Haifa, Israel
Overnight we had sailed north to Haifa which is Israel's third largest city and the name Haifa is a female name meaning slender (unlike the English term Heifer meaning not so slender). I was booked on another tour only this…
Jerusalem, Israel
Ashdod is the main port of Israel located about 25 miles north of the Gaza Strip. We were booked on a tour (I think the whole ship was booked on a tour) and we headed about 50 miles inland to…
Nicosia, Cyprus
Friday 21st was a sea day followed by a gala dinner. We had 5 new table mates and to say it didn't go well would be an understatement. After dinner Brenda, Susan and I had a post-mortem about our dining…
Olympia and Corinth, Greece
After a sea day we arrived back in Greece at the port of Katakolon which is only 20 miles from Olympia where the Olympic Games began in the 8th century BC. We were not booked on an official tour but…
San Marino
We stopped at the Italian port of Ravenna and I was torn between the Ferrari museum in Modena in one direction and the Republic of San Marino in the other. San Marino won (which is something you don't hear very…
Koper, Slovenia
Slovenia lies at the top of the Adriatic and is the most northerly of the six or 7 former Yugoslavia regions. Kosovo would be the seventh but it is not recognised by the UN and is claimed by Serbia despite…
Venice, Italy
News came through that Venice was experiencing its worst flooding in 22 years as an "acqua alta" hit St Mark's Square caused by high tides and strong scirocco winds. I'd already been woken in the middle of the night by…
Split, Croatia
We sailed into a breezy Split this morning with the prospect of a rainy overcast day. It actually turned out quite nice and it never ceases to amaze me just how much nicer places are in the sunshine. Me and…
Bari, Italy
Bari is an industrial port and capital of the Apulia region of Southern Italy. It's the first of 6 stops in Italy so the solos and I sauntered around the old town visiting all the main sights of Bari. The…
Saranda, Albania
Not on the original itinerary, Albania was added when the troubles in Turkey began some months ago all because passenger safety is the most important thing to Holland America! Anyway, Turkey's loss is Albania's gain and by the look of…