Mediterranean Cruise I

Kate and I are just back from a Mediterranean cruise on the Star Princess. The photo is Kate at Katakolon -- a gateway port to Olympia (which we did not visit) in Greece.

We left Rome (actually the port of Civitavecchia) in early November with stops in Naples, Santorini, Rhodes, Kusadasi, Mykonos, Athens, Katakolon, Corfu, Dubrovnik and finally Venice. Nights were spent travelling between ports, days were spent touring -- each day was sort of a "20 minute Louvre" where you dash in and try to see it all. We did a couple of organized tours but most ports we explored on our own. We have a lot of photos to organize.

The weather held for us. We had sunny days and no rain. The day in Mykonos was very windy. We had hoped to go swimming there but it was far too windy for us. Although I did some a couple of brave souls in the water.

We were well outside the tourist season. On Santorini and Mykonos most of the restaurants were closed. But we were surprised how busy things were. It must be really crazy during the heights of tourist season. I have a sense that travelling in late September through early October would be a good time to visit the islands. Perhaps on our next trip.

See also Photo Album of Mediterranean Cruise.

England

Click on Photo for Photo Album

In November of 2011 were were in England for a few days. Kate had a meeting in London so we arranged some holiday time around it. We took a train from Pancras Station and visited with our "No. 1 Son" Christopher in Nottingham where he's a student and I tramped around the city of London while Kate was at her meetings. After England we went on a Mediterranean Cruise of the Eastern end.

Nottingham is a pretty old town with canals and locks from the industrial age. Christopher took us to a couple of very old hotels. The "Trip to Jerusalem" (1189 AD) at the foot of the castle is supposed to be the oldest still standing inn in England but then we bumped into another, The "Bell Inn" that made a similar claim *(oldest in Nottingham, but isn't the other one in Nottingham as well?). Nottingham is of course famous for Robin Hood, Maid Marion and all that.

In London we stayed in Bloomsbury, not far from the British Museum which we both enjoyed. The Parthenon Marbles are found there and are an irritant between Britain and Greece. On the one hand the British say they've saved them, on the other hand the Greeks say they were looted. Our hotel was right across the street from Tavistock Square, there's a statue of Ghandi there.

I tramped around the city quite a bit. Kate's meetings were near Trafalgar Square and I walked from there down the Mall to Buckingham Palace. Lots of pomp and circumstance there. Then to see the horse palace, changing of the guards and a walk along Whitehall to Big Ben and Westminster Palace.

Here's a photo album if you're interested.