Venice, Italy

Sailing (slowly) into the city along the canals with 100s of boats whizzing past and guided by a tug was astounding. At one point it appeared that our ship overran the tug guiding us.

 Venice, the capital of northern Italy’s Veneto region, is built on more than 100 small islands in a lagoon in the Adriatic Sea. It has no roads, just canals – including the Grand Canal thoroughfare – lined with Renaissance and Gothic palaces. The central square, Piazza San Marco, contains St. Mark’s Basilica, which is tiled with Byzantine mosaics, and the Campanile bell tower offering views of the city’s red roofs.




 We were shown the water seeping up through the concrete in the square. The first floors are used for storage only now. There are only 54,000 people living in Venice itself, which swells to overwhelming with the 3 million tourists.


  I went on a 4 1/2 hour walking tour which was 2 km with 500 steps. We started by the Court House beside the' Bridge of Sighs' perhaps because the convict had received a death sentence.

St .Mark's Basillica inside.

 

The churches in every town were amazing.

There were many stores with lace, including umbrellas, masks and the Murano glass works with everything you couldn't even imagines.This horse was in the entrance.

 These are the nameplates and doorbells, how old? at the front of thebuilding.

 The streets are so narrow, the guide was continually saying, move to the right please.

And the Bridge of Love with the locks attached and the keys thrown into the canal.

 Sailing away, I saw a bridal couple having pictures done on the wharf.

And the locals were fishing for dinner.

Loved Venice. Tonights entertainment was the Beattles Invasion and it was so good, you thought you were back there in 1962.

Dombrovnik, Croatia

One of the things I like the best is to be up at the front of the ship and watch us sailing into the ports. Dombrovnik, a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea is on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. It's prosperity was based on maritime trade reaching a high level of development during the 15 and 16th centuries, notable for its wealth and diplomacy.

It is a medieval Mediterranean walled city which withstood many many attacks over the years from many enemies. There are 1940m of defensive walls that completely encircle the city with 5423 steps.
We went through Pile Gate built in 1537, into the Old Town.
We had a short rainstorm but on sunny days you can walk all around the town on top of the walls.

There were museums, churches, businesses along the marble streets.

Today Dubrovnik is the most prosperous, elegant and expensive city in Croatia. The surrounding beaches and warm water are beautiful.

When you leave the pier, you can take Tuk-Tuks for a panoramic tour and go to the fictional captial King's Landing in the "Game of Thrones".
The Franjo Tudman Bridge, named to honour the country's first President, is a beautiful, modern structure, the most expensive in Croatia.

A little church in the midst of lcoal houses.

Our entertainment tonight was a magic show by Mistika and was incredible.

A Sea Day

Rain started pouring Saturday night and it was the worst storm Rome has had in 30 years. There were 5 deaths and taxis, buses and trains were completed stalled. We got so soaked in our ponchos walking to the office, it took 3days for our shoes and clothes in the suitcase to dry.  The management finally drove us to the train station where we waited 2 1/2 hours for a train to show up which took us  Citatavecchia and the waterfront. We were delighted to finally board the Norwegian Spirit and relax the next day at sea. The usual magnificent buffets were delicious, sometimes with a Roman theme.

We finished this relaxing day with the entertainment Welcome Aboard Show which was fabulous entertainment.

The Village Roma and Rome

We arrived safe and sound after a good trip. We shuttled to the Camping Village Roma, a sports center with cottages also,only 6 km to Rome's historic center. Features include a seasonal outdoor pool, hot tub, and poolside bar.
 We went to the National Museum, which was circular, full of early Roman artifacts. We missed Luisa but were awed by paintings, pottery, everything.

We circled the Vatican then visited the Colosseum and remembered it's history.

We went to the Circus Maxus, an ancient Roman chariot racing stadium and mass entertainment venue located in Rome, Italy.




There were beautiful churches everywhere.

The local bus.

Back to School

Here they go - grades 6, 8 and 11. Where does the time go????

A Summer Miracle - Ann in the Ocean

The old 'Ann Doyle' from Crescent Beach is back. I swam in the ocean today for the first time since the 1980's. I started going south with the kids to see mom and dad in Desert Hot Springs in 1976 and 41 years of indoor and outdoor pools at 89 degrees really spoils a gal. Here's Trey and I.

We join families for beach dinners often.

It's so much fun and what a sunny Aug.

Girl's Weekend at Lummi Island

Celine and I went south Thur morning and did all the shopping. We declined lunch but had a 3 sailing wait so grabbed some cheese in a bun with fresh grapes and had a picnic at the ferry dock. Yummy.

The Native influence is apparent.

We opened up the cabin, laundry house, Vicki's camper and filled all the humming and bird feeders.

Communal cooking is done on the outside porch kitchen while we enjoy the fire, birds and chipmunk. Celine treated us to macaroni and cheese Thur, Lasagna Fri and our usual delicious turkey Sat.

When I want some quiet, I go walking and sit on the porch of what I call 'my cottage' where no one seems to come and I love watching the ocean in this peaceful setting.

It's only 20' by 30' but is charming.

                                 and here's my view.