FUN-travel: Venice to Venice Seabourn Cruise – Day 9 – Ravinj, Croatia
October 16, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Venice to Venice Seabourn Cruise – Day 9 – Ravinj, Croatia
Day 28 – Sunday, October 13 – Seabourn Cruise Day 9 – Rovinj, Croatia – very windy, threatening clouds turn to sunny skies – really nice 70
What I LIKE
- 10:30 – walk off ship & very close to town
- locals market selling flavored olive oil, fruits, veggies & garlands of garlic & colorful peppers
- webbed with steep, winding cobblestone streets & piazzas
- 1st walk takes us to church on highest point
- lovely tranquil town
- totally different energy compared to hustle & bustle of Split on a Saturday
- quaint & charming too
- keep meandering through all city & come upon a
- dozen local couples tango dancing in small piazza
- 12:00 – cappuccino break in main piazza next to marina
- & when church bells toll celebrate Alexander’s birthday w/ice cream cone before lunch!
- great people watching
- 1:00 – back to ship lunch w/lovely brit couple Alan & Diane
- happy hour continues on sky deck
- full on sun w/enormous white clouds in distant
- 3:00 – golf putting
- 1st round – sink 2 hole in 1’s out of 4
- 2nd round – sink 2 hole in 1’s out of 4
- WATCH – I WIN! a
- mini Seabourn LED flashlight!
- those golf lessons paid off
- 6:30 – special crew farewell show
- 7:30 – dinner @ restaurant 2 – tasting menu – consists of 9 different items – porcini & chestnut cappuccino, honey spiced squab & fig empanada was my favorite! Also not bad – floating lobster, pesto cream, red pepper fondue, lime broth & grilled tenderloin, forest mushrooms, truffled emulsion
- 10:00 – show is On Broadway – musical favorites
What I DON’T LIKE
- can’t think of a thing!
What I Don’t Get – crew washing the decks – after all this rain?
FUN-fact – Picturesque Rovinj remains one of the last true Mediterranean fishing ports. The bell tower on the church is over 180 feet high.
Not so FF – Chris got stuck in the ship elevator on his way up for coffee for 10 minutes. He had to press the emergency button and reception told him they were on their way. At least the emergency button worked!
FUN-travel: Venice to Venice Seabourn Cruise – Day 8 – Split, Croatia
October 15, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Venice to Venice Seabourn Cruise – Day 8 – Split, Croatia
Day 27 – Saturday, October 12 – Seabourn Cruise Day 8 – Split, Croatia – windy but sunny! distant clouds hug mountains – 70
What I LIKE
- 8:15 – UMR
- they’re totally dialed in on the room service “hot” cappuccino
- 10:45 – walk off ship
- 11:00 – enter walled city – about 6 by 6 blocks
- very well preserved
- more windy, narrow cobblestone streets
- bustling w/activity
- senses are on “full”
- visually charming
- smell of fish mixed w/fresh bakery
- men singing & playing instruments
- get a deal on souvenirs – buy 10 get 1 free
- take US $
- *1:00 – lunch Mexican – chicken & beef fajitas – guacamole – refried beans
- nice afternoon nap (so I can party later)
- 7:15 – hosted dinner w/10 of us – marinated calamari salad – grilled king scallops
- **Georgi is from Bulgaria & most FUN host we’ve had – in charge of Security
- ***10:15 – liars club – very funny
- 11:15 – disco inferno dance party
- WATCH – I can see the moon!
- we have crickets on board @ sky bar – wander where they came from
- 12:30 – night night
What I DON’T LIKE
- tons of tourists
- *no jalapenos or tortilla chips
- thick ominous clouds fill the sky – windy & temp drops to low 60’s
- **invited to another dinner hosted by ship staff
- ***we don’t get 1 right
FUN-fact – The old town in Split was originally a palace for emperor Diocletian and covers an area of 32,876 square feet.
FUN-travel: Venice to Venice Seabourn Cruise – Day 7 – Kotor, Montenegro
October 14, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Venice to Venice Seabourn Cruise – Day 7 – Kotor, Montenegro
Day 26 – Friday, October 11 – Seabourn Cruise Day 7 – Kotor, Montenegro – thick dark morning clouds give way to sun – 70’s
What I LIKE
Kotor Old City
Chapel of Our Lady
- *scenic cruise of Kotor bay takes 1.5 hrs & pretty spectacular
- majestic mountains rise from sea on both sides of ship
- narrow channel winds through fjords (actually submerged river canyon)
- 7:30 – hot cappuccino finally (when restaurant opens)
- could have ordered room service on deck but didn’t want to start that – too many people
- no big ships can sail in here
- & we’re the only one today!
- 10:15 – short walk to wonderful walled city
- walk half way up hill to little Chapel of Our Lady – over 600 steps
- 1:00 – lunch as usual
- 1:30 – hire taxi driver – started @ $70 Euro & got down to $50
- he was very nice & gave him $60 Euro
scenic drive includes:
- 4 panoramic scenic view stops
- Sveti Stefan – 15th century fortified fishing village
- see Hotel Splendid where Casino Royale was filmed
- walk through old walled city of Budva
- end up on 2nd story rim (where guards were positioned to protect city
- very different experience looking down into city
- 3:20 – cappuccino break – have to potty & costs w/o receipt
- 4:15 – arrive ship
- 4:20 – happy hour outside w/snacks from high tea in lounge
- **6:00 – country tastings – wines & decadent delights from the countries we visited
- 7:00 – dinner on 2 – show up & it’s not fully booked – lobster ceviche w/avocado & cilantro lime dressing, zarzuela (seafood soup w/saffron) & grilled gambas w/risotto (pretty good)
- I can’t believe I stayed awake all day w/o nap
- 9:30 – time for night, night
On Walk Up
What I DON’T LIKE
- *6:40 – have to get up to see scenic cruise of Kotor bay
- only urn coffee
- **scheduled for outside deck 7 & once again moved inside due to weather (high winds)
- & basically a meat & cheese tasting w/only 2 wines (not as expected)
FUN-fact – Embracing the whole hillside of Kotor are the city walls covering a distance of nearly 5 kilometers. A long stairway leads up to the citadel on the hilltop, 260 meters up. The medieval city consists of a maze of lanes and small squares and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
More FF – Budva dates to 5th century BC and is the “riviera” of Montenegro.
Budva
FUN-travel: Venice to Venice Seabourn Cruise – Day 6 – Brindisi, Italy
October 12, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Venice to Venice Seabourn Cruise – Day 6 – Brindisi, Italy
Day 25 – Thursday, October 10 – Seabourn Cruise Day 6 – Brindisi, Italy – blue skies, full on sun – high 70’s
What I LIKE
- 8:00 – really hot capp arrives
- 10:30 – walk off ship
- really cute, clean town w/palm tree lined main street
highpoints we see on our walking tour w/free map (& sooz as guide):
- duomo (biggest church)
- castello svevo (castle still used as military headquarters)
- chiesa di San Benedetto (church)
- chiesa di S. Giovanni (church)
- porta Napoli – (entrance from original walled city)
- olonne romane (Roman column)
- palazzo granafei-nervegna (palace)
- chiesa di Santa Lucia (church)
- loggia balsam (intricate carved stone building decoration)
- *12:20 – cappuccino break (really need to go potty)
- LAU – lunch as usual
- 4:00 – happy hour outside @ Sky bar
- 6:00 – sail away
- **7:30 – dinner Restaurant 2 – Indian Market – open to all passengers – buffet w/ lots of options like potato & chickpea tikki, chicken kebab masala, curried shrimp
- get side of red chili sauce
- WATCH – sit w/another nice Brit couple
- 10:00 – English comedian Martin Beaumont – pretty funny!
WATCH – What Are The Chances!
What I DON’T LIKE
- *luke warm
- 1:30 – white cottony clouds start appearing from distance
- **not spicy enough for us – so little disappointed w/lack of typical flavors
- 11:30 – rain yet again!
- 11:45 – need to go to sleep to get up for scenic cruising of Kotor bay
FUN-fact – Brindisi has been known as the “Gateway to the East” since ancient times, when it became an important port, first for the Roman troops, and later for the merchants of Venice.
FUN-travel: Venice to Venice Seabourn Cruise – Day 5 – Igoumenitsa, Greece
October 12, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Venice to Venice Seabourn Cruise – Day 5 – Igoumenitsa, Greece
Day 24 – Wednesday, October 9 – Seabourn Cruise Day 5 – Igoumenitsa, Greece – threatening clouds but much warmer – high 70’s
What I LIKE
Olympia, Greece
- 8:30 – wake up to UMR
- 8:40 – really, really, hot room service cappuccino
Meteora
- 11:00 – shuttle to town
- 11:10 – arrive
- *walk thru town looking for the cute part
- do enjoy the locals out & about
- not a tourist town
- 12:30 – have walked back to ship
- LAU – lunch as usual
- 2:15 – manicure & pedicure in spa
- the best on a ship so far
- **6:45 – capt invite cocktail party for repeat passengers
- 7:30 – dinner w/Sabrina in Cruise Sales – 9 total – good conversation w/nice couple from Idaho
- Chef’s menu – foie gras mousseline pomegranate jelly – white plum tomato soup w/basil foam – slow braised seafood en croute – mango & passion fruit sorbet w/champagne pour – baked halibut Viennese style, pumpkin mash – beef tenderloin – pear & apricot phyllo crisp w/vanilla ice cream
- 10:00 – Ashley (Asst Cruise Director) does cabaret show (like the group better on Rock the Boat night)
- clock change – get our hour back!
Meterora
What I DON’T LIKE
- docked in Igoumenitsa – supposed to be in Argostolion
- TNH – that’s not happening!
- 2:00 – starts raining
- **don’t know anybody & pretty boring
- 7:00 – starts raining
- 11:45 – torrential downpour w/thunder & lightning
Olympia
FUN-fact – Meteora consists of granite pinnacles thrusting hundreds of feet skywards, forming isolated summits that were home to numerous ancient monasteries. One of the James Bond movies was filmed here, so we were told. (this was a 9 hr excursion, 5 hrs on the bus, & way too long for us!)
More FF – All of the pictures on this post were downloaded by Chris and represent everything we didn’t see in the past two days!
