We were jolted awake at 4:45 a.m. It’s jarring to get that alarm even when you’re expecting it. We had a little bit of recycling to do (they are very serious about their recycling and the sorting of items) which had to be out in the hall when we left. Final packing, a splash to …
Author Archives: retirementwanderlustblog
Last Day in Venice
The day had no plan save for a Vivaldi concert at 8:30 p.m. The rest of the day was ours to do with as we wanted. Both still harboring some lingering coughs, we slept fitfully and were happy for the freedom of no schedule. We were in search of a gift for the gracious neighbor …
Venice and beyond
Fall is definitely in the air as we woke to a cooler morning and a change in the light. Fall is probably my favorite season so I look forward to the changes. I am glad we have been in Venice before and have checked off ✅ the requisite sites – – St. Mark’s Square, the …
More Venice
We woke to a cooler and cloudier day. Often times better for walking. We had a 10 a.m. Free Walking Tour scheduled that met, of course, in another district (Dorsoduro). Our plan was to take the vaporetto, but we still allowed plenty of time. Vaporetto plan failed because the ticket vending machine required a ‘pin’ …
¡Bella Venezia!
I love waking up in a magical place. It doesn’t get much more magical than Venice. The ancient city and her history, her neighborhoods, her families and her perseverance to thrive. We allowed ourselves a lazy morning enjoying the movement of people and boats out our window. We had breakfast at home, caught up on …
¡Venezia!
No matter how you feel about cruise ships, there cannot be a more beautiful way to enter the city of Venice than by water and the perspective that being about 6 stories up provides. There is no other approach (train, car or plane) that allows you the stealth that a water entry does. We arrived …
Split, Croatia
The forecasted storm arrived, full force, in the middle of the night. Thunder shook the balcony doors and lightening lit up the sky and the sea. Quite the spectacle, but we sailed on up the Adriatic Coast towards Croatia. We didn’t arrive in port until almost noon, giving us a leisurely morning. The rain was …
Cephalonia (Kefalonia) Greece
The sun was rising as we arrived in Argostoli harbor on Kefalonia. We lost an hour a few days prior when we left Italy and sailed east to Greece. Sunrise was now closer to 7:30 a.m. and the city lights were still on as we tied up to the dock. The first thing you noticed …
Chania, Crete
The sleeping has been blissful aboard the Lirica! Almost without exception we sleep with the balcony door open giving us both sea breeze and the sounds and smell of the water. That, coupled with the constant soft vibration of the ship and you have a recipe for a good night’s sleep. We arrived in Chania …
Santorini, Greece
The plan was to queue up at 6:30 a.m. to get tickets for the first tenders. This is the first time we ever had to tender on a cruise and were not quite sure of the logistics. However, I woke still feeling not great, so we took another couple of hours sleep. Then after an …
¡Ciao America! 