Second Half of Mediterranean Cruise
- Jan 1, 2019
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 20, 2020
The second portion of our cruise took us from Venice to Rome with many great stops along the way. The photo below shows our ports of call for this portion of the cruise.
VENEZIA, ITALY (Venice) – We started the second half of our cruise in Venice by cruising out of the city at dusk. The crowds at St Mark’s Square were clearly visible along with the leaning towers scattered throughout the city.
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St Marco Square Crowds waiting for vaporettos Leaning towers in Venice
SPLIT, CROATIA – Not wanting to spread her cold germs, Jeannie stayed on the ship for this port but Jim toured Diocletian’s Palace (the retirement home of a Roman emperor, built in 305 AD. You are only able to see the cellar (also used as a set for Crown of Thorns) as the rest of the palace is still occupied.
Graphic of Diocletian's Palace Modern look at the Palace Basement floor of Palace
DUBROVNIK, CROATIA – Since we had taken a guided tour of the walled city, on our first visit, Jim spent the port time walking thru the Lapad peninsula, north-west of the old walled city. Interesting to see some of the non-tourist part of town.
Cruise ships near Dubrovnik Newer part of Dubrovnik Creative reserved parking slots
SARANDE, ALBANIA – Our ship was the first cruise ship of the season here, so we were welcomed in the port by a band, folk dancing groups and children singing. We had arranged to take a HAL birding excursion so 14 of us jumped into a van with our guide Taulant Bino (one of 3 certified ornithologists in the country). We stopped at briny Lake Butrint (perfect for raising mussels) plus 3 other stops in the same area. We saw or heard 40 species. Near the river was an excavation of a Greek and then later a Roman city called Buthrotum where we spent a short time looking for a Golden Oriole, which we could hear but never found.
Overlooking the Adriatic Sea Harvesting mussels Ferry across Vivari Channel Buthrotum amphitheatre
KATAKOLON, GREECE – We took a HAL tour bus to the ruins of Olympia to use the Augmented Reality tablets which showed the buildings as they would have looked back in the 4th century when the site was used for athletic festivals – it had started as a religious site. The tablets helped make sense of the fallen columns and filled in the empty spaces between the original material still on the ground. We had just a short time to browse the archaeological museum onsite.
Columns at Olympia Tablet view of ruins Field of broken columns Hooded crow Jim with amphora at museum Lovely cafe at Katakolon
CRETE, GREECE – Before we left Canada, we tried to arrange a private birding tour on Crete but that fell through so we hired a taxi driver to take us to Agia Lake. Unfortunately, our driver did not speak English so we had to leave before we were really finished seeing what this small area had to offer. However, our wander about the harbour area of Chania with it’s Venetian buildings was a satisfying afternoon.
Taxi to Agia Lake Squacco heron Eurasian coots being coots Breakwater at Chania Sailing lesson at the harbour Yiali Tzami - Byzantine mosque
MYKONOS, GREECE – This port is a photographer’s dream with it’s picturesque white-washed buildings and welcoming passageways upon the hillside. We took a shuttle ferry from the ship over to Chora to see the shops, restaurants and homes tucked away in the alleyways. A great place to get lost in the maze of walkways, which we did.
Harbour with cruise ship at dock Housing in Chora Colourful alleyways A maze of streets and walkways
VALLETTA, MALTA - We were going to try scuba diving here but Jeannie’s cold derailed those plans, however, we enjoyed many of the tourist sites in this old, old World Heritage Site. Due to it’s location between Sicily and the North African coast, many invaders over the millennia have left their mark (and fortresses) on the landscape. We toured the Sacra Infermeria founded by the Knights Templar and also wandered about Fort St. Elmo which reminded us of Fort Rodd Hill in Victoria. Lovely to spend the evening in the old city, as well. However, the longer walk back to the ship, in the dark, was unexpected as our daytime route had been closed. Arrrgh.
Street scene in Valletta Sacra Infermeria Hospital Inside of Sacra Infermeria John and Helen enjoying Valletta Fort St Elmo Dusk at Valletta Triton Fountain at night Street lighting Victoria Gate
GOZO, MALTA - We hired a taxi to take us to a cliff area (Ta’ Cenc) which was mentioned as a birding site on Google (where else, eh?). We had hoped to see some migrating fowl but since they shoot birds on Malta, we only saw some birds burst out of the shrubs as they headed for the next hiding spot. The marketing for bird watching would be a tough sell at this port.
We did find some cart ruts which have an unknown history
Ta' Cenc Wagon ruts? Fishing boat at Gozo
PALERMO, ITALY on the island of Sicily – Since we hadn’t organized a tour, we walked along the busy streets and found some local markets. By chance, we decided to walk down a short alley and found a beautiful fountain and several very old churches. Sometimes, finding the unexpected is more of a treat than seeking out a known “must see” spot. As we walked about the streets, we had a glimpse into the reality of a changing Italy, and Europe with many migrants from Africa who are trying to establish a new life for themselves in a foreign country.
Pretoria Fountain (1500s) Church of San Cataldo Jeannie at the market Tuna and swordfish for sale Boiled octopus Rummage sale
NAPOLI, ITALY (Naples) Since Naples is not a charming city for ambling, we used this port as a jumping off spot to see the Amalfi coast, south of the city. Known as a holiday destination for Italians and movie stars, the coastline is cluttered with homes clinging to the hillside and wedged into small valleys near the sea. The driver of our small van had to negotiate the twisty, narrow highways helped by police flaggers who controlled the traffic so regular-sized buses could negotiate the hairpin turns and skinny portions. We saw Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi and Ravello.
Housing along the coast Every flat space is used Typical coastal road scene Narrow highways Overlooking Sorrento Positano Amalfi Square in Ravello Ravello is charming
Sev had organized this tour of the Amalfi Coast before we left North America and as he did for several other tours, his selection of group leader was right on target. We appreciated Sev’s time and commitment in finding just the right tour for us.
CIVITIVECCHIA, ITALY – Having visited this town on the first leg of our cruise, we had no problem finding the train station to Roma (tickets purchased online before we left) and then, we were onto Florence (Firenze to Italians, but what do they know? Hmm, it's their country so may we have it wrong).
Next up: A week in Firenze
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