Split, Croatia

Arriving into Port, you see the wonderful mixture of Ancient and modern buildings that make up the second largest city in Croatia.  The beautiful Adriatic sea at its doorstep with the mountains as a backdrop makes a picturesque setting.

My best advice is to organise a private tour with locals to get an in-depth feel and understanding for this city. This way you basically have a one on one with the guide, and you are able to learn a lot more than the superficial history of the place.

We did have a fantastic guide Katija and the driver Igor who understood we wanted to know as much as possible in the limited time we had and wanted more than the standard tourist routes.

Our first destination was the Diocletian's Palace which is a Unesco World Heritage Site. We began the tour labyrinth of Subterranean tunnels of the palace that was built in the 4th Century for Emperor Diocletian. The Palace has quite an interesting history with so many changes through time with so many other countries claiming this port. Exploring the ruins that are mixed in with current buildings gives you a whole new perspective of how cities progress.

If you are into art, especially sculpture head towards the museum of the famous Croation artist Muzejlivana Mestrovica and view his sculptures. My favourite was the one entitled 'Pieta' which he did 2 years after the tragic suicide of his son.

If you want to try some authentic Croatian cuisine, there's a lovely seaside town called Omis that has a nice outdoor restaurant, next to a clear stream called Radmanove Mlinice, although a tad touristy it has good food and I'd recommend the mixed grilled plate, especially the Cevapcici!

And when you finish your delicious local cuisine, do as the locals, find a cool place and take a nap!

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Dubrovnik is well known as 'The Pearl of the Adriatic' a beautiful gem of a city. A walled city that once rivalled Venice as a maritime trading centre. Walking along the wall, seeing all the architecture and watching the way of life of this bustling tourist city.

There's so much to see in Dubrovnik, and you can spend lots of time just wandering around this beautiful city. Stunning views that can give you a feeling of peace, you can enjoy the hustle and bustle of a busy city, it's a great tourist destination.

        

We decided to get a quick dinner before boarding the ship. The last bus was leaving the centre square at 8:30 pm to return us to the ship, so we headed out for an early dinner. We found this excellent restaurant between the lanes that served regional fare. Enjoying the meal and wine, we realised the time went faster than anticipated. We quickly paid our bill and were just in time for the last bus, but there was no bus to be seen. We looked around and realised that the last bus had left without us. We decided that we need to quickly catch a taxi back to the ship. We joked that we need to take the taxi all the way to the next destination in Split. As we watched ships leaving port, we were fortunate that ours was the last to leave, and as we boarded the ship closed the doors, and the ship prepared to depart. A close one!

Well, it just shows that a good time in a beautiful city makes time fly by. There is always time to enjoy food, wine & friends. Here is another city we need to make a return visit to. Its great to get a taste of the places so you know which you would like to see and explore further.









So much to see in Dubrovnik but even better when shared with friends!

Kotor, Montenegro

Located along one of World’s most beautiful bays is Kotor, a city known for traders and famous sailors.

The Old City of Kotor is typical of the Middle Ages; it is well-preserved urbanisation, built between the 12th and 14th century. Medieval architecture and numerous monuments of cultural heritage have made Kotor a UNESCO listed “World Natural and Historical Heritage Site”.

Through the entire city, the buildings are crisscrossed with narrow streets and squares. One of these squares contains the Cathedral of Saint Tryphon (Sveti Tripun), a monument of Roman culture and one of the most recognisable symbols of the city. It should be on your must-see list.

Unfortunately, it was a short visit here at Kotor, and we got a rain day, but that doesn't stop the sightseeing. The beautiful buildings are great to visit, shopping is good too, value for money here. The cheapest coffee of the trip 2.50 Euro. It didn't take long to tour the township and not being on a tour we just moseyed along and enjoyed the morning.

There are lots of sightseers with Tourism being the prime income source in Kotor. Enjoying the sights, we finally got fed up of the rain and decided to find somewhere for lunch and to enjoy the afternoon indoors.

We found a lovely restaurant that had a good menu, a glass of wine and a fabulous view. A great way to spend a rainy afternoon when on limited time from the ship.

I would like to return here to actually spend some time and discover more of Kotor. It's always good to have places you can return to and know you want to explore more.

Katakolon Greece

I adore seeing ruins and learning about the ancient history that began our civilisations. So heading for Katakolon was exciting and it didn't miss its mark. We took our tours to Olympia and Zeus & Thera's temple. This site is where the Olympic games began as a religious ceremony for the gods, showcasing the naked bodies of the athletes to the spectators (men only) so they could admire the perfect form.
Women were not allowed in the arena, and if found there would be killed. (A touch harsh in my opinion). The torch that signals the beginning of the Olympic games is lit here in an ancient ceremony to begin its journey to the country holding the games. That would be a splendid time to visit.

I love everything about mythology and enjoy reading about it in non-fiction and fiction books. We're the gods benevolent or were they selfish gods? How did they interact and how did their hierarchy and civilisation work? The more you learn, the more questions are raised. It's speculated in mythology that due to the fact that people stopped worshipping these gods they lost their powers but continue to wait and hope that they will once more be in favour. Interesting thought that gods just hang around waiting for us to revisit our worship of them.

It's fabulous to wander around and learn about those times as well as listen to the guide. Some guides are more knowledgeable than others and can answer all the questions, you're fortunate when you get one like that in a place like this.

These photos depict some ancient artefacts, statues and a representation of what Zeus and Thera's temples were like.  These show the skill of the artisans that created these figures in this period and the simplicity of the armour made and worn in that time.

The statues depict stories of the time, one such is; a seer advised a father that his daughter's husband would kill him. So he made all suitors race him, but as he had the fast horse, he always won. Until one day the daughter fell for a handsome suitor and bribed the servant to replace all the metal pins with wax. Obviously, the suitor won, and he promptly killed the father, and the premonition came true. Fate, Coincidence or inevitable in that time period?

If you love mythology and ancient history, it's a place you must see. Of course, there is so much more to the area, but for me, this was where I wanted to visit most.

Chania, Crete Greece

Our Next Port of call was Chiana, Crete, it's a beautiful blend of Old and New and has a strong Venetian and Ottoman influence due to its history of occupation. It's on the north-west side of Crete and is a modern city built on the ruins of the ancient city of Kydonia.
Chania itself is not large, but there's a lot to explore with the bountiful sidewalk cafes and restaurants, the architecture of the historic pastel townhouses. The Firka Fortress, where the reunification of Crete with Greece was signified by the raising of the Greek flag in 1913 and the Archaeological Museum with Minoan & Roman artefacts are on your must see list.
The beautiful Venetian lighthouse below was part of the modernization of the harbour in 1500's and stand proud and tall.

The cruise line organised a re-enactment of a Cretian wedding for all as a special treat for the passengers. All the passengers wanting to attend were taken ashore to be part of this fantastic festival for us. We were served traditional foods and partook in the wedding ceremony and reception. A beautiful summer night in the town square made this event very enjoyable.

The island also boasts a beautiful beach Elafonisi which is south-west of Chiana. Unfortunately, we never got there as time was limited, but we're always happy to leave something to see or do so we can return.
We particularly enjoyed our visit to Chania, Crete, it's definitely on our list of return visits as we'd like to stay longer, explore and immerse ourselves in the culture and way of life.

Next Katakalon, Greece

Santorini & Paros, Greece

Our next port of call was Paros, we had a short visit so again we opted for the beach. We were taken to Christi Arti, the longest golden beach in Greece, a whopping 750 metres of sand! It's also the national windsurfing competition beach. We were told that the winds are prevalent in July/August and our day was unseasonably calm, therefore no windsurfers and a relaxed day at the beach.

We explored the port on foot, as you do, with it being a rather small town the area to discover was limited.  Other than the church with the 100 doors and its history, the township itself, which is a very quaint fishing village, there's not a huge amount to see. With the temperature sweltering, we chose to enjoy a local meal of saganaki, tzatziki and souvlaki with local wine and passed the afternoon away by the sea, chatting with the locals. You learn a lot more about a place when you chat with the local residents. They tend to tell you what it's like to live in their town and its history from their point of view.
We finished with a leisurely trip back to the ship to relax before dinner at one of the fabulous speciality dining restaurants on board and watched as we set sail for Santorini.

Santorini is as you would see on every travel brochure, picture perfect views. We opted to take the cable car up instead of walking or riding the mules up those long steps in the hot sun. A very wise choice in my book. The town itself has it's good and bad points, very touristy based foods and souvenir sellers everywhere you look.  It took us quite some time actually to find a local, regional Greek taverna, where we could experience the regional food prepared for the locals. Well worth the effort, as we enjoyed the fish, salads cheese and wine of the area.

Views from the top are spectacular and its lovely to sit and enjoy a cold drink taking in the scenery. The town is very picturesque and I particularly wish it was less touristy but understand how their economy is driven.
Still a beautiful place to visit and admire the spectacular views over the sea, the buildings along the cliff and the way of life of the locals.

Mykonos Greek Islands

Woke up after a pleasant night to the ship anchoring in Mykonos. Decided to take a tour to the beach as we were staying quite some time here.
We were taken by bus through some small winding roads to a beach called Elia where the waters were crystal clear. We were then charged for our seats and umbrellas about $20, we only had 3 hrs here, but it was plenty to enjoy the warm clear waters and bask in the sun.         

   
Being the morning, we also had the beach to ourselves, lovely!

After our morning beach excursion, we headed back to town to grab some lunch at one of the local cafes. We always try the local food as we want to know and understand the culture of the places we go, even if it's too fleeting to really immerse yourself at least you get a taste of the Greek Isles.

The view during our travels to the other side of Mykonos to the beach and the view from the cafe on the shoreline.  Love Greek food, so much fish and fresh produce especially with the market farmers selling their wares on the street.

Mykonos like many other Greek islands is a place that comes to life after dark when the youth are out and about and ready to party. Loved that our shipped docked overnight to allows us to enjoy the nightlife of this beautiful island. It's amazing how a slow moving daytime life becomes a buzzing nightlife. Everyone comes out to play after dark, an experience that I enjoyed being part of.

So if I were to describe Mykonos, I'd say  'a place for lazy days and fun filled nights'

Azamara Adriatic Sea Cruise

We chose the Azamara cruise line to sail the Adriatic Sea. This cruise line is one of the smaller lines of the Caribbean Cruise lines as the ship only has approximately 700 passengers on board. Being a smaller ship, you are able to go to ports and areas the larger cruise ships cannot, giving you the added bonus of touring places, not on the typical cruise line itinerary. This cruise line is more for the sophisticated traveller who wants to enjoy the culture of the destinations, and they are usually all like-minded, so you have a good group of passengers to befriend.

What I loved about this cruise line is that they are a cultural immersion journey where you get to stay at the port overnight to enjoy the city/town during the evening and night and experience more of the culture of your destinations.

The ship itself is just large enough to have your own space and yet cosy enough to meet new people and make friends. There are plenty of places to just sit back have a drink and relax, including your suite.

There is a choice of places to eat and enjoy different cuisines, whether you want a private dinner in your suite, an intimate dinner for two at a restaurant, or enjoy dinner with new friends in the dining room. The dining room has selections of regional menus that match the ports where it's docked.

Of course, there's always the entertainment from cabaret to casino, spa or pool. It's all there for you.

If you're fortunate to get a suite, it comes with added extras like a butler, afternoon snacks such as prawn platters or afternoon tea and a selection of alcohol in your suite.  

Being a smaller ship, you also get to know the crew who remember your name, your preferences and actually want to know about your day. I must say having the flexibility of staying overnight at our destination made the trip more enjoyable, no rushing back to the ship by 5 pm but being able to enjoy the local nightlife, especially in a place like Mykonos where it really comes alive after the sun goes down. The crew is on hand to welcome you aboard whether it's 7 pm or 5 am the next morning. 

I can certainly recommend this cruise line and will be cruising with it again in the not too distant future.