Month: June 2023

Ancona – 20 June 2023

Posted on by Zogman

Where my dad worked during the war at the docks. It didn’t look as if it had changed much in the intervening years. Narrow old cobbled streets and wide squares.

Things to remember:

  • Got lost trying to find our way into the town.
  • Police (Carabineri) carrying shiny swords (celebration?)
  • Walked round the town squares.
  • Coffee in a street cafe.
  • Americano was a ristretto coffee with a jug of hot water.
  • Do it yourself coffee!
  • S had ice cream I had beer.
  • We found a park with Lavender growing in it, well looked after.
  • Two beers in the park.
  • Whitney Houston act in place of a show – we didn’t go on and on and on.
  • Listened to Shane the pianist in Flutes.
  • Had to listen Aka (Dolce) spouting his lack of knowledge about dance origins.
  • Watched him dancing with the little girl with the red shoes.

Trieste – 19 June 2023

Posted on by Zogman

Beautiful city. We both liked the architecture of the elegant buildings.

Things to remember:

  • Hundreds of yachts in the marina.
  • Diver working round the rusting pier.
  • Architecture.
  • Statues.
  • Walking down into an underground carpark to get the elevator to take us up to the Cathedral and Castle.
  • Beautiful cathedral.
  • Wedding.
  • Sparkling paintwork inside.
  • Castle reminded me of Blackness – same shape.
  • Panini with Bresaola and Brie for lunch in a street side cafe – D
  • Vegetable Club Sandwich – S.
  • Walking back to ship.
  • “Eataly” Italian restaurant.
  • Another wedding!
  • Strange looking yacht in the bay.
  • Nonna’s for dinner.
  • Pizza was overdone.
  • Show tonight was like a school show.

Today we were in Zadar – 18 June 2023

Posted on by Zogman

Zadar is one of our favourite places, although we often confuse it with Koper and that’s what happened today. We kept looking for places that were, in fact, in Koper – not Zadar.

Things we’ll remember:

  • The big white five masted sailing ship Windsurf (PoD).
  • The Sea Organ.
  • Punters dressed as Roman centurions for some reason.
  • Buildings in the town still with shell damage from the war.
  • Cats, both real and painted on walls.
  • The “Head Garden” of busts, so called by a tour guide.
  • Dinner in Kora La.
  • Watching a table of rowdies being told quietly to leave the premises.
  • Wondering if they were made to walk the plank.
  • Monkey towel animal. Not the scary monkeys we sometimes have.

All at sea – 17 June 2023

Posted on by Zogman

Today we were on a sea day, but at least it wasn’t raining!

The ship was busier after its mid cruise stop in Dubrovnik, so we thought it might be more difficult to get a pair of sun beds. It was, but with a bit of jiggery pokery we managed to move a couple of beds to a sheltered and warmer position and settled down to soak up some sun. That’s more or less where we stayed for most of the day, retaining our beds while we had lunch in Smash ’n’ Grab. We even got a splash in the pool and did some gentle washing of the costumes afterwards, hanging them on the back of a chair on the balcony. That became PoD. Yes, I’m still doing PoDs although I’ve been a bit lax with them recently!

Dinner tonight was in Nonna’s. Pizza for me and pasta for Scamp. She even found enough space to put away a Knickerbocker Glory afterwards.

Things we’ll remember:

  • A full day in the sun.
  • A splash in the pool.
  • Nonna’s for an Italian dinner.
  • Julio the waiter with that big wide smile supplying us with red wine.

Life is hard on a Sea Day!

Submarines, Cats and Islands – 16 June 2023

Posted on by Zogman

Today was Kotor and I was up early and out on the deck watching the ship sail through the narrow passages that would open into the Bay of Kotor. This is the part of the cruise that looks just like the west coast of Scotland. Although we’ve never actually sailed round the west coast, this is what I’d like to think it looks like. It was certainly Scottish weather at 6am. Not that warm and just a bit of dampness in the air.

I saw the old camouflaged submarine pens which apparently date back to WW2, but I missed seeing the two little islands in the bay. You can’t be on both sides of the ship at the same time. I saw the little lighthouse too as we entered the bay and didn’t realise it was also a church.

Later we got the tender that took us to the town and we walked into Kotor and through the old town. Scamp was looking for the Christmas shop where she always buys some souvenirs. It rained on and off all day. Not as bad as yesterday, but not what you want when you’re expecting sunshine!

In the evening we went to the ‘Sit Down’ dinner, and were finished just in time to see the two islands passing on the right (starboard) side of the ship. Two little man-made islands. One is a chapel and the other is a monastery.

Things we’ll remember:

  • The tender that took us over the sea to the town.
  • Cats. Cats everywhere.
  • Eating cherries we bought in the market.
  • Scamp’s face when she finally found the Christmas shop.
  • The submarine pens, or at least the entrance to them.
  • The two little islands.
  • The wee church that’s also a lighthouse.
  • The clear water running down from the mountains in Kotor town.
  • Watching town. float past the ship.
  • A surprise bunny wabbit towel animal on our bed.

The day the rains came in Dubrovnik – 15 June 2023

Posted on by Zogman

… and forgot to stop!

Things we’ll remember:

  • Waking to rain on the balcony.
  • Heavy rain, light rain, but constant rain.
  • Breakfast in “Smash ’n’ Grab”.
  • Constant messages from the Cruise Director.
  • Warnings to those going home to stay in your cabins until called.
  • Went for a walk in the afternoon.
  • Almost cut my hair – or got it cut.
  • Saw the ‘battleship’ and the armoured car.
  • No cats in the armoured car.
  • Watched the rain forming rivers on the windows of “Indigo”.
  • Tapas for dinner – excellent.
  • Show was “Movies”
  • Aka the professional male dancer’s flies burst open during his routine!
  • Nearly dropped his partner when the ship moved for him!
  • Brambles for two – very nice!

 

Bar – 14 June 2023

Posted on by Zogman

A small town that is a bit down at heel, but trying hard to make something of itself.

Things we’ll remember:

  • Beautiful sunrise and sail in.
  • Two Tui ships in port at the same time.
  • Free bus into town.
  • Decorated utility boxes (substations and the like) in town
  • Temple of St Jovan Vladimira. Frescos on every wall inside.
  • Wild flowers everywhere.
  • Chinese shop with everything, everywhere.
  • Vista restaurant for dinner – pretend posh Italian.
  • Vista didn’t cut the mustard.
  • Thunderstorm at night.

Corfu – 13 June 2023

Posted on by Zogman

A bit run down now and a long walk from the port to the old town. Bit the bullet and got the bus back.

Things to remember:

  • That long walk in the hot sun.
  • Been there before, but couldn’t remember any of it.
  • New building built onto ancient ruins.
  • Camera bag for €40 after a bit of haggling, but no sale.
  • €44 tee shirt. Nice shirt but 40 quid(??), no thanks.
  • Narrow streets.
  • Congested.
  • It rained!
  • Beer next to a naval base.
  • German Torpedos on display at naval base.
  • The Holocaust statue.

Katakolon or Katakolo – 12 June 2023

Posted on by Zogman

A small town in Greece.

Just really a main street with lots of touristy shops. Like so many of the ports on this cruise, it was only a berth to allow folk to be bussed to more interesting places. Today’s buses were going to Olympia. We weren’t on those buses, we made the mistake of going on a wee train. Forty five minutes waiting for the driver to drum up enough custom to make it worth his while driving us round a few miles up hill and back down again. If you ever get the chance to pre-book a ticket on one of these tours, walk away. All the folk on our train wished they had. But there were highlights in Katakolo too and here are some of them.

Things we’ll remember:

  • That wee train and the 45min wait.
  • The red parasols of crew from the posh Viking ship next door.
  • Greek salad for lunch in a quayside cafe.
  • Gyros.
  • Lines of olive trees.
  • Just how dry the landscape was.
  • View looking out from the harbour.

Water Leak – 11 June 2023

Posted on by Zogman

Today was Sunday in Piraeus and it was hot, but cloudy with the threat of rain and thunder storms.

We had a warning last night in our cabin that over 900 passengers would be leaving the ship at intervals in the morning to go on excursions, so probably best leave breakfast until a little later. This morning we had another warning, not the one you want to hear when you’re on a ship. There was a water leak and we were given an hour’s warning that the entire water system of the ship was being turned off.

After our late breakfast we made sure to use our time wisely and evacuated whatever needed evacuating, then left the plumbers or engineers to do their work. We walked off the ship and on into the town which seemed closed. Well, it was Sunday after all and we were in quite a small town.

I was searching for two things. The first was the fish market, which I didn’t find, presumably because it was Sunday and it would have been closed anyway. The second was the place where motorbikes go to die. It’s a bike shop on a street corner with some lovely machines inside. Outside is where the scrap bikes are left to be cannibalised for spare parts. I found it, up a steep hill with a children’s playground and dog walking area across the road. Got a photo of a Kawasaki chopper that might make PoD.

Things we’ll remember:

  • Late breakfast.
  • Water leak.
  • Looong walk into town.
  • Shops shut on Sundays.
  • Today was Sunday.
  • Angry dog.
  • Where motorbikes go to die.
  • Sunset over the mountains.