WOW what a summer so far !!
May 15 - June 2/12
We flew from Kelowna to Vancouver then to Frankfurt, Germany over the far north, with a 5 hour layover, but were advised not to leave the airport as the Occupy demonstrations were going on and traffic was being hampered. After the 10 hour flight we were due a nap on the benches anyway :( From Frankfurt we flew to Venice, another 1.5 hours (over the Austrian alps echoing the "Sound of Music"). We spent 2 days in Venice using the train, shuttles and water busses to get to the island and St. Mark's Square and the Basilica. So very much ancient history, architecture, religion and charm, Yes, we did take a gondola ride through the canals. The Americas Cup Race (sailing) was on while we were there. We ended up in a great hotel, Venice Inn Resort, only minutes from the airport and only $78 per night with full breakfast included and shuttle service to and from the airport. We boarded the Ruby Princess and set sail for Athens, Greece after a day at sea. In Athens we went to the Acropolis, the Plaka market, The Temple of Zeus and the old Olympic Stadium. Next port was Kusadasi, Turkey where we visited Ephesus, the ruins of the Roman provincial capital, the Basilica of St John the Apostle, and the final resting place of the Virgin Mary then on to Istanbul, Turkey. What an interesting, colourful and charming city. We visited the Blue Mosque, St Sophia and it's massive Byzantine dome decorated with marble, precious stones and pillars from Ephesus, the Grand Bazaar (over 4000 shops) where we impulsively bought beautiful leather jackets, and the Hippodrome. Next stop was Mykonos, Greece, our favourite stop as we did the town on our own. A beautiful all-white hillside community looking quite affluent with yachts everywhere and little cobblestoned lanes lined with specialty shops and street cafes. The tiered houses were all connected by stairways climbing well up the hillside, some ending at old windmills, formerly used for grinding grains. Next day was a sea day and time for a little R&R and laundry. Next port was Naples and on to Herculaneum, a city buried in mud in 79AD from the eruption of Mt Vesuvius and discovered in 1709. Then off to Positano, Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast on the Bay of Naples-the most beautiful coastline with pastel houses rumbling down the cliffs to the beaches dotted with fishing boats. Next day to Livorno, Florence/Pisa, a 10 hour excursion starting with a 1.5 hour bus trip. Highlights were of course David at the Accademia, the Duomo and Baptistry, Uffizi Museum & Gallery, and the leaning tower. Next day, another 10 hour trip to Civitavecchia and Rome with another 1.5 hour bus trip. We took in the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, Vatican City, St Peter's Basilica, the Sistine Chapel and the Pantheon. Monte Carlo was our next port and here we took the hop on-hop off bus and time on our own - seeing the Royal Palace, the Casino and many huge yachts. The Grand Prix races had taken place 2 days earlier so the town was cluttered with barricades, car haulers, banners, etc making it a bit difficult getting around on foot. Our final stop was in Barcelona, Spain where we spent 3 days. Our hotel was on the Rambla, a wide promanade through the busy part of town with hundreds of vendors and outdoor eating/drinking places. We bought a 2 day bus pass so got to see most corners of the city. Really enjoyed the Gaudi Cathedral/museum. On our last day we hired a driver to take us up to Monserrat, a beautiful Cathedral/monestry up in the mountains. We easily could have stayed on in Barcelona. We flew back to Toronto on June 2, tired but fulfilled with all that we had seen and done. Will continue on from here in the next chapter.