Left hotel 4:30AM and travelled for 25 hours before arriving home, safe and sound. Exhausted. Of course we added 3 hours to our ride home so dear old Kos could pick up Lula, who was on vacation at Frank's house.
note**** try never to fly to or from Charles DeGaul airport in Paris. :) LOL Yikes. Must have walked for 45 minutes before getting to our gate.
I hope you enjoyed this blog. I'm a novice at this, but hopefully I'll get better.
toodles, Karen
Monday, October 5, 2009
Vision of the Seas - Day 14 - Sept. 28,2009 Athens, Greece
Arrived in Athen's around 8:00 AM - took cab to the Intercontinental Hotel where we would be spending the night. Checked in by 10:00 AM and off we went to pick up the hoho bus at Syntagma Square. The hotel had a shuttle that took us to the square and ran every 1/2 hour. Very convenient. The first picture above may seem unusual - 2 big dogs sleeping on the sidewalk. What was interesting to me is that you saw these very large dogs all over Athens -- sleeping. Even at the Acropolis, you would see them laying around. I think I saw 50 of them in the short time we were in Athens. I couldn't resist asking our waiter at lunch "what's with these dogs"? He informed me that they were "street dogs" and were homeless. But - you can see they're not undernourished. He said people feed them anyway -- must feed them very well! 
One of our stops on the tour bus was at the Greek Parliament building which was built between 1834 and 1838 as the palace of the first Kings. The monument of the Unknown Soldier is guarded by 2 guards, 24 hours a day. Check out their uniforms! Short pleated skirts, pom poms on their shoes and white tights. They have a unique march which they perform hourly. They must be in very good shape!
Here we are at the top of the Acropolis in front of the Parthenon. It was another beautiful day for touring. Sunny and about 70-75 degrees. Unusually cool for Athens this time of year, we were told by our taxi driver. Anyway, it was a long walk to the top, but worth every minute. The views were awesome and the experience was overwhelming to me.We walked from the Acropolis to an area called Plaka which was a cool, pedestrian only shopping and eating area. Had a fabulous lunch at a place called "God's". I kid you not. After spending the rest of the day touring, we returned to the Syntagma Square area for dinner and then back to the hotel.
Vision of the Seas - Day 13 - At Sea 9/27/09
Our last sea day. Weather cloudy with rough seas. 7-12 feet and high winds. Spent the day reading in the Solarium and packing for our debarkation in the morning.
Vision Cruise Day 12 - Malta
Today is the warmest day so far on this cruise. Mid 80's with lots of sunshine. Ship docked at the beautiful Valletta waterfront with newly renovated, colorful shops, restaurants and sidewalk cafe's. 
Malta is thought to have been inhabited since 5700 BC and was colonized by the Phoenicians in 1000 BC. Then the islands went in turn to the Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Norman's and Spanish who handed them over to the Knights of the Order of St. John in a "perpetual lease" in 1533. This lasted until Napoleon seized control in 1798. The Maltese didn't like the French; rebelled; received aid from Great Britain and became a British protectorate in 1900. In 1964 Malta gained Independence and became a republic under the British Commonwealth.Malta is located 60 miles south of Sicily, so there is quite an Italian influence. We took the HoHo bus which was a 3 hour tour if you didn't get off the bus. The bus was so crowded, people were afraid to get off in fear they wouldn't get a seat at the top when they re-boarded. We had to sit below for about the first hour, which was very uncomfortable. No air conditioned buses here. The city buses are relics from the 1950's and are pretty funny to see. The tour brought us around the coastline where there were many beautiful tourist areas with hotels and restaurants. Some of the roads were very narrow and only one car (or bus) could go at a time. It was quite an experience to travel up the mountain and a little scary for me at times. If we return here, we would skip the hoho bus and take a taxi directly to the Mdina, which is a pedestrian only walled city.
Vision of the Seas - Day 11 - Tunis Tunesia
Today we took a ship's tour to the shopping area of Medina with a stop at Sidi Bou Said. Before we left for the tour bus, Kos couldn't resist a ride on a camel. :) LOL 
Here we are at the Sidi Bou Said, which is where the wealthy people and the artists live.All of the homes are white and blue and most overlook the Mediterranean Sea. It was a good walk up the hill, but well worth it. The views were gorgeous. We were with our dinner friends, Phyllis and Jerry, who said this area looks the same as Santorini in Greece.
Another view at the top of the hill in Sidi Bou Said. Today it was the warmest weather we've had so far - mid 80's - sun and showers
It's hard to see in this photo - but this is the Arab Sauk shopping area (main market) in the Medina (old city). Tunis is the capital of Tunesia, the northernmost African country. The city feels neither Arab or African. It is a place where the old and new mix without any seeming conflict. You may see girls wearing jeans and no head coverings as well as women with traditional head coverings. Women were not allowed to sit in the cafe's. Only men. We entered the Sauk with our guide. The souk is a cobweb of shops in a huge covered building which was dark and confusing. I was uncomfortable here, although our guide said we were in a safe area. I followed him around like a little duck. :) LOL - Afraid to stray from the group.
This was our group at the entrance to the Sauk. Yikes. :)
Camels greeted us as we disembarked the ship.
Another view at the top of the hill in Sidi Bou Said. Today it was the warmest weather we've had so far - mid 80's - sun and showers
It's hard to see in this photo - but this is the Arab Sauk shopping area (main market) in the Medina (old city). Tunis is the capital of Tunesia, the northernmost African country. The city feels neither Arab or African. It is a place where the old and new mix without any seeming conflict. You may see girls wearing jeans and no head coverings as well as women with traditional head coverings. Women were not allowed to sit in the cafe's. Only men. We entered the Sauk with our guide. The souk is a cobweb of shops in a huge covered building which was dark and confusing. I was uncomfortable here, although our guide said we were in a safe area. I followed him around like a little duck. :) LOL - Afraid to stray from the group. 
This was our group at the entrance to the Sauk. Yikes. :)
Camels greeted us as we disembarked the ship.
Vision Cruise Day 9 - Malaga Spain 9/23/09
80 degrees - Sunny
Malaga is located along the Southern Coast of Spain on the Costa Del Sol "Suncoast" on the Mediterranean Sea. The port is in a commercial port area but the ship provided a shuttle bus into town - a 5 minute ride. We boarded a hoho bus where our first stop was the Castillo de Gebralfaro - a castle set high above the city. It was last used in 1936 durinig the civil war. The views of the city were beautiful. We enjoyed Tapa's at the open air restaurant at the top of the castle. We then re-boarded the bus to continue our tour. Got off the bus in town where we went to the Malaga Cathedral which was constructed in the 16th century. It took over 2 centuries to complete. The interior is decorated with beautiful hand carved wooden choir stalls built in the 17th century. At the end of the day we stopped at another Tapas restaurant in Construcion Square for some local food and drink. The beaches here are golden, rather than white, and it appeared there was a rocky coast so getting into the ocean would be a challenge.
Malaga is located along the Southern Coast of Spain on the Costa Del Sol "Suncoast" on the Mediterranean Sea. The port is in a commercial port area but the ship provided a shuttle bus into town - a 5 minute ride. We boarded a hoho bus where our first stop was the Castillo de Gebralfaro - a castle set high above the city. It was last used in 1936 durinig the civil war. The views of the city were beautiful. We enjoyed Tapa's at the open air restaurant at the top of the castle. We then re-boarded the bus to continue our tour. Got off the bus in town where we went to the Malaga Cathedral which was constructed in the 16th century. It took over 2 centuries to complete. The interior is decorated with beautiful hand carved wooden choir stalls built in the 17th century. At the end of the day we stopped at another Tapas restaurant in Construcion Square for some local food and drink. The beaches here are golden, rather than white, and it appeared there was a rocky coast so getting into the ocean would be a challenge.
Vision of the Seas Day 7 - LaCaruna, Spain
This port was located in town. We walked about 15 minutes to a tram that takes you around the parimeter of the city - past the beaches. It didn't appear to be quite ready for tourists. Not too much to do. The people we encountered didn't speak English so communication was a little difficult. We had lunch in a small restaurant that appeared to attract the locals. Ordered Paella, which was very different from what we're used to in the US. The shrimp were served, heads intact. :) LOL The tram passed the Tower of Hercules which was used as a light house since the Roman times. If we find ourselves back in LaCaruna, we'll take the tour to Santiago de Compostela. Weather still great - 70 degrees and sunny. Perfect for touring.
Vision cruise Day 6
Sea Day - Cloudy 68 degrees. Seas calm. Sailing the Bay of Biscay which is located South of the English Channel, West of France and North of Spain. Captain reported that this is a very dangerous area to sail and that during the previous cruise he encountered 35 to 40 foot seas. He said he had never seen the seas as calm in this area as it was today.
Vision cruise Day 5 - Honfleur, France
We decided to visit Honfleur instead of Paris on this trip since Paris was a 2 1/2 hour bus ride from the port of LaHavre, France. We visited Paris on our last cruise and decided we didn't want to spend 5 hours on a bus. Instead, we took a ships tour to Honfleur, a picturesk fishing village where the artist Monet lived and painted. LaHavre is located in the province of Normandy on the Northwest coast of France, at the mouth of the River Seine with a population of approximately 200,000. Honfleur is about a 30 minute ride from the port. This charming fishing port dates back to the 14th century. We were lucky to be in Honfleur on a Saturday which is the day of the open air market. We walked along the cobblestone streets where our guide, Silvi, explained the midieval architecture and brought us into the famous wooden church. Lunch was sausages with cabbage and apples that we bought in the market along with a loaf of french bread while we sat on the wall of the harbor. Again, we were blessed with wonderful weather - sunny and 75 degrees.Vision Cruise Day 4 Bruges, Belgium
Today we shared a taxi with 3 other couples which brought us to the quaint city of Bruge, Belgium. We then followed a "walking tour" which Kos found online prior to our cruise. Here is the square where we were dropped off and began our tour. Another couple from the Cruise Critic group joined us as we walked through the cobblestone narrow streets. After about 3 hours of walking, we took a bus back to the square to have some lunch and browse the shops.Weather was perfect for touring - sunny 70 - 72 degrees.
Here you can see the typical Belgium row home along the canal. We enjoyed a canal tour after lunch which brought us through many of the canals throughout the city. Bruges is called the "Venice of the North" since most of the housing is on the canal. If you look closely, you can see that there is very little space in front of their homes.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Vision of the Seas - Day 3 - Amsterdam
Amsterdam is very liberal. Here you can see me standing in front of a shop that sells marijuana and other drug paraphernalia. Coffee houses are places where you can go to buy and use drugs. The legal drinking age is 16 and prostitution is legal. People ride bikes everywhere here, similar to Copenhagen. There are designated bike lanes and the bikers have the right of way. We were told to be careful not to walk into a bike lane since the bikers can be very aggressive.
Today we had sun and clouds and a temperature of about 70 degrees. Walked from the ship to the canal cruise terminal to pick up the hop on hop off canal tour. A 15 minute walk. Pictured here is one of the unusual boats we saw during the cruise - shaped like a wooden shoe.
Facts about Amsterdam
- population - 740,000
- bicycles - 600,000
- parks - 28
- canals - 165
- bridges - 1,281
- houseboats - 2,500
- cafe's and bars - 1,402
- restaurants - 755
Vision of the Seas - Days 1 - 2
Embarked ship around noon. Weather good - sunny about 70 degrees. Immediately confirmed My Time Dining arrangements for 7:00 PM.
Day 2 - Sailing in the North Sea - sunny 70 degrees - seas calm
Day 2 - Sailing in the North Sea - sunny 70 degrees - seas calm
Welcome to my cruise blog - Vision of the Seas - Copenhagen to Athens - 9/14/09 t 9/29/09
This is the Nyhaven area of Copenhagen where we enjoyed lunch while sitting along the side of the canal.
Here you can see the windmills, although you have to really take a close look. They're the same as the windmills in Atlantic City, but there are many more. September 13th, 2009 - Continental flight from Newark to Copenhagen - 7 hours 20 minutes
Arrived Copenhagen 8:00 AM - checked into Hotel - Clarion Hotel 27 - weather cool 60 degrees which warmed up to about 70 degrees by the afternoon. We had some breakfast in the hotel and set out for a day of sightseeing in Copenhagen. This city is very bicycle friendly. There are separate bike lanes and most people will bike to work. You'll even see families biking with their children in a cart at the front of the bike. We noticed a man out with about 4 of his dachshunds in the cart. Very different than here in the US. As our plane landed you couldn't help but notice the windmills in the ocean. We managed to take in a hop on hop off bus tour first. Copenhagen is not an especially pretty city. Very simple architecture and not much in the way of greenery and flowers. Later in the day we took a canal tour which was even better than the bus tour. We especially loved the Nyhaven area with the colorful buildings along the canal. We followed the advice of Rick Steves who said we should go to the "polsevognen" to get a sausage sandwich (wrapped in bacon) and then go to the Kiosk and buy a couple of cans of Carlsburg beer. We sat at the side of the canal and had one of the best lunches we've ever had. These sausages are not exported out of the area, so it was something not to be missed. The "polse" is Denmark's answer to our hot dog --- but much, much better. In the evening, we walked to Tivoli, but didn't go in since we weren't interested in the rides, and it was getting late. Tomorrow we embark on Royal Caribbean's Vision of the Seas to begin our 13 night journey.
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