Adventure to Europe & UK 2025

  The old town of Kotor, Montenegro, is one of the Adriatic's best preserved medieval towns. It's limestone town walls that climb high up into the mountain behind the town were built in 1420 when Kotor was a province of the Venetian Republic. It's a real pleasure to wander and get lost in the maze of cobblestone streets that wind up and down around the town, and then to sit drinking coffee in one of the many squares.  The town sits below towering limestone cliffs and a stunning bay at the end of a 17 mile inlet that leads to the town from the Adriatic sea and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.  

  Kotor, in Montenegro, is home to many hundreds of domestic and stray cats, and over time, cats have become integral to the city's identity. They are well cared for by locals and tourists and are seen as part of the city's heritage. They are believed to bring good luck and it seems their presence dates back to sailors who brought cats on their ships to control pests. In 1979, there was a devastating earthquake in Kotor, and prior to the quake, many cats began to cry out in unison, alerting residents to evacuate. They are credited with saving many lives, and the townspeople expressed their gratitude by caring for the cats. Even today their presence is considered to bring good luck. 

  We woke up this morning to blue skies and a panoramic view of Split, Croatia. We were taken on a walking tour of Diocletian's Palace and the old town of Split, led by a wonderful guide who told us more of the history of this place than we could possibly absorb.  The palace was built at the end of the third Century AD as a residence for Roman emperor Diocletian, and covers an enormous area. Some of the original  interior areas still exist, along with the outer walls, and it has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Within the walls are residential and commercial areas that are still inhabited today. It's a fascinating mix of buildings, all built from the local limestone. Diocletian's Palace was used as a location for filming the fourth season of Game of Thrones.  

  It was a lovely surprise to find a welcome bottle of champagne and a special (gluten free!) cake waiting for us in our suite when we boarded the ship. The cabins are very comfortable and quite spacious, with a private balcony.  We celebrated our joint 50th wedding anniversaries with cake and champagne in one of the lounge areas. The crew are all young and can't even imagine being married for 50 years...or at all, for some. We are quite a novelty, but not the oldest on board by a long shot. The crew are all lovely and always ready to help in any way. We're still finding our way around the ship, there are so many restaurants that   sometimes  it's a bit tricky to remember where we agreed to meet for a meal.  

I think playing trumpet from the top of the Rialto Bridge, right in the heart of Venice, has been the highlight of our trip so far for Peter. The crowd fell silent as the notes of the theme from The Godfather drifted out over the Grand Canal, there was spontaneous applause when he finished, even some from the balconies of the surrounding hotels.

  Venice is amazing! Today we walked our legs off again, there are so many little laneways, amazing buildings, and of course the canals everywhere. So much to see. We've been practicing our Italian, which is getting us a few laughs. Everyone is so friendly, except perhaps the lady in the supermarket who was not happy when our card wouldn't work, lol. I don't know how many gondolas there are in Venice, but we seem to be surrounded by them wherever we go.

 We arrived safely in Venice after a further six hours travel to seven degrees and foggy skies. Even getting to our hotel was an adventure aboard the Alilaguna water bus, but we easily found our hotel right by the Rialto Bridge. Our old-world room is small but comfortable with ornate furniture and a Murano glass chandelier. We settled in with a quick shower and then went out on foot to explore the narrow canals and laneways around our hotel. When the six of us had all arrived, we explored further and finished the evening with dinner of an enormous steak cooked on a hot stone right at the table in front of us, accompanied by a local wine. The atmosphere was warm and cosy, even though a little chilly towards the end.

  The first gem of our journey was discovering the garden inside the incredible Doha airport. It was a three hour oasis of green and calm after 13 hours on a packed airplane. A cup of coffee was US$8 each; luckily the coffee was good. The adventure begins!

Finally departure day has arrived!  After dinner in Fitzroy with Emmy and Paul, we are currently sitting in the international terminal at Tullamarine,  all checked in and waiting for our flight.  Wish us well, and we'll see you in Venice! 😊

  Well, it's starting to get exciting. Only a few more weeks before we head off on the trip of a lifetime. We're busy planning and catching up with friends before we leave. But, you can't plan everything and sometimes it's the surprises that are the best part.