Colin Spain

160524 Kotor Montenegro

Kotor is a port we knew nothing about. Now, it is definitely on the must-do-list to advise people to include in their Mediterranean Cruise itinerary.

Kotor is a coastal town in Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Gulf of Kotor. The city has a population of 13,510 and is the administrative center of Kotor Municipality.

The old Mediterranean port of Kotor is surrounded by fortifications built during the Venetian period. It is located on the Bay of Kotor (Boka Kotorska), one of the most indented parts of the Adriatic Sea. Some have called it the southern-most fjord in Europe, but it is a ria, a submerged river canyon. Together with the nearly overhanging limestone cliffs of Orjen and Lovcen, Kotor and its surrounding area form an impressive and picturesque Mediterranean landscape. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kotor is a port we knew nothing about. Now, it is definitely on the must-do-list to advise people to include in their Mediterranean Cruise itinerary. I had heard of Montenegro and didn’t quite know where it was, or ‘what’ it was for that matter. Apparently, it is one of the states that broke away from the original Yugoslavia not that many years ago. There is no evidence of a vibrant export economy and so the tourist becomes their bread and butter.

We entered the harbour at around 4:00am – I saw the pilot make 6 attempts to board our vessel – to start the long but very scenic cruise into the fjord. Although, cloud prevented seeing the real beauty of the area, we agreed that we had ‘come the wrong day’ to experience that, but we were not to go home unrewarded; more about that later. Our ship finally became ready for ‘tender transfer’ around 7:30am and there was a 20 minute slow-boat ride up the fjord and into the medieval town of Kotor. Once off the wharf, we were confronted with cab drivers offering ‘the best scenic trip around the fjord’. Our first goal was to get to a café for the obligatory cappuccino or ‘glass of water’ for Lyn, while we ‘serviced’ our internet needs.

One of our fellow travellers has had their Cash Passport compromised (which means emptied out), how, we cannot work out yet, but this is the first occurrence we have experienced this since Cash Passport replaced travellers cheques years ago. So we needed to organise alternative arrangements for them to continue ‘spending tourist euros’ on their holiday. Again, ‘where are you without your travel agent? – On your own’. The count is up to 4 times for this trip and we still have more than a week to go. Thanks Sharon, back at the office, and Princess Cruises, for upgrading Lyn to Platinum status to give her 150 minutes of internet time, for helping with the issues that have come along the way.

Lindley, in his research, had found a ‘walk’ up the side of the mountain behind Kotor, was worth the 1350 steps to climb. So “let’s do it”. The streets of the old town part of Kotor are like many other streets in Europe, narrow alleyways of cobblestones without vehicles, but lots of tourists. We make our way to the starting point of the climb and pay 3 euro to punish our bodies by walking many cobblestones on the side of a steep hill and up the 1350 or so stairs (Lindley counted them, would you believe – must be a maths teacher’s son.) The walk follows the walls of a fortress. The fortress was closed around the 13^th and 14^th centuries. When you have reached the Castle of St John, you have made it to the top; around 260 metres up the side of the escarpment.

When you view the photos, you will realise that, yes, the walk was well worth it. I didn’t count the switchbacks (my dad wasn’t a maths teacher) but each provided a ‘landing point’ from which to take in a magnificent vista of the fjord. The town had European red tiled rooves to keep the view consistent, and the guy at the entrance point made good money without much work involved – not like us Trojans who made the effort with tired feet and calves to show for venture. Going up was easy for me but harder on Lyn but coming down was easier for Lyn with my knees getting to the ‘jelly’ stage half way down the difficult descent.

After a quick look around the old town, we made our way back to the tender pick up point for the 20-minute journey back to Royal Princess. The clouds above seemed to be loaded with rain ready to fall and then the lightening and thunder came along. Prior to boarding, we were drenched with a quick shower while sitting on top of the tender vessel.

After lunch and while finding a good spot to ‘say good bye’ to the lovely village of Kotor and the beauty of the fjord, all the clouds did what they should do and ran away. Now we had a great atmosphere for our departure; warmth, sunshine and blue skies. The scene rivalled that of Scandinavia in its own way. Locals lined the vantage points as we made our way through narrow portions of the fjord and the ship often sounded off its musical horn sequence to show the viewers how ‘powerful’ Royal Princess is. Being considered one of the large ships of the ocean, the Royal Princess certainly would be something to watch sailing past so close to the coastal hugging roadways.

Our legs were screaming from the hill climb and a spa was in order. Fortunately, most of the guests had already left the pool deck for dinner and we were able to secure a spot in a spa for 30 minutes and a quick pizza before the evening shows. Tonight was a comedian from Yorkshire. I had heard many of her jokes in other places but her singing was top class – similar to Cilla Black or Dusty Springfield.

Tomorrow is a sea day and then into Messina on the island of Sicily.

No matter what happens, travel gives you a story to tell.

160525 Messina Italy

We arrived into Messina around 7:30am with a Sicily band and dance group to welcome us.

Messina is the capital of the Italian province of Messina. It is the 3rd largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of more than 252,000 inhabitants in the city proper and about 650,000 in the province. It is located near the northeast corner of Sicily, at the Strait of Messina, opposite Villa San Giovanni on the mainland, and has close ties with Reggio Calabria. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

We arrived into Messina around 7:30am with a Sicily band and dance group to welcome us. There were two horses with carts ready to take passengers, one or two at a time, around the town. “Now this is going to take a long time if all the 3,600 passengers decide to do the same excursion.” A guy in the band started playing a piccolo and one of the horses started to get a little agitated and needed a few guys to control it from breaking reins. It was dressed up in a local ‘horse’ costume. The costume was coming off a little. The other horse just stood there looking calm and relaxed and kept doing his thing like a good horse should. After the performers had finished their dancing, we noticed some guys loading one of the horse carts onto a trailer. They then loaded the horse and had the horse’s head hanging over into the cart. Until then, we hadn’t realised that the horse was plastic and could be told what to do, and would obey, for long periods, without being confused as to what it “should” be doing. Both of us got a bit of a giggle from that. Could it be called a Senior’s Moment?

Today, Denise and Brian, Tony and Lynore, arrived in beautiful Messina, Sicily. “We were surprised how close to mainland Italy we were. Soon after arrival, we departed on an excursion to Taormina, Green Theatre, and Corso Umberto to do some shopping.

“We spent the next 40 minutes climbing through tunnel after tunnel (ed. They were in a coach). As we exited every tunnel, a new and spectacular view of a gorge or the Ionian Sea was before us to enjoy. On arrival, we then had to use an elevator instead of climbing the 7 levels to enter the town. Taormina is a classical medieval style village (aren’t all of them?) with a main narrow street that winds through arcades in walls and transverses 3 very different squares leading off from the main corso. There are even narrower streets heading up and down including the ‘narrowest street in Europe”. It was about 600mm wide; just wide enough for a man to pass through between the buildings.

“There are also many interesting churches and an ancient palace now used as a municipal office.

“At the end of the corso is an ancient Greek theatre from 200BC. It is in better condition than the Colosseum in Rome but much smaller. Still in use today, there are many concerts held here from classical to rock. The views are even more spectacular from up there.” Thanks Brian. It sounds like an excursion with a difference.

Jennifer and Kath had a ‘wonderful’ experience standing at the lip of the ‘living’ volcano of Mount Etna. “We were at 6,000 feet above sea level and learnt about the lava flows that last occurred in 1992. Mount Etna was very “vocal”, talking away to us, while we walked around the lip. It even gave us a parting shot as we returned down the mountain, by blowing even more smoke and ash into the sky. We were so glad to be able to be part of this experience.” Climbing into a volcano is an interesting addition to your adventures on this trip, Jennifer and Kath. I remember climbing into the volcano in Rabaul PNG before it blew up and changed the whole region of that beautiful town and harbour. Smoke and a pungent smell were billowing up out of the centre of the crater as we climbed right down into the centre of it.

A few notes on a tour Kevin, Jan and Lorraine had today.

“After negotiating the chaos of the Messina traffic, the coach headed south west on a motorway towards the base of Mt Etna. The motorway ran through many tunnels and whatever the speed limit was, our driver added at least 10km on.

“Mt Etna came into view about two thirds along the way but was covered in cloud and smoke, taking photos was fairly useless.

“We stopped at a hotel in the village of Zafferana where we were offered cake, coffee and local wine tasting.

“Leaving from here the tour took us to the edge of the most recent lava flow back in 1992 which was about 7 km away from the crater.

“You could not see the actual mountain but you could see smoke and hear it rumbling, a bit scary!

“The local story is that Mother Mary stopped the lava flow, if she had not, the town of Zafferana could have been destroyed.

“After a few more rumbles from the mountain and some samples of local honey we set off back to the ship.”

Lindley’s day.

“My tour today took me to Mt Etna, one of the most active volcanoes in Europe. And today, it was certainly putting on a show, with smoke billowing from the top. There was no risk to life and limb though as they say the volcanologists can tell a month ahead of time when it is going to “go off”. The last major episode was back in 2002.

We had a wander around some older craters – from an 1892 episode – which was all very interesting, but it was blowing a gale, and staying upright with both the wind, and “slippery” lava-based footing was a challenge.

On the way home we called at the little town of Taormina, which was a typical older European town, with its narrow streets and laneways. One of its claims to fame is a Greek theatre, although as with many of these things, it is difficult to know what is original and what has been supplemented.

A good time was had.”

Thanks guys – much appreciated.

Tomorrow, our day takes us to Naples again where we plan to take a quick ferry to Capri – the place of the rich and famous with the ‘others’ there to look.

No matter what happens, travel gives you a story to tell.

160503 Venice

Venice is a city in northeastern Italy sited on a group of 117 small islands separated by canals and linked by bridges. It is located in the marshy Venetian Lagoon which stretches along the shoreline, between the mouths of the Po and the Paive Rivers. Parts of Venice are renowned for the beauty of their settings, their architecture, and artwork. A part of the city is listed as a World Heritage Site, along with its lagoon. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Today started very early, 5:00am. We had managed 8 hours sleep.

I suggested we take our exercise routine to a new dimension and walk the cobblestones for an hour or so. Now we wish we had of taken our ‘good’ cameras as Venice is rather unique at an early hour. With good light, still canals, and very few tourists about, the city invites the photographer. Our morning exercise took nearly 90 minutes as we enjoyed the city at sunrise with many photographers eventually joining us, along the foreshore, to watch the “Rhapsody of the Seas” sail into Venice. What a sight!

Breakfast at 7:00am was quite sufficient although half our group never made it that early. Our cruise to three locations departed on time at 9:30am. Kevin had a long walk in his moon boot to get to the departure point from the muster point – poor guy.

Murano is well known as a place where beautiful glassware is created and despatched all over the world, mainly tourist’s shipments of souvenirs. We stopped off at one such place for a demonstration of the art of glass blowing. Our artist created a clear glass bowl from a “blob” of glass. With a few ‘puffs’ and twists, there was a bowl ready to use. He placed some scrap newspaper into it and the heat of the glass caused the paper to flame. His second piece became a horse. That was done in about a minute. The gift shop of ready made glass pieces was close by, and the cash till became very busy.

Burano was our second stop. This island is known for its lace and gaudy painted buildings along the canals. With sunshine happening, the colours become even more spectacular, but I’m not sure that I wish for our house to have a colour change. The third stop is in Torcello where there is a basilica, and a stall that has nice double chocolate magnums. (You can tell what I am more interested in.)

Our cruise around the islands brought us back into the main docking area in bright sunshine and ‘crawling tourists’. Each time we have made our way back to the hotel, we have seen different sights as there are so many narrow alleyways that you get confused about which one you used last time. We had a short break before heading to our gondola ride and evening meal.

The water taxi was waiting for us before 6:00pm to take us to where our 6:30 gondola adventure leaves from. Divided up into two groups of 6, we were serenaded by Italian love songs along the way.

Then some fun begins. Lyn thought that the gondola ride and the evening meal were provided by the same operator and gave the gondola provider our vouchers thinking that everything was happening as expected. Even instructions where to go for the meal was very vague and I had to race back to the gondola guys to get a clearer explanation of the directions. Eventually, we found the restaurant down a lane. However, they required a voucher for the meal, of course, and would not allow us to enter the facility until all was clear. We hopped onto the website for a copy of the voucher but once the voucher has been printed, you cant get a second copy, which we needed to pay for the meal. So we suddenly became short of European currency. Right now, Lyn is on to our office to get things sorted out (local time is now 3:30am)

The evening walk back to the hotel was pleasant as there were many ‘window shoppers’ in the alley-ways. Out in St Mark’s Square, a chamber orchestral group were entertaining the crowds with well know melodies.

Seniors Moment/s

I said how the rooms were small. The bathrooms are even more difficult to manage. Jennifer was trying to step over the bidette to the shower, clipped her heal on the bidette and ended up ‘in’ the bidette. And we all know what we are wearing when we get into the shower.

As we were leaving the restaurant, Brian swung around suddenly and knocked 3 wine bottles off the ‘welcoming table’ and they crashed on the stone floor. What a way to leave your mark and your reputation.

Pont du Gard

Something that amazed me was the genius of ancient architects who managed to have water flowing downhill for 50km and only have a drop of 5 meters in that distance. This is a magnificent structure that looks awesome on a blue sky day – great for photographs.

To have that ‘wow’ experience, contact Lyn at 03 5967 1858 for help in booking a visit, and your whole European holiday, to Pont du Gard.

Something that amazed me at Pont du Gard was the genius of ancient architects who managed to have water flowing downhill for 50km and only have a drop of 5 meters in that distance. This is a magnificent structure that looks awesome on a blue sky day – great for photographs.

To have that ‘wow’ experience, contact Lyn at 03 5967 1858 for help in booking a visit, and your whole European holiday, to Pont du Gard.

“The Pont du Gard (English: Bridge of the Gard) is an ancient Roman aqueduct bridge that crosses the Gardon River[4] in Vers-Pont-du-Gard near Remoulins, in the Gard département of southern France. It is part of the Nîmes aqueduct, a 50 km-long (31 mi) structure built by the Romans to carry water from a spring at Uzès to the Roman colony of Nemausus (Nîmes). Because the terrain between the two points is hilly, the aqueduct – built mostly underground – took a long, winding route that crossed the gorge of the Gardon, requiring the construction of an aqueduct bridge. Built in the 1st century AD, the Pont du Gard is the highest of all Roman aqueduct bridges and is the best preserved after the Aqueduct of Segovia. It was added to UNESCO‘s list of World Heritage Sites in 1985 because of its historical importance.”

111031 Home Stay – Sapa Valley Style

Staying in someone else’s home is always a bit daunting. You don’t know whether the floor creeks so loud, that the householders wake up, and you’re always afraid you just may not find the light switch once you find the bathroom. But think of doing that in a completely different country; like Vietnam and, in the famous Sapa Valley.

After the long muddy walk down into the base of the valley, in the rainy season, you meet your hosts and chat a little. In our case, the hosts didn’t know any English and we, of course didn’t know any Vietnamese. Fortunately, our guide was Vietnamese and was able to translate for us in our conversation with the members of the family.

The host’s elderly mother was using a grinding wheel to crush homegrown rice to make spring rolls for the evening meal. The little daughter was amused as I took video of her and her pets and then showed the moving pictures from the camera.

Take a moment to think of all the luxuries we have in a western world and mull over the idea of enjoying a home stay experience in Vietnam yourself for your next holiday. Then come in to see Lyn and get more information on how to get to this little village in the amazing Sapa Valley.

151003 Rio de Janeiro to Melbourne

Rio de Janeiro (B)

Your tour ends after breakfast and you will be transferred* to the airport for your onward or homebound flight (flight not included).

International Airport, Rio De Janeiro (GIG) 03 Oct 15:20 Arturo Merino Benitez Airport, Santiago (SCL) 20:20 LA787 Economy OAERTQ.G

Arturo Merino Benitez Airport, Santiago (SCL) 03 Oct 23:20 Jean Batten Airport, Auckland (AKL) 05 Oct 04:30 LA801 Economy OAERTQ.G

151002 Rio de Janeiro

For some unknown reason at the time we arranged this group tour, we managed to finish our wonderful trip to South America with a cruise. The schooner slowly motored around the bay for 3 hours while we relaxed and enjoyed the view of the hills from which we couldn’t see from yesterday.

The other Scenic Free Choice options were a tour of the Shanty Town, a walking tour of the historic centre or a tour of Petropolis, the retreat of the former emperors of Brazil.

After our bay cruise, we came back to the hotel about lunch time, had some lunch on the beach front, and wandered around the shops for an hour before Lyn had a snooze beside the pool, while I did yesterday’s post.

Tonight was a farewell dinner for the group around the pool. Tomorrow, a couple stay here for an extra night, then a few extra nights in Santiago; two other couples fly with us and stay in Santiago a few nights before one of the couples fly home and the other does a 4 day desert trip in the north of Chile. We have a 5 hour wait in Santiago before boarding our flight to Auckland, change to a flight through to Melbourne and arrive in Melbourne around 8:30am Monday.

This has been a better trip than we expected with so many adventures in the 34 days of being here. There have been some days when we seemed to have been at an airport or on transfers to or from one, and then there have been days that have been full on grand experiences. I cannot say which has been the one highlight for me, but I can say there have been many. Galapagos – nature untainted, Machu Picchu and Sacred Valley – very special, Amazon River was tremendous, the Tango Night in Buenos Aires – dazzling, Uguazu Falls were magnificent, the Bird Park was great for photography, and Rio was the place I expected it to be – lots of action all through the night. The accommodation all through the trip has been 5 star and meals have been up there too.

We have had a good group with some “imports” that have fitted in well and have enjoyed being part of our group. The Tour Director did the best we could ask for, never showed dismay at any request and had most things in place before the need came to be. Being a fluent speaker of Portuguese, Spanish and English made things so much easier for all concerned. Thank you so much, Roberta

We leave this trip awaiting our next adventure to Europe for a 21 day Mediterranean Cruise in May 2016. Come join us – click here for more details.

151001 Rio de Janeiro

Our hotel is right on the Copacabana Beach Strip and there is so much going on down there – all night – we are on the 5th floor with a view to kill.

Today, we lived in hope. Hope that the two major sites of Rio de Janeiro were going to have clear views of the city. But our hope did not turn out as the postcards show. We had mist in the air.

As we were leaving for the first segment of the tour to ‘go get up close’ to Christ the Redeemer’, the mountain was clear. However, after the long cog-wheel tram up the side of the mountain, plus 222 steps, the mist had enshrouded the famous statue and we could hardly see the top of the head. It looked like the mist was there for the long term so the ‘tourist traps’ got browsed again and souvenirs purchased. The statue of “Christ the Redeemer” was built in 1927 and originally was not to be a religious symbol. It is now considered one of the best views of a major city in the world.

We came down and on the way to a famous restaurant for lunch, we visited where the famous Carnival de Rio is held. At first, I thought we could see a line up of football fields but they were the grand stands along the parade route. The Carnival has nothing to do with the Gay and Lesbian Parade of Sydney; it seems Sydney thinks it is though. The Carnival has 10 or 12 teams that have designated colours used in each years’ parade. There are 4000 members on each team. They have to compose appropriate music each year. All their costumes have to be identical to the plan and they are all judged on many many points. It is really competitive. At this site, there is a store where you can put on some of the remarkable costumes and have your photos taken. What an array to choose from.

We visited a very different cathedral. I didn’t feel like it was a Roman Catholic Cathedral, rather a religion of another category. Big, expansive but without the normal trimmings of a cathedral constructed in the 1600’s or so. I like it which is kind of against my trend of “not another cathedral” after seeing my fair share in Europe and Scandinavia.

Lunch was in a rather unique restaurant in the busy city area. It was constructed in 1863 but the food was ‘fresh’ we were told – it was, and lots of it. There was a waiter guy there who had been working as a waiter there for 63 years.

After lunch, we took a cable car ride up Sugar Loaf Mountain. Sugar Loaf is a peak situated at the mouth of Guanabara Bay, on a peninsula that sticks out into the Atlantic Ocean. Rising 396 meters above the harbour, its name is said to refer to its resemblance to the traditional shape of concentrated loaf sugar. It is known worldwide for the cable car and the panoramic views of the city. There are really two cable cars, one to a shorter island and the second to an even higher island. The views are very misty and we can’t see anything. But an ice cream makes up for the lack of the vista the mountain is known for – NOT!

On our return at 4:00pm, we have a free afternoon which allows us to take dinner in one of the seaside restaurants and then a stroll along the esplanade to a night market. More tee-shirts for the relatives and now we have an extra suitcase – full. When the group left Australia, we had 29 suitcases. Now we have 41. Not bad – its a way of supporting the economy in South America.

150930 Iguazu Falls – Rio de Janeiro

We had an easy day today as we flew to Rio de Janeiro around 1:00pm, so a bit of a walk back to the falls before breakfast, pack up and get ready for departure from this great location was the order of the morning.

We were met at Rio and transferred through the busy highway to our Copacabana Palace Hotel right on the busy, well known beach of Rio de Janeiro. After settling in, some of us took a walk along the beach before getting ready for an evening sea food buffet at a Marius Seafood Restaurant just down the road.

And that’s about all I have to report today. I have included some photos of the ceiling of the restaurant and the bathrooms. Lots of hard rubbish collecting has gone on to make this place what it is.

150929 Iguazú Falls

We had a much desired uninterrupted sleep last night – no wake up call at some unearthly hour. After a good breakfast, we crossed the road and walked towards the Iguazu Falls. This resort is the only one in the National Park. The park opens at 9:00am and if we get going early, we won’t have the thousands of other tourists around us while we visit this section of the falls. Just beside the road was a large tree and it had on one of its branches, a tucon. He looked great so I was busy videoing him when I realised that each time I hit the button to start filming, I was really stopping the shot of the sky and trees. Bummer! but there was more tucon to come today.

The walk along the cliff and down to the lower parts of the cliff had some beautiful vistas to enjoy. I ended up well back from the rest of the group as we made our way towards the view of the falls from the Brazilian side. We ended up at the base of the falls walking out towards the centre of them. There was quite a bit of spray but not enough to keep the cameras away. The rainbows had a great day to perform and many were a complete half circle and deep in colour.

From the falls, we made our way by coach to the helicopter pad. It was a fabulous blue sky and the ride would be superb. We waited an hour before we could get on one of the two very busy aircraft. There was just 3 minutes from take off to above the falls and we did 4 passes of them before heading back to base.

Just across the road from the helicopter pad is a magnificent bird park, Parque das Aves. There were tucans, macaws, and many other very colourful South American birds. That was number ‘3’ of the 4 adventures for the day.

Just down the road from the bird park is the entrance to what turned out to be the most fun we had had on this trip. The adventure had been described as ‘taking a strong shower and getting very wet.’ Our guide kept mentioning this during the day and seemed to be putting the ‘willie’ up everyone. However, he was unsuccessful in that only two folk made the decision not to have a good clean. Preparing for the venture meant, having as little clothing on as possible with a life jacket over top. We were about to hit the waterfall, at the base. After the ‘pictures’ were taken, (they make more money by taking them – they are mounted and available at the end of the adventure, as well as a DVD), we were off in this rubber ducky, four abreast, with twin 200hp outboard motors on the back.

When we hit some waves along the way, we started to believe the comment “taking a strong shower”. As we enter the turbulent waters near the falls, we get indulged with water coming straight down from the edge of the top of the waterfall. Our driver listens to everyone, “AGAIN”. And he does another circuit. And again, and again – then one more. Our Tour Director takes a vote (she really wanted another trip into the wall of water). She won of course and off we went into the mist and water cliff again. Comments later were of the type, “the best experience of my life”.

Yes, of course, the DVDs and photos were ready for us as we came out of the park. What the stay at this park deserves is a third night for us to enjoy the surrounds of the resort and the park just a little more. Sorry, we can’t share any photos with you as it was suggested ‘too much water will damage your camera’.

Tomorrow is a late departure for Rio de Janeiro.