Author: Jim

Haven’t had enough time for updates. Will try to catch up this evening. Stay tuned…

After reviewing the available activities and considering that the country’s government does not support Ukraine, we decided to stay on board. (I cannot support those who back Nazis.) I haven’t had much luck at the casino, but I’m an expert at bar hopping, so I think I’ll find something to do. I discovered a bar at the back of the ship that offers several Belgian beers unavailable elsewhere on board. Maybe I’ll be hanging out by the pool today…

“We had visited Dubrovnik once before and had walked the city walls. Although we spent half an hour in the old town, most of our time was at a winery outside the city. There, we were given a demonstration of a horse-drawn olive oil press and enjoyed a wine tasting. The wine was excellent. The sommelier mentioned she was trying to get some onboard today—I now understand why.”

Below are a few pictures of our day. I didn’t get a whole lot of great ones but here is the best of what I have

Still battling a bit of jet lag, we spent the day exploring Malta. Our tour took us through Valletta, an ancient Bronze Age temple, and the fortress of Mdina. Of all these sites, the church in Valletta stood out as the most fascinating. One day simply isn’t enough to do the area justice—I hope to return someday.

Here are some pictures from the day…

Intresting day. Visited a local grocery and found some salty snacks. The store on the ship had discontinued carrying peanuts so we needed to go find a new source. Its always interesting to see whats available. Everything was in Italian so we really won’t know what we have for sure until we open them.

Below are a few pictures from a church we visited. It had a bell tower similar to one I saw years ago in Prague. In any event still getting used to the time change as well as recovering from travel.

Our cabin is on the back of the boat.  Its a wonderful place for a cup of coffee and take in the view.  Things are off to a great start.

After 16 hours and multiple flights, we finally made it to the ship. The airport is quite far from Rome, but the cruise port is closer to the city. Since we arrived just a few hours before the ship was set to depart, we didn’t have any time to explore Rome. Tomorrow, we’ll arrive in Messina, Sicily around midday. I’m sure we’ll sleep in as we try to adjust to the significant time change. We don’t have any specific plans—since the ship will dock right in town, we’ll just wander around, enjoy a glass of wine, and take in the sights.

On the way to the airport for the long flignt to Rome. Maybe safer once we are out of US air space. Hopefully it will be uneventful. What could possibly go wrong?

Still working on the details but we have two back to back cruises coming up in June. Stay tuned…

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