Both The Journey and the Destination

When it comes to cruising, it is as much about the journey as it is about the destinations. 

Approaching Ibiza

I was reminded of that on our recent western Mediterranean cruise as we sipped room-service-delivered, piping hot coffee each morning on the balcony of our cabin watching some new port of call come into view. 

Morning coffee brought to our room at no extra charge 

Those coffee deliveries rank high on my 'feeling pampered' list and are among the reasons I so like cruising. But I am usually so focused on the vastly differing destinations that we are heading to -- both new and old favorites -- that my tales focus on them and not the ship that gets us to them. Yet, with cruising, the ship and its amenities are as important as those ports of call. 

Onboard the Oceania Vista

Our Mediterranean cruise was a rather last-minute travel idea for us. We decided to take it only three weeks before the sailing. We can do that because among the pluses of expat life is the ease of getting to other European countries.  Getting from Athens to Civitavecchia, Italy from where the ship departed was a three-hour journey; two for the flight and an hour for the shuttle from the Rome airport.

We chose this cruise because it would take us to four countries in 10 days, giving us an introduction to some new places and a refresher course of others. We'd not have more than a day in any one place, but long enough to get a feel for it and decide if we would one day return for a longer stay. 

Oceania's Vista, our ship, barely a year old

Oceania's Vista ship, barely a year old, was repositioning back to the Mediterranean for its summer season from the Caribbean where it had sailed last winter. It is one of the larger ships in Oceania's fleet, accommodating1,200 passengers and a staff of 800 who hailed from 51 countries.

We selected the 10-day segment based on the ports of call, price and our previous experiences with the cruise line. Oceania and its new ship didn't disappoint. Our standard class stateroom was simply spacious. Suitcases were stored under the bed after clothes were put in the large closet and the room's many drawers. Another plus for cruising is that we unpack once. No hauling suitcases from city to city, through airports and train stations.  

Our floating home for 10 days

Its bathroom was as large as that of a luxury hotel and the shower was so large that it could have accommodated several people.

Our cruise was a segment of the longer repositioning cruise that had started in Miami, Florida. It ultimately ended in Trieste, Italy, several days after we departed the ship in Malta.  Many of our fellow cruisers had been on the ship since it left the United States and stayed on until Italy.

With nearly a week of sea days spent crossing the Atlantic, those cruisers had time to take advantage of the educational and enrichment activities on board: among them, brushing up on computer skills or creating art in a dedicated studio staffed by two Artists in Residence. Several took advantage of the large culinary arts center where one could sharpen culinary skills under the guidance of the chef. 

With a port of call each day we had no time to indulge in any enrichment pursuits on board. We had plenty of culture and history indoctrination with our explorations.

Entertainment options included performances by a string quartets, singers and pianists. Shows took place each night in the ship's theatre, lectures on ports of call were held, and late-night dancing and music was regularly offered. A casino opened for gaming as soon as the ship entered international waters. 

Sun seekers at pool side

For the sun seekers there was a pool, and hot tubs, running track, a putting green, and a popular bocce ball court.  

One of three rooms that make up the ship's library

One of the most impressive amenities (especially for us, who live in an area without English language bookstores or libraries) was the ship's expansive, three-room library located next to Barista's specialty coffee shop. It was one of the most beautiful -- and well stocked -- libraries that we've ever seen on a cruise ship.

Medical center on board - well equipped and staffed

Of course, since it played prominently in our cruise experience (see my last post), I must note, the ship also has a well-equipped and staffed medical center. While one never expects to need it, it was great having it there when we did. (Medical care is not provided without cost. A visit to the doctor was $150US, medicine an additional $30US.)

Formal dining room is but one of many dining options

'Wining and Dining' is always a highpoint of cruising for us, and we had more options than we knew what to do with on this ship.  

Sail away happy hour Livorno Italy

Specialty restaurants including a steakhouse, Asian and Italian, were available at no extra charge (other cruise lines do charge for the specialty offerings). The days of dressing up and heading to a big stuffy cavernous dining room are over on this cruise line.  We could choose when and where we ate, whether to join others or to eat by ourselves. Casual dining or formal dress was up to us.

The ship offered a 2-for-1 Happy Hour each evening in several of its lounges and bars that brought the per glass price of drinks down to a reasonable rate ($14 to $15 was the average per glass rate for wine on board). 

Morning in Malta

Cruising isn't for everyone. And it is good we don't all like the same modes of travel. But for us, it is an easy and cost-effective means of having an introduction to places that would require a lot of time, effort and planning to get to otherwise.  Sometimes, as in this case, it was a quick but comprehensive get-away.

Thanks for being with us again.  We hope wherever and however you are traveling this spring and summer that you will have smooth sailing ~ and that you'll be back with us again when I write about the need for the tastes of travel~

Barcelona ~ The Tripping Point

One minute he was walking next to me. Then he wasn't. 

He was laying on the sidewalk. 

Las Ramblas - Barcelona

And not just any sidewalk, but one found in one of Barcelona's more famous areas, the tree-lined Las Ramblas. 

Elegant buildings line Las Ramblas

Las Ramblas, was laid out ages ago along the city's medieval wall. It is lined with stately buildings completed in the 18th century and is one of the more popular tourist destinations in this Spanish city; although its popularity is a bit diminished these days by the warnings issued to visitors about pickpockets and touts who roam the area.

Oceania Vista

Our stop in Barcelona was mid-point in the 10-day Oceania cruise we had begun in Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy.  We'd made two stops in Italy and two France on our way to Spain.  Those ports of call had been a delightful mix of ship-sponsored tours (two outings came as part of our cruise benefits) and taking off on our own, which is our favorite way to explore when cruising.

Approaching Cinque Terra

One of our ship's tours was a small boat trip from La Spezia to the Cinque Terra in Italy. . .

Garden at Van Gogh's asylum - a trip highlight

. . . another was a motorcoach tour from Marseille, France into Provence with a stop at Van Gogh's asylum just outside St. Remy.

A visit with friends and tour of Lucca, their expat home

In Italy's Livorno, we headed off on our own, catching a train to Lucca, where we had a delightful visit with American expat friends of ours who graciously spent the better part of a day showing us around their adopted city. 

Entrance to Nice's train station

We'd also hopped a train in France, again on our own, and traveled a short distance from Villefranche where we were docked to spend a delightful Sunday roaming the streets of Nice before catching the train back.

We'd opted to 'do' Barcelona on our own as well. We strolled the length of Las Ramblas in the morning, we spent time exploring neighborhoods and the Gothic Quarter and were making our way back to the ship's shuttle bus in the early afternoon via Las Ramblas when we hit. . .

The Tripping Point

The culprit was a curb. Plain and simple. 

An old curb that had been rounded and worn smooth by time and footsteps; the kind that has a surface as slick as ice.  And we watch for those things. Living in Greece we've been trained to recognize streets and sidewalk hazards. We know that centuries-old European cities have walking surfaces worn smooth over the ages. But The Scout was also keeping an eye on approaching cars as he stepped off the curb. . .and it took him but a moment to go from upright to lying flat on the sidewalk.

In retrospect, there are two good things about his fall. First, was the immediacy with which people came running to help. Could they help him up, could they summon an ambulance, could they stay with us? We were surrounded by willing helpers. Not like the US big cities where passersby often ignore pleas for help. We've seen time and again people offering help in European cities but this time we were on the receiving end of the kindness. 

Several men -- from nearby businesses and a couple of taxi drivers - helped him get to his feet.  Three young women in their late teens wanted to call an ambulance and wouldn't leave us until he demonstrated he was able to walk, if slowly, to the shuttle bus. One of the taxi drivers offered to drive us to a hospital.

The other good news was that he didn't break a hip, leg, arm or head.  

However, the bad news was that he cracked or broke a few ribs and bruised his sternum.  

Visiting The Ship's Medical Center

A cruise 'first' - the Medical Center

Over the last couple of decades we've taken many cruises, and we've been fortunate in never having seen the inside of any of the ships' medical centers. This was our introduction to that cruise ship amenity, and I am happy to say, this one was nothing short of amazing!

There were three patient rooms, one intensive care unit, two medical assistants and a doctor.  The medical center is equipped with defibrillators, external pacemakers, pulse oximeters, an ECG, thrombolytics and lab equipment.  

"We even have a morgue," noted the doctor as he pointed to a door off to the side of the reception area. 

Modern well-equipped medical center on Oceania's Vista

The Scout was examined and prescribed some heavy-duty pain pills.  The doctor offered to make on shore hospital referral that day or subsequent day if symptoms worsened. (They didn't).

Smooth Sailing

Climb every fortress - Ibiza our last stop

The Scout wasn't about to miss out on the remaining ports of call, and we logged almost as many steps with each stop after his tumble as we had before - and that equates to several miles of walking each day.  

This promenade was flat in Alicante, Spain 

The cruise segment ended in Valletta, Malta. We'd sailed some 1,837 nautical miles around the Mediterranean. We spent a day and night in Valletta. The shortest distance we traveled was 85 nautical miles between Livorno and La Spezia, Italy and the longest was 665 n.m. between Ibiza, Spain and Malta. The cruise segment we had booked was part of a cruise that had started in Miami, Florida and would end after another 10-day segment in Trieste, Italy. Several hundred passengers were doing the full 35-day trip.

Setting sail from Ibiza, Spain 

We've been back in Greece for a week now. And Greek Orthodox Easter Week is upon us. The Scout is still moving gingerly.  We've reapplied for our residency permits so no more travel or cruises outside of Greece for a while.  But we've got some great memories and other stories from the cruise that I will be telling you about in the next post.  

Until then safe travels to you and yours, watch those 'tripping points'!

Then Comes a Time to Travel

We've become complacent in this Greek expat life of ours.  It is easy to do when the sea is a stone's throw to our left and mountain peaks are to our right. 

It is easy to become content until one day, you aren't, and you know it is time to travel.  

The sea is a stone's throw away.. .

In the Peloponnese, where winters are mild and storms mighty, but few, there is no burning desire to escape inclement weather as we did in our Pacific Northwest life. A good book and fire in the fireplace on the bad days and a coffee at the beach bar on the good days. . .who needs travel, we've asked ourselves in deepest winter here.

Beaches are empty in the winter here

As I wrote last week, in addition to complacency, we had one of our 'fur kid' family members traveling toward the Rainbow Bridge in recent months and that meant we weren't traveling anywhere until her journey was completed with us at her side.  

Maggie's journey is completed.

The last time I packed a suitcase, and we boarded a plane was last September for our return to Greece from the States. Now that is quite a stretch for these two vagabonds who once spent as much of the year living out of a suitcase, as we did at home. And we also recognize that we are aging vagabonds, so we have far fewer travel days ahead than there once were, so . . .

Then Comes a Time to Travel

File photo: way too long since I've packed a bag

The Scout had his work cut out for him: something that would allow us to see as many places as possible, with as little effort as possible, and in a window of time no longer than 10 days. 

(Regular readers recall our residence permits expire in late April and our travels in Europe will be forbidden until a new permit is issued, likely some 10 months from now. We will be able to travel in Greece and to our home country.)

Our route to adventures

He met the challenge and soon we will be headed to Rome from Athens. And there, we will board a cruise ship and set sail for ports of call in Italy, France, Spain, and Menorca (not Mallorca as shown on the map) before ending in Malta from where we will return to Athens. 

The sea from the ship is mesmerizing.

It will be our third cruise on an Oceania ship; this one the line's newest, the Vista.  The routing takes us to a few places we've been to and introduces us to three new cities along the way. From Marseille we will head to Arles on a bus, from Livorno we will hop a train to Lucca to visit friends there. Valencia is home to the largest municipal market in Europe, we will spend a good deal of time in it. We will spend a night in Valletta where the cruise ends, staying in its old town in an ancient building turned modern hotel. Its address is Old Bakery Street, can it be any better?

Sea daze

And we plan to spend a good deal of time simply gazing at the sea.   It is one of our favorite things to do on a cruise.  

We know many of you have traveled to the destinations we are soon to be visiting and welcome any recommendations you might have for us.  Shoot us an email or leave a comment.

The olive grove shorn for summer.

And as I close, I want to say thank you for the many comments we received after my last post about Princess and Maggie and lessons they've taught in the olive grove. Maggie's departure has left a significant gap in our world.  Your kindness was most appreciated!

Until next time, safe travels to you and yours~ and thanks for being with us today!

Good Morning Viet Nam!.

Arriving in the very early morning hours we found ourselves in a monochrome world; one that even muted the sunrise. Good morning, Viet Nam! 

A muted sunrise on the Saigon River, Viet Nam

Because our cruise ship carried only 625 passengers, it was small enough to dock in Ho Chi Minh City. That meant we had a bit of a river cruise traveling up the Saigon River, at the break of day. Those enormous cruise ships can't make it up the river, so another plus for small ship cruising.

 

River traffic on the Saigon was fascinating.

This was the destination we had been waiting for on this 10-day Southeast Asian cruise. Aboard the Oceania Nautica, we'd set sail from Bangkok, Thailand and had visited Koh Samui, Thailand, then spent a day in Cambodia. We spent two days at sea thanks to stormy weather to our north and finally we were approaching Ho Chi Minh City, still called by some, Saigon.

The Saigon River, a journey in itself

One of my favorite parts of cruising is arriving at a port, especially one that we've never been to before. And this was certainly that! The everyday sights and sounds are every bit as interesting to us as are the 'tourist attractions' that await on land.  I guess we'd ascribe to the theory that in cruising, the journey is every bit as interesting as the destination itself. The Saigon River didn't disappoint.

Entering the mangrove lined river

Remembering 'that' war

The majority of our fellow cruisers were of the age to have lived through the Viet Nam war years. The Scout, on this journey, recalled his luck in having a military draft lottery number of 365, virtually an assurance he wouldn't be called to serve in the Southeast Asion conflict. I was a teenager who remembers the horrors that appeared in U.S. headlines. My memories of what had actually taken place here were as hazy as the atmosphere.

Along the Saigon River

For others on the ship, the memories of the war were much more vivid.  One of our fellow passengers, a Vietnamese lady, was returning back to visit her country. She had been one of the 'boat people' who had managed to escape.  

Another man, who had served in Viet Nam, stood next to us at the railing as we entered the river. He gazed out to sea as if seeing a scene from decades ago, and said, "We were out there. Our boat was out there. . .we saved 150 of them. . .they wouldn't have made it, had we not been there." 

A bridge under construction on the Saigon River

He then pulled out his wallet and retrieved a folded bill, a Vietnamese 'dong' as their currency is called. He showed it to us, saying, 'I've carried this with me since then.' He gave it a final glance, folded it up and tucked it and the memories it held back in his wallet and then continued to gaze at the sea. 

Up a Hazy and Polluted River

I'll admit that we've become spoiled by the crystal clear, deep blue and green waters that surround us in our adopted country, Greece. Some days the clearness and color intensity stop us in our tracks - so beautiful, that it doesn't look real, as in the photo below:

So you can imagine our reaction to the Saigon River pollution. I took this shot and several others of the free-floating debris that we traveled through to reach the dock. It seemed endless. While motor vehicles and scooter pollution contribute to a hazy - polluted - atmosphere at times, we lucked out and had blue skies. 

But the polluted river has so many sources of contamination that it doesn't seem to stand a fighting chance at clearing up anytime soon.

A current of garbage making its way to sea

Since returning and preparing to write this post, I have been reading about the sad state of the Saigon River -- actually, somewhat startling, in this day and age of world-wide environmental focus. There are so many sources of pollution it is mind-numbing.  Industrial, agricultural and population-generated waste are all blamed for the river's pollution.  Most recent articles about the city say leaders are 'looking at' the waste problem - sadly, none report any actions being taken.  

Pollution in the Saigon River

We docked some three hours after entering the river. Our stay in this city of about nine million people was for the better part of three days. By the second day the ship was asking guests to conserve water because they were not taking on water here.  I can see why!

One morning as we made our way into the city, we saw a shop owner vigorously sweeping the waste that had accumulated on the sidewalk in front of his small business. It was an admirable effort until he swept the containers and garbage into the storm water drain instead of putting them in a garbage can!

Approaching Ho Chi Minh City

While our introduction to this amazing city was a bit off-putting due to the pollution and haze, it was a fabulous stop in a most amazing city. It exceeded my expectations tenfold. We are both saying a return visit will be in order. Next post will focus on all that is stunningly beautiful in this, the largest city in Viet Nam.

Until then thanks for joining us today.  Wishes for happy and safe travels to you and yours~

Adrift in the South China Sea

 Adrift, is probably too strong a word. As in reality, we simply sailed in circles for a couple of days.

Tender at the side of our Nautica ship

We were sailing from Cambodia to Nha Trang, our first stop in Viet Nam, on a 10-day Southeast Asian adventure aboard Oceania's Nautica. But when we checked the ship's navigational map, it appeared our ship was headed back the direction from which we had come. We joked with others at breakfast that someone had better tell the captain we were supposed to be going the other way.

Blue line shows our circling the South China Sea

Turns out the captain got the last laugh. We were going just the way he intended. The morning announcements confirmed we were going back the way we came as we were getting away from the storm and rough seas that would prevent our visit to Nha Trang. As the blue line on the map above indicates we didn't move very far either direction for a time.

Instead of one day at sea, we'd have two. Now we both like sea days, but when the selling point of the cruise had been two stops in Viet Nam, the news, I will admit, was disappointing. 

Koh Samui tenders were open to the sea and sun

But the port we were skipping was a' tender port'; one that requires the ship to anchor some distance out at sea, passengers descend a portable stairway attached to the side of the ship and board small boats that take them back and forth between the port and ship. 

Sometimes the shuttle runs in those 'lifeboat' tenders that dangle at the side of the ship and other times they are provided by the port. In Koh Samui, Thailand, we had colorful Thai tenders that opened to both the sea and the sun.   

Our ship at sea in a tender port, Koh Samui, Thailand

Neither of the small boat options would be good in a storm when the ship is a healthy distance from the shore.

View from the Nautica Horizon's Lounge

It was a good reminder that the best laid travel plans don't always work out, especially when traveling on the sea and subject to the whims of Mother Nature and the weather gods.   The nice thing about being on a cruise ship with such an itinerary change was not having to scramble to find an additional night's accommodations nor change airline tickets. 

For two days, the ship and the sea would be our world.

Days at Sea. . .

In today's cruise world, our ship with just more than 600 passengers, is considered small.  Yet, it came with a choice of dining venues (fine dining to grilled hot dogs and milk shakes), there was musical entertainment, a small casino, theater, movies, lectures, cooking demonstrations, and a wonderful wood-paneled library where you could spend hours. 

Staying on board was not tough duty.

Morning coffee on our cabin's deck - a daily event

We didn't completely avoid that storm and our ship was rocked both evenings of our sea days with wind and waves. Think of a cradle rocking from side to side and you've got an idea of the motion.  It was not frightening, but somewhat upsetting to those who don't have strong stomachs - luckily, we aren't among those folks.

Sun and sea beaconed on those sea days

The weather was hot, usually in the 80F to 90F, or 26 - 32C, range.  The chaise lounges at poolside called out to many of our fellow passengers. 

Our cabin - Oceania Nautica

We opted for the comfort of our cabin where we'd grab one of several books we'd purchased along the way and spend most of the afternoon reading.   

One of our delightful crew members

A highlight of any cruise for us is getting to know members of the staff. . . and sea days certainly give you time to visit with staff.  All of the service and hospitality personnel are primarily young people from all over the world. They are eager to talk about their families and the countries from which they come.  Their home country used to be printed on their name tags, but Oceania has quit doing that for whatever reason.  

A favorite Happy Hour waitress was from the Philippines. The ship's next cruise segment would get her back to the Philippines and afford her a day-long visit with family - she was thoroughly excited.  But, the 28-year-old, added, she was in her eighth contract on the ship. She'd begun with the idea of doing a single six-month contract and had liked it so well, she found herself signing up for more.

Senior Staff introduced at the Captain's Cocktail Party - guess the Chef

There is usually one staff member who stands out above all others for us and on this cruise, it was Aye.  This livewire seemed to work 24/7 behind the buffet counter. Always full of life, she was calling out greetings and flashing her smile whether she was serving early morning breakfast or late-night buffet.  

My name is Aye, that is A not I

'My name is Aye,' she explained one morning, 'That is A not I.' Aye hails from Myanmar. And that is all that I learned about her as her job serving at the buffet didn't allow much chat time. However, in that brief name discussion I told her I was Jackie.  From that point on she no longer greeted me as 'Ma'am' but flashed her smile and would call out, 'Miss Jackie'.  

Aye charmed us all

One evening in Viet Nam, she was dressed in a traditional Vietnamese outfit to help serve a special Asian Buffet dinner.  While always adorable, on that particular night she was simply stunning. I asked if I could take her photo and if I could share it with my friends on social media.  I stopped her in her tracks, she was so flattered: 'Oh Miss Jackie, you want my photo? Of course!' 

Early on I predicted that with her personality and skills, that we would likely have her as a cruise director one day. As our cruise went on, I changed the prediction: this young woman may well be the company's CEO one day!

And with the photos of Aye against a backdrop of Ho Chi Minh City, you have probably figured out that we eventually arrived in Viet Nam. HCMC was stunning and will be my focus next time around! Hope to have you back again and bring some friends with you! Until then wishes for smooth sailing to you and yours~