cgkim

Our last stop is the island of Sardinia and Porto Cervo. Sardinia is an island a little larger than Corsica, but not as strategic in terms of location and therefore not as populous. It is full of hidden coves, craggy mountains, isolated villages and jet-set resorts all fit neatly into an area that can be crossed by a car in a day. Porto Cervo is the ultimate of these jet-setting resorts and is truly the home of the rich and famous. Only private yachts are allowed to dock in the port. We had to anchor in Poltu Quato and take a bus to Porto Cervo. Furthermore, the bus is not even allowed to stop in the main resort area. It can only drop off passengers in a parking lot reserved for the hired help. We had ... read more

Capri is truly a romantic island just a short cruise from the Sorrento peninsula. Once again, the pictures below tell the story better than anything. This was the most crowded port we visited and we were told it was actually pretty early in the season and not bad at all. The scenery and the tour up the mountains in a convertible taxi and then the chairlift were really pretty spectacular. The shopping was crowded and we only had the patience to buy a couple of things, a linen shirt for me and some perfume from the perfumery where Liz Taylor used to buy her perfume before she had her own line (per Suzy Gershman, of course). Enjoy the pictures.... read more

The name SeaDream is pretty apropos for this vacation. Both the ship and the ports are so incredible, we are just continually in awe. Perhaps the best illustration I can give you is that I heard Kelly say she no longer wants her ashes strewn from a helicopter over Nordstrom, but she wants them thrown over a bluff on the Amalfi Coast. Now don’t take that to mean Kelly has forsaken shopping as her favorite pastime because the shopping here is superb - both small charming shops with examples of local craftsmanship and Rodeo Drive like boutiques with brands I’ve never heard of, but are commonplace in Style and People magazine. That said, the beauty of the coast line and these ancient towns and villages is really indescribable. Most of the story of Sorrento can be ... read more

Today is a travel day and not much else. We slept in and grabbed some breakfast at a nice outdoor cafe just a few steps away from our hotel. You'll see from the pictures we got one more ride out the James Bond door into our awaiting water taxi. Our train ride from Venice to Rome was delightful as the scenery was great and we met a nice young couple from Nashville who had planned their own trip to Italy and had been to Bellagio (on lake Coumo) then on to Venice and they were travelling on the train with us, but getting of in Florence. We gave them a great deal of advice from our previous trips and we shared stories about Venice. They told us about the great tours and we told them about ... read more

Ahh... Venice is beautiful! We were met by a beautiful Italian travel professional holding up our name the minute we cleared security in Venice. What a great reception. Then it was off to a private water taxi just a few hundred yards away and we were in the canal (or whatever it is). A nice British couple on their 40th anniversary took the picture you see from their seat on the boat. Kelly and I are both struck by the beauty of the city and the unusual nature of a town that seems to be floating in the sea and is only accessible by boat. We got off our taxi and walked a few blocks to our hotel. The Kette is beautiful and typical of nice European hotels. I will try to take a picture for ... read more