*Miss G*

This clock tower was beautiful but it rang 9 times at 4:00pm and those men didn’t move (which I was waiting for them to do). Okay, now I have to google that. lol A gorgeous fountain but maybe shut down for the winter? This guy looks like he might be tired of holding up the balcony. Awwww! So pretty. A poet, a politician, a war hero. The governor’s palace. A war memorial. Back to the ship and, yes, we were literally docked that close to the road. 😮

DAY 24 - TRIESTE, ITALY Friday, Oct 21st Yesterday the clocks went back an hour so we are heading West again. Approaching civilization. I was fascinated by this space age yacht which anchored behind us. Trieste is a vibrant city full of architectural beauty. It was clean and uncongested. I would love to stay a few days here. The Piazza Unità d’Italia is an open square of government buildings and monuments looking out over the Adriatic seafront. It was a stone’s throw from where we docked. I googled these words for some insight but I still do not understand. I think it has something to do with WWII and the US & UK having controlling interest of one half while the communists and Yugoslavia (Communist Tito) controlled the other. Communist Yugoslavia saw it as their birthright and there is a separationist group who wants to bring the US & UK back? It got my attention, anyway.

Currently on Oosterdam. No chocolates, so far, but I did not request them nor do I eat them. The Hotel GM said this morning that they are being brought back though. Pre-covid and immediately post-covid, I was very disappointed in the demise of the Sommeliers and the service was pathetic from the wine stewards. In September and October, on the Koningsdam and Oosterdam, the wine service has been excellent and the Sommeliers always available. Our wine steward on the Koningsdam said he was being to be a Sommelier because there weren’t enough of them. There is a specific Sommelier on the Oosterdam who traverses the Main Dining Room and always checks to make sure you have the proper glass for the wine and are happy with your choice. I have chosen morning and evening turndown service and all is well. As an addendum, the Hotel GM also said they are aware of the meal quality reduction and are working to bring things back.

Thank you, @puppycanducruise, @kazu. Andika is a real sweetheart and I am improving daily. Just in case anyone is wondering, no it’s not related to covid. Unlike the Sky Princess in March, I haven’t seen any sign of covid other than those first two incidents at the beginning of the trip. Very few people are wearing masks. Sometimes I wear mine, sometimes I don’t. It all depends upon the situation. I’ve noticed the usual coughing and sneezing you see on every cruise, but nothing to scare the bejeebers out of me. I am very leery, and stay away from, anything self-serve in the Lido Market but that is true of every cruise. I have had two boosters and the flu shot and that seems to be keeping things at bay. My sister has remained healthy throughout. The Hotel GM says the crew is no longer required to be masked, starting tomorrow.

The Captain opens the bow for scenic viewing and commentary as we glide back towards the open sea. Access was through Deck 4 Starboard.

DAY 23 - KOTOR, MONTENEGRO Thursday, Oct 20th Wow. The scenery in Montenegro is stunning. Although it looks as if we are in a fjord, which is formed by glacial ice, it is actually a ria, which is formed by inundation of sea water. We arrive just before sunrise. The Volendam is already in port. What a gorgeous site to see Windstar’s flagship schooner, the Wind Surf, gliding majestically into port in the early morning light. Wouldn’t I love to try them one day? (When I win the lottery.) With a number of ships in port, and a small window of time to visit, the walled city is busy. All HOHO tickets have been sold by the time we arrive so we do a wander. Looking back at the Volendam after tendering. Can you see the church hidden in the hills in the middle of the picture? Pics without people would be nice, but not possible. Back on the ship.

Yes. The cost is $30 for 24 hours.

DAY 22 - CORFU Wednesday, Oct 19th Well, jeepers. What can I say about Corfu? As it turns out, pretty much nothing. I was looking forward to this port so when I woke up unwell I was very sad. My sister did the port and the HOHO tour on her own so I’ve included her pictures. She says it was lovely and would definitely go back. I can tell she enjoyed herself by the amount of purchases she made. I did, however, have the opportunity to experience the Medical Centre for the first time. Everyone was lovely and very professional. I found the cost for the visit and the prescriptions quite reasonable, as well as convenient, and everything was completed in a timely manner. I did not go to dinner that evening. Imagine my surprise when there was a knock on the door and Room Service arrived with some soup and tea! Andika, our Head Waiter in the Main Dining Room, had taken it upon himself to send something up. His thoughtfulness and kindness was truly appreciated and very unexpected. I knew we had found a gem when we first met him. Thank you, Andika. It was nice to see the Volendam back in service in Corfu. They were docked on the other side of the pier to us. Staff and crew from both ships seemed happy to see each other. The New Fortress; building began in 1572. The Old Fortress, dating back to the 13th Century. Mon Repos, where Prince Phillip was born.

Thank you, @VMax1700, @puppycanducruise, @Dunmore2, @StLouisCruisers, @bennybear! We heard two people died and numerous injured. The ship lost power so there were no elevators or lights for a while. They managed to get some backup power to the Lido Market so everyone could eat, but it was dark in there. The staff and crew did an amazing job.

DAY 21 - KEFALONIA Tuesday, Oct 18th Today we are in Argostoli, Kefalonia, the largest Greek island on the Ionian Sea. There is a large prom along the waterfront and lots of shops. This was the second day in which we were the only ship in port and that makes a huge difference to your (my) enjoyment. Lots of loggerhead turtles around. Those things are huge!! IMG_7771.MOV Dis my chair. Heading back to the ship.

DAY 20 - NAFPLION Monday, Oct 17th It was a gorgeous day in Nafplion. This was probably one of my favourite ports so far. I didn’t really expect much as we tendered in but, wow, when you walked down into the back streets it was amazing. The peacefulness and beauty was a welcome change from all the crowds and dirt at other ports. This guy said to go this way so I did. I loved the clean narrow streets full of wonderful boutique shops and tavernas. Our port stop is done and we enjoy a scenic sailaway.

DAY 19 - ATHENS Sunday, Oct 16th Arrived before sunrise in Athens (Piraeus). I counted five other cruise ships: Norwegian, Viking, Oceania, Seabourne, and Ponant. We took one of the HOHO tours around Athens. Traffic was horrendous as we did circles around the same squares from every direction imaginable. I think our driver was trying to find a way through the gridlock. Sometimes the road to hell is worse than being there. We had lunch at Dionysos Zonar’s restaurant at the foot of the Acropolis. Their Greek Salad couldn’t have come any closer to perfection and I finished it off with a Greek coffee. View from the restaurant. The Panathenaic Stadium was built in 1896 for the first modern Olympic Games. It is made entirely of marble. This is why we didn’t get off the bus except for when we had to change lines to get back to the ship. I don’t do crowds and gridlock well. I was sad to see graffiti covering everything imaginable, including road signs.

No covid tests unless you want to have them done by the medical centre or you bring your own.

Sometimes we come up with dumb ideas. Our dumb idea was to walk into town. We got as far as the terminal. There is free WiFi here so all is not lost. Here is a picture of a picture in the terminal. Dinner during sailaway was a little bumpy as we followed the tail end of the storm to Athens. I only saw one worried person, who kept looking around at the rest of us to see if anyone else was scared. We weren’t; she drank wine; I hung onto mine; all was well. After bouncing around the main dining room, we finally found a great table with great servers. If you find yourselves in Andika and Ady’s section, you will be properly taken care of. Thank you, Andika and Ady. You’re the best.

I saw an elderly man slip and fall on the steps as we were coming down the cable cars. Others picked him up and dusted him off so I am hoping he’s okay.

Here is the Captain calling for all hands on deck and the gangplank to be closed. High winds caused so much strain on the lines we pulled a bollard straight out of the pier. All staff and crew were amazing as they worked to keep everyone safe and restore order. I am glad none of the crew were hurt during a very dangerous situation. IMG_7615.MOV Hail falling on the Lido pool roof. Thunder and lightning near the end if you can wait that long. Okay, maybe not. Having a hard time uploading videos. I’ll try again later.

DAY 18 - HERAKLION, CRETE Saturday, Oct 15th WOW. What a crazy day in Crete. I don’t know if you heard about it in North America but this deadly storm made the news in Europe. At 9:00am a water spout signaled the beginning of what was to come. My sister got a good pic off our balcony. Then the rains and wind started, which began to churn up the sea in port. Here’s a stream of it by the Lido pool. If you turn up the sound you can hear it falling. IMG_7622.MOV Through the Crow’s Nest window. IMG_7623.MOV

Our tour guide took us to his “Uncle’s” Carpet Factory. (Standing joke.) It was informative. In order to get us to sit through an entertaining sales pitch they fed us stuff I didn’t eat. I took the glass of red wine for research purposes. Analysis showed it was distilled raw alcohol with a red tinge to it. I discreetly searched for a place to leave it. We return to the ship and I wander the shops. Then it’s all aboard and a fun exchange of toots from each of the ships as Fred Olsen leads the way. Next it’s us. I love the rainbow of colours of the flats onshore.

Then it was on to the Archeological Museum. Money found in this clay pot. The draping on these sculptures is amazing.

DAY 17 - KUSADASI, TURKEY (EPHESUS) Today we are in Kuşadası, Turkey. That little squiggle on the first “s” gives it a “sh” sound. (Kusha-dassy). I love the colours around Fred Olsen’s Balmoral as the morning sun rises. Today we took an excursion to the ruins of Ephesus, which was destroyed by an earthquake in 262 AD. There are many free-range dogs and cats there. Just after I’d put my camera away we had a canine gladiator fight join our group. That was exciting. Sorry I didn’t get a picture. The public toilets. No thanks! The library. Follow the leader. Do not mess with this guy.

I cannot even begin to count the ways in which I would not sit my butt on a donkey and zigzag my way down a cliff for 35 minutes at four times the price of the cable car which is 32 minutes faster. Not to mention how the poor donkey feels about that. 😭

Thank you so much, everyone! I am so happy you enjoyed the thread. We really loved our first river cruise and it will most definitely not be our last!

Oooh oooh!! I just found a USB port behind my pillow! Now I don’t have to sit at the desk to post. Looks like there’s one for each side of the bed should you have it configured as a queen as opposed to two twins. Thank you so much, @worldtraveller99! That is so awesome that you are doing the Christmas Markets! I hope to do that too, one day! Would love to hear and see all about it.

DAY 16 - SANTORINI Thurs, Oct 13th We arrived in the caldera just before the sun came up over Santorini. There are two other ships in port with us, today, and another arriving later. This is why it is a good idea to attend “Ask the Captain” because he tells you what time to go to beat the crowds. Our tender awaits. Our plan was to take the ferry to Oia (pronounced Eee-yah) but we lost one another and missed it. (This was our second visit.) While I waited for my sister to discover I was no longer on the ship, I took a picture of its back end. Plan B was the cable car up to a very busy city centre. We had Greek Salad and mussels for lunch at this restaurant because the bougainvillea invited us in. There were HUGE crowds to catch the cable car back to the tenders about 2:00pm. We waited 70 minutes in a snaking line. Others did not have that long a wait because they were special. One lady’s modus operandi was to chat her way up the line thinking no one would notice. Everyone did, but it didn’t phase her. Here is the long walk down if you don’t want to wait for the cable car. Or you could take a donkey. We are finally back on the ship.

DAY 15 - AT SEA Wednesday, Oct 12th Early this morning the clocks went forward an hour which means I travelled back in time another hour. I am now 7 hours younger than I was when I began this journey. Time travel doesn’t make you feel younger, though. Quite the opposite, really. We have a jam-packed day at sea. The port talk is at 9:00am, a lesson on how to make Snert at 10:00am, Ask the Captain at 11:00am, lunch in the Pinnacle Grill at 12:45pm, Line Dancing at 2:00pm… need I go on? Big Gala Night too. Or, rather, “dressy” night. Good thing they’ve changed it to dressy because I have been traveling light due to all the luggage lugging we’ve been doing. I attend “Ask the Captain” while my sister attends a talk on “The World’s Most Notorious Art Heists”. Captain Kevin is hilarious. He is the youngest Captain in the fleet and is questioned about his lack of time at sea a lot. He shows us a picture of himself, as a lad, in a plastic boat and says, as we can see, he has been at sea since he was 5 years old. Captain Kevin was a Cadet in Scotland in January when it is very very cold and the seas are very very stormy. This is the one and only time he was seasick but he warmed up when the guy beside him was seasick also. He still carries that guy’s DNA in his ear. 😂 A man asks how much water costs to make. For instance, a gallon of water on land may cost $1.00 but he was told by an officer that it costs nothing to make it on the ship. But there are signs in the bathrooms telling us to conserve it so he is wondering what makes it so precious if it’s free. After a brief description of how the ship converts sea water to fresh, the Captain tells him that grey water and solids are separated during the filtration process. Should something go wrong with the systems which make our drinking water, they can still make water with the liquids from our bodies. So, in that respect, water is precious because we have made it ourselves. 🤣 Informationally, a ship’s lifespan is 25 years, after which they are sold or a decision is made to keep it in service. If Captain Kevin Beirnaert is Captain of your ship, I urge you to attend. You won’t regret it.