Day 26- in Madrid
I was up early this morning looking for a coffee at about 7.30 am …. Seems that there must have been some big celebrations last night with all the garbage that was being collected on my way to the cafe…
The morning started coolish but developed into a fine an clear day! The temperature reached the mid twenties which was quite acceptable.
After coming back to the hotel , I showered and changed and we went to the buffet breakfast which was quite good. A muesli and scrambled eggs for me….
After breakfast we made our way to the Royal Palace as we were advised that there King was in town and there would be much ado with horses and chariots… more like carriages…. Sure enough there was plenty to see around the Palace as the horses and guards made about 4 trips to collect the VIP’s. We both think the King was in one of the parades!!! We are completely uncertain as to why he was in town as normal residence is quite away from Madrid. I tried to look online to see whether there was something but to no avail… urrrggg!
After the pomp and circumstance of this we wondered up to the San Miguel market for a bit of lunch which was a fruit salad washed down with a fruit juice.
After this we made our way back to the hotel and I sorted out the washing while Robyn did some online work at the business desk. This included getting our visas to the Seychelles.
After sorting out the washing and the “admin” we settled in for a few hours by the pool. I managed to finish my fourth book… bit of a record for me!
At about 6.30 pm we returned to our room to shower and change for the Flamingo dance show! Not sure how you dress for these events but we looked good for the show.
The short walk to the venue was through parts of Madrid we have not really explored and it would seems the area was in the more affluent parts of the city.
We arrived early for the show and were able to look at possible venues for dinner…
The show commenced at about 7.30 pm and went for about hour. It was high intensity dancing by the ladies which was quite impressive. The guitar player was very good and there were 2 blokes who sang , tapped their feet and clapped!
The dancing was very good and the flamingo dresses added real colour to the show.
After the show we went for dinner at a nearby restaurant called “ Cannibal” and the food was excellent. We ended up sharing each of 4 dish s which seems to be the way here in Madrid.
The walk back to the hotel was pleasant as there was a lot of people out for the Friday evening either for drinks or dinner or both….
The day for me was probably a bit of a “ bad hair” day as it seemed nothing went right but the dinner and the flamingo show made it rather special.
Tomorrow we are off to the Seychelles via Dubai so it will be a big day of travel.
The picture today is the carriage going to the Palace!
Day 25- In Madrid
It was an early start for me with me being up at about 7.39 am and dressed and off for a coffee at a local cafe…. Good coffee and only € 3 …. Quite cheap!
After coffee it was back to the hotel for breakfast ahead of doing our tour of the Spanish Royal Palace…
I was somewhat nervous at the tour given the tour I had last year in Buckingham Palace… the tour guide was terrific and the tour of the formal area of the palace was well worth it… in some areas it was a bit “ over the top” with the decorations in some of the rooms! But certainly it was impressive!
The palace has over 3000 rooms making it the largest in Europe which surprised me… I thought Versailles would have b en bigger..
After the palace tour we made our way back to our favourite market at San Miguel for a bite of lunch and a lovely glass of white wine.
The afternoon was dedicated to a Tuk Tuk tour of the city which was just okay…. Would not recommend it frankly!
After this we made our way back to the hotel to sit by the pool ahead of going out for dinner.
We again went to the city square for diner at the same cafe as last evening… it was ok but not as good as the previous evening.
After dinner we went to the San Miguel market which was still humming at 9,00pm for a desert and glass of pink champagne…. I think it was champagne but was not sure. The great thing about the market is that you are sharing tables and benches with others… at lunch we met a couple from Florida and at dinner or desert we met a family from Valencia…. Good to have conversations with them all about family and for the Americans politics.
After a big day it was good to head back to the hotel to enjoy a good night of sleep at our rather “ funky hotel”
The picture today is of the outside of the Royal Palace…. Tomorrow we might see the King as he is due in town!
Day 24- Tracvel from Barcelona to Madrid
It was a late start again this morning with me being awake at about 7.39 am . I had a bit of a restless night as I am coming down with a bit of a cold!!! I think I caught it on the ship… bugger.
After a bit of breakfast we packed and were on our way down in the lift to check our train departures when we realised we had 10.40 train and not a 1.30 pm train!!!!
So it was panic stations for a while but it was relatively easy to check our, catch a cab to the station… we arrived in good time to board the high speed train to Madrid.
The journey was about 3 and a half hours but was quite comfortable. We were seated. Near a few Canadian travelers who were on an extended trip through Spain. Good to chat with them about life in Canada and the Trump effect on their lives… ugggh!
Arriving in Madrid we made our way by cab to the hotel… it is called the Umusic Hotel and is what I would call rather hip!!! The room we have is rather small but ok but it has a rooftop bar which is great and it seems to have a concert venue!
After doing a tour around the facilities we then went on a short walk around the town… I was staggered at the parts we visited which included the Mayor Plaza with its many restaurants on the square. We then came across this lovely market with an assortment of takeout shops and seating which was great… seems like it was a small version of the Victoria Market with takeout venues of every imaginable type. We had a glass of wine and shared some oysters which was really good!
After this we made our way to the Kings Palace and cathedral which were very impressive. The walk back to the hotel was interesting going through side streets and many open spaces with cafes and bars.
After a short rest at the hotel we went back to the Mayor Square for dinner and had a lovely paella and salad for dinner. It was very good and one of the best meals so far on the trip.
After making our way back to the hotel it was time for bed after a big day.
To be frank the first day in Madrid was outstanding…
The San Miguel market!!! Wow what an experience!
Day 23 - In Barcelona
We had a late wake- up this morning at about 8.pp am… I had breakfast down in the restaurant whilst Robyn had coffee in the room.
The breakfast was ok being a buffet style of fruit juice and cereal followed by an omelette.
After breakfast we walked to the Basilica designed by Gaudi which was about 2 kms from our hotel. Unfortunately it was raining but still quite warm at about 25 degrees. The walk was along the wide boulevards of Barcelona with shoped and cafes everywhere.
We arrived at the Basilica and the crowds were large. We were hoping to do a tour but the queues were long and it seemed that the tours did not go into the church….
To me the basilica is fairly ugly but its size is very impressive. The building project has been going for 150 yeas and still has another year or 2 to go. Makes the blow out in construction work in Melbourne seem small by comparison. The other surprise to me was the fact that there is no real plazas around the church in the way you see others in Europe… it seems rather hemmed in… True there is a small park at either end of the church but they don’t form a natural amphitheater for the building…
After this we walked down further boulevards to the area near the zoo and the train station near the port area. Once again there were people everywhere and the shops seemed busy.
We enjoyed a lunch of cheese and biscuits and bread with a tomato paste all washed down with a glass of wine!!!
After lunch we made our way back to the hotel after walking about 10 kms for the day….
The day of walking was so interesting as we passed by a couple of local markets in the areas we visited… they all had a variety of stalls for meat, fruits, vegetables, fish , flowers, deli’s etc. Seems the locals in the area do their shopping and enjoy a glass of wine or a coffee ahead of enjoying the day! European life has its own special occasions!
When we arrived back at the hotel it was time for a rest ahead of venturing out for dinner… we were recommended a place near the hotel which had excellent tapas food. We sampled a few tapas dishes to enjoy our last night in Barcelona.
It was a lovely day despite the cooler weather and rain in the morning… tomorrow we are off to Madrid by train where the weather is quite warm!
Here is a picture of the Gaudi Basilica of de la Sagrada Familia….
Day 22-Disembarking Barcelona
We had to wake up early to get our breakfast ahead of disembarking at the port of Barcelona. I was up very early at about 6.00 am to watch the QV as she came alongside the port. It is amazing how manoeuvrable these big ships are in tight spaces. At one point the ship was turning a full circle almost on it’s own length.
After breakfast in the Lido dinning room we said our goodbyes to the ship and made our way to the terminal where we were able to retrieve our bags. We had a car booked to take us to the hotel in Barcelona but found there were 2 cars for us! Not sure what happened but after a bit of sorting out we made the short trip to the Catalonia Ramblas hotel where we are staying for the next 2 nights.
As our room was not ready we agreed to to a “ hop on and hop off” bus tour of the city….
We made our way to the bus stop near the big street called the Ramblas for the trip. The trip was over 4 hours and took in most of the sights of Barcelona including the famous Gaudi designed basilica, the Olympic Games venues, the beach areas, the famous streets of Barcelona etc,
It was a great trip but at the end we were a bit tired of all we saw. At one point we had to change busses and unfortunately the second bus was crowded which meant we were not on the top deck! We were crammed into space with very overweight Americans and British tourists which was awful!, it also inhibited our ability to see some of the sights!
After the tour we made our way back to the hotel to check in to our room… to our delight we were upgraded to a suite which gave us a lot more space!!
After unpacking we had a leisurely 2 hours or so relaxing in the room and by the pool ahead of changing for dinner.
For dinner we walked to the Ramblas which is a huge walking mall right through Barcelona. We found a lovely restaurant on the mall and enjoyed some lovely Tapas and wine for dinner. It was interesting to watch the pedestrian traffic walking down the Ramblas going shopping or for dinner and the like. We made comments that the number of shops which were busy at 9.00 pm at night was incredible.
After the short walk back to our hotel we were ready for bed after another day of adventure…
Before I close this days blog , I want to reflect on the QV Cruise… I was really impressed with the facilities on the ship, the friendly staff and the places we visited for the 7 days. It was great to dress up as we did a couple of times and having the special dining in the Britianna Club was excellent. By the end , I think we were both pleased to finish the cruise and move on. It was an excellent experience for me!
Here is a picture of us at dinner on the Ramblas
Day 21- At Valencia
Overnight we sailed from Mallorca to Valencia and the trip was smooth sailing. I awoke early at about 7.00 am to see us berth at the Valencia port. It is quite large and we berthed quite near the container terminal which had a large number of ships in port . Very few cruise ships which was a difference from earlier ports we visited.
We had breakfast in the Lido dining area which makes quite good omelettes ahead of getting off the ship to discover Valencia.
The plan was to try and find a beach as the weather was quite warm and humid. Temperature was in the low 30’s .
We took the shuttle bus to the arts and sciences precinct which is an area recently constructed with Calatrava designed buildings which are quite striking. After this we took the “ hop on and hop off “ bus to get an overview of the city noticing it had part of it’s route going near the beach. We hopped off in the centre of the old city near the bull ring and enjoys cool drink. Rather than hop back on the bus we walked back to the shuttle bus stop which was a distance of about 2 kms. The walk was along wide boulevards which were tree lined which was pleasant in the heat!
Arriving back at the QV bus shuttle we disbanded our plan to head to the beach and “shuttled” back to the ship. Seems another circuit of the hop on hop off bus would take at least 2 hours and the ship pool was more inviting!
The bus shuttle was more complicated than previous times with the bus needing to offload us all well away from the ship so we go through security then get another bus to take us alongside the ship….all a bit complicated really!
Back onboard we had a snack for lunch ahead of going to the oool for a swim…
After this we started some packing as we have an early morning disembarkation ahead of getting ready for our last dinner in the Britianna room.
The dinner for me was a steak …. Rather tough! And for Robyn duck…. She nearly always has duck when it is on the menu. I think the duck was ok???
We enjoyed talking to our fellow travelers on the adjoining table from the Uk. It was interesting discussions on politics, travel journeys in the past and family.
After dinner we made our way back to our room to finish packing as we had to put our suitcases outside our room to be collected by 11.00 pm!
After this it was bed on the ship for the last night as we sailed from Valencia to Barcelona up the coast of Spain.
It was a good day to see Valencia but not sure whether I would go back there again…
The picture shows the Calatrave buildings in the Arts and Sciences precinct
Day 20 - Mallorca (Palma)
We were awake at about 7.00 am to see the QV dock at Palma the capital of Mallorca. It was an impressive sight to dock in the harbour with other cruise ships nearby and a lot of expensive yachts in the harbour.
After breakfast in the Britannia room we made our way to the “hop on hop off” bus stop outside the port area. We thought we would get an early start but had to wait for about 45 minutes for the start of the journey.
We thought we would do the whole trip then stop for a snack then maybe have another trip on the bus. To be frank it was ok to see the town and the sights briefly so we thought we would not continue after our stop for a snack.
We stopped in the main street near the cathedral and found a cafe where we had some lovely bruschetta and a glass of aperol spritz…. Robyn had a glass of local rose wine.
We made a couple of phone calls back home to wish a couple of the grandchildren happy birthday and to see how Cooper and Mikayla did in the skiing races.
After this it was off for a walk to the street market and the main Cathedral. The cathedral is very impressive but we did not have tickets to do the tour…. We were also in shorts which is forbidden in the churches here.
After buying a couple of things for the grandchildren we joined the QV shuttle back to the ship.
Fortunately we were on time for the white glove and silver service afternoon tea which was good. It was complete with English Breakfast Tea, cucumber sandwiches and other cakes including scones with jam and clotted cream. Gosh after this it is going to be hard to fit in dinner!
As I write this blog I am on the deck outside our room watching the movement of all manner of boats in the harbour. A lovely sight.
Dinner tonight will be a less formal affair with a jacket only requirement…
Not sure whether I will need to eat a lot!
Been a good day but we both agreed that we have seen enough of Palma
Picture is of us enjoying a snack at a cafe in the main street by the harbour .
Day 19- At sea
We had a sleep in this morning until 9.00 am !!! Gosh it was a surprise to have a late start to the day.
As a result breakfast in the Britianna area was closed and we had to have it in the Lido because buffet. I had a lovely omelette which was freshly cooked…. Seems that the meals are not conducive to Jeremy weight down.
After breakfast we did some washing in the laundry which is near our stateroom…One of the few things that are free onboard the ship.
We had a lazy day of reading and rest all day apart from going to a briefing on the upcoming visit to Mallorca.
Tonight was another black ties dress up for us and as pre- dinner drinks we had our welcome bottle of champagne on our balcony… great way to start the evening.
At dinner in the Britianna room we enjoyed beef Wellington for our main course! There were no mushrooms thankfully but the meal was delicious. We spent time talking to the folks on our neighbouring tables which was interesting. We are all assigned a table for the whole cruise and it makes sense to talk to our fellow guests to see what they do each day. Our table is surrounded by British travelers which is interesting. A couple from Birmingham a table of 3 older folks from Reading and another retired couple.
After a late finish to our dinner at about 9.30 pm we made our way to our stateroom for bed.
A good day of rest for us both!
Pre- dinner drinks on our balcony
Day 18- Toulon and St Tropez
Awake at about 7.00 am and feeling a bit “ dusty “ after some great red wine last night at dinner.
Breakfast this morning was at the Lido buffet which was quite good…. Eggs and bacon for me! Gosh the weight is going on fast!
We then picked up the bus trip to St Tropez which was about an hour and a half from Toulon. It was through some hills with a lot of vineyards and olive groves…. Unfortunately the bus a/c was pretty bad which made the trip a bit uncomfortable for some. We had to do a stop to allow one traveller to relieve his travel sickness….
Arriving at St Tropez we were given a short walking tour through the town which is all about lifestyle of the rich and famous! Big boats everywhere and exclusive restaurants and designer label shops. Being seen here seems to be the thing. Several big name movie stars have places here including Brigette Bardot, Leonardo DiCaprio etc.
We walked the town a bit had a glass of wine and a baguette then made our way back to the bus for a short trip to Grimaud which is an interesting place modeled on Venice with canals . We had a canal cruise which was interesting around the canals. Seems that it is a real estate development on the water where you but a property like a traditional French semi detached home with a back mooring for your luxury yacht!
It was interesting to see ahead of the trip back in the bus over the hills with a/c yuck!
Anyway we arrived back at the QV at about 4.30 pm … after an interesting day!
One thing we saw in the distance was the town of St Maxime where we stayed many years ago with our family in a rented home… good times were had at that time with all the family.
Tonight is a more leisurely dinner with a jacket and open shirt in the Britannia room.. good chance to swap stories of the day with our fellow travellers.
Tonight we begin our journey to Mallorca with a full day at sea tomorrow…
Picture of Robyn’s new boat!!!
Day 17- A day at sea with a grand dinner!
Awake at about 7.30 am as today is a lazy day at sea on our way from Livorno to Toulon ….
The weather was pleasant with temperatures in the 20’s and a breeze with the ship traveling in a northerly direction to the French Riviera!
Breakfast this morning was in the Britannia room with white tablecloth service… the breakfast for me was an omelette which was good ….
After breakfast we went to a presentation by the marketing team on the features of the ship which was a half hour PowerPoint presentation on how we could spend our money….the captain made a short speech which was quite informative…
After this we did a short tour of the ship then made our way to the pool for the rest of the day.
Late in the afternoon Robyn did a bit of tailoring on my new dinner suit and got dressed for the gala dinner in the Britianna Room… we made a good couple in our fine dining gear!
The dinner was splendid with us enjoying Chateaubriand steak… and a soufflé.
We enjoyed talking to our adjacent table folks which was very interesting… on both sides and behind us we were surrounded by British tourists!
A great night and day of rest.
Picture below is of us in the main staircase before dinner!
Day 16- Day trip to Florence
Well up at 6.00 am as we had an early start to do our day trip to Florence from Livorno which is a road distance of about 70 kms.
We had breakfast delivered to our room which was ok but the bacon and scrambled eggs were lukewarm…
Anyway after breakfast we assembled in the Queens Lounge to await our call to meet the bus for the trip.
The weather we had been warned was a little cooler in Livorno after a thunderstorm last night…. We heard the thunder! It was expected that the day would warm up and Florence being inland would be a lot warmer…. Turned out to be true with temperatures in the high twenties. We did however get a rain shower at one stage.
The trip up in the bus was relaxing and our guide was very informative. I guess there was about 40 of us on the trip. They were mostly older people with many it seems from the US. Our guide was Danish but very knowledgeable on all things Florence.
After arriving in the outskirts of the city we had a short walk to the start of the tour. The highlights were the Ponte de Vechio, Medici Palace, Duomo, Palazzo Vecchio and seeing the replica of David. Our guide was virtually non stop on the commentary which was great. I learned more on the 3 hour we had with her than on the past 4 visits to Florence… great stuff.
The streets were as usual quite busy but not as busy as last year thankfully.
We had some free time around lunchtime and we stopped for a sandwich by the Arno River near the Pont de Vecchio. After this we had a drink at a street side restaurant bar which was fortunate as there was a heavy rain shower!
After this we made our way back to the meeting point with our guide… we stopped for an Aperol spritz in a bar which was quite refreshing!
The walk back to the bus and the trip back to the port was uneventful but I must admit to having a bit of a snooze!
Getting back to the QV we sorted out a drink as I am sitting in the Lido Lounge with a glass of beer enjoying the rest after walking about 15 kms today.
Tonight we have dinner in the Britannia Room which is our exclusive restaurant… Should be a good meal as we get a bit dressed up and I am looking forward to the roast lamb…. Robyn is having duck…. Hope it is ok for her.
Been a good and interesting day and I have enjoyed my 5th time in Florence….
Will sleep well…
Ps…. Learned today my granddaughter Mikayla did very well in the Australian all- schools ski championships… well done to both Mikayla and Cooper for their amazing efforts.
Also my other granddaughter Sienna was BOG in her grand final win with the Glen Iris Gladiators!!!
Picture of David… you know this is David of David and Goliath!
Day 15- Travel to Queen Victoria Ship
We had an early rise again to travel to Civitaveechia being the port where we are picking up the cruise of the Queen Victoria.
After breakfast it off to the train station to take our ride on the train ….getting the tickets on line was relatively easy.
Earlier we had real issues trying to sort out our travel arrangements to the port from Rome as we thought it was included in the cruise package… it seems after numerous calls back home to the travel agency, we were on our own!
But being inveterate explorers we organised our own adventure on the train.
Fortunately we arrived early at the station only to find we had a long walk to our designated station platform ( 29!!)
Boarding the train was interesting with our 3 roller cases but we found a less popular carriage and settled in for the 1 hour trip to the port. ….
We arrived at the port station…. The name of the town is too complicated to spell out each time on the blog… to find we had another trip from the station to the port… I thought we had paid for a shuttle to get to the ship… no wrong!
We had to get a taxi to the port which cost € 10 but at least we were there! God only knows what the shuttle service was!
At the port we went to the Cunard boarding terminal and after a bit of mucking around with security and boarding passes we boarded the ship.
The QV is very impressive and on boarding we had to go to our emergency meeting station to get registered and look at an emergency video which was playing in our room.
Our stateroom cabin is quite generous and has an excellent deck balcony where I am writing this blog. The room has plenty of space to unpack which is a change from our recent accommodation spots.
After unpacking we explored the ship a bit and had a bite of lunch in the Lido buffet…. Not bad lunch really. We then made enquiries at the Pursers office about various tour options at places where the ship was to dock along the cruise. We also made enquiries about what was and was not included in our package and it seems that most things are not including drinks…. Bugger!
So it really is a cost plus trip!
After this we went and had a rest by one of the swimming pools on the ship ahead of the ship leaving the port…. It was good to be on our way!
As the ship left we went to the bar for a drink…. Robyn had a Prosecco and me an aperol spritz…. Robyn’s drink was only half full and after enquiring it seems that this is the norm!!! Money again!
After watching the ship navigate out of the port we went to our stateroom to change for dinner…. Neat casual was the order of the day. Our designated dining room was the Britannia Bar which is an exclusive area for guests in our staterooms on the ship. We have our designated table with food and wine butlers!!! All very nice.
Dinner was good with excellent Sancerre wine.
Then it was off to bed to reflect on the day of the day!
Boarding the QV!
Day 14- In Rome
It was up at around 8.00 am and after showers and dressing it was downstairs for breakfast.
After that we made our way to Roma Termi to sort out travel arrangements to the Civitechi port where we pick up our cruise ship. Although the ship does not leave until tomorrow we are completely unsure whether the travel company has organised travel to the port???
After sorting out the options we went to a men’s clothing store to buy a dress dinner suit for the cruise. Seems we might have a night to dress up in our best!!! Could be interesting!
The store owner was very good and helpful and we managed to buy a suit, dress shirt, bow tie, black shoes and dress belt for about € 400 but I can get back about €50 on the sales tax refund scheme…. If it works!
After this we had a short walk to the Basilica where Pope Francis is buried and then made our way back to the hotel.
After this it was a short walk to the venue where we are doing our cooking classes….the weather was quite warm in the mid twenties with a coolish breeze so after registering for the class we had a short walk to the Colosseum where there were huge crowds!
Arriving back at the cooking class venue we found we were in a class with 2 others from St Helens in Tasmania. Their names were Steve and Carol. Our chef was Marco… he was very good and extremely knowledgeable and entertaining as we managed to prepare and enjoy our fare of Arancini Balls, Pizza and Gelato…
The recipes for these were strictly ones devyby Marco and we enjoyed the experience with a glass or 2 of wine.
The whole experience was about 3 hours and we enjoyed our time with Steve, Carol and Marco…. We even received a certificate of our achievements!
I was the poorest chef but was nicknamed “ Michealanglo “ for my efforts!!!!
After a big lunch it was off for a walk back to the hotel and after a drink of Aperol Spritz we decided to do another walk to the Trevi Fountain… the walk was about 3 kms there and back and the crowds at the fountain were huge!
Along the way back to the hotel we stopped at the church of St Peterin Chains and were able to marvel at the Michangelo’s statue of Moses…
We managed to get into a small church in the square adjacent to the fountain which was lovely .. they were doing mass on the Sunday …. Seems we have been to a lot of churches today!
After arriving back at the hotel we had a snack dinner at the bar and drink. I had 2 Aperol spritz drinks which were great and refreshing!! I am enjoying these more than a beer on this trip!
After a snack dinner it was off to bed after a big day of adventure and enjoyment… the cooking class was a great way to enjoy the best of Rome…
FYI…. We are having some trouble with the arrangements for boarding the cruise ship which is causing us to make calls back home to My Cruises… their service has been nothing short of terrible… thank god we are resourceful as the 24 hour helpline with My Cruises was closed!
Looks like we will be spending time on this again tomorrow.
Our cooking class!!!
Day 13 -Travel Day from Paros to Rome
We were awake at about 7.00 am to pack our bags in readiness for the day ahead. The weather this morning was almost perfect with no wind and clear skies and the water was flat almost like a mill pond!
After breakfast we met Nick our driver who took us back to Parikia harbour for the ferry ride back to Santorini.
The ferry terminal was a full on mess with people everywhere and we were early we stopped in a cafe for a coffee to watch the flood of people!
Nearing the ferry departure time we moved to the terminal only to find total disorganisation! We lined upon a long queue which I thought was for our designated ferry but with ferries coming and going it was definitely not easy! One ferry took off to Santorini which I thought was not ours…we were still in the queue for another which I thought was ours???
When the ferry arrived at the terminal it was for a different ferry company…. Ok bugger we thought! Anyway we boarded the boat and as it left the jetty we along with a few others found we were on the wrong boat but going to the right place. Seems this happens often so we had to purchase new ferry tickets…. Somehow I am going to have to get a credit for the original ferry tickets….good luck with that!
Seems it all stems from poor communication and organisation at the ferry terminal to me! Not my fault!
On the ferry Robyn was concerned we would be struggling with time to get our plane flight from Santorini to Rome but I thought we would be Fine…. Hopefully!
The trip on the ferry to Santorini was smooth sailing and despite a delayed start we arrived in good time at the Santorini terminal. After a short taxi ride to the airport ( € 50 again!) we were in good time for the check for the flight to Rome.
The Santorini Airport was very busy and we found a cafe to enjoy a glass of wine and share a small pizza.
We boarded the plane and to our amazement most of the fellow travelers were taking on up to 2 travel bags as cabin baggage! As a result there was some pandemonium organised space in the overhead lockers. Seems to me that the passengers these days have very little checked in luggage and rely on the airlines to not police the carry on baggage.
We arrived in Rome at about 4.30 pm and after collecting our bags caught a cab to the UNA hotel near the train station…. The traffic into Rome was very light being a Saturday afternoon. The driver said that as the summer holidays were over next week traffic would be very heavy next week.
The hotel we are staying at in Rome is very comfortable and has generous space for our bags etc.
After refreshing a bit we journey out for dinner near the hotel at an outdoor restaurant. The meals were great and we sat near a Canadian couple who made conversation with us both. They were both travelling in Italy to visit their family village in Calabria … seems they have Italian heritage in former generations.
It was good to chat with them about many things including Trump, the health system and their family. Seems that the husband was a physio which was interesting!
After dinner we headed back to the hotel for bed after the adventure of the day!
Picture below is from our balcony at Dryos … note the smooth Mediterranean Sea!
Day 12- At the Golden Beach
Yes you guessed it up at about 7.30 am and on the deck outside our apartments with a coffee at 8.00 am!
The day was warm again with a lighter breeze. Temps at about 27 most of the day and evening.
After breakfast we made our way to the Golden Beach where we manuto find a could spare lounge chairs… the cost of a could of chairs plus an umbrella is €50 for the day! Ours was zero…. But without an umbrella.
The day was spent on the beach reading and watching the action on the water. There was a lot going on with windsurfing and para sailing…. The skills to do windsurfing are quite impressive really and I spent some time watching a bloke a little younger than me trying to get up … he must have been trying for about 2 hours that I saw ! I admired his enthusiasm and persistence.
We had lunch at the Golden Beach tavern which was very popular…. Vast contrast to the evening…. See later!
The afternoon went by and we made our way back to the apartment at about 4.00 pm.
After freshening up and having a glass of wine we made our way back to the same taverna where we had lunch…. The meal was ok but we both thought it was better over lunch…. Robyn had a cocktail which had a smoking cinnamon stick…. Quite impressive really!!!
My dinner main was mousaka which was great… must admit I have enjoyed this every time I have had this in Greece.
After dinner we made the walk back to our apartment in Dryos in the dark. The walk took about 20 minutes but was in the dark…. Fortunately there was some lights along the pathway!
Arrived back at the apartment at around 9.00 pm … we tried a shot of a Greek spirit that was provided by the hotel which was like a sweeter version of Ouzo… ok but one shot was enough for me!
We were in bed by 9.30 pm ….
A good day…
Picture below is one of the Golden Beach
Day 11- Day trip to Logaras and Piso Lavadi
Up at 7.30 again!!! Becoming a good habit!
There was a coffee waiting for me at the reception desk to enjoy on the veranda outside the hotel which was great.
The weather today was windy again with some really strong gusts and the temperature was in the high 20’s . A few of the locals I spoke to said it is either not windy and hot or windy and cooler!!!
Today with the help from the hotel reception we decided to take a bus to a nearby town with a sandy beach…. So after our breakfast we packed a few things in the beach bag and headed for the nearest bus stop.
We paid € 2.50 each for a ticket to Logaras which is about a 20 minute bus ride from Dryos. After hopping off the bus it was a short walk to the beach area which was quite crowded with holidaymakers. After a coffee we found a spot on the beach to stop…. Me in the shade and Robyn on the beach in the sun.
After a couple of hours we then walked a short distance along a road to the port town of Piso Lavadi. It was a lovely setting with taverns adjacent to the harbour. We were recommended to have lunch at one or 2 of them. After looking at menu’s we chose a cafe to have a bite of lunch. I had fish balls with beetroot purée and Robyn had a salad. This was enjoyed with a glass or 2 of rose wine!
The restaurants became quite busy as we enjoyed our lunch as we savoured the atmosphere.
At about 3.30 pm we made our way back to the bus stop and paid our € 2.50 each to head back to Dryos.
Arriving back after the day we both agreed that the Golden Beach near our accommodation at Dryos was far better as the beach’s today were a bit dirty with rubbish and they were a bit more crowded.
Tonight we had dinner at another taverna on the beachfront at Dryos called Julia… meal was just ok nothing compared to others we have had so far.
Once again we were in bed by 9 ish after a day of some adventure!
Today’s picture is our lunch at Piso Lavadi Quite picturesque!
Day 10- At Paros
Apologies for the misunderstanding on where we are at the moment on the last blog title…. We are at Paros and NOT Paris!!! The blog spelling sometimes mucks up!
Today was another clear day with temperatures in the high 20’s and there was a strong wind… seems we might be in for this over the next couple of days….
I was awake at about 7.00 am and out on the patio outside our apartment at 8.00 am for a coffee to take in the day.
Breakfast was in our room on our veranda at 8.00am. A good breakfast omelette for me …. Gosh need to watch my weight!
After breakfast we made our way to the Golden Beach which is a sand beach about a km from our apartment. It has various cafes and taverns located on the beach and you can hire a lounge with an umbrella for € 50 for the day…. Luckily we spotted some “loose” lounges nearby and relocated them to a quiet spot on the beach for us to use at no cost!
After a while of reading and swimming e adjourned to a lovely cafe for a light lunch of bruschetta washed down with a beer and glass of wine.
After this it was back to the lounge to rest ourselves for the rest of the afternoon.
Later we packed up for the walk back to the apartment ahead of an early dinner at a local tavern.
It was early to bed at about 9.00 pm after a restful day on Paros!
Below is a picture of the Golden Beach.
Day 9- Oia to Paris
Today was another warm day without a cloud in the sky but the wind was a lot calmer than yesterday thankfully as today we are to travel by ferry to Paros.
In some ways it was sad to leave our apartment perched on the slope above Ammoudi bay. Oia ( which is pronounced as as “ eee…ya”) was lovely and the food and accommodation could not have been better…. Our accommodation was sourced by my son Chris and his wife, Neat, and was a great introduction to the Greek islands.
After packing up we were met by a porter who “lugged” our bags up the hill to a waiting van to take us to the ferry terminal at Thira. How these guys lug 2 heavy suitcases at a time up the hill is beyond me and they are not big burly men!
The van to Thira was interesting….firstly we had to pay him € 50 cash !!!! No credit card…. Seems the Greek way of doing things is the same the world over. The van had another pickup of a lady and her daughter who were also going to the ferry terminal… their cost was € 55!!! Go figure that out for a shorter ride.
The van trip was about an hour much though the same roads as we travelled on the wine tour..where the van cost was €45 …. For a longer trip!
Well that’s Greece for you.
Arriving at the port after the long steep descent… it was very busy with buses everywhere taking passengers from 2 cruise ships to the local tourist spots!!
We managed to find a cafe near the ferry terminal and the proprietor was very helpful in giving us information regarding the boarding process. As it was past lunch we had a drink ( spritz for me and cocktail for Robyn) together with a club sandwich…
The boarding in the ferry was quite straightforward as we went up the car boarding planks to drop our bags off ahead of going to our seats on the boat. We had booked VIP class for the trip which was excellent as we had a great view of the journey and a glass of wine!
We arrived at Paros after a stop off at Ios to pick up passengers, at about 4.30 pm and were met by Nick our driver who was to take us to our accommodation on the opposite side of the island. The port of Paros is Parikia which was quite pretty. The half hour drive to our accommodation the town of. Dryos was over dry farmland with olive plantations and vineyards… the vines here seems to be on trellis rather than on the ground!
We arrived at our accommodation at the Blue Sea Paros which is a B and B style appartment with a lovely view over the water.
After settling in the the apartment we made our way to the beach for a swim and rest …. The beach is on pebbles…. Yuck but we are told there is a sandy beach nearby.
As the sun was setting we retreated to one of the cafes by the beach for a drink and light dinner…
We were in bed by 9.00 am after another day of adventure.
The picture below is of Robyn … having drinks at the cafe at the end of the day!
Day 7- At Oia
Awake again at 7.30 am and off again to climb 130 + steps for a coffee… I have found the climb less tiresome particularly when the incentive of a coffee is there!
After coffee it was back to the apartment to enjoy some breakfast on the balcony. The interesting thing about breakfast is sorting out what we get… some days we get 3 bowls of yogurt and cereal others 2 bowls or 4 bowls….not sure how this works!
Anyway the breakfast was great and the weather was nice… temps in high 20’s with light breeze.
The day today was pleasant and relaxing with books to read and a view to savour!
Around mid mouse went for a walk/ climb to have a bit of exercise… as it was around lunch we stopped at a cafe and shared a Green salad and a drink. The drink for me was a spritz and for Robyn a cosmopolitan. After this we spotted a restaurant called Ambrosia which was recommended by Chris and Neat so we booked it for dinner….
The afternoon was spent enjoying the rest on the balcony ahead of a gin and tonic as the sun was setting!
Just before sunset we made our was to Ambrosia for dinner and it was absolutely amazing with views to rave about and the atmosphere and food were great.
After a slight muck up on tables we were shown to the best table in the restaurant….right at the front with the sun setting!!!!
The food was great … we shared a Greek tart with mushrooms ( not dead cat fortunately) then I had Greek lamb chops and Robyn had the duck. All the food was excellent and was enjoyed along with a local Santorini dry white wine.
The evening was spectacular and one to remember.. made the walk back to the apartment quite enjoyable particularly with most of the tourists gone after the sunest.
Loved the day!
Day 8- Oia and on a boat trip!
Awake again at 7.45 am and up for coffee at my favourite coffee spot…. More steps to climb but I am getting better at this!
After coffee ( quickly) it was back to the apartment for breakfast and packing our daypacks for the boat trip…
The weather today was quite warm with a gentle breeze which increased during the day!!!
The arrangement was for us to make our way to the pick up point near the bus station…. More climbing!….then to be picked up by a van to take us to the harbour at Ammoudi … this is the harbour right below our apartment which we visited a few days ago with it’s rather perilous descent! Much better by van!
At the harbou we boarded a dinghy to transport us to a catamaran cruise boat for the trip. The cruise too is to various spots for swimming off the boat both in an out of the caldera. We were treated to a lovely bbq lunch with salads and wine and beer. It was most enjoyable but…. some of the guests on the boat were very rude and treated the staff poorly in my opinion… it was all about them and taking selfies in the string bikini’s. In some cases nothing was left to the imagination!… and the tattoos! My god !
The exception was a honeymoon course met from Canada which were delightful to talk to.
The boat trip on the way back to the harbour was into a very strong headwind which was a bit interesting but the crew were very good in making sure we were safe. We even had a mojito drink to calm the nerves!
The cruise was well worth the 5 hours and it was great to see Santorini from the sea rather than climbing along the alleys.
Arriving back at the apartment it was back to relaxing and reading books.
Tonight we are having left over breakfast bread rolls with cheese and sausage with some local wine…. A great end to the day!