TravelStream™ news feed for member texanne on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/texanne en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Mon, 23 Jun 2008 10:29:09 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/texanne/1/1214231160/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/texanne/1/1214231160/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/texanne/1/1214231160/tpod.html Mon, 23 Jun 2008 10:29:09 -0400 Mediterranean Cruise 2008

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Austin, Texas, United States

Greetings from the jet lagged travelers. We are beginning to get our bodies back on USA time zones but it has been a challenge. I wanted to let you know we've posted a bunch of trip pictures if you are interested in looking at more from our Mediterranean adventure. Use this link:
http://s131.photobucket.com/albums/p282/texanne_photos/08%20Share%20cruise/
When the page opens simply click on 'slideshow' in the upper right hand corner. I'm not sure but you may have to create a photobucket id first.
I hope you enjoy them.
Anne
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/texanne/1/1213460580/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/texanne/1/1213460580/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/texanne/1/1213460580/tpod.html Wed, 18 Jun 2008 14:51:59 -0400 Mediterranean Cruise 2008

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Dubrovnik, Croatia

Rain has been forecast nearly every day of the trip but we managed to escape it every day except today. We shuttled into Dubrovnik and opted to walk the old city walls first thing in case the rains descended upon us. We saw some wonderful sights and enjoyed viewing the handcrafts made by local women. The specialty is hand stitched table clothes, runners, etc and they sold items right from their homes that were tucked into little corners along the path. Those who didn't live along the way sat up tables in the square and under the tunnels. About halfway along the wall it began to rain so we looked for the staircase back down into the city. And then it began to pour!

To escape the rain we ducked into a tiny little cafe. We asked the owner for coffee and he said "No coffee, only beer or wine". You can see from the photo that we had bread and beer at about 10 AM. He served us fish soup and olive oil loaded with garlic to go along with the bread. It was the most scrumptious, simple meal and one of those memorable experiences that would never have happened but for the rain.

As we were finishing our snacks it began to thunder ominously so we hurriedly gathered our possessions and headed out of the city to find our bus back to the port. Unfortunately the hardest rain of all began to fall as we waited for a bus to appear. After waiting for 20 minutes in the drenching downpour we hopped on a bus for another cruise ship since they were heading back to the same pier. When we reached their ship and asked the bus driver if he could drop us at our pier he threw us off the bus. Not nice! That meant Dwain and I had to make a trek of about a mile in our wet clothes and sloshing shoes to get back to our appropriate transportation.

I guess we got two weeks worth of rain in about 20 minutes in Dubrovnik and sadly didn't get to see the entire area. As you might imagine, cities built on hills in ancient times didn't have good systems for water run off and we experienced flash flooding conditions from the heavy rainfall. People in other places try to drive small cars through bumper-deep flowing water just like they do in Central Texas. Fortunately we didn't see anyone have any problems but we worried that our big motor coach would create such a tidal wave that we would swamp them completely.

Everything we had heard indicated that Dubrovnik is beautiful and it certainly was. We sailed out of Dubrovnik heading for our final destination, Venice, and the end of our two week odyssey.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/texanne/1/1213806900/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/texanne/1/1213806900/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/texanne/1/1213806900/tpod.html Wed, 18 Jun 2008 12:58:06 -0400 Mediterranean Cruise 2008

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Venice, Veneto, Italy

We had the most spectacular entry into Venice through the Grand Canal. It reminded me a bit of boating on the Potomac during July 4th celebrations, only better. The city looks just like every magnificent postcard or any other image you might have in mind. Old and stately, the series of bridge connected islands is in danger of sinking away. This has scared away most of the residents and predictions are that in another 10 years the city will be an adult amusement park. So sad to even think about such a thing but statistics say that only about 20,000-30,000 residents live on the island today.

No tour was booked for this afternoon so with maps in hand and a couple of ideas from our cruise staff we headed out. We were told we couldn't get lost in the city and that we should just explore whatever area we found ourselves in until we could become reoriented so that's exactly what we did. Our first destination was San Marco Basilica which we found easily. We stood in line for the tour and were so very glad we did. It seems each church we entered was more ornate than the last and the ones in Venice were definitely the most decorated of all that we saw. Sadly we were not allowed to take pictures inside but you can see the beautiful exterior from the picture posted. Inside, the walls are covered with mosaics that start at about shoulder height and cover the entire ceiling, domes and all. Every tiny inch is covered with beautiful biblical scenes created using the local Murano glass tiles. You may be able to get a sense of the style from the mosaic scenes that appear on the outside as well.

From St Mark's we wandered the streets, doing some souvenir and window shopping. Again we found beautiful stitched works along with the amazing Murano glass designs in nearly every store. Venice also has a version of Rodeo Drive and we wandered along the winding streets being awed by the gorgeous displays.

We began the process of bargaining for a gondola ride and ended up making a deal for a ride that took us past Marco Polo's house, Casanova's house (he slept in many houses, so the story goes, but only one night in each), and other glorious sights that are accessible only from the canal. Many of the major hotels are also situated on the canals so guests can simply walk out the front door and onto a gondola for transportation pretty much anywhere in the city.

We walked by La Fenice, the opera house that was nearly destroyed by fire in the 1990s but they were closing so we missed the tour. Everything has limited access and early closings on Sundays and we hit two of the major cities on our itinerary on Sunday. As we strolled we were searching for the perfect place for our last evening's dinner and we found a great little cafe that served Italian food. It was delightful!

After dinner we had an easy walk back to the water taxi that deposited us on the cruise pier. We spent the final night of our trip on the cruise ship where we prepared for an early departure the next morning from Marco Polo airport. Apparently the Venicians don't do early mornings well because we waited in an empty airport for over an hour while the airport employees readied themselves for the day.

Our flight from Venice was delayed by about two hours so we ended up spending over 8 hours in the airport before finally boarding our plane. Due to the delay we landed in NYC with only about an hour to check through customs, retrieve and redeposit our luggage, and race to another terminal for our gate and the final leg of our trip. It was a mad sprint through the airport when we heard final boarding call for our flight. Fortunately they held the plane since our Austin group made up nearly half the passengers. Sadly not all our luggage made it. So we arrived in Austin bone tired and ready to drop into the comfort of our own bed only to discover the house and car keys were in one of the missing bags. We tried all sorts of options but short of breaking into our own home we were left settling for a night at the La Quinta. It wasn't the best ending for our fabulous trip and as I type this message we are still awaiting the arrival of our lost luggage but we wouldn't trade any of our memories.

Our trip of a lifetime has come to an end. We hope you have enjoyed journeying along with us via the blog. Thanks for your comments and emails along the way. We'll get our photos organized and send a link for anyone who is interested in wading through all 500 or so. And now, arrividerci.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/texanne/1/1213167240/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/texanne/1/1213167240/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/texanne/1/1213167240/tpod.html Fri, 13 Jun 2008 03:20:05 -0400 Mediterranean Cruise 2008

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Athens, Attica, Greece

Two days in Greece and it's definitely not enough! Over lunch today Dwain and I decided it would be great to come back to Greece and sail between the islands for a week or more. I could stay here for a very long time, I think.

In Athens we visited the Olympic stadium. [Doug, this is the finish line for the marathon from Marathon.] From there we drove toward the Acropolis. Lots of hill climbing and walking to see the Acropolis and the Agora. The Acropolis contains three buildings: the Propylaia, the Parthenon and the Temple to Athena. The Parthenon is being restored so it is covered with scaffolding which takes away from the whole experience but it is still quite amazing to think they carted the marble to this site from 10 miles away. The whole building took 42 years to complete. The proportions of the Parthenon are too large for the site but perfect when viewed from the sea.

The more beautiful and appropriately sized building on the site is the Temple to Athena and it is a sight to behold. In the photo you can see an olive tree on the left side. Supposedly the gods had bets about their powers. Athena won the bet by making an olive tree grow. Today a new olive tree has been planted in the spot where the old one grew. The statues of the girls are beautiful and if you look carefully you can see that each one is different but together they are supposed to represent perfect beauty-and they do.

From the Acropolis we moved to the Agora (means marketplace or gathering place). Here the people of the day gathered for buying, for worship, for court and more. It was truly the center of their lives. Inside the Agora is located the oldest temple in Greece. It is in remarkably good condition. As we walked between the Acropolis and the Agora we followed a cobblestone path that dates from the time of Christ. It doesn't make for a remarkable photo but it's pretty amazing to think it still exists.

We woke up this morning to the sight of the beautiful while buildings that comprise Santorini, the city on the hill. I'm sure there is a rich history here but we didn't take a tour so we didn't learn much about the area. We just walked around admiring the spectacular sights. I hope the photos will give you a sense of this unique and wonderful place.

In honor of our days in Greece the cruiseline is offering a Greek buffet and toga party so we are off to the bacchanal.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/texanne/1/1213008300/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/texanne/1/1213008300/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/texanne/1/1213008300/tpod.html Tue, 10 Jun 2008 06:46:36 -0400 Mediterranean Cruise 2008

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Sorrento, Campania, Italy

Naples is a huge, fast-paced city and we had been warned repeatedly to hang on tight to our wallets and special possessions. We didn't experience this scary situation because we chose to avoid Naples opting instead to visit the Isle of Capri, Sorrento and Pompeii.

We prepared for our earliest departure of the trip and met our tour at 7:05 AM. First stop was the pier where we boarded a jet foil for the 45 minute trip to Capri. After arrival on the beautiful island we were whisked to the top via funicular (tram) where we were greeted with the most high end shopping I've ever experienced. Think Rodeo Drive on an island in the sea. I literally stopped dead in my tracks at the Valentino store where I admired the most gorgeous gowns ever. Sorry, I was so stunned I forgot to take a photo.

From the lush gardens and turquoise blue of the sea at Capri we moved via our jet foil to Sorrento. First stop lunch. We were served spinach and ricotta stuffed cannelloni, chicken with peas and potatoes then Italian cream cake. I have to admit I blew the gluten free thing to taste the real deal at this meal. Then our guide turned us loose to stroll around Sorrento on our own. It's another beautiful village but more bustling than Capri.

After a couple hours of shopping we boarded a coach for the 45 minute drive to Pompeii. As I told several of you before leaving, Pompeii was the destination I was most anticipating. It lived up to and far exceeded my every expectation. It was a huge community covered by ash and lava when Vesuvius erupted 50 miles away on Aug 24, 79 AD at 2 PM. To see the ruins that are being recovered today almost defies description so I'll just post some photos and let the pics tell the story. It was truly an amazing and interesting experience to walk those ancient streets of cobbles and marble (yes, marble stones were used in the streets because it reflected light so they could walk by torchlight or moonlight and easily see the path.).

Next we have a full day at sea as we sail toward Athens. We are pretty tired from all the touring and our feet really took a beating yesterday from the cobblestones we walked on all day. Capri, Sorrento and Pompeii all have stone streets. Plus we lose an hour as we are crossed a time zone during the night so we are just planning a mellow day before starting all over again in Athens.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/texanne/1/1212915660/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/texanne/1/1212915660/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/texanne/1/1212915660/tpod.html Tue, 10 Jun 2008 05:02:58 -0400 Mediterranean Cruise 2008

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Rome, Lazio, Italy

Rome is quite an amazing place and we headed out early from the Port of Civitavecchia to reach the city for a full day of touring. A major unfortunate situation occurred because we arrived on Sunday and so were unable to view the Sistine Chapel or the Vatican Museums.

Disappointment aside our colorful tour guide, Joe, gave us our money's worth of information, some of which I can't help sharing here. We went first to the Colosseum and we viewed it from many different angles. It was an interesting place and of course we couldn't avoid comments of Charlton Heston and Ben Hur. As we were leaving we witnessed a march by the Roman Jewish community. They were marching in commemoration of the Roman destruction of Jerusalem. It is the 60th anniversary of the founding of the new Israeli state.

We learned that most pizza in Italy is square but the Margherita pizza was originated here to celebrate a visit by Queen Margherita. Her special pizza was made round and in the colors of the Italian flag. The green was basil, the red was tomato and the white was mozzarella. And while we are talking about food I will share with you that we stopped for lunch at a great little Italian restaurant. I got to eat pasta in a restaurant for the first time in three years because they prepared gluten free pasta for me (there's your answer, Trudy:). The tomato and basil sauce was heavenly! Thank goodness the Italians have figured out the whole gluten thing so I can continue hoping they will send it over to the states one of these days. Sadly I don't think they are making a gluten free pizza crust but I'll keep asking.

Throw three coins over your right shoulder into the Trevi Fountain and you will find true love so the legend goes. Since I have already found my love, I didn't bother trying to push my way through the crowd to try my luck but there were certainly lots of people making wishes and tosses.

Our final stop of the day was Saint Peter's Basilica where we saw the famed Pieta sculpture of Mother and Child. It is really amazing what those artists could do with a hammer, a chisel and a big ol' hunk of marble-just beautiful. The Basilica is large and ornate with an abundance of all kinds of art both inside and out. Standing outside the Basilica brought to mind the scenes from a couple of years back when we all watched as one Pope died and another was selected. Over 7 million people from all around the world surrounded the Vatican during those days. I can't even imagine what that must have been like.

We're safely back aboard the Summit and about to head for Naples. Ciao for now.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/texanne/1/1212857160/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/texanne/1/1212857160/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/texanne/1/1212857160/tpod.html Sun, 08 Jun 2008 13:08:12 -0400 Mediterranean Cruise 2008

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Florence, Tuscany, Italy

From the port of Livorno we headed first to Pisa. Pisa reminded me a bit of seeing the Alamo for the first time. It is such a strange experience to see the old historic buildings right in the midst of all the current day hustle and bustle in San Antonio. One has much the same experience upon walking through the gate into Pisa. On a big field of green across the street from regular city shops you see the church, the baptistry and the tower. They seem a bit out of place. Anyway, the tower started to sink when only 3 floors had been built and it continues to lean at a rate of 1-2 millimeters per year. We spent some time on the grounds and bought some postcards then headed for Florence.

Florence is a city of wall to wall people but it is also considered a great city for art. I think we saw more diversity in this city than we have so far. We stood next to the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, the fourth largest church in the world. It has an amazing gilded bronze doorway depicting scenes from the Bible in eight panels. From religion we moved on to conspicuous consumption as we strolled down the Ponte Vecchio. Described as a woman's heaven and a man's hell, the stores glow with gold and gems for nearly a mile. At the end is the bridge over the River Arno and beautiful scenes of the city bordering the river. Then comes art and from the bridge we took a walk through the Ufizzi Plaza to Piazza della Sigoria which is filled with statues and sculptures.

Without a doubt the most awe inspiring event of the trip so far was the moment we walked into the gallery that houses the David. It was a breathtaking experience and our tour guide Sam, was very knowledgeable about art in general but the sculpture specifically so we spent considerable time walking around the statue while he described the various features. It was for sure one of the moments I will remember forever.

Florence is home to many producers of fine leather goods and you can smell the aromas almost as soon as you enter the city. The leather is so soft to the touch and the colors and assortment of styles overwhelming. Oddly enough we met a woman living in Florence originally from Tyler, TX. It truly is a small world.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/texanne/1/1212771240/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/texanne/1/1212771240/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/texanne/1/1212771240/tpod.html Sat, 07 Jun 2008 13:18:55 -0400 Mediterranean Cruise 2008

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Cannes, Provence, France

The forecast called for rain but we had a beautiful day for touring Cannes, Antibes and Nice. We strolled around Cannes before meeting up with our tour guide for the afternoon. Jennifer was an ex-pat from Hong Kong and very knowledgeable about her adopted home. She showed us the delightful twisting streets and alleyways of Antibes before moving on down the road to Nice. We didn't find all that much of appeal in Nice and it didn't really compete after the rustic beauty of Cannes and Antibes.

As we headed out of Cannes we drove by the main theater of the film festival. The red carpet was out again for a special event coming this weekend. We didn't see any familiar faces except for Charlize Theron and Eva Longoria in advertisements and on billboards. It was pretty funny actually to see Eva Longoria on a sandwich board advertising ice cream treats from a trailer-like the Good Humor man.

Seems everywhere we go we walk with ghosts of the past. Today it was Picasso and Napoleon. Picasso lived out the end of his life in this area and painted prolifically in Antibes. When he left he donated over 150 of his paintings to the city. A museum was created and the collection is still intact today even though the museum is being renovated. It was supposed to be open this month but the renovations are running behind schedule. We couldn't help but speculate that happens often.

Napoleon passed through this area while in exile. He escaped into the Alps where he was offered hospitality by the locals. It's very common to see houses with signs saying "Napoleon passed by here".

I loved hearing the story of the origin of Dumas' story of The Man in the Iron Mask. I've never read the book so I'm going to have to now to see how the stories compare. I didn't even realize it was set in this area. Our guide was particularly partial to the movie version with Leonardo di Caprio.

You can see the photo of the bookstore in Antibes (ahn-TEEB). The accordion player posed while I shot frame after frame. I think he finally got tired and his song was ending so he is bowing in this photo. Little did he know I was shooting the sign on the bookstore behind him.

That's it for today. Tomorrow will be a really long tour day as we visit Florence and Pisa.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/texanne/1/1212653580/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/texanne/1/1212653580/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/texanne/1/1212653580/tpod.html Thu, 05 Jun 2008 04:39:09 -0400 Mediterranean Cruise 2008

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Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain and Canary Islands

We arrived in Barcelona without any travel problems, all luggage accounted for. In the airport we met up with the other Austin travelers. The Hotel Regencia Colon was a delightful little place less than a block from the Barcelona Cathedral in the gothic part of the city. There were also a number of shops and restaurants close to us so we grabbed some breakfast for lunch and went back to the room for a short rest.

Feeling more energetic after a snooze we walked around the neighborhood for a while. The cathedral is under renovation and will likely be a fabulous place to see when it is restored. Parts of the old palace of Isabel and Ferdinand stand next to it and you can roam through the old walls. There are gargoyles everywhere that range from humorous to downright frightening along with many that have religious connotations.

The interesting factoid of the day concerns the numerous street musicians we saw around the city. Turns out they are all professionals and many have been classically trained. They actually get a license for the spot where they play (next to the cathedral, outside the museum of art, etc). All sorts of music, dance and singing including Spanish guitar, harp, harpsichord, keyboards and more. They were all very good.

I set out to find Cathedrals of the Sea, a book by a Spanish author, only to discover it is very difficult to find English language books in the stores. We did find it finally and now I'm toting this tome-sure hope it is a good one! For my reading buddies I learned Shadow of the Wind author, Carlos Ruiz Zafon has a new book out. So far it is in Spanish only and I can tell you just that the title has Angel in it. I'll be watching for the translation of this one for sure.

We had a short but very interesting tour of the city with tour guide, Rodrigo. He spoke amazingly good English and along with our fabulous and beautiful driver, Estella, he took us to a few of the lesser known spots along with the famous and fabulous Sagrada Familia. The tour ended at the port where we boarded the Summit and went to eat a snack while waiting for bags to be delivered to our room, then unpacked and headed to the pool for the first libations and entertainment. We're about to head out for dinner and will determine later what the rest of our first day at sea will hold.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/texanne/1/1212326340/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/texanne/1/1212326340/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/texanne/1/1212326340/tpod.html Sun, 01 Jun 2008 17:11:27 -0400 Mediterranean Cruise 2008

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Austin, Texas, United States

It's our final day at home and the last of the laundry, errands and packing are getting done. Today it's primarily Dwain who will be gathering up things and stuffing them into a suitcase. And the tub is gone. Hey, that's progress, right?!

For those who have been aware of the family saga, Dwain's mom went home from the hospital yesterday afternoon. She seems to be doing a bit better each day. We hope for her continued improvement. I know she will be on our minds as we travel.

Many of you have asked for our itinerary so here it is:

We fly to Barcellona. On day one we are free to sleep or mill about on our own. Day two we are touring with our travel agent and the rest of the Austin contingent. We are being driven around town to see sights like the Olympic Stadium, Plaza d'Espana and several of the Gaudi buildings. We are staying right across the street from the Cathedral. From this tour we transfer to the ship for a 7 pm departure.

The first port is Cannes and we will see Antibes and Nice.

Next day we arrive in Florence. The Florence tour includes Pisa where we will see the leaning tower. In Florence we will see il duomo and take a stroll along Ponte Vecchio. We'll be walking all day so we should be able to eat hearty when we return to the ship (or before).

Moving on to Rome where we will do all the expected sites: St Peter's, Sistine Chapel, and Trevi Fountain among others.

The next stop is Naples. From here we do a fair amount of traveling to cover Isle of Capri, Sorrento and Pompeii. I'm most excited about seeing Pompeii and hope we get to spend a decent amount of time exploring this area.

A long sail takes us next to Athens. The day in Athens includes the Olympic Stadium, the Acropolis and more. Again, a day of walking and climbing to get up close to the various buildings so we will be building up a hearty appetite.

Santorini comes next and it's another destination I expect to love. This is the city that sits overlooking the harbor, beautiful white buildings with tile roofs. You've seen pictures I'm sure.

Another long sail and we arrive in Dubrovnik. I don't really know what to expect at this destination and we have a free day so we'll wander and see what we find. From what I've heard it's supposed to be extraordinarily beautiful.

We dock finally in Venice. We have the day to explore the city then return for our final night on the ship before flying home the next morning. I love that they don't make us leave the ship for a hotel. We don't have tours arranged for Venice so we can buy a tour package when we board the ship or we can just take it easy and roam about once there.

Whew! I think I'm exhausted just thinking about all of it. My brain is on overload with all the various sights, facts, and experiences we are going to be having. We look forward to having an opportunity to blog along the way and add some photos so you can see the highlights.
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