2010 - NCL - VENICE TO SOME GREEK ISLANDS

AROUND THE WORLD?

CAN YOU ACCIDENTALLY CRUISE AROUND THE WORLD?

YES!

I TOOK MY FIRST CRUISE IN 2005. MIAMI TO LOS ANGELES - AND WAS HOOKED.

THREE OR FOUR CRUISES LATER, AND I REALISED THAT IF I WERE TO 'LINK' ALL THE CRUISES TOGETHER, I COULD ADD A FEW AND MAKE IT ALL THE WAY AROUND THE WORLD.

I RETIRED IN 2010 AND HAD A CRUISE BOOKED FOR 2011 .. THAT IS TWO LEGS OF AN AROUND THE WORLD CRUISE, NEW ZEALAND TO GREECE,

I HAD ALREADY GOT AS FAR AS ITALY GOING WEST TO EAST SO THERE WAS GOING TO BE THIS TINY BIT MISSING. ITALY TO GREECE.
WILL I THEN LIE AND SAY I HAVE CRUISES AROUND THE WORLD, OR FILL IN THE GAP?

MY DAD ALWAYS SAID THAT WHEN HE RETIRED HE WOULD TAKE MY MUM ON AN AROUND THE WORLD OCEAN VOYAGE.
MY MUM HAD OTHER IDEAS. SHE DID NOT "WANT TO SPEND THAT MUCH MONEY THAT QUICK".

THEY ARE BOTH DEAD NOW BUT I FEEL THAT I AM NOW GOING TO COMPLETE THEIR WORLD CRUISE IN THEIR STEAD - AND USE THEIR MONEY TO DO IT.

THANKS MUM & DAD.

VENICE TO GREECE....

I FLEW TO THE WORLDS WORST AIRPORT - FRANKFURT. I AM FRANKLY AMAZED THAT THIS AIRPORT IS IN GERMANY.

I DID SOMETHING NEW HERE - VOLUNTEERED.

THEY ANNOUNCED MY FLIGHT TO VENICE WAS OVERBOOKED ( SURPRISE! ) AND WOULD ANY ONE VOLUNTEER TO TAKE A LATER FLIGHT, VIA MUNICH? AND PICK UP 200 EUROS

I HAD PLENTY OF TIME, SO WHY NOT. SOMEONE ELSE MIGHT NEED TO GET THE OTHER FLIGHT.

MUNICH IS A NAME FAMILIAR TO MANY ENGLISH FOOTBALL FANS FROM THE MANCHESTER UNITED TEAM THAT CRASHED THERE IN 1958.
IT'S NOT WINTER SO NO FEAR OF ICE ON THE WINGS FOR ME.

APPARENTLY, I WAS AT THE LAST GAME THEY PLAYED, AT ARSENAL, BEFORE THEY LEFT FOR GERMANY. HAVE NO MEMORY OF IT APART FROM IT BEING AT NIGHT & RAINING - MAYBE.

MUNICH AIRPORT IS DEFINITELY IN GERMANY. A WONDERBAR AIRPORT. PRETTY AS A PICTURE.

NOT THAT I HAVE ANY PICTURES OF MUNICH.
NOR GOING OVER THE ALPS ON A BEAUTY OF A CLOUDLESS DAY.
NOR VENICE.
NOR CROATIA.
SOMETHING HAPPENED TO THE MEMORY CARD AT A BEAUTIFUL CASCADING WATERFALL IN CROATIA - & I LOST ALL THE PICTURES.

THAT'S WHY THEY CALL THEM MEMORY CARDS!
I HAD FORGOTTEN TO BRING A SPARE.

IN THE EVENT, I GOT TO VENICE AND SAW PEOPLE FROM MY ORIGINAL FLIGHT SO THAT WAS GOOD.
I HEADED TO THE LUFTHANSA DESK TO GET MY 200 EUROS & YES, IN CASH. NONE OF THIS VOUCHER MALARKEY.
BUT NO - NO LUGGAGE.
HAD TO BE A BLIP SOMEWHERE.
BUT! TWO HUNDRED EUROS IN MY POCKET.

NCL HAD PUT ME IN A HOTEL THAT IS A FOUR OR FIVE STOP TRAIN RIDE OUTSIDE VENICE & THAT WILL BE A NICE EXPERIENCE, JUST GETTING THERE.

AND VENICE WAS A SURPRISE FOR ME. I EXPECTED IT TO BE ALL WATER BUT THERE IS A LOT OF WALKING YOU CAN DO TOO.

NO PHOTOS FROM HERE OR THE NEXT STOP, SPLIT IN CROATIA. TOO BAD.

I COME BACK TO VENICE IN A WEEK SO THAT IS A BONUS.

CORFU

I HAD A BUS TOUR UP ONE SIDE OF ISLAND , & BACK DOWN THE OTHER.

SOME PRETTY VIEWS, A NICE MEAL AND SOME CLOUD - LOTS OF CLOUD

AND RAIN ...

I JOINED OUR TOUR GUIDES WHEN STOPPED FOR LUNCH.

THERE IS A TREE GROWING INSIDE THE RESTAURANT THAT YOU CAN SEE OVER HER SHOULDER.

YOU KNOW ITS A REAL TREE BECAUSE NO ONE WOULD ADD THESE TO AN ARTIFICIAL TREE - MUSHROOMS - IN A RESTAURANT.
WOULD THEY?

SANTORINI

THIS IS A PRETTY LITTLE PLACE. THERE IS A FUNICULAR TO GET UP & DOWN THE CLIFF BUT AFTER TENDERING ASHORE WE HAD A BUS.

THE TENDER WAS UNUSUAL. IT WAS NOT A SHIPS LIFEBOAT WHICH IS THE NORM. IT WAS A LARGE BOAT FROM SHORE. GOT A LOT OF PEOPLE OFF VERY QUICKLY.

VISITED THE FIRA MUSEUM. THE GUIDE WAS VERY INFORMATIVE & I KNOW SHE IS VERY PROUD OF HER HERITAGE BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE OUTSIDE WAITING LONG BEFORE SHE FINISHED INSIDE.

THERE ARE ARE A LOT OF PRETTY LARGE JUGS INSIDE THOUGH...

AND A BLUE MONKEY.

A WALK THROUGH THE NARROW, SHOP FILLED LANES

AND IT'S BACK TO THE SHIP. A LITTLE MORE SNUG THIS TIME

ANOTHER ISLAND ( OR MAYBE THE SAME ONE) MYKONOS?

I THOUGHT THIS PLACE LOOKED SO BLACK & WHITE THAT I TOOK THE PHOTOS IN BLACK & WHITE TO MAKE THEM A BIT MORE INTERESTING.
THIS MAY BE TRUE, I DON'T KNOW, BUT I WOULD NOT DO IT AGAIN.
COLOUR SHOTS CAN BE MADE TO BE BLACK & WHITE ON A COMPUTER. BLACK & WHITE STAY AS BLACK & WHITE.
MIGHT AS WELL SHOOT IN COLOUR TO GET AN OPTION LATER.

LOOK MA! NO HANDS

TIME TO BRING A BIT OF COLOUR BACK...

MUST TELL THE CAPTAIN THERE IS A MOUSE ON BOARD

THIS IS CRETE

I HAD ARRANGED TO MEET AN OLD CLASSMATE HERE BUT THERE WAS SOME MIS-COMMUNICATION AND WE NEVER MET UP. HE OWNS A RESTAURANT NEARBY SO MAYBE HE WAS BUSY.

AN ADVERT FOR UDDER WEAR ! ! ! ...

AND ONE TO REMIND ME OF HOME

AND THE WEATHER WAS SO DISMAL I DECIDED TO LIVEN IT UP WITH A BIT OF CHEATING & PHOTO A TRAVEL AGENTS WINDOW...

AFTER CRETE IT'S A NICE COUPLE OF DAYS AT SEA ON THE WAY BACK TO VENICE.

HERE'S SOME SHIPBOARD LIFE.....

YES - A BED IN THE NIGHT CLUB. A VERY ODD SHIP IS THE GEM.

ROCK CLIMBING AT THE BACK OF THE SHIP

THE TEPPANYAKI RESTAURANT - VERY GOOD TO EAT HERE..

BIG SCREEN TV AT THE COFFE BAR

ME AND THE BAR STAFF...

MY FAVOURITE BAR. VERY QUIET MOST OF THE TIME. A GUY PLAYING ACOUSTIC GUITAR RATHER WELL, AND SINGING NOT QUITE SO WELL

AND SO, BACK TO VENICE...

SACRILEGE - EVEN VENICE HAS GRAFFITI, CAN YOU BELIEVE..

I SUGGESTED TO CARLA THAT WE HAVE A PHOTO COMPETITION - SHE WON TAKING THIS ONE OF ME.

THIS COULD BE AN AIR CANADA ADVERT

A CIRCULAR RAINBOW

I FIRST SAW THIS PHENOMENA FLYING THROUGH A CLOUD OVER MEXICO. THERE WAS A PERFECTLY CIRCULAR RAINBOW WITH THE SHADOW OF THE PLANE IN IT'S MIDDLE. IT WOULD MAKE A GREAT LOGO FOR SOMEONE IF IT HAS NOT ALREADY BEEN DONE.

THIS ONE IS NOT SO GOOD AND NO SHADOW, BUT IT IS THE FIRST TIME I HAVE MANAGED TO GET CLOSE TO PHOTOGRAPHING IT

IS THIS JERSEY? COULD BE, OR GUERNSEY

ANOTHER GREAT TRIP DONE & I HAVE NOW CRUISED HALF WAY AROUND THE WORLD.