APR. 28th -- SORRENTO, ITALY (NAPLES!)

BUONGIORNO!!!
We are in Italy.

We arrived in Sorrento, Italy approximately 7:30 this morning.  However, we are supposed to anchor here and tender into town for our excursions.  The swells are too high and it is not safe to tender ashore.  So, the Captain decides not to stay here and we are going to Naples instead.  They have a place for us at their dock, so off we go.

Coming into Sorrento

So, we came in and turned around & left.

We arrive in Naples about an hour or so later and the scheduling for the whole day is off.  Instead of getting off the ship at 8:45 AM, we are getting off at 10:30 AM.  The ship is staying in dock until 7:00 PM so all should be good.

Naples port.

Coming into Naples port

FYI:  Temperature is:  58°F/14°C 🌤🌤

The name of our excursion today is "Wonderful Positano" and we're really looking forward to it. It's a scenic drive with some photo stops and then an Italian lunch.

This is Mount Vesuvius, an active volcano.  It's under the clouds.

We passed Mount Vesuvius, however it was hard to see because of all the clouds.  We didn't stop so I had to take the picture as we passed.
First of all we stopped at Limoncello store...it was a great store.  Lots of souvenirs, free samples of limoncello and there was a nice toilet.

This is the view across the street

The parking lot at the Limoncello store...Awesome.

We then drove along the Amalfi coast to get to Positano.  I was on the wrong side of the bus going there but got pictures coming back.

The lighting is really cool coming home.

When we reach Positano, we stop at the top of a hill looking down at the town for a photo stop. Gorgeous.

Here we are...Positano's behind us.

Lunch is at the San Pietro Hotel and it has the Relais & Chateaux designation as well as one Michelin star.  Lunch is OMG good.
Here is what we had:

Caprese salad (fresh mozzarella & tomatoes) with avocado
then:
Cannelloni stuffed with spinach & ricotta (House Specialty)
then:
Choice of:  Fresh catch of the day with wine sauce & crispy salad
or -- Veal with Champagne sauce & potatoes croquette

Dessert was:  Lemon delight...a lemon dome-shaped cake, soaked with limoncello and iced with a lemon mousse.  Major Yum!!!

The meal was served with the local white & red wines.
Coffee or tea.

We had lunch with Richard & Lenore Vent

The hotel was gorgeous with an incredible view.  It has a private beach that you get to by elevator from the hotel and the elevator opens onto the beach.  Neat.

After lunch, we drive down the hill to the town of Positano for some free-time.  We've got about an hour to browse the shops and wander the town and do any shopping we may want to do.

Quaint and not real busy.

We all board the bus and settle in for our drive back...it's about 1 1/2 hours.  Nap time.
It was a great day.  Even though we had the whole mess over docking, it all worked out great.
Stayed in for the evening and watched the sun set.

We are in Rome tomorrow! Woo Hoo!!
Ciao!

APR. 27th -- EN ROUTE TO SORRENTO, ITALY

We have a sea-day today and we are cruising the Mediterranean Sea.
It's cool this morning and Barry & I are sitting inside and this is what we saw.

Where the hell did he come from?  We couldn't see any land!

Tired, I guess.

Sorry, that's it...that's all I've got today...it's a slow news day!

PS...I got a picture of Barry & me, from Mark, tonight.  So, I have added it to April 26.

APR. 26th -- HERAKLION, CRETE (GREECE)

FYI -- Temperature is:  77°F/25°C 🌤🌤
Day 112 of World Cruise ... OMG!!! I can't believe it.😲😲

We dock in Heraklion on the island of Crete.  Heraklion is the largest city and the capital of Crete.  It is also one of the largest cities in Greece.
We are up at 7:00 AM to look out and see what our port looks like.

Taken from our balcony

Barry & I decided not to do an excursion today but to take a taxi into town instead.  We'll walk around the town and get a feel for it.  It is Good Friday today (Greek Orthodox' Good Friday), so a lot of shops aren't open or are opening later this morning.

We get off the ship at approx. 10:00 AM and grab a taxi into town...it's about a 3-minute drive.  We are dropped at the edge of "Old Town" -- there's no traffic allowed in here -- and we walk in.  There are shops up & down the road.
We head down the road to Lion Square to see the Morosini Fountain.

Morosini Fountain in Lion's Square

Browsing...it's not busy yet.  Starts to get busy around 11:00 AM.

We do some browsing and after about an hour or so we pass a coffee shop.
Two people get up and leave just as we arrive, so we sit down and have a roadside view.  People watching at its best!

Marian's cappuccino

Barry's Americano coffee & honey donut-holes

Traditional Greek pastry...sweet with ricotta cheese filling.

Coffee shop is packed & we got the best seat in the house.

Around noon we get up and go back to some of the stores we browsed and buy our souvenirs.  We then walk back to the edge of Old Town, grab a taxi and go back to the ship.
We are back on board by 2:00 PM.  It was a wonderful trip into town and we really got a feel for the town and the people.

At 4:00 PM, we are still in port, and we are sitting out on the balcony.  We hear all the bells of all of the churches ringing (because of Good Friday, I guess).  It sounds really neat.
We leave the port at 5:00 this afternoon.

Leaving Crete

We turn our clocks back one hour tonight.
We have a sea-day tomorrow on our way to Sorrento, Italy.
Ciao, Baby.

HERE'S A PICTURE I GOT FROM MARK & WANTED TO ADD IT IN...

We're the only ones smiling...

APR. 25th -- CRUISING THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA

We are en route to Heraklion, Greece.

We have a sea-day as we will not reach our port in Heraklion until tomorrow at 7:00 AM.
Barry & I slept until almost 9:00 this morning.  Woke up feeling great!

It's the usual for a sea-day.
However, we missed Terry's 10:00 AM Enrichment Lecture.

At 11:15 AM we go to the Seven Seas Lounge for a cooking demonstration.  The Executive Chef, Ronald Marczak, Southern Fried Chicken with a spicy dipping sauce.  Chef Ronald is a little long-winded but we watch the entire thing and I picked up some very good tips and got the recipe.  Also, they are serving this Southern Fried Chicken in Compass Rose tonight!

This is pretty much how it was served.

At 2:00 PM Terry Bishop is giving another Enrichment Lecture called "The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World".  It was interesting even though the only ancient wonder left to see is the Great Pyramid of Giza...been there, saw it!!
Terry also talked about the Greek myth surrounding the Palace of Knossos...a lot of people are going to see these ruins tomorrow.

The Bull Ring Fresco, Palace of Knossos - 15th Century BC

According to Terry this fresco appears on everything in Heraklion..."the Bull" shows up on t-shirts, plates, coffee cups, etc.

We are meeting Rich & Carol for dinner tonight...Stars Lounge first and off to Compass Rose.
We all ordered the Southern Fried Chicken.  It came with a salad, dipping sauce & a buttermilk biscuit.  It was very crispy, moist & delicious.

APR. 24th -- HAIFA, ISRAEL, DAY 2

FYI -- 72°F/13°C 🌞🌞

We have an excursion today called "Tel Aviv Orientation and Jaffa".  It is 7 hours long and we leave at 7:15 AM.  It is a 1 1/2 hour drive to Tel Aviv.
Tel Aviv is often called "The Miami of the Middle East".  Here is a description  we got from a brochure describing Tel Aviv.  It's a good blurb.

"...the most exciting city in the Middle East!  Tel Aviv is a city on the edge -- where land meets the sea, where history meets the future, where West meets East.  To the north of Jaffa lay nothing but sand dunes and the trails of camels carrying the ancient city's famous oranges to distant markets.  Out of those sand dunes would rise the skyscrapers of a new city: the most liberal, the most technologically advanced, most socially progressive, most democratic city of the Middle East.
It's a young city but Tel Aviv's story is the culmination of thousands of years of history.  At once old and new, the city's fascinating fusion of tradition and modernity has lessons to teach all cultures all over the world."

We leave the pier and head out along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.  There are beautiful beaches and shoreline all along the way to Tel Aviv and Jaffa.

Pictures taken from the bus while passing

Just entering Tel Aviv

Our first stop in Tel Aviv is at the memorial of the Prime Minister of Israel, Yitzhak Rabin, who was murdered on November 4, 1995.

He was giving a speech in a public square and a man stepped forward and shot him three times in the chest.
This is comparative to the Kennedy Assassination...everyone remembers where they were when they heard the news.

Carry on to Old Jaffa, the historic area.  We have a walking tour throughout the town and see museums, fountains and head up to Azrieli Lookout which gives a great view of the city, Tel Aviv,  and also we go to the Wishing Bridge.

There were cobblestone walkways and the buildings were reminiscent of some European villages.

This museum was amusing in that there were statues all over the roof area.

The view of Tel Aviv from Azrieli Lookout

The Zodiac Fountain and there's Pisces right in the middle!

The Wishing Bridge

At the Wishing Bridge, you place your hand or hands on your zodiac sign and make a wish while you look at the sea and your wish will come true.  So, we did this.  Why not...we're here & it's free.

Barry wishing on Virgo

Me wishing on Pisces

St. Peter's Church.

After about 2 hours of walking we have a free-time break of 45-minutes and after that, we are to meet at St. Peter's Church.  There are all the typical souvenir shops around the square and we stop at a gelato shop.  Gelato & coffee -- a perfect lunch!

2 scoops each...me/vanilla & pistachio--Barry/panna cotta & chocolate

Israeli coffee - I tried but couldn't do it!  Yuk!

We now have a drive-thru Tel Aviv to see all of the skyscrapers.  This is done from the bus and there aren't any stops.

Here is a sampling of what we saw.

We head back to the pier...it is a little early but we don't want to get caught in traffic.  Yesterday's tour group had a three-hour trip back instead of an hour & a half.
We are back on board by 2:00 PM.
All is good ... it was an average tour as the tour guide had a very thick accent and was a "soft talker" so we missed a lot of what was being said.

We meet Rich & Carol for a drink in Star's Lounge to catch  up with them.  Poor Carol fell in her cabin the other night and hurt her hip.  (Carol is the one that fell on our third day at sea and dislocated her hip.) So, she is back using a walker and on pain meds.
When we leave them, we go back to our room and sit on the balcony and watch the sun set.

Music & red wine in our parkas, on the balcony

Sunset as we leave Haifa..

Dinner in our room...there is Alaskan Wild Halibut on the menu -- Yes, please!!
It is a sea-day tomorrow...YAY...we're sleeping in!