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One of many cats seen in Ephesus ruins...
]]>The Gran Hotel is still a fading elegant lady, though maybe in better shape now than then. We’ll be here another four days this time…
Click below to view my shared Lightroom album: (5 shots from today)
By the way, the tall buildings in the neighborhood did not exist in 1953; I don’t believe there was anyplace in the country with more than six-eight floors…
]]>Our last day for now in this complex city. Beautiful buildings, nice people, crumbling sidewalks, dog droppings an ever present hazard. Low prices, good food and beer and wine. Too many people living on the streets. Heavy traffic, horns honking and sirens blaring. This is one of those places where people stand in line at ATM’s or bus stops; no bunching or shoving or cutting-in… We enjoy BA and look forward to our next visit.
Rain and thunderstorms limited our activity today. Took a cab to what has been called “the second most beautiful bookstore in the world.” El Ateneo, an old elegant theatre repurposed as a bookstore and cafe. We had an early leisurely lunch, then took advantage of a lull in the rain to walk back towards the hotel. Our arranged ride will be here soon to take us to the airport for our overnight flight home. Sad to have the trip ending, but looking forward to being home!
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Once we finally got off the ship and to our hotel, we wandered to and through the miles-long Sunday San Telmo street market. Bought a few gifts for people back home…
Adding this a few days later after many many sea days. It is all a blur…
in Las Palmas we did a bit of walk around the shopping area, found a nice pair of shoes not in stock in my size. Oh well. On to Old Town, a nice lunch, a little time in the house where Columbus stayed when passing through. Las Palmas seems a nice place, but quite large. There are quite a few ex pats from UK and Europe who spend winters here.
[Update - In September 2021 a major volcanic eruption occurred causing much destruction of property and the eventual evacuation of 7,000 residents and tourists. As I post this up date two months later, the lava flows continue... Photo below copied from an AP source]
We took another cab to the Picasso museum, went only as far as the gift shop. Too long a line at the ticket booth. On down the street to a very nice little restaurant for tapas and wine, a bit of a wander, and back to the ship. A good day, but less rain, more sun, would have been nice!
]]>Following our long long day trip to Mostar yesterday, today was a day to leisurely explore the walled city of Dubrovnik. The day was cool but warm enough, some clouds and light rain late afternoon, but a nice day all in all. We took about two hours to walk around the wall, had a nice lunch in an alleyway off the Main Street, wandered some, looked at shops, bought a fish (a small sculpture, not an actual fish!), and took the shuttle back to our ship…
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... a few images from around the town…
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Oh. One dog also. Tired looking dog. You can imagine what his day is like, one of the few dogs in a city overrun by cats!
]]>A great trip with 4 others to the hill towns of Volterra and San Gigiimianano. Arranged through Tours by Locals. The views were great, the towns were interesting, the guide/driver was entertaining, and a good time was had by all. So glad Cheryl and Jeff and Sheri and Johnnie were able to join us!
But we did have a good group.
Drove to Montserrat , Guide Joe gave us a quick recon, and we headed up the funicular for higher views. Back down in time to grab a prime spot for the Boy’s Choir short performance. Then a tumble back into the van and on to a small Cava winery. Housed in a very old house. Interesting venue, good wine, even for those like me that are not wild about bubbly wine.
Back to Barcelona and we all went our separate ways. A good day, great scenery, interesting cultural tidbits scattered in our path along the way.
A few of the images…
A few images from along the way and from our late-afternoon stroll in Barcelona…
A verrry long line to get in. Plan B. We walked on to the Prado and spent the day there. No photos allowed, but a few quickies along the way to and from.
A fascinating city, I won’t attempt to capture its complexity here. It is worth a visit!
A few select images from the cathedral and other parts of the town…
We had a to-die-for cheese plate and a glass of wine at the museum cafe and walked back to the hotel. Some sunshine… Spent some time in the room regrouping, then onward to a pre-planned Flamenco Show and dinner at El Corral de Moreria. Used cabs to and from in concession to the still windy and chill weather. The food was excellent, the dancing was awesome! Limited photography allowed there or in the museum earlier, but I do what I can.
Then up to Plaza Sol, back toward Plaza Mayor by a different route. Some tapas in a nice restaurant, then onward to the Mercado San Miguel. Maybe it used to be a Mercado, but now it is a high vibe tapas and wine center. We’ll revisit! A bit more wandering through the afternoon chill, then back to the hotel to regroup before dinner.
A few more impressions of this neighborhood…
Arrival in Barcelona around 0930, quick walk through of immigration, luggage retrieval, customs, and on to our waiting cab. Arrived Sants, the Barcelona main train station by 1045. AVE high speed train to Madrid 1250 to about 1550. Short cab ride to our hotel near the Plaza Mayor in the heart of the city. Settled in, did a walk around the neighborhood, had some light dinner tapas. Long day! Great weather throughout, cool temps, sunny…
Tomorrow is for rest and recovery, probably some leisurely exploration of this section of the city.
Some first impressions of Madrid:
Lets see if this link is still alive, a news story about the weather…
]]>The things I consider when looking at transatlantics or other repositioning cruises:
1. What time of year? Early fall or late fall? Early spring or late spring? Weather conditions?
2. Start point. End point. Are these places I would like to spend extra time? Our first TA was from Southampton to San Juan. Great! Visited friends and relatives pre-cruise, spent some quality time in San Juan post-cruise. Our most recent was Civitavecchia to Lauderdale. Good time in Florence for a few days before heading to the port. Easy to get out of South Florida quickly post-cruise.
3. Cruise line. Available lectures, games, whatever, which will amuse us and keep us from boredom on multiple sea days? Not a big issue for us, we can find plenty to amuse ourselves, but some will go stir crazy.
4. Cabin availability? We like to pick our own. Particularly on longer trips.
5. Price?
There is a site that keeps a list of Transatlantics. You could look there for possibilities. See how they might fit your priorities similar to above.
I have adopted the strategy of booking almost as soon as a desired itinerary is announced. I then watch the price, get my fare adjusted down if/when the price drops. If I had a bit more flexibility I wouldn’t mind a last minute booking either. Biggest downer might be the higher air fares with a late booking.
I sometimes read horror stories about cruises being ruined (and maybe lives being ruined forever!) because of a cabin issue. Too hot, too cold, too noisy, no good shows on TV, bed too hard, bed too soft, whatever. I like to choose, but I’ve booked “guarantees” as well. You are on a cruise. People waiting on you hand and foot. Plenty of good food, drinks. Interesting other people around you. The ever changing ocean as far as you can see. Brilliant stars at night. How can one not be happy no matter how bad the room is?
[Update a year later... In 2020 we will be doing 2 or three Transatlantic cruises! The first is a traditional repositioning cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Southampton. But then in August we will go from New Jersey to Dublin with stops in Nova Scotia and Iceland. And maybe we will return to the U.S. on the same route. For this/these Transatlantic cruise(s), it is definitely all about the ports-of-call.]
]]>24 Oct, 2018
Had a recent discussion with friends: where would we like to travel?
My bucket list:
– Re-visit Alaska
– Norwegian coastal cruise
– Cuba?
– Antarctica? More than a drive-by, which we have done.
– African Safari?
Already booked and to be done in the next two years:
– Madrid, Toledo, Barcelona
– Dubrovnik
– Re-visit Buenos Aires
– Re-visit Paraguay and the sites I knew as a young pre-teen
– Iberian Peninsula (w/ visits to Bilbao, San Sebastian, Malaga, the Alhambra…)
– New Zealand
– Re-visit Australia (Southeast)
We’ll see if we are physically and fiscally able to do this.
[Update, a year later... New Zealand and Australia have been moved from our planning list. Cuba has been declared off limits to us, so that is off the list. We are giving serious thought to the Norwegian coastal cruise, thinking that may happen in May or June 2021. Meanwhile, in April of 2020 we'll do a Transatlantic from Florida to England, in August 2020 we'll cross from NJ to Dublin via Nova Scotia, Greenland and Iceland, and maybe cruise back on the same route. October 2020 we're booked for a New England/Canada Fall Colors cruise. We will keep on keeping on!]
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