Europe – 2015 – Day 10

This was our first trip to Split, Croatia and it was a fun stop.  The nice thing is that we had to set our clocks back one hour and we didn’t arrive in the port until 10:00am, so we really got some great sleep.

We were off the ship by 10:30am and walked into the old city.  There were a lot of ships in the port and so the old city was very crowded.  

The city is quite large, 200,000; however, ½ of the population is in its 20s so it is a very young city. 

The old city is actually 10 acres of a very old palace started 1,700 years ago.  It is an amazing place where shops, hotels and cafes co-exist with the old historic buildings and fragments of columns and arches within the thick walls of the palace.  We were told that it took 20,000 slaves 10 years to build!

While walking around, we discovered a huge market and ended up eating lunch there.  I have attached a picture what we ate and the store owner, could not describe it to us other than to say it was some kind of meat with a sauce on wonderful bread.

Then we decided to go to a specific beach and we asked a cab driver and he said he knew where it was.  When we got to the beach he took us to, it was not the one we wanted.  So, he drove for another 15 minutes to a beach that was perfect.  The agreed price was 200 Croatian Kuna which was for a round-trip for both of us and he would wait.    There were only about 5 people on the entire stretch of beach, which was wonderful and at the end of two hours we walked back to our waiting cab.  When he drove us back to the ship, Ed gave him 200 Kuna plus a 20 Kuna tip and he demanded to be paid 700 Kuna for all the extra driving – even though it was his fault he first took us to the wrong beach.  We were right next to the ship so after a little shouting by the cab driver, Ed put the money on his arm rest and got out of the cab and we “ran” for the ship.  It felt great getting on the ship!!

Then we snacked and took a well deserved nap.

Then it was time to go to the show which was one of the best song and dance shows by the cast we have ever seen on a Celebrity ship.

Of course the next thing we did was have a great dinner and then onto the casino where Barb broke even and Ed loss.

 At the casino we found out that a man had jumped from his balcony a couple of days ago and died – what a terrible tragedy.

Our friends are Mets fans, so let’s hope the CUBS are victors – GO CUBS!!

 

Part of the castle

The entire old city grounds

Lunch - Mystery meat and great bread

Local butcher shop

 

Europe – 2015 – Day 9

Today we arrived in Corfu, Greece.  Corfu is a very small island lying at the entrance to the Adriatic Sea.  As it typical, it is a small island, less than 230 square miles.

60% of the island is covered in olives, citrus fruit trees and vineyards.  The olive oil produced here is supposed to be Greece’s best.

Our plan was to go to the old city and browse the winding streets and do some typical tourists shopping and they head to a beach: however, when we arrived it was cold, raining and not a good day for a beach.

We hopped on the shuttle bus with a jacket on and our umbrellas and went to old town.

There we wandered and of course shopped and shopped.  Even though it was lightly raining, we had a good time and this is a wonderful old city.  We had hoped to go to the beach but the clouds never parted.

We ate lunch at a marvelous restaurant and ordered 3 appetizers.  One was salmon, one was stuffed artichoke hearts and the third was brochette (sp) with sardines.  There was way too much food so we shared some with people in the tables next to us.

Then we finished walking and took the shuttle bus back to the ship. 

It was a little early, but certainly time for a nap, which we did until 5:30pm when we got up and went out for the evening.

The show tonight was a stand-up comedian from Britain and he was not able to make the ship as his plane was late so they brought in two people who we had just seen, a piano player and a singer.  They were good.

Then we walked around and people-watched and listened to music until it was time for dinner.

We ate at 9:00pm and the dinner was very good, as was the service.

Then it was onto the casino where Barb lost just a tiny bit and Ed won nicely.

Tomorrow we arrive in Split, Croatia, a town we have never been to so it should be fun.

Night – GO CUBS!!

 

Buying placemats

and now a new purse -she deserves it!!

Inside a Greek Church

 

Honey on a pastry beforelunch

Lunch

Europe – 2015 – Day 8

Today we arrived in Katakolon, Greece.  This seaside Greek town with a population around 3,000 is a typical small-town cruise port.  Cafes lace the waterfront, shops sell T-shirts, hat and jewelry and there is nothing much else to do in town except walk down the one street and eat at a local restaurant.

The popularity of the port is that it is 40 minutes from the ancient site of Olympia and the first Olympics and that is an amazing site as a lot of the site still has remains that you can visit, including the original straight track.

We have been to Olympia once before and once you have been there; there is no need to go back. 

So, we slept in and walked into town and down the shops before going to a little sea-side restaurant and having a great Gyros plated meal – it was more than enough for the two of us to share.

The shops had very good prices and Barb was able to find some great buys on scarves that she needed and Ed bought a shirt that he also needed!!!

After spending more time in town we came back to the ship and enjoyed the calm life on deck in the sun from 2:00pm to 4:00pm.

Then it was time for a nap and after our nap, we walked around and also talked to the future cruise staff about cruises in 2017 – nothing planned yet.

Tonight dinner was again in the Aqua dining room where we had a great table and wonderful wait staff

Then it was onto the casino where Barb and Ed both lost.

Tomorrow we go to a new island, the island of Corfu, Greece and we are looking forward to it.

Night for now – GO CUBS

Glad we have extra room in the suitcase

That's a Greek Gyros lunch

Barb's hall for the day!!  Ed's red shirt

Nap time!

Europe - 2015 - Day 7

We awoke to beautiful weather and anchored outside the island of Mykonos.  Mykonos is an amazing island.  All of the buildings are painted white with only the church domes painted either red or blue.  It is quite a sight to see.

As the ship did not dock but anchored, we had to take a tender to the small town.  It was actually better that to take a tender as they dropped us off right in front of the main part of the city.

According to the books, this island was “discovered” in the 1960’s by Aristotle Onassis who brought Jackie Kennedy here and soon the island became a playground of the celebrities.  Today it is for everyone and has a permanent population of only 8,000 people.

After spending most of the morning wandering the little streets of the town, we took a cab to one of the most famous beaches Paradise Beach.  The sand was almost like pebbles and the water was crystal clear with a very hot sun.

We ordered lunch which was a seafood salad, including shrimp and octopus and then stayed on the beach for the rest of the afternoon.  It was also the beach where most of the show cast was staying.

Then we took a cab back to town, walked around a little more and took the tender back to the ship.

We went to the food deck and brought some snacks back to the cabin and ate on the deck – what a great place to just relax!

Next was nap time and when we woke up it was time to go to the show.

The show was a piano player from England whose claim to fame was coming in second in one of the music TV shows.  We didn’t stay.

Dinner was a little late as they didn’t have a table for us right away so we sat in the lounge and were seated at 9:15pm.  The food was excellent; however, tonight the service was lacking.  Also, we had a very loud table next to us.  The Manager noticed it also and apologized to us and said he would sit us in a better table tomorrow.

Then it was time for the casino and both Barb and Ed won – so it was a good day and a good night.

Tomorrow is Katakolon, Greece, the gateway to the original Olympics.  We have made that tour before so we will get up late, get off the ship and shop in the little village of Katakolon.

Night for tonight – it is 1:30am our time.

The windmills for the city

Lunch on the beach

Part of Paradise Beach

A snack on the way back



Leaving town

The Celebrity Constellation

Europe - Day 6

When Ed woke up early to go get breakfast it was cloudy and looked like it was going to be a terrible day at sea with no sun.

By the time Barb was up, the sun had come out and it turned out to be a beautiful day.

We sat on the deck until 1:30pm and then went to eat lunch and then back out on the deck until 4 when we came in a took a nap.

Then it was time to get ready for the early show which was

We met Jeff and Vera in Michael’s Club for drinks and a little relaxation before dinner.  Jeff and Vera were able to get an upgrade to the same room style we have; therefore, both c0uples will be able to eat in BLU every night and that is great.

Dinner was enjoyable and then it was on to the casino where Barb lost at slots and Ed won at Blackjack.

 All in all, it was a fun day.

 Tomorrow is our first port, Mykonos, Greece, which is an island we visited a couple of years ago; however, it was raining most of the day then.  Tomorrow’s forecast is the mid 70”s and sunny, so it will be great.

Night

 

Snacks like this delivered each day at 4:30pm

Our first formal night

 

Europe – Day 5

Well today was just opposite from yesterday as when we woke up, the weather was perfect.  70+ and sunny.

 We walked around a few of the blocks surrounding the hotel and then met Jeff and Vera in the lobby for our 11:00am ride to the port.  Boarding was very easy and we were on the back deck eating lunch by 12:30pm.

 This is the same shop that we took the kids and grandkids on a few years ago, but it has been totally renovated and an entire floor was built as the 11^th floor deck with new cabins and those are the cabins we are in.  The cabins are bigger and the balconies are larger also that other cabins on this class of ship.  This is the Celebrity Constellation.

 After lunch, we left the ship and took a tram to the Grand Bazaar.  The Grand Bazaar defies description. It is simply huge with blocks and blocks or shops, all under one roof.

Then we took the tram back to the ship and our luggage was there so we unpacked before and after the mandatory life boat drill.

Then it was nap time before going to dinner in the restaurant BLU.  Jeff and Vera surprised Ed with a birthday cake including Corvette candles.

 After a good dinner we went to the Casino.  We know the Asst Mgr and a number of the dealers.  This is the first time with the Casino Manager and our Host.  They both seem nice.

 Barb did not play the slots and Ed lost tonight.  Let’s hope tomorrow will be better.  It is also a day at sea and a formal night.

Night from our first day of the cruise.

Ed's Superman gifts from Jeff and Vera



Barb and the main staircase

 

 

The Bazaar

 

So many scarves!!

 

Europe – 2015 – Day 4

Sunday in Istanbul – we decided to sleep in so we met Jeff and Vera at 11:30am in the lobby and went to a Synagogue with them.  When we arrived at the Synagogue, it was closed for a private party.  Interesting, the entire block was blocked off for most traffic and there were armed security people at three different stations as we approached the Synagogue.  At the Synagogue, there were another 4 security people there.  They told us that it was a private wedding and we could not go inside so we left and will go back tomorrow after we board the ship as the ship doesn’t leave until11:00pm.

After that we headed to the oldest Turkish bath house called the Ayasofya Hurrem Sultan Hamam, dating back to the 1500’s for a Turkish bath, massage and when we got there, we found out that they had no room for us.  So, we made a reservation for the day we get back – should be fun.

We walked back a couple of block to a small, very long street almost totally filled with restaurants and found one that had great food.  Again, we ate all kinds of food for lunch, including octopus!

After that, we took a cab ride to the biggest palace and it was called Dolmabance.  It had been used by Sultans (the rulers of Turkey for many years and was also used by a couple of the Presidents when they stopped being governed by a Sultan.  It was amazing – everywhere you looked it was gold, gold and more gold.

Then we split up with Vera and Jeff.  They went back to nap and we took a cab to see the largest Mosque in Istanbul.  After almost being ripped off by the cab driver you tried to short change us, we had to walk up this huge hill to get to the Mosque and we found out that it was closed.  

We found a cab down and had it take us to the big shopping street that we had been to a couple of days ago but it started raining so we took a cab back to the hotel, and had an hour before meeting Jeff and Vera at 8:30pm to go to dinner.

Dinner in an area called the fish market; however, we never did see the fish market but there certainly were a lot of little small restaurants.  We picked out one we thought we would like and did we have great service and great food, including octopus, anchovies, 4 other appetizers, then sea bass and lamb meat balls.  It was fun once again sharing our food with Jeff and Vera.

Then we took a cab back to the hotel and once again sat in the lounge until it closed at midnight.

It was a memorable day.  Tomorrow we are picked up at the hotel and taken to the ship at 11:00am so we will probably sleep in for a little and then get ready to go.  It is going to be a fun cruise.

Night from Istanbul

The Synagogue

 

Lunch at the Babyonia on the corner

A great lunch

 

Jeff and Vera at lunch with us

 

The front door of the palace - it has 68 bathrooms, 254 rooms and is huge

 

Ariel view of the biggest Mosque in Instanbul

 

Lamb on a spit - it was good

The start of our evening meal

At diner

Sea Bass