Athens, Greece

Mykonos, Greece

Sintra, Portugal

Canterbury, England

Constanta, Romania

Still having photo issues.  I will have to think of something else. Today we were in Constanta, Romania.  Shouldn't have bothered.  Nothing to see.  Language problems.  The entire country is on a perpetual state if disrepair.  The public workers stand around all day drinking beer and chatting.  The supervisors are all on cell phones with their friends and couldn't care less.

We went to a mice beach area but it was too early in the season and they were still fixing things up. Water was too cold.  We also went to a modern shopping mall.  That is pretty much it for Romania.  Not on my return to this place list.

Bulgaria

Bulgaria

Last night we spent a few hours in the disco dancing the night away.  They had a tribute to Abba so it was good dance music.  There is a whole group of gay guys on board and they are so much fun.  I was dancing to Dancing Queen with four dancing queens!  Love it.

Today we were in Nessabar, Bulgaria, a UNESCO world heritage site.  It was quaint, old and small.  Lots of shops, an old town and a new town.  Evidently, it must be a popular vacation spot for Israelis because we saw many signs in Hebrew and people kept saying shalom to us and speaking fast Hebrew.  It was pretty funny actually.

I am so tired that I may not make the show tonight.  The entertainment has been great and the food is superb.  I cannot believe how great this cruise is.  I love the size of the ship, the amenities and the fabulous service.  This is how cruising should be...great and elegant without stuffiness.  I also like the mix of nationalities of the passengers.  The enrichment lectures are very informative and interesting.  I only had to wake Jerry once today during the lecture on Constanta, our next port.

I am still attempting to put photos on but am having problems with that.  Still trying.

Aboard Azamara Journey

We are cruising past Gallipoli.  Since we boarded the Journey in Athens I have had nothing but pleasant experiences.  There are no crowds, no loud music, no annoying announcements and some of the best on board service I have ever encountered.  in addition, the entertainment is fabulous.  The captain and his officers are always mixing with the passengers so much so that I can't figure out who is driving the ship half the time.  Our friends, Helene and Lorelle, are loving it too.  The first day we familiarized ourselves with the ship and just relaxed.  Yesterday was our first port stop, Mykonos, Greece.  We meandered about in the lovely downtown area while all the others went elsewhere.  We basically had the whole place to ourselves.  Later on when people started coming we took the local bus to a beach we knew and spent the day there swimming and relaxing.  We headed back to town and were with the last group to return to the ship.  After a great dinner of surf and turf we met all the officers and saw a funny show.  Then it was up to the late lounge to dance with the show dancers.  Pretty funny for a grandma! 

This morning we went to a very difficult Zumba class to try and counteract the calories.  As of this moment the intake far exceeds the output.  There is no extra charge for wine and many cocktails and they are readily available at all hours of the day. 

We are cruising the Dardenalles on the way to the Bosphorous and will sail past Istanbul this evening.  It should be outstanding.  We were invited to a cocktail party this evening in someone's suite.  We have arranged to go on a private tour in Odessa.  There will be just ten of us so that should be great.  

The dress on this ship is casual.  No formal nights.  There are only six hundred passengers so everyone knows everyone and the is no dining rigidity.  No set houses or tables.  Just come when you are ready.  Nice.  Lots of different nationalities so it makes for an interesting passenger mix.  So it's goodbye for now from the Sea of Marmara.

Athens

Went to the dentist in the morning.  She put a temporary filling on the tooth.  Hope it holds.  Then it was on to the police station which was impossible to find.  We finally did find it and made the report.  Just a formality.  It's hot here and we love it.  Went sightseeing all day and then dinner in the Plaka, the old town, and ate the ruins and looking straight up at the Parthenon.  Earlier we saw the changing of the guards at the parliament.  We just happened to be walking by when the guards came out.  Then, further down the street we saw the funniest thing..a platoon of Greek military guards were marching down the street in formation led by a German Shepherd dog.  It was hilarious.

Tomorrow we go down to Piraeus to catch the Azamara Journey for our trip to the Black Sea, ending in Istanbul.

Disaster strikes!

Jerry had his pocket picked in the main train station in Athens and since we arrived we have been busy calling all the credit card companies to cancel the cards he had with him.  We still have the passports and I have a few credit cards and he has two more so we are ok.  They were not used so we're good. At least nobody got hurt.  Now he has learned the lesson that he is just as vulnerable as everyone else even though he is a seasoned traveller.  A word to the wise.  It was a hard lesson for him but I think he got it.

I got an appointment with a female English-speaking dentist tomorrow morning so that is good news.

It  is very hot here in Athens and the hotel has a crummy air conditioning system but we will survive.  It has been a difficult day but we shall push on.  Our friends, Lorelle and Helene, are here and we will get together tomorrow after my session with the dentist.  They will be cruising with us as well. 

I think I will take cabs from now on.  No more crowded public transport for me!  As my grandson would say, I'm done!

On the Plane to Athens

On the plane to Athens




We are now on the plane to Athens after a 50 minute flight from Amsterdam with a 30 minutes on the tarmac first. I could have walked to Frankfurt faster. Hope the luggage made it as it was a short connection. The plane change was interesting. We had to walk about a mile in the terminal to get the connecting flight to Athens so I am burning some caloreies today after my Dutch apple pancake with whipped cream dinner last night. We are both sick but getting better, I hope. I am anxious to see the dentist in Athens since my broken tooth is scaring me.



I hope Eileen and Steve are enjoying their last day sightseeing in Amsterdam. They were so much fun to be with and such great friends to put up with our schtick.



Again we had way too much luggage and again I say I will never do it again. I have been wearing the same pair of jeans for three days because they are the warmest thing I have, along with my daughter's thermal shirt. Thank goodness I had them because I would have frozen to death otherwise. We are both looking forard to milder weather in Greece and the Black Sea.

Amsterdam

Amsterdam




We got off the ship early and schlepped our luggage to the train station and then to the hotel. It is cold and rainy and I am not happy with the weather. Everyone keeps telling us that this is the worst spring ever. I don' t doubt it. We grabbed a hop onhop-off bus and rode it around the city twice. It was raining too hard and we didnt want to walk. Our dinner was quite good (friends recommended it. It was very hard to find and we had to go through the marijuana smoking area to find it. I got high on the smell. We have been dragging around Amsterdam in the worst weather for us....colc, raining, windy and generally miserable. The city is big and noisy and bustling. People are running every which way and there are thousands of tourists. We spent some time in the Red Light District where the prostitutes were advertising in the windows and the pimps kept asking Jerry and Steve if they wanted a woman. The prositutes were old, fat and ugly. They told us the nicer looking ones came out to their windows later in the evening. It was too early. What a way to make a living. I really felt quite sorry for them and it made me very sad.



Yesterday we took an all-day tour to Brugges, Belgium. It is a UNESCO world heritage city and strikingly beautiful. Most of the buildings date from the 13-16th century and are very well preserved. The shopping is quite nice too although I just window shopped. The dollar is worth nothing so it is really crazy to buy anything anywhere in Europe. I haven't had time to transfer any photos but will try later. We are on our way to Athens right now. I broke a tooth and have to find a dentist the minute I get there. I have some names from my travel insurance policy. I will hope for the best.



Right now I am sitting in the Lufthansa first class lounge at the airport in Amsterdam. I am totally spoiled now. Jerry is in big trouble. We will be in Athens two nights and then on to the Azamara Journey for our trip into the Black Sea.

France and England

LeHavre and Honfleur, France




I am freezing! It's soooo cold here. Someone told us this is the coldest May in recent memory. Not for this warm weather baby. But we went out anyway. Walked miles from the ship to the center of town where we got a tram to the beach area. Lovely beach if you like rocks and stones. Just like most of the other French beaches. But pretty, with thousands of cabanas, places to eat, walking and bike trails. Very family-oriented. After another long walk we took the tram to the other end, a nice middle-class neighborhood where we stumbled upon a neat little local flea market. Lots of women in head scarves. Very unattractive. Maybe they should cover up their faces too. Back to the town center where we picked up the local bus to Honfleur, a gem of a tiny town where Monet painted regularly. One look at the place and you can see why. It has a beautiful harbor, buildings from the 1500's, sidewalk cafes and a dreamy atmosphere. This was our second visit and it just gets better and more beautiful. Of course, we had French fries with mayonnaise (that's how they it them in France) and a baguette. An all-carb lunch. Very healthy. After a few hours of dreamily wandering around we decided not to miss the ship after all so we headed back to gorge ourselves on a delicious dinner.



Did I mention that half the passengers on this ship are south Floridians? They are mostly lou. d and obnoxious. We even play tennis against some of them and they know half of our community. I keep trying to hide from them but they keep finding me and starting conversations.



Tonight we saw a Beatles tribute band and, tired as we were, Eileen and I danced a few of those calories off. Well, maybe 5 or 10. We have to go off early tomorrow for a short port stop. Not sure where we will go yet, depending on the train schedules and weather. This will be our last port stop (Dover) before Amsterdam.



Dover



Got off early and spent the day in Canterbury. Visited the cathedral and surrounding area. The entire city is a historical monument and we all loved it. We took a small boat ride on the small river and were instructed in English history by our wonderful guide, Vincent, who was a student teacher. We saw buildings steeped in history and learned all about them while pleasantly gliding down the river past magnificent scenery, mostly 12th to 15th century buildings.



After getting back to Dover downtown we walked around for a while and took a massively long walk to the ship. I figure about five miles. I am dead tired. Now we have the monumental task of packing for our sojourn in Amsterdam. Think I will take a nap instead. Oh, we just passed the white cliffs of Dover and yes, they really are white.



Now it's on to Amsterdam.

Lisbon to Le Havre

Lisbon




We sailed up the Tagus River into Lisbon at about 11:30 am and I thought I was dreaming. There just before my very eyes was the GGB (Golden Gate Bridge to we Californians). The Portugese built an exact replica in the 1960's and it truly is a twin of our GGB. Anyway, by the time I recovered from my shock we were docked under it.



We rushed off the ship and hired a private guide to drag us around for the day. He had a Mercedes but it was still tight. A few more days of eating and we couldn't get I at all. We began with a trip along the coast to Estoril and Cascais, two beautiful seaside resorts reminicent of the French Riviera. It was quaint and beautiful with charming small winding side streets and mansions from earlier, better times such as La Belle Epoch. There were beautiful boats in the harbor and lovely, charming old hotels. The history of Lisbon and surrounding towns is replete with espionage. It was the spy capital of World War Two and many of thse older hotels were right in the middle of it. Fascinating stuff. I can just pictre myself in one of these grand old hotels worming information out of some nazi general!



After a walk about we contined on to the mountain village of Sintra, where we were knocked out by the beautiful turn-of-the-century palaces of nobility and wanna-be nobility. Situated high in he mountains, the views are spectacular, the air is fresh and unpolluted and there is a sense of the pristine about the whole place. We had a light bite in a local pastisserie where all the old ladies were slugging down shots of expensive expresso for that afternoon energy jolt. We wandere up and down the narrow winding streets, climbing the slippery narrow flights of steps. This is definitely a hill town. Lots of outdoor cafes and shops selling ceramics and things made out of cork. They are masters at ceramics but I did not buy a thing. Just to see all those magnificent homes and palaces was worth the trip, not to mention those breathtaking vistas. We talked the driver into letting us use the WC in a very fancy, very classy, very secluded old hotel which was converted from one of the old mansions. Wow! I could have stayed there all day! But alas, it was time for the city of Lisbon. It has a population of 600,000, a few interesting old buildings, a monestary, a castle with nothing in it, awalking street, nothing to buy, one or two interesting monuments dedicated to the famous native explorers and thousands of insane soccer fans. We stumbled upon a pep ralley and I thought I would go deaf! Oh yes, the traffic is horrendous. That is Lisbon in a nutshell. The one good thing is they warned us about pickpockets but we couldn't find any for Jerry to give the old law enforcement death grip to.



We are now in the middle of a cold, rough sea day off the coast of Spain. I did Zumba this morning so I am not a total slug. The UK did our passport control this morning so we can get right off in Dover without wasting any time getting to Canterbury. Next stop is Le Havre, where we will head for Honfleur. In the meantime I have to get ready later for our last formal night.



A great formal night. We cleaned up quite well. The food was great. We fell asleep during the show. We took photos and had some really great laughs with Eileen and Steve. They are such super wonderful travel companions. We are so lucky.



Another day at sea



Today we stayed inside and played canasta on our last sea day. It is cold outside. Had a wonderful brunch , did zumba and played cards We are all looking forward to our port stop in France tomorrow. The Olitskys are going to Normandy. We have been there so we are going to Honfleur, where Monet painted. I love it there. 10:30 pm and still light out off the French coast.  It is freezing!

Madiera and on to Lisbon

We finally made landfall today in Madiera, a Portugese island off the coast of north Africa. The climate is mild and there are beautiful flowers everywhere. We did not see any signs of poverty. Just a middle-class society.




There are eyeglass stores everywhere, mostly designer stuff. I guess they never heard of contact lenses. It was a lovely day. We toured the island and of course, found an internet connection and clean bathrooms at McDonalds. Nothing unusual there.



Dinner and the show tonight were both fabulous. No zumba class tomorrow so we will sleep late. Yippee! Calm seas and mild weather. Doesn't get much better.



Approaching Lisbon



A day at sea. We slept late, played canasta and will celebrate our anniversary tonight with a fancy dinner in one of the specialty restaurants with our great friends and travelling companions, Eileen and Steve. They have been so good putting up with Jerry's jokes and craziness. Not too many people have the guts to travel with us and they have been absolutely fabulous and we love them.



Tomorrow we land in Lisbon at noon and it's off for a tour of the city and perhaps to purchase some beautiful ceramic tiles if he lets me near the stores.



Our dear friends took us out for our anniversary tonight at Tuscan Grille. It was a fabulous meal. We ate like pigs and waddled down to our rooms to get ready for tomorrow's port stop. The show was excellent too and so far everything has been wonderful. It is going by too quickly. It always does. It is so nice to enjoy a trip like this with such good friends. They make it that much better!



I had an expresso and chocolate for dessert. I guess I will be up and bouncing off the walls for the rest of the night.



Tomorrow it is on to Lisbon!

Approaching Funchal, Madiera

We are approximately 300 nautical miles from Funchal in the Portugese Azores. It is in the low 60's and the waves are ten feet and higher. The old girl (the ship, not me) seems to be doing just fine. Some folks are feeling queasy but not me. I like the movement but I must admit it was quite the challenge at zumba this morning. We looked like a bunch of drunks. We are working on our canasta skills since it is too cold to sit outside.




This is the half way point of the cruise and the staff in the dining room is still trying to get their act together. The service has been spotty depending on where we sit. They have eight days to fix it up.



Tomorrow is our first port stop in a week and everyone is ready to get off for a few hours to sightsee and doing other than ship things. I hate this computer. It has a mind of it's own. Maybe it doesn't like high seas.



There are 800 Elite members on this cruise so it basically means nothing anymore. They give you coupons for drinks in certain lounges. There is no Elite lounge and the wine is cheap. However, the adorable captain makes up for whatever is lacking.

Mid Atlantic

Yesterday we finally reached the exact middle of the Atlantic and now we are on the shorter leg of the journey meaning we have less of a distance rather than more to travel. We played


canasta on deck, relaxed, walked for exercise on the jogging deck and did the usual cruise things.



The captain's cocktail party was fun with dancing, drinks and good nibbling snacks. The officers were there to socialize as well. This is an extremely friendly ship with a lot of mixing between passengers and crew.



After dinner we saw the show followed by Liar's Club with the captain, the comedian and the cruise director. It was beyond hilarious and the captain was the funniest person I have seen in years. I laughed myself sick!



Today it is colder outside. Eileen and I did our zumba and now I am in my cozy cabin where the toilet is presently not working. We are still three days from land so things should get interesting.

Almost in mid-Atlantic aboard Constellation

Another day at sea. It is beautiful outside. The seas are running smooth. There are no whitecaps in sight and the sun is shining brightly. We (just the girls) did our regular zumba class this morning and as usual it was a great workout. Last night was the 50's and 60's dance party. Very crowded. Our table mates, who we thought were so straight-laced, were dancing on the tables! You never know about people thestching e days. I just hope there are no secret terrorists onboard. We are approaching the exact middle of the Atlantic and I don't want to get stuck out here. I might run out of clothes!




This day is very laid-back and that is ok with me. I haven't been to the shops yet. There is still lots of time. Right now we are planning our shore excursions. So much to do. Haven't even played mah jongg yet. We saw some women playing yesterday but they didn't look like the type I would want to play with. There is a man onboard who I really would like to strangle. The first day he was running around yelling that the water was tainted with petroleum and that he wanted himself and his wife airlifted off the ship because they were being poisoned. He finished with that subject and is now bitching and moaning about other things. He better not talk to me or he will find himself as shark food. Other than Mr. Crazy most others seem quite nice except for the very loud group with the New York accents who interrupted my poolside nap yesterday. Well, I think it is time for my next activity, watching Jerry digest his lunch.

In the Bermuda Triangle

We are now officially in the middle of the south Atlantic Ocean somewhere off the coast of Bermuda, nearing the Sargasso Sea, otherwise known as The Doldrums.  This is the area where early sailing vessels coming to the New World came to a dead halt due to lack of winds and too much seaweed in the water.  They just had to sit there and flounder around till the winds kicked up once again. I am pretty confident that will not happen to us.

We found out last night that one of the entertainers who will perform tonight is a good friend of our son. In addition, we know the cruise director from our sailing to Hawaii and I know the captain from a previous sailing.  He said he remembered dancing with me.  He is full of crap!

I did my Zumba once again this morning so at least I am not lying around like a lox for the entire day.  There is a 60's dance party later so that is more exercise.  A fifteen day cruise can be devastating if one is not careful.  I have been trying to eat small, relatively healthy meals.  Now for a relaxing morning in the Solarium.

Ready To Go!

Bags packed. Took too much. We will be in several different climates so there is a little bit of everything.   Less than 24 hours to go.  The ship is just coming out of dry dock and I  understand some of the finishing touches will be done at sea. This is novel...being in the middle of a construction zone at sea. Hope they have lots of Pinot Grigio!