..entries from our travels
April 11, 2024
Yesterday and today were just about travelling home. Yesterday the Shinkansen from Hiroshima to Tokyo a four hour trip and perfectly on time again. then a monorail out to the airport hotel we were staying at. Well after we booked onto the hotel and grabbed our keys we went up the elevator to our floor turned into the corridor and it was like a scene from “The Shining” !! half Read more…
April 8, 2024
Hiroshima Castle was first on the agenda today. This castle was built in the 1590’s and was destroyed in 1945. Today it’s s home to a museum of sorts with some Swords both Tanto and Katana and some suits of armour. We didn’t t spend too long here as there were a couple of noisey tour groups going through. Peace Memorial Park Walking from the Castle to Peace memorial park Read more…
April 7, 2024
A bright start to the day in Kyoto and off to board another Shinkansen to Hiroshima. The train ride itself was uneventful and took 1:36 minutes arriving on time (as always) at 11:38am. We were approached at the station by a volunteer helper who suggested we use the sightseeing bus to get to our hotel. Which we did. As soon as we got to the hotel (great room btw) it Read more…
April 6, 2024
First thing today was a visit to Nijo-jo Castle, this was the Kyoto residence of Tokugawa Ieyasu (Or Lord Toranaga if you’ve been watching Shogun). The Castle was completed in 1603 the same year Tokugawa Ieyasu was appointed Seii-Taishogun (usually shortened to Shogun) Unfortunately you’re not allowed to take photos inside, we did however, take the audio tour which was worth it. After a short rest with some food and Read more…
April 5, 2024
Early start today as we head off to Kyoto. We had tickets for the 10:00 am Bullet Train (Shinkansen) and we got to the station way too early. Once on board it was a relaxing 2 hours to Kyoto the seats were very comfy and had lots of leg room. The rail system here is amazing, so efficient. When our train arrived in Tokyo there was a team of cleaners Read more…
April 4, 2024
Had two places to see today and that was Akehabara and Senso-Ji. Went to Akehabara in the morning because we (me) wanted to go to the big electronics store. Bought a few things in here but not too much, i could spend hours looking through here, Mandy not so much so after a coffee break Mandy sat on a bench outside while i went back in. Next to the entrance Read more…
We’re nackered, been on the go since 3:30am this morning, for an 8:00am flight out of Manila. The flight, a “Philippines Airline” flight, was basic but functional. for some reason they separated us so Mandy was in the seat in front. There was no inflight entertainment, wasn’t even a screen anywhere to be had! but it was only 4 hours and in went pretty quickly. Arrived at Henada Airport in Read more…
September 28, 2023
The last sunset from the ship as we sailed out of Livorno and toward Rome and the end of the cruise. and the end of a fantastic holiday, home Sunday..
This morning we docked into Livorno, and went on our longest excursion to date. First of all a trip to Florence (Firenze) a stunning city. The tour guide was telling us all about Leonardo, Michaelangelo, Donatello. It felt like we were in a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movie. What an amazing place. Florence is definitely a place to return to and explore some more. After lunch we headed back towards Read more…
September 27, 2023
Got delivered a bottle of Champagne this afternoon. Think Mandy will be a bit sozzled later..
This morning we docked in Naples. From the start of the Cruise we had picked this day as a “stay-on-board” day. We wanted to experience the ship with fewer people on board. We have a looong excursion tomorrow in Florence and Pisa.
September 26, 2023
Today we docked at Messina in Sicily. and took an excursion to Taormina. it was an hour on the coach to get there but it was worth it, a beautiful town in the hills on the east coast of Sicily. This place could well be worth a visit on its own. It was a lovely day. especially when we broke off from the tour and did our own thing. Small Read more…
This trip has converted Mandy to Espresso Macchiato, so we’re now on the lookout for some espresso cups..
September 25, 2023
Nothing to report for today as it was a sea day so just lots of eating and drinking. I did get my photo with the Captain today Tomorrow Messina, Sicily .
September 23, 2023
Today we docked at the port of Katakolo. This was our first organised excursion. This was a visit to Olympia. It was a 30 minute coach trip to the site then a walk around the runs with a guide. it was fantastic learning about the Greek mythology. After a walk around the ruins we had a visit to the museum. Great day and it got to about 31 degrees. back Read more…
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