Bananas and Butterflies

I'm sitting under a banana tree in Kusadasi sipping a cool drink. It's hot here, and James and I are a bit overheated after going for a decent length of walk out to Bird Island and then further on uphill for views back to the town. 

I don't know if Autumn is butterfly season here but our walk was enhanced by lots of beautiful patterned white butterflies flitting around. I'm very fond of Kusadasi and we have chosen to spend the day wandering around the town rather than embark on one of the (no doubt excellent) archaeological tours that are on offer. I would definitely like to revisit Ephesus some time, I believe that more buildings have been unearthed recently. Maybe next cruise! 

So after we have cooled down and finished our drinks we will head into to bazaar where we may buy a genuine fake something!  

Lunch in Plaka

Athens was hot today! After a relaxing and extremely pleasant day at sea yesterday (reading, swimming, gym, more reading, people-watching and eating) we arrived this morning into the port of Piraeus. 

It's only two years since our previous visit to Athens, which was also on a cruise, so the route and landmarks were very familiar as we travelled by coach to the Acropolis. It's a big city (about four and a half million people I think) and fairly flat apart from half a dozen small but steep hills sticking up among the white buildings. On one of these hills is the Acropolis, where we spent some time wandering around; it was lovely to see the Parthenon and the other temples again on this beautiful day. Then we went shopping in Plaka, the old quarter below the Acropolis. The narrow streets there are very attractive and it didn't feel like we were in the middle of a large city. We found the lovely restaurant, Diogenes, where we had lunch two years ago, and had a relaxing lunch of tsatsiki and stuffed vine leaves sitting on the shady terrace.

Pearl of the Adriatic

Lord Byron called Dubrovnik the Pearl of the Adriatic and I can see why. It is a really beautiful town and the medieval city inside its stout (and still complete) walls is absolutely stunning. And pedestrianised, which makes it very pleasant to walk in.

The buildings are pale limestone with red terracotta tiled roofs. There's plenty to see; churches and museums, nice shops and (allegedly) the oldest Pharmacy in Europe. Today however we were so enjoying the warm weather that we stayed outside the whole time. As soon as we arrived we climbed up steep stone steps at the Pile Gate to the top of the wall and walked all the way round, pausing frequently to admire the views and take photos. I was also very impressed with the cleanliness of the town; no litter, no graffiti and the toilets in the café we visited were pristine. After descending from the wall we strolled down the Stradun which is the main street, and we had a drink sitting outside the Poklisar Café (with the nice clean toilets!) which was in a very picturesque spot under the wall beside the harbour. As we continued our perambulations we saw lots of equally well appointed cafés and restaurants; I would love to spend more time here and James agreed that a return visit would definitely be a good idea.  

Hair cut at sea

After leaving Venice I went to get my hair cut and painted at the hairdressing salon on the ship. I ran out of time to get it done before school finished, which annoyed me. I still haven't sorted out my work / life balance although I think I'm getting better at it. (At least some days I think I'm getting better at it.)

Anyway as soon as we arrived on the ship I made a booking for 7 p.m. so that I wouldn't miss the departure from Venice. The hairdresser, Helen, is lovely and she got me all coloured and cut just the way I like it. It felt surreal and luxurious to have my hair done on a ship! During my haircut we saw lightning lighting up the whole sky outside and heard crashing thunder, very exciting! I also had a head and shoulder massage which lifted away the last of my tension and I felt brand new when we went for our hearty dinner. A bit too hearty I think because I could barely stagger away from the table - I'm going to have to pace myself! 

No Grandi Navi!

Here we are on the Norwegian Jade about to set off on our Mediterranean cruise. As with the start of many holidays it has been a long day! We got up at 4.30 a.m. to get to the airport nice and early because we reckoned that this Saturday of the schools' October holiday week would be busy. And so it was; there was a big queue at check in, although security hustled us through very efficiently. I napped a bit on the plane and then there was a bit more queueing to collect our cases in Venice, get on a bus, and check into the ship.

But by about 2 p.m. we had explored the ship, had a pleasant lunch and were relaxing on sun loungers on the deck. I had a good swim and hope to do so every day of the cruise. And now we are moving slowly down Giudecca Canal in Venice about to pass St Mark's Basin. This is the last year that cruise ships will be allowed to do this because of the erosion that their bow waves cause to the ancient buildings, and quite right too - but I have to say it is an amazing view!

Update half an hour later - James just said "Well that was one of life's rich experiences!" and I thought he meant the  wonderful views we have just seen. In fact he meant this first ever Aperol Spritz which I bought him at the deck bar as a tribute to Heather and Ewan!

Visitor on a bicycle

David now has a white coat and safety goggles for his lab work at University! He looked so great wearing them - like a real mad scientist. However he ran away when I tried to take his photo.

How lovely it was to see Jamie this evening. Jamie cycled all the way here from Edinburgh this afternoon - a total of 55 miles from his house to ours. By the time I got home from work he was showered, changed and had very sore legs! His new bike is very smart; let's hope that this one doesn't get stolen. We had a curry and a good chat. He is working very hard but enjoying his job, although he likes some placements more than others.

Shopping with Grandma

We gave Grandma a voucher for Jenners for her birthday with the services of a personal shopper to accompany her - me! So today was the appointed day and we set off eastwards on this mild and rainy morning. At James' suggestion we parked at Ingliston park and ride and took a tram into the centre of Edinburgh. This was a tremendous idea because it only took forty minutes to get to Ingliston and the tram ride itself was very pleasant. It was the first time that either Grandma or I have used Edinburgh's new trams since the service started at the end of May, so we were both very excited and enjoyed looking at the views of Edinburgh on the way in. The tram was very smart and comfortable.
We got off at St Andrews Square and walked across to Jenners, where we browsed around the womenswear section. I'm not the most enthusiastic shopper in the world but from time to time I can get into the spirit and today was quite enjoyable. Grandma chose a really gorgeous suit by Hobbs in a blue and black check; she did have to add to her voucher by quite a bit to pay for it! I also treated myself to a rather nice black wool dress.
We had lunch in the café and had a nice chat; Grandma regaled me with stories about her new neighbour over the back who she feels is very suspicious. This is mainly because she saw him in the garden wearing what could have been black shorts but could well have been boxers. There goes the neighbourhood!
We got home at about four after more tram excitement and I am exhausted; shopping with Grandma has worn me out!