Adriatic Cruise – Venice, Italy

Our second visit to Venice started very wet.  Steady rain fell as we disembarked the ship and walked to the shuttle train that took us from the port area to the Piazzale Roma (where we boarded our bus to the airport on our last visit).  We crossed various canals – stopping occasionally to photograph the art, architecture, and scenery – as we followed our map towards Campo San Polo, where we checked to see if our favorite restaurant, Birraria La Corta, would be open for lunch. 
Crossing a quiet canal:

Chiesa di San Moise:

Modern art exhibition:

After checking the opening times for lunch, we walked through the city, took a gondola across the Grand Canal, and made our way to Piazza San Marco.  When we arrived, we were surprised to see the “acqua alta”, the seasonal flooding that affects Venice at this time of year.  After crossing the water on raised wooden walkways, we strolled through the Correr Museum, viewing artifacts that have been preserved and learning more of the history of Venice.
Flooding and raised walkways in Piazza San Marco:

Correr Museum:

Then, with the flood tide receding, we splashed across the square and entered the Doge’s Palace, an immense structure that was connected to St Mark’s Basilica.  We saw beautiful apartments and meeting rooms where the elite of Venice once gathered and held daily business.  Around every corner was magnificent architecture that, thanks to Rick Steves and his guide book, we were able to find the name of and a brief description of its significance.
Entrance of the Doge's Palace:

Doge's Palace courtyard:

Ancient "tetrarchs" statue, which the Venetian Empire looted from Constantinople:

Us in the Doge's Palace:

We made our way back across the Rialto Bridge and towards the restaurant for lunch.  We enjoyed two orders of lasagna, followed by fresh specialty gelato, before we had to go back to the ship for the evening.  Venice was once again a joy to visit.  The rain stopped about halfway through the day, making for a pleasant afternoon.  The temperature was near perfect, a major difference from the August heat that we experienced prior.  No matter the weather, Venice was still a highlight of our time in Italy.
The Rialto Bridge and Grand Canal:

Enjoying our amazing lasagna!:

~Blake

Adriatic Cruise – Day at Sea & Slovenia

On our journey north towards Slovenia, Lindsay and I were able to relax and enjoy an entire day at sea.  We were entertained with live shows, great movies, and board games.  We dined and lounged on the deck at our leisure.  We enjoyed every minute of it.
Relaxing on the cruise deck:

The cruise performers after an excellent show:

Lindz with a towel penguin, one of several towel animals we found in our cabin during the cruise:

For our visit to Slovenia, we decided to take another guided tour to two of the tourist attractions near the port of Koper.  As our bus climbed the mountain roads away from Koper, we got a wonderful view of the nearby Italian city of Trieste.  Further inland, we even got to see some snow in the mountains of Slovenia.  Our first stop of the day was to the beautiful Postojna Caves.  Rich with history and ageless beauty, these caves had stunning features around every corner.  Our cave tour began with a train ride that seemed like more of a roller coaster than a people mover, which took us deep into the cave where we began our walking tour.  Our guide satisfied our natural intrigue of the caves with all sorts of interesting information.  Never had I seen such vast openings in caves.  Now I can see what drew the dwarves of Middle Earth to these massive wonders.
Slovenian countryside:

Our tour group moving through the winding caverns:

"Concert Hall" - a huge cavern with great acoustics:

After the caves, our bus continued along the mountainous region to a castle that was nested into the mouth of another cave.  Predjama Castle was naturally fortified by sheer cliffs and a narrow path that led to the entrance.  Enemies who tried to lay siege to the castle failed because of a secret passage through the caves that allow food and provisions to make their way to the people inside the castle. 
The castle with the cave behind:

Us at Predjama Castle:

After the tour, we had a lovely lunch at a seaside restaurant.  People there loved to listen to our “American” English as they were used to it from movies and TV shows.  Slovenians seem to be a very happy people who enjoy the cultural influence of their northern neighbors, Italy and Austria.  Our visit was an unexpected delight!

~Blake

Adriatic Cruise – Arrival and Montenegro

Our adventure began with driving to another London airport, Luton.  There, we checked in with Thomson Airlines and boarded our flight to Corfu, Greece.  On the final approach, we got to see the beautiful cliffs and turquoise water along the coasts of the island of Corfu. Upon arrival, and after customs, we were greeted by various Thomson representatives leading us to the correct bus going to the cruise liner.  We arrived at the Port of Corfu and checked in with the cruise guides, received our boarding cards and welcome package, and were shown the way to the ship.  On the ship, we were guided to our room and were informed of the options for our evening events.  Our ship had 10 decks, 2 swimming pools, 3 dining options, a theater, a game room, a shopping area, a sporting deck, and an auditorium where all the Broadway-style shows took place.  The rest of that day was spent exploring the ship, eating at the dining facilities, and retiring to bed after we watched our ship pull away from port.

The Thomson Spirit:

The next morning we awoke to a foggy Montenegro as we pulled into the clear, calm waters of the Bay of Kotor.  We decided to join an excursion group for the day to best see as much as we could during our visit.  Our local tour guide, Ryan, was very knowledgeable and informative throughout the day as he explained the history, culture, and life of a local Montenegrin. 
The fog lifting from the Bay of Kotor:

Our tour took us to the village of Perast, which guarded the inlet of the southernmost fjord in Europe.   While in Perast, we took a boat to see Our Lady of the Rocks, a small, man-made island in the bay.  For centuries, local sailors have dropped rocks on this spot in thanks to the Virgin Mary for returning them home safely, eventually building the island and its church.
Village of Perast:

Bay of Kotor islands in the distance:

The island of Our Lady of the Rocks:

Our Lady of the Rocks interior:

Us on the island:

Back on shore, we traveled anti-clockwise around the bay, then took a ferry over the inlet towards the city of Tivat.  We only saw Tivat from the bus, because our next stop was in the resort city of Budva (where the casino in Casino Royale was located).  There we visited the Old Town where the ancient city center was located and walked along the Venetian Citadel that guarded the city.  After our return journey, we toured around the Old Town of Kotor, which had a city wall built very high on the mountain cliffs to defend from ancient inland attackers.
A beach in Budva:

The Old Town of Budva:

Sunset from the Budva Citadel:

The ancient mountainside walls above Kotor:

Montenegro was a very friendly and relaxed country to visit.  I liked a quote our tour guide said, “If a Montenegrin sees another person working, they will keep walking and not help him.  They don’t want to bother him.  However, if a Montenegrin sees another person relaxing, they will join and help him in any way they can.”

~Blake