Punctured in Piraeus 16th July 2016

Thanks to Chairsin for the title of this thread. May be helpful to anyone else who has a beloved who can not be parted from his (or her) beloved mountain bike.

It was all much easier than we anticipated to fly it to Venice and back from Athens and fortunately, it turned up at both ends :D

I am off now to try to remember how to post photographs so see you all later.

Well here is a picture of the beloved bike before and after its serious surgery to ensure it fitted in the bike box. Oh the blood, sweat, tears and bubble wrap involved !!!!!

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Day 0

So arrived at Marco Polo, bike arrived safely and slotted neatly onto transport then whisked off to the port by the driver we had booked. Easy and swift check in and ready for that first glass of champagne. Ah, problem they said, we need to put you on a coach to take you to the ship. Typical thinks me, a 5 minute walk. Oh no. 20 minutes later we are in a container port so no beautiful Venice sail away for us.

I am glad we had done it previously as it is so beautiful but felt sorry for anyone who hadn't.

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Day 1 Primosten

Really lovely Croatian town. So he kitted up, set up the sav nav and off they went. Beloved was really pleased with Primosten as it was well set up for mountain bikers so a very cheerful happy chappy on his return.

I went off for a good hike along the coast. Apologies in advance for the quality of some of the photos from this point on as taken on phone but you will get the gist.

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Day 2 Dubrovnik

More beautifully signposted exhilarating riding for beloved and me? Well I also got on a mountain bike on a Seabourn trip and took a sedate pedal through the Konavle Valley (well it was sedate until the last 2 hills when I got off and pushed - please don't tell Mr Techno he thinks I rode it all [emoji16]) the wine tasting at the end was very necessary [emoji485]

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Day 3 Corfu

So it was shopping with Chef Jes (and yes beloved was off riding across to the other side of the island which he said was very pretty).

I must say that I am impressed that Seabourn invests in the local markets instead of just buying in bulk through Seattle - it is much appreciated by the locals, especially in Greece where the economy is precarious to say the least.

So €14000 of fresh tuna and feta cheese plus assorted olives, honey and lots of fruit and veggies later, we had the makings of the chef's market buffet which was to be served in the Colonnade the following evening. It was fantastic to see Chef Jes look at what was on offer and then run ideas past us as to what he thought he might cook -honey comb ice cream, Greek beer sorbet, tuna flash grilled on a panini press, proper Greek salad to name but a few (drool, drool).

I am unsure why the restrictions of TK are being imposed on the Chefs when these amazing professionals can concoct these types of dishes with ingredients fresh from the market but hey ho, I am sure it is a selling point for some.

The last picture is of bees which the honey man brings with him to market as well as the honey!

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Right, off to beddybose now as it's been a long day travelling but before I go, towel animals are a feature of most cruise lines and our stewardess, Tadi, did not let us down. However, apart from his bike, Mr Techno also takes his little beanie Scooby Doo wherever we travel and so Tadi incorporated old Scoobs into her designs - see what you think but some of them made us giggle.

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Did I really come up with that title?

Techno I am loving your review. Can't believe you are barely home and already posting such a thorough review with greet pics. I especially love the ones of the "third' passenger.

Am finally I get to see lovely Primosten which sadly we missed on our cruise die to choppy seas.

Can't wait for the next installment.

Right, off to beddybose now as it's been a long day travelling but before I go, towel animals are a feature of most cruise lines and our stewardess, Tadi, did not let us down. However, apart from his bike, Mr Techno also takes his little beanie Scooby Doo wherever we travel and so Tadi incorporated old Scoobs into her designs - see what you think but some of them made us giggle.

 

 

 

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Thank you so much for a most interesting thread and we really enjoyed your photos ( I have never worked out how to attach mine)

Your "towel art" photos are similar to ones we've had on previous cruises EXCEPT for the legs sticking out from the toilet, that is very clever👍

On one cruise on the old "Pride" (Bless her) we returned to our suite one evening to find two people lounging on our couch in semi darkness; frightened the life out of us, until we realised that our room girl had stuffed our toweling robes with towels and cushions and used our sunglasses and other accessories to make two quite realistic "people"😀

Did I really come up with that title?

 

yes Chairsin you really did (your other suggestion was saddlesore in Santorini but sadly we never made it there, however, there were a few punctures along the way :D)

Day 4 Lefkada and the Chef's Market Buffet

After a couple of false starts some good riding was found.

I decided to walk up to the waterfall. The information desk onshore were desperately trying to get me to take a taxi but I enjoy a walk and it was about an 8km (so 5 miles) round trip.

Lefkada reminded me a little of my home town (only with sunshine [emoji16])

A long beach front with a second street running parallel with all the shops and more streets coming off there.

The walk to the waterfall was mainly on a road, gently uphill but was very pleasant and not too busy on the way there. The last 500m or so were more to my taste as it was more path like and scenic. Waterfall was more of a trickle but nice rock pool. It did start to get very busy as I was leaving so go early if you decide to go. You can get a taxi or cycle up to the last 500m but it's on foot from there.

I met up with a lovely lady who was on her own on the mountain biking in Dubrovnik so we went for a walk together along the seafront. On the way back there was a beautiful, 6 litre, brand new Jag with a gas bottle delivery lorry scraping its way along its side. Let's just say I am very glad that wasn't my car as it wasn't just a scratch, he had completely buckled the wing, both doors and punctured the front tyre. The driver of the lorry leapt out to check the damage - on his own vehicle . There was a lot of shouting and gesticulating going on so hopefully the owner was found.

Sorry no pictures of the Chef's market supper but believe me when I say it was delicious. [emoji16][emoji485][emoji523][emoji533][emoji518]

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When I refer to Lefkada above I really mean Nydri which is where we stopped so onto ....

Day 5 - Katakolon for Olympia

I was really, really looking forward to this as we both love ancient monuments linked to lots of walking around to see all the sights. Mr Techno even sacrificed his bike ride to come on this trip with me so you understand how much we were looking forward to it!

Our guide was a lovely, extremely knowledgeable lady who had driven over that morning from Athens ( a 4 hour journey!) in order to introduce us to the history.

The journey was interesting - as she tried to distract us from the vision of thousands of rubbish (garbage) bags just thrown along the side of the road almost the whole way there. Apparently the officials who mange the Peloponnese are having a bit of trouble with managing this particular element!!!!!

So, we arrive at Olympia and I can hardly contain myself as we wait outside the gates for 20 mins whilst everyone uses the bathroom (there were 35 of us on the bus so not quite the small, intimate tour I was anticipating). Our guide then proceeded to lead us to various shady areas whilst she talked, and talked and talked but she actually didn't also show us much of what was there. You can imagine the twitching that was going on so Mr Techno and I kept popping off to visit other areas and she was usually exactly where we had left her on our return. It was still fascinating and we learnt a lot about the history.

Then onto the museum which is quite small but modern (air conditioned) and well laid out. She decided she would just show us the main bits and proceeded to talk for 20 minutes about a statue of Hermes so off we popped to see the rest of the museum and yes you have guessed it, she was still talking about Hermes when we got back! This is probably where private tours win out as they can be tailored exactly to your needs. We enjoyed it but I got a sneaky suspicion Mr Techno was regretting his sacrifice!

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That evening we also had the Officers cooking on deck at 6:15 with lots of kiosks set up around the deck where the officers (ably supported by the serving staff) served us with a variety of delicacies and cocktails and then later it was the Rock the Boat party.

Before I move onto day 6 and Monemvasia, I thought I would tell you about our suite - 745. Many see it as a less desirable suite, slightly smaller than the usual V suite, tiny balcony and an inter-connecting door to the Winter Garden suite and I know Rols was having nightmares about being allocated this suite [emoji16]

Well you know, it was absolutely fine. The balcony was just about big enough for 2 but we were rarely on it together and as it juts out, there were stunning views aft with nothing to spoil the view.

The bathroom seemed as usual and whilst the walk in closet was a little smaller, we still managed to fit all our clothes in there!

The interconnecting door was open when we arrived so we had a peek at the Winter Garden suite but what was good is that there are 2 doors which really helps to dampen any noise transfer which is more than I can say about the other side which doesn't have a connecting door but more on that when we move into next week!

The little hallway where the interconnecting door and door to walk in closet were situated was the perfect place to attach the bike so all in all we were very satisfied.

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Thank you so much for a most interesting thread and we really enjoyed your photos ( I have never worked out how to attach mine)

 

Hi SKP946 and thank you for your kind words.

I was also similarly challenged, however, Chairsin advised me what to do and converted me from Techno to Techknow :D

 

If you get the cruise critic app on your iPad or iPhone you can post from there. there is a picture of a camera if you want to add as you are going along or that mini mountain which takes you to your photo albums. Click which size you want to add (I use best fit) and voila.

Did I really come up with that title?

 

yes Chairsin you really did (your other suggestion was saddlesore in Santorini but sadly we never made it there, however, there were a few punctures along the way :D)

 

Actually it wasn't Chairsin .. it was I came up with those two titles, however as Chairsin is so nice I'll happily share the credit.

Rols, my apologies and thank you for your ideas, it was Chairsin who taught me how to put the photos on.

Where are you today? Need to get my Seabourn fix through you now [emoji16]

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Day 6 - Monemvasia - my favourite destination of this week and possibly the cruise!

There is a causeway which you walk across to get to the island which is very reminiscent of a mini Mont St Michel in Normandy. Lovely little cobbled street wending its way through the new town then some serious climbing up some steps to the fortifications of the old town. A lovely little church which has been renovated and a variety of other buildings which are slowly undergoing renovation.

From there it was a rough climb up to the 'Acropolis' on the very top which was totally in ruins. I was astounded that there was only one other person up there as the views were stunning.

Meanwhile, Mr Techno was admiring the views on his climb until he ended up in a rubbish dump at the top of the mountain. Another Peleponnese trash management 'non-system'!

After lunch, we took a rough coastal path right the way round the little island - a fine day topped off by caviar in the pool. A really nice idea although it was like getting into a warm bath with an oil slick of sun tan lotion floating on the top. A couple of glasses of champagne and take the specs off and I didn't even notice although definitely a much livelier crowd than I have come across on previous cruises.

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Rols, my apologies and thank you for your ideas, it was Chairsin who taught me how to put the photos on.

Where are you today? Need to get my Seabourn fix through you now [emoji16]

 

 

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Rhodes today. We took a little walk around the old town, found a guy looking after a group of cats, played with said cats, and returned before warm turned into hotter-than-hell. One of the things we've enjoyed about Greece is there are cats everywhere and I have to stop and talk to all of them.

Costa Riviera is berthed opposite us and they seem to be having turnaround day, luggage has been baking in the sun for the last 4 hours and is turning into puddles of plastic on the dock.

Up on deck the pool staff have figured out there are two people who actually like the NF champagne and are attempting to empty the ship's supply into our glasses. We feel it would be rude to resist.

Not yet found koalapanda, fudge or anyone else on the roll call, they may have seen us quaffing away on the couches in the corner and decided to stay away.

Koala (Jenny) has short blonde hair and Philip (Panda) is Asian. They are lovely so I hope you bump into them.

Sounds a tad warm today - I have just put the washing on the line and we are having a torrential downpour - ☔️[emoji97] could do with a warm wind to get it dry so please send some over [emoji16]☀️[emoji100]

Must admit, I was struggling to manage more than a couple of glasses of NF at lunch, a couple by the pool, a couple before dinner .......

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Really enjoying your trip report and photos, Techno123. We are doing this cruise in September.

Can I ask, how did you get to Marittima in Venice? Was it easy to find the ship once there? We have only sailed out of San Basilio where there was only our ship so no problem finding it!

Thanks for a wonderful review. I am amazed and impressed at your resilience. I am still recovering from jet lag after returning home from our cruise and flights from Barcelona on Saturday night.

I think your stewardess was very clever with her use of your "Scooby Doo".

Julie

Tech yes,

I am loving your pics -- it is helping me to to relive our recent trip all over again. It is my favorite part of the world to cruise. And yes, your stewardess is the grand champion of towel folding -- loved the "loo legs."

Rols, yes your title was very clever -- didn't think I could have come up with something so witty and original. Glad you are enjoying your journey as well. The thing I find about the NF is if it is cold enough after one our two glasses I don't mind it so much.

(Julie, welcome home -- when you are recovered I hope you will post a brief trip report)

Can I ask, how did you get to Marittima in Venice? Was it easy to find the ship once there?

Are you coming straight from airport or will you be in Venice overnight before sail-day? Either way, taxi will take you straight to main terminal where you check in and then directed by staff to where ship is berthed. At least that's what happened last time to us. Depending on where ship is, you may be bussed from terminal to gangplank.

Margbem we used this company

bookings@city-airport-taxis.com. +44 (0) 203 5296 985.

It cost us €41 for a Mercedes viano type minibus which comfortably carried both of us, 2 medium suitcases, 2 small suitcases and a very large bike box. We went to the marritima and checked in which was all very easy - driver dropped us at the luggage deposit point but ... For some reason, after the previous disembarkation, the ship was moved to a large container port so we were then bussed for 20 mins out of Venice - wasn't any problem apart from missing a Venice sail away.