| Flag: | Date: | Port: | Comment: |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
29th May 2025 |
Chioggia Veneto Italy |
a.m. Beach p.m. City |
|
30th May 2025 |
Chioggia Veneto Italy |
Land of Fishermen tour |
 |
31st May 2025 |
Split Dalmatia Croatia |
Krka Nat. Park walk |
|
1st Jun. 2025 |
Dubrovnik Dalmatia Croatia |
Mostar Bosnia Bridge |
 |
2nd Jun. 2025 |
Kotor Montenegro |
Budva Old Town & Gondola |
 |
3rd Jun. 2025 |
Corfu Greece |
Corfu by Mountain Bike |
|
4th Jun. 2025 |
Katakolon Greece |
Syrtaki & Olympia |
|
5th Jun. 2025 |
Piraeus Greece |
Turn around day |
| Flag: | Date: | Port: | Comment: |
I awoke at six o'clock as usual, having slept for nearly eight hours. At seven o'clock I had my usual continental breakfast al fresco a la veranda. Back in my cabin, Agus had already been busy, so I was able to work on my Bari presentation.
At 8:30 I left the ship to walk the two miles to the huge beach. I then headed north along the promenade another mile to Forte San Felice and the new tidal gates facility at the Venetian Lagoon's southern entrance.
I got back to the ship at 11:15, having walked six miles during the morning. I had an early lunch al fresco a la veranda of lentil and frankfurter soup followed by chicken cordon bleu. I then slept for one hour.
At 2:20 I walked back into town to photograph Chiesa di San Domenico and the Museo Diocesano, which I had missed on my earlier walks around Chioggia. Back at the ship at three o'clock, I had a diet coke as I worked on my laptop. At five o'clock I did six lengths of the pool with the roof fully open for the first time.
At six o'clock I adjourned to the MDR where I sat with a Lutheran couple from New Jersey. We ordered and they cleared away the empty place settings, but then a couple from Melbourne, Australia arrived and so the place settings had to be reinstated. I had the Italian potato soup, the Norwegian salmon and the Cassata Neapolitana to eat. I had several glasses of sparkling water to drink.
At eight o'clock I picked up my next escorting assignment from the back office. Back in my cabin, I updated this blog giving the war movie a miss. I started work on my Chioggia PowerPoint presentation. I went to bed at ten o'clock, having done over twenty thousand steps during the day, equal to eight miles of walking.
I awoke at 5:45 fifteen minutes before my alarm. At 6:15 I had my usual continental breakfast al fresco a la veranda. Back in my cabin, I worked on my laptop.
At 7:45 I met guide Gianluca on the quayside with lollipop number thirty. We had just nineteen guests to look after on the Land of Fishermen tour. We began with a harbour cruise to see the large ocean going fishing vessels and the smaller lagoon bottom trawlers.
Having landed at Piazza Vigo, we had a guided tour down the main street (Corso del Popolo). We didn't go in the fish market, as Gianluca said it was smelly and slippery. We then doubled back to the four star Grand Hotel. Here we had a sweet filled croissant and a small savoury roll. I had the cream croissant followed by the ham roll to eat. We had orange juice and cappuccino coffee to drink. At the end I nabbed the last marmalade croissant to take away.
We continued the tour along the Vein Canal (Canal Vena), but didn't go in any churches. At the large flag pole, we were given nearly an hour of free time, so I headed south to the disappointing Nature Walk (Passeggiata sul Lusenzo Itinerario Naturalistico). [Try saying those last two Italian words each with SIX syllables!] Instead I followed the Cabot Quayside (Riviera Caboto) and headed back for the 11:30 shuttle boat. Here I chatted to Jerry from Colorado Springs, as we had the ten minute cruise back to the ship. During the morning I had done ten thousand steps, equal to four miles of walking.
At noon I lunched al fresco a la veranda on the corn chowder soup and the baked ham with chips and veg in white sauce. I then slept for forty minutes. At 2:30 I went up to the top deck to photograph the passage through the Chioggia entrance to the Venetian Lagoon. I photographed Saint Felicitous Fort (Forte San Felice) and the two new tidal gate buildings.
Back in my cabin, I continued processing my Chioggia photographs into PowerPoint. At 4:30 I went to the Split port talk which began and ended with a five minute introduction and a five minute conclusion by CD Jenna. In the middle Shorex manageress Yily spent twenty five minutes on the tours. Afterwards I did six lengths of the pool, which was now warm with the roof fully open to the hot sunshine.
At 5:45 I waited in the lounge at the entrance to the MDR for Rita and Brooks from California who had asked me to join them for dinner. They introduced me to the Cohens, who were formerly academics at the University of Illinois, but now have retired to Florida. I had the courgette soup, the iceberg lettuce wedge, the Tournedos Rossini fillet steak and the no sugar added chocolate and vanilla mousse to eat.
At eight o'clock I picked up my next escorting assignment from the back office. At nine o'clock I went to the excellent Duets production show in the Star theatre which I have heard several times before. I went to sleep at 10:30 having done over ten thousand steps, equal to four miles of walking, during the day.
I awoke to my alarm at six o'clock and had my continental breakfast al fresco a la veranda at 6:30 off the Dalmatian coast. When Agus came to service the cabin at 7:25, I went up to the Explorers Lounge to photograph our arrival into Split. At 8:15 I met guide Maja and driver Alan at bus number ten on the quayside. We had just twenty three guests to look after on the Krka National Park Walk. There was an hour's run along the motorway to the entrance to the park, where we used the facilities. We started out along the board walks down the hillside past several small waterfalls. At the bottom, we had some free time for refreshments. We then climbed back up the stairways, with views of the main waterfalls.
Back at the ship, I had a late lunch of a bowl of vegetable soup and a rack of four veal chops with paella rice and polenta with mushrooms. I then slept for forty minutes, before working on my laptop. At 4:30 I attended the Dubrovnik port talk which had a 5/20/5 minute format. Afterwards I did six lengths of the warm pool with the roof fully open to the warm sunshine. At 5:40 Francis(co) set me up ready for me to give my forty minute lecture entitled "Dubrovnik: Pearl of the Adriatic" at 6:15.
At 7:15 I joined the queue at the MDR, but asking for a shared table got me straight through. Here I was sat with a former cardiac doctor from St. Thomas's hospital in London and his Singaporean wife. They live in Guildford and have a holiday home in the USA. Next to them was another cardiac doctor and his Jewish wife from California. The final couple at the table were the former Lutheran bishop of Los Angeles Guy Erwin and his male partner Rob Flynn. They now live in Philadelphia were he is head of the United Lutheran Seminary. I had the langoustine bisque, the Croatian lamb and the no sugar added bavarois dessert to eat. I had one glass of the Tempranillo red wine from Spain.
At nine o'clock I enjoyed the excellent Southern Sounds country & western production show as usual. I went to sleep at 10:20 having done ten thousand steps, equal to four miles of walking during the day.
I awoke at 5:30 half an hour before my alarm with the sun already up. At 6:30 I had my usual continental breakfast al fresco a la veranda as we sailed into Dubrovnik. I sat in the Explorers Lounge as we turned around, before reversing towards the Seabourn Encore berthed behind us.
At eight o'clock I met guide Daniella and driver Serjan at minibus number one on the quayside. We had only nine guests to look after on the all day tour to Mostar in Bosnia/Herzegovina, a new country for me. It took an hour to reach the border, which itself took half an hour to transit. In the only Bosnian seaside town, Neum, we had a comfort stop with a distant view of the new Peljesac bridge.
On the outskirts of Mostar we had an early lunch at 11:30. This began with a large pastry filled with cheese and greens. We continued with a bowl of salad, followed by a mixed grill of meats with chips. We ended with a slice of chocolate cake. I had one glass of the local red wine, which I improved with some sparkling water.
In town a local guide Ena led us around the pretty, but crowded old Ottoman Turkish town. We had lots of opportunities to photograph the famous old bridge, which was rebuilt after the Balkan war in the 1990s. We went in a period mosque and some of us climbed up the narrow spiral staircase to the top of the minaret for fabulous views. We also went in a period house with local furniture and costumes.
In our one hour of free time, I took loads more pictures. On the way back to the ship, we had a photostop at the pretty Ottoman Turkish village of Pocitelj. The crossing back into Croatia was much quicker and I ended up with three extra stamps in my passport. We had a final photostop at the new Peljesac bridge.
Back at the ship, I had the butter bean soup, a single lobster and two scoops of no sugar added tropical fruit sorbet with extra dried raspberries al fresco a la veranda. At 8:30 I went to the local Folkloric show in the Star Theatre on board. It began and ended with one lady singer and four male musicians, two guitars and two mandolins. The latter made the songs sound Greek and rather samey. In the middle came two couples in National dress dancing to just one musician. I went to sleep just after ten o'clock having done seventeen thousands steps, equal to seven miles of walking during the long day on tour.
I awoke at five o'clock, one hour before my alarm, and we were already in the famous Gulf of Kotor. I got ready quickly and headed for the Explorers Lounge, which I alternated with the forward balcony over the bridge, as there was a cool wind blowing down the narrow gulf in the shade of the mountains. I had a fruit smoothie in preference to orange juice or coffee to drink.
At 6:30 I moved to the other end of the ship to have my usual continental breakfast al fresco a la veranda. When Agus came at 7:25 to service the cabin, I returned to the Explorers Lounge, but feeling tired after my early awakening, I had a regular coffee to drink. Back in my cabin, I downloaded my fabulous Mostar photographs.
At 8:30 I met guide Vedran on the quayside to lead our thirty seven guests through the underpass to the coach park across the river. Here we met driver Pero, ready to battle the extensive road works on the road to Budva. We had a twenty minute guided tour of the old town, before having one hour's free time. Unfortunately the rampart walk was not open and I declined to go in the Citadel fortress.
Driving back into town was slightly easier to get to the new cable car. This rose to 1348 metres above sea level, equal to 4422 feet high, but it didn't go to the highest peak. I had a glass of cola to drink, before climbing up to the concrete amphitheatre past the alpine roller coaster. We had to wait a few minutes when two guests failed to show up at the meeting point. They turned up already at the bottom of the aerial tramway.
Back at the ship, I was too late for the buffet, so I had my third Viking burger of these three back-to-back cruises. I then slept for an hour, before doing six lengths of the warm pool with the roof fully open to the hot sunshine. At six o'clock, I hosted the solo travellers with Harry, Roseann, Jude, Mary, Susan, Jeanette and her 'sister' Sandi. I escorted the last four down to the MDR. I had the red onion soup, the Chateaubriand beef and cherries jubilee to eat. I had one glass of red wine to drink. At nine o'clock I went to CD Jenna's belting cabaret. I went to bed at 10:30 having done nearly fourteen thousand steps, nearly equal to six miles of walking during the day.
I awoke at five o'clock, but it was now six o'clock on Greek time. At 6:30 I had my usual continental breakfast al fresco a la veranda as we berthed in Corfu. When Agus came at 7:25 to service the cabin, I adjourned to the Explorers Lounge.
At eight o'clock I met guide Alex and driver Speros at bus number one on the quayside. We had just fifteen guests on the Corfu by Mountain Bike tour. We drove to the three star Victoria hotel to get briefed and set up, before cycling along the coast road and beach promenade. When we turned inland we had a steep climb, which slowed one gent and myself down.
Halfway up, we had a little lecturette from Alex, before continuing to the Ano Korakiana village where we had our elevenses. We were each given a Greek feta cheese salad and a hunk of bread to eat. I particularly enjoyed the half a dozen olives I had in my salad. I had a glass of orange juice to drink.
On the way down from the lunch on the roof terrace, I caught a large splinter in my left hand from the old wooden bannister. As it was my palm that was bleeding, and not my wrist, it wasn't a stigma! (Religious paintings and stigmata appearances always get it wrong, since crucifixion nails have to go through wrists and not palms!) One of the guides applied iodine solution, which I haven't seen since I was a child, to the wound. A muslin pad was then taped to my hand.
The last third of the ride was mainly downhill back to the hotel. We had ridden eight miles up and down the mountain. I really must NOT opt for mountain biking anymore, it was awfully hot and sweaty!
Back at the ship, I had a bowl of potato and watercress soup with added blue cheese and bacon bits to eat al fresco a la veranda. I followed this with a small portion of the beef Stroganoff with a small Duchesse potato and two grilled plum tomatoes. I then slept for an hour and a quarter, before working on my laptop. I gave the Katakolon port talk a miss as I had to prepare some Silversea documentation for Robin. At 5:15 I did six lengths of the cool pool with the roof fully open. Francis(co) then set me up to give my forty five minute talk on Mamma Mia: the Greek Musical.
At 7:30 I dined with Nancy and Ann both from Vancouver, Canada. I had one glass of champagne going in and one glass of red wine with my meal. I had the Greek destination menu of lentil soup, rack of lamb and baklava to eat. At nine o'clock I went to the Captain's farewell, where I had a glass of orange juice, followed by the ABBA songbook production show, but had trouble keeping awake. I went to sleep at 10:30 having done nearly twelve thousand steps, equal to five miles of walking, during the day.
I awoke at 5:30 to my alarm ready for when the World Cafe opened at six o'clock. Here I had my usual ham & cheese muffin, al fresco a la veranda, as the sun came up over the Peleponnese peninsula. At 7:15 I met Dutch guide Saskia and driver Andreas by bus number one. We had just tweny one guests to look after on the Syrtaki, Greek Food & Ancient Olympia tour. We got to the latter site early, which was good with three cruise ships in port that day.
I was as disappointed with Olympia as I had been on my previous visit, but I did get some good photographs for my destination lecture on the Silver Muse in August. Two little old ladies struggled with the rough paths at the archaeological site.
We had a short run to the Touris Club, where we had a cookery demonstration of tzatziki and cheese pastries. We ate the former both raw and deep fried, while the latter were baked. The main course was a buffet with chicken, rice, pasta and vegetables. The dessert was a sweet, brown slab with watermelon on the side. As we finished the meal, the folk dancing started, which I joined in with a couple of times. Syrtaki is the easy six step Greek dance designed for Anthony Quinn in the film Zorba the Greek. Some guests danced on the tables and some smashed plates on the floor in the Greek way. I had two glasses of white wine to drink and so slept on the way back to the ship.
On the quayside CD Jenna said she would book me into Manfredi's Italian restaurant in my final week on board the Viking Sea. Back in my cabin, I slept for another half an hour. At 2:30 Francis(co) set me up ready to give my forty five minute talk on Athens. At the end I said goodbye to Rita & Brooks from California. They had earlier invited me to dinner and she had been on two of my tours.
At 5:15 I walked through the Wintergarden to go swimming, where I chatted to Mary, Jeannete and her 'sister' Sandi. I did six lengths of the warm pool with the roof fully open, but the sun wasn't quite so bright with thin high cloud. At six o'clock I joined the line at the MDR. I was given a sharing table for four, but had to wait over half an hour, before the Lutheran Pastor couple arrived.
They said that although their church is named Evangelical Lutheran, it is liberal not conservative. When it starting ordaining women and gay clergy, various sections broke away to form other Lutheran sects. I had the Norwegian labskaus soup, the Greek salad, the Kefta lamb sausages and the Greek dessert like baklava. I had TWO glasses of red wine to drink.
When the couple rushed off to hear the violinist's show time, I moved tables to chat to three Australians who had been on my mountain bike ride the previous day. The couple live close to the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), whilst the other gent lives on the banks of the Darling river. I had a whole cheese plate to eat whilst we chatted, so I had had my first FIVE course meal of the cruise! I went to bed at 9:50 having done less than six thousand steps, equal to only two and a bit miles of walking during the day.
I awoke at 6:25 having slept for over eight hours. At seven o'clock I had my usual ham & cheese toasted muffin for breakfast al fresco a la veranda as the sun rose over Athens. When Agus was servicing the cabin, I sat in the Explorers Lounge with views of the Viking Star in the next berth, with a four masted schooner behind her.
At 8:15 I saw a gap in the departing guests and headed ashore. I walked the one mile past my usual metro station, to the main line railway station just one hundred yards further on. Here I bought a €1.20 ticket, but the assistant said I was not going to Larissa station, as shown on my map, as it had been renamed Athina (Athens). I didn't have long to wait for the airport train which took me into the city.
The main line station is not however very central, so I had a bit of a walk to the National Archaeological Museum and the lovely Areos Park. I did some photograph in the latter and took advantage of their water fountains, but it was awfully hot, so I headed for Victoria metro station at 10:30. Here I caught the subway train to Piraeus, where I had a run in with the railway museum guardian. I also found the new metro line station just outside the old one. I walked the one mile back to the ship.
At noon I lunched al fresco a la veranda on the green vegetable soup and the lamb. but the latter was rather fatty. I then slept for an hour and a quarter. At three o'clock I caught the shuttle bus back into Athens, but it took forty five minutes in the heavy traffic. I walked along my favourite boulevard along the south side of the Acropolis to the Hill of the Muses, which I had never climbed before. This afforded fabulous views of the sunlit Parthenon and Nike temples. I didn't have time to complete my favourite circumnavigation of the Acropolis, but just retreated along the marble avenue I had ascended. I caught the five o'clock shuttle bus back to the ship, which surprisingly only took twenty minutes, less than half the time going in, despite the evening rush hour.
At 5:30 I did six lengths of the cool pool, but the roof was only half open. The air above the pool was very hot and humid (91 degrees F), so I enjoyed the cooling swim. At 6:15 I asked for a sharing table in the MDR, but the early Folkloric show meant there were few guests eating early, so I ate alone. I had the lentil soup, the sirloin steak & chips and the no sugar added ricotta cheesecake to eat. I had just two glasses of sparkling water to drink and no bread to eat. I spent the evening working on my laptop, completing the blog for my third cruise on the Viking Sea. I went to sleep just after ten o'clock having done over twenty one thousand steps, nearly equal to nine miles of walking during the day.
Susan later wrote: "Thank you for hosting our Solo Traveler's happy hour and Dinner! You were a delight! I would love the pics from this evening and hope to catch you on the Dance Floor soon."
Jeanette later wrote: "I enjoyed very much the conversation both at Wintergreen and again at dinner. Thank you so much for your kind invitation to join you for dinner. When you have time, I would love to receive a copy of the photo(s)."
Sandi later wrote: "I want to thank you again for inviting us to dinner with you. It was very enjoyable! The conversation was nice and I am really glad I got to experience the restaurant. I hope you have a nice continuation of your trip. When you have a chance, would you please send me the picture of us all? What a nice memory!!"
Mary later wrote: "Hi Martin, I appreciate your time you spent with the solo travelers and dinner. We had a good time and have been able to connect with like-minded people. I would appreciate you sending pictures of our group. Thank you in advance."
1) "Dubrovnik: Pearl of the Adriatic Sea" 2) "Mamma Mia: the Greek Musical" 3) "Athens: Capital of Greece"
206 Cruises 55 Cruise ships (see below) 16 Cruise lines (see below) 7 Night cruise 7 Continental breakfasts 6 Tours escorted 5 Restaurants (MDR, CT, WC, PG, Manfredi's) 4 Singers (???) 4 Band members (Keys, 2 Guitars & Drums) 3 Lamb dinners 3 Production shows 3 lectures given (see above) 3 Storey atrium 3 Hot tubs 3 Pools 2 Lunches on tour (Mostar & Olympia) 2 Beef dinners 2 Nightclub singers 2 Panoramic elevators 2 Cinemas 1 New town (Mostar) 1 New country (Bosnia Herzegovina) 1 New port (Chioggia) 1 Mixed grill lunch (Mostar) 1 Ham lunch 1 Veal lunch 1 Lamb lunch 1 Chicken lunch (Olympia) 1 Viking burger & chips lunch 1 Stroganoff lunch 1 Salmon dinner 1 Lobster dinner 1 Cabaret (CD Jenna) 1 Double state room with picture window 1 Theatre (Star) 1 Nightclub (Torshavn) 1 Viking heritage museum 1 Classical guitarist 1 Classical duo 1 Cocktail pianist
Captain Magnus Bergman Cruise Director Jenna Beaudoin Ass. Cruise Director Rick Woska Shorex Manager Yily (pronounced Jilly) Stage Managers Sumeet, Derek, Francis(co), Sabrina & Ravi Resident Historian Charles Armstrong Cultural Lecturer Martin P. Lee from BoMoH
* Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines * Saga Shipping Company * Voyages of Discovery * Seabourn (Carnival) * Princess (Carnival) * Cunard (Carnival) * P&O (Carnival) * Celebrity (RCCL) * Silversea (RCCL) * Oceania (ex NCL) * Regent SS (NCL) * Marella (TUI) * Ambassador * Azamara * Crystal * Viking
Black Prince Black Watch Borealis Boudicca Balmoral Braemar Bolette Silver Whisper Silver Spirit Silver Wind Silver Muse Silver Moon Silver Dawn Celebrity Silhouette Celebrity Solstice Celebrity Eclipse Celebrity Edge Celebrity Apex Viking Sea Viking Sky Viking Star Viking Saturn Saga Rose Saga Ruby Saga Sapphire Saga Pearl II Quest for Adventure Spirit of Adventure (Old SofA) Spirit of Adventure (New SofA) Spirit of Discovery Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) Queen Elizabeth (QE) Queen Victoria (QV) Queen Mary 2 (QM2) P&O Arcadia P&O Aurora P&O Oriana P&O Iona Oceania Sirena Oceania Marina Oceania Riviera Azamara Quest Azamara Journey Crystal Symphony Crystal Serenity Seabourn Odyssey Seabourn Sojourn Ambassador Ambience Ambassador Ambition Regent Seven Seas Mariner Regent Seven Seas Splendor Sapphire Princess Caribbean Princess Marella Explorer VoD Discovery