Posted out of order, so that it can be read from the earliest day first....

Day 9,Saturday, August 18

Today we started off saying so long to Mauro our host in Greve, and proceeded on the adventure of a 3 1/2 hour drive to Venice.  Tim Card still had enough data left on us to allow for the GPS to guide us through our Google Maps, which were not always perfect, but got us through (Jeff...which way to do I?  Jean...Well, I don’t know what this is trying to tell me...you tell me what this thing is saying...) 

After a stop half-way to make take bathroom break (at a rest stop that must have had 300 people at least, with 2 or 3 busses of tourists all speaking several different languages...cough, cough, Asian, cough, cough..) we make it to our Venice destination where we are supposed to turn in our rental car at Hertz...

First we are trying to find out where to go, luckily, EVERYONE speaks English (tourist central...) so we were soon directed, but couldn’t figure out how to get there...Jeff stays with the car, and I run to the Hertz counter, “Oh, yes, please turn the car into the garage (pronounced “gay-raggge” love those accents), which required us to make an illegal u-turn to get to the “Ga-ragge.”  Sigh says that that car rentals are on the top “10” floor, which we proceeded to drive to.  Get to the top, and there is no one to check us in... No mind you, it’s hot, and we have ALL of our luggage in the car...so, off I go to find out what to do, and where is that “Lift” to take me down to the bottom floor to check with the Hertz guy.  

I am soon informed that all we have to do is return the car keys and the parking structure ticket, and we are good to go.  No one to check us in or to check out the car to see if we filled up the gas, (we did) or whether there were any scratches...Oh, did I mention that we had a run in with  a tree a few days ago?  That was fun...but oh, no, Hertz wouldn’t really know so we though, okay, good to go.

Schlepped all of our luggage and backpacks and water, etc. down the elevator - Lift, turn in the keys “oh yes, we filed up the gas”  “Oh, yes, everything is fine”  and off we went to find our way to the cruise ship.

We take the “people mover” which takes us to the Marina to the cruise ship.  Did I mention that it’s hot?  Yeah, probably about 93-95ish.  No breeze, ugh, luggage, backpacks (oh, wait I said that already), we get off the people mover and follow the signs to the Seabourn Cruise ship.  Not being a good judge of distance in feet, I would say we walked at least a half a mile to get the the cruise ship and get checked in.  Sweat is literally dripping down my back when we make it there.  Honestly, I thought that we would have gotten dropped off much closer than we did.  Ugh. 

After we get checked in, get our photos taken for our ID cards...(wait, I don’t have any makeup on!  I’m hot, and sweaty!!),  and go through security, we are soon greeted by several staff members of the cruise line, all dressed in black (I think I’m hot!) with white gloves.  Wow, they were very elegant and proper!  Greeted us and escorted us to the ship where we boarded.  We couldn’t get to our rooms right away, so they told us to go to the 8th floor for some lunch...We met a lovely couple from Australia going up the elevator named Kim and Jenny.  No, it’s not what you’re thinking, Kim is the husband’s name.  But ironic, no?  Kim and Jenny?  At any rate, we ate with them, and soon became very friendly with this couple.  About our age, kids, grandkids, friendly, fun to hang around with.

Got into our rooms, got settled in, and called Aunty Pat and Uncle Ed’s room.  They had arrived a while earlier, and got into their room before we did, in time enough to get a nap in.  Went to see them, and it is just so much fun being with them.  They are having such a good time!  We were reminded of the Fire Drill or Safety Drill, which wasn’t as bad as some that we have seen.  While we are sitting at our Muster Station, and very attractive and classy blond lady walks by that I thought looked really familiar.  As I am staring trying to figure it out, she is soon followed by a white haired older gentleman, and as I was just thinking, “wait, is that...” Jeff nudged me and said, “Hey, that’s Newt Gingrich”  Yes folks, we are traveling with the Gingrich’s.  If there was any doubt, their name was called during the safety drill.  Wow!  

After we said goodnight to Pat and Ed, we went back to the room to take a little nap, woke up and went to dinner on the pool deck, and there again, were Newt and Callista, enjoying dinner by themselves.  After dinner, we went to the night club and saw them again, and sat right next to them.  We introduced ourselves, and they were both very cordial and friendly.  Callista was very sweet and easy to talk to.  We actually danced next to them, and Jeff had to put is “dance moves” on maybe just to show off a little bit.  But it was a great evening.

Sunday, August 19

Today we went to a town called Sibenik, in Croatia.  Wanted to find a free Wi-Fi zone so we could check emails.  Went to a beautiful church and got there toward the end of the high mass (Newt & Callista again...at mass) Got free wi-fi in town, and wanted to post more, especially on Facebook, etc.  but I felt bad being on my i-pad and not visiting with A. Pat and U. Ed.  They came with us into town.  So, we took one picture that I put on FB, and tagged Donna for them on the picture.

Jeff played in a Putting Tournament (I watched..) then we had A. Pat and U. Ed over for a glass of wine.  Today was formal night at dinner, so we (all four of us) joined up with Kim and Jenny and some friends that they had met from Australia for a really nice dinner in the dining room.  Jeff looked smashing in his white suit coat, while linen pants and white shoes!  

After dinner we went to the show, which was the Seabourn Singers doing a Musical Theatre Salute.  How perfect!!  They were really quite good and one girl (there are 2 girls and 2 boys) did an amazing version of The Wizard and I.  Very talented!!  There was also a wonderful Russian Dance Couple who were fantastic.  Like watching Dancing with the Stars.

Got back to our room to find it completely decorated with rose petals, candles, and the most amazing chocolate cake celebrating our Anniversary!  Wow!  Classy.  We took pictures, but I don’t think I can add them to the blog.

Over all, a wonderful day today.  Cruising right now to Kotor.  Ciao!!

Friday, August 24, 2012

Wow!  I can’t believe it’s been 5 days since I wrote anything down.  Let’s see where to start...

On Monday, we were in Kotor.  (Shopping Center?) This city did not have much to see, but we wanted to step off the ship, so we went into town.  We took a few pictures but since it was hot, we didn’t feel like staying.  But when we got back, there was a ping-pong tournament, which of course, Mr. Competitive had to enter in.  We have started making some friends, and he recruited some guys to play.  However, there were quite a few “younger” boys entered, who were pretty good.  There was also a 12 year old boy who was incredible for his age.  Jeff showed him no mercy, since he told Jeff that “I can beat you!”  That all Jeff needed.  At any rate, Jeff came in second place and won a pen, in addition to his leather book mark...which now makes 2 for participation!  Woo Hoo!

This was the day of the magician, who was very funny!!  Really enjoyed him.  The Russian Dance Couple danced again.  Amazing!!  We sat in front, and really enjoyed being up front and close!

The service on this ship is impeccable.  Anything we ask for we get.  We feel like celebrities, or royalty, or sort of like a certain politician.... :-)

On Tuesday, we were in Corfu.  We did not like this city very much.  It was hot, and the city was run down, sort of felt like Tijuana.  We went to a cafe (as we do in every port) to see if they have wi-fi, and we order a soda or something.  If I can, I take a picture, and post to Facebook, check emails, etc.  I haven’t posted to my blog because I would need to take my computer, which is just to cumbersome and hot.  Excuses...sorry.  

While we ere in Corfu, we were sitting next to a couple from Moscow, who were very nice.  Jeff was dictating his email response into his IPad, and the guy was fascinated by the technology.  He had never seen anything with a voice to text compatibility.  We were surprised that Moscow didn’t seem to have this type of technology.  If they did, he wasn’t aware.  Very interesting.  At any rate, I would be pushing to see more castles or sites in any of these cities if it weren’t so blooming hot!!!!  So we left Corfu, came back to the ship and did more relaxing! 

After dinner, the ship hosted some Greek Dancers, who were very good, which made for a very fun atmosphere.  Everything has been wonderful, the food spectacular!

On Wednesday, we were in Argostolion.  I can’t really remember much on this day.  Kind of sad, huh?  I will check with A. Pat &  U. Ed.  They will help me remember!  

On Thursday, we were in Pylos.  This was a cute little town, but it really didn’t have much to offer.  At least it wasn’t gross like Corfu.  But there really wasn’t much.  I did see a pair of shoes that I almost bought. They were really cute, and not too much money, but I was worried that they might not stretch out enough.  It’s hard to try on shoes when your feet are swollen...

Went to another cafe that had wi-fi and decided to check in to see if we could  “Face Time” with Jessi.  It was late, and I think we might have awakened her, but it was worth it to see her!  :-)  

We got back to the ship and got a private tour of the galley.  Executive Chef, Sean, had a set up of caviar and champagne for us as part of the tour.  Very class act!  It’s an amazing operation, and very clean and organized.  It has to be, really.  But fascinating. 

We had massages today, and I was in heaven and relaxed the rest of the day until dinner.  Met up with our friends, Kim & Jenny, had dinner with them on the patio (still hot!!) and then there was dancing under the stars, with the band.  Jeff & I both got to dance with the Russians, which was an amazing experience!!  A wonderful day!

Today, Friday, finally getting up to date.  We overslept, and hadn’t even realized that we were stopped.  Most of the ports we have anchored away from town, because the piers cannot support us.  So we take tenders into town.  Today, was incredibly hot.  I think the hottest day yet.  It is really hard to enjoy ourselves when it is like this.  I hate to complain, but it seems to be the common theme here, and whether we enjoy ourselves in a town, is determined by how hot it is.  

We decided to have a little gathering in our room tonight for some of our new friends that are leaving.  The most amazing thing about this ship, is all we had to do is call room service and ask for a few trays of caviar (yes, caviar!) cheese, shrimp cocktail, champagne, and glasses, and they brought it all up to our room with a smile and set everything up.  All of this at no charge!!  The most amazing part of this cruise line is the fact that EVERYTHING is included.  All alcohol, room service, meals, special treats, anything we want.  

Afterward, we met up with Kim and Jenny to look at the watch that Kim wants to buy.  He needed Jeff’s watch expertise, since it is $10,000.  I don’t know anyone who spends that kind of money on a watch, but wow!  Nice watch, but not sure if its worth 10K. Afterward we had cocktails & dinner with A. Pat & U. Ed, then went to the show to watch the Seabourn Singers put on a tribute to Burt Bacharach.  Another great show!

Got back to the room, and received a call from some friends who asked us come to their room they had something to show us.  When we got there, their room was decorated for their 50th Anniversary.  Nicer than ours, but it was their 50th!  Gold balloons, towel swans, the whole bit!  Stunning. 

Got invited to have dinner with the Assistant Cruise Director and Social Director tomorrow.  Should be fun!!

Tomorrow, we go on a tour of Athens!  I will try to update more regularly!!

xoxo

Sunday, 8-24

Saturday, August 24, 2012.

Today was a most spectacular day.  We met our tour group at the terminal of the cruise ship, and we were loaded onto a bus.  Our tour guide was not sure who she was taking on her tour, she just proceeded to take us on our Athens (Pythaes) adventure.  

The funny thing is, at the outset of the tour, she didn’t really realize which tour she was on.  She thought it was over in the first hour until she asked if we were returning to the cruise ship afterwards.  As we progressed into the tour, she took us to the museum of the Acropolips first which housed the Parthenon.  The museum was an incredible experience because she was able to take us through the history of the Greek Gods and things way beyond my comprehension.  She was referring to times that were 500 BC and even more beyond.  It was mind boggling to think about.  

Then we made the tour of the Parthenon.  I have to say, even in spite of the incredible heat (105 degrees at least) it was the most awe inspiring thing that I have ever seen.  Seeing the ruins of this spectacular structure all made of marble.  I seriously felt humbled in the presence of such an amazing piece of architecture.  When we left to go back to the bus, I noticed in the bathroom that my face was beet red.  I feel like I am becoming like mom in the heat.  I was so hot, but it was worth every drip of sweat that ran down my back to see this incredible piece of history.

When we got back, we had to attend another fire drill, since we took on about 300 new passengers today.  Haven’t met too many new passengers yet, but I am sure we will soon.  Had a drink in the Observation Lounge with Pat & Ed, and Rolf & Jenny (another Australian couple that we have met) before dinner.  

For dinner tonight, we were invited to have dinner with Simon, the Assistant Cruise Director, and Judy, the Social Director.  We had an absolutely wonderful time finding out about the ins and outs of cruising on the Mediterranean.  Plus they were both serious performers, which really gave me a lot to chat with them about.

Overall, an absolutely spectacular day!!

Day 6, Thursday, August 16

Okay, I officially missed a day yesterday, which was relaxing and not much to report, other than having lunch in town, and meeting a cute couple from Israel.  They were exploring their way through Italy, and we had a lovely chat yesterday.

Today, though, we rented a Vespa and motored all around the region for most of the day.  We started off in at cute little stop for Coffee at a little B&B called Casa al Chianti.  The view was amazing and the host was a sweet lady who was originally from Scotland, but had Italian parents and settled here.  Very sweet.

Then we got on the scooter and made our way to the next town which was called Badda in Chianti.  There were some shops, and it was really nice, with amazing views of the vineyards.  After that we drove back to our apartment to regroup and cool off.  Then we went to lunch in Ponzano, which is about 10 km (about a 15 minute scooter ride) for lunch.  Jeff looked up on trip advisor and found this amazing find for lunch that had the most amazing food as well as incredible view.

I really felt like I got my Italy fix today.  Just motoring around on the scooter and making our way through the towns.  I have to say, Jeff is a very good driver!! Even though some of the streets were very narrow and winding, I think all that time on the Harley has been good training for a little Vespa!!

Took a nap after returning the scooter and watched the Palio on TV which is a very famous Horse Race that is held annually in Sienna.  Jeff wanted to go, but we were told that there were millions of people and it would be hot and crowded.  After watching it on TV (which was pretty intense since 5 of the 9 horses collided against a wall) we were very glad that we didn't go - Or at least I was.

Tried to watch The Newsroom on our Slingbox (we are obsessed!!) but had difficulty with our internet connection.

Oh, an update on the famous Sim Card (actually called a "TimCard").  Works great for data, and phone.  However the app for the TomTom not so much.  We've been using the Google Maps app on the IPhone to navigate our way through the country, and it's been about 95% accurate, until we went to dinner tonight.  Went round and round in circles, because the construction and one way streets weren't updated on the maps.  We tried to ask a lady walking her dog where to go, and she only spoke Italian.  The more she tried to talk to us, the more frustrated she got, and the louder she emphasized her "dirrecia" (I think that was to the right?)  Oh, well, found our way to dinner tonight and had an amazing Ravioli stuffed with Ricotta & Spinach with a sausage and walnut sauce that is to die for!!  Had Bistecca (T-Bone Steak) as well, finally, since Jeff has been drooling since we got here for his steak!!

Here are a few pics!!

View from the drive into Badda in Chianti

Badda in Chianti

Restaurant in Ponzano...if we didn't know where we were going, we never would have found the restaurant!

View from table at Lunch, name of the Restaurant was Il Vescovino

Church at end of road.  Actually went in and said a prayer for Mom & Dad and lit a candle. Wish they were with us right now!!

This is the view from our apartment overlooking the Square in Greve.  Have really grown to love this little town!

Dinner after we got lost and yelled at by the Italian lady!! :-)

The Vespa...this is out of order...should have been at the top!

View from Dudda where we had our first stop of the day for a cappuccino. 

 Overall, a fantastic day!!

Day 4, Monday, August 13

My allergies are out of control.  It’s really dragging me down, and making me feel rather sluggish.  We went to get the sim card for the phone, went to pick up a few groceries and then to the farmacia (pharmacy) to get some allergy pills.

We went to a restaurant for lunch in a small town called Badia a Passignano.  Our host, Mauro had drawn us a map how to get there, and I had a map from the Tourist Center so I thought we would be able to find it, no problem.  However, we really didn’t know what we were in for.

Now we have had our experiences traveling the very narrow roads of Italy, so I really thought we had seen it all.  Well, today’s adventure really tops anything we have seen in the past.  The small and winding road to the top of the hill that Mauro & Tourist Center indicated would take us to a stop light.  What they didn’t tell us that you had to wait for the green light to proceed.  Yes, I know it makes sense to wait for green, but we thought maybe the light was broken because it wasn’t changing.  So,we proceed to enter a very, very narrow road with a cliff on the left and a wall on the right, and we come face to face with a car coming up the road, followed by several cards lined up behind him.  There is no where to go, so we have to go backwards for what seems like forever trying to go back to the beginning of where we entered.  Talk about tension in the car...I tried to navigate for Jeff, but he was doing okay, just very quiet.  When we got back to the stop light, we realized that the sign by the light said that the red light is for 3 minutes.  This allows time for the cars to pass through. Duh!  When we were backing out, there were some people at the top of the hill laughing at us!  We are your typical crazy American Tourists!!

Frustrated, and not even knowing if this is the right way we ask a kind older gentleman for directions.  He tried very hard to communicate with us, and then said, in his own Italian way that he would take us.  Seriously!  What a great guy.  He got on his scooter and proceeded to take us back to the light where we waited for it to turn to green and we entered the road again.  What a beautiful road!  He took us to the sign that said that we had 3 kilometers to get to the town, and we were good to go.  

The town was home to a beautiful castle, which unfortunately was closed for renovations.  But we had a fabulous lunch at L’Antica Scanderia, which had this beautiful setting against the backdrops of the wine grape orchards.  Delicious meal of Caprese Salad and Ravioli stuffed with cheese and truffles.  What a meal.  

The view from the restaurant where we had lunch!

Time for a nap before we go to eat again.  Still waiting to go see some of the sights like castles and views.  

Had a wonderful diner in a lovel town called Lomale.  The restaurant was a bit touristy, but over all, we enjoyed the meal and the wine.

Ciiao for now!!

Day 3, Sunday, August 12

Coffee first thing in the morning

Woke up to the sound of church bells.  It’s a really nice thing to wake up to!  Started looking around the apartment more, and I am really beginning to enjoy the charm of what it is.  It is small but very tastefully decorated.  In his adventure with Mauro yesterday, Jeff found out that Mauro is a cabinet maker by trade, and it really shows.  The living room is full of charm and a lovely mixture of wood, and brick.

We walked to the square for cappuccinos and pastries, while we attempt to plan out our day.  Of course, the Olympics are weighing on Jeff’s mind, so we come back to find some channel that is showing the marathon.  Imagine my joy of spending our first real day of our vacay watching Olympics.  But we can’t get anywhere because we don’t have our Tom Tom hooked up.  Sooooo, let’s just watch the Marathon!  Oh yes, folks a 3 hour marathon on TV (in between volleyball).  In Italy.  On our vacation. Imagine my joy!  

Seriously, though.  It’s okay.  we are getting ourselves adjusted to the time change, and getting our travel legs on.  We have PLENTY of time!! :-)  And hubby is happy!  

After the Marathon, we decided we wanted to visit a local winery that we had heard about, which was walking distance from our house.  We finally found the gate to the winery, and when we rang the bell, we were asked if we had our car or were walking.  She opened the gate, and told us to follow the road to the end....Ahead of us was a long, long, long and very steep hill, which we managed to hike up to.  The winer was called PodereCampriano.  We thought we were just going Wine Tasting, but instead got a tour of this very small and organic winery.  Delicious wine and lovely time.  

Organic Chianti Winery!  Super cool!!

After a nap (with all that wine, we really needed it...) we went to a nice dinner on the square.

Day 2 - Saturday, August 11 (Sorry, this is a long one!!)

Picked up rental car at the airport, and loaded things in the car (2 large bags, 2 small bags, 2 carry ons) Spent nearly 10 minutes trying to figure out out to put the car in reverse.  The European cars with a manual transmission are always a bit of an adjustment.  I wish I could have remembered that you pull up the bottom cover of the stick shift in order to go into reverse.  We tried pushing it and punching it, all to no avail.  Of course, if you pull out the manual, it is in Italian, and I just didn’t see any pictures of the stick shift so we really were frustrated.  Finally, the girl from Hertz came over to help us figure it out.  

Got on the road for our drive from Rome to Greve in Chianti.  The girl at the Hertz Counter showed us the route to take, and Jeff didn’t want to “buy” the map because of the Tom Tom app on his phone.  But I talked him into buying the map which cost 3 Euro (about $4) so we would have something to look at!   The route she suggested took us over 4 hours on the drive.  If we would have taken the main freeway (Autostrada) we probably would have saved about an hour and a half.  On the map, both routes look about the same, but the truth is, the route we took turned into several 2 lane highways, which went through towns, and of course slowed us down considerably.  

We had stopped 2 different times trying to find a new Sim Card for Jeff’s jailbroken phone (the ones that they had at the airport were only for voice, not for data or broadband.)  He needed the sim card because he has a Tom Tom App on his phone, so we can drive-by directions for all of Europe.  A lot of good this does, when you don’t have the sim card!  He would ask people along the way (in English to their Italian...) if they had the sim cards, and they would say no, he would say “Where do I go?” and they would just smile and shrug their shoulders.  Either they didn’t understand or they really didn’t know, but it was not too dissimilar from our trip a couple of years ago when he was on a mission to find his Italian shoes.  

The funny thing is, he pays money to jail break his phone, so he can get a free app, that we can’t use, because we can’t get the sim card.  We have the Garmin that we used before which had all the European roads on there, but could we use that?  Of course not, we had use the jail broke free app that we couldn’t use!

Sorry, I digress...started getting hungry since I slept through breakfast, so we made another stop to get a bite and use the bathroom.  He asked again about a sim card, and still the sort of pathetic shrug...we both got kind of  gross sandwiches that we didn’t finish, and got back on the road following the map that wasn’t exactly the best map. 

We navigated our way through different towns and by chance got onto the right road which took us into Greve.  We had to go up and huge hill and back down again but we knew we were in the right region when we came across thousands of acres of grape fields and vines 

Here is where it gets interesting...the directions from our booking agent for this part of the trip, were very vague, and not real clear as to where to find out apartment that we were staying at.  So, we drove around the town, trying to find the “Square” and to find the car park which is by the church.  We were then supposed to walk to the square, find the owners of the apartment and they were help us with our luggage.  BUT. after inquiring as to how far the square is from the car park, ”Mr. I refuse to follow directions, I do what I want to do” insists that we park the car, and take our luggage with us.  So, we take ALL of our luggage out of the car (luckily I had the presence of mind to change my shoes from my heals to my flip flops) and proceed to “schlep” our luggage through the town to the square even though we had no idea where we were going.

Luckily, after we got through the square the directions were somewhat accurate, we started to walk through the back of the building, and asked some girl for directions.  She pointed to a man standing at the top of a hill of buildings, and that is how we met “Mauro” our host.  He came running over to us (and luckily to me...) to help us with our luggage...there are lots of hills in these hillside communities) and brought us upstairs to our apartment.  His English is not that great, but he is sweet and happy to show us around.  We get settled in, and Mauro takes Jeff out to find a sim card for his phone.  While he does this, I fall into a deep sleep...mmmmm felt great!

Jeff comes back from his adventures with Mauro (they also stopped by for a wine tasting somewhere...) and of course, no sim card!  They don’t open until Monday so we are stuck without a digital map.  I have an idea!  Let’s go to the Tourist Information stand and get a Map!  Hmmmmm, the old fashioned way!  What do you know!

We were able to walk out of our apartment to the square where we have a nice dinner and wine (of course) around 9:00. Exhausted, we both fell asleep, and slept quite well through the night! ;-)

Day 1 - Friday, August 10

Get up early only to find that our flight is delayed by 2 hours.  Get to the airport, and discovered the first perk of flying first class-The First Class lounge!  Started drinking at 9:00 in the morning complimentary mimosas!

Finally got on the plane and got into our seats.  The next best thing about first class...the chairs literally open up into a full on lounge where we could recline all the way out!  Needless to say, we were very comfortable on the flight.  The first flight to New York was flawless and in the comfort of our seats, for the most part, I forgot we were even flying.  

I did have to put up with an annoying hubby, who wanted to tease me all the time, and constantly reposition my seat.  At 64, he still is not grown up! 

Because our flight was delayed, it was also the same plane going to Rome.  Convenient for us in that we didn’t have to change terminals or gates, but annoying because in order to clean the plan and prepare for the next leg, we had to disembark.  Good to walk around and stretch our legs in the airport though.

Met up with a cute Girls Basketball Team from some University in South Caroline who was on their way to Rome to play Basketball with several Italian Teams.  They were so excited, and looking forward to their trip.

Finally got on the plane to Rome, still First Class, but different crew.  They weren’t as friendly as the first group, but we managed.  Almost from the get go, we encountered lots of turbulence which was not much fun.  Lastly for quite a while, really. No fun!  Definitely did NOT forget I was on a plane this time.  

We got personal tablets to watch movies on, which was kind of cool.  Came with these great headphones, which blocked out all other noise.  After dinner and movie, took my sleeping pill (1/2 pill) and slept until 30 minutes before landing in Rome.  Whew!

Mimosas at the Airport!!