Take a cruise to...Albania?! (and the dreamy Grecian Isles)

This week and next our cruises are highlighting the Greek Isles, but of course there are other ports involved to get to and from the islands.  For instance, we go to Turkey both weeks, we hit Croatia and Italy and two days ago…Albania.  Yup.  Hmm.  (cricket)  So…not the first choice of vacation spots for just about anyone.  The port of Saranda, Albania is a new port of call for Regent’s ships and I don’t know that it’s going to get the top ratings.  The passengers of course knew it was on the itinerary when they booked the cruise, but I’m sure it wasn’t the selling point for anyone. 

When planning for the port I, of course, turned to my handy dandy guidebook and saw that there wasn’t much at all in the town, but I did read about a small beach where I figured we could spend the day.  We headed in and since Albania isn’t much of a tourist stop and it’s not really a thriving economy the 30 minute taxi ride was pretty cheap.  We headed through run-down, dilapidated construction and abandoned buildings on roads that were less than sub-par and inhabited by cows, sheep, etc.  I was a little concerned, but finally we came up to Ksamili Beach where we found the 8 of us were pretty much on our own besides a few locals out for the day.   The beach turned out to be really gorgeous, though.  What a diamond in the rough!  There was a nice little dock headed out over completely clear aqua-blue water.  You could see straight to the bottom of the water even when it was 15 feet deep or so!  It was really fantastic.  We had fun swimming out to little islands where we found an abandoned frame of a deck/bar/hut that we climbed on and jumped from!  There was also a nice restaurant right on the sand to cater to all its customers (all 8 of us) and we ended up having a fine day in Albania!  (Oh!  I also tried a new food called saganaqi.  Let me know if any of you have had it.  It’s literally a slice of hard, white cheese, fried.)  When we returned to the ship we found out that even though we were still ported for another hour all the guests and all but about 3 other crew members were back on board!  Ha!  I guess people weren’t so impressed.

Today was a lot of fun, though.  I headed out with Brett, Elena, Bruno, and Chris, the latter two being guys from the boutique whom we have started hanging out with quite a bit.  We were in the stunning port of Santorini, Greece, one of the most picturesque of all the Greek islands.  (It’s also famous for being the thought site of the lost city of Atlantis.)  Our visit began by figuring our way up the cliff side of the island to get to the town of Fira.  The options were as follows:

-Pay 5 euro for a donkey ride up narrow winding steps

-Walk for half an hour up said steps and through donkey poop.

-Pay 1 euro to ride a cable car and be at the top in 5 minutes. 

We quickly decided to give the donkeys a break and head to the cable car.  From there we reached the white, sun-drenched town of Fira and walked through its maze of shops to find a rental spot.  Me and Elena quickly chose to rent motor bikes while the other guys decided to go with ATV 4-wheelers.  Brett had his own and the boutique guys shared one.  We got a map and headed to the south side of the island.  It was a fun ride around twists and turns, but we found the hills gave us a problem.  The ATV’s were not giving enough power…ESPECIALLY with two men on it.  It was funny for Elena and me, passing by laughing and waving at the guys, but they were quite frustrated.

Anyway- we ended up at Red Beach, named for its signature red sand and rock beach, which you have to hike to.  The beach is red from its volcanic origins and has beautiful, blue water, providing for a really nice, unique look.  We took a quick dip and enjoyed the secluded area before heading back to our vehicles.  After a frustrating try getting back we knew the ATVs just weren’t going to be able to keep up, so Elena and I headed off to the northern tip of the island, to the village of Ia, pronounced “ee-ah. “

This town is truthfully BREATH-TAKING.  When you see an image of Greece what do you think of?  White villages made of plaster and blue domes popping up to highlight the Orthodox churches over looking the blue Aegean Sea, right?  That clean feeling of those perfectly smooth white buildings are just unforgettable.  Well, Ia is where those pictures come from; it is just amazing.  I found myself getting lost trying to look over the cliff at the maze of streets and staircases bordering each house built into the cliff side.  I loved this place and I was so sad to have only a little time here.  Elena and I grabbed a bite to eat looking over the water from high above and darted out to get back to the ship. 

We are returning to Santorini next week and Ia will be my first stop.  I will make sure my camera is charged and ready for a full day.  I am already excited for that day and that I get to go exploring again!  Wish I was seeing all of this with each of you!

Tripp

Canals, Gelato, and good Company

Our cruise highlighting Italian ports ended with the gorgeous port of Venice.  It’s a city that stuns its visitors with its incredible beauty, vibrant people, crowds, sunshine, and preserved maze of streets and waterways that are all car-free.  I wish so much that I could describe the city better, but it is certainly somewhere that you have to see to believe.  Our visit was an overnight, thankfully, because this city is really amazing to see at night.

As I’ve said before, traveling on a ship has certain benefits and one of those was the sail in to Venice.  We actually were able to sail right through a couple of intimate channels and passed directly by St. Mark’s Square.  Jam packed with people, it was a really different view than most get to have of the square and provided for an exciting taste of what the city was ready to offer all of us for the next day.  As soon as we could Elena, Brett and I all headed out into the watery city and quickly stopped for any number of things; new sunglasses, gelato, etc.  I was not in a huge rush to get gelato for some reason, but as soon as I saw one sign I rushed to grab some.  Elena asked me a couple weeks ago if I remembered a favorite gelato flavor or shop.  I didn’t have to think before answering that Crema de Grom from Grom gelateria in Florence was my all time favorite.  Well guess what?!  They’ve opened up a Venice branch!!!  Ha ha!  I couldn’t believe it especially since we were somewhat in a side, back area away from many tourists or canals where most people would be.  I was so pumped to see its stainless steel counters and order up a serving of extra dark chocolate with Crema de Grom in a cone!  My day was set!!!  Ha!

Afterwards we continued wandering, taking dozens of pictures of canals and gondoliers singing for their supper.  This city has a picture around every corner.  Its broken plaster walls and hundreds of bridges are begging to be admired and we had no problem doing so.  We followed the sings reading “Per S. Marco” to get us finally to St. Mark’s Square, which was crowded as usual, but even more it was gorgeous and exciting!  It was funny to find so many crew in the square, but of course it is the first place to go in the city!  Tons of us were there and we had fun looking around and taking a quick walk through the Basilica. 

Now usually I am the one with the ideas and ways to see the ports, but this time I didn’t do the best.  I suggested that we take one of the public water buses up the Grand Canal for a nice view and good photo ops, having done this before successfully.  Well for some reason the vaporetto we got on was so overcrowded and there were no outdoor seats, so it ended up being pretty miserable and we decided to hop off about halfway through our ride at the stop for the Rialto Bridge.  From there we just continued walking and stopped to sit and get something to snack on before starting our walk back to the ship. 

That night we hooked up with some of the people who work in the boutique and started walking around at about 9:00 to find a spot for dinner.  We didn’t want something crowded and we wanted to eat outside, preferably with some legitimate local food.  After about half an hour we found the place with tables outside in a small side courtyard and we plopped all 11 of us down at a table when we heard they had pasta made right in the restaurant from scratch and tons of pizzas.  We had such a great evening just getting to laugh together and eat INCREDIBLE food.  I actually got two great items on the menu and was happy as a lark.  The two people working the restaurant were so generous to us and our main waiter, Hanny was so much fun.  He was hilarious and made the experience that much more special for the group.  We were exhausted by the time we walked back to St. Mark’s Square for the view at night and wandered around to get to the ship.

Seriously this city is a labyrinth of alleys and if it weren’t for signs pointing to Piazzale de Roma (right by the ship) there is no way we would have ended up back at our floating home!  We thought our feet were going to fall off, but it was worth it for such a fun night. 

Eating lots of pizza for all of you!

Tripp 

Dubrovnik...and a Great Dinner

I arrived in Dubrovnik, Croatia excited for a tour and we rode with our guide, Mario, out to the country where we got bikes to go for an 8-mile bike ride through a valley in the Croatian countryside!  I was excited and had a really nice time going through the vineyards and exploring a monastery where we tasted fresh figs and hugged a tree that was said to give us positive energy!  Ha ha!  We ended with some wine tasting and it was a nice little morning tour, but I was glad to have some extra time in the actual town of Dubrovnik which is famous for its perfectly in-tact walls that surround the city and for its clean, beautiful old town area.  I had a good time looking around and enjoyed one of the best pizzas I’ve had on the trip for lunch.  The place was packed with tourists, though, and I was sort of over the exploring for the day, so I headed back to the ship.

We are privileged to have dinner upstairs in the main dining room a couple times a week and that night I was excited to have dinner with Elena and two couples whom we had met earlier in the cruise.  It’s always better to have dinner with people you already know you got along with well.  Anyway- we had a great time with Peggy, Bruce, Rosalie, and “Uncle Lou.”  Ha ha!  We started with drinks beforehand and soon realized we weren’t going to have time to eat if we didn’t get to the dining room.

After sitting down we began to look over a great menu and I knew I was in for a treat.  I was saying that couldn’t decide between two main courses and Rosalie had the solution!  She insisted that I go on and get an appetizer and then instead of getting a soup or salad as a second course I just get one of my main course options for the second course and the next main course as my actual main course!  Ha ha!  I tried to persist and say “No no- I shouldn’t” since I didn’t want the waiters or kitchen to be frustrated with me, but Rosalie insisted and said that she was doing that, too.  Anyway- by the time it was all said and done 4 people at the table had done the same thing and Rosalie had also ordered a bowl of pasta for the table and exclaimed that we wanted 6 lobster tails for everyone at the table!  Ha ha!  I was dying laughing, but more than willing to eat the lobster and certainly didn’t complain with such incredible company.  The whole table was laughing ALL NIGHT and it was so refreshing to get to really joke around with people and have such an amazing time at dinner.  We pretty much closed the restaurant down after crème brulee for dessert (of course) and called it a night. 

It’s nights like these that I am so thankful for a job that provides me with opportunities to meet such wonderful people.  The past week has been filled with great characters, but this table full of people was certainly a highlight!  Peggy, Bruce, Rosalie, Lou- if you’re reading this…you are already missed!  Hope you are well and traveled safely!

Tripp

Sicilian life with Nunzio

A few days ago we were anchored in Naxos, outside of the ancient city of Taormina on the big Italian island of Sicily.  This is the first time I’ve ever been to Sicily, but I have always read about the people and food and the warm, exciting culture.  I was excited to be on a long tour that day as we tendered in to the town.  The bad part was that there was lightning and the water was extremely rough!  I barely thought we would make it getting on and off our little tender boats, but the skies cleared up within about 30 minutes of the tour and it was sunny from then on!

On the tour we first were introduced to our guide, Nunzio, an energetic Sicilian who was very proud to be from the area and enthusiastically gave us a great history lesson on the island and its different people groups, etc.  I was enthralled from moment number one with this guy because he was so passionate about sharing his culture with us!  I must admit, I also loved that he called me the group’s “guardian angel” sitting at the back of the bus!  Ha ha!  We headed in to the town of Taormina where Nunzio gave us a good walking tour before we got to the end of the town where a very well preserved Greco-Roman Theatre stood.  This theatre sits right on a cliff overlooking a bay and is truly stunning.  To see the ancient columns and perfect acoustics in action was really cool, especially after having studied these theatres in school for so many years.  We were given free time to wander around, but Nunzio pulled me aside and let me know of a gelateria to go to where his friend, Mario, would give me some free gelato…YES PLEASE!

After about an hour wandering around cobbled streets and shops and enjoying my pistachio and stracciatella creation we boarded the bus again for a drive out of town to one of the world’s most active volcanoes, Mount Etna.  Nunzio grew up right on the slopes of the volcano, so he was excited to tell us all about how big and powerful she is.  He explained that she erupts about every 5 years and the eruption lasts up to 1 year.  (It just finished erupting July 7 of this year!)  The volcano can be destructive, but it hasn’t damaged much in its history and the towns living on its sides are more than equipped to deal with her when Etna erupts. 

At our lunch stop along the drive up the mountain we ate great pastas and traditional Italian and Sicilian foods.  I was glad to get to sit with Nunzio as he told me about how he loves what he does.  He has been a guide for 29 years (since he was my age) and loves every second of it.  He said he still gets excited to meet new people and share his home with people.  He was amazing to talk to and wanted to know all about my career goals and everything.  He did stop to get champagne to toast and sing to a guest celebrating a birthday.  He was just truly excellent at making each person on the trip feel special, taken care of, and loved.  I felt like I could learn so much from him. 

To finish off the tour we drove up winding roads through volcanic ash to the upper part of Mt. Etna where we got off the bus and actually walked around major craters that had been created hundreds of years ago from previous eruptions!  It was really cool.  I don’t think I had ever been in a barren environment quite like this, but there was something really beautiful about the black and red ash and the way it had been naturally sculpted into such peaks and valleys.  I found the whole thing really interesting. 

On our drive back to the ship I couldn’t help but fall asleep.  These long days in port are killer and I think the majority of the guests were asleep anyway!  Ha ha!  Nunzio joked around once we were close to the port that we had all practiced the siesta for the day!  Before we left to board the ship, Nunzio handed out postcards with pictures of Sicily on each one and a history of Sicily which he compiled and wrote himself.  It also had his email address for any and all the guests to contact him.  He said, “In Sicily we always say that your house is as big as you want it to be!  My home is big enough for all of you!”  I loved that.  Before I left Nunzio stopped me and handed me a big calendar with pictures of the area and a whole book of the postcards.  He also told me that he would love to keep in touch and to skype with me to teach me Italian!  Ha ha!  What an awesome day.  I love going on tours because of the always unique experiences they bring, but this one was special because of Nunzio.  I will definitely be taking him up on his offer for a visit when I return to Sicily!  Love you all…

Tripp 

Wheels of a Dream

I don’t know where to begin to describe my day to you.  It was CERTAINLY once-in-a-lifetime.  It was breathtaking and I will do my very best to never forget it!  Seriously.  Okay- let me just start at the beginning.  I had morning duties running games on the ship, which is always exciting.  (No one came to shuffleboard and I played bocce with Cybil and her husband who couldn’t’ bend over to pick up the bocce balls.)  Then I ran and woke up Elena to get on a tender quickly and ride into the day’s port, Sorrento, Italy. 

Last year I was in Sorrento for about 2 hours, but I never guessed I would be back here so soon and I laughed when I arrived at the exact spot I remembered from my previous visit.

On my visit before, Laura and I had wanted to drive down the coast, but just didn’t have time.  The Amalfi coastline is world famous for its jaw-dropping views of the Italian hillside towns built into cliffs that just crash into the blue Med water.  The road just barely balances along these cliffs, making for an incredible drive.  Today I got info about a rental store and Elena and I headed there quickly.  We were sat on renting a scooter for the day and trying to drive along the coast!

Upon our arrival the young man and woman behind the counter let us know it would be 30 euro for the day for a two person scooter (a steal) plus some extra for insurance.  We handed over a credit card and our driver’s licenses, tried on helmets, and then the question of the hour: “Have you ever driven a scooter before????”  I very reluctantly answered no- that I had not driven a scooter thinking that was that.  The day was over or maybe we could rent a car.  “No problem!  I show you,” was the response we got!  Ha ha!  I was over-the moon!  Being the official driver, I was tested on starting and stopping (by far the most difficult part of driving one of these suckers).  The first try I just swerved all over and my instructor told me to use my feet to balance.  Then it all clicked.  From there I was fine and after doing it once more, I was given my driving test.  We went to a quiet road and the instructor had me drive down and back.  That was it!  I couldn’t believe it, but within 15 minutes I was entrusted with an aquamarine motor scooter and Elena Shapiro’s life.  Ha ha! 

It was a quick drive out of town following signs for Naples and then Positano to get us onto the legendary strip of highway.  From the first moment we were just giddy and screaming at the views before us.  We were high up in the mountains looking down on crystal blue waters and our own tiny ship in the harbor!  We were on top of the world and I cant’ tell the last time I had so much fun!  We were going around CRAZY hairpin turns every to seconds and laughing as we were being passed by locals on their own scooters. 

We pulled over at one point and I gave Elena a quick lesson and she did very well, so she drove for a few miles as well, with my guidance of putting on the gas or braking just for the stops and starts. 

Finally we arrived into Positano and our exploring began.  We walked down some steps and eventually drove through the downtown area.  Elena ended up buying a beautiful dress from a man with whom she bargained a good price for his creation.  By the end of our visit we were starving so we found a restaurant and parked ourselves.  Again- an awesome meal!  We were in a full dining room of 3 tiny tables with local families sitting in the other seats.  I had a glass of the local wine and the “Gnocchi of the Chef” which was a pesto gnocchi (potato pasta) with bacon, spinach, and tomatoes in it.  The meal was incredible and we were sad it was over and we had to make our return journey. 

Coming back the views were just as stunning as earlier and the drive was smoother after I had had some practice!  Ha ha!  It just turned out to be one of the best days on our journey yet!  The rental store was closed when we returned, but they just had us leave the key out with the scooter (which Elena and I nicknamed “Lady Liberty” after noticing the brand “Liberty” on the side of it).  I left a thank you note, though, letting them know how special the experience had been. 

On our return back to the ship by shuttle bus and tender we talked with some passengers who had done a similar tour, driving along the coast and having lunch in Positano, but they were with lots of passengers on a coach bus. They said, “Man!  That sounds great- that’s what we’ll have to do next time we are here!”  It was great.  Anyway- next time we are in a port I want to explore further by motor scooter I can answer yes to the question of whether I have driven one before! Ha!  What AWESOME day!

Tripp

Rome-ing Around

This week I have returned to one of my favorite places on Earth…Italy!  Last summer I fell hard for Italy’s warm people, late nights, gorgeous food, history, and gelato.  It is a country I would love to come back to over and over and with each visit to a new city I am finding something new and exciting.  It’s been wonderful to be back. 

Our first port of call was Civitaveccia, a port outside of Rome.  I was able to go on tour that day, but it wasn’t your typical tour.  This journey was just a train ride on a private train, the Roma Express, only for our passengers and then we were given 6 hours of free time to explore the city as we wished.  Elena, another dancer, and the ballroom couple were on similar tours so we made a plan to meet at the Spanish steps once we got into town.  From there, I was glad to return to some of my favorite sites!

We started with a ride on the metro to get to the Colosseum, where I remembered to get tickets at a different area to skip the horrendous line to get in.  Once we were inside we had fun taking all sorts of pictures and just imagining this arena in its heyday, filled with thousands of Romans ready for a big fight and out for blood!  It’s just one of the most incredible pieces of architectural history that I’ve ever seen and I wish I could spend more and more time exploring just how intricately it is put together.

After we finished up there we decided to ride back up toward the city center and we headed to the Trevi Fountain.  On my previous visit I got IN the Trevi with Laura (see offexploring.blogspot.com), but I didn’t even try this time.  This piazza is one of the most crowded places in the entire city with thousands of people tossing in coins to ensure their return to the Eternal City!  We then walked and found a spot for lunch near the Pantheon.  I was THRILLED to be back eating in Italy!  GAHHHH!!!  I had a pizza with perfect arugola and proscutto all over it, but while we waited for the food I couldn’t resist and headed to the corner where I got a cone of gelato with raspberry and meringue flavors.  It was…perfect. 

After lunch we headed into the Pantheon square and marveled at this 2,000 year-old marvel of a building.  The gigantic dome was built with amazing engineering for that time and the fact that even the doors from 200 years ago are hanging on hinges completely blows my mind.  It’s a beautiful building and we had fun looking around before heading to my favorite piazza nearby, Piazza Navona.  I was glad to see all the artists and performers out to play and enjoyed a serving of the famous Tartufo gelato from Tre Scalini, the richest chocolate dessert I may have ever tasted. 

Finally we headed to the Vatican and St. Peter’s Square where thousands of people were around sitting in the shadow of the basilica.  Once the others had to head out I went and enjoyed just sitting for a bit in the sun, drinking fresh water from one of Rome’s many street fountains.  This city is just too big and too full of too many amazing places to see it in a matter of hours.  I was sad to have to go so quickly, but it was nice to return to some places that were familiar for once. 

I hope everything is going well for everyone.  I am sorry I haven’t uploaded pictures in a while, but I have to wait until I have good internet access off the ship to have a strong enough signal to upload.  And now that we are in new ports everyday…who wants to sit around online?!  I don’t have time for this, people!  Ha ha!  Miss you guys!

Tripp