World Cruise

Just before leaving Positano the Captain notified us that the weather along the coast near Portofino is deteriorating and that it would be unsafe for tender operations at that port. To that end, on the 10th our stop in Portofino has been canceled. Instead, on the same day, we will be stopping in Genoa as weather won’t matter as much there as Genoa has a port where we can tie up to a dock.

[Read more…] about Itinerary Change

Porto Empedocle is in the Province of Agrigento on the southern coast of Sicily. It has only recently become a cruise ship draw and still only gets a few. That’s good in that we did not have competition for tour resources on the day we were there (Friday, 6 April).

[Read more…] about Porto Empedocle, Sicily

We landed in Valletta, Malta on Thursday, 5 April. The sail-in was just before sunrise so we did not get the benefit of the red tint of the sun rising against the orange walls of the city. But, as the sun rose I could see how it could have been quite beautiful from a different angle.

[Read more…] about Malta

We arrived in Venice, Italy on Sunday morning, 1 April 2018: Easter Sunday. We docked among four other cruise ships which meant that about 20,000 additional people had just been added to the population of Venice. Needless to say, everything was fairly crowded. In my journal I recorded Saint Mark’s Plaza as being populated by moving mobs as the various tour groups jockeyed for space to gather for their information talks.

[Read more…] about Venice, Italy and Korcula, Croatia

Zadar is a small city on the coast of Croatia. We docked right next to old town (as with most towns in this area the “old town” is the original part surrounded by ramparts or walls with city gates for entry). This made visiting the old part of Zadar really easy. But, before doing that, one has to notice the big solar display and hear the sea organ that also sits next to old town. (See the first photo.)

[Read more…] about Zadar, Croatia

Kotor is in Montenegro, across from Italy. The most beautiful sail-in we’ve had this trip. Kotor is at the far end of a rather large bay that twists and turns between mountains. While it’s not a glacial creation and so not a true fjord it’s often called the most beautiful fjord in southern Europe.

[Read more…] about Kotor, Montenegro