Livorno, Italy

Today we are in Livorno, Italy. This is a lovely little city, we are scrolling through the Via Grande. They have really nice shops here. The Italians have real style. Guess what is coming back ladies...jumpsuits! I see them all over. I don't have the waist for them. We are sitting Ina little cafe having a cappuccino and using their WiFi. They are really good about letting you use their WiFi. This is becoming routine for us!

Yesterday was not the best day for us. We went to Rome by train on our own. It takes about an hour and a bit. First of all we could not find the train station, then we didn't buy the right ticket. We almost got fined on the train when they checked our tickets, but I think they took pity on the naive Canadians and just charged us 5 euros each. We found it hard to read signs as there is no English translation. When we got to Rome, we could not find our way around so we elected to take a hop on hop off bus to review the sights we had seen a few years ago. The two things I wanted to see was the Trevi fountain and the Spanish steps and I didn't get to see either...Oh well....next time. We found Rome to be dirty and disheveled. The train station area was filthy. We made our way back to the train station and found our way back to the ship. Not a stellar day but we made the best of it! The pictures below are ones we took in Ephesus (Turkey)

Deb in Santorini

Hi everyone,

This is a picture of me sitting at Santos Winery. It sits way up high overlooking Santorini.

Tomorrow we arrive in Amalfi, Italy

Tomorrow we arrive in Amalfi, Italy. We have spent a day at sea after leaving Santorini. The weather is still perfect. Sunny skies and calm seas.

This is one of the mosques but it is not the blue mosque. One of my favorite memories was hearing the call to prayer that is broadcasted 5 times a day through these minarets.

Amalfi, Italy

Today we arrived in Amalfi, Italy. We took the ferry to Positano which is about 20 minutes up the coast. After a walk around town, we took a ferry back to Amalfi and had a nice lunch - proscuitto pizza and caprese salad. There's nothing like pizza in Italy! I have eaten so much food, I think I will have to be rolled off the ship. It's all so good!

This is the monastery we visited in Montserrat. Loved it here.

We visited a lot of mosques. This is not the Blue Mosque. You have to cover your head. I am wearing the new scarf that Lauren gave me for Mother's Day. The picture below is taken at the Grand Bazaar. I 've never seen so many shops in one place!

Sitting in port at Santorini

Well dear friends I am finally able to sit in a little cafe and start to write some notes about my journey so far. Right now we are in Santorini and it is the most perfect day I've ever seen. Clear skies, sunshine and warmth. We are surrounded by the blue waters of the Agean Sea. We went to the winery at the top of the mountain and tasted some different Greek wines. Then we walked along the cobble path and took in the sights and sounds of the village.

We have away for just over a week but what a journey it has been. We left Vancouver on Friday, May 16th and flew with British Airways to London. This is only the second time we have flown with them, but once again we got upgraded to business class! I didn't ask for it either. So we were able to fly through the night in comfort.

First stop was Barcelona. Wow what a city. So much to see and do. We spent two days touring the city. Some of our highlights were Montserrat, the monastery on top of the mountain. This is the second monastery I've been to lately and there is something about the atmosphere in monasteries that re-energizes the soul. I will always remember this place. Then there are the Gaudi tourist attractions. I could not believe what this artist created. This is something not to be missed if you ever go to Barcelona. I loved Barcelona because of all the wonderful food and the people. Ron and I especially enjoyed people watching on Las Ramblas. We drank a pint of Sangria there.

Then from Barcelona it was on to Istanbul, Turkey. Again, we were totally blown away by this amazing city. There is so much history there. We took a two day tour and did as much as we could. There is so much to see! We went to several mosques. Toured the Spice Market and bought all kinds of spices. There is a funny story about this experience but I will save it for later! Yes we bought a Turkish rug. Fell for it hook, line and sinker! It's a nice rug though. It was Ron's idea to buy it. Saw the Blue Mosque. It isn't really blue you know. Went to the Grand Bazaar, but one shop is just like the rest you know. It is incredible to see. One of my fondest memory is the call to prayer which is broadcasted through the minarets around the mosques. Learning about the Muslim faith was interesting.

We boarded our ship in Istanbul. We spent a day and a half in port before we left for Kudadasi, Turkey. It was here that we visited Ephesus, where the Roman ruins are found. Another fascinating stop.


So right now I will send this along and figure out how to add my photos. I need my friend Pauline's help!

Sunset in the Carribbean