Author Archives: John Rintoul

This is the money shot in Corfu. We traveled 20+ minutes in an oversized bus up narrow, congested, mountain roads, to a restaurant-laden overlook filled with 10-15 similar buses. The buses were parked three across and all but blocked the … Continue reading →

Our second day brought us to the port city of Dubrovnik, Croatia, or as it is better known in the parlance of Game of Thrones, King’s Landing. Once again GoT notoriety has had a substantial impact on tourism in Croatia. … Continue reading →

I have been playing “post catch up” today. This is our only full day at sea. No ports of call. Tonight around 10:00p (4:00p EDT US) we will pass through the Strait of Messina – the narrow gap between the … Continue reading →

We sailed all night from Venice to Split, Croatia. We woke to this view of Split off of our veranda. The tower on the right is part of Diocletian’s Palace. Diocletian was the Roman emperor from 284 to 305. He … Continue reading →

As we approached the port in the water taxi we got our first view of the Viking Star through the water spotted windows of the taxi. This picture gives a sense of the relative size of the cruise ship compared … Continue reading →

              One of the advantages of the Palazzo Abadessa was the beautiful courtyard garden. You can visit a previous post from our 2015 visit to Venice to see more about The Gardens of Venice. … Continue reading →

This charming dog, gracing the entrance to the Palazzo Abadessa, proudly and succinctly expresses the perspective of many Venetians. Everything is good, until you start thinking. Or in the even more succinct parlance of Bob Marley “Don’t worry, be happy.” … Continue reading →

While the trip from the U.S. to Venice went smoothly for Betty and me, Keith and Joanne’s trip was more eventful. When their plane arrived in London from Dallas no gates were available. That delay led to a missed flight … Continue reading →

The room that we are staying in at the Pallazzo Abadessa has a unique feature. It is a well that dates back to 1511. Yes, a water well! In fact our host warned us that we should avoid falling into … Continue reading →

The Viking Mediterranean Cruise begins in Venice and ends 14 days later in Barcelona. We fell in love with Venice in 2015 and wanted to re-visit the city. So we’ll spend a few days in Venice before joining the cruise. … Continue reading →