Our last stop on our transatlantic cruise is in San Juan PR USA.  When we arrived in San Juan, the ship had to undergo customs inspection, and we had to immigrate into San Juan as part of the process.   Jim and I had a great tour at the Bacardi House (Casa de Barcardi) in…

Our trip to Greece and then cruising back to USA has been filled with many great adventures and plenty of time to be ourselves on this adventure. During the cruise portion of our trip, we opted to have a shared table for dinner. This is a great way to meet a variety of people.  We…

  A Seaday Adventure The sun had barely risen when we stepped onto the deck of the Oceania cruise ship Vista. The crisp ocean breeze greeted us as we inhaled deeply, feeling the promise of adventure fill the air. It was the first sea day of our seventeen-day-long voyage from Roma through the Caribbean, finally…

Today is a sea day, and we passed through the Straits of Gibraltar this afternoon. The known world is behind us, and we are venturing to the New World or Atlantis, whichever comes first into view. This is our second trip through the straits; this time, we can see the straits since it is a…

Hello. Today, we stopped in lovely Valencia, Spain (Nov 22nd) Valencia has a long and fascinating history dating back over 2,000 years. The Romans founded it in 138 BC as “Valentia.” Over the centuries, various civilizations ruled the city, including the Moors and the Christian Reconquista. Valencia is the third-largest city in Spain, with wide…

After we sailed from Palmero, the ship’s master (captain) notified us that our next port of call, Salerno, Italy, was being canceled, and we were heading to Roma for protection from a storm with strong winds. Roma was our port of call after Salerno, which was a little disappointing to us and Giddy.  Giddy had…

Palermo is the capital of Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and an autonomous region of Italy. It is a vibrant city with a rich history that reflects its diverse cultural influences from various civilizations that have occupied the area over the centuries, including the Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, Normans, and Spanish.   The…

  Malta is a beautiful Mediterranean island country known for its rich history, stunning architecture, vibrant culture, and crystal-clear waters. It is located in the central Mediterranean Sea between Sicily and the North African coast and is a crossroads of various cultures. Malta has a mix of influences from the different civilizations that have ruled…

Dubrovnik Croatia Dubrovnik is a beautiful coastal city along the Adriatic Sea in southern Croatia. It is known for its stunning medieval architecture, well-preserved city walls, and rich history and is often called the “Pearl of the Adriatic.” When we exited the ship just after docking, we met a stiff breeze at about 20 mph…

  Montenegro – Kotor Our cruise ship, Oceania Vista, docked in Kotor, and we did a quick tour of the town. Kotor is a picturesque coastal town located in Montenegro, situated in the northeastern part of the Adriatic Sea along the Bay of Kotor. This UNESCO World Heritage site is renowned for its stunning natural…

This past Monday, November 11th, Veterans Day, we boarded the cruise ship Oceania Vista and set sail to the Ionian and Adriatic Seas. Along the way, we stopped at three beautiful areas on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea. Our cruise cabin was a nice size with an extended outside deck—larger than our hotel…

While staying in Athens, we scheduled several day trips around the area, outlined below. Traveling around Greece is easy with updated highways. Most are toll roads that branch out from Athens and are accessible across the country to various sites. After that, the roads can become narrow in the countryside. Now, driving in Athens—I would…

A little about Delphi – established in the 6th century BC was a religious center and symbol of unity of the ancient Greek world. Delphi lies between two towering rocks of Mt. Parnassus, known as the Phaidriades (Shining) Rocks, in the Regional unit of Phocis in Central Greece. Here lies the Pan-Hellenic sanctuary of Apollo,…

Temple of Poseidon The temple of Poseidon was erected during the Golden Age of Pericles around 400 BC, was devoted to Poseidon, the Olympian God of the Sea. It is located at the edge of Cape Sounion on the southern coast of Attica and offers a spectacular view of the Aegean Sea. Poseidon’s mighty monument…

Corinth Canal   We traveled on a day trip from Athens and made a short stop at the Corinth Canal.  The picture is not impressive overall; however, its historical and commercial significance is important.  The canal has stood the test of time from landslides to deliberate explosions to close the canal. Giddy wanted to go for…

Clearance level Required 00 It is well-known that Ἀθήνη (Athḗnē) was the most powerful and glorious town of ancient Greece. Its residents managed to develop a wonderful civilization that is admired today. It is also known that the city got its name from Athena, the goddess of wisdom and courage. Today, we are heading to the Meteora…

Giddy here.  I am off on a new journey with my friends Bonnie and Jim to Athens, Greece, where civilization in the known world started. We traveled via American Airlines with a transfer in London to British Airways, which took a total of 25 hours, including layovers. Our three suitcases made it, but one had…

We left the beautiful island of New Caladenia and Ilot Maitre to head back to Sydney. Thankfully we left plenty of time for  Noumea airport check-in.  We had valid visas but were not recognized by Qantas Air to travel.   The Qantas Customer Service agent (Noleen) in New Caladenia was very helpful and we made are…

We travelled from Auckland to Noumea via Air New Zealand which was a comfortable 2.5 hr flight. This was our totally relaxing portion of our trip.  We stayed at the Hiton Doubletree on island of Ilot Maître off the coast of Noumea New Caledonia. We arrived on March 26 and stayed through April 2nd.  Our…

Known as the ‘city of sails’, Auckland is New Zealand’s largest city and one of its most striking.  The Americas Cup was won by New Zealand in Auckland in 2023.  Auckland is based around 2 large harbors and is the major city in the north of New Zealand’s North Island. In the center, the iconic…

New Zealand has two separate areas which are North Island and South Island.  These are completely different in geography, weather and people. On board the Brillance of the Seas, we had four stops in Pitcan, Christchurch, Dunedin, and NZ Fjords.  We then sailed back to Sydney to catch a flight from Sydney to Auckland. In…

Hello to all Since our last post, we stopped at three ports: Adelaide, Melbourne in Australia, and Hobart in Tasmania.  Technically all three are in Australia since Tasmania is the 5th state.  Each stop was short in time, so we tried to use it wisely.  However, getting on and off the ship takes approx. a…

March 1, 2024 – Freemantle WA Today we left the ship and hiked through town.  Freemantle is the port city in western Australia (WA) off the Swan River.  We stopped and visited the Shipwrecks Museum which was quite interested, and then had lunch at Little Creatures a brewpub on the waterfront.  Two local beers and…

We arrived in Perth Australia and Giddy kept bugging us to go sand boarding.  Now we have previously gone sand boarding with friends during our New Mexico trip while visiting White Sands. We travelled two hours north of Perth through the bushland to Nambung National Park where there were large white sand dunes. This is…