Mum and Mike on their cruise in Italy and surrounds

The Ventura
We are having fantastic time. We walked and walked in Venice until my feet were screaming and saying enough! Yesterday Mike's Achilles' tendon was sore but since we boarded the ship and started walking on flat carpet instead of cobbled roads he is better. We certainly saw all the byways and narrow streets of Venice - some intentionally, others when we got lost for the umpteenth time! It really is confusing. We were a bit disappointed with the Venice hotel room but once we managed to unlock the window which looked onto a wall at least we had some air. There was non working air conditioning! However the breakfast was excellent and the bed very comfortable which is all that mattered. We went round the Doges Palace but the Basilica queues were miles long so we gave it a miss. We bought a package on the public water taxis which worked really well but dragging our cases from the hotel to the Grand Canal was heavy going. We took a land taxi for the last bit to the embarkation point yesterday and will take a taxi back to the airport at the end. Our cabin is super. The bed was extremely comfortable and we have a super balcony. This morning Mike pulled the curtain back well before 6 (could have killed him) and the sun streamed in. Dinner last night was great and we have a table with Liz and Duncan. After dinner we went to a live show in the enormous Arena theatre with four outstanding male singers who have all been in well known London shows. The weather is perfect for me. Warm but not too hot and the sea is liked a millpond. Tomorrow we will be in Kotor, Montenegro and have an excursion planned.

Montenegro
We were up very early to watch as the ship came in to Montenegro.  It reminded us of the fjords in Norway with mountains coming down to the sea and it was quite misty too although that cleared later and it has been pretty hot all day.  We had an early breakfast with Liz and Duncan and were all loaded onto tenders soon after 8 am to get to shore.  The Ventura is too big to go right in.  The whole system is so highly organized and works very efficiently.  We started with a coach for our Best of  Montenegro trip and went over 27 hairpin bends with magnificent views of our ship in the bay and the stunning Boka Bay which is the riviera of the area.  We stopped at a tiny village to see ham being cured and then sampled both the ham and local cheeses and wine before going on via a circular route to the old town of Kotor where we had a walking tour.  Our guide was fantastic and we all had ear phones so we could hear everything he said clearly despite the numbers of tourists around.  There was time afterwards to walk around on our own before we returned to the ship and had a much needed swim.   The dance show last night was outstanding.  The group were called the Headliners and the show was packed with amazing choreography and stunning costumes.  They went from a waltz to the can can and from jive to Celtic tap.  The whole theatre was packed and it is enormous and they received a well deserved standing ovation.  Tomorrow is Corfu and another outing but Sunday we will have a day at sea which will actually be quite welcome especially if the sun shines and we can take advantage of our balcony.

Corfu
We are about to leave Corfu so the music is blaring at the sail away party they hold every time we leave a port.  Mike and I are relaxing in the cabin instead!  We can see all the sights from here and it is much quieter.  It has been cloudy and rather grey all day until about an hour ago when the sun came bursting thru again.  I was quite happy with the clouds except for photos which do not do justice to the beautiful crystal clear waters.  We so enjoyed our tour guide yesterday so were very disappointed when the girl today was hopeless.  Her English was limited, her accent made it difficult to understand and she went on and on about religion and the differences between the orthodox, catholic and non orthodox religions.  Frankly we did not care!  Another long spell was spent telling us the difference between the different ways to order Greek coffee!  We did see some beautiful countryside and a monastery but after my memories of the Meteora Monasteries I saw in 1996, it came a poor second.  We decided to leave the tour once we hit Corfu old town and do our own thing with Liz and Duncan.  We went to visit an old fort where we had another tiny cup of coffee.  Boy will I appreciate the Cape Town size mugs we get!!  Two sips and it is all gone here (and costs about R60).  At least in Australia the take aways we always bought on our walk to the beach kept us going the whole way!  We got somewhat lost trying to find the shuttle bus and by the time we finally made it to the right place we had all had enough!   Tomorrow we are at sea which actually sounds great.  The weather should be fine and we can swim and tan.  There is a comedian in the main theatre tonight which does not appeal to me much but there is also someone singing a tribute to Dusty Springfield at another venue.  There is always something to see or do and no doubt there will be lots of additional things tomorrow being a sea day.

Sunday at Sea
Not much to report.  My e mail last night refused to go but eventually disappeared into cyberspace this morning so hopefully you all received it.  Not heard from anyone!  I went to an talk on I pads this morning.  I missed the first one but it is being repeated next week so will make a point of going as it was interesting.  I did learn that if one presses the space bar twice it automatically inserts a full stop. How about that.  We have just been to see the movie Gravity with Sandra Bullock and George Clooney.  I love him and she is an excellent actress but the film was a load of cods wallop!  Had we been sitting nearer the end of the row I would have given up and left but did not want to disturb other people so nodded off instead!  It has been mainly cloudy most of the day but we did have a lovely view as we sailed round the top of Italy between Italy and Sardinia.  The only problem with sea days is everyone wants a lounger and despite all the rules saying one cannot reserve them by putting towels and books on them, of course most people take absolutely no notice whatsoever.  They did a barbecue at lunch time which Mike wanted to try.  I cannot stand hot dog type sausages and don't much like hamburgers so it would not have been my choice of venue but as we had a good breakfast I did not need more food anyway.   I cannot believe how much food people eat or the size of a vast number of passengers.  We are always being told how overweight Americans are but there are some enormous Brits too!  The worst ones even squeeze themselves into bikinis and low cut dresses and are not a pretty sight!!!

Civitavecchia
A very hot day so we we were very pleased we had decided to go into the countryside rather than have to travel for a couple of hours to get into Rome and then join endless queues to actually see any of the sights.  Another time!  We went on "A Taste of Tuscany" tour and had time in the very quaint hill town of Tuscania.  It dates back to medieval times with huge, thick walls, ramparts and churches.  We then went on to an agriturismo farm where we sampled organic regional specialities including olive oil and wine.  There were meats to taste and beautiful fresh crusty bread and cheese.  We had planned to go into Civitavecchia itself this afternoon using a shuttle bus but by the time we got back to the ship our feet were burning and we had a snooze instead and then went and swam.  I discovered the  spa bath too with amazing water jets.  There was no one else in there so I could really stretch out and have jets on my back and others against the soles of both fee.  Pure heaven.  Tomorrow it is Corsica and should be another beautiful day.

Ajaccio, Corsica
Today most of our trip revolved around Napoleon who was born here and there are monuments everywhere.  We also went to the Blood Islands so named because the granite rock glows a fiery red at sunset. We were not there at that time to know if it is true or not.  It has been much cooler today and tonight, for the first time the ship is rocking and rolling.  The only people walking in a straight line are drunk!  As we leave each port they have a party on deck.  Today was a British SailAway Party and everyone was given Union Jacks to wave and there was a great sing a long.  I videoed some of it but was very upset when I found I had no sound.  However I have now discovered I had turned off the speakers and, once turned on again it works as planned!

Tomorrow we arrive in  Genoa at 5am but I don't think we will be up to see us dock!  A lot of people are leaving and  more are arriving.  Some folk do a 7 night cruise and some the full 14 and some start and finish in Genoa while we start and finish in Venice.

Genoa
The beautiful sunny start changed to black skies and a very chilly wind so I wished I had packed a jersey!  However we had a super day including a walking tour of Genoa's old quarter, an old fishing village called Boccadasse, the lido and esplanade. There was a wonderful network of alleyways and pretty walled courtyards.   During our free time we found the most amazing little local cafe in a square where we had a totally decadent pistachio coffee and Genoese delicacy which was also filled with ground pistachios.  I was sorely tempted to buy extras to bring back to the ship because it was so delicious.  When we go to Florence tomorrow where we have at least 4 hours free time we will be looking for something similar!  It is not as though we are hungry I should add!  When we got back to the ship we went to one of the spa pools but it was degrees cooler than last time!  However the jets are wonderful on your feet and back and we always meet interesting people from all over the world.   A lot of people left the ship today and a lot more got on so there are lots of folks wandering around trying to find their way to their cabins or restaurants!  It is very easy to turn the wrong way.

Florence
We were so exhausted after our day in Florence that I could not summon up enough energy to write my usual e mail.  We left the ship at just after 8 and only just made it back in time for supper.  It was an hour and a half’s drive each way.  We started off with a traditional punting boat ride down the Arno which was wonderful.  Very peaceful compared to the chaos of the streets and lovely to see things from the water.  After our 45 minute trip we were free to explore on our own.  We walked and walked and as most of the roads are cobbled it is hard going.  Mike's achilles gets sore after a while so he was hobbling quite badly and today I saw several people who obviously took tumbles with limbs in plaster and big black eyes and cut heads.  The queues to get in to most of the museums and famous places, cathedrals etc. were incredibly long and we were warned we could wait over an hour at any of them so we decided to admire from the outside and not waste valuable time.  We stopped for a genuine Italian pizza at lunchtime and had a gelato.  They are really good.

Today has been at sea so we were up later than usual although still awake just after 6 am.  We like to sleep with the balcony door and the curtains open but it means it gets light awfully early!  Mike has been to two movies and I went to a refresher I pad course which I missed last week.  There was a lot of excitement when people noticed we were turning round and retracing our steps.  Apparently the captain received a mayday call  from a yacht in trouble asking for the closest ship to help.  That turned out to be us.  To cut a long story short, they lowered a rescue craft and went off to investigate and found a totally empty boat.  It transpired that the people on board abandoned ship late last night (not that we know why) and another boat was on its way to try and save the yacht.  Everyone was watching from the decks.

We are now about to have a cup of tea and then go for our usual hot tub and swim.

Amalfi Coast
What an absolutely fantastic day we had driving along the incredibly beautiful and spectacular Amalfi Coast from Naples via Sorrento and Positano yesterday.  The views were absolutely wonderful and I got some pretty good photos considering I was taking them on the I pad thru the glass window.  Mike forgot to charge his camera battery which died soon after our trip started!  The roads are incredibly narrow so one cannot stop anywhere (except to get out of the way of an oncoming vehicle).  The looks on the faces of obvious hire car drivers was priceless at times and we had one major hold up with an oncoming huge vehicle facing three tour buses with none of them having anywhere to manourvre  (spelling -  not sure and the I pad is not recognizing my word but hopefully you all understand!). Our driver was amazing and handled the 1190 - yes, I repeat, 1190 hairpin bends without scaring any of us to death.  There were sheer drops on the side and very few, what I would recognize as proper, barriers.  There is no way Mike and I could have driven ourselves and being much higher on a bus, we could see so much more too.  We had an hour in Sorrento which is a lovely town and a delicious cannelloni lunch included.  We had gelato in Adelphi before the return trip which was totally over the top but the toilets are few and far between so one has to use a cafe or restaurant and buy something!  Great excuse!  We had beautiful sunny skies most of the day but could see huge black clouds accumulating.  Half way back to the ship the heavens opened and there was a massive thunder storm.  Fortunately it stopped just before we had to get back on Ventura but started again just as the sail away party should have taken place.  We would not have gone anyway because we only just got back in time for dinner and security kept telling us to hurry up or the ship would sail without us.  Hardly likely with 50 or so people involved but they obviously enjoyed the power play!

Today we have been at sea.  It was very hot this morning and we are always amazed at how the Brits lie out in it for hours on end as though they have never heard of sunburn let alone skin cancer.  After 30 minutes of sun we found a sheltered shady spot.  Mike went to a documentary about the painter Vermeer and I went to see the Monument Men with George Clooney this afternoon. I had wanted to see it on the plane but find that tiny screen impossible and the sound was terrible so it was great that they showed it here on a regular movie size screen.

We have just seen from our e tickets that we are supposed to confirm our home flights 72 hours before we leave. How they expect us to do that I have no idea.  We don't have a contact number.  Hopefully we will find our flights have NOT been cancelled!  Tomorrow we are in Dubrovnik which we have visited before.  We are therefore not going to walk round the parapet around the city but are going to see three outlying islands which sound delightful.

Dubrovnik
Because we have been to Dubrovnik before we chose a trip to the Elaphite Islands which are a beautiful cluster of islands covered with lush Mediterranean and subtropical vegetation.  We visited the three main islands – Kolocep, Sipan and Lopud.  Kolocep is covered in thick pine tree forests and we walked up to see the small church.  It is very fertile in the valleys but in the winter the ground is totally flooded and the church showed signs of serious damp.  Sipan Island is known as the Golden Island  and Lopud is the most visited island and we swam there.  The beach does not have the beautiful golden sands that we are used to but is a dirty brown.  However the water was crystal clear and we swam with the fish.  Most of the buildings were rather run down with the exception of what has to be a 5 star resort with amazing pools, restaurants and obviously magnificent rooms.
There was another huge British SailAway just now except we did not sail!  Apparently a new member of staff's flight from the Far East was late so we have to wait for her to get from the airport.  She is en route in a taxi.  Had they not waited, she would have been flown straight back home.  We also have a new captain as our previous one has gone back to the UK on holiday.

Venice
Everyone was out on deck this morning to watch the ship sail into Venice.  Obviously, having spent two days there before the cruise and having gone up and down the Grand Canal on several occasions, we had seen a lot of the places.  We went  on a motor launch ride past the many islands that dot the Venetian Lagoon and saw the island that serves as Venice’s cemetery.  We stopped at Murano to see the wonderful glass being made and saw a master craftsman blowing and creating a horse.  There was an amazing gallery with some very expensive pieces which one could buy and they would crate and ship.  The prices were mind blowing!!  After Murano we went on to another island – Burano – which was my favourite.  There is a wonderful and colourful  fishing village.  All the houses are painted different colours.  Burano is known for its lace making which is still practised by the local women.  We saw one old lady working at her craft and it amazed me how she could see the delicate work she was doing.  How her eyes are not damaged is incredible.  We had time to wander round the village and I just loved it.  The story goes that the houses were originally all painted white but when the fishermen came home from long spells at sea and had a few drinks to celebrate, they tended to end up at the wrong house because they all looked the same.  The women decided to make sure their menfolk would know exactly which was their correct house!  It makes a good story, true or not!

Home
Everyone had to be off the ship and go through customs before 10 a.m. but our flight was only taking off at 7.30 p.m. which meant we would have had a long wait at the airport.  It turned out there were no left luggage facilities at Venice  Airport and not even any seats to use before one booked in which only happens two hours before the flight is due to depart.  Thankfully a purser had told us we could leave the ship, attend to formalities, leave our luggage at the dock left luggage facility and then get back on board and leave later in the afternoon.  Fortunately she was at the departure point when we went to sort out our cases and she spoke to the security people who allowed us to do as she had suggested.  Other people we later met at the airport had been standing around for 8 hours!  We spent the morning back on board  in a peaceful lounge with our books, had a good lunch and then caught a taxi.  Our flight to Istanbul left over an hour late and we had exactly five minutes to change planes so it was a mad scramble with people pushing and shoving.  Our luggage was booked right through.  We thought it unlikely it would make the plane but the flight actually left 30 minutes late and they obviously held it back to load the baggage.  There were probably about 30 of us involved and with only one flight a day (Turkish Airline) it would have been more of a problem getting our things back to us another day.  Long haul flights are a nightmare for me these days and after each one I vow never again.  No doubt I shall change my mind once the memory fades!  Jo was at Cape Town to meet us and it was great to be back in our little cottage but it was a fabulous holiday and one we shall always remember.