 |
| Miami to Venice (er, Trieste) |
Keen observers will note that (based on this post's subject line) the cruise is from Miami to Trieste and not Miami to Venice, as originally advertised. That's because our itinerary changed, and we're now disembarking in Trieste, Italy, about 2 hours from Venice. The other change, so far, is that we're no longer going to stop in Bermuda, due to heavy weather in the area.
After much hassle getting tested, completing forms required by various countries, and flying down from Detroit after spending the night, we actually managed to get aboard the Oceania Marina. It's a small miracle.
 |
| She's hitting the bottle already |
 |
| Leaving the Port of Miami |
 |
| Miami Beach is on the right here |
Grand Stirrup Cay, Bahamas
Bermuda was canceled due to heavy weather in the area. This was disappointing. To avoid arriving in the Azores ahead of schedule, we made a stop at Grand Stirrup Cay, Bahamas instead. It was a poor substitution.
Everything on the island seemed artificial. The entire port area, the fake beach, the fake restaurants and bars, the fake amusement-park-like fun area; there was nothing at all authentic to be had as we walked around. We later learned that Grand Stirrup Cay is a private island owned by NCL, the parent company of Oceania, Regency, and Norwegian Cruise line. It made more sense when we learned that, but it didn't make it any more genuine.
 |
| Grand Stirrup Cay, where *I* am the only authentic entity |
And now, the next six consecutive days would be at sea, crossing the Atlantic. Although we sailed south of the heavy weather in Bermuda, we hit some of it along the way. We were rockin' and rollin'.
Except it didn't happen that way, We've learned to flinch when the Captain comes on the ship's intercom at an unexpected time and begins by saying, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I regret to inform you..." as he did a day before we were to arrive at Ponta Delgada, of the Portuguese Azores Islands. The reason? Bad weather, too dangerous to try to land, once again. So now we would have eight consecutive at-sea days instead of six. Dang. Two places we really wanted to visit, Bermuda and the Azores, would now be bypassed.
But at least we would have all the more at-sea days. Those long days are filled with relaxation, warm visitation to the pool and spa, calm sea waters, and fun activities, all for our enjoyment. Not one word in that previous sentence is even remotely true; there was little relaxation, almost no warmth (it was mostly in the 50s and 60s, with high winds), high (extremely so) surf due to wind and storms, and only a slight amount of fun. And the days weren't even long; many of them were 23 hours due to the time changes required for our Easterly direction of travel. Actually, I think the Lady Adventurer had more enjoyment during those days than I. This, even though she didn't always feel so great. I also didn't feel my best, but on top of that, I was bored as well.
Funchal, Madeira, Portugal
Madeira is incredibly scenic. But then, anything resembling land would be after those eighteen months at sea. And since we absolutely love Portugal anyway, this subtropical island in the middle of the Eastern Atlantic appealed to us. We took the Hop-on, Hop-off bus around town and got off near the top of one of the surrounding hills for some nice scenic photos, in Churchill Bay, a quaint fishing village, and in the City Center, where we walked all over the place. Along with us were our friends, Donna and Bob Torche. We all enjoyed it immensely. Unfortunately, we did not get the opportunity to sample some Madeira wine. But that was okay; we get wine on the ship. Lots of it.
 |
| Early morning arrival to Funchal |
 |
| Funchal, Madeira, Portugal |
 |
| Card Game at Churchill Bay |
Malaga, Spain
After yet another at-sea day, we passed through the Strait of Gibraltar (at night, so we didn't see much), and finally arrived in Mainland Europe. Malaga is on the South Coast, also known as Costa del Sol. It had been hit by a haboob (sandstorm), A big haboob. One that came from the Sahara, and it had covered everything in Mars-like red dust.
Once again with Donna and Bob, we walked to the City Center, the Picasso Museum, and then up the mountain to Castillo de Gibralfaro. The castle was neat. Until, of course, the rains came. There was a lot of rain, and since we were on a mountain, we can say that it most definitely did not stay mainly on the plain. What it did do, was cause us to wait for an Uber to avoid the mud (caused by the lethal combination of dust and rain) that was now everywhere for the walk back to the ship. And did I mention that it was suddenly cold as well? Yup, it was suddenly freezing. Lady A. was not a happy camper.
 |
| Castillo de Gibralfaro as the rainstorm begins |
 |
| in Malaga |
You will not believe this, but the Captain comes on the intercom once again to announce that we will not be stopping in Marseille, France, due to high winds. Instead, there will be yet another day at sea. I guess the calm Mediterranian isn't all that calm. This is getting ridiculous.
Monte Carlo, Monaco
Lady Adventurer and I did another hop-on, hop-off tour of this pretty-neat place. Once again, we were with Bob and Donna. We spent most of the day walking around the palace area, taking pictures, and enjoying the sights of the harbor far below. We also walked around the Rose Garden.
 |
| Monte Carlo, Monaco |
Rome, Italy
After guided tours of the Colosseum and St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, Lady A. and I were on our own to do our own walking tour of the sights of this city. We visited: the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Hadrian's Temple, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Mausoleo Augusto, and Piazza del Popolo. We'd been to some of them before, but it was good to see them again anyway. It was quite a day of walking. And by the way, I know I'm not the first to say this, but I sure will repeat it: you can't swing a cat in Rome without hitting something of historical significance. It was all pretty wonderful, much to our surprise and delight.
 |
| Spanish Steps (I went up, Lady A. Stayed down) |
 |
| Piazza Navona |
Amalfi and Positano, Italy
This Amalfi coastal region of Italy is every bit as scenic as advertised. We took a tender into the town of Amalfi, then a slow boat to Positano, then (after a nice but strenuous and very vertical walk), took a boat back to Amalfi, then (after another walk), got on the slow tender boat back to the ship (which, of course, is yet another boat). Amalfi is spectacular, but Positano is even more so.
 |
| Trellis in Positano |
 |
| Looking out in Positano |
Valletta and Mdina, Malta
Malta is almost like a whole 'nother country. (It actually is one). And it's really cool. The entire island is fortified to the hilt, with walls galore. We heard how a group of knights defended the island against all odds to defeat the invading Ottoman Empire Turks. We got around to see much of the island, including a church that survived a WWII bomb that turned out to be a miraculous dud. The old city of Mdina (please do not confuse it with Medina, Ohio, USA) was probably the most enjoyable.
 |
| Mdina Old City |
Syracuse, Taormina, and Castelmola, Sicily, Italy
This would prove to be a real highlight. First off, the Captain scared us half to death the previous evening by announcing that, due to high winds, we would not be docking at Messina, Sicily as planned. Our sigh of relief came when he followed that up by saying that we would go to Syracuse instead. We still managed to see and do what we wanted, and we're glad about that. The old town of Taormina was spectacularly medieval. It made for a nice, long walk. The Greek Theater on the edge of town was even more superb; spectators like us got a great view of smoking Mount Etna over the top of the stage. After high-in-the-hills Taormina, we went higher, much higher, up the mountain to Castelmola. After lunch, we had a short walk around this town as well. What a great day!
 |
| Taormina Greek Theater |
 |
| Taormina |
 |
| Mt. Etna |
 |
| Castelmola |
Katakolon, Greece
There wasn't much happening in this sleepy seaside village. It serves as the gateway to Ancient Olympia, home to the original Olympic Games. We chose to just walk around since we've been to Olympia before.
 |
| Katakolon, Greece |
Corfu, Greece
Corfu is a Greek Island between the Ionian and Adriatic Seas. It's unlike the other Greek Islands located East of Mainland Greece; its main influence came from Venice, and this shows in its art and architecture. We visited Mon Repos Palace (Prince Philip was born there and it's now a museum), and walked, and walked around and through historic Corfu Old Town. It was all fun and games until the downpour occurred. Then it was back to the ship, lickety-split.
 |
| Perama area in Corfu |
 |
| Corfu across the seaport bay |
Cavtat and Dubrovnik, Croatia
Dubrovnik is a fairytale city that we've been to before. In fact, we spent three very nice days here about six years ago. It was nice to walk around town once again, gawking at the medieval / renaissance architecture within this walled city with its stunning location. We also visited nearby Cavtat, where we walked all the way around a scenic, and surprisingly wooded peninsula. The views of the Adriatic Sea were wonderful.
 |
| Cavtat |
 |
| Dubrovnik |
 |
| Dubrovnik |
Koper, Slovenia
Hop-on, hop-off tours are often the most fun. This one was no exception, but it didn't start out that way. We were provided coupons to allow us various tastings at the different stops, and we were confused about where to go and where to catch the next buses. The maps of the various villages were also confusing. But we eventually got into the swing of things and enjoyed the experience. The villages we stopped at include Izola, Piran, and Portoroz, not to mention Koper itself. We got a walk in at each location and tasted the wine, tapas, and cake.
 |
| Tartini Square, Piran, near Koper, Slovenia |
Trieste, Italy
 |
| Venice-Like Trieste |
 |
| Budapest-Like Trieste |
 |
| Vienna-Like Trieste |
