Greece 2010 - Rhodes

Rhodes may be one of the most beautiful places on the planet! Of course, it helps when you have great company and another day of perfect weather. Again - just over 80 degrees with not a cloud in the sky.

We began this AM at 7:00 when we gathered to depart for our excursions. Our guide Maria was super smart and switched our order to avoid the congestion of the other tour buses. There were 35 buses headed on excursions (from a number of ships) and 30 of them headed to Lindos first. We, instead, remained close to the port and took a tour of the medieval walled city of Rhodes. Very cool!

We then boarded the bus for about an hour's drive to Lindos. Along the way we passed some new hotels going up right on the beaches - book your vacation now! Maria shared some of the history of Rhodes and of the Acropolis of Lindos, our destination.

A few of us rode the burros up the mountain part of the way. Some stayed part-way up and enjoyed the shops and taverns. The rest climbed the sometimes treacherous steps and paths to the top. Every single turn offered another beautiful view of the sea or of the landscape. Extraordinary!

We returned to the port, dropped off some belongings and had the afternoon free to ourselves. Some enjoyed lunch on the ship, others returned to the walled city (now come to life with all the streets lined with shops, etc), some relaxed on the ship and enjoyed the beautiful day. There was a lot of shopping going on!!! Poor Lorena hurt her leg yesterday and did not join the group - we hope she has recovered and joins us for Crete tomorrow AM!

Tonight we have a complimentary cocktail party before dinner and it is "elegant" attire - so expect to see photos of us looking our best!!

Comments

Bobby said…

Seems like you all are having a great time! You missed all of the rain here in Boston!!

October 7, 2010 at 3:32 PM

Barcelona - Dos

Day two in Barcelona has been fantastic! Jose gave us lots of information on the artist Gaudi - not born here but arrived in 1852 to attend the university. His artistic style and influence can be seen across the city. We stopped at Park Guell which was an amazing outdoor area Gaudi designed near the home he lived in. Inspired by nature, fairy tales and classical legends the park is beautiful. With its kissing benches, 'candy house', salamander and plaza with the longest bench in the world it is a work of art in itself. Some of us made the walk up to the top where the three crosses are - and found even more breathtaking views of the city. From there we headed back downtown for a short walk to La Sagrada Familia cathedral. Design by Gaudi and still not yet finished, it is very unique and ornate. Just walking around the outside, Jose had enough informatiion to share about its intricacies that it took some time. The line for entrance was nearly wrapped around the ch

Cordoba

First our morning started with an alarm - or a lack of one; as Mary Jane and Pat's room never received a wakeup call. So everyone else was on the bus ready to go when they finally got a knock on the door. What troopers they were, though! In 15 minutes they were on the bus with everyone and not long after they were able to laugh at the 'chaos' of it all. Our local guide Isabel was just delightful - and clearly has a love for her city. She tells us that filmmaker Pedro Almodovar is from here as we begin our walk. First we go through the old Jewish center. Nearly all of the city's buildings are white-washed (originally by the women we hear). We stop at an old Jewish synagogue and learn some history of the area. Then we stop at the statue of a famous rabbi ( can you name him ?) which legend is that by rubbing his foot and then touching your own head you will get taller and wiser. most of us did that - some hoping for extra height, others for a bit of wisdom!

2011: Day 4 - Vienna

Another great day! We had a 6am wake up call - but it paid off! Our tour director, Robert, secured the first reservations of the day at Shronbrunn Palace - which meant we were the only guests in the Palace for the most part. We went room to room with our own local guide, Gabi, for a nearly private tour! A one-of-a-kind experience for sure. The Palace and Gardens were beautiful. 1,441 rooms and acres and acres of grounds. We learned about Mary Theresa (and all of her 16 children). This was the summer palace for the Hapsburg dynasty. We then switched gears and went to see modern art at KunstHausWien - what a creative artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser was. And a man who epitomized eco-friendly living and work. A very different experience after our tour of the Palace. Next was a driving tour of some of the city's monuments, etc. with a stop for lunch along the way. We ended with a walking tour to additional historic spots and a tour of the downtown palace - the winter residence of the

Stonehill College Alumni Travel

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