On Tuesday October 30th we flew with British Airways via London Gatwick to Venice, arriving in Venice at 10:50 am the next day. It was a smooth transit through airport. We bought tickets for the bus at one of the machines in the baggage area for 8 Euro each. The machine accepts both card and cash, but we couldn't get our card to work. There are also ticket desks in the arrivals terminal & ticket machines at the bus stop. We caught a bus at 11:40am for the 20 minute ride to Palazze Roma from where it was a 4 minute walk to the Hotel Papadopoli Venezia. We had two nights in Venice pre cruise. We had a corner room (#225) overlooking the canal & Campo da Tolentini. Downside of the view was the noise from the bars/restaurants in the square below. Decorated in ‘venetian style‘ - red velour & heavy curtains - by European standards our room was spacious with decent size bathroom - no bath but large shower. The bed was very comfortable. Couldn’t figure out the heating/cooling controls. Large screen TV but limited English speaking channels. We paid extra for breakfast which was buffet style, and perhaps in trying to cater for all tastes it felt more like brunch than breakfast, but the quality of food & service was good. On Wednesday afternoon we walked to the Rialto Bridge then had dinner in the square across from the hotel - pasta, ½ liter of house wine & bottle of sparkling water was 46 euros including 12% service charge. Being Halloween there were a lot of children delighting in trick or treating the shopkeepers, and in keeping with Venice as the city of masks, their costumes were most impressive.
Thursday morning woke to the sound of rainfall and street-workers erecting the raised walkways in preparation for the flooding to come. Despite the rain, after breakfast, we grabbed an umbrella from the hotel & headed for St. Marks Square. We managed to get a little past the Rialto Bridge before having to turn around due to the flooding. Street vendors were doing a roaring trade in selling waterproof over-boots. Not fancying them ourselves we managed to navigate our way back to the hotel for a much needed nap. At around 4 o’clock the rain and flood waters abated and we walked a different route across the Ponte Academia(Academy Bridge), affording nice views along the Grand Canal towards St. Marks square. venturing as far as the Gritti Palace Hotel where we had stayed on our first visit to Venice before turning back. We found a nice restaurant for dinner, popular with tourists and locals alike. A shared cheese plate, pasta each, an aperol spritz, ½ liter of house wine, and desert was 65 euros.
On Friday morning, we woke early and despite the rain, went for a walk before breakfast to the Santa Maria d. Salute, at the end of the Grand Canal, affording views across the Bay of San Marco & Canale della Giudecca. Got a bit off the map on the way back & were ’rescued’ by a young French student on a 6 month exchange program in Venice, who went out of her way to guide us to our destination.
After breakfast we packed, checked out and took the ‘people mover’ from the Ple Roma to the cruise port (Euro 1.50). It only takes a couple of minutes however it was still raining and with hindsight we should have taken a taxi as it is a good 15 minute walk from the people mover to the cruise terminal. We were checked-in with the usual efficiency, and sitting in Colonnade with a glass of champagne less than an hour after leaving the hotel. After checking-out our suite (#1124), where there was a lovely floral bouquet from Marc Thompson, we familiarized ourselves with the ship. The Seabourn Ovation is spectacular, but takes a bit of adjusting-to after the ‘smaller‘ ships; for example, the forward elevators are on the port side (as opposed to starboard) and, having an extra deck, venues above deck 7 are one deck higher, eg Seabourn Square is on 7 but the Colonnade is on 9. We had reservations for The Thomas Keller Grill for our first evening. It was nice but still can’t see what all the fuss is about.
Saturday, November 3rd: (Docked, Partly Cloudy, 71F). Koper, Slovenia. Plan for today was to rent bikes & cycle the Parenzana trail , however after overdoing it a tad the night before, it was a late start & a sedate stroll around the town. Rising slightly above the port, Kopers main sight of interest is the Venetian-era old city, centered around Tito Square. It is a pleasant town to wander around and looking for a café with wifi we came across a café/bar where ½ litre of local craft beer soon put the spring back in my step. Seabourn offered a variety of excursions &, had we been up to it, cycling the Parenzana trail or a trip to Piran would have been two good options.
Sunday, November 4th: (Docked, Sunny 71F). Zadar, Croatia. On a small peninsula, Zadar is a vibrant city, rich in history, built around the Roman forum the centre is a mix of Roman ruins, medieval churches, museums & cosmopolitan cafes. One modern touch is the ‘Sea Organ’, a series of inlets along the promenade wall connected to a system of pipes & whistles that radiate wistful sighs as the movement of the sea pushes air through. Being a Sunday, promenading along the pier and having coffee/lunch at one of the many cafes seemed to be the main activities of choice. Across the Bay is the ‘new town‘, connected to the old by the Most Bridge. Had an interesting & enjoyable dinner in the Restaurant with Seabourn Club Representative Liezl Coetzer, her mum & a 90-year old retired GP from the UK.
Monday, November 5th: (Ships tender, partly cloudy 68F). Dubrovnik, Croatia. Having bounced back from the shelling in 1991, Baroque, Renaissance & Gothic buildings separated by narrow alleyways and encircled by massive 16th century stone walls, Dubrovnik is a feast for the senses. Tendering-in one gets a true sense of the enormity of the fortifications. Although expensive at Kuna 150, approx $22, the 2km (approx 2 hour) walk around the walls is a ‘must’ for first time visitors, although I wouldn’t want to do it in the high season - it was difficult enough trying to avoid the few selfie-taking tourists that we encountered - thank goodness it is one way only! Back in the town we found a café/bar with wi-fi & had a coffee & a beer, during which the rain came down heavily. Afterwards we wandered the main streets and explored the alleyways for an hour or so before returning to the ship. Tendering back, a yellow submarine offering underwater exploration of the Adriatic seemed a little out of place against the backdrop of the walled city!
Tuesday, November 6th: (Docked, partly cloudy 68F). Brindisi, Italy. We had read that Brindisi is mainly an industrial port so we took the train to Lecce. Approximately 30 minutes away, and costing Euros 2.80 each way, it is an inexpensive day trip. The station in Brindisi is an easy 15 minute walk from the dock & the main road from the station in Lecce leads right into the old town. We however turned right out of the station towards ‘Centro‘ & walking along busy main roads, asking ourselves what all the fuss about Lecce was about, had we not come across a street-side city map which pointed us in the right direction, we might well have got back on the train having ’missed’ Lecce altogether. ‘Old’ Lecce is a walled town but much larger and busier with road traffic than those of previous days - which combined with the rain made for a not particularly pleasant experience. Having said that, the architecture is interesting & the Roman coliseum gives one a clear picture of what it must have been like in gladiatorial days. Due to the inclement weather we caught an earlier train back to Brindisi, but given the chance I would do the same again. As it turned out, Brindisi appeared to be quite a modern city with tree-lined avenues & plenty of shops & cafes. However, as it was Tuesday afternoon they were mostly closed.
Wednesday, November 7th: (Docked, Sunny 69F). Argostoli, capital of Kefalonia, our first stop in Greece. Thankful for a late arrival at 10 am as clocks moved forward an hour overnight. We arrived in bright sunshine. Intending to walk around town & out to the lighthouse we came across a local tour operator (Avalon) offering tours of the island highlights for 45 Euros each. Some other passengers had signed up so we decided to join them. It was worth the price paid. Off-season so no crowds but other side of the coin, a lot of businesses closed. As we were returning to the ship the rain came down so we never got to walk around the town or to the lighthouse.
Thursday, November 8th: Day at Sea. Seabourn Club cocktail reception. Dinner with Guest Services Manager, Belindah Sibanda.
Friday, November 9th: (Ships tender, partly sunny 68F). Agios Nikolaos, Crete. We hired a car from Hertz and drove along the coast to visit the island of Spinalonga (Kalydon). Originally part of mainland Crete it was carved out by the Venetians in 1526 and a fort was built for defence purposes. In 1715 the Ottoman Turks captured Spinalonga thus removing the last trace of Venetian military presence in Crete. Fearing Christian reprisals during the Cretan Revolt of 1878 Spinalonga became a refuge for the few remaining Ottomans in Crete. It was not until 1903 that the last Turks left the island. From 1903 until 1957 the island was used as a leper colony. There were two entrances to Spinalonga, one being the lepers' entrance, a tunnel known as "Dante’s Gate", so named because the patients did not know what was going to happen to them once they arrived. However, once on the island they received food, water, medical attention and social security payments. Previously, such amenities had been unavailable to Crete's leprosy patients, as they mostly lived in the area's caves, away from civilization. On the island they organized a village, married had children & created a thriving community, including a cinema. Some buildings have been restored, housing shops, artifacts & information on the history of the island, but most are ruins.
Saturday, November 10th: (Docked, partly sunny 71F). Rhodes. We had planned on hiring a car but being refused due to the lack of an International Drivers Permit (same company as day before - go figure) we (with Lynn & Trevor) took a 4 hour tour with a local driver (Nicoloas), taking in the highlights of Rhodes & the Acropolis of Lindos. Though disappointed about the car hire, it worked out well & we got to see what we wanted without any stress. After the tour we had lunch at a local café and explored the sights/streets within the walled town, before returning to the ship to enjoy a display of Greek music & dance performed by a local folkloric troupe. Being a nice evening we had dinner on deck, followed by dancing under the stars and a musical tribute to the Bee Gees.
Sunday, November 11th: (Ships tender, sunny 72F). Kos, the birthplace of Hippocrates. Remembrance Day. It was a lovely sunny day. After observing a minutes silence at 11 o’clock, we tendered ashore & followed the colored walking routes through Kos town, taking in the plane tree of Hippocrates, the ruins of the ancient Roman Agora, Odeon, and Casa Romana a restored 3rd century Roman villa. Perhaps it was because the main tourist season was over, but, frankly, the ruins were overgrown & had a air of neglect. Being Sunday, and off-season, the town had a ‘closed’ feeling about it, but a local craft market provided us an opportunity to purchase some Greek sweets, herbs and something for the grandchildren. Damage caused by the earthquake of 2017 is still clearly visible, particularly along the seafront. At 6:00 pm, we attended a very emotional Remembrance/Veterans Day service in the Grand Salon.
Monday, November 12th: (Docked, sunny 66F). Mykonos. Today we took our one & only Seabourn shore excursion to the Island of Delos. We met on the dock & boarded a small private ferry for a 10 minute boat ride to Mykonos town (the cruise port is a short shuttle ride to town) where we transferred to a larger public ferry for the 30 minute ride to the Island of Delos. It apparently is always windy in Mykonos (hence windmills are a defining feature of the Mykonian landscape) & so it was a fairly rough passage. Belying it’s small geographical footprint of 6.5 sq kms, (5 kms by 1.3 kms), for ancient Greeks, Delos was the most sacred place being the birthplace of Apollo, the god of light, harmony & balance; & his twin sister Artemis, the moon-goddess, two of the most important deities of the Greek Parthenon. Dating from 2,500 BC, Delos reached the peak of its glory in the 9th Cent. BC when Hellenes from all over the Greek world gathered to worship Apollo & Artemis. After 167 BC the town developed rapidly with rich merchants, bankers, and ship-owners settling there & building luxurious, richly decorated houses. It was, at that time, the greatest commercial centre of the whole world. However, the prosperity of the island would lead to its downfall, attacked & looted twice by the Romans (in 88 BC then in 69 BC) the island was gradually abandoned fell into decline. Excavations started in 1872 are still in progress. 5,000 statues have been uncovered with less than a 1/10th of the island excavated to date. Although the statues seen among the excavations are reconstructions, the on-site the museum contains many originals. The tour lasted approximately 4 hours after which we explored the narrow winding streets of Mykonos & had a beer/wine with pita & hummus at a harbour side café. Again, being off-season not many stores were open but Mykonos is a lovely white town well worthy of a visit. Interestingly, having no fresh water source, all houses in Mykonos collect & recycle rainwater & by ordinance all buildings must be painted white.
Tuesday, November 13th: (Ships tender, sunny 68F). Nafplion. The first capital of the newly born Greek state between 1823 & 1834 Nafplion, in the area of Argolis (eastern Pelopponese) is one of the most beautiful & romantic towns in mainland Greece. Standing 216 m above the town, the fortress of Palamidi built by the Venetians in the early 19th C provides commanding views over the town, coastline & surrounding countryside. The fort consisted of 8 bastions, connected but each self contained so that if one fell the others could be separately defended. During the Turkish occupation Christians were forbidden to enter the fort. The revolution against Turkish occupation began at Palamidi and in 1822 the fort was captured by Greek rebels. For a time it was used as a prison and in 1833 Theodoros Kolokotronis, one of the Revolution leaders was imprisoned here, charged with high treason. His cell, a hole in the ground accessed through a small opening in the thick walls can be seen today. Forced to do hard labor, the 999 steps (we counted 924) up to the fortress were built by the prisoners. It is possible to take a taxi to the eastern entrance but the best walking route is via the steps. We took approx. 25 minutes going up & 15 minutes coming down (including several photo stops). Note, when we visited it was very windy at the top - we saw one lady blown over by the wind funneling through one of the bastion gates - & even though the sun was shining it was quite cold. The town itself is charming & although not large, it is easy to spend several hours exploring the streets & alleyways, shopping or simply having a coffee & watching the world pass by. For our last night aboard, we had dinner at the TK Grill with Trevor & Lynn.
Wednesday, November 14th. Docked in Piraeus (Athens) for disembarkation. Took Seabourn transfer to airport with tour of Acropolis. Had one night stay at airport Sofitel before catching B.A. 8:00 am flight to Heathrow & transferring to Gatwick for flight home. All flights on time & transfer with ‘UK Cars’ (http://www.ukcarshighwycombe.co.uk) worked out great with no hold-ups on M25.