Tags
Croatia, Dubrovnik, Greece, Italy, Katakolon, Kotor, Montenegro, Rhapsody of the Seas, Santorini, Venice
Virtual Experience
Eat & Exercise
This section could clearly take up this entire post but in an effort to be efficient and effectively not divulge too many of my discretions, I shall keep it brief. Fresh fruits and vegetables, rich dishes prepared with the finest cheeses, tender prime rib and filet mignon that could be sliced with a butter knife, succulent shrimp and lobster, desserts too numerous and divine to list and nights with “water” from the seventeenth century has provided a challenge for the wardrobe and waistline. A fitness professional on the cruise ship said his role was to keep people in tip-top ship-shape versus having individuals look like the shape of the ship upon their return. I think I gave his phrase a run for its money while living out my delusion that calories on vacation don’t count. 🙂
Pray
God’s abundance of grace and mercy continues to humble me and fill my soul with gratitude. Never would I have imagined that I would see parts of his world that I only read about in history books growing up. It always amazes me that a scripture read at different times throughout your life can take on a multitude of meanings. Recently I re-read the words penned in Isaiah 4:27-31 which brought new encouragement to my soul. “Why would you ever complain, O Jacob, or whine, Israel, saying, “GOD has lost track of me. He doesn’t care what happens to?” Don’t you know anything? Haven’t you been listening? GOD doesn’t come and go. God lasts. He’s Creator of all you can see or imagine. He doesn’t get tired out, doesn’t pause to catch his breath. And he knows everything, inside and out. He energizes those who get tired, gives fresh strength to dropouts. For even young people tire and drop out, young folk in their prime stumble and fall. But those who wait upon GOD get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles. They run and don’t get tired, they walk and don’t lag behind.”
I have so much to be thankful for and while I wait for certain prayers to be answered, I dare not neglect to thank God for the strength and bountiful blessings He has provided in the meantime that go way beyond what I can think or imagine. Beloved, even when our flesh because weary, we must press on in faith because God has created us all with a purpose to fulfill and promises to bestow. While visiting Olympian square with artifacts dating back to the 4th and 5th century BC it was a great reminder that God’s word and the promises in His word remain the same; yesterday, today, and forever more.
Love
This cruise provided me the opportunity to expand my love for travel in Eastern Europe and divulge in a return visit to my beloved Greece. Today it is without reservation that I say Greece is my favorite country to experience. I love the culture and the sites are nothing less than spectacular. I have only been to three destinations in this great country and hope a return trip is in my future. I also hope to soon get stamps in my passport for my top two travel bucket list countries – South Africa and Cuba.
On a separate note, I forgot how much I LOVE to cruise. In my humble opinion, it really is the best way to travel. I still recall with roundness my inaugural cruise with my college best friend. The efficiency in which cruise ships infuse fine dining, activities, entertainment, transportation on sapphire oceans with five-star service to destinations around the world is a great way to travel. It had been five years since my last trip upon a floating city. My thought? What has taken you so long to book your next adventure upon the sparkling seas?
Teach
Rhapsody of the Seas started and ended in Venice, Italy with stops in Dubrovnik, Croatia; Kotor, Montenegro; Santorini and Katakolon, Greece. Prior to the cruise, I came to visit a few days early to adjust to the time change and once again enjoy the pleasure of getting lost in the streets of Venice. I will try and keep my summaries of each port brilliantly brief.
Here are a few interesting facts about Venice, one of Italy’s most picturesque cities:
• Venice is known for its bridges. There are 417 bridges in Venice, and 72 of those are private. I probably got lost on 5% of those.
• Houses in Venice are numbered according to districts, not streets, making it difficult to find addresses. Kate (a fellow international educator who loves to travel) and I got lost for an hour trying to find a beloved restaurant from her last visit which was to no avail.
• There are about 350 gondolas and 400 gondoliers in Venice. On average, gondolas are 11 meters long and weigh around 600 kilos. Upon further research. It cost about 3 million dollars to make one gondola and gondoliers who go through extensive training no longer provide solo serenades but still make over 100K annually. When asked for a song, a gondolier in a nearby boat remarked, “C’mon, they only do that in the movies.”
While close by I once again toured Murano (Venetian glassmaking), Burano (lacemaking) and Torcello. It is definitely worth the four-hour tour if you are in the area.
Croatia is located in the eastern part of Europe with a long coastline along the Adriatic Sea. It has more than a thousand islands with its capital, Zagreb located inland. Dubrovnik, Croatia is a seaport on the Mediterranean Sea just 3 meters above sea level and is as old as the 7th century. The city receives approximately 7.2 hours of sun each day and is surrounded by 2 kilometers of ancient walls and fortifications built in Baroque style architectural designs. The city of Dubrovnik is said to be the Hawaii of eastern Europe. To many people, Dubrovnik is familiar as a location for Game of Thrones, which our tour guide was more than happy to commentate on throughout our journey. To people of my decent, Dubrovnik banned slavery 449 years before the US condemning it as being “shameful, wrong and disgusting, and against all humanity” which I felt was an important piece of history.
I took a walk through the historic walls of old town entering at the Pile Gate which was built between the 13th and 17th centuries. This complex structure is amongst the largest in Europe and is described as protecting the freedom of the civilized and sophisticated republic that flourished in prosperity and peace for hundreds of years. The entire old town has walls that are 3 to 19 feet thick and over 6,000 feet long. In later years the heart of old town became the Stark Grad district which has shops mixed in with an impressive mixture of Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque-style churches, monasteries, and palaces. In 1991 after the siege of Dubrovnik from Yugoslavia, it became part of the UNESCO world heritage society.
What I found most surprising was my ignorance of the 1990 war that occurred between Croatia, the Serbs living in Croatia and Yugoslavia. Croatia itself borders Austria, Hungary, Italy, and Serbia. In 1991 Croatia cut all remaining ties with Yugoslavia and the war ended with Croatian victory declaring independence and preservation of its borders. When walking through old town I saw evidence of new tiled roofs that were replaced as a result of the bombing that had taken place. This country has seen plenty of unrest in its day and in the early years of practice, practiced a type of diplomacy which stated, “Be gentle with everybody and truthful with nobody.” Unfortunately today’s political landscape for the country of red, white, and blue is living up to the second half of this statement.
On a lighter note, I was informed that I was near the city that had won an entry into the Guinness’ book of world records due to their square footage of olive trees versus population.
Kotor, Montenegró as described by the English poet Lord Bryon is, ‘At the birth of the planet the most beautiful encounter between land and sea.’ The country has 117 beaches along the Adriatic coast, a primary reasons why it attracts millions of visitors. When researching Kotor, Montenegro and debating how to summarize my thoughts, the write up in the cruise compass (Rhapsody of the Seas daily newsletter), captured my sentiments perfectly. “Kotor is a feast for the eyes, from limestone cliffs jutting out over the bay to a walled-in world of Venetian masterpieces. Perhaps that was the idea of the architects – create a city worthy of its dramatic natural setting. Eye-catching as it is today, this ancient Mediterranean seaport has long been desired by many to include Romans, Venetian, French, and Austrians (just to name a few) whose influences still remain in their culture and cuisine. For centuries, the city Kotor was known as Cattaro only changing 1918 when it became part of Yugoslavia. Nowadays Kotor is one of the oldest and picturesque destinations in Montenegro. The Old City, known as Kotor Stark Grad is enclosed by an impressive three-mile wall courtesy of the Venetians built between the 14th and 17th century and is comprised of a collection of historic monuments, churches, restaurants, and boutiques.” I only was granted 9 hours on this island which was not nearly enough to take in and appreciate all of its history and beauty.
Santorini, Greece, classically named Thera is essentially what remains after an enormous volcanic eruption that destroyed the earliest settlements on a formerly single island, and created the current geological caldera. It is an island in the southern Aegean Sea and is a giant central, rectangular lagoon, which measures about 12 by 7 km (7.5 by 4.3 mi), is surrounded by 300 m (980 ft) high, steep cliffs on three sides.
Santorini is no doubt one of the most picturesque places in the world due to its stone white buildings with sapphire blue domes. Why these uniform colors for its buildings? When researching the answer I found a variety of reasons. Reason #1) It goes back to the time of the Ottoman occupation. Greeks were forbidden to fly their (blue and white) flag, so as an act of defiance they painted their houses blue and white. Previously, houses were not painted at all. They were built of vernacular stone and due to pirate raids in the Aegean, they were not decorated so that they blended with the landscape and were harder to see. You will have found in Mykonos Town that it was very easy to get lost, going up blind alleys etc. Towns were designed that way to confuse pirates and give residents a better chance to escape. Reason #2: With little to no wood available due to the small amount of rain they receive annually, the majority of the buildings on the islands were originally constructed out of dark, volcanic stone. The stone was a great insulator, but the color of the stone absorbed the heat making being inside on a hot day (every day is hot… it’s Greece!) unbearable. Painting the buildings white to reflect the harsh sunlight was a necessary and practical way to stay cool. Reason #3 which somewhat supports reason #1: It wasn’t until 1967, when a military government was in power in Greece, that the other colors disappeared for good. Thinking that the blue and white showed unification, and supported their political agenda, this government mandated that all buildings must be repainted in blue and white if they weren’t already. Whatever the reason(s), it stands to reason that Santorini is a necessary destination if you are ever in Eastern Europe.
Katakolon, Greece is a hole-in-the-wall port that is surprisingly charming. The port of Katakolon or Katakolo is a popular stop for cruise ships, offering an opportunity for passengers to visit the site of Olympia. We opted to go to UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ancient Olympia, the site where the Olympics were originally staged and to this day the flame is lit here first and remains lit during the duration of Olympic Games. I combed through the crumbling ruins of Olympia where the first Olympic Games were held in 776 BCE participating in the puddle jumping competition while wearing white paint which was courtesy of three days of intermittent rain. Also part of this tour was a first to the Archaeological Museum with artifacts spanning more than 3,500 years. The day ended with an authentic Greek-style meal made with the Rolls Royce of olive oil along with traditional Greek music and Sirtaki fold dancing which did not disappoint.
I once again am grateful and feel blessed beyond measure to have had this experience.