Old World Part XII

Our last stop was the city of Venice. We had planned on taking a romantic ride through the canals but a planned event on board the ship changed our arrangements. It turned out that the change of plans was probably a good idea. The little boats made me a little sick to my stomach. Who knew.

We pulled into port and had a wonderful view of the city as we passed. It was amazing to see all of the boats ferrying people around. Large luxury yachts, small pleasure craft, big water taxis pulling in and out of taxi stations all seemed like a well orchestrated water ballet. They were picking up garbage on boats, delivering supplies and moving everything that the city needs by water. It was an amazing sight. A city fed by a system of canals. Way cool.

We docked and went into the city to explore. Of course we took a gondola ride and I got a bit woozy. Our gondolier sang to us and told us the history of the city. It was an enjoyable tour. My lovely wife snapped picture after picture. When the ride was over, we strolled through the city, over bridges, past shops, cafes, and finally into San Marco square. It was magnificent. The architecture and paintings and statues. It was my turn to do some high speed picture taking.

Venice was the perfect ending to a great cruise. I could have spent another day there exploring but as they say in show biz, always leaving wanting more. I certainly would like to visit Europe again. There is so much more to see but for now I am still enjoying the memories of our trip around the boot.

Icool

Cobb

The Old World Part XI

Our next stop was the country of Croatia. If you have been following the news at all over the last 20 years, you probably have a picture of what Croatia looks like. I expected to see bombed out buildings and burned vehicles laying along side of the road. What we experienced was the most relaxing and enjoyable stop on the cruise. We spent the day in the town of Korcula (pronounced Core shoe la) and had a marvelous time.

The first thing I noticed was that the buildings were all neat and well kept. This was part of the former Yugoslavia and the communists were not big on building new or updating. The town was very neat and clean. There was also the lack of hustle and bustle that seemed to be evident in every port we had been to so far. I saw cars parked but do not recall seeing any traveling down the road. The second thing I noticed was the enterprise that was going on all around. There were open air markets, restaurants and an almost festive atmosphere. They appeared to be happy with their newly found freedom and what they could do with it. The third thing I noticed was the ornate architecture on the buildings. Everything was well detailed and although showing signs of age, still pretty cool.

We did some shopping and had an adult beverage at an open air cafe overlooking the Adriatic Sea. The beer was delicious and the view made you want to just sit and soak in the scenery. An interesting foot note was when we went to pay for our purchases. Croatia had not joined the rest of Europe and use Euros. They have their own currency and the merchants would not take dollars or Euros. So I had to go to the bank and exchange some green backs for Kunas. It was like 4 Kunas to the dollar. The bank had double doors. The second door would not open until the first door closed. There was a few second delay between one closing and the other opening. It was an eerie feeling being locked between two doors. I kept expecting gas to start pouring from the vents. I guess it is seeing too many Bond movies and an overactive imagination.

This was one stop that I would definitely make again.

Icool

Cobb

The Old World Part X

The next stop on our Italian cruise was curiously in Greece. We left Sicily and headed under the sole and heel of the boot to the birth place of democracy. Our ship docked at the island of Corfu, which is one of the northern most islands in Greece. From the northern shore you can see Albania. So we were no where near Athens or any of the touristy spots. If this was my only exposure to Greece, I would pass on another visit. The island of Korfu reminds me of the front yard of someone from eastern Kentucky. I fully expected to see a tireless 78' Camero on blocks with weeds growing through where the windshield used to be.

We took at four wheel excursion tour around the island. We went up a mountain using multiple switchbacks that were hairpin curves back and forth up the slope. We passed a few busses that looked like there was no way they could maneuver the road. I know why Grand Prix is more popular in Europe. The land scape was picturesque but the buildings were all run down or half finished. It looked like a construction boom where someone ran off with the loan money before the roofing materials were bought.

I expected Greece to be more ancient and historic. When we got back to town, it was car dealerships and gas stations. It could have been a road in any major town in the midwest. The only difference was that the car dealerships were Renault, Peugot, and Fiat instead of Chevrolet, Ford and Dodge. They had BP stations over there so at least that made for something we see every day here in the states. The next leg of the cruise was to the Greek Islands and Turkey. I would have liked to see a little more of Greece but there is alwasy the next time.

Icool

Cobb

Old World Part IX

Our next stop on the trip was Sicily. Our ship pulled into the town of Naxos and began shuttling passengers into town. I had read up on Naxos and decided that this was where I would get a chance to experience the Mediterranean Sea. It was reported to have an excellent section of beach that was well maintained and sported plenty of cafes and opportunities to sample the local adult beverages. Unfortunately it did not live up to its billing.



After getting off of the shuttle boat, we noticed that the area was rather run down and lacked the sparkle that was advertised in the on the Internet. Now the weather had a little to do with it. It was cloudy and threatened rain most of the time we were there. We did get a chance to feel the sea beneath our feet but it was colder than I expected and the beaches were not as pristine as advertised. That is not to say it was like a New Jersey medical spill. I guess I had higher expectations.


We walked down the main street looking in shops, enjoying the beautiful and exotic scenery. Our main objective in visiting Sicily was to enjoy a pizza. We met up with some people in our group and settled on an outside lunch. I was the only one who had bothered to read up on how to read an Italian menu so I helped everyone order their meals (except those who ordered lasagna or spaghetti) and of course which Italian beer goes with pizza. The pizza was good but I will take a deep dish pizza from Chicago any day. All in all, I could pass on going back to the land of the Godfather.



Icool


Cobb