|
|
You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
............ 
Nov 03, 2018 10:00 PM Giving a lectures
As usual between two travels I work hard to save money for the next voyage. But sometimes it is for me also the pleasure to go to the well known club or library to meet the people who since years are my fans and the old friends. Recently I went to give a lecture about the East Tibet in Lubin - in South Poland. Can you imagine? - they are inviting me to come every year since 9 years!
It was really great event - also for me - to speak there to more then 200 travel enthusiasts...
=======================
============================
|
Oct 26, 2018 08:00 PM Barcelona to Warsaw flight delayed again
It was 9 am when I disembarked the ship in Barcelona port. The walk in the rain to Plaza Espana (for the airport bus 46) took me 1 hour 10 minutes. Rain, rain...
After check- in they announced that the flight will be delayed due to the bad waather.. I will possibly miss the train connection Warsaw - Gdansk - this could be the first unpleasant accent of this great journey...
|
Oct 25, 2018 08:00 PM New friends frm the ship...
Day at sea - we are turning back to Barcelona. But we still have a sunny weather - the rain stayed back in Italy...
Day at see gives me always tha chance to meet new people and to find new friends. I found at least one - Alberto - the passionate traveller from Asturias. He was talking in Spanish with the waiter explaining his journeys. I joined them and - I have a new friend who visited more than 100 countries. He visited all seven continents, so I invited him to our 7 Continents Club! - see our picture on the deck....
In the afternoon I met a young journalist from Chile - he was surprised, that I know his country so well. He asked many questions i was impressed - it is the rare case that you meet somebody who completed 12 round- the-world voyages, travelling alone...
Eduardo - the pianists was playing for me the last time this evening...
It is the time to pack my backpack...
|
Oct 24, 2018 08:00 PM I found my love in Portofino....
Do you remember that old song? Here I am! . Portofino, where I landed today is very picturesque and cozy place with miniature port squeezed between rocky hills. It is already off season so I did not experience a crowd of tourists in the narrow streets and squares. Beautiful, beautiful... It could be paradise for the painters. For the best view it is worth to climb the street to San Giorgio church. Brown Castle is even higher and I went there, but sorry, they charge 5 euro for the entrance... So I decided to take a long coastal walk to Santa Margarita Ligure (much bigger coastal resort) and onward to Rapallo. Views are great with some sunshine but the weather is changing. You can also reach S.Margarita by boat paying 7 euro...
|
Oct 23, 2018 08:00 PM Piombino, Italian Etruscan Coast
Today we are docking in Piombino. Piombino - the big industrial city and port doesn't have the charm of Portovenere. After disembarking local authorities offered free transfer by bus from the dock to the city. Then you can visit the museum, two churches and the streets of the typical Italian town. The best view of the town is from a little peninsula closing the tiny, old port - they built there nice promenade with a lighthouse at the end. The islands of Elba (closer) and Corsica (on the horizon) are easili visible from this place. A lot of people from the ship paid for the excursions to go from Piombino to Siena, Florence an other well-known cities. But the prices are high - 50-60 euro per person... So I have here the day at leisure, using free internet offered by tourist office and walking in the sun along the coast. Tomorrow we will be in Portofino - another little jewel, but probably without the free internet... :)
|
Oct 22, 2018 08:00 PM Climbing in Portovenere
Do you know the picturesque coast of Italian Cinque Terre? I was walking through the western part of this region years ago. Today our ship is anchoring in the eastern end of Cinque Terre - just near La Spezia. They use tenders to bring us to the coast.
Little Portovenere has San Pietro church on the rocky cape, Doria castle and a row of colour houses along the coastal promenade. Forget about free wi-fi!
But the highlight of the place is the view from San Pietro to the 300-m high coastal cliff.... Well marked, but difficult trail goes up the cliff and onward to the next Cinque village. I started to climb at 11.30 am . There were few view points with partly limited visibility. But the best view is from the summit with the antennas. I reached this point at 12.00.
The view was just fantastic! But good hiking shoes are required, especially when you go down... Great, sunny day! New, cozy place!
|
Oct 21, 2018 08:00 PM Ajaccio in the sun!
Bon jour! I have been before to Ajaccio, Corsica, but then the weather was not as good as today. We had absolutely perfect lighting on approach to the picturesque port today. The tricky thing id to find the tourist office here - it is located in the second parallel street to the coast - turn right after the city hall. Once there - you have free and quality internet available - just click the Orange network. ..
No, I do not pay for the expensive tour offered by the ship.... 45 euro is not acceptable! Do it on your own! I had in Ajaccio enough time to stroll the narrow streets of the old town, to see the house where Napoleon was born, and to take the promenade along the coast. I speak French again! But tomorrow we will be already in Italy - my Italian is very weak! :)
|
Oct 20, 2018 08:00 PM Menorca in one day...
It is my first day on Menorca Island. Sunny day. There are two great naturel ports on two ends of the island. We docked in Mao - Mahon where the nice old town is located on the impressive cliff. I saw the town and than took a public bus for 5,10 euro to Ciutadella - some 50 kms away. On the way there is a chance to see three little townships in the interior an the highest mountain with the monastery on the top. Just take the front seat!
Ciutadella also has an internal port, but it is like a picturesque miniature of Mahon -"well worth to see. The old town here with a cathedral is even jicer than this one in Mahon! Great excursion just for 10,20 euro - those guys from the ship charge 50 euro!
I returned to the ship in the late afternoon. I like laid-back, sleepy Menorca. The only problem is that free wi-fi is not available....
|
Oct 19, 2018 08:00 PM Hola, Barcelona!!!
My low cost flight landed on time in Barcelona El
Prat Airport. Now the problem: how to get on a cheap to the cruise terminal? OK - I took the city hus 46 to Plaza Espana - 2.20 euro payable to the driver. 35 min drive. Then I decided to walk. -You want to walk, it is far? - the guy from tourist office was so surprised. -After Camino de Santiago any distance less then 15 kms will not impress me!
There are nice fountains working on the way - see picture....
It took me 1 hour to the Europa Bridge. And from the bridge I already saw my old ship - Zenith. 15 min later I was already checking-in!
The ship is very old, but small and cozy. From the deck there was a great view of Barcelona when we were departing at sunset...
|
Oct 18, 2018 08:00 PM Santiago de Compostela
I do not beat any records and the certificates are not important to me, but since the Compostela is free I decided to go through the procedure so let you know how does it work :) First of all they changed their office - it is now on the Carretas street, below the Reyes Catholicos Hotel. I went there with my "credential booklet" full of stamps collected on Camino. The line was long - I was waiting more than an hour to be at the desk. They do not smile there!. The young man said that on the route I should stamp credencial in two different places every day! I didn't! The credencial issuing French guy in Saint Jean did not say that... -At least one of your non-stop walking stretches must be 7 days long! I showed him that, but he was still unhappy. Finally I got my Compostella - certificate of completion of pilgrimage. It is A4 size and it is in latin ( !) - see the picture.
I think that they should organise public relations training for this stuff - also to make them writing nicely (it is still pre-computer era here).
Rest of the day I spent attending the mass for pilgrims in the cathedral (free entry!) and strolling the narrow streets of the old town. The best panorama of old Santiago is from Alameda Gardens!
|
Page:
99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109
|
|
|
