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.

Kifissia, Athens, Greece

Sometimes when things go wrong, they actually can turn out better!

We were joining our cruise ship Azamara Journey in Athens and needed to stay overnight before embarking.  Never having been to Athens, I checked where most of the cruise passengers were recommended to stay.  Grabbed the name of the hotel from the site and went to book it directly.  It was a bit confusing as there were two with similar names and of course I chose the nicest one and booked it.

Well, when we arrived at the airport in Athens we grabbed a taxi and told them the name of the hotel that was in the port area.  When the driver started driving through the countryside, we began to get a bit anxious as to what was happening and where we were heading.

Thirty minutes later we arrived Theoxenia Palace, Kifissia, a beautiful boutique hotel in who knew where. We queried where we were at the reception, and they explained that their sister hotel was the one at the port. We were informed we better leave early the next day, as traffic can cause massive delays and we didn't want to miss our ship. Although a bit nervous we decided to make the best of it and explore where we were. To our ultimate surprise just down the road was a plaza with some great outdoor restaurants and even a TGI Fridays!

Joined the locals at the restaurant/wine bar and ordered some drinks which were accompanied by
loads of bread and dips, gratis! (love the European way of always serving food with their drinks)  As night descended, we stayed and had dinner which came with so many added extra treats that our mistake was turning into the best time.

The next morning after a lovely breakfast we were guided towards a shopping strip that was walking distance away. Well, another wonderful surprise! All luxury name brands stores which were having an end of season sales. Yes, you guessed it, couldn't help ourselves and were late getting back to the hotel where our taxi was waiting to take us to the ship.

Arrived in the Port of Athens in approximately 40 minutes and started our embarkation process.
When we were finally allowed to our suite, we had a chilled bottle of champagne awaiting us to toast the voyage.



Next, we head off on our cruise, and the first port of call is Mykonos.

French Riviera

When travelling to France, a must is the French Riviera.
The French Riviera borders closely with Italy and Monaco.  Nice (pronounced Neece) is one of the best places to base yourself while you are exploring the area. It's quite a cosmopolitan place with influences from both France & Italy.
We stayed at the beautiful Hotel West End Hotel Nice, centrally located with a great view of the coastline. Easy access to the beach and a rather good buffet breakfast is available.

West End Hotel - Nice

We prefer to travel towards the end of Summer when the weather is not as hot, most of the Europe has gone back to work or school, and there are fewer tourists around. Although Nice has a very touristy culture, by this I mean many eateries that cater to western culture cuisine such as pizza, pasta, etc. there are still some fabulous areas that showcase the French way of life.

I would recommend that you walk through and enjoy the old quarter of Nice. Here you find artisan food and textiles and can experience life the way it once was with the small winding roads and beautiful buildings of the past.

Of course, just around the corner is beautiful Monte Carlo in Monaco. Definite a must see to experience how the other half live or maybe just want to be perceived. Although it's an expensive coffee or drink at the Cafe du Paris next to the casino, it's worthwhile to sit, and people watch. If you're a car enthusiast, then you'll be in paradise with all the luxury cars that cruise by.

Don't forget to visit the marina and walk along all those magnificent yachts and dream of the life that could be.

The lifestyle in France is relaxed and all about enjoying the moment, the food and social outings.

The French Riviera has something for everyone, and there are some divine towns to visit in the area, just jump on the train and travel along the coast in either direction and you'll find many surprises. Try a trip over the border to Italy or Monaco for a change. It's at your fingertips.

As the French are fond of saying Ces't le vie (that's life!)

Mount Buller, Australia

Mount Buller is a fabulous ski resort only two and a half hour drive from Melbourne, which makes it readily available for a weekend visit. It has been rated as the "best all over mountain experience' in Australia. Its catch phrase is known as being "On top of the world'.
Mt Buller has various restaurants catering for every budget, from multi-award, winning Grimus Kaptans Restaurant to Abom fast food & pizza dining and numerous apres bars.  There are quite a few ski rental places that cater to the novice and can gear you up completely to the experienced wanting to try out demos, and of course the helpful Mt Buller information people wondering through the village to offer guidance.

The majority of the mountain is ski in ski out but otherwise there is a free shuttle that transports all the skiers around. Mt Buller has 22 lifts and over 50 trail runs, the majority of the runs are intermediate, but there is still an abundance of expert runs as well as excellent facilities for beginners.

There are central food stations that offer good food & coffee to warm you up or keep you going. Kofler's (above), Tirol & Grimus like some of the other lodges and restaurants are run by generational families who love the mountain and are happy to chat about the mountain past and present.

There are a wide variety of accommodation choices, from lodges to apartments and hotels to suit every type of budget. The styles range from the original A-frames to the modern townhouses.

 

After a good day skiing, join the Apres crowd for Happy Hour and watch the beautiful sunset over the mountain or just enjoy the view from your accommodation and relax till the next day brings it all over again.

Mt Buller may not be one of the highest mountains in Australia, but it makes up for what it lacks in height by making it a perfect place to stay on the mountain, enjoy the snow, skiing and the nightlife.
An ideal location to experience the snow or enjoy a ski holiday.