Jul 01 2016

Day Twenty-Four & Five – Naples – Capri – Italy – Mediterranean Cruise

My European trip ended more than a year ago, and I made the first post about the trip a about a year ago. This post will be the last about the trip and contains the adventures of  Day Twenty-Four and Twenty-Five. Good news though, I’ve made a single post that has a link to each of the posts along with a photo to remember each stop. You can view that post HERE.

Day Twenty-four was spent a sea, which gave us time to leave the Greek Island and reach Naples Italy. This photo was taken while

View from atop Capri looking down to the ocean and port

Colorful view of the clouds and islands on day twenty-four which was spent as sea.

Day at sea aboard MS Zuiderdam

Naples looks like an inviting place, but it seems to be more of a stopping place to go somewhere else. We did.

View of Naples Italy before docking

So as the tour guide started his presentation, he mentioned if you wanted to visit Naples, go to Florida. You were now in Napoli. I sensed the locals don’t like tourists coming to their home town and giving it a different name.

Ships coming and going from the port of Naples, ItalyGolden sunlight hits the port buildings in Naples, iItaly

The scenery rushes by as the ride aboard a Capri bus takes us up the island. What is a Capri bus you ask. It’s a very narrow bus that whisks you up and down the island while allowing you to look over the steep cliff edges to ponder your own mortality.

View from Capri bus to the top of the Island.

Not sure if the just put the underwear out for the tourists to take photos, or to dry.

Underwear handing out to dry in Capri Italy.If the ticket wasn’t enough to let you know where this photos was taken, the large signs saying Seggiovia Monte Solaro would. The tour guide said if you were afraid of heights you might not want to take the chair lifts to the top. After staring down at 2,000 sheer cliff drops while riding the Capri bus up, the 50 foot elevation the chair lift attained were nothing to worry about.

Tourist holding ticket to the Seggiovia Monte Solaro - Capri, ItalyHe goes to the ancient ruins at Ephesus and takes photos of his shoes. He goes to Capri and takes photos of his shoes. The ride up to the top of the island passed over several peoples backyards.

Feet of tourist riding the Seggiovia Monte Solaro to the top of Capri, Italy.View from the top of Capri, Italy.

View from the top of the single seat chair lift that takes you up to the top of the island of Capri.

Top of tram that takes tourists to the top of Capri, Italy

Some people enjoyed the view while riding to the top, others not pictured were friggin texting.

Single seat chair lift on Capri Island with views of the Mediterranean OceanPort of Capri, Italy with many small sailing ships.The birds knew the fishing boat might provide a free meal.

Fishing boat with seagulls trailing behind hoping for a free meal. - Capri, Italy

This photo from our last night a sea shows the last sunset aboard the Holland America ship MS Zuiderdam, which was our home for 22 days.

The last sunset of the cruise aboard the MS Zuiderdam

I hope my many thousands of readers have enjoyed the photos and pithy comments I’ve provided about each stop along the way.

Those 27 days truly were a trip of a lifetime.

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Jun 15 2016

Day Twenty-Three – Mykonos – Greece – Aegean Sea – Mediterranean Cruise

The twenty-third day of our trip was a quick stop over in Mykonos, Greece. Because the island has no port for cruise ships which tend to be quite large, our ship dropped anchor a ways out from the island and you are tendered in to the island. Before writing this post I googled Mykonos to see what the attractions were that made this island so popular and that I had possibly missed during my visit there. The attractions seem to be the night life and the beaches. OK. It was interesting walking through the old town of the city with it’s very small streets and colorfully painted buildings.

Light house at sunrise as we neared Mykonos.

Lighthouse at sunrise in the Aegean Sea

There were many unfinished houses they may never be completed. The expected boom never materialized and these home were just left unfinished.

Unfinished home - Mykonos Greece

Yellow window coverings and white walls in the old town. I know you are thinking, “yeah I can see there are yellow window coverings and a painted white wall, why are you telling me this”.  I’m telling you this so the great ancient Greek God of Google knows what’s in the photo.

Yellow door and white building in the old town of Mykonos, Greece

The only way to get the merchandise to the shops in the Old Town was by these very, very small trucks that just barely fit down the pathways.

There are no roads in the old town of Mykonos, Greece so the deliveries are made by quite small trucks to the shops.

Along with all the food and other interesting local delicacies was the most important item. That of course being wi-fi. When you are on a cruise, you are always looking for wi-fi.

The most important item on the list of food at each restaurant was the wi-fii sign. You are always looking for wi-fi when on a cruise. What could possible go wrong driving at 30 mph without a helmet or even shoes? Mykonos, Greece

It’s a 16th Century windmill on an island that had no wind.

16th century windmill built by the Venetians - Mykonos, Greece

I didn’t know it at the time I made this image, but this is the historic Church of Paraportiani. I just thought it made a pretty photo.

White painted Church of Paraportiani - Mykonos GreeceGift shops in Mykonos, Greece

When looking up what exactly Frugo is, I found this description, “FRUGO is a unique mix of ultra fruity taste and unrestricted freedom and liberty.” Had I known the drink contained both Freedom and Liberty I might have tried one.

Display for Frugo fruit drinks on the island of Mykonos, Greece

Back to the ship and those wonderful large diesel engines that produce the electricity that gives us the air conditioning.

The dark blue hull of our cruise ship the MS Zuiderdam in the Augean Sea

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May 24 2016

Day Twenty-Two – Santorini – Greece – Aegean Sea – Mediterranean Cruise

Santorini Greece is a destination that’s on pretty much every list of places to see around the world. The colorfully painted homes and hotels sit above the blue waters of the Aegean Sea and it truly is a site to behold.

What to see in Santorini? The view from the tram that takes you up to city level. What you don’t want to see, three cruise ships anchored  in the blue waters of the Aegean. Ever heard the expression, ” a boat load of people”? Well with three cruise ships, there are three boat loads of people and they all are heading to the same place.

Three cruise liners anchored just off of Santorini, Greece

The trams that take you to the top of the island.

Tram to the top of the Island

Or, if you didn’t want to take the tram, you could ride a donkey to the top of the island.

Donkey ride to the top of Santorini, Greece

Safety laws, we don’t need no stinking safety laws.

Motorcycle daredevil on Santorini, GreeceBlue waters of the Aegean SeaColorful painted restaurant on Santorini, GreeceSantorini-Greece-07Family motorcycle ride on the island of Santorini, Greece

Certainly a picturesque place to get married.

Wedding site on Santorini, Greece with view of Aegean Sea

Somebody has to continually paint those buildings White.

Worker painting some of the buildings white on Santorini, Greece

The steps almost appear to lead all the way down to the blue waters of the  Aegean Sea.

The steps appear to lead all the way down to the Aegean SeaColorful home and buildings in Santorini, Greece

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May 06 2016

Say Hey Willie Mays – Happy 85th Birthday

On May 6th, 1931 the greatest Baseball player to every play the game was born. Today Willie Mays celebrates his 85th birthday.

This photo was taken on December 23, 2013 at Candlestick park before the San Francisco 49ers and the Atlanta Falcons played what would be the last sporting event at the stadium before it was torn down. San Francisco Giant Willie Mays waves to the fans at Candlestick Park for the last time at the stadium.

Willie Mays waves to the crowd at the last sporting event to take place in Candlestick Park on December 23, 2013 as the San Francisco 49ers played the Atlanta Falcons.

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May 01 2016

Day Twenty-One – Rhodes – Acropolis of Lindos – Greece – Mediterranean Cruise

I know what you are thinking, “Acropolis of Lindos”, how can this be?  Keith, you have already visited “the Acropolis”, how can there be another one? Turns out the loose translation of Acropolis is, the building on the hill. Of course the most famous “building on hill” is the Acropolis in Athens, Greece which I visited 2 days before. Day twenty-one was to Rhodes, Greece and then a bus ride to the Acropolis of Lindos.

Of course day twenty-one started as most every day on the ship did rising before sunrise and looking for a spectacular view in the early morning light. The great view that morning was the reflection of the sunrise in one of the wind screen windows.

Sunrise refection on Wind screen windowMany of the building were painted White. Not sure why. It looks nice though.

Building painted White with wooden door

You leave the port on the bus which takes you to the Acropolis of Lindos. The buses can’t go down the main road, so you park and walk down the hill to the road that leads up a different hill to the Acropolis.

Climb up the stairs past the tourist shops to the Acropolis of LindosBeautiful wooden doors surrounded by walls painted White

View from inside the Medieval gate of the Acropolis which if my “research” ( looking it up on Wikipedia.com ) is correct was build sometime before 1317 AD.

Inside the Medieval gate of the Acropolis of Lindos

View of the beach of Lindos from the building on the hill.

View of the bay from the Acropolis of Lindos, GreeceRhodes-Greece-07

The gang poses for a photo with Lindos Beach in the background.

Tourist posing for photo with the Bay behind them.

View of St Paul’s Bay, where it is reported the apostle landed during a storm, or not. For sure it’s St. Paul’s Bay.

St. PaulSunlight steaming through the ancient ruins the make up the Acropolis of Lindos, Greece

Hand painted dishes.

Hand made dishes, Rhodes, GreeceThank goodness there were shops where one could buy stuff you would purchase and then put in a drawer for the rest of your life. One would hope that if you purchased a cat purse you would never show it to another living soul.

Plenty of stuff for the tourists to buy - Rhodes, GreeceSailboat and and about in the blue seas of Rhodes, GreeceI guess they can’t call their ships “Superfast” unless they really are Superfast.

Superfast.com red ferry about to leave port - Rhodes, Greece

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