http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Traf-Burts/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Traf Burts en-us Sun, 20 Dec 2009 10:29:14 +0000 Sun, 20 Dec 2009 10:29:14 +0000 Day 11 Back in RomeWell the cruise has finished and when we set out we weren't sure whether we'd love it or hate it.The 11 days were enough to convince us that saving for another cruise would be well worth while. Maybe the Inside Passage in Alaska would be good. Many of the other passengers told us how they had enjoyed that.Some may say that we spent most our trip visiting old buildings etc and th http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Lazio/Civitavecchia/blog-274482.html Day 10 MessinaMessina is on the northeastern Sicilian coast. It's on the western shore of the Strait of Messina between Sicily and the Italian mainland Calabria Province.Our guide took us around the town with a highlight at 12 noon. In a number of niches of a large bell tower was presented a tableau of metal sculptures with religious motifs. http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Sicily/Messina/blog-274478.html Day 9Malta Valetta MdinaOur excursion today took us to look at the ancient quiet city of Mdina and then we returned to look around the modern capital of Malta Valetta.Paid for a sumptuous meal in the Pinacle Grill very nice. http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Malta/Malta/blog-274151.html Day 8 At SeaSlept in late. Relaxed. Listened to several presentations from different speakers ranging from the executive chef talking while a bloke made fancy carvings into fruit and vegies. Arrived late and played in a trivia competition. Most of the questions related to USA history sports people and actors etc.Attended an art auction and wait for it we bought two paintings. Thatrsquos right http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Malta/Malta/blog-274036.html Day 7 Kusadasi TurkeyAfter sailing overnight through various Greek islands in the Agean Sea we berthed early morning in the Turkish port of Kusadasi.This port is close to Ephesus the Ageanrsquos bestpreserved ancient city. Layers of silt covered this 2000year old city over the years and much has been discovered but much is still buried.Associated with Ephesus is the tomb of St John the Apost http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Turkey/Aegean/Kusadasi/blog-273483.html Day 6Beautiful SantoriniMary Donohue will remember Geoff saying how he longed to visit the Greek Island one day.Well today he got his wish and got to experience the magic of Santorini with its white buildings some topped with blue at the top of black cliffsMagic http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/South-Aegean/Santorini/blog-272890.html Day 5Sailed into the small town of Katakolon on the coast of western Greece.This is the closest port to the famous ruins of Olympia. Bus to the site and we werenrsquot disappointed.The Olympic torch is lit some month before the start of each Olympic Games at a very insignificant spot in the complex.On our return to the ship we stopped at a tavern and were given light snack food including local http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/West-Greece/Olympia/blog-272536.html Day 3 of the cruiseSitting back during the past few weeks and thinking about each of the ports of call on this adventure I formed an image of Dubrovnik encouraged by my reading and the internet images I'd seen and knew I would be very pleased after the visit to the town.Pleased I was absolutely enthralledWe paid for some personal service from a local guide and it was well worthing the very http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Croatia/Dalmatia/Dubrovnik/blog-272039.html The first of the cruise days and after killing some time around the neighborhood near our hotel our hire car driver made good time Italian drivers are maniacs to the port city of Civitavecchia.Got through the security checks etc and boarded about 2.30 pmMuch to our delight we had been upgraded from an outside cabin on the 1st deck to a cabin on the 5th floor with our own verandah.Mrs Burt got i http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Lazio/Civitavecchia/blog-271481.html Day 2 or is it 3 who's countingOK so I was tired and jetlagged when I posted our first entry and the spelling wasn't the best. Most of you will have spotted the spelling variation of Mediterranean. RightPat Geoff spent most of today Monday exploring Rome and meeting up with other old ruins like us.One of the best ways of getting around big cities is on board the open top double deck bus http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Lazio/Rome/blog-271115.html Days 1 2 I thinkPat I arrived in Rome about midday Sunday. The Singapore Airlines plane should have got here about 3 hours earlier but an undercarriage malfunction on the original plane saw us take 2 security checks at two different terminals in Singapore.We were met as planned by a driver who took us to the city very quickly. At stages on a 110km motorway not an autostrada were hitting http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/blog-270721.html In our very first blog before we even left we posed the question as to whether the proposed trip would be ldquotoo ambitious and exhausting for two 65 yo Aussiesrdquo We commented that maybe it would.Unfortunately we were right and in hindsight we would have been better to take a guided tour or tours through Geoffrsquos muchanticipated Croatia.Whatrsquos gone on since our last blogWe http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Victoria/blog-166250.html After flowers trees other plants the Traf Duo wandered around in the London rain on the next two days. That's right almost an hour after the sunblessed Chelsea Flower Show finished the wet stuff began and it hasn't really stopped since. What is there to do on a wet London day Pat pointed us in the direction of one of the most wellknow high class and EXPENSIVE stores in London. What did http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/blog-163139.html Hampton Wick Chase Lodge HotelGeoff Burt Yesterday we drove from Swanage hauled our cases etc up the steepest and narrowest set of steps we've seen so far returned the hire car to Avis at Heathrow airport and caught a train in to London. Quite humidly warm and by the end of the day of wandering and refamiliarising ourselves with the transport system we were both knackered. Today we experien http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Greater-London/Chelsea/blog-162413.html Glasgow to SwanageGeoff Burt Itrsquos sometime since wersquove taken the opportunity to make blog entries so consequently this is on the first full morning in Swanage on the coast of Dorset in England. This is where John William Cole Burt and his wife and kids lived before emigrating to Australia about 150 years ago. Get your atlas out JWCB was Geoffrsquos great great grandfather and was a http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Dorset/Swanage/blog-161356.html We write this on Saturday night May 19 after an eventful day of driving. GPS Navman was instructed to take us via the shortest rather than fastest route so we saw many narrow country roads and consequently very few large towns where we could fill a rapidly emptying fuel tank. Just made it to a town called Corby. Not a Sharelle in sight Our overnight stop was made at a working farm complete http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Buckinghamshire/Aylesbury/blog-161352.html After a day of leisurely driving around Lake Windermere walking around pretty little towns and having to back up about 100m in a very narrow road after a mobile home broke down at the narrowest point we spent a quiet night at the BB Beaumont Hotel in Windermere. Friday morning and we took to the motorways to travel south bypassing Manchester and then southeast into the Peak District. Som http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/blog-161349.html UntitledGeoff BurtEverything went well regarding the current car hire and we've now reached the Lakes District of England not far south of Scotland on the west coast.Today we went on a full day minibus tour around the area and we don't remember any of todays views from when we were here in 1976. Old farts like us have bad memoriesThe views were spoiled by the first day of rain we've had but you http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Cumbria/Lake-District/blog-159173.html Sunday May 13 and wersquore sitting in a very nice little BB overlooking the harbour at Uig pronounced ooig Ferries depart from here for some of the outer islands. We watched one arrive unload and load trucks cars and depart in about 20 minutes. For scenic grandeur the last 2 days of touring on Skye has been wonderful. So many vistas opened up at turns in the very narrow onelane ro http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/Scotland/Isle-of-Skye/blog-158436.html Itrsquos Friday May 11 and we have our hire car. First stop at the 8 step lock series lifting boats from sea level to the Calladonian Canal eventually linking with Loch Ness. Wersquove reached Portree on the western side of the Isle of Skye and the vistas along the way were breathtaking. We liked the rugged scenes in Ireland when we went there but this part of the world looks wonderful. Th http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/Scotland/Isle-of-Skye/blog-158432.html