Dubrovnik, Croatia:
After another uneventful sea day we awoke to find ourselves anchoring in the Bay off Croatia.
We docked in the port of Dubrovnik in the Adriatic Sea, it is renowned for its old city located within rather large stone walls. We had pre-booked a tour for this stop, loading onto our bus around 10:30am. This tour would take us to the town of Cavtat located south east of Dobrovnik, we spent an hour wandering around this quaint town.
From Cavtat we were taken to see some traditional folk dancing and music.
From here we walked through the wall gates into the medieval city where we took a quick walk around before taking the cable car up a viewpoint where we could look over the city and the surrounding area.
We then went back down to walk the town and grab some dinner.
We also came across some items from Game Of Thrones and we have never watched a show:
As we walked back to the bus stop to take us back to the ship the sun was setting.
Kotor, Montenegro: Part 2
Another overnight sailing found us back in Kotor. We had decided that we would walk up to the fort at the top of the mountain behind the Old Town. This is a medieval walkway which has 1300 steps to the top with a donkey path at the side. Catherine, Bev and I left around 8am to get an early start while Pat enjoyed a leisurely breakfast on the ship.
We stopped at this little church which is approximately the halfway mark.
After making our way back down we went back to the ship for a shower and clean-up before going back into town with Pat for some lunch before setting sail later in the day.
Corfu, Greece:
We again had a tour booked for Corfu, this tour took us to a Kumquat orchard where they made Cumquat Marmalade and Liqueur. The Kumquat originated in Chana; now, what is the relation between Corfu and China? Kumquat was brought to Corfu by the British botanist Sidney Merlin. He brought kumquats to Corfu in 1860 and cultivated them in a field.
On another note; The Duke of Edenborough, Prince Philip (Queen’s husband) was born on Corfu.
From here they took us up the mountain for a refreshment. The view from the rest stop was wonderful.
The tour bus took the long way back over the mountain on some very narrow roads. Catherine and Stewart were dropped in town while Pat and Bev continued back to the ship. We walked along the seafront back towards to ship where we stopped at a restaurant for a snack and a beer.
From here we went back to the boat and watched to sun set.
The next day was a sea day, the water north of the Straits of Messina was like glass.
Ajaccio, Corsica, France:
We had no plans for Corsica, we had a leisurely breakfast before leaving the ship for a walk around the market area located outside the cruise ship terminal. While on our way we booked a Hop-On-Hop-Off bus but had an hour to wait before it left.
Burial Crypts just outside Ajaccio.
Toulon, France Part 2:
Next morning we awoke back in Toulon. As we had been here before both Pat and Bev decided to have a lazy day on board ship. Catherine and Stewart were going to go back into Toulon but found a land shuttle that went into La Seyne-sur-Mer. We went for a stroll around for a couple of hours. As we walked around checking out the local stores we passed a storefront with what we thought was a stuffed dog in the window, it did not breathe, blink or move whatsoever, as it turns out it sure was real.
Barcelona, Spain Part 2:
We arrived back into Barcelona early in the morning, we had some breakfast then disembarked around 10am, and we then taxied over to a small hotel were we would be staying for two nights before wondering back down to the seafront to catch another Hop-On-Hop-Off bus tour. Barcelona is a nice mix of old and new architecture, there is also column with a statue of Christopher Columbus.
And then there was The Gaudi – Sagrada FamÃlia. This Basilica was started 133 years ago but is now finally nearing completion.
There were peaceful demonstrations being held by the Catalans regarding independence.
We also visited an archeological dig within a large building.
The above plaque was in the dig area, it reads as though it is written about what is happening in Catalonia at the present time.
Well we all returned to Edmonton where Catherine and Stewart have been house and dog sitting for a friend while our truck and camper work is being completed. Once this is completed we will start our journey south.