Europe
September 12, 2011 Santorini, Greece
I was so excited to visit Santorini! This is the Greek island that you always see pictures of in travel brochures – white-washed houses and blue-domed churches. The island is an ancient volcanic caldera and towns are perched on the edge of steep cliffs 900 feet above the sea. The port of Fira is located … Continue reading
September 11, 2011 Bodrum, Turkey
Today we’re in Bodrum, a port city on the Aegean Sea. The Castle of St. Peter, which overlooks the harbor and marina, was built by the Crusaders in the 15th century. The town is popular with tourists, sailors, and shoppers.
September 10, 2011 Kusadasi, Turkey
Kusadasi is great for shoppers – everything from authentic rugs to fake watches, handbags, and track suits. Bargaining is expected and everyone is very upfront and honest about their “authentic fake” merchandise.
September 9, 2011 Athens, Greece
Today we’re in Piraeus, Athen’s port. The weather is absolutely beautiful – hot and sunny. We took the train into the city center and climbed the hill to the Parthenon and the Acropolis, but we didn’t see Yanni at the top.
September 7, 2011 Kotor, Montenegro
The first stop on our Mediterranean cruise is Kotor, Montenegro. This country was part of the former Yugoslavia. We sailed into the beautiful Bay of Kotor, which has two famous islands – Our Lady of the Rocks and the Island of St. George . The town of Kotor is surrounded by a wall that has protected … Continue reading
September 6, 2011 Venice, Italy
Our ship, Royal Caribbean’s Splendour of the Seas, is departing on a Mediterranean cruise from Venice. We have a few nights in Venice before the ship leaves. It can be pretty expensive to stay in Venice – it’s an island so many people stay in a suburb and take a ferry or train to the … Continue reading
September 5, 2011 Splendour of the Seas
We are sailing on a 12 night Mediterranean cruise aboard Royal Caribbean’s Splendour of the Seas. The ship is sailing from Venice to Montenegro, Greece, Turkey, and Croatia.
September 2, 2011 San Marino
We’ve started our seven country adventure in San Marino. Where is San Marino??? It’s a gorgeous, tiny country in the middle of Italy with only 30,000 people. The mountain-top medieval castle is a UNESCO Heritage site, where the views are gorgeous. We arrived on a national holiday, similar to our 4th of July, and there’s … Continue reading
Travel Insurance
It seems my clients are divided into separate camps when it comes to trip insurance. They either ask me about it before I even mention it, they consider it carefully, or decline firmly when I offer. However, I want clients to realize that they’ve made an investment and it should be protected. I have to admit, at first glance travel … Continue reading
June 13, 2007 Random thoughts about Barcelona
Public nudity is legal in Barcelona. We witnessed a man walking down the street with nothing but a hat and shoes. He chatted with the police and seemed to know most locals. We saw an Iowa State Cyclones t-shirt in a clothing store Barcelona. While I love ISU, I’m not sure why Spaniards would care … Continue reading