End of World Cruise - - Fun Continues in Venice & Rome

We finished up our World Cruise in fine Seabourn fashion.  Seabourn threw a goodbye party for the World Cruisers two nights before our last day that was an incredible event with special decorations, pictures and videos of the whole journey, and special music including a hilarious medley created and performed by the Cruise Director's staff that was a parody of all the stops we made along the way. The goodbye party was followed by a special dinner for the World Cruisers and we were fortunate to be seated at the Captain's table that night.  It was a very special night for us and was pretty emotional because we were getting ready to say goodbye to crew and friends.

Cruise Directors perform at goodbye party

Dining room crew performs as "The Breadsticks"

Goodbye waves from entire crew

Cruise Directors at the early morning

bathrobe party approaching Venice

Arriving in Venice

On Thursday morning, May 1st, we sailed into Venice.   We had a bathrobe and mimosa party at 6:00 a.m. on the front deck of the ship to watch the arrival.  It was a spectacular arrival into Venice as we sailed by the Grand Canal and St. Mark's Square.  On deck we said our goodbyes, shed some tears, then returned to our suite to grab our bags to leave.  While we were sad to leave the ship, we were also excited to meet our friends John and Barbara Duffy from Safety Harbor to spend a couple of days in Venice.  We took a water bus to the Santa Marina Hotel where we met up with the Duffys around 11:00 a.m.  We spent the day exploring Venice with the Duffys as our tour guides.  We went to the Rialto Bridge and St. Marks Square and other piazzas, canals and bridges around Venice.  There are 177 canals and 450 bridges and 0 roads in Venice -- so charming. The next day was rainy so we spent a few hours enjoying the Palazzo Grassi art museum and walking around the shops.  We drank wine and enjoyed Italian meals in several trattorias around town.  It was a perfect transition from ship life.

St. Mark's Square

 

St. Mark's Square

 

Canals of Venice

The Duffys and the Ladells in Venice

Gondolas in Venice

Alleyways in Venice

 

The Duffys left Venice to continue their Italy vacation on to Sorrento.  We took a 4 hour train ride to Rome where we spent two nights before flying home.  Our hotel was conveniently located in the Spanish Steps area which we explored in the afternoon.  The next day we took a "Hop On, Hop Off" bus tour so we could see the highlights of Rome in a day.  It was a whirlwind tour, but we got to see St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City, The Colosseum, Circus Maximus, Trevi Fountain and countless other extraordinary sites.  Rome is so over the top exciting!  We must plan an Italy vacation in the future.

St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican

St. Peter's Basilica on a Sunday morning

View of St. Peter's Basilica

Castel Sant'Angelo

 

The Colosseum

 

Inside The Colossuem

Inside The Colosseum

Roma Piazza Venezia Vittoriano

Trevi Fountain

Trevi Fountain

On Monday, May 5th, we flew out of Rome en route to Florida via Chicago.  Our flights were right on time.  We enjoyed the comforts of business class all the way as we got more and more excited about getting home.  The lights of Tampa Bay were a beautiful sight to see.  We touched down right on time at 10:30 p.m. local time.  We were met by our friends the Swonguers who updated us on local news and events as we drove home.  We arrived at 24 Summit Lane at 11:15.  It was great to be home!

Traveling the world for 4 months deeply effected us.  Our view of the world has been changed.  Also, our appreciation of our own wonderful country has been deepened.  We were truly blessed to be able to take this amazing World Cruise, a trip of a lifetime.  We traveled in luxury, were treated like royalty, made lifelong new friends, saw so many fabulous places in the world and had countless unforgettable experiences.  Now we will enjoy reuniting with our family and friends.  HOME SWEET HOME!




 

Dubrovnik and Triluke Bay, Croatia

Dubrovnik is a glorious walled city on the Dalmatian Coast of the Adriatic Sea.  It is known as the pearl of the Adriatic.  We arrived on Tuesday, April 29th to visit the hilly Old City area of Dubrovnik with the red roofed buildings surrounded by Medieval walls making a stunning backdrop to the blue waters of the Adriatic Sea.  We spent the day on our own exploring the area.  The wall that surrounds the city is a huge square over a mile long and up to 20 feet thick in some places with 15 towers, 5 bastions, 2 corner towers and a fortress.  It is strong enough to have survived an earthquake in 1667 and bombardment in 1991.  We walked the entire perimeter going up and down stairs and exploring lookouts along the way.  It gave us a great perspective of the City and a beautiful view of the water.  After descending the wall we walked around the Old City within. We stopped in on beautiful churches and museums to admire the architecture and history.  One museum we walked through had a memorial to the 300 freedom fighters from Dubrovnik that lost their lives in the fighting between the Croats and Serbs in the early 1990s.  During that time, Dubrovnik was shelled heavily from an escarpment above the Old City.  Damage to the red rooftops is still evident today and we saw the bullet holes when we walked the wall.  Clearly, the pain of those losses is still fresh to the residents of Dubrovnik with plaques and memorials throughout the City.  It was interesting to us to be in a fortress built in the Middle Ages in a country that declared its independence as recently as 1991 when it separated from the Yugoslav Federation.

We had a lunch of pizza and a local beer called Lasko at a café located in one of the quaint alleyways.  We sat outside under a colorful umbrella enjoying lunch in the great atmosphere of the Old City.  Later, when we finished exploring the area, we caught a shuttle bus back to the ship.  Just as we were boarding the bus, the skies opened up with a downpour of rain -- wow, sometimes we can't believe our good luck with the weather!

Entrance into the Old City of Dubrovnik

A view from atop the wall

Walking the wall

Defensive lookout atop the wall

 

View from atop the wall

View inside from atop the wall

Red rooftops of the Old City of Dubrovnik

Historical church in the Old City

Beautiful architecture of the Old City

Local beer (Lasko)

Beauty of the Dalmatian Coast

 

When we left Dubrovnik, we sailed north along the Dalmatian Coast and arrived the next morning in Triluke Bay where we dropped anchor and Seabourn deployed the Marina deck out of the back of the ship so we could enjoy a day of watersports.  Sadly, this was also our last day aboard ship since we would be arriving in Venice the next morning, the point of embarkation for us.  We spent the morning packing our suitcases to be ready to depart our "home away from home" after 116 days.  After completing our packing, we hopped into a kayak and enjoyed paddling around beautiful Triluke Bay.  The bright sunshine, sparkling water, green island hillsides and crisp, cool sea breeze made us forget our sadness about our impending disembarkation.

We got the feeling that the Dalmatian Coast is an idyllic getaway from the crowds that we would love to explore again someday.

Beautiful Triluke Bay, Croatia

Launching a kayak from the ship

A view from our kayak

NEXT STOP (LAST STOP) - VENICE!

Kusadasi, Turkey

One of the stops that we most looked forward to was Kusadasi, Turkey, which we visited on Saturday, April 26th.  The primary attraction in Kusadasi is the site of the ancient ruins of Ephesus. We took a 4 hour tour in the morning that took us to two places.  First, we visited the House of Virgin Mary located outside the town of Kusadasi.  After Jesus was crucified Mary, at the age of 55, traveled with John the Evangelist to this area and lived the rest of life here.  She died at the age of 64.  We visited the house where she lived until here death.  It was a beautiful, spiritual site set in a serene garden.  The site has been declared a Catholic shrine and visited by 3 Popes in modern times.

Next, we did a walking tour of the ancient ruins of Ephesus, an amazing archaeological site dating back to the 10th Century B.C..  The ruins are extensive with only about an estimated 1/3 of the ruins having been excavated and reveal a sophisticated lifestyle of the inhabitants. The ancient city grew as large as 250,000 people over the period of several centuries.  It flourished under Roman control.  The well designed streets and buildings show elaborate drainage and aqueduct systems.  Beautiful architectural features throughout the area include a huge amphitheater designed for amplification and good viewing.  Another signature features is a glorious structure called the Celsus Library façade built in 125 A.D.  It was an amazing tour with an informative Turkish guide to explain the history to us. 

After the tour, we walked around Kusadasi, a vibrant seaport town with lots of shops, restaurants and bars. We gave some thought to trying out a Turkish steam bath.  We found a bathhouse in town and read the plaque outside about how it works.  Cautiously, we stepped inside to check it out.  One look at the large, hairy proprietor wearing a sweaty tank top and eating a smelly lunch at his desk and the 2 of us chickened out and got the heck out of there.  We're just not that adventurous!!!

Later in the evening we were treated to one of the best evenings of our lives.  Seabourn treated the World Cruise passengers to an exclusive dinner under the stars on the grounds of the Celsus Library in Ephesus.  Round tables with white tablecloths and beautiful candlelit centerpieces were set up and a catered sit down dinner was served to us while a trio played classical music for us from the steps of the Library.  It was absolutely magical.  The weather was perfect - a clear, starry night.  After dinner we joined the other cruise passengers for a concert of chamber music on the grounds under the stars with the ancient amphitheater in the background.  Brian was in heaven! We did not want the evening to end.  This much anticipated event did not disappoint.  We will never forget this day!

The seaport town of Kusadasi

 

House of Virgin Mary

 

Beautiful serene gardens at the

House of Virgin Mary

 

Ancient ruins at Ephesus

Well designed ancient streets of Ephesus

 

Architectural details in Ephesus

 

Ancient public toilet (Men's Room)

Celsus Library

 

Ancient amphitheater

 

Testing acoustics at the amphitheater

 

Arriving for dinner at the Celsus Library

Classical music on the steps of Celsus Library

Our dinner table group at Ephesus

Celsus Library at our candlelight dinner

 

 

NEXT STOP, DUBROVNIK, CROATIA.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rhodes and Corfu, Greece

On Friday, April 25th we arrived at the Greek island of Rhodes (Rhodos, in Greek).  After 2 long days of organized tours in Israel, we were happy to explore this beautiful island on our own on this bright sunny day.  We walked off the ship and followed a boardwalk along the harbor where colorful fishing boats were moored in the sparkling clear water of the Aegean Sea.  The harbor area reminded us of the Sponge Docks in Tarpon Springs.  The boardwalk led us to the main entrance to old, walled, medieval Rhodes Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site.  A huge ancient wall surrounds the town.  One of the original roads dates back to 408 B.C.  The cobblestone roads within the wall now are filled with shops, restaurants and bars in the charming old buildings among the beautiful olive trees.  We toured the Palace of Grand Masters, a huge fortress that dominates the town and the harbor.  The Palace now houses an extensive history museum that we enjoyed visiting.  Later, we ate a lunch of Mediterranean cuisine outside under the shade of olive trees.  Of course, we tried the locally brewed beer called Mythos.  All of our fellow passengers enjoyed their day in Rhodes and many of them made the comment that they were "glad to be back in Europe".

The walled city of Rhodes Town

Entrance through the ancient wall

Palace of the Grand Masters

 

Inside the Palace

 

Plenty of bars and restaurants and shops

Old World charm

Colorful fishing boats in the harbor

Relaxing on the fortress wall

The lighthouse

Our second stop in Greece was at the island of Corfu (Kerikyra, in Greek) in the Ionian Sea  on Monday, April 28th.  We spent the morning exploring the town.  Unfortunately, our good weather luck ran out this day and it was drizzling rain as we walked around the charming town with its signature feature of two fortresses, one of which has a moat around it.  We walked around and shopped, but returned to the ship when heavier rain started up.  However, later in the afternoon, the weather cleared and we went back ashore to attend a special Seabourn event at the Mon Repos Palace and Gardens.  We were greeted at the Palace by a marching band.  We walked up the long, winding driveway through a picturesque garden to the Palace which overlooks the sea.  As we approached the Palace, a string quartet played classical music for us on the front steps.  We toured the magnificent Palace which is the birthplace of Prince Phillip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II of England.   After the tour we enjoyed champagne and snacks on the Palace grounds.  It was another great Seabourn treat for us.

Arriving in Corfu

Ancient fortress

 

Streets of Corfu

Rainy day in Corfu

Fortress with a moat

 

 

Greeters at the Mon Repos Palace

Mon Repos Palace

 

Classical music at the Palace

Inside the Palace

 

Champagne at the Palace

 

 

We really enjoyed our stops at these 2 Greek islands and hope we can go back and see more of Greece in the future.  The European charm is everywhere.  However, we did notice that some of the historic buildings are showing signs of neglect.  Hopefully, Greece can overcome its economic woes soon and revive its tourist industry so funds are available to preserve these precious buildings.