WEDNESDAY 31ST AUGUST/THURSDAY 1ST SEPTEMBER - THE ADVENTURE BEGINS
Our latest adventure began on the afternoon of 31st August when Redair picked us up around 5pm to transport us to the international airport for our Emirates flight to Barcelona (via Dubai).
Some 21 hours later we arrived in Barcelona at 1.25pm on Thursday 1st September and it only took us about an hour to get through Customs, collect our luggage, get to the pre-booked shuttle bus and then be delivered to our B and B on the corner of Mallorca and Girona Streets.
And what a great find this turned out to be. It was on the second floor of a gorgeous old building, and the owner Kiku was an absolute honey. We travelled up to our Barcelona 'home' via an old fashioned elevator
Although the apartment was small, it was just lovely...with its Spanish tiled floors, leadlight windows, and it had a verandah, albeit very tiny. But it was big enough for a small table and chairs where we did end up spending quite a bit of our early mornings and late evenings on, in true European style.
After we settled in we decided to take a wander around the local area to fight off the past 21 or so hours of sitting on a plane. And of course we were very keen to taste the local cuisine. Kiku gave us a few of his suggestions as to the best eating places, and we ended up at one only a couple of blocks away from our accommodation. How on earth I ask myself did I end up living in excess of 50 years without ever having discovered the absolute joy of Spanish tapas?
I chose two plates and John chose four plates of tapas ranging from octopus tenderly cooked in olive oil, lemon juice and herbs to grilled sardines (which John claimed was a culinary triumph but personally thought was ERK).
But not long after digesting this El Feasto we starting drooping from our long journey from Oz and so we made our way back to our B and B for a shower and an early night.
FRIDAY 2ND SEPTEMBER - BARCELONA
After a wonderful night's sleep we eased into our day by enjoying a cuppa on our verandah and watching the City below us come to life.
Around 8.30am we went down to the ground floor for breakfast, and while we were in the sitting room waiting for the table to finish being set, another couple walked it. Turned out they were also from Australia. Also turned out that their names were Ken and Beth - which just happened to be the very same couple (well Beth actually) that I had been communicating with for the past several months on Cruise Critic! It was like reuniting with old friends.
But we didn't have too long to chat because we were picked up outside at 9am for a Barcelona Highlights Tour. There were eight of us on the bus, and we were the only Aussies with a great bunch of Americans.
Our first stop...La Sagrada Familia, a large Roman Catholic basilica, designed by Catalan Spanish architect Antoni GaudÃ. Although incomplete, the church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in November 2010 Pope Benedict XVI consecrated and proclaimed it a minor basilica, as distinct from a cathedral, which must be the seat of a bishop. It was absolutely overwhelming in its magnificence - one of the most incredible man-made structures that I had ever seen.
But John didn't see it quite the way I did. He thought it was a monstrosity and not what a church should look like. Ah well...to each his own.
Our next stop was Park Guell, a public park system of gardens and Gaudi designs located on Carmel Hill. The park was built between 1900 and 1914 and was officially opened as a public park in 1926. In 1984, UNESCO declared the park a World Heritage Site under “Works of Antoni GaudÔ.
Even though it was a blisteringly hot day, we were still happy to spend quite some time wandering around this amazing place.
By the time our tour ended it was lunchtime and we were dropped off at La Rambla, a tree-lined pedestrian mall in central Barcelona which stretches for nearly 2 kilometres. We walked all along this vibrant street, buying some souvenirs and taking in the vibe of the place, but in the end a combination of the heat, thirst and hunger got the better of us and we plonked ourselves down at a restaurant for a cold drink and some tapas.
After lunch we did some more 'rambling' and ended up at La Boqueria, a large public market. The produce was so tempting that we decided to purchase the makings of a balcony feast. So armed with cheese, cured meats, olives, strawberries, grapes, bread and vino we headed back to our digs for a much welcome shower and our continental Spanish feast.
SATURDAY 3RD SEPTEMBER - GIRONA AND COSTA BRAVA
After a delicious breakfast with our host Kiku, Ken and Beth, and another lovely couple from Connecticut, we were picked up outside at 9.15am for our day tour to Girona and Costa Brava with Spain Day Tours.
Along with three other couples (including Wayne and Jan that we 'met' on Cruise Critic), our delightful Spanish guide Elena regaled our happy group with lots of facts and information about Spanish life, history and culture as we travelled passed mountains and farmlands to finally reach the town of Girona. Here we entered the town via the bridge over the Onyar River
and enjoyed a guided tour through the narrow stoned streets. Girona's Cathedral was the most imposing building in the town
After leaving Girona we drove for about half an hour further on until we reached the town of Tossa de Mar (which translates to "Hill of the Sea"). Here we had a short walk with our guide and after that we were free to explore this very popular seaside spot on our own. There were so many people on the beach
After our delightful repast and a stroll around this popular holiday spot
we boarded our mini bus for the return journey to Barcelona, arriving back in Barcelona around 5.30pm.
As we had enjoyed our balcony feast so much last night, we decided to replicate it again tonight. So we sought out a local market and purchased a veritable feast of delicious comestibles. After a nice cool shower it was time to set up our balcony feast and watch the daylight fade away into a balmy night.
SUNDAY 4TH SEPTEMBER - CRUISE DAY!
There was no need to set the alarm to wake me up this morning - I had John's excessive snoring to do that!
As we had plenty of time this morning to enjoy a leisurely breakfast, we headed down to the breakfast area where the cook had prepared a Spanish omelette for us for breakfast, as well as freshly baked bread, a selection of cheeses and cold meats, coffee and orange juice. What an absolutely wonderful way to start the day.
As we had plenty of time this morning to enjoy a leisurely breakfast, we headed down to the breakfast area where the cook had prepared a Spanish omelette for us for breakfast, as well as freshly baked bread, a selection of cheeses and cold meats, coffee and orange juice. What an absolutely wonderful way to start the day.
After breakfast we still had a fair amount of time until we had to leave so we decided to go for a nice stroll around the neighbourhood. As it was a Sunday it was just about deserted which made a lovely change to the busy crowds of the past few days...
But soon it was time to say farewell to our host Kiku and our wonderful accommodation and load our luggage into the cab, which we shared with Ken and Beth, and make our way to the cruise terminal. Although there were many people at the cruise terminal the whole process went so smoothly that we were in our cabin (#7115) up on Deck 7 within half an hour of arriving.
By that stage it was lunchtime and our bags were still to arrive, so we walked up to the Lido Restaurant on Deck 9 for lunch. After that we had the mandatory lifeboat drill and by the time we finally returned to our cabin our luggage had arrived so we were able to unpack and set up our 'home' for the next 34 nights.
As we had been on the Oosterdam last year in the Caribbean we didn't really need to check out the ship so we enjoyed a nice sit on our balcony for the sail away and journey out of Barcelona.
Dinner tonight was in the Vista Lounge where we sat with a most delightful couple from Canada. Apart from enjoying a delicious meal, we had such a wonderful time with this couple that we chatted with them for nearly three hours. As it turned out, we ended up having many extended dinner time chats over the next month and didn't end up attending too many of the ship's evening shows. Fortunately the selection of movies available on our cabin's TV was excellent so we did end up watching a few of these. As the Lido was just two flights up, it became a regular occurrence for John to wander up there around 9.30pm and bring back some nice hot coffees and cookies to the cabin for a late night treat.
MONDAY 5TH SEPTEMBER - A DAY AT SEA
A day at sea is always welcome, and after the past few days it was a lovely chance to recharge the batteries a bit. We had a delightful sleep-in, followed by breakfast in the Vista Lounge.
At 10am we went up to the Crow's Next on deck 10 for a "Meet and Greet" of all the people that I had been chatting with through Cruise Critic over the past several months. It was great to be able to put faces with names.
For the remainder of the day we pretty much blurbed in our cabin
except for a brief stint at Trivia with two of the lovely couples from our earlier Meet and Greet. Naturally we didn't win, but we did have a lot of fun.
Another thing synonymous with days at sea is a Gala Night where everyone has a chance to dress up in their finery. This turned out to be a wonderful night as we had a great table of people for dinner - and yes we missed the show again.
TUESDAY 6TH SEPTEMBER - CADIZ, SPAIN
We did two of our walking tours back to back - the first was of Cadiz' Medieval District, the City's oldest neighbourhoods with its narrow cobbled streets. The buildings, many dating back to the 17th century, were just amazing with their little iron balconies and huge wooden doors.
The New Cathedral, built in the 18th century, is the centre point of the city and our walking tours were separated by a short break in a coffee shop in the Plaza which was overlooked by this Cathedral. And because this is Spain after all, a lone Flamenco-dancing busker appeared in the square, turned on her music and entertained the crowds.
Our second self-guided walk was the "Shippers to the Indies" route which allowed us to discover the City's Golden Age when Cadiz became the gateway to the flourishing trade with the Indies.
Around 1.30pm we returned to the ship for a bite of lunch and a rest from the heat of the day. But by 4pm we were ready and raring to undertake Self-Guided Walk #3, the 7km "Castles and Bastions" walk which took us along the City's former defence structures...
Genoves Park with its many trees; La Caleta Beach which was absolutely packed with people enjoying the sand and sea on this very hot day
the impressive bastions
and magnificent views out over the Mediterranean. 
We finally got back on board around 7.30pm...totally and utterly exhausted. We went to the Lido for dinner, came back to the cabin for a shower and an early night. The ship was supposed to sail away at 11pm, but we had already sailed into Dreamland by that time.
A knock on our cabin door at 7am heralded the arrival of our breakfast tray and the beginning of a new day of our Mediterranean adventure. When we looked outside our balcony window we had arrived at Gibraltar (the great big rock was a dead giveaway!)
WEDNESDAY 7TH SEPTEMBER - GIBRALTAR
We were off the ship by 9am where we were met at the terminal, along with six of our fellow (Cruise Critic) passengers, by Adrian from Inside Out Rock Tours. For the next nearly five hours we learned and experienced everything we needed to know about Gibraltar....
The Pillars of Hercules
The legend goes something like this...Hercules had to take on twelve tasks. One of these tasks was to bring the cattle of Geryon from the west to Eurytheus. On his journey Hercules had to cross the Atlas Mountains. Rather than climbing over these mountains, he used his great strength to smash through them and as a result, he brought the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean together. After he had achieved this task, the result was what is now known as The Pillars of Hercules.
St Michael's Caves (a beautiful natural grotto, fitted out as a hospital in WW2 but now a unique auditorium)
St Michael's Caves (a beautiful natural grotto, fitted out as a hospital in WW2 but now a unique auditorium)
a visit to the top of the Rock to see the Barbary Macaques (tail-less monkeys) - that's me on the left
The Great Siege Tunnels
The Moorish Castle, built by the Moors in 1333 when they recaptured Gibraltar from the Spaniards
The 100 Ton Gun
Europa Point (one of the southernmost points of Europe where we looked across to Morocco)
and drove down the road that divides the airport runway
At the end of our tour we were dropped off at the Main Street of the town where we had a wander down the very busy streets to check out all the shops. And it was one of these shops, a very fancy leather emporium, that I dragged John into. The end result...we each had brand new leather jackets. So much for the holiday budget!
As it was around 34 degrees today, when we were ready to return to the ship we decided to stretch the budget just a little bit further and take a taxi. Once back on the ship we chilled out in our cabin until it was time to go to another lovely dinner in the Vista Lounge.
THURSDAY 8TH SEPTEMBER - MALAGA, SPAIN
As part of my pre-trip research, we decided that today we would take a day trip to Granada. So at 8.30am our Top Day Tours bus with our excellent guide Deborah left the pier for the two hour drive to Granada. Deborah kept us entertained all the way telling us the history of Spain - a fascinating story.
The main reason for going to Granada (apart from John's reason which was to be able to sing the song "Granada"...the only word of the song he knew was 'Granada' and the rest was da da da) was to visit Alhambra Palace. Originally designed as a military area in 889AD on the remains of Roman fortifications, the Alhambra became the residence of royalty and of the court of Granada in the middle of the thirteenth century. Throughout the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries, the fortress changed hands from Christians to Sultans and back a number of times. What we saw today was an impressive citadel with high ramparts and defensive towers, surrounded by orchards and gardens.
After leaving Alhambra we were dropped into Granada's city centre for some leisure time and lunch. One absolutely wonderful idea these Granadians have is that, if you order a glass of beer, wine or soft drink, you get a free plate of tapas...a brilliant concept. The weather was hot, we were thirsty, and we ended up not only quenching our thirst, but filling up on a delicious tapas meal.
After a marvellous day, we arrived back at the Malaga cruise terminal with about 15 minutes to spare before our ship sailed.
FRIDAY 9TH SEPTEMBER - ALICANTE, SPAIN
We ended up spending over two hours here, and I even trekked all the way to the top leaving my poor pained husband on a rock wall under the shade of a tree
After leaving the Castle we walked down to the Plaza del Mar with the aim of finding a restaurant with cold beer and genuine Spanish fare. We found both at La Terraza del Gourmet, a delightful restaurant right on the waterfront. What a find! The pictures below speak for themselves
So after a wander along the waterfront we made our way back to the ship...and a lovely cool shower followed by a nice cold drink on our balcony and a relax until it was time to eat yet again - this time in the Vista Dining Room.
SATURDAY 10TH SEPTEMBER - PALMA DE MALLORCA
We had booked a Top Day Tour of Mallorca today and our little pocket-size font of knowledge, Ana, met us as we walked down the gangway of our ship.
Our first port of call was the village and municipality of Valldemossa. This is one of the prettiest places that we have ever visited. The town is surrounded by lush countryside and forested hills and the narrow cobbled streets are lined with stone houses with beautiful plants and flowers. 
Many of the doorways of houses also feature tiles with a religious symbol of Saint Catalina Thomas, the patron saint of Mallorca, to keep their homes from harm.
How dapper does he look?! In fact, later on in the trip he bought yet another hat, but that will have to be that as there is no way that he can start collecting hats like he does caps. At the end of this trip he ended up buying 13 more caps, bringing his total hat collection to 126!
After leaving Valldemossa, we headed on back to Palma and a walking tour of this lovely city. The highlight of our walking tour was a visit to the Cathedral of Santa Maria of Palma (also known as La Seu), a magnificent Gothic Roman Catholic cathedral.
After leaving Valldemossa, we headed on back to Palma and a walking tour of this lovely city. The highlight of our walking tour was a visit to the Cathedral of Santa Maria of Palma (also known as La Seu), a magnificent Gothic Roman Catholic cathedral.
And as impressive as it was on the outside, the inside was absolutely gorgeous. Gaudi's influence was everywhere as he had worked on the cathedral's restoration for many years.
This story meant a lot to me, mainly because my darling man's birthday is 11th November and he lights up my life every day.
Anyway, enough of that. The final stop of the day was at Bellver Castle, a Gothic style castle high on a hill, with gorgeous sweeping views over Palma and the harbour.
And so endeth our delightful day in Palma de Mallorca. We were back on board the Oosterdam by 5pm in time for a shower before heading down to the Vista Lounge for dinner. Tonight we were seated with a most delightful couple from Jerusalem. What an incredibly interesting life they had led and it was a joy to talk to them...and yes, we missed the show...again.
As it turned out, our balcony cabin was just two flights of stairs down from the Lido Marketplace - very handy for late-night coffees and freshly baked biscuits. Sail-away from Palma was at 10.30pm so we decided to make a dash up to the Lido for said coffee and biscuits and sit out on the balcony while we sailed out of Palma. A great way to end another terrific day.
SUNDAY 11TH SEPTEMBER - A DAY AT SEA
Ah, the absolute bliss of a day at sea! A day where we can enjoy a sleep-in and the only things we have to worry about are whether or not to partake in any of the many activities available throughout the ship, when and where to eat, or whether we will in fact do anything at all.
Apart from attending an 'Invitation Only' Mariners lunch, we spent our day in the peace and quiet of our cabin watching movies, reading, sitting out on our balcony staring at the pristine calm blue waters of the Mediterranean, and snoozing.
The next few days were to be very hectic so we valued the opportunity to just chill out.
Tonight we went up to the Lido for dinner because we were so chilled out that we couldn't be bothered getting all dolled up for dinner in the Vista Lounge, and we ended up bumping into Ken and Beth. The upshot was that we ended up joining them for dinner. Shortly afterwards another couple that we met through Cruise Critic, Corinne and Mike who hail from Canada, joined us. For the next couple of hours the six of us had a wonderful time with lots of laughs.
Apart from attending an 'Invitation Only' Mariners lunch, we spent our day in the peace and quiet of our cabin watching movies, reading, sitting out on our balcony staring at the pristine calm blue waters of the Mediterranean, and snoozing.
Tonight we went up to the Lido for dinner because we were so chilled out that we couldn't be bothered getting all dolled up for dinner in the Vista Lounge, and we ended up bumping into Ken and Beth. The upshot was that we ended up joining them for dinner. Shortly afterwards another couple that we met through Cruise Critic, Corinne and Mike who hail from Canada, joined us. For the next couple of hours the six of us had a wonderful time with lots of laughs.
MONDAY 12TH SEPTEMBER - TOULON, FRANCE
The Oosterdam sailed into Toulon around 8am and as soon as we had finished breakfast we were off! When we walked outside the cruise terminal there was a 'Petit Train' waiting, so we decided that we may as well hop on and go for the promised 40 minute drive along the waterfront, beaches etc.
When we got off the train we made our way to Place de la Liberte
and caught a bus to the Mont Faron cable car which transported us to the top of Mt Faron.
It was our intention to visit the Market Place when we got back down to Toulon town, but unfortunately we found out that the only day of the week that the market wasn't on...was Monday! So, after a stroll along the waterfront we hopped back on Le Petit Train which took us back to the ship.
Shortly afterwards we departed Toulon and we were treated to a very beautiful sunset as we sailed away and made our way to our next port of Calvi in Corsica.
TUESDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER - CALVI, CORSICA
It's such a hoot to wake up each morning, open the curtains and look out to see where we are each day. This morning's view of the Calvi Citadel...
Tonight we enjoyed a dinner for two in the Vista Dining Room before heading to a show...an English comedian who was mildly amusing. The funniest part of the show though was when a couple walked in after the show had started looking for a seat near where were sitting. The man stopped, looked around, let off a massive fart and then quickly departed!
WEDNESDAY 14TH SEPTEMBER - MONTE CARLO
This morning we woke up to discover that we were in Monte Carlo and excited that we would soon be going on a tour of the French Riviera. We had been to Monte Carlo before in 1995 so we chose to go a bit further afield this time.
Our small group tour began with a walking tour of Monaco and its breathtaking views over the Mediterranean.
And of course no visit to Monaco is complete without a visit to the Palace of the Grimaldi family
This day, 14th September, also happened to be the anniversary of the death of Princess Grace and a visit to the Cathedral showed her grave inside adorned with floral tributes
After leaving Monaco our group headed along the Cote D'Azur to Nice, where we had nearly two hours free time. We started out by walking through the flower and fruit market, which was alive with locals buying their weekly produce and then, of course, we had to stop for another 'Great Coffee Moment' and because we were in France we accompanied our lattes with beignets
After fuelling up, we walked up L'Esplanade Georges Pompidou to the Promenade des Anglais. Sadly, on the evening of 14 July this year (Bastille Day), 84 people were killed and hundreds injured when a 19 tonne cargo truck was deliberately driven into crowds celebrating Bastille Day along this promenade. It was quite a sombre experience as we walked along and saw the many floral tributes and teddy bears that had been laid along there
From Nice we were taken to the medieval city of Eze. This area was first populated around 2000BC and sits high up on a rocky peak overlooking the Mediterranean.
Apart from the magnificent views, this city was just charming with its ancient stone-laid streets, well-preserved buildings, its many shops and art galleries.
THURSDAY 15TH SEPTEMBER - LIVORNO, ITALY
Happy Birthday to me! Although we had an early start of 7.15am, I was still determined to open the stack of birthday cards that were given to me by my friends before we left home, as well as a present from my friends David and Lyn. A lovely way to start the day.
And as if by a twist of fate, on this my birthday, I was given the chance to make another tick off my Bucket List. We were going to Cinque Terre!
The trip there was lovely in itself with lots of random little towns sitting atop mountains or nestled in valleys.
We even passed the marble mountains of Carrera. The marble from these mountains has been used since the time of the Ancient Romans. Both the Pantheon and Trajan's Column in Rome are made of it, as well as many sculptures from the Renaissance times. And they were pretty impressive I can tell you.
- five ingeniously constructed villages nestled in a rugged section of the Italian Riviera. These five towns (Monterosso, Riomaggiore, Vernazza, Corniglia and Manarola) are linked by pathways, trains and boats. No wonder this is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is amazing. Unfortunately the weather didn't allow us to travel between these towns by the scheduled ferries today, but not to be deterred, we were able to do it by train.
After we had seen our fill of Manarola, our first town, we hopped on a train bound for Riomaggiore.
It wasn't long though before we were hit by a massive storm. Everyone knows how much I love a good storm, and this was a beauty!
The rain was still belting down and the thunder rumbling when we got off the train at Riomaggiore, so we took shelter in the train station until it passed. And, something which just proves that you can't 'hide' anywhere in the world, we started chatting with a couple also taking shelter beside us. Turns out they were from Brisbane, and when we asked them which suburb they were from they said....North Lakes! How many times we would have walked by their house on our morning walks with Molly?!
The storm finally passed and we were off to explore more of this incredible place.
But all too soon it was time to head back to Livorno and our ship. I may never return to Cinque Terre but I will never forget my birthday in 2016.
Tonight we were joined by Ken and Beth in the Vista Dining Room, and as is the case with any passenger celebrating a special occasion, I was serenaded with a happy birthday song by a dozen or so waiters and presented with a birthday cake.
All in all it was a pretty good day and I felt totally and utterly spoilt. Not only because of where I spent my birthday, but being able to celebrate it with our new friends Ken and Beth, my darling husband and best friend John, and also because of the many emails and Facebook messages that I received from my friends back home.
FRIDAY 16TH SEPTEMBER - CIVITAVECCHIA
No time for sleeping in this morning. We were in Civitavecchia and at 7am we were heading to Rome. And yet again we were hit by a dreadful storm which bucketed down with rain the whole way there. However, as luck would have it, when it was time to get off the bus at the Colosseum the rain had slowed down to a drizzle.
Our next stop was the Trevi Fountain. The last time we were here was back in 1995 with our kids and at that time we all threw a coin in the fountain (although Sally's coin ricocheted off someone's head as I recall, much to the delight of her brothers). And as legend says, if you throw a coin in the Trevi Fountain you are guaranteed to return...so it must be true.
From here we walked down to Piazza Navona, one of Rome's most beautiful squares, built on the former Stadium of Domitian which goes back to 86 AD. The Piazza's main attractions are the three fountains that adorn the square...
It was 5pm before we got back to the ship - just in the nick of time before we were hit by another storm. We headed straight to our balcony and watched the event...the skies opened, the thunder roared, the wind blew and the lightning streaked across the skies. It was awesome!
And just as awesome was the post-storm sunset
SATURDAY 17TH SEPTEMBER - NAPLES
A knock on our door at 7am heralded the arrival of our breakfast tray and also our arrival in Napoli. By 8.30am we were off the ship and on our Amalfi Coast day tour, which turned out to be one of the best days of our cruise. Last night's storm also impacted Naples and the surrounding countryside, blowing all of the dark clouds away and giving us a picture-perfect day...cool, blue skies and sparkling water.
The Amalfi Coast is breathtakingly beautiful
and the towns of Positano and Sorrento are everything you imagine romantic Italian towns to be.
We got to wander around both of these towns, and also enjoy a 'Great Dining Moment' in Sorrento.
When we arrived back in Naples we still had some time before our day tour was due to end so our small group was taken on a sightseeing drive of Naples. Our memory of Naples from our last visit here was that it was quite a dirty place, and it hasn't changed much at all. Although from our final stop at the top of Posillipo Hill, Naples looked pretty spectacular.
SUNDAY 18TH SEPTEMBER - A DAY AT SEA
Today was a very welcome day at sea after several very hectic days. As our clocks needed to be set forward an hour because of a time zone change, technically speaking we woke at 8.45am and not the time of 9.45am that was showing on our watches.
As breakfast in the dining room was out of the question, we walked up to the Lido for breakfast and then descended back to our cabin for a lovely bludge on our verandah with our respective books. And that was where we spent most of our day - reading, watching movies and blurbing.
The most active thing we did all day was get dressed and go to dinner in the Vista Dining Room with Ken and Beth and another lovely Australian couple, Marion and Michael. A most enjoyable day all round.
MONDAY 19TH SEPTEMBER - IRAKLION, CRETE
As we were not due to arrive in Crete until around 11.30am we got to have a sleep-in followed by a leisurely breakfast. But as soon as the all clear was given to disembark, we were off to explore the Old Town.
Iraklion (also known as Heraklion) was where the first European civilisation, the Minoens, flourished around 5000 years ago. Everywhere you look you can see evidence of Iraklion's history...the old Viking shipyards
the Venetian Fortress of Koules
TUESDAY 20TH SEPTEMBER - SANTORINI, GREECE
This morning I awoke, walked out on to my balcony and there we were in Santorini.
The last time we were here was back in 2007 when we spent a very lovely few days with our Sally, who was at that time living and working in London. So today was something of a sentimental journey for us.
Tenders were used today to get us from the ship to the shore at Fira. The funicular railway to take us from the shore to the top of the mountain was not built when we were last here, so it was a great relief to us to not to have to make those poor little donkeys have to carry us up the mountain. Naturally, being a funicular journey we had to burst into the strains of "Funiculi Funicular" and there were a couple of very stunned American ladies in our car! But they soon joined in and I think had a great time. We have seen them on the ship a couple of times since, and they start laughing and greet us as "Mr Funiculi" and "Mrs Funicular"!
WEDNESDAY 21ST SEPTEMBER - RHODES, GREECE
What a wonderfully unexpected day today turned out to be. Because our scheduled stops in Turkey were canceled only a week prior to our leaving home, Rhodes was one of the replacement ports.
From the moment I looked out of our cabin this morning I got a good feeling about this place
and it certainly didn't disappoint. In fact, everyone we spoke to from the ship all commented positively about this 'hidden gem', or as my John added "it was colossal".
We chose to go it alone today armed with just a self-guided walking tour of the Old Town and a map. The Old Town was quite a short walking distance from the ship and the Virgin Mary's Gate was our chosen entry point. As soon as we walked through the gate it was as if had been plunged back into Medieval times with its stone walls, bastions, cobbled streets and laneways interspersed with many, many shops and eating establishments.
It was around 3pm when we made it back to the ship, content that we had seen pretty much every square inch of Rhodes beautiful Old Town.
The ship sailed at 4pm...bound for Athens.
THURSDAY 22ND SEPTEMBER - PIRAEUS
This morning we arrived in Piraeus, the gateway to Athens. However, instead of joining the majority of our fellow passengers, we made the decision to remain on the ship for the day. John's back and hip had become very painful over the past couple of days and, for the sake of the remainder of our cruise, we decided that it was best that he have a day's rest and recuperation.
As we had been to Athens a few years ago, and as we were also returning to Piraeus later in the cruise, this was a fairly easy decision to make.
Apart from leaving our cabin for breakfast, lunch and a constitutional on the deck, we spent our day reading and relaxing.
By dinner time we were ready to get out and about so we went to dinner in the Vista Lounge, followed by a show.
FRIDAY 23RD SEPTEMBER - KATAKOLON, GREECE
Following an early breakfast in the Vista Dining Room, we headed back to our verandah to watch the ship sail into Katakolon, which in ancient times was the natural harbour for Ancient Olympia.
When we disembarked we were met at the terminal by our Olympic Tours guide, Ioanna ('Jo') for our day tour to Olympia. Jo was an absolutely brilliant guide and with her excellent commentary throughout the day, it was as if we were plunged right back into the days of the ancient Greeks.
Our first stop when we reached Olympia was at the Archeological Museum which houses artifacts from Ancient Olympia. It was absolutely fascinating...
And of course there is the Olympic Stadium where most visitors can't resist standing on the starting line in a classic running pose
Our tour bus arrived back at the ship by 4.30pm and until the ship sailed at 6pm we sat on our balcony enjoying the view and the perfect weather.
Tonight, after a light dinner in the Lido, we went to the Mainstage for a very special show - "Frozen Planet" - which was truly brilliant. A BBC documentary set in the Arctic and Antarctic was shown on the big screen accompanied by a live orchestra.
Another great day.
SATURDAY 24TH SEPTEMBER - CORFU, GREECE
After a nice relaxed breakfast in the Vista Dining Room, we disembarked the ship around 9.30am and headed to the Corfu cruise terminal with its comfortable lounge area with that most sought after treat...free WiFi. For once the time difference with home worked out and we were able to FaceTime Olivia and Oscar. Unfortunately they weren't able to see us on the other side of the world so lost interest fairly quickly, but gosh it was lovely to see their gorgeous little faces.
Next up it was Joseph, but as lovely as it was to see and talk to our boy, sadly Jack and Lucy weren't at home so we had to wait until another time.
And finally we got through to Sally and Drew...and The Bump. Our Sally is 23 weeks pregnant now and looking so beautiful.
After that taste of home we were ready to head off to explore Corfu. There was a Hop on Hop off bus right at the terminal so we decided to use that.
Our first stop was right at the very bottom of the island, to Kanoni. The beach is just gorgeous and the airport was not unlike that at Maho Beach in St Maarten in the Caribbean, where the planes take off right over your head.
Then it was back up the centre of the island to Corfu's Old Town.
By this stage is was well into lunchtime, so we opted to enjoy a bite to eat here rather than return to the ship. Again with John's knack for picking the best eating places, I just let him go for it. He found us a delightful little taverna tucked away in a laneway where "Zorba the Greek" was playing in the background - the perfect atmosphere. Here we ordered tzatziki with fresh bread as well as some feta in filo pastry and drizzled with honey and sesame seeds. Every mouthful was a taste thrill...
The final bonus to this wonderful day was a note on the bottom of our bed when we returned to the cabin to turn our clocks back an hour!
SUNDAY 25TH SEPTEMBER - DUBROVNIK, CROATIA
This morning, at the shuttle bus stop just at the end of the gangway, we met up with our friends Ken and Beth, Carolyn and Doug, and Wayne and Jan and travelled into Dubrovnik's Old Town. Our first mission...to walk the wall. It took us over two hours in what proved to be a real challenge, especially for John with his bung knee and hip, but we did it! Up steep stairs, down ramps, down steps, across narrow stoned walkways on what was a journey of sheer beauty and delight. Dubrovnik would certainly have to be our favourite place so far visited on this cruise, and that is saying a lot considering all of the wonderful places we have visited. But it was just gorgeous, helped in no small way by the fact that it was a gorgeous cool and sunny day.
So around 5pm we returned to Dubrovnik's Old Town. It was hugely crowded by that time so we were happy to just wander the streets and then have a sit at the waterfront to watch the sun set.
We didn't much fancy going to one of the packed restaurants in the town so we returned to the ship for a light dinner and a sit on the balcony until the ship sailed out around 11pm.
MONDAY 26TH SEPTEMBER - KOTOR, MONTENEGRO
Another one of our 'surprise' ports due to the cancellation of our Turkey stops. I had read that the sail in to Kotor was absolutely spectacular and so we set our alarm for 6.30am so that we could be up and sitting out on our balcony to take in this beautiful sight. It reminded us very much of the time we sailed down the Stockholm Fjords with its dramatic mountain ranges, houses built along the water's edge, churches high up on cliffs and pristine waters below.
As this was a tender port and our stay was only for a few hours, we caught one of the first tenders and made our way to the Old Town. We have visited a few 'Old Towns' on this cruise but this one was very different because of its imposing backdrop of mountains. And just behind those mountains were the countries of Herzsigovina and Bosnia.
By the time we got back to the ship it was almost time to sail away. So we took up residence on our balcony for the just as spectacular sail out from Montenegro and all the way back into the Mediterranean Sea.
TUESDAY 27TH SEPTEMBER - VENICE
After a wonderful night's sleep we prepared ourselves for one of the highlights of our holiday and a big tick off my bucket list - our arrival in Venice. The sail-in began around 10.30am and lasted for over an hour...a truly spectacular sight.
Here we were, high up on our ship's balcony, sailing down the Grand Canal, passed St Mark's Square and all the way down to the cruise terminal where we were to remain until tomorrow evening.
We disembarked soon after and, thanks to my pre-trip research, we knew just what to do to get us into St Marks Square via the People Mover and vaporetto. And from here we just walked and walked and walked, taking in the essence of this remarkable place with its many bridges, narrow cobbled laneways, magnificent architecture and beautiful shops. We stopped occasionally to enjoy a gelati, a coffee or just a sit and a chat with some fellow tourists.
WEDNESDAY 28TH SEPTEMBER - VENICE
A knock on our cabin door just before sunrise with our breakfast tray marked the start of our second day in Venice. As the sun rose we walked out onto our balcony and the sounds of church bells ringing could be heard from all across Venice. Not a bad way to herald in a new day.
Today we went on a tour to the islands of Murano and Burano by water taxi. The journey was wonderful just in itself and we got to escape the crowds and sail out passed the many islands that are scattered around Venice.
Murano is famous for its glass blowing and we got to attend a demonstration by a master glassblower at one of the factories on the island. Although I still remember it well from our last visit to Venice, it was still just as amazing watching how it's done. And of course afterwards there is always the 'big sell' to the tourists. We loved our wander around the gallery marvelling at some of the creations ranging from chandeliers, animals, vases, glasses to jewellery. I did indulge slightly and bought a lovely watch with glass decoration around the face but fortunately it was nowhere near as expensive as the masterpieces we had seen in the gallery, so we will not need to sell our house to pay for it!
After leaving Murano we sailed to Burano, the island famous for its lace making and colourfully painted houses.
Again a demonstration - a dear old lady, 83 years old, who had been making her intricate lacework since she was 8 years old.
Sadly I fear that this is indeed a dying craft as the younger generation aren't interested in taking on lacemaking as a career, and also because hardly anyone uses lace products in their homes these days. So we just admired but did not buy.
The painted houses of Burano go back to the times when the men of the island were fishermen and needed to recognise which house was theirs when they returned home in the dark. And the bright colours of the houses definitely would have done the trick.
The return to the ship from Burano took over an hour, a most delightful journey on what was a cool and sunny day. We were back on board in plenty of time for our sail out of Venice, another memorable experience.
We stayed out on our verandah until sunset,
then went up to the Lido for dinner before retreating to our "Fortress of Solitude" for a quiet evening.
And so this marks the beginning of cruise #3 in our Collectors Voyage and a very welcome day at sea tomorrow.
THURSDAY 29TH SEPTEMBER - A DAY AT SEA
Ah, the joy of a whole day at sea where you get to sleep in and recharge your batteries! And that is just what we did - a huge sleep in, lots of time spent on our balcony reading or just gazing out at the sea and very little else.
FRIDAY 30TH SEPTEMBER - SARANDA, ALBANIA
Now this was a random port, another of those 'substitutes' in lieu of Turkey. We were quite excited about the possibility of visiting this country that we never dreamed we would ever go to, and we had no pre-conceived ideas of what to expect. Which was just as well I suppose as it was quite poor and downtrodden. Poor Albania had many years of Communist rule and they have paid a very high price. All around there were buildings that were half finished (apparently most of them were illegal) and lots of rubbish (and there's really no excuse for that as they should have a little more pride in their country).
Fortunately we booked ourselves on a Holland America shore excursion to The Blue Eye, a water spring and natural phenomenon about an hour away from Sarande.
The Blue Eye is a 45 metre deep water spring surrounded by a beautiful thick forest.
The water in the inner part of the spring appears very dark blue, just like the pupil of an eye, and a lighter colour blue as an outer ring – the iris, which gives the impression of a blue eye.
We were so pleased that we decided to come here as it was truly beautiful and pretty much Saranda's only claim to fame apart from the Castle of Lekuresi
located at the top of the mountain with a most glorious view of the sea below
We were also taken to the Synagogue, built in the 5th century, which actually turned out to be just a pile of old rocks...no synagogue at all any more. A lot of walking for little return.
John was very disappointed that he was not able to buy an Albanian cap to add to his vast cap collection. First World Problem that one!
Around 5pm the ship sailed away bound for Corfu
and from our balcony we were captivated by the most magnificent sunset
We arrived in Corfu (for the second time this cruise) around 7pm while we were enjoying a lovely dinner in the Vista Lounge with Ken and Beth.
SATURDAY 1ST OCTOBER - CORFU
Today was another chance to enjoy the beautiful island of Corfu. But first things first - free Wifi and another chance to FaceTime Olivia and Oscar. This time they did get to see us but the sound was pretty bad so we didn't talk for too long. And yet again we missed Jack and Lucy as Joseph's phone was turned off...very disappointing.
Our plan for the day was to catch a local bus and travel up to the Old Fortress. For a bargain basement price of 2 Euros we were transported to the top of the highest point in Corfu. We spent several hours up here wandering through the absolutely beautiful Municipal Gardens, gazing down on some locals swimming in the translucent sea below,
and having another of our "Great Coffee Moments" at one of the many cafes
After fuelling up with coffee we walked back down to the Old Town
While wandering the streets we came across a lovely old Greek Orthodox Church. We decided to go inside and when we did there was a Christening taking place so we took a pew and joined in the celebration.
Next we went to a clothing shop where we found a couple of cute little Greek dresses for Olivia and Lucy for their dress-ups. We got chatting to the ladies in the shop who wanted to know where we were from, how we liked Corfu etc. Then we got to the subject of Greek food which we told them was just amazingly delicious. At this point one of them took me around the back of the shop and got out a huge container of this feta/tomato/herb concoction she had made for lunch. She tore a large hunk of bread off a fresh roll, poured a liberal amount of olive oil over it and then stuffed it with this feta delight and gave it to me. OMG! It was delicious! I went to thank her with a hug, but that wasn't enough for her - she enveloped me in her ample arms, gave me a ginormous hug and a big kiss on each cheek. We finally managed to leave the shop, but it was like we were leaving behind long lost friends. I think I will always remember this special experience.
But it seemed like a day for making Greek friends. When we went to a gelati shop for yet another of these divine indulgences we discovered that the lady behind the counter was celebrating her birthday. So of course we gave her our rendition of "Happy Birthday" and she then gave us our choice of Greek biscuit from her 'birthday box'.
And finally when we got back to the terminal there was the delightful lady, Maria, who sold us the Hop on Hop off bus tickets on our last visit. Surprisingly she remembered us and raced up to say hello and asked us how we enjoyed her beloved Corfu. What could we say but "it's just wonderful".
Once again our ship set sail in the late afternoon and once again we could be found sitting on our balcony gazing out on to the sunset on the waters of the Mediterranean.
SUNDAY 2ND OCTOBER - KATAKOLON, GREECE
Our second stop in Katakolon, a small fishing town and gateway to Olympia. Last time we spent a most memorable day travelling to Olympia but this time we looked forward to a relaxed day exploring Katakolon.
We started with a stroll along the waterfront where we took a few photos of the colourful little fishing boats.
At the end of the walkway was a very charismatic Greek man named Giannis (Greek for John - so he obviously was a pretty good bloke). We were easily talked into hopping on board his horse and carriage for a clip-clop through the town, along the beach, a stop at his house where his wife presented all the ladies on board with a rose picked from her garden, and all through the 'suburb'. He was utterly charming and it was a great way to see this friendly place.
and stopping for a "Great Coffee/Beer" moment on the waterfront. There wasn't much else to see or do in Katakolon so it was back on to the ship for us, a bite of lunch, a sit on our balcony and finally the sail-away at 5pm.
Dinner tonight was in the Vista Lounge and as we have on so many occasions, we met some delightful people. We had intended to go to the show, but once again, we got talking to a couple from Portland, Oregon WAY past the time that the show was due to start and so we ended up missing the show...again. So instead, after saying farewell to our dining companions, we had a stroll upon the deck before adjourning to our cabin.
MONDAY 3RD OCTOBER - NAFPLION, GREECE
When we woke up this morning we were anchored in Nafplion, a seaport town in the Peloponnese. The tenders took a while to get us to the port, but when we finally arrived around 11am we only had a brief walk to get to the Old Town.
At the waterfront we hopped on a little train which took us on a narrated tour of Napflion
The highlight of this interesting tour was definitely the Lion of Bavaria monument, which dates from 1840. The lion is carved into the rock and an inscription below the lion says that the monument was commissioned by Ludwig of Bavaria in memory of the Bavarian soldiers who died during the typhoid epidemic in Nafplio which devastated the area between 1833 and 1834.
When our train tour was over we were a tad peckish so we decided to remain in the Old Town for lunch. Again, another of John's top choices - Taverna Byzantio
We certainly needed to have a good walk after this feast so we wandered for a few more hours before taking a tender back to the ship.
Tonight a group of us went to the Canelletto restaurant for dinner...yes, we were eating again! This time an Italian feast and a most enjoyable evening.
TUESDAY 4TH OCTOBER - PIRAEUS
Here we were, back in Piraeus, but unlike the last time we were here on the 22nd September, we actually left the ship. We started our day with breakfast in the Vista Dining Room, where my love of raspberries has reached the waiters. With my breakfast order this morning came a rather large bowl of these luscious little red jewels which I happily devoured.
All fuelled up, we left the ship and boarded a Hop On Hop Off bus which took us to Athens and our first stop, the Acropolis.
Last time we were here a few years back it was crowded, but nothing like today. It was absolutely chocker, and hot!
But it was still pretty awesome despite that. We battled the crowds and the heat for nearly two hours, but in the end we got back on the HOHO bus and let it take us for the full loop around Athens.
Ah the memories!
It was quite late in the afternoon before we arrived back at the ship and, after a desperately needed shower, we managed to get a table just for the two of us in the Vista Dining Room. We were so exhausted from our big day that we just didn't feel like making conversation with anyone. There was no show on tonight either so after dinner we just headed back to our cabin and chilled out until it was 11pm and the ship sailed away.
All fuelled up, we left the ship and boarded a Hop On Hop Off bus which took us to Athens and our first stop, the Acropolis.
Ah the memories!
It was quite late in the afternoon before we arrived back at the ship and, after a desperately needed shower, we managed to get a table just for the two of us in the Vista Dining Room. We were so exhausted from our big day that we just didn't feel like making conversation with anyone. There was no show on tonight either so after dinner we just headed back to our cabin and chilled out until it was 11pm and the ship sailed away.
WEDNESDAY 5TH OCTOBER - MYKONOS
Morning...and when the curtains were opened we looked out on the Greek island of Mykonos
Morning...and when the curtains were opened we looked out on the Greek island of Mykonos
We were berthed a fair way from the Old Town, but just over the road from the pier we were able to catch a Sea Bus there. The weather was just perfect - blue skies and cool breezes - and we enjoyed a very pleasant stroll all the way along the waterfront and on to the beach
before entering the town itself and wandering through the laneways
browsing in some of the many shops, and saying hello to some of the many cats that laze about
Back on the waterfront we enjoyed a "Great Coffee Moment"
before walking around to Little Venice to see the windmills up on the hill and to look at the view across the island and sea
At the end of a wonderful day, we caught the Sea Bus back to the ship and hung out on our balcony until we sailed away around 6pm. The sunset was just spectacular
For dinner tonight we went to the Lido and then to the show - tonight a very entertaining ventriloquist. What a top day!
THURSDAY 6TH OCTOBER - IRAKLION, CRETE
As this was our second visit to Iraklion this cruise, we were not in a massive hurry to get off the ship. So, around 10.30am we disembarked and ambled along the waterfront, passed the boat harbour with its lovely old fishing boats and yachts.
Last time we were here it was so incredibly hot that we didn't venture down to the fortress, but today was lovely and cool so we made our way there.
Koules Fortress is a 13th century Venetian castle that surrounds the harbour and used to guard the entry to the port. We spent quite some time here walking around the castle, watching the fishermen on the rocks nearby and enjoying the beautiful view out over the Mediterranean
Later that afternoon we were back on our ship's balcony sitting watching all the shipyard Cretans at work. And at 6pm we once again farewelled Crete and sailed into another lovely sunset.
FRIDAY 7TH OCTOBER - SANTORINI
I can't imagine that anyone could tire of the beauty of Santorini and we were so happy to return once more to this magical place.
Sail away was at 5pm and once again Santorini put on a magnificent sunset for our viewing pleasure
As this was our second visit to Iraklion this cruise, we were not in a massive hurry to get off the ship. So, around 10.30am we disembarked and ambled along the waterfront, passed the boat harbour with its lovely old fishing boats and yachts.
When we were in need of one of our "Great Coffee Moments" we headed back into the Old Town and sought out a coffee shop in a quiet street.
Later that afternoon we were back on our ship's balcony sitting watching all the shipyard Cretans at work. And at 6pm we once again farewelled Crete and sailed into another lovely sunset.
FRIDAY 7TH OCTOBER - SANTORINI
I can't imagine that anyone could tire of the beauty of Santorini and we were so happy to return once more to this magical place.
This time after taking a tender boat to the port, we took another boat across to Oia (pronounced ee-ah). And here we stayed for hours, gazing out over the most breathtaking views
the whiter than white and bluer than blue buildings
and the crystal clear waters below
The only way back to the ship was to take a bus from Oia back to Thira and then wait in a very long queue for the cable car to take us down to the port and the tender boat back to the ship. This whole process ended up taking nearly two hours, but we got to chat to some really lovely people in the queue while we waited.
Sail away was at 5pm and once again Santorini put on a magnificent sunset for our viewing pleasure
SATURDAY 8TH OCTOBER - A DAY AT SEA
For the first time on our whole cruise the seas this morning were quite choppy. Not rough, but certainly not as smooth as they have been. But, we were quite happy sitting out on our balcony reading. Every now and then we looked up to stare out at the sea, and on one occasion a very large sea turtle was swimming by...the only sea life that we had seen.
By lunch time the seas were calm again, as we had sailed away from Greece and back into Italian waters. And as it was a free day and our amazing holiday was coming to an end, we decided to start on our packing...quite depressing really as I wasn't ready for our adventure to end.
Tonight we went to a Gala Dinner in the Vista Lounge with Ken and Beth and two lovely American couples. And after dinner, instead of going to the show, we went back to our cabin balcony to watch as the ship sailed through the Strait of Messina, the narrow channel in the Mediterranean between the eastern tip of Sicily and the western tip of Calabria in the south of Italy. The Strait is 32km long and only 3km wide - it was fascinating to sail so close to the land and the lights at night were just beautiful.
We wandered up to Naples' Old Town with its modern trendy shops and restaurants all contained in very old buildings, down the street to where the fish market was, to the fruit and vegetable market, the Spanish District
Piazza del Plebiscito (public square)
We needed to do a whole lot more walking after this not-so-low calorie pit stop so we picked up speed and continued on our self-guided tour. A great 'find' was Galleria Umberto, a public shopping gallery built between 1887 and 1891 and now part of the UNESCO listing of the Historic Centre of Naples. No matter where you looked, this place was absolutely magnificent.
To make our departure and transfer to Rome airport as easy and stress-free as possible, we had booked ourselves on a Holland America shore excursion "A Glimpse of Rome With Airport Transfer". And it was indeed painless - walk off the ship, collect our bags to take through Customs, bags loaded onto bus, and us settled into the comfortable bus seats for the drive to Rome.
We had a stop at St Paul's Basilica, somewhere we had never been before which proved to be very interesting and quite beautiful
Following that we stayed on the bus as it wound its way around Rome city and passed all the popular tourist attractions
But all good things must come to an end, and at 12.30pm we were deposited at Rome's Fiumicino ("Leonardo da Vinci") International Airport in preparation for the long flight home.
By lunch time the seas were calm again, as we had sailed away from Greece and back into Italian waters. And as it was a free day and our amazing holiday was coming to an end, we decided to start on our packing...quite depressing really as I wasn't ready for our adventure to end.
Tonight we went to a Gala Dinner in the Vista Lounge with Ken and Beth and two lovely American couples. And after dinner, instead of going to the show, we went back to our cabin balcony to watch as the ship sailed through the Strait of Messina, the narrow channel in the Mediterranean between the eastern tip of Sicily and the western tip of Calabria in the south of Italy. The Strait is 32km long and only 3km wide - it was fascinating to sail so close to the land and the lights at night were just beautiful.
SUNDAY 9TH OCTOBER - NAPLES
Our second stop in Naples this cruise and we were once again armed with a self-guided walking tour. As it was a Sunday it was to be expected that it would be fairly crowded, which it was. But as it turned out, we had a really enjoyable day.We wandered up to Naples' Old Town with its modern trendy shops and restaurants all contained in very old buildings, down the street to where the fish market was, to the fruit and vegetable market, the Spanish District
We needed to do a whole lot more walking after this not-so-low calorie pit stop so we picked up speed and continued on our self-guided tour. A great 'find' was Galleria Umberto, a public shopping gallery built between 1887 and 1891 and now part of the UNESCO listing of the Historic Centre of Naples. No matter where you looked, this place was absolutely magnificent.
Shortly after we devoured our Marguerita pizza the dark clouds gathered and it started to rain lightly. So we took that as our queue to return to the ship. And come 5.30pm we said our final farewell to Naples. As we sailed away we surrounded by so many gulls - it was an amazing sight
For dinner tonight we went to the Lido's Italian night and after that we went back to our cabin to finalise our packing and put our bags outside our door for collection at some time during the night.
MONDAY 10TH OCTOBER - ROME
Our final cruise day *heavy sigh*. We were back in Rome and needed to be off the ship by 8.15am.
We had a stop at St Paul's Basilica, somewhere we had never been before which proved to be very interesting and quite beautiful
We lost a day on the way back and finally arrived back into Brisbane around 12.45am on Wednesday 12th October. This turned out to be a perfect time to arrive back, as we ended up going to sleep in our own comfy bed around 3am and we just slept until we woke...around midday. Then it was just a matter of doing our grocery shopping, collecting Molly, doing some washing etc etc to fill in our day before going to bed again at pretty much our normal time. Zero jetlag!
We have had some amazing travels over the years, but this one would have to be right up there as one of the best. What an adventure!
