Geo: 45.4345, 12.3384This should have been the day we were due to fly home but no flights thanks to the ash cloud. The hotel we were in doubled their prices and they werent too friendly so we checked out and moved only 50 yards down the street to the Hotel San Moise which was 2 star at 100 euros per night for a double b&b and was on a side canal. The rooms were very Venetian with red walls and heavy drapes but we preferred it to the previous hotel. Meanwhile lots of phone calls were being made to rebook flights and try and find alternative routes home. All the alternatives were either extremely tedious with lots of changes or very expensive so we decided to sit it out and see what came up.The next mission ... read more

Geo: 43.5127, 16.4424The town of Split is built upon the remains of Diocletians Palace. The original Palace built by Diocletian for his retirement was huge with incredibly thick walls and large basements. Today you can walk around the remaining basement halls and see the thickness of the walls and foundations. There are lots of market stalls within the walls lining the way to the stairs up from the foundations. The Cathedral of St.Duje the patron saint is worth a visit but if you want to go up the tower or to the Treasury or crypt there is a charge of several more Kuna. We went round the local art gallery which has some renaissance but mostly wierd modern art so only go if you are a real art fan.There were plenty of outside market stalls selling ... read more

Geo: 36.4044, 25.3959Santorini in a volcanic island rising vertically from the sea with spectacular views. The ship couldnt get near the shore so we had to be tendered in on smaller boats. From the bottom of the small dock we had the choice of going up the steep hill by donkey or by cable car. We chose the latter as it seems cruel to laden donkeys with our large heavy persons. At least photos can be taken from the cable car. Unfortunately the museums and churches were all closed, whether this was because it was a Monday or whether it was too early in the season I dont know. The back of the town is not pretty but is where you need to go to hire cars if you want to travel round the island. At ... read more

Geo: 37.96, 27.35The shipped docked at Kusadasi on the Turkish coast. Once on land we hopped in a local taxi which took us to Ephesus. Our driver dropped us at the top of the city and we walked down through it and he met us at the other end. Some do it the other way but why walk uphill? There are a multitude of stalls at either end selling souvenirs and "genuine" fake watches! Ephesus is a massive well preserved city and it is impressive to walk along the original streets and see the Celsus library (135 BC), The Grand theatre (3AD), where St Paul preached and even the communal loos! Sitting on the loo is an obvious photo call for some! It is extra to see the recently restored terrace houses and we didnt go ... read more

Geo: 37.1165, 26.3342Nothing nicer than a day relaxing at sea. Activities included doing the daily trivia quiz which had to be handed in and also attending the Team Trivia for which we got up a good team and won overall by the end. It was also a good way to meet people. As it was sunny we sat and read on our balcony or on the top deck. I also attended a lecture on photography. All the activities are arranged around breakfast lunch and dinner, which aboard a Silversea cruise are excellent. We attended a couple of the evening shows but they were very similar to ones we had seen before so we spent most of our time socialising in the bar where we could also have a bit of a dance.... read more