Bari, Italy

Our last stop in Italy before heading to Greece.  This is a rather large town with a small and not terribly charming old town.  The big deal is the Basilica of St. Nicolas.  Apparently the early Barians stole the relics of St. Nick (yes, that one) from Turkey.  The architecture rather plain but supposedly from many different eras. No cool mosaics like in Ravenna.  Still the cappuccino is good and the WiFi is free.  I love listening to Italians.  They always sound like they are arguing.
Last night we had the most amazing lightening storm. It was like constant strobe lights for HOURS.  Much more fun than watching a show in the lounge (a ventriloquist, really) was watching the storm from our balcony.  Had dinner last night with a couple we had met several nights ago.  They are from Colorado by way of Alabama.  He is a retired civil engineer and she a retired pharmacist.  Haven't seen Jeffery, the New Yorker who orders only hockey puck hamburgers.  Maybe they got pissed off and left for home?
After we recuperated from our long hike yesterday, we walked around and around Kotor.  They are famous for their cats which are everywhere .  Here in Bari, it's dogs, lots of golden retrievers and a yellow lab that looks a lot like Gus.

 Bari

old Church

 with statues

Inside

Nice bakery

Kotor, Montenegro

Kudos to Dean for climbing the 1000+ steps to the Fortress here in Kotor.  The view was spectacular!  Kotor is beautiful as is everywhere in the Adriatic.  Cream colored stucco buildings with red barrel tile roofs. The entrance to Kotor is through a fiord. Everything is so OLD!
Last night we had dinner with a couple  from Dallas and one from England.  Nearly closed down the restaurant. The Brits all want to talk about our election and the Americans all want to ask the Brits about Brexit. Haven't found an American yet that likes either candidate. I keep telling them to "Feel the Johnson".

 Dried mushrooms in the market

Outer city walls

 One of the ubiquitous cats

 The Old City

More Old City

 Old church, note the one tower still isn't finished

 They do love their cats

 A very cerebral hotel

Beet and feta salad

Sunset Kotor

Dubrovnik continued

OK, I take it back.  The Wall is amazing.  Kept humming the Game of Thrones theme song.  Now in an Irish Pub listening to the Chicken Polka and American pop music from the 70s. Surreal.
Saw the oldest Pharmacy which was pretty cool.  I wish I could figure out how to put in photos.

 On the wall

 Yes, this is Game of Thrones material

 View from the Wall

 The walled city from the fort

 The fort

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Everyone raves about this place, but it is way too crowded.  It is like being on the Game of Thrones set which is cool.  Eating pizza (again ).  The crust here is like Dean's deep dish one.
Had lunch yesterday in Ravenna at a vegetarian restaurant: gnocchetti with stinging nettles (we had no idea what it was until we got back to the boat and checked it out in the dictionary in the library).  Last night's dinner at Red Ginger (one of the specialty restaurant a on board) was the best meal yet,  I had duck and watermelon salad and lobster pad Thai. Dean had some kind of Asian lamb chops,  Sat next to a nice couple from Colorado.  She is a retired pharmacist, he a civil engineer.
I guess we have to go up on the wall after lunch.  It is in the high 80s and intense sun.  My poor old  Northwest body isn't used to this!

Ravenna, Italy

Sorry Koper, Slovenia.  Spelled your name wrong and I haven't been able to edit.  Finished up the day in Slovenia with a trip to Pirin.  It's pretty little seaside town, but not much in the way of beaches,  In fact, in all of Slovenia they have only 35 KM of coastline and had to import sand from Africa to make one beach.  They do make good pizza though,  Mrs. Trump (the current one) is from Slovenia and the women there are generally beautiful.
Dinner last night on board was a piece of work.  We sat with a couple of typical New Yorkers.  Complain, complain, complain.  The old man (who had to be pushing 80) would only eat a plain hamburger with catsup and his wife made a big deal out it to the waiter.  He reminded me of my old male patients who can tell me how long their penises used to be.  You know the type.
Today we're in Ravenna.  Supposedly they have free WiFi everywhere but it doesn't work, so I bought a 2 Euro gelato (gave one up for the team) to get WiFi at the gelateria.  This town has a lot of mosaics from the Byzantine era 500-600AD.  They are amazing.  Wish I could download the photos.
Everyone here rides bikes, even young women in dresses.  As we are sitting outside the gelateria, listening to Beat It by Michael Jackson.  Of course!

Kopor, Slovenia

An amazing day in Venice.  The Doge's Palace is over the top. Walls and ceilings all paintings with 24 karat gold leaf trim. Then we walked and walked.  There are lots of bridges everywhere. Don't know how you could survive if handicapped. Had wonderful pizza for lunch. It's all about the cheese. Then I really blew the diet on a cherry gelato.
Another great dinner on board. There are very few tables for 2 so we sat with a couple from London and another from Chester England. This morning ate breakfast with a couple from Fairfax VA. We keep running in to 4 guys from Toronto. Today we are in Slovenia and will be taking the hop on hop off bus to Piran. The cruise is very different than the ones we have been on before.  I joke that it's like going to church in Sequim.  We are usually the youngest people for miles! No kids at all and no annoying photographers. The cruise director is not Dan Dan the Party Man either.
Probably should wrap this up and get on the bus.

Venice September 1

 And so the trip begins

 Visiting with Bruce and JoAnn at Dulles

 Checking out the wines at Vino Volo Dulles Airport

Dulles Airport

 Always easy to pick out Washington's flag

And New Mexico's

NJ not so much

Munich Airport

Crappy cookies on Dolomiti Airlines

Flying into Venice

Venice

The pool on board at night

The view of Venice from our balcony

We made it!  Travel was mostly uneventful,  In fact, remarkably so.  Even our luggage got here,  We flew out of SEATAC to Dulles in DC where we had a 6 1/2 hour layover, We got to meet with Bruce and JoAnn who only live a mile away.  Then it was on to our night flight on Lufthanza to Munich.  We had bulkhead seats, but even so, very little sleep.  The food was awful:  canned green beans, nondescript chicken, and some kind of cornbread dressing.  In any event, it was over soon enough.  Munich airport is like a high end shopping mall!.  After cappuccino and a pretzel, it was off on Air Dolomitti for the 40 minute flight to Venice.  They served those awful cookies we got in Sunday school.  Check into the boat was easy and seamless.  Our cabin is beautiful.  The food last night was lovely.   They have a spa menu that should keep me from gaining the obligatory 10 lbs.  We were seated with a couple from Bistol who were delightful.  Weird thing was they got three things wrong on out dinner order.  Oh well.  This morning took the water taxi to San Marco and are headed to the Doges Palace for a tour in 45 minutes.