Santorini We arrive to an overcast day and the water is a dirty gray, not the sapphire I remember. I have signed up for the same tour that Joe and I took when we visited years ago mainly because it goes to Oi (pronounced E-ah). The tender drops us off in the port of Athinios where the water is so deep that the ships cannot drop anchor. Our first stop is the highest point on the island and home to an ancient, but still active, monastery and a government installation. Neither is open to tourists. Instead we have a breathtaking view of the islands of Santorini as the nightly cloud dissipates and reveals the remains of the volcano that changed history. Back in 1600bc the volcano was at the center of a thriving island. It both ... read more

I am updating my subscriber list. If you want to opt out please e-mail me at katbasil2001 at yahoo dit com. absolutely no offense. Hugs, CAL... read more

We visited Barbados but for us it was a sea day. We slept in, enjoyed coffee and juice in the room, had a leisurely breakfast and headed to the aft pool area. There are very comfy couches and chairs there and because it was a port day is was not crowded. We read there and probably napped a minute of two and then headed to the spa for our massages. Later it was time for happy hour, then dinner and a walk around the ship before bed. Just a wonderful lazy day. Next day we visited Martinique. Believe it or not the main attraction in Fort-de-France Martinique was The library. We decided to just wander the town and see what was on offer. Our first stop was the Cathedral, not to be confused with St. Patrick’s, ... read more

Escape from the Arctic Arrived on time at the FLL airport where chaos reined. So many flights were delayed leaving that the corridors were teeming with people and bags. Decided to take a taxi which was a good call as some folks waited 45 minutes for the hotel shuttle. This was my least favorite BW hotel in the area but also the cheapest. Heading to the ship was a kerfufle. It was about 50 degrees and raining and the entire hotel was gathered with their luggage in the tiny lobby waiting for transportation to the ship. There were seven ships in port and so it took 1 1/2 hours to get to the port and through the embarkation process. Dropped our valuables in the room safe and headed to the Lido for lunch. Unlike my last ... read more

Malaga was our next port and this makes the fourth time here. We headed to a jewelry shop where I wanted to buy a mother-of-pearl necklace like the one ML bought on our first stop but on reflection I adhered to my mantra “Subtract, don’t add”. We strolled around the city window shopping and I was particularly intrigued by the beautiful paving stones of marble. They provide a comfortable walking surface that I enjoyed after all the cobblestone sidewalks. We stopped at the same cafe and enjoyed our chat with a young Russian woman and a slightly older Brit gentleman. They met a couple of years ago and have been travel companions since, more like friends according to him. Four years ago he quit his job and bought a boat. Now he has a coffee business ... read more