Messina and Stromboli

Today we were in Messina Sicily. We docked right in town so it was easy to walk I to town. We came to Sicily several years ago so we had seen all the major things to see such as Tariomina. So walked into Messina to see the Duomo and its fabulous clock. It only does its thing at noon so we wandered around but really, if you have been there before, there is not much else to see. So we went to the cafe by the clock and used wifi, had cokes, and eventually had another great pizza. If you have been to Italy, you know that the food is not expensive but if you sit to eat it or use a table, the charge is more than double. Still for us, it was worth it to sit and enjoy the scenery and people and free Internet while we waited for time for the clock. To me, this clock is the most impressive I have ever seen and we have seen a lot of moving clocks. The loin roars again and again and the cock crows and the disciples move around, a dove flies, music plays and it lasts almost 15 minutes. We enjoyed it as much this time as last time.
We came back to the ship and sat out on the deck as the weather is just fabulous. It was a wonderful, enjoyable afternoon. We ate dinner by the window as we left Messina at sunset. By eating early, we have gotten window seats almost every night. It has been nice.
The highlight came tonight when we sailed past Stromboli. Wow! The volcanic eruptions were pretty awesome! It was not as spectacular as Mt Etna was a few years ago when we went to the airport very early in the morning and it was a thing of beauty. But I am fascinated by volcanoes so seeing Stromboli spout at night was great. It is not constant so we had to wait and watch like you do with fireworks but our patience was rewarded. The maitre d' had told us that at night you could not see much, so we were pleasantly surprised.


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More photos

Tuesday in Croatia

Today started off rainy, sprinkles or drizzles. We took the shuttle bus into the old town and got inside the gate, and the floods came. We had umbrellas and rain jackets but even so we were getting soaked. We made our way to a small cafe that had wifi and had a coke and waited out the worst of it. Our timing was pretty good as it let up when we left and didn't rain that hard again for us. After lunch I think there were other downpours but we were back on the ship by then. We had decided we were going to take the cable car up the mountain as it is back running again. But not today because of the weather. And we walked the walls last year and we knew with the foggy conditions, that our photos would not turn out. So we just wandered the old town, shopped a bit, and came on back to the ship for lunch. It is warm again despite the rain. Last night we hit some really rough seas as it woke us up rocking. Tonight, it is still rocking a good deal. We just got back from the show-a great tenor. The stage curtains swayed with him. The shows have been pretty good-ranging from a juggler comedian, acrobatics, and a magician.
It has been a really good cruise. I do think my back to back travels caught up with me in that my packing job was off but is not a problem. It has been more funny than anything.






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Split

Rubbing the statues big toe is supposed to bring you good luck


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Split, Croatia

Again we had a fun day. The weird part was that these as we're so rough that the tenders were rocking and rolling like crazy. Getting from the tender back on the boat was a big jump! My stomach could not have taken much more. Thank goodness for good stabilizers on the Jade!
The town of split was really fun and interesting. Diocletians Palace was so neat and later generations used it as a fortress and moved their entire town inside its walls. There were just so many neat alleys and shops and columns and arches everywhere you turn.
We stopped for pizza at an old little cafe and just enjoyed the ambiance. Wifi was
Plentiful and it had great little shops. We went to the market and laughed as the pigeons were giving the shop owners a run for their money, especially the stalls that were selling nuts. Didn't make me want to buy any nut or food there but it was funny to watch.
It was a fun morning and we braved the tender and came on back to the ship about 1:30. 4 o'clock was the last tender.


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Location:Split

Koper, Slovenia

Today is a pretty slow day. We walked into the town of Koper and it had not waked up yet. It had a quaint old town and we wandered around for several hours. We finally came back to the dock as they have free wifi there. We found out after we came back on board for lunch that we could get the free wifi on the deck near the dock. So that is where I am writing this. There is a band playing on the dock and a few little craft tables. I bought a hand knit hat from the lady that made it as I forgot to pack one and early this morning it was cold. Not now. It is warm, sunny and beautiful. This was the first time ever that NCL stopped in Koper. It is not very touristy but has potential. And Jim and I liked it as it was our first time in Slovenia. Haven't downloaded photos yet.


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Venice

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Olympia and Venice

Today we had a fun day on our own. Having been to se the ruins in Olympia before, we did not need to go back. But we took the train from katakolon where the ship docked. The trip took about an hour and we love train rides so that was fun. Olympia was relaxed and had nice shops and we strolled around. Then we found the best sidewalk cafe and had pizza and used the wifi.
Then we took the train back to katakolon and wandered the shops there. The books had said there was nothing there but we found it to be a wonderful little port town with tons of shops and cafes. It was a wonderful day.

Yesterday was the end of the first cruise and the start of the second. They made it very easy for us. We left with a shuttle furnished by the boat. We were under the impression we could spend the day and have a ride back to the ship. In hindsight, we should have done it on our own. By the time we got to St Marks square, we would only have had two hours before we had to come back. So we came back on our own. We wandered St Marks square and took photos. Last time we came the entire square was flooded and we had to walk on raised walkways. There was a tiny bit flooded but nothing like last time so it was nice to see it without balancing. We got a vaporetta pass and went down the Grand Canal past the Rialto bridge and got off. There are tons of little shops and cafes and it is a great place to wander. We found a little jazz cafe that had wifi and the best pizza. Yum. It began to cloud up so we got back on a vaporetta and headed for the dock. We got off at the right stop and tried to find the people mover. We knew it was near but with the rain, we could not find the right building. We asked two men near us and it turned out they were Norwegian Jade crew members. They pointed us to just walk to the ship. We tried and ended up where we could see it but get there for the water. So we back tracked and found the people mover and rode it to the dock. We were quite wet when we got back inboard as it turned cold with the rain. We went on deck and took photos as we sailed out of Venice. It is a lovely view. Another great day.

Location:Greece

Mykonos and Delos

We are at an Internet cafe on Mykonos. It is beautiful here. We just got back from a 3 hour trip to Delos. We did not do a tour but took a boat out there and back and wandered around on our own like we like to do. Gorgeous weather. So many ruins you could not go to all of them. Jim climbed to the very top of the mountain, but I sat and enjoyed the view before the steep climb. Now we are back in Mykonos and going to wander around.


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Location:Αγίας Κυριακής,Μυκόνου,Greece

Our day in Sanorini

We did not arrive at Santorini until 1:30 so we had a restful morning. Again the weather is beautiful. This is the perfect time to take a cruise here. Only another week or two in the Greek Isle tourist season so discounts are in most of the stores. When we got to Santorini, we tendered to shore. The only three ways to get up to the towns are by cable car which is nice but slow as only about 36 can be taken up at a time. You can take a mule ride up but apparently you smell like a mule all day when you do. You can walk up but it is steep and you walk behind the mules....and their poop. We talked to some folks who did that and they were young and said they were wiped out when they got to the top and did nothing else. So we took our only ship tour because they tender you to a different port and you go to the two towns by bus. And they give you a cable car ticket to come down. First they took us to Oia and we had two hours there. Quaint shops. Narrow lanes, white buildings, blue domed churches, and gorgeous views of the water caldron formed by an ancient volcano. When we came last time, it was a gorgeous sunny day but the wind was too strong for the tenders to be able to come to the ship so all we could do was look from the ship. So it was special to be able to go up and see the towns . After Oia, we went to Fira where the cable car comes down. We went to a nice cafe that had free wifi and shared photos on Facebook. I figured how to get these updates onto blogger. I am writing them at night one day and putting them on blogger when we find a wifi place the next day. So far we have avoided the high costs of Internet on the ship.
The ship is nice. We are enjoying the down time and eating way too much. Jim's back is bothering him when he sits or reclines which is different from before as it bothers him less when he walks. But he is doing fine and we are grateful that we can still travel.
Tomorrow is Mykonos and we may be adventurous and take a ferry to Delos for part of the time.


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Location:Santorini, Greece

Corfu

Today we were on the island of Corfu. It is very different from the other Greek islands we have been to. It is much more like Capri Or an Italian village to me, except the Greek Orthodox Church is a huge part of daily life here and candles and icons Anne other religious items are sold in many of the shops. The lanes are narrow and wind with steps and laundry hung to dry from upper windows. It is very quaint and lovely. It is very walkable and I really enjoyed our day. We left the ship early as the gangway opened at 8 AM. We took a shuttle to the port building, then we paid 1 .5 Euros each to ride from there into old town. It is walkable but we were not sure how far it was so saved our energy for the walking there. There was an old fort and a new fort and an old port and anew port. Actually, it was all easy walking and easy to see everything in plenty of time. We stopped at McDonalds and got cokes and used their free wifi. It was very pleasant, right in the middle of town, Andrew were abletogetthebrief sad story about the AU football game and catch up a bit on news.
We found me a pretty silver antiquey cross that I really like and a few other odds and ends. The shops were very nice and it is at the end of the season, so they were ready to deal.
We stopped at a pastry shop to get me cheese pie and it was delicious. The pigeons were grateful for the crumbs and scenes from The Birds crossed my mind!
We got back to the bus at the perfect time. It started raining as we drove back to the port. We went into the port building and through security. By the time we came outside, the shuttle bus was there to drive us right up to the ship.
Tonight we had a pizza specially made for us. We had it in the South Seas dining room. I just order each night what I want. It is working fine so far.
Wish I had packed more short sleeved shirts. The temperatures sounded cooler than they have felt so I especially brought almost totally 3/4 sleeve shirts. Oh dear, guess I will just have to buy a few tshirts!


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Location:Εικοστής Πέμπτης Μαρτίου,Θήρας,Greece

To China with the McDaniels!!

We are about ready to head to Atlanta to catch our plane this week for a trip to China with the McDaniels.  We are all so excited about this trip as we have been talking about the possibility for a year now.  We have wanted to take the older grandchildren with us on a trip when they were old enough to enjoy it and we wanted their parents to go along with us to enjoy it!  Hopefully we will have wonderful memories that we will always cherish.  It is so hot in Alabama right now that I think it is preparing us for the weather in China. 
Watch for our posts starting about Wednesday, July 3.  We fly out on July 4.