When we booked the trip, aside from our final port of call, this one was what S was most interested in. She’d dived caves in Mexico years ago but was looking forward to the ruins at Tulum. Continue reading “Cozumel for Tulum”
Category: photography
Grand Cayman
Our next port of call is the Cayman Islands. Our excursion for the day is called Best of The Caymans and it is quite the eclectic mix! Continue reading “Grand Cayman”
Jamaica
Our itinerary says our stop for today is Montego Bay, but instead we are pulling in, hours earlier, in Ocho Rios. Hey, as far as I’m concerned, it’s still Jamaica! Continue reading “Jamaica”
Check In
We both sleep in and ease into our days. S needs to reorganize her packing and I need to cram everything back into my bag.
We check out scant minutes before the noon departure and check our bags with the front desk so we can head to Havana Harry’s for Cuban food. Continue reading “Check In”
A day in Miami
We flew down early to avoid airline issues. January, anything can happen.
We had no issues getting here, but I arrive to a useless but frustrating notice from my company’s travel partner about the conference I’m attending which comes down to “Smelta Airlines” (not their real name) has once again screwed me over. (Sigh)
So when I wake up early (asleep not long after 9pm) this morning I’m scrambling to rearrange what I can until Monday when the flight itself can be adjusted, doing my Spanish lesson for the day, and then dozing on and off…
Basically it’s a pajama-lazy morning for us both because we don’t have the walking food tour until 12:30pm. Continue reading “A day in Miami”
Day 10: Final Day in Athens
In which we put ourselves on a forced march through the city.
Christiana organizes us off the ship in what must be record time, and we are shortly back on the bus and again in the weekday traffic to Athens. Continue reading “Day 10: Final Day in Athens”
Day 9: Evening in Santorini
We aren’t due to arrive in Santorini before 4 pm. It will be dark then. And there are weather dependencies and tenders to send and busses to meet and switchbacks to navigate and half the length of the island to each Oia and our scheduled visit.
But I so so SO want to see Santorini.
Day 9: Morning on Crete
Crete is the largest of the Greek Isles and of course we are only seeing a piece of it.
That starts with the Palace of Knossos. Pronounce the K: Kuh-nos-os. It’s easily the oldest site we visit, all told, dated somewhere between 4500 and 6000 BC (so says our guide we barely understand) and… Continue reading “Day 9: Morning on Crete”
Day 8: Night on Patmos
We arrive on the tiny isle of Patmos at dusk. We walk up first to the monastery, our tour guide very soft spoken but very clear, which makes her seem very earnest. And thoroughly likable. Continue reading “Day 8: Night on Patmos”
Day 8: Morning in Ephesus
The excursion to Ephesus is included in our package and was noted by both Elena and Christiana as a highlight of our trip.
They were not kidding!
Despite the late night we are all up and on time (good thing too) for our tour of Ephesus, in Turkey. Which means it’s not just another country for me: it’s another continent!
Our tour guide (whose name I can’t spell but it is pronounced like “John”) is delightful. He tells us, on route to the ruins at Ephesus, about his experience over 20 years as a tour guide. About common misconceptions about Turkey, about his family, and about the site we are visiting. Continue reading “Day 8: Morning in Ephesus”
