebrity Equinox at the pier in Naples, Italy, the ship we’d boarded on January 21 on our way to Belize, arriving on January 29, 2013.  It seems so long ago.
The area was not conducive to walking.
Views of the port in Naples, Italy.
Without boarding a bus, we really couldn’t get a good shot of the area in front of our ship.

Every  time we’ve loaded our wireless Xcom Global MiFi when we are in port or near land, we’ve watched in wonder as the little hot pink light shines bright indicating we have a strong signal.

Staying  “connected” is an important piece of our worldwide travels, not only for posting our blog and photos each day but also staying in touch with family and friends, banking and financial matters including checking our credit card balances frequently, arranging connections for our next  move, future travels and cruises and of course, checking out information about areas we are visiting.

We look forward to returning to Naples this summer to check out some of it many historical sight.

Yesterday morning when we arrived in Civitavecchia Italy, the port entrance for visitors to Rome, a 90-minute bus ride, we lost the signal within minutes of connecting. Of course, we do have access for the ship’s expensive and horribly slow connection, preferring to us it only when absolutely necessary, mostly when out to sea.

Shortly after losing the MiFi signal, I began the process of checking and rechecking all of our options to get the device working again, referring to the included manual and also online instructions, none of which worked.

Hopefully, this summer, we’ll be able to identify some of these historical sights.

As a last resort, I contracted the company, Xcom Global for assistance. Their information states they have 24 hour tech support by email. Sending them an email at 10 am yesterday, Friday, we didn’t hear back until this morning, Saturday.  Apparently, the 24 hour email tech support wasn’t available and our 11 hour time difference required we wait to hear back until their regular office opened in San Diego, California.

Much to our dismay, after following their many step instructions to a “t” we still couldn’t get service. Frustrating to say the least. They’re closed on Sundays, the day we’ll be out to sea, unable to use the service during that time anyway. Thus, we have no options until Monday.

The hilly terrain of Italy leaves us excited to explore.

We did consider that the signal may be “too weak” in these two areas in Italy to “grab” a signal.  It is possible that the problem lies there. We won’t know for certain until we arrive in Greece on Monday, when we hope to get off the ship to explore Mykonos.

In Naples today, knowing we’ll be coming back over the summer, we wandered off the ship on our own trying to find a few good advantage points for exploring and photo taking. Barely recovered from our illness, immune systems comprised, we felt it made no sense to get inside a germ-laden bus with other passengers to see the sights. 

As Tom and I have both stated all along, our health and well being will remain first and foremost in our travels. Since embarking on this cruise four days ago, I can honestly say we’ve never spent more time washing our hands. Hopefully, our somewhat obsessive behavior will serve us well to disembark on June 16th in good health.

On Tuesday, we’ll arrive in Istanbul, Turkey having yet to hear if our ship will enter this highly charged area of political unrest.  We shall see and keep you posted, hopefully, with our Internet connection intact soon.

Livorno, Italy…Later…

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As we pulled into the port of Livorno, Italy.
Views from the ship were limited.
Historic buildings lined the streets in Livorno.

Yes, we have now been in Italy for the past 24 hours, yesterday in Livorno and today in Civitavecchia, the port that brings us within an hour and a half drive to Rome.

It may have been easy for us to board the bus and visit Rome now. But, the excursions priced at as much as $395 per person, would leave us only five hours to explore. We’d decided awhile ago to save touring Italy including Rome when we can drive on our own from Florence, where we’ll spend the summer with a car. 
Exactly how we envision Italy, isn’t it?
At $865 per month for the rental car, most certainly we’ll be heading out to explore the many points of interest all over Italy throughout the summer,perhaps staying overnight in a few areas in the process.
The cruise ships and ferries were lining up to let off the tourists.
Boarding yet another bus with sneezing and coughing passengers was hardly appealing to at this point, let alone while still recovering from our recent illness which lingers in its annoying subtleties.

As the time nears to move into the house in Tuscany, we’ve contacted the owners to complete the payment.  Originally, they’d asked for cash in Euros for the balance for the two and a half months. With all this cruising and frequently moving about, we’ve preferred not to carry much cash with us based the dangers of pickpockets. 

From afar, we could see the Norwegian Epic, the ship we didn’t like due to poor design and…where we experienced the 50 foot waves while crossing the ocean.
When one travels for a few weeks, it’s no big deal to get cash off of a credit or debit card at a cash machine, paying fees upwards of 10% in a foreign country. For us, traveling constantly, this would be an outrageous expense. Carrying around large sums of cash is also foolish. Thus we’ve used PayPal and credit cards (not debit) for rental payments which has worked quite well up to this point.

With the owners  of the Tuscany property asking for cash in Euros for the extended period, we’ve been in aquandary. We could go to any bank and pay more fees to have our bank wire the funds to us to convert to Euros. 

We could use a cash machine each day in order to accumulate smaller amounts, paying huge fees, or we could open a bank account at a European bank which we’d prefer not to do, not knowing at this point how long we’ll be in Europe for the long haul.
This is not an issue for any of our future rentals. Thus, it didn’t make sense to go through all of this. As a result with angst looming, yesterday we contacted the owners of the property by email, offering to pay PayPal or credit card fees which most certainly would be considerably less than the up to 10% fees we’d pay at a cash machine.
An old grain elevator close to the port.
Much to our delight and gratefulness, they wrote back (using Google translate since they don’t speak English), telling us not to worry and that we could pay however we’d like, at any time we’d like. Their kindness prompted us to offer to pay the entire amount now using a credit card, paying the appropriate fees. We shall see how this rolls out but at least we can stop fussing over this at the moment.
It’s peculiar to us how the worries of our daily lives have changed as we’ve traveled; transportation from here to there, dirty laundry, exchange rates, runny noses, decent food, and most of all, time zone differences allowing us to Skype with family.  
The sunset shortly after our shipped pulled out of the harbor.