Just climbed the city walls. Think I may drop dead momentarily.
Monday, August 31, 2015
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Kotor, Montenegro
We sailed through fjords this morning for about two hours till we arrived at this fairy tale setting surrounded my steep mountains on three sides. The scenery was magnificent. Kotor is a medieval town set on this lovely bay. The architecture in very Venetian and very beautiful. There is a zig zag stone path up one of the mountainsides to a church at the top. It it around twenty storeys if you count the steps on an iPhone but it is steep and rocky and uneven but we managed to do it. What an accomplishment! We were so proud of ourselves. We probably won't be able to walk tomorrow but the experience was well worth it. It is very hot today, which made it even harder to climb but once we started we couldn't stop. It was a challenge and we won!
Now I am sitting in th shade by the ship's pool sipping a Piña Colada. That's my reward for imitating a mountain goat and not falling. We might go off the ship later but right now I am perfectly content in doing nothing.
Saturday, August 29, 2015
Olympics
Went to the site of the Original Olympics yesterday. It was fascinating. They still get the original Olympic flame from this very place to this day. Our guide was great and we learned so much. Eileen and I got lost. It was in the 90's and we expended all our energy trying to find the tour group. I thought we might become a part of the ancient archeological site and they would find us wrapped around a column in the Temple of Zeus in fifty years.
Corfu
Love this last of Greece where we spent the day. It is an island which is very close to Albania. Very strong British and Venetian influence. Narrow streets in the old town.
We are now sailing to Kotor, Montenegro. I understand it has spectacular scenery. Guess we shall find out tomorrow.
Photos and other things
We had to avoid Mykonos due to high winds of sevent miles per hour. Sad because we like it so much. Instead we went to Bodrum which is the Turkish Riviera. It was fun too and somewhere where we would not have gone. It is modern and is one of the top vacation spots in Turkey. There is a castle there and a nice bazaar. We had some photos take in costume which were quite hilarious.
Today was devoted to the island do Santorini. Everything is way on top and it was quite a chore to get there. We took a boat and had to walk up a killer hill. Worse than any stress test I ever took. Everyone was gasping for air. And that was immediately after the boat ride that made Jerry and a lot of others queasy. At the top of the hill was a bus which took us up to the top and the magnificent town of Oia which we fondly refer to as Oy Vey. It is what you see in the magazines...all white buildings with blue trim. And the most spectacular views you can imagine.
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Bodrum Turkey
We had to bypass Mykonos due to seventy mile per hour winds. We are in Bodrum instead. It's like the Turkish Riviera. It's 100 degrees. Glad we were already in Mykonos so I do not feel as though I missed anything.
This is right on the sea so at least there is a little breeze. We are in a sidewalk cafe having milkshakes to counteract the intense heat.
Monday, August 24, 2015
Kusadasi
We took a long sightseeing walk off the ship in the morning and Eileen and I hit the bazaar in the afternoon. We shopped so long that we almost missed dinner. The guys were ready to kill us.
The evening was wonderful. We went to a classical music concert in Ephesus. We sat in a three thousand year old amphitheater and enjoyed the concert with wine in hand. Right in the middle of the performance a shepherd and his herd of goats and his sheep dogs wandered by as did a cat which is a direct descendant of the cats of Roman times. These cats are protected by the government. It was quite a show. The goats were wearing bells around their necks so they were literally part of the concert. The night was balmy and the site oozed history. You could just see those Romans going about their every day business and then coming to this very theater for some entertainment. Who knows who sat in my seat three thousand years ago. Did they enjoy the performance? Were they of the Roman upper class? Did they have dreams and wishes? It was a wonderful evening and we were all touched by the history of our surroundings. That shepherd and his flock would have walked that exact trail thousands of years ago. The only major difference was that this entire area was a port city which has since silted up but it is easy to imagine the Roman cargo ships at the docks on the other end of the site and the people bustling around and the ships being loaded and unloaded. The air was so thick with history you could cut it with a knife.
Kusadasi, Turkey
After a grueling morning of shopping in the bazaar and buying nothing I am lying on a chaise in the shade on the ship listen into the muezzin calling the faithful to prayer. Who said Turkey is a secular country?
It is ver hot and the pool looks very inviting.
Sunday, August 23, 2015
Onboard Azamara Journey
Finally on the ship and we are very happy. The crew remembered us and it was like meeting up with old family. Everything is as good as we remembered. Our cabin is in a good location and the ship is small so we can get anywhere fast. Tomorrow the port stop is Kusadasi, Turkey. Great sights and great shopping. Can't wait. It is going to be in the nineties and windy. I can deal with that. We were very good today and didn't stuff ourselves. Something must be wrong. No complaints so far. The experience is beyond expectations.
Saturday, August 22, 2015
L a s t night in. Athens
We had a. Relaxing, fabulous day with Eileen and Steve and their Greek friends at a luxury resort We swam, ate and relaxed in understated luxury. We were treated to a gourmet extravaganza luncheon
Tomorrow we board the Azamara Journey for our ten day cruise which will.eventually end in Venice. We are happy campers.
Athens
Yesterday we met up with Eileen and Steve who are staying in a beautiful resort about an hour away. We spent the day on a beautiful beach followed by a lovely Greek dinner al fresco and watching the sunset.
We have one more day before we board the ship and we are ready. It's still hot. I fulfilled my quest for a second bathing suit which Jerry actually found for me for ten Euros. I don't know how I only took one bathing suit but half the trip was in cold weather so !i guess I thought one would be enough.
Today .will be another day at a glorious beach so I guess we all will handle it quite well. Last night we ate grilled octopus for the first time. It was delicious as has all the food been, no matter where we have eaten. But we are walking our asses off to counteract the effect of the food. Also sweating copious amounts from the excessive heat. I am visualizing the beach as I write this. I am now on the tram headIng towards that beach. It's ironic that we hardly go to the beach at home and that's a.ll we want to do here. Maybe it's because the beache Here are so different and we are swimming in the Aegean Sea just like Aristotle did at the dawn of civilization
Maybe I am walking on the same rocks Plato did.
Thursday, August 20, 2015
Athens
Went out to the Plaka tonight. It was like New Years Eve. Everyone was out and about. Little children running all over the place, entertainers, stores open, restaurants crowded. Walked around for hous after dinner taking it all in. We're not in Boynton Beach anymore, Dorothy!
Athens
Athens is under siege , my friends. A large ferry picked up a whole boat load of refugees near one of the Greek islands.and this morning dumped them at the port of Pireaus. They are swarming all over the place and it is just awful. They are pushing and shoving to get on the local trains and buses. I have no idea where they are going. They are in full desert garb and are followed by
Endless screaming children. The locals here are at their wit's end and are just throwing their hands up in frustration. Seeing this happening on the news is one thing, but being involved first-hand is another. They really are taking over the world and people had better wake up fast or buy a burka. I just can't believe what I am seeing.
I am now wondering what will happen if our ship comes across a boat load of refugees. Will they pick them up? Will they be joining me for dinner? Will they go on a shore excursion? As far as I know, it is the law of the sea to rescue anyone stranded at sea for any reason. Oh well, this could get interesting.
In the meantime, we made it through the mobs to downtown Athens where we decided to visit the main food market and it was fabulous. Fresh caught fish and slaughtered meats and freshly picked fruits and veggies, not to mention spices and nuts. It was colorful an exciting and well worth seeing. Now we are resting before the evening dinner excursion.
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Angina
Today we took an hour's ferry ride from Piraeus to the island of Aegina where we spent the day at a lovely beach. The water is very warm and there were no waves. We found that we had to break up the sightseeing with beach days because it is so hot.
I think two more bus loads of Chinese checked in. Tomorrow's breakfast ought to be fun. I might have to say something like haven't you ever eaten before? Or seen food?
We might have a problem here tomorrow because they picked up a boatload of migrants on one of the Greek islands and are bringing them into Athens tomorrow. It could get really nasty. Stay tuned
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Athens/Piraeus
Today was major sightseeing. We didn't go up to the top of the Acropolis because it was too hot and we have done that twice before. They still have the scaffolding up. It has been up for years. I guess they will never finish it. We did go to the Agoura and the library of someone who I forgot. It might have been Heracles. Some Ancient Greek. I really enjoyed it till the heat got to me. After a siesta we went for a lovely al fresco dinner at the marina. There was a nice sea breeze which helped. Then we decided to walk back to the hotel and of course got lost. At which point a Chinese couple who spoke no English asked us for directions and showed us a card from the hotel we are staying at. So, no Chinese, no English, no Greek, we found our way back to the hotel with the Chinese couple tagging along.
It will be an early night, before midnight that is, because we are taking a ferry to one of the islands tomorrow to get away from some of the crowds. It is crazy here. Millions of visitors from all over the world. It is rare that they will take credit cards. It's cash only in this shaky economy but it's a good rate for the dollar. So I am not finished shopping. I am just waiting till my shopping guru gets here in a few days. In the meantime, we are walking miles and sweating copious amounts while drinking gallons of water.
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