Sunday 24 September 2017 –
Venice.
Yesterday we said goodbye to our
Sorrento walking tour friends and were picked up by a black Mercedes, obviously
on loan from the local Mob, and were dropped off at Naples Airport. What a
chaotic place that is. Gesticulating Italians, queue jumping French, no rules,
little signage and everyman for themselves.
You can just imagine how long a “Hudson” would survive there. Amid all the chaos, carnage and queues we
eventually landed in our seats and away we went to Venice on our first ever
EasyJet flight.
Our travel agent recommended we
purchase the EasyJet Priority Access package and what a godsend that was. We
were jumped ahead of the queues and placed in a mini-chaotic location before
being allowed to invade the plane first. Those of us with priority access are first to the doors and get to put their carry-on luggage up first before the remaining foot soldiers arrive
where it’s every man for themselves, with no ticket check at the plane door or
showing you to your seat. The staff were clearly still recovering from the
previous invasion.
 |
| Venice - our Hotel is beside the second boat on the left |
Apart from an obviously Ritalin
deficient three year old behind us, the flight landed in Venice okay. A quick
taxi ride for a lot of money got us to Piazzale Roma, the closest anything with
wheels can get to Venice. Our lovely Hotel Olimpia was just over the first
canal which is spanned by one of hundreds of footbridges in this beautiful
city. The concierge was Robert, an
elderly Italian with a strong Welsh accent.
We enjoyed a welcoming complimentary prosecco as we sat watching
numerous narrow boats go up and down the canal in front of the hotel.
Dinner
was held at a nice restaurant where, on the way, we watched groups of gondolas
sailing past with an accordion player and singer singing those old chestnuts
like “Santa Lucia” which in English means “Give me a lot of money and I’ll
stand up in this narrow boat looking backwards while I sing and you look silly”.
Next day dawned and the clear
skies were hidden by storms and showers. We went for a walk to the Dorsodura
student area where we stayed in 2012.
 |
| Dorsodura student area where we stayed in 2012 our place with green door |
The rain came with us too which was nice. Finally the time came for us
to board our ship for a 9 night cruise to Athens. The cruise stops at Hvar and
Dubrovnik in Croatia, Kotor in Montenegro, several towns in Greece finally
arriving in Athens on Tuesday 3 October.
 |
| Where we went on the cruise |
Our ship's room is really nice
with its own balcony and (well you can just stand outside) and lounge. The food is fantastic and oh so plentiful
and the drinks exorbitantly priced so it looks like we will have the shakes for
the first couple of days. With only 200 passengers the Star Breeze is small but
quite luxurious. Most of the other passengers are American and
are all embarrassed by their President so anytime they start to talk about how
great they are we just raise Trump’s name and they apologise and change the
subject.
 |
| Inside - our cabin |
 |
| Outside |
Our first night aboard was very
comfortable and we were very surprised how extremely stable the ship was. We
woke up the next day still in Venice and still tied to the wharf. The weather was lovely and sunny so we headed
off very early into the city once more.
Once again we visited the highlights, St Mark’s Square, the Bridge of
Sighs, and the Rialto Bridge. It is
mandatory to get lost in the narrow stone laneways in Venice that all seem to
terminate at a canal so we did that as well. Finally we popped out into an area
we knew and headed back to the ship.
 |
| A Tug tug |
After
an hour of winding our way through narrow channels we entered the Adriatic Sea
and set off to Hvar, pronounced “Hvar”, in Croatia.
 |
| Leaving Venice |
Hvar is a Croatian island only
42klm long and in the summer (which ended last month) is a haven for young
English tourists wanting to party. Today the town of Hvar is still busy with
lots of huge boats and yachts anchored in the blue waters of its harbour.
 |
| Hvar, Croatia |
 |
| Hvar - our ship on the left |
We did a 4WD tour of the island with 14 other
passengers in four vehicles. Our driver
was the tour leader, a local and had studied political science so was a wealth
of information. The other couple in our car were Americans and he was the
typical loudmouth “I am the best 4WD’er ever because I drive on dirt roads in
Colorado”. His wife was lovely and
constantly tried to realign his ego and provided apologetic smiles to those
around her husband.
 |
| Don't know which way to look |
 |
| Olive press |
The tour was great with a visit
to a fort and then to a deserted old stone village with its old olive press.
Next we were driven high up to a ridge and through a town that is today occupied
by only 7 wealthy old Croatian men who drink wine, get into fights with each
other, attract women and chase those away because they drink wine and get into
fights with each other and simply get up the next day and do the same thing.
The last part of the trip was up to the highest point on Hvar that provided
spectacular views along the coast over islands and to mainland Croatia. Back down to shore we went and onto the
tender and back to the ship to relax for the reminder of the day.
 |
| Leaving Hvar |
An overnight sail took us to
Dubrovnik near the southern tip of Croatia. Having spent a few nights here a
couple of years ago where we did everything there is to do in this stunning
medieval old town, we had booked and paid for a high speed water cruise to the islands around
Dubrovnik through Windstar Cruises before we left on the trip. This was
cancelled because of “forecast bad weather”. On arrival in Dubrovnik the winds
were light, seas flat and the skies sunny – bad weather?? I was not happy so we (I) talked to the Shore
Excursions Office who really didn’t have a reason. We were then told that on the previous trip people complained about the speed the driver went. As it turned out after much
discussion there were too few people booked on the tour for them to
make a profit. We then found out that our booked tour into Albania in a couple
of days’ time had also been cancelled for the same reason. Not happy!
 |
| Ariving in Dubrovnik - note the bad weather and big waves. |
 |
| Kotor Harbour, Montenegro |
Next port of call was Kotor, Montenegro which is nestled at the end of a fiord like bay and is rated in the top 25 most beautiful bays in the world. Another beautiful walled city sat outside our cabin with today's entertainment being a boat ride to a pretty church in the harbour and a guide walk around the walled city.
 |
| Walled city up the cliff |
In the harbour are two small islands, one with a monastery on it which is closed to the public and the other a small church. The church is built on a manmade island created by passing sailors throwing stones overboard as they left on a voyage praying to God for their safe return. When they returned another stone would be thrown over to say thanks. Eventually the island was created and a church built. Inside are a huge number of seafaring relics as the church was, and still remains, a pilgrimage place for captains and sailors.
 |
| Church ceiling |
 |
| Plaques left by sailors depicting body parts they wanted fixed. |
 |
| Leaving the church across Kotor Harbour, Montenegro |
 |
| Old town well |
The walled city of old Kotor is built around a number of squares each having a trading theme in the old days. One square was for flour, another meat etc. Each square has its own church or two and is linked to others via narrow cobblestoned streets. No cars are allowed so pedestrians can wander is safety. High above the old port city is a fort and churches protected by high stone walls. The whole place is just beautiful and one can easily imagine how life was in the old days.
 |
| Walled city of Kotor, Montenegro |
 |
| Walled city of Kotor, Montenegra |
Next stop Corfu, Greece. This was not much of a stop really. A long walk into town along a pretty grotty waterfront led to another old headland castle which kept us entertained for the day. The town has good shopping but we were not after anything.
 |
| Walk into Corfu |
 |
| Corfu Fort |
 |
| View from the top of the fort |
 |
| The best part of Corfu |
The village of Katakolon in Greece is famous for what it doesn't have - Olympia high in the hills behind it. We docked and were off early on a tour of Olympia where it has rested since the 8th century BC. We were able to stroll through this fascinating place for a few hours while our very entertaining and knowledgeable guide talked to us through an earpiece explaining all the history, customs and traditions that some very smart people developed 3000 years ago which make up a lot of what the Olympics today follow.
 |
| Original gymnasium at Olympia |
 |
| Fountain |
 |
| Temple of Zeus |
 |
| Rare circular building |
 |
| Where the current day Olympic flame is lit |
 |
| Elite athlete having a rest from training |
 |
| Entrance to the original Stadium |
 |
| Original marble starting blocks of the Olympia stadium |
 |
| Stadium |
Interestingly all the competitors were male and raced naked in honour of the gods. The spectators were male only too and had to be naked as well. One would think that some of the earlier sports would have been, 3rd degree sunburn with the winner being crowned with aloe vera instead of laurel branches, sitting on an ants nest the longest, pole vaulting and wrestling with your eyes closed. Anyway, we walked through the originally underground tunnel the competitors walked and onto the main track-and-field arena. Amazingly the original marble starting blocks are still there at the start of the running track. We were able to stand where the Olympic flame is lit every four years which is located in a very nondescript place beneath some aqueduct fed fountains.
Next it was off to the Olympia Museum where so many artifacts excavated from the site are displayed. Beautiful original priceless marble statues are everywhere including Nike of Paionios carved in 425 BC and The Hermes of Praxiteles Circa 340 BC. Also the statues that adorned the Temple of Zeus (from Ghostbusters) are in remarkably good condition.
 |
| Not the same really |
 |
| Bronze helmet of Miltiades - 490 BC |
 |
| Sculptures from Olympia |
 |
| Nike of Paionios (an original statue) |
 |
| Original statue of Hermes with Dionysis |
 |
| Julie saying it's time to get on the bus |
 |
| Just a quick display of the steps and ... |
Anyway all this exercise makes the modern day athlete hungry and thirsty. This was satisfied by a visit to a family run olive farm and greek restaurant experience. As soon as we got off the bus we were greeted with ouzo or wine, a quick talk about olives, harvesting and olive oil followed by a huge traditional Greek lunch with more wine followed by some traditional Greek dancing and some not so traditional Greek dancing when I got up to dance. Anyway we had a really great day with the obvious highlight being my dancing.
 |
| ... I'm away |
 |
| Julie doesn't like to see a partly finished glass. |
Next day we arrived early in Itea, Greece for another day of being blown away by the ancient Greeks. The bus first took us through a rather large olive grove made up of 5 million trees nestled on the flood plains below the hills
 |
| Early morning arrival at Itea for our shore excursion to Delphi |
 |
| What 5 million olive trees look like |
 |
| Delphi - Temple of Apollo |
 |
| Delphi - famous for the oracle |
 |
| another athlete at another stadium to honour the gods |
 |
| Some jewellrey Julie bought |
 |
| very famous original bronze of The Charioteer |
This time it was a walk through the ancient sanctuary of Delphi the seat of Pythia (the God of Drinking Too Much Ouzo) where the oracle would be consulted about important things that might happen in the future. Delphi was also the absolute centre of the Earth in ancient times and has a carved stone to prove it. The place is full of Gods from ancient Greece (1400 BC) including Apollo and is also where the pre-cursor to the modern Olympics were held every four years. Our same guide chatted merrily away in our ears as we saw, sat on and photographed this amazing place.
Photography in Delphi is very difficult particularly when God of She-who-can't-be-named leaves her camera on the bus and God of He-who-can't-be-named forgot to put his memory card in his camera before going out. iPhones to the rescue, so all our experiences were safely captured.
Next it was on to the museum where an incredible array of artifacts from Delphi are on display.
Back to the boat we went to set sail east through the Corinth Canal a 6.5 klm long and 21.4 metre wide shipping lane.
Our ship had literally less than one metre clearance either side in places however, aided by a tug at the front, made it through unscathed. We had never heard of this incredible canal before but had front row seats through the transit of Corinth thanks to a little known access door to the bow of the boat from our deck. That door became quite well known as soon as the other 198 passengers saw us in front of them from their crowded upper decks.
So another great day with exposure to Greek mythology from where it all began pre-Christianity.
Our last day of sightseeing on this cruise was in the port of Nafpflio where we chose to visit the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus which is regarded as the best preserved ancient theatre in Greece/the World in terms of its perfect acoustics and fine structure. It was constructed in the late 4th century BC and it was finalized in two stages. Originally the theatre had 34 rows of seats divided into 34 blocks by stairs and walkways. Due to its incomparable acoustics the actors can be perfectly heard by all 15,000 spectators, as you can even hear the sound of a pin dropping.
 |
| Theatre of Epidaurus |
 |
| Up we go .. |
 |
| View from the top of Theatre of Epidaurus |
So after we all dropped our pins we left them on the ground for later visitors to experience the sound of people screaming. The design really is so sophisticated - we could hear the screams even from the carpark. As usual a museum is located beside the Theatre displaying artifacts excavated for around the site. It might be a bit touristy, but the sale of pins and bandaids proved very popular.
We then headed to the Palamidi Venetian Castle situated high on the hill above the picturesque town of Nafplio. By this time we had seen so many castles on a hill that we probably didn't say "Wow" enough or it could have been that our guide was completely depressed. During the short drive and a long talk about the state of Greece's economy, the austerity measures, how Greece was invaded by everyone, the reducing pensions and who knows what else, by the time we reached the castle everyone in the bus was crying, two had escaped out the window and the driver was sculling ouzo and phoning his Mum apologising for only being a bus driver.
Next day we docked at 7am in Athens and disembarked at 7.30am to be taken to the airport for our flight to Chania (pronounced 'henia') on the the island of Crete for a walking tour.
So that concluded our Windstar Cruise. A quick word about our cruise: The places we visited were great, the ship's crew was great, our room was outstanding with the food even better. But the whole on-board experience was soooo boring. Entertainment included how to fold your cabin's towels to make a cute animal, His and Hers Teeth Whitening - US$240 (or various other spa packages), board (bored) games and quizzes, line dancing with the crew, crews amateur hour, footprint analysis, a singing duo that sang mood music, a small casino etc. There were only 200 passengers and the majority of the passengers were well-heeled Americans who just raved about the cruise - really. It was like an over-70's retirement village with a propeller.
 |
| Wow - the highlight of our cruise. Give me a turn |
Oh I nearly forgot, we paid handsomely for all the above only to then be told once we got on board that US$12 per person per day would be charged for gratuities for the dining room staff, plus all drinks are charged an extra 15% for the bar staff, for example an A$8 bottle of wine is sold for US $30 + 15% which is A$45. All passengers go through security checks every time they come on board which is good. However, the security checks allow only two bottles of wine per cabin per cruise, no beer or spirits. You can get a drinks package that for two people would require two bottles of wine to be drunk per day +15% just to break even at the exorbitant prices. WiFi is $249 for nine days and does not always work, even in port so we weren't tempted to purchase it. We confirmed that this type of cruising is not for us.
However we did make the most of it and the cruise was a great way to get us from Venice to Athens and to our next two HF Walking Tours.
So bye for now
JeffnJulie
In the harbour are two small islands, one with a monastery on it which is closed to the public and the other a small church. The church is built on a manmade island created by passing sailors throwing stones overboard as they left on a voyage praying to God for their safe return. When they returned another stone would be thrown over to say thanks. Eventually the island was created and a church built. Inside are a huge number of seafaring relics as the church was, and still remains, a pilgrimage place for captains and sailors.
What a great post... Next time I stay I'd like a Unicorn folded towel on my bed please.
ReplyDelete