Europe 2022

From the winery we traveled to another part of the island and had lunch at a revolving restaurant overlooking the sea. The food was hearty, and the service was great. After lunch it was onward to the Heinrichs and Heinrichs Madeira Wine shop in Camara de Lobos for a tasting of several wines including some 3, 10, and 15 years aged. The smell told me that this was not for me, so I made photos while the rest of the group tasted. It smelled like a cough syrup factory, but it is a world renown winery and a favorite of Queen Elizabeth. After too much wine we headed to Funchal and the port. We said our goodbyes to Honoria and we were soon back in or cabin in time for sail away. I sat on the verandah until the island was just a dot on the horizon before joining Hugh for a short rest. We were not very hungry at dinner time, so we ate in the Terrace and then went to the show. Tonight, we had a singer named Chris Richie and he was wonderful. He could sing a multitude of genres, and everyone seemed to get into the act. We headed off to bed but we were not sleepy and stayed up way to late... and we lost another hour. It will be a late morning.

Our next stop was what we came for, the famous The Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba. We had to wear our mask for this visit and before we went in Danny asked everyone to go to the restroom and have a snack because he did not want to interrupt the visit for any stops. We did as we were asked and then we made our way into the courtyard. It was lovely but they were doing some work so we did not get the whole view. This space has been home to a collection of buildings among which was the Visigoth Basilica of San Vincente (mid 6th century). With the arrival of the Muslims, Abs as-Rahman built the original mosque in 786. It had 11 naves. As the community grew the mosque was expanded with the last expansion in 991. With the conquest of Cordoba in 1236 it was consecrated as a Catholic church, and in 1607 the main chapel was completed. It was so magnificent everyone was speechless. It was more than we had even imagined. We made so many photos that it will be a long day going through them. We had plenty of time to explore and Danny’s explanations were wonderfully informative. Once we left the cathedral, we had free time. Hugh and I went to see the Roman Bridge with its Calahorra Tower and Corredera or bridge gate. Again, we made a lot of photos, and then we explored the town while enjoying a Jambon(ham) sandwich. I had seen a pair of earrings that I loved and much to Hugh’s amazement I went back and bought them. Soon it was time for the bus ride back. Most everyone slept and it seemed to be a shorter return trip. When we arrived back at the ship we quickly cleaned-up and went up to Horizons for sail away and happy hour. We had dinner in Polo and then headed to the show. It was the 2nd performance of Chris Ritchie and very enjoyable. We then went to the cabin and we were asleep quickly dreaming of the rest of our adventure.

We staked out our place and waited for the procession. It was a great thing to see, very precise, and we got some good shots of the guards. From the palace we made our way to the cathedral of Monaco. We were able to go in and it isn’t nearly as ornate as I imagined. We were able to see the graves of Prince Rainier and Princess Grace. From here we continued down the street and our next stop was the Musee Oceanography, established in 1917. We decided to go in and the aquarium was amazing. It was so well done, and the tanks were filled with fish and sea plants and anemone that were colorful and very healthy. We enjoyed this very much and we were so glad that we visited. We continued down the mountain on a street filled with mansions, parks, and outstanding views. We arrived back at the yacht harbor and made our way back to the ship. We arrive back at 2:30 and we were hungry. We were surprised to find that The Terrace was still open and very busy. We ate a light lunch and then we headed to the cabin to sort photos and journal before we forget what we saw. We enjoyed sitting on our balcony for the sail-away. I took a hot bath and Hugh showered before we dressed for dinner. We met our Distinctive Voyages group at 5:30pm for Happy Hour and then we all headed down to the Grand Dining room for our goodbye dinner as many our group are leaving us in Rome. We will definitely miss Helen and Tricia as they have been terrific social hostesses. After dinner we did some shopping as our cruise credit was not dwindling as fast as it should and the 22% VAT charged in Italian water is not a way to use it. I got a necklace and bracelet, and Hugh got a long-sleeved Marina shirt. We then went to the show, and it was Chris Ritchie and a goodbye performance of the Entertainment troupe. Both were excellent. It was time to kick off the shoes and relax.

We purchased our tickets and boarded the bus expecting a short ride. Once we left Amalfi it was the ride of a lifetime as we made the hairpin turns along the mountainside. The driver talked the whole time in rapid Italian and used his hands for talking more than driving. The bus's horn was hardly ever silent and he stopped to talk to almost everyone he passed. It was an experience but the views were incredible. He let us off but at the top of the mountain and the town was more at the bottom. We made our way down stopping in some shops and making more photos than we need. We made it all the way to the beach and we dreaded climbing all the way back to the top to get the bus for our return to Amalfi. We had the brilliant idea to get the ferry back and with some ingenuity we were able to decipher the signs and find the ticket office. We got the 1:30pm ferry back and it was so much easier than making the trek up the mountain and we got another view of the area. We met a lovely family from Atlanta and they were so helpful in making sure we got some pictures of us.

We made it out of the port area after a long walk and found the hop on hop off bus. This seemed like a great way to see the island and it was except that it was freezing. The wind was unbelievable, and the sun refused to come out from behind the heavy clouds. It was a 3.5-hour tour, and we were not sure we would make it. We were able to see the whole island and all the lovely cathedrals and architecture, but I know I would have enjoyed them more in the sun. We got off at the first stop of our walking tour in the town of Valletta and then made our way around to the cathedrals and gardens that we wanted to see ending at the fort. This part of the trip was much better as we were powered by lovely hot chocolate that Hugh found. This is a beautiful city, and I am glad we finally made it to Malta. Not sure how we have missed this island to date in our travels. Once we made our way through the fort a wonderful couple gave us some tickets for the elevator down to the street 4 levels below. This city is on a multitude of levels and you cannot get anywhere without climbing hills or going down steps. One of the last things we saw was a church in honor of St. Paul’s shipwreck here in Malta. We made our way back into the port and we both commented on how far people had to walk to get out of the port area before they could get a tour or a taxi. I am sure there are many who could not do this. Back on the ship we got hot tea and took a rest just to be under the covers to warm up. We had a hot shower before dinner at The Terrace and then we played cards in Martinis before the show. It is so quiet on this part of the trip as we have half the people we had the first 2 weeks. The show was The Brill Factor and although we saw it on the first leg of the journey we went back because it was so good. They had changed it up and it was even better. This group is so good they get standing O’s at every performance. It was off to bed for us. It was a full day!

We decided to “leave the gun and take the cannoli” when we found a great patisserie. They were excellent and we munched as we walked through the very large open air city market. The fruits and veggies, nuts and spices were all enticing but we did not need them. From the market we made our way along the coast to the Castello Maniace. Hugh purchased our tickets, and we made our way in not sure what we would find. This fortress was built between 1232 and 1240 by Frederick II. We entered through a marble arch, and this is much larger and grander than we expected. There are 25 munition bays with arched brick ceilings and the walls have 4 corner towers. We had a great visit and ended our time on Ortygia at the Fisherman’s Bastion where we saw an amazing number of boats. We left the island and proceeded to walk through the town. There was nothing historic to see here so we made a long walk on 2 streets before we made it back to the ship. We had a very late lunch and then we looked for that last picture to complete our scavenger hunt, but we did not find it. We rested and read before showering and dressing for our lovely anniversary dinner in Pollo. We were treated to a lovely cake complete with candles and everyone singing when we finished our meal. From there we headed to the show which was a comedian named Mark Palmer. It was a great show but we were full and tired, so we headed to our cabin afterwards. Goodnight!

The sky was getting very dark and the rain we had expected earlier came fast and heavy. Fortunately for us we had our rain gear and we were no worse for the weather when to sun came back out. We continued on through the maze of streets and ended up at the new fort and the monument to the Jews who were expelled to Auschwitz and Birkenau. We decided the skies looked threatening and we were relatively near the port that we should walk back to the terminal and we did. It was not as close as it seemed and we did get a few more sprinkles but we made it back to the shuttle and then on to the ship. We decided to have a light lunch and get our laundry done as the cruise is coming to an end. It was hurry up and wait as everyone else on our floor decided to do laundry also. We finally got it done and put away before the 5:15 enrichment lecture. We rested some before showering and then played cards in Martinis before dinner. We had a fabulous bartender named Ceferino who took excellent care of us. We had dinner in main dining room and finished just in time to go to the show. It was the entertainment staff doing the music of Peggy Lee. They were great but it was not our favorite because we did not know the music. Then it was off to bed after a busy day.

When we finally made it to the starting point we made our way down the narrow stairs and decided to splurge some calories on a cone of gelato. It was delicious and just what we needed for the energy to continue exploring the old town. We went into the Rectors Palace and it was beautiful. We then slowly made our way through some of the back streets again before heading out. We were on our way to the fort when Hugh decided we had seen enough this trip as we will be back here in the fall for 4 days. We caught the 2:30 bus back to the ship and sat on the verandah reading and exporting pictures. Hugh has been very good about getting the pictures on his computer so we can delete a large number with fingers or that are duplicates. We realized we were very weary from the almost 7.5 miles we had walked and we rested before heading to the Terrace for dinner. We enjoyed a meal of tapas and we tried a lot of different things. It was the perfect thing for our busy day. We had time before the show to play some cards and our favorite bartender took great care of us again. Tonight’s show was a variety show. The entertainment team did part and the Italian singer did part. I was fun and we left dancing to the music of Abba.

Our guide was Donatella and she spoke fast and gave us lots of facts. Today we are visiting 3 areas away from Koper, Izola, Piran, and Portoroz. We asked which ones she would spend the time in and she recommended Piran and Portoroz. We took her advice and did not get off in Izola which was the smallest and made our way to Piran. As we drove into the small town we could tell there was a lot to see and it was lovely. We just took off down the street along the water until we came to the large square in the center of the city. Here we visited a church and looked in some shops before we started climbing the mountain behind the square. This road led to the Punta (fort) and Cathedral of St. George. It was quite a climb but well worth it. The cathedral was beautiful as were the views from the top. We enjoyed our time there and took another road down the mountain on the other side. This led us to the beach area and the very tip of the city which juts out into the Adriatic. We just strolled through this area enjoying the little shops and people watching. We had gelato for lunch, and it was delicious and huge scoops. We sat in the sun and people watched before heading back into the heart of the small town and visiting more of the lovely churches. Each one had a station of the cross and the most beautiful ceilings. We stopped at a chocolate shop, and each had a small piece which we enjoyed as we made our way to the bus parking area. We were a little early, so we walked down to a beach and watched some brave souls taking a dip.

After we had made the rounds of shops and piazzas we stopped in a canal-side café for delicious pizza. We sat and people watched for a while and then decided to make the steep climb to Castle of San Giusto. This fortress was built in 1382 by the Austrian Empire and overlooks the city of Trieste. It was added onto by the Venetians around 1508, and then again in 1636. It was turned into a museum in 1936. The Cathedral next door is impressive also. The hike was worth it when you see the amazing views. We spent a lot of time there and as we were visiting we met a couple who saw Hugh’s hat which said Oceania Marina and they stopped us. They were embarking on the ship tomorrow and could not find it, not expecting it to be at the cargo port. They were happy to hear that it was going to show up downtown at 6. We made the treacherous walk down the hill over the cobblestones and back to the ship in time to turn in our Big O points and rest our feet while drinking champagne and watching as we sailed to our new dock. We made our way to the Terrace for dinner and took our time savoring all the choices we had; we are aware we will not have these delicious choices the rest of the trip. We then played cards and went to the comedy show before heading off to bed.

We had a walking tour of the city and we decided to start at the main square called the Piazza Maggiore Square. We made one stop at the Cathedral Santa Maria because we passed it on the way. It was beautiful. When we arrived at the piazza it was huge and very crowded. Its origins date back to 1200 and it is the heart of Bologna. We saw the Neptune Fountain as we made our way around the square. Our next stop was on the piazza, the Basilica of San Petronio. It is the 6th largest church in Europe. It was started in 1390 and was not completed until the 1500’s. It was exceptionally impressive. It houses the world’s longest indoor meridian line which measures 219.16 feet. Our next stop was the first university in Bologna, the Archiginnasio of Bologna. It is now a library. We then strolled to the Mercato di Mezzo which was like a food court of fun little restaurants, bakeries, and wine bars. We continued our walk and the next stop was St. Stephens Complex. This group of religious buildings is known as Seven Churches or Holy Jerusalem. It was built to emulate Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem and was started in the 8th century. It was something to see and took us a good while to finish our exploration.

The next thing we went to see is a bit strange, two towers built by 2 families in the 1100’s as a competition to show who was more powerful. They are leaning at this time and one has been shortened because it was leaning so much. Next stop, St. Peters Cathedral. This cathedral was first built in 1028. It was destroyed during renovations and was rebuilt in 1575. It is very baroque in design and its belltower stands 70 meters and houses a 3,300 lb. bell. It was getting dark and we were getting hungry. We had read not to eat in fancy restaurants if you wanted real Italian fare, but to enjoy a Trattoria or Osteria, so we searched for one. We found a great family trattoria and had a most delicious meal, including Tagliatelle with Bolognese. We then made our way back to the hotel stopping to admire some Roman ruins along the way. We both took a hot bath and we were ready for bed.The next thing we went to see is a bit strange, two towers built by 2 families in the 1100’s as a competition to show who was more powerful. They are leaning at this time and one has been shortened because it was leaning so much. Next stop, St. Peters Cathedral. This cathedral was first built in 1028. It was destroyed during renovations and was rebuilt in 1575. It is very baroque in design and its belltower stands 70 meters and houses a 3,300 lb. bell. It was getting dark and we were getting hungry. We had read not to eat in fancy restaurants if you wanted real Italian fare, but to enjoy a Trattoria or Osteria, so we searched for one. We found a great family trattoria and had a most delicious meal, including Tagliatelle with Bolognese. We then made our way back to the hotel stopping to admire some Roman ruins along the way. We both took a hot bath and we were ready for bed.

We left the station and navigated through the town to our small B&B. We had a little trouble getting the landlord but when she came was delightful even though she only spoke a few words in English. She could understand us but had to reply in Italian. Once we had our bags in our room we headed out to walk around the small village. It was beautiful and we made a lot of photos. We realized we had skipped lunch so we found a lovely restaurant and had a very delicious dinner sitting outside. By the time we had finished dining it was getting cold. We went back to the room for our down jackets and took a long walk all through the village. Around ten we were fading. We had not slept well the night before, no air conditioning, and the room was stuffy and the mattress hard. It was off to bed for us.

Saturday, April 16, 2022, Monterosso & Vernazza, Italy

It looked like a great trail, smooth with a beautiful view, but then it turned up hill and became very rugged. When we stopped to purchase our park pass we were told that it usually took 3-4 hours from there. It was rough going in places and I needed to stop to catch my breath often but I was not alone. We walked up and up and up and then it flattened for a while and then it was up and up some more. There was a cute little English boy who summed it up well, “it makes my legs feel jiggly”. There were moments when I was not sure that I was cut out for this but then we saw the view of Vernazza and it was all worth it. The last hour of the trip was downhill and it was almost as treacherous as the climb up. When we arrived in the village it was packed with people. It was after 2 and we were ready for lunch. We found a great restaurant and had pizza and a huge bottle of water. It was great!! After lunch we looked around the village, took photos, and then lined up for the boat back to Monterosso. It was a short trip back and we enjoyed the lovely views.

Back in Monterosso we walked to a laundry thinking we would wash what we were wearing but we found out it was not a self-serve laundry. We decided to wait and we went to the room to rest. After an hour’s rest we showered and dressed for our dinner at Miky’s. This is a Michelin star restaurant we had seen on a travel show and made reservations before we arrived. On our way to the restaurant, we stopped at the train station and changed tomorrows tickets to Portofino to an earlier time. When we arrived at the restaurant we were immediately seated and the service and the food was excellent. After dinner we took a nice stroll back to our room and settled in for the evening by enjoying looking at our photos of the day!

We walked into the village along the high path and found ourselves at another church. We stopped in for a visit before we took our time enjoying the views of the multi-colored buildings along the harbor. The basin was filled with boats of all types but the largest seemed to be sailboats. We finished the walk around the area and then headed up the steps to Castle Brown. We had not had lunch so we stopped for a drink and cookies before we visited the castle and enjoyed the amazing views in every direction. Castle Brown is a historic house museum located high above military defense sites since Roman times. It was built in 400 AD, expanded in 1557, and converted into a villa in 1867. The rooms are mostly empty with interesting photos but the views are spectacular. When we finished our tour we headed back out on the walk and went to the lighthouse which was downhill. We made the lovely walk and got our photos and then made the long climb back up. We were back in the village around dinnertime, and we were afraid we would not get seated anywhere as it was a holiday weekend. Most restaurants here did not open until 8 pm but they were fully booked. We wanted earlier dining and found that if we did not mind slow dinner service, the bar service was hopping, we could get seated at The Gritta which is one of the nicest. We did not mind the wait and just sat and enjoyed our drinks and people watched.

We stored our bags at track 11 and as we exited the station we saw the Christopher Columbus monument. We did a GPSmyCity app walking tour and found that an international food festival was in town near the old port. We headed to Piazza De Ferrari and several of the sites on the walking tour were nearby. We visited Church of Jesus and Saints Ambrose and Andrew, Palazzo Ducal (Doge’s Palace), Cathedral of St Lawrence, Palace of St George (where Marco Polo was imprisoned), Old Port, Maritime Museum, Royal Palace Museum, Basilica of the Santissima Annunziata del Vastato, Esplanade of Castelletto, The White Palace, Via Giuseppe Garibaldi, & Via XX September. We retrieved our luggage and took the train to the airport station but saw no airport there. Following rather cryptic signs we exited the station, walked down the street, crossed the tracks and road using a pedestrian crossing bridge and as we descended we were greeted by the airport shuttle bus. After a somewhat long ride we got to the small airport, had snacks, boarded a Swiss Air flight and were soon in Rome. We walked to the Airport Hilton, had supper, and readied ourselves for tomorrow’s flight to Bucharest, Romania to start our Gate1 tour of the Balkans. Another phase of our journey completed and a new one to soon begin!!!

This morning we woke up early and dressed for travel. We will spend our whole day on planes or in airports. We headed to the lobby at 7:15 for our ride to the airport. The van was full so we waited for the next one, about 10 minutes. We arrived at our airline and went to check in. The woman at Swiss air was pleasant but very insistent that we could not carry our bags on, we MUST check them. We did but we were not very happy. We had time to get a croissant and a café before boarding our flight to Zurich. The flight was uneventful, and we arrived just a few minutes early and we were excited as we had only 25 minutes before our next flight. Unfortunately, we parked on the tarmac and had to be bused to the terminal using up all that precious time. We arrived in B terminal and were leaving from D terminal, so we had to walk briskly and arrived at our gate just in time to board. We were on the plane, but we had great doubts that our baggage made it. Again, the flight was uneventful ending with a Swiss chocolate bar. We took our time exiting and cleared customs with no trouble. We made our way to baggage claim, and we were so thankful when the first thing we saw was our bags coming around the carousel. We grabbed the bags and made our way to the taxi terminal and got a taxi to the city of Bucharest. We arrived at the Intercontinental Hotel Bucharest and there we were met by Mira, who will be our Gate 1 guide for the next 2 weeks. We checked in and just made it to the 6pm meeting with our whole travel group. There will be 16 of us and everyone seems well-traveled and fun. We went to a great dinner afterwards as a group and I can’t wait to get started with this part of our adventure.

Our next stop was at the Stavropoleos Patriarchal Cathedral which sits atop one of the city’s few hills. It is known as the centerpiece of the Romanian Orthodox religion since the 17th century. They were having a service so we were not able to make photos, but we were able to enjoy the music and the beauty. After the church the group was going back to the hotel, but Hugh and I decided to leave at that point and finish our GPSmyCity walking tour we have on the phone. Our morning tour did the highlights but there are still things to see. We stopped for photos at the Piata Uniril or Unity Square with its lovely fountains. We then walked to a shopping center but could never find a way in and decided it must not be a mall but a shopping strip. From there we saw Manuc’s Inn the oldest operating hotel in Bucharest and the CEC Palace which was built in 1900. We walked some lovely pedestrian streets and made our way to University Square which is very close to our hotel. We saw a barber shop and Hugh went in to get a haircut. They were very professional and did an excellent job even though not a word of English was spoken. We walked a bit more before heading back to the hotel and getting our bags ready for our first bus trip tomorrow. We met the group for dinner and we drove to a lovely restaurant. We had a very enthusiastic lecturer who told us everything we needed to know and more about the Romanian revolution. He was 15 at the time and led a group of teenagers in the fight. He even had bullets to show us. The dinner was excellent but way too much and a bit heavy. It was back to the hotel and off to bed, we arise early tomorrow.

We made our photos and soon we were off to Arbanassi, where we will have lunch. We arrived at this beautiful house/restaurant and had one of the best meals on the trip. The room was dark and the atmosphere was perfect for a relaxing lunch. After lunch we strolled up a hill to a 17th century church dedicated to the Archangels Gabriel and Michael. This was a small museum church, and we had a choir of 4 men in robes who had us spellbound when they began to sing. Even though we did not understand the words, it was majestic.

We had a 2 hour trip to Sofia where we will be for 2 nights. Everyone was tired and Mira kept the commentary to a minimum so we could rest. The time passed quickly and soon we arrived at the Grand Hotel Sofia, right in the heart of the city. We took our bags up ourselves and headed out to explore. We had several hours before we met for dinner, so we found the main sites we wanted to see and got photos. We did some power walking and some people watching before arriving back at the hotel. We had time to dress a bit nicer for dinner and we joined our new friends Terry and Kathryn for a lovely meal in the hotel restaurant called Shades of Red. Then it was off to the room to prepare for tomorrow.

We were supposed to go to the National History Museum but it was closed for the holiday so we visited the Ethnographic Museum which is housed in the city’s Royal Palace. From there we continued our walk to the Russian Church and then we made our way to see the Roman ruins and Church of St. Petka of the Sadlers. We had made a circle and were back at the hotel. We said goodbye to our guide and Hugh and I headed off on our own to get something for lunch as it was late. We found the pedestrian street and all the cute restaurants and decided on some gelato and people watching as our dinner is included and will be multiple courses. Hugh’s knees were bothering him a bit so we headed back to the hotel for some typing, photo editing, and resting. We met our group for dinner at 6:30 and did not get back to the hotel until after 9. The food and the conversation was wonderful. Off to bed to be ready for another amazing day tomorrow.

We continued our drive into Skopje, the capital city and we could tell immediately this would be a great place to explore. Our hotel, the Marriott, was right in the heart of the city, and we were soon checked in. Hugh and I quickly unpacked and prepared for dinner before heading out to explore some on our own. It was as lovely as we expected. The city has statues, fountains, bridges, and outdoor restaurants everywhere. We walked along the river and enjoyed the lovely buildings. This city is different from others we have visited in that it is much newer, they had an earthquake that pretty much leveled the city in 1963. We met our group for dinner at a lovely restaurant that we walked to. The food was a series of small dishes that we shared, and everyone seemed to enjoy it a lot except Kay. (she doesn’t like the food in this whole region and lets everyone know it). We walked back with the city lights and it is even more lovely lit. It was off to bed anticipating a wonderful tomorrow.

After we enjoyed a large cup of ice cream (Hugh even bought one for the lady selling flowers because she kept looking at ours), we made our way back to the hotel to meet Terry and Kathryn for a taxi ride up to the cable car that will take us up to the cross on the highest part of the mountain. Our taxi driver was very nice and it was a long way up the mountain to get to the cable cars. When we arrived, the cars were not running. I noticed on the sign that it said they did not run on the last Tuesday of the month for maintenance. Guess what today is, yep, the last Tuesday. We got the lady in the shop there to call us another taxi and on the trip down we asked him to pull over at the lookout so we could at least get some photos. When we arrived back at the hotel, we went to our room as Hugh’s leg was hurting some after all the walking. He rested and I went and had a pedicure. It was the best pedicure I have ever had, lasting well over and hour and including a long foot massage. It cost only $25, which is remarkable for a hotel spa. When I returned to the room Hugh was up and we showered and got dressed to go out to dinner. We walked along looking at menus and nothing really looked like what we wanted. We decided to walk toward the train station to the Mexican restaurant that our guide Mira had suggested. We met Terry and Kathryn on the way and they were headed to the same place. We joined up and were soon seated in Amigos. The owner waited on us and the food and the service were amazing. While Hugh and Terry drank beers, Kathryn and I each had 2 frozen strawberry Margaritas. The owner was very happy that we liked it so much. We parted ways after dinner. Hugh and I walked to the train station, now a museum, to photo the clock that is stopped at the time the earthquake hit. From there we walked over the stone bridge and walked some in the old town before heading back to the hotel for a good nights rest.

From here we made our way to the Stobi Winery. Wine is a major export of Macedonia, and this is a a large modern winery. We took the winery tour before we were seated for our wine tasting and lunch. We had no idea it would be a 5-course meal with 3 different wines served generously. Our entrée was one of the best fillets of beef I have ever tasted. We all enjoyed ourselves way too much and the 3-hour drive to Ohrid was very quiet. When we arrived at the lakeside town we checked into the Unique hotel and our room was huge. Hugh and I went for a 3 mile walk along the lakeside before we came back and prepared to go out to dinner with our group. No one was very hungry and a lot of food was returned. Fortunately, it was not one of the better meals we have had on this trip and Hugh and I left to walk back to the hotel before the dessert. The highlight of the evening was a wedding that was in another part of the restaurant, but the downside was how loud the band was. It was a great day and we settled into journaling and looking at our pictures. Good night.

The next part of our journey took us to the Old Town Ohrid. We stopped and got off the bus just below the fortress. We made our way down the narrow streets stopping at churches, a papermaker with a reproduction a Guttenberg Press, and finishing at a pearl shop where they had the Ohrid Lake pearls. After our tour finished, we had the afternoon free, and Hugh and I had gelato and then walked around the Turkish part of the town. We decided to stop for coffee and a coke and listen to our church service. The café became loud so we moved to a bench in the park to finish. We walked along the lake and found ourselves back at the hotel. We shed our jackets and then headed back to the harbor for our boat tour on the lake. We met our group at 5:15 and for the next hour we had a lovely relaxing ride around the lake. We saw a beautiful church on the cliff and it was just a lovely time. After the boat ride we went for dinner at a lakeside restaurant where we had fresh trout. It was delicious and we were all happy when we made our way back to the hotel. Good night.

We all agreed we had no expectations for this city and waited patiently for our first view. Our first stop was Skanderberg Square. We walked across the huge marble square where we could see them setting up tents for their May Day celebration and for the end of Ramadan. We made a visit to the National Historic Museum and had a real history lesson with Ilia. From the museum we visited the statue of Skanderberg and saw the Opera House and Clock Tower. Our next stop was the Bunk Art I exhibit. We climbed into a bunker that belong to the communist dictator Enver Hoxha and all the rooms showed the mistreatment of the people during his time. It was a definite step back in time. From the bunker we walked to our hotel and suitcases were in our rooms. We had time for a rest and a shower before we headed out to dinner. We walked to a lovely restaurant and had a delicious Italian meal. We arrived back at the hotel it was “good night and see you in the morning”.

Hugh and I walked to see the bus wreck which was still there but a lot of our new friends had to pack as their flights were in the very early morning hours. We had time for a short rest and shower before we met for our farewell dinner. Everyone was a little subdued as Mira made a speech on the bus to the restaurant. The room we were in was like a hunting lodge and we were the only guests. The food was good, and Kathryn made the most wonderful toast to our whole group. We ended the night saying our goodbyes at the hotel as we will not see anyone again on this trip. Hugh has a bad cold, and we plan on sleeping in tomorrow as it is our down day before the next adventure begins.

From here we traveled back toward Tirana to the town of Prizren. As we drove into the town we could tell it was much more lively and had a different vibe. We parked and walked into the heart of the town and the first thing we saw was the old bridge that is in all the pictures with the church, the fort, and the mosque in the background. We had to get the picture before we moved on to find a restaurant. The one that Julius wanted us to try was closed so we found a nice café and had a great lunch with the locals. Our next stop was to be the Albanian League Museum, but it was closed. Our guide told us about the war and how things changed. Our next stops were picture stops and the town is very picturesque.

It started to rain more heavily, and we declined the next stop which was a hike up the mountain to the fort. It was a long way, and the path was muddy. We then walked back toward the main shopping area and Hugh found a Pharmacia which was open and he was able to get some cough medicine. We then made our way to the car and headed back to Tirana. The trip was easy as there was little traffic, and the border crossing went very well. We arrived back at the hotel at 7 and decided to go for a walk and get some gelato before heading to bed. We have a long day tomorrow.

We found a nice place for breakfast and we looked at pictures and I journaled as we enjoyed our coffee... several hours. When our gate posted we made our way there and boarded an airbus 320 with about 1/3 of the seats filled. It was an easy flight and before we knew it we were in Chisnau. Again we had to get on a bus but we had gate checked our bags and that made it much easier. The airport here is clean and modern. We had a little snag at passport control as they wanted proof of what we were doing in Moldova. Fortunately, I had all the tour confirmations on my phone and that was enough to get us through. We walked a short distance to the baggage carousel and the bags were already there. We spoke with a student that said we should not skip the winery tour. We headed out of the baggage area and there was our driver with our name on his placard. We loaded his car and we were off to the city.

As we drove, we took in all the sights from communist era buildings, historic buildings, and modern shopping areas. We saw grocery stores and pharmacies that looked a little like home. We even saw a McDonald’s but no golden arches, just dark green umbrellas. We arrived at the Hotel Thomas Albert, our home for the next 4 days. It is modern and check-in was easy. The room is nice with all the modern amenities including a super fancy shower. We unpacked and immediately decided to nap. We have been up over 12 hours already and it is just 2 pm. We took a 2 hour nap which we do not usually do but we were extremely tired. After showers we headed out in the city and saw a tremendous number of monuments and beautiful building and churches. We saw a lot of beautiful government buildings that made us think there must have been a very prosperous time in this country at one point! We walked almost 8 miles before we stopped for dinner at Andy’s, a Moldova chain that we had seen on several of our travel videos. The wine and pizza and salad were delicious and by the time we finished we were ready to head back to the hotel and get in our comfy bed. The hotel is perfectly situated and has all the amenities including laundry and fast internet.

One of the things our guide told us was that the coffee culture really took off during Covid because they could not visit in homes, but they could grab a coffee and sit in the park or at the sidewalk café. We passed many building that are very ornate and lovely and a lot of what is called communist brutalist architecture. We saw police on every corner, and we wondered how a country that is so poor can afford to pay so many. Our next stop was the beautiful Nativity Cathedral. Built in the 1830’s in the neoclassical style it has a turbulent history. It was severely damaged during World War II and then during the communist period it was used as a library and exhibition hall. Today it is the national church. Religion in this area is not very honored and very few people regularly attend any type of service. From the church we walked to the National Museum of History where we said goodbye to our guide and Hugh and I went in to explore. This was a beautiful museum and has over 250,000 artifacts and exhibits. After the museum we walked to the Tourists Information and made reservations to go to one of the largest wineries tomorrow. We had gelato for lunch before walking back to the hotel. We sat in the lobby and I did laundry and journaled and Hugh worked on the website. After the laundry was finished, we rested a bit before dressing for dinner. We walked to a Mexican restaurant called El Paso. The food was great and the service was very very slow. It was fine for us as it slowed us down and gave us time to talk and do trivia. The walk home was an adventure as we took a different route and thought we were lost, we even went into the wrong hotel. Back in the room we journaled and looked at pictures and travel videos before going to bed.

When this part of the tour was over, she set us up for a 3-wine tasting with a lovely lunch. We were able to take our time and really enjoy the wine and the food. We were joined for a while by the musicians, a violinist and an accordion player. The music was wonderful and the whole experience was fantastic. When we got off the train at the exit we realized we could not get a Yandex car so we had the office call for a taxi. Before long we were back in the city and ready for a rest. Wine in the afternoon is not our friend. After our showers we decided to try the Asian Restaurant Victoria recommended. Madame Wongs was an easy walk from our hotel and when we arrived we were surprised at how fancy it is. The food was very reasonable and the service excellent. We were so happy with our choice and left with big smiles. This was a great day even though it wasn’t what we had planned.

We were to have a 1.5 hour lunch but we told Andrian we would rather get back earlier. I was not feeling my best with this nagging cold. Our next stop was the Curchii Monastery. This complex is considered the most beautiful place of worship in the country. It was very busy. We saw 5 wedding parties and observed 2 of the weddings, one in the summer or main church and the other in the winter church which is smaller. We made lots of photos before we made our way back to Chisinau around 3:30. We had Andrian let us off at the park and stopped for gelato before heading to the hotel. We journaled and rested some before we showered and packed. We headed out for dinner at La Placinte which we had seen on YouTube’s Dabble and Travel. We ordered an assortment of dishes to share and realized very quickly we had over ordered. All but one dish was delicious, and we played travel trivia as we sampled. We waddled out and walked back to finish our backing. What a great last day in Moldova.

We walked back to the hotel through the park and enjoyed the flowers and fountains as we slowly made our way. It was a great afternoon and we had just enough time to clean up and go to our first meeting of the Intrepid group. At 6 we met our tour manager Anastasia. She is from Russia but lives in Berlin. Our group is 10 in number and they are from USA, Ireland, England, and Australia. We did our intros and paperwork for the trip. We also found our new itinerary as we are now flying from Baku to Tbilisi as covid still has the land border closed. After the meeting we walked to a local restaurant and had a nice meal of all the Azerbaijani favorites. After a long dinner we made our way to the hotel and repacked our bags. We will be leaving our suitcases in this hotel and only taking backpacks for tomorrow and tomorrow night. Then it was off to bed after I talked to my guys for Mother’s Day!

Our next stop was in Mazara around 2pm and it was for a class on yoghurt making done by lovely little lady and her sons. Our guide interpreted and we tasted all different yogurt products including cakes and breads. We had hot and tasty tea after the tasting and it was nice to have something hot. We had gotten cold sitting on rugs over concrete. Because we had so much food here we did not stop for lunch. We arrived in Sheki, checked in our hotel and headed to the Shaki Kahn's palace and fortress. After our tour we visited a stained glass craftsman’s shop, learned about his craft, and played with puzzles he had made. Then we went to the local craft shops before we went to the hotel, shared a pizza with wine, and socialized. A wonderful day in Azerbaijan!!!

We then traveled around the city to the Black January Memorial and Monument. This monument was erected in honor of the victims of the Soviet massacre 30 years ago. It is beautiful and also has a fantastic view of the city. We spent time making our photos and we even got a group shot. From here we went back to the hotel and it was after 7 when we got to our room. We changed shoes and freshened up before heading to the Hard Rock for burgers and real fries. We sat and did our trivia and enjoyed our American style food. On our way home we stopped in a small grocery and were looking to see if they had peanut butter. We have not seen any in the Balkans or the Caucuses. A very nice gentleman asked if he could help and we told him what we were doing. He told us they did not have it but he would write down where we could get it. He has a son who loves everything American and loves peanut butter. As we were leaving he said thank you for all the love the Americans have shown the Ukrainians. It was so sweet!! Tonight was hair washing showering time before bed.

Surprise, the sun was coming out as we made our way to the rock formations and rock carving, there are over 6,000. The carvings are of animals, people, boats, and war scenes. The carvings date back between 5,000 and 20,000 years. It was muddy and slick in some areas, but we all made it and enjoyed it immensely.

From Gobaston we headed Baku to Baku for lunch. We had soup and a light entrée and were back on the bus heading to the Absheron Peninsula. Our first stop was The Fire Temple of Ateshgah. This temple was used as a Hindu, Sikh, and Zoroastrian place of worship. It sits on top of a natural gas reserve that caused the ground to spontaneously burn, thus the name and reason for the temple to be built here. Our next stop was Markadan Castle/Fortress which was built between 1187-1188. We were able to walk around thee walls and get a nice view to the sea. From here we went to Yanardag, a natural gas fire which blazes continuously on a hillside. We all wished we had marshmallows to roast. After we had time to see the small exhibit hall we headed back to Baku.

Our last stop was at the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center, which is the most exceptional architectural building in Baku. It was designed to erase the rigid lines of the Soviet period with sweeping curves. We had time to make photos at the I love Baku sigh and the walk up a lot of steps to see the building up close. It was a fun stop! We then fought rush hour traffic back to the hotel. We Packed our bags for tomorrow’s flight and changed shoes before dinner. Hugh and I went for pizza and nighttime photos before heading to bed.

We left the winery and made our next stop at the Gremi Archangel Church and fortress from the 16th century. We hiked up the hill and were surprised that the church is still in use today. They were having a service when we arrived. We then went out on to the grounds where we had a concert by a group of polyphonic singers, 5 men with amazing voices. We were surprised at the number of young locals who listened, sang along, and even danced. Our fearless leader Anastasia danced with them and she was quite god. From there we headed to our hotel. Everyone was weary and we were glad to get settled into our room. Hugh and I ate a light dinner in the restaurant and then settled in our room for the evening. Another great day!!

From here we left David our guide and headed to the city. It was over 2.5 hours and just before the city we stopped to pick up our new guide Anna. She was from Sagarejo and said she preferred the small village to the big city even though she works in the city most days. We drove to our hotel, the Museum Hotel, and dropped off our bags and changed shoes before we started our 3-hour walking tour. Surprisingly, it was 5:30 when we started. Our first stop was at the cultural building, which Anna called the mushroom building because of its roofs. We walked down a lovely street and came to the theater and the fairytale clock tower. The theater was used for clandestine meetings during the Soviet period. The Soviets turned it into a puppet theater and did not expect adults to go to the shows. We saw the offices of the Patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox church. From there we walked out onto the glass bridge and had beautiful views around the city. Our next stop was the Sioni Cathedral and we were able to go in if we had our heads covered. It was lovely but we were not supposed to make pictures, but we all sneaked at least one. We continued our walk and saw the seminary where Joseph Stalin studied.

Then we walked across the river to the cable car. We took the ride up the mountain to the Mother of Georgia statue and had a wonderful arial view of the botanical gardens. From here we continued around the mountain to the fortress and we climbed our way to the Archangel Basilica inside the fortress. It was closed so we just enjoyed the views. We then headed down the mountain to a waterfall before we continued to the sulphur baths. This is a whole district with all sizes of bath houses and a very active clientele. We then said goodbye to Anna and Hugh and I headed out to find a light dinner and give our feet a break. We settled in at Baoma and had salad, soup, wine, and beer. They had a guitar player and singer who entertained us with American music from the 60’s and 70’S. We enjoyed this and rested before we made our way back to our hotel. Hugh rinsed and hung up our wash and we headed to bed to read. What a long and fabulous day!

Our big adventure for the afternoon and evening is a balloon ride and dinner. We started out on one side of the river but took the closest bridge over to the other side. We had not explored this area, so we took our time walking toward the park where the balloon ride is located. We walked past the giant silver tube buildings that were intended to be the theater but did not get finished and then on to a lovely park with lots of children playing. We arrived at the balloon ride and there was no line so we purchased our tickets and boarded the balloon. It went much higher than we expected, and the views were lovely. After that adventure we headed back to the hotel for rain jackets because from the balloon height we could see rain moving rapidly in our direction. Once we had our jackets we headed into old town and after very little thought we decided to go back to the restaurant we had eaten at the night before. It was just as enjoyable and friendly. The music tonight was a Beatles anthology. While we were being served a giant rainstorm came and it was a real gully washer. The small walkway in front of the restaurant looked like a river. We were tucked in a corner all safe form the storm but some of the patrons had to move for a bit until it slowed. After our lovely meal we walked home without a drop of rain. It was off to bed for us!

From here we traveled to Ikorta which is a resettlement village for Internally Displaced Persons (IDP’s). They were moved here during the Russo-Georgian War in 2008. There are 2000 houses which started out being owned by the government but now are privately owned. They all started out looking exactly alike but now people have made them their own. They have a school and medical facilities and there is a bus system to take them to Tbilisi for university or work. We had a great lunch and presentation on the history and the workshop. They have a wonderful Cloisonne enamel workshop where the women make beautiful jewelry to sell. They have a website and an ETSY account. We each got to make a pendant with their help. They will polish them and have them for us in a few days. We walked around the community to see all the things going on and how the people live. There are 3 of these settlements but this is the largest and the nicest. We said our goodbyes and headed to Borjomi a resort town noted for its mineral springs. We are staying in a palace built by an Iranian Counselor General in Tbilisi as a summer home. It is not exactly grand, and the rooms are small and very warm. Afterwards we walked through the Central Park which was built with grand plans but no upkeep. We ran into Alex a waiter in the restaurant in Tbilisi and he recognized us. He was here for a holiday on his off days. On our way back to the hotel we stopped for some traveling snacks and some ice cream. We went back to our room and opened our door and the heat about knocked us down. The weather is about to get much cooler and they had changed from air conditioning to heating. We sat and journaled and talked to our neighbors until bedtime!

We climbed back down and boarded the bus for our drive to Vardazia. Our guide gave us the build up before we arrived, and it lived up to expectations. We made a stop to view this cave city from below and it was breathtaking. Vardzia is a cave monastery site excavated from the slopes of the mountains. Inhabited since the Bronze age and developed into a sophisticated monastic and defensive site between the 11 and 13th centuries this is an amazingly enormous site. It flourished during the time of Georgia’s only female king, King Tamar. At its zenith it had 6000 rooms spread over 19 levels, but today there are only 641 separate champers spread over 13 levels due to an earthquake. This was something to see up close and personal, but the best idea of its size comes from the view from below. From this site we stopped for lunch at the restaurant at the site. Lunch was delicious and we had a chance to warm up. We again boarded the bus for 1½ hours and arrived at Rabati Castle. This fortified city was built in the 9th century and survived the Ottoman Turks, the Mongols, the Moguls, and even the Russian Empire. It is impressive with a church mosque, one built so it is easily converted back and forth as the conquerors change, a traditional church, and high wall and towers. It has beautiful gardens, hedge mazes, pavilions, and reflecting pools. It could only have been better if it was not freezing cold and extremely windy. We enjoyed our visit here, but we were cold when we reboarded the bus at 6pm. We had a little over an hour back to our hotel and we just had time to freshen up before we met for dinner. It was a wonderful meal, and the conversation was the best part. Back in the room it was hot showers, journaling, and bed for us.

From the museum we went to a local restaurant for lunch of typical Georgian food. After lunch it was back on the bus and a good long drive. We stopped twice for photo stops and then our final stop was Ananuri fortress complex. This complex is on the Gorgia Military Road and served as the main stronghold on the way between Russia and Georgia. This castle was not defeated because it had underground tunnels to the river and the people inside could get food and water. Inside there remain 2 churches and the bell tower which is the most prominent structure. When we left there we travelled the military road heading for the resort town of Gudauri, a ski resort area. The going was slow as all the trucks heading into Russia from all around travel this road with it’s rising altitude and multiple switchbacks. The views out the window are spectacular, spring green mountains contrasted against snow covered craggy ones. When we arrived at our hotel the check-in was quick and we had an hour to get settled before dinner. We washed some clothes and decided on clothing for tomorrow which promises to be cold. We met our group at 7 for a buffet dinner and great conversion. We headed to our room afterwards and journaled until bedtime.

We took the vans back to our bus and our next stop was a coffee house with a view. We sat and enjoyed the view while eating delicious soup and wonderful tea. Our guide looked very much like our niece Stephanie and when I showed her a picture of Steph she said, “she looks like me”. It was not a long trip back to our hotel so we made a stop at The Friendship Monument, a monument built in 1983 celebrating the friendship between soviet Russia and Georgia. Today it is a viewpoint and a popular place for photos. We saw a bride and groom getting their photos made and also horseback riders, paragliders, and lots of hikers. Then it was back to the bus and the short drive to the hotel. We took a walk and then went in and shed all the layers we were wearing. I had a massage at 5 and we journaled and did photos until dinner at 7.

Back on the bus we continue our rough ride to Dilijan. The areas we passed on the way were sad and rather desolate looking. The mountains scenery is beautiful, but we were all ecstatic when we arrived at the hotel. The hotel was built in the 1800’s and turned into a hotel in the 2000’s. It looks old from the outside, but the rooms are large and the bathrooms modern. We put our bags in the room and did a little unpacking before heading out to dinner. It was raining and the temperature was dropping as we made our way to the restaurant. We all ordered from the menu and the service was slow but the food was amazing and we all agreed it was a fabulous meal after a long day! Back in our room we got our clothes ready for tomorrow and our suitcases ready to put out in the am before we crawled into bed!

Our next stop was lunch. We ate in a garden type restaurant and the food ws wonderful. We had a lot of different salads and then barbequed fish and potatoes. The highlight was the Armenian bread called lavash. After we ate, we were given a demonstration of bread making and we got to eat it right out of the fire. From the restaurant we made our way to the Geghard Monastery which if another Unesco World Heritage site. This complex was founded in the 4th century by Gregory the Illuminator. The amazing part of this place is that you only see from the outside a small portion of the rooms. The rest were built into the mountain without any modern tools. It took over 40 years to complete. The ceilings and arches in the stone rooms are amazing. After time to take photos we headed into Yerevan. We made a stop at the Fruit Market and I found cute gifts for friends by a local potter. We then went to the hotel and had the rest of the evening free. We rested some as it was raining very hard. Around 7:30 we headed out and it was cold but no rain. We walked to Republic Square to see the fountain show but it did not happen. We just walked around the square and followed some streets off the square until we found a lovely pedestrian street and we walked to whole length. We stopped for gelato and then headed back to the hotel. A most wonderful day!

We drove to the food court and said goodbye to our driver. We had time to enjoy a nice lunch (we had falafel wraps) and then we took taxis to the Ararat brandy factory. At the factory we had a wonderful guide wo took us through the whole process of brandy making and then did a wonderful tasting with chocolate. Personally, it tasted like lighter fluid to most of the women, but the men seemed to enjoy it. We then took taxis back to the hotel. We rested and read until time to shower and get dressed for our final dinner with this wonderful group. We walked to a lovely restaurant and ate under a grape arbor. The food was delicious, but the company was the best. At the end of the meal, we said our goodbyes to Una who flew out at 1 am. The rest of the group agreed to meet at breakfast. What a great day!!

After our very late lunch we visited the Cutty Sark, and this was a great exhibit. At one time the Cutty Sark was the fastest tea runner in the world because of her unique hull design. When we finished here, we made our way to the pier and caught the next boat back to Waterloo pier. We were running very late and the subway seemed to take forever to get us back to Paddington. We practically ran to the hotel, changed clothes, brushed teeth, and then headed back to the tube to get to the royal Albert Theater. We got there in time and Hugh got us a glass of wine to calm down before the play started. Our seats were front and center and the production of The Book of Mormons was wonderful. After the play we made our back to the hotel and fell into bed.

We stopped for lunch, soup for me and a burger for Hugh, and then went back to rest and see if the weather improves. We awoke energized and it wasn’t raining so we headed out to Little Venice, a series of canals just blocks from Paddington Station. We walked along the canals looking at all the boats that people live on, work on, or have for recreation. We stopped in Merchants Square to listen to a trio of women dressed in WWII uniforms sing old songs into the big old microphones of the 1940s. It was great for us but hard on them as it was cold and windy. We stopped at an Italian restaurant for Minestrone and glasses of wine. A lovely day but we had to pack when we got back to the hotel. After almost 3 months we are heading home tomorrow.