Mediterranean Cruise Part 4

Finally, we arrived at the port I had long been awaiting, Koper, Slovenia. I know that the port or even the country aren't on many people's bucket list, or even any list at all. But I fell in love with Slovenia when I visited in January a couple of years ago. I won the trip through ACIS and despite the winter weather, I became a fan of Slovenia. It is absolutely lovely, clean, and friendly. This visit afforded me the opportunity to see another part of the country.

We chose to take an excursion through the ship to the Lippizaner horse training farm,

followed by a visit to a frescoed church. Neither one disappointed.

Mediterranean Cruise Part 3

Leaving Greece for the second half of our cruise, we visited Croatia next. The first port was Dubrovnik, the most memorable in my estimation. It was sunny and very hot once again, but walking the walls was an activity not to be missed. The views were breathtaking from the medieval city below to the bright blue sea. We ducked into a church now and then to cool off.

Next stop, Kotor, Montenegro. This was a quaint town that was easily walkable. Folk dancing in the square and a small, but outstanding religious museum were the highlights.

Korcula and Split Croatia were interesting to see, but there wasn't much in either port to offset the soaring temperatures outside. We wandered around in the morning and spent the afternoon on the ship. In particular, the ancient buildings of ancient Split juxtaposed with the very modern city activities was unusual.

Mediterranean Cruise Part 2

We chose this cruise itinerary because it included multiple stops in Greece. Our first and only Greek port in the first twelve days was Kerkira, Corfu. The day was beautiful, sunny, and oh so windy. In fact, once we made it to the pier, our tour guide said that it was so windy, the guides were taking bets on whether we would be able to dock at all. I am so glad we did, because I loved my first experience with Greece.

We took an excursion that showed us the best of Corfu. From high up above the sea, we had a wonderful vantage point as we visited a Greek Orthodox church and monastery. The bell towers were distinctive of the Greek churches. The markets were familiar, even if the alphabet was not.

Mediterranean Cruise Part 1

My goal is to post more regularly -- but life gets in the way. So, back to my trip last summer. After we left the hill towns in Italy, we boarded our cruise ship home for 24 days, the Westerdam. This is one of Holland America's sister ships, all with "direction" names. I have previously traveled on the Oosterdam and the Zuiderdam, but this one is my favorite. I can't say why, but perhaps since I was on it for 24 days, it began to feel like home.

A trip like this in the Mediterranean/Adriatic is a whirlwind of ports, with different sights, sounds, and smells each day. We began with our first port the very next day. Messina, Italy was drenched in sun. We had to wait in the blazing sun to see the bell tower come alive with moving figures. It was worth the wait.

The second port was Valetta, Malta. As my mother used to say, "it's not hot unless it's Malta hot." Well, it was most definitely Malta hot. The streets were steep, narrow, and crowded. The churches were magnificent. After a couple of hours, it was time to return to the ship for some A/C and relaxation.

There followed two sea days. Well actually, one was a stop in Gozo, Malta where we decided to stay onboard and treat it as a sea day. We needed the break after six days of nonstop touring in the hot weather.

Italian Hill Towns: Orvieto, Siena, Assisi

Upon arrival we arranged for the rental car and headed to Orvieto. The beautiful church with striking mosaics and striped sides sat right in the middle of the square. Our "hotel" was part of a monastery run by the friendly Fr. Victor. No air conditioning, an elevator that didn't go all the way to our floor and a view of another building - but the price was right and we were right in the center of quaint Orvieto. If we had known it was going to be so hot, we might have made another choice. This was the beginning of twenty nine days of sweltering heat.

 Around every corner were breathtaking views and interesting shops.

After a night in Orvieto, we headed to Siena for two nights. We stayed in a former convent turned into a hotel very near to St. Catherine of Siena's convent. The views from the room were outstanding, but it showed us what "hill town" meant. Much of the center of town was free of cars but filled with steep streets.

One of the most enjoyable parts of traveling is coming upon local celebrations that you were not aware of. In Siena, they were getting ready for the Paleo horserace that takes place in the center of town. Each neighborhood has a symbol and had parades to cheer on their entrant in the paleo. The parades are colorful and loud and oh so accessible to local and visitor alike.

Back Again

So, I haven't posted in a couple of years, but that doesn't mean I have been sitting at home. I will make some posts about some of my favorite travels and then get serious about blogging as I travel.

I blogged about my travels with SJS students and parents in April 2017 on my other blog entitled SJS European Adventure, so I won't go into that here. Let's just say, it was a wonderful trip, great company, fantastic sites, and a visit in Barcelona with our former French teacher.

Since then, I have had several "adventures". First, was an outstanding four day trip to Italy, followed by a 24 day cruise on the Westerdam. In the next posts, I will talk about some of the highlights of that trip.

If you follow me, you know that I am a big fan of Holland American Line (HAL) for cruising. I firmly believe that there is a cruise line for everyone. HAL is mine. I love the ships, the service, the food, and the slightly older clientele. There is always something for me to do, or quiet spots to just enjoy the voyage. The mid-size ship is my size ship. Each traveler should seek out what calls to them in the way of an onboard experience. I have sailed on five different cruise lines, and I would encourage anyone thinking about cruising to investigate them to find the best fit. Sometimes, you won't know the fit until you take a voyage.

But before we boarded the Westerdam, there were a few days in Italy....

Cruising and travel to France are two of my passions.