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Portugal, Cruise, Italy 2025
  • Jo-Lynne Sutherland

Portugal, Cruise, Italy 2025

An amazing adventure - 1 month, 7 countries, 21 cities. First time on a cruise - loved it. Read more
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  • Trip start
    October 6, 2025
    Jo-Lynne SutherlandPortugal, Cruise, Italy 2025Traveler
    AirBnb in the Lagos Marina - spacious & aestheticView from the living roomMarina a few steps awayAt dusk

    Tuesday Oct 7, 2025 Lisbon to Lagos

    October 7, Mediterranean Sea ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Flew out at 600pm on TAP airlines - cheaper than Air Canada.
    The negative was we had a 15 minutes bus ride to where plane was parked. In Lisbon we also took a bus to the airport.

    Simcard problems - arrived at 6:00am, the train wasn’t until 10:00am so had lots of time. Problem was I couldn’t turn on data roaming so couldn’t get data on either of our phones. I had a European simcard & Peter had a $70 package from Rogers.

    Solution - Settings / cellular / under that is Sims - tap it to see data roaming, and turn it on. Once you know it - it's easy. . . .

    Subway in Lisbon is just outside the airport. Ticket purchase was complicated - finally figured it out - plus have to save card to exit.

    We took the Subway to Orient station - 3 stops. Trains were up 3 floors. Arrived early so went to Hotel Tivoli on the main street to left. Peter got free breakfast. I was too stressed out about my SIM card so just had coffee. After lots of emails to Sim Corner and googling I finally got both phones working. What a relief.

    We had reserved seats on the train, and knew we had to change trains in Tunes, but didn't see that as a destination. Turns out the destination is Faro, and Tune is before that. We found our seats but were surrounded by screaming kids. Not a good start. . . .

    We arrived 35 minutes late in Tunes but fortunately the train to Lagos was there. 😄 Only 45 minutes to Lagos, but several stops on route.

    Walked to our Air BnB. Spacious, 2 bedroom, 2 baths, only problem was the scaffolding outside the window. Emailed Renalgest about that - reply “They are professionals - no worries. “

    Wandered about that day to get our bearings. Rented bikes from Valter at Rent a Bike. Had dinner at Instinyo on the boardwalk of the Marina - lovely setting but food wasn't anything special. Decided we’d eat most of our meals at home.    Read more

  • Jo-Lynne SutherlandPortugal, Cruise, Italy 2025Traveler

    Wednesday Oct 8 Lagos

    October 8 in Portugal ⋅ 🌬 21 °C

    At 10:00am a man was on our deck hosing it down. Took pics. Spoke to him in French - polite just doing his job. I emailed the agency again - lots of apologies but nothing else. Sent them pics.

    Wandered around town getting our bearings, and decided to rent bikes from Valter at Rent A Bike. He set them up for us. Super nice guy.

    Picked up groceries at Pingo Doce and had a delish tuna dinner.    Read more

  • Jo-Lynne SutherlandPortugal, Cruise, Italy 2025Traveler
    Biking to Burgau

    Thursday Oct 9 Biking to Burgau

    October 9 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    At 9:00 workers were on our balcony again. Emailed Rentalgest again with pics. Lots of apologies but . . .
    Picked up our bikes from Valter and headed out. We tried to follow the map he gave us but YIKES it wasn’t easy - lots of hills. I wanted to see the coast but we were far from it. Passed through Luz and ended in Burgau. Had a delish lunch - tuna salad plus beer of course - overlooking the sea. Lovely.
    On route back we finally went along the coast for a while - loved it. Then we lost the route. I gave Peter my phone having plugged in our home address but it didn’t work. At one point I lost him totally. Fortunately I had his phone so eventually was able to make it back. Google maps kept turning me round & round. Sooo frustrating. I finally realized that my phone was in my back pack horizontally, so it thought I was heading in a different direction. Lesson learned. I finally had to ask some young British girls how to get to the Marina. Turns out I wasn’t far away. Peter ignored Google maps and followed signs saying Centro. He got back 20 minutes before me.
    Nice salmon dinner at home.    Read more

  • Jo-Lynne SutherlandPortugal, Cruise, Italy 2025Traveler
    Morning view of the Marina
    Heading eastOnly place we could find for lunch - but it was actually goodWater park - lots of actionWhere the Marina reaches the seaNot in my comfort zoneView from there

    Friday Oct 10 Biking to Odiáxere

    October 10 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    The morning started with a jarring fire alarm at 9:00. I went outside. Neighbours said security guards had gone into our complex - elevator sometimes caused problems. Finally it stopped

    Picked up our bikes at 11 and found a lovely bike path heading east along the coast. Got to Odiáxere then foolishly decided to head east along highway 125 to Portamia. Not fun - yes there was a bike lane but tons of traffic. We finally stopped at the commercial centre outside the city. Best we could find was a Burger King. The veggie burger was actually good. Then we headed back again along the highway - not fun. Came to a super steep hill- had to walk my bike up it. Peter made it.

    As we approached Sargaçal, again we made a bad decision and turned left towards Lagos. That got us back to highway 125 instead of the bike path. The plus was seeing a water park, plus arriving near our AirBnB . From there we searched out where the Marina reached the sea. Lovely long beach - made a trek across huge rocks to get good pics. Must confess I’m more hesitant than before striding between rocks - but did it.
    Got back to Rent a Bike about 4:30, then had beers at Dove and Sea - lovely setting overlooking the Marina - sipping a tall draft Sagres. One of my favs now. Happiness is . . .

    A quick stop at home - workers had been here painting the shutters - not great- missed 1 panel and left the deck a mess. Oh well. . . .

    Popped over to Pingo Doce for groceries, then home for dinner of salmon - and figuring out how the washing machine works -fortunately it did.    Read more

  • Jo-Lynne SutherlandPortugal, Cruise, Italy 2025Traveler
    Our place was up the river in the far right
    Workers on our deckBrave souls who were sailing & kayakingSpectacular views on the boardwalk to the westThe GrottoView of the west side of the MarinaScene upon our return home - not good

    Sat Oct 11 Sargaçal & The Grotto

    October 11 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    We woke up at 8:00 to find workers in our decks. Took pics and emailed Rentalgest. Enough already . . . 😫

    We picked up our bikes & headed out about 11. We decided to take the route we missed yesterday - Lagos east along the lovely path then north to Odiáxere, west through Sargaçal, south west to Portalas, then back to Legos. There were about 3 steep climbs, but this time I did them all -including the one I walked up yesterday. Quite proud of myself. We were back in Lagos in 1.5 hours.
    We decided then to try to find the lookout posts we’d missed on Thursday - found them both thanks to Peter. For the first, we parked our bikes and wandered along the boardwalk. Lovely view.
    We biked to further and found The Grotto is the furthest look out point - , spectacular view. The Grotto itself is a small hole in the rocks - but the cliffs are amazing.
    We found a spot for lunch in the heart of the old town, then got back to Rent a Bike to meet Valter at 4:00. By this time I was exhausted - happy to get home a bit early. Peter picked up Dorade -Sea Bream that he had filleted. Baked it over lemons - delish.

    As for the workers - disaster. The windows were shuttered and the furniture under a tarp. Took pics & emailed Rentalgest again. Bottom line - they said they’d reimburse us. We’ll see . . . . .    Read more

  • Jo-Lynne SutherlandPortugal, Cruise, Italy 2025Traveler
    Lovely place in Lisbon

    Sunday Oct 12 Lisbon

    October 12 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Got to the train station super early because we couldn’t book a seat. Train opened early & took off right on time - a great start. Loved seeing the long wooden boardwalk all along the sea. Train to Lisbon was on time but total chaos as people were getting on at both ends and meeting up in the middle with their suitcases & backpacks.
    Met a lovely woman from Newmarket while waiting for the train She was travelling on her own - heard her life story.

    Arrived at Orienté station but couldn’t see any cabs. Asked a young guy how to catch a cab and he said it’s best to use Uber. He even set my phone up and told us where to meet our driver. Super nice guy.

    Found the AirBnB easily. It’s lovely - super spacious, and aesthetically decorated. Madeleine & John were already there. They had already eaten, but joined us on Green Street for a quick dinner.

    We’re off to a good start.    Read more

  • Jo-Lynne SutherlandPortugal, Cruise, Italy 2025Traveler
    Thanksgiving dinner of sardines and octopus. Prefer turkey
    Exploring LisbonLovely artworkLoved the tiled buildings

    Monday Oct 13 Lisbon

    October 13 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    So great to travel with John & Madeline again. In the morning we headed off to Cais do Sodre to buy tickets to Cascais. I’d left my wallet at home so we all wandered back - felt guilty about that. The plus was we could stop at the local Poing Doce to pick up a few things, drop them off and head into town. Lisbon is a bit like SMA - cobblestone roads, lot of hills, but charming with its tiled homes.

    Had Thanksgiving dinner at a place recommended by Paulo, the owner of the AirBnB. We chose Portuguese specialities - Peter had grilled sardines. I had Corvena fish. Both were good, but missed my turkey.    Read more

  • Jo-Lynne SutherlandPortugal, Cruise, Italy 2025Traveler
    Unique undulating sidewalks
    Ironman race - Daryn had just done her's in New York

    October 14 Cascais

    October 14 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Fun day in Cascais. Charming town on the Mediterranean Sea. Walked 19,000 steps around the town, down to the Grotto, and stopped for lunch at a small spot overlooking the sea.

    Madeline noted a phone shop so I popped in and bought a magnetic charger & case - only 35 euros. Seems to be working really well.

    Rather than take the train from Cascais, we walked east 3 more stations and caught it at Sao Pedro do Estoril. Had to stand up for 2 stops then eventually got seats. Lots of young people but no one got up.

    Wandered back home, and had a light dinner of salad toast & cheese. Total steps 19,593. 12.1 K

    Good News - Rentalgest, the management company for our AirBnB in Lagos emailed to say they'd reimburse us $400. Needless to say we were delighted.    Read more

  • Jo-Lynne SutherlandPortugal, Cruise, Italy 2025Traveler

    October 15 Exploring Lisbon

    October 15 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    A day to explore Lisbon. Had a leisurely breakfast then headed off to Rossio train station to get tickets to Sintra. Asked for seniors discount - had to show ID then it was only 3 Euros each. Talk about cheap.
    From there we wandered up Av da Liberdade- high end shops, large tree lines sidewalks. Super hilly here - climbed up numerous stairs to the castle. Line up was crazy long so we decided just to take a pic. YIKES they wanted to charge us 15 euros each to go to a look out point. That’s not going to happen. We then paused to pick up cheese, and headed back down to a look out point to see the cruise ships. Stopped for lunch just south of Rossio station- shared lobster & salad - delish. Guy came buy selling knock off sunglasses for 20 euros. John said 10 thinking he was about to barter,but the guy said Yes and John found himself with new sun glasses. He then tried several on me - others said they looked good - and didn’t cut into my cheeks - so I bought a pair of square ones for 12 euros. I never purchase anything while travelling, but I’ve now purchased 3 things - iPhone charger & case,& sunglasses. So far they all seem to be good purchases.
    From here we headed down to our hood, picked up almond macaroons and popped into a shop with elegant embroidery - Madeline loves this - then paused for drinks and people watching just near our place.

    Daina texted to ask what time she was born. Got us into a funny conversation about Zodiac signs and who was compatible with whom. Lots of laughs.

    Dinner at home was again salad, toast, cheese & wine. Perfect. Total steps today 16,114, 10.6K- fewer than yesterday, but this was up & down several hills.    Read more

  • Jo-Lynne SutherlandPortugal, Cruise, Italy 2025Traveler

    October 16 Sintra

    October 16 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    Started the day with a quick look at the Blue Jays games - a huge win. We then walked to Rossio station to catch the train to Sintra. Just missed the 11:01, but caught the 11:41. Lots of seats.

    Super touristy at first - hounded by people wanting to guide us about. We by passed them and headed up a steep path to the Moorish castle at the top of the hill. We’d been told by tourist office that it was a difficult 2 hour climb and we should take the bus. The first part was lovely, but it did get steep later, with lots of uneven steps - meant a bit of scrambling but was doable. Entering the castle of course required a payment - 10e for seniors. John negotiated to get us on as a family of 4 for 30e.

    The view was impressive. As it was now after 3, we negotiated with a young woman who drive us down to the city for 20e. Well worth it - she was from Brazil and spoke some French but little English. Learned a bit about her life. She recommended a restaurant and a young guy from Nepal served us. He was super charming, heard all about his life - 26, wife in Nepal, 4 year old son. As for beers, I ordered a tall one. He said Mount Everest - I said yes. - it was huge. . . .
    We easily caught the train back and had our « last supper » of scrambled eggs, toast & salad, plus beer and the remaining red wine.
    Overall a super fun time in Lisbon.    Read more

  • Jo-Lynne SutherlandPortugal, Cruise, Italy 2025Traveler

    Oct 17 Cruise

    October 17 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Final day in Portugal. It’s been great fun. Loved biking around Lagos, plus exploring Lisbon, Cascais & Sintra with John & Madeline. Fun travel mates.

    Having depleted all our food here - except for 1 Super Bock beer - we headed across the street to Fauna & Flora, a charming little restaurant for breakfast. Delish.
    Madeline’s Uber wasn’t working so we used mine and they headed off at 11:15. We didn’t leave until 1:30.
    Quickly caught an Uber - they work soooo well here - and got to the Nautica ship about 2:30. Check in was super efficient.

    Love our room - as we don’t have a balcony we have extra space - perfect for Peter’s stretches & meditation. Has a lovely dinner in the Main Dining Room. Sailed all night & the next day.    Read more

  • Jo-Lynne SutherlandPortugal, Cruise, Italy 2025Traveler

    Saturday Oct 18 Seville

    October 18 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    This was an At Sea day - which I didn’t realize initially. Actually it was good to settle in, get to know the ship, the various dining rooms, bars, activities etc.
    11:00am I wandered down to see if anyone was playing ping pong. There were 3 Asians and an America. The convenors were 2 of the entertainers - George a British dancer and Jimena a Mexican singer. I played both doubles & singles - good fun even though I didn’t know the rules. The Asian couple won & got a certificate to the boutique. Yen, the other Asian, & I played for about an hour after that.
    Later that day I signed up for disco dancing with George. What hoot. Jacqueline & Rose joined me. The routine was far too complicated - but we had lots of good laughs.

    I watched the ship go through the locks into Sevilla. This was interesting as the passage was extremely narrow and a huge bridge had to be raised. As our ship is relatively small it could enter, most could not. This meant we had docked in the centre of the city. What luck.
    That night we had dinner at Toscana, one of the 2 speciality restaurants, with the whole « team » John, Madeline, Jim, Jacqueline, Rose, Val, Sy, Colleen, Delish, Mike & Sue. Lots of good chats & laughs.

    After dinner Val, Rose & I wandered out to catch a bit of the night life in Seville. It was hopping - restaurants were packed, music was blaring.    Read more

  • Jo-Lynne SutherlandPortugal, Cruise, Italy 2025Traveler

    October 19 Seville

    October 19 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Sunday Oct 19 Sevilla
    After breakfast we chatted with the travel agent, picked up a map and headed off to find Rent a Bike. It meant wandering through the centre of the city. When we got there, there were no bikes so we headed off to find another bike shop - Spain Cycling Tours. This actually worked out really well as we walked through the old town, which is super crowded and hard to navigate on a bike.

    Biking was amazing - had bike paths all around the city. Hit all the key spots - Alcazar, Catedral Giralda, Metropol Parasol with a huge abstract sculpture, Plaza de Toros where bull fights were held, and the Olympic Stadium that was built to host the games, but failed to win the bid so is now used for other events.
    In our biking tour we passed by our ship, so popped in for lunch then headed out again for another 2 hours to explore.
    Had a delish dinner that night in the Main Dining Room.    Read more

  • Jo-Lynne SutherlandPortugal, Cruise, Italy 2025Traveler

    October 20 Tangier Morocco

    October 20 in Morocco ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Monday Oct 20 Tangier Morocco

    We had arranged to meet Mohamed at a mosque outside the port at 9:00am. Little did I know we had to catch a shuttle bus to get there because cars weren’t allowed into the port. I tried to WhatsApp him, but as we were in Africa and I had a European service plan, it didn’t go through. Also on the ship there was no wifi
    We caught the shuttle bus, leaving Peter to wait for Jim & Jacqueline, and found the mosque - but no Mohamed. A moment of panic - no cell service 😳😫. Fortunately Ouadie arrived shortly after saying he was there but his driver hadn’t shown up so he went to arrange another one. Now all was fine - and we headed off.
    It was a fun tour - delighted it was only the 10 of us and a private car.
    Had to do the touristy thing & ride camels - super fun, great photo ops.
    Then we headed to the Kasbah for a tour of the old city he took us into a fabric shop and showed how they weaves cloth, then paused for a delish lunch complete with the traditional tea pouring ceremony. We headed into the souks after. I was a bit disappointed here as I was imagining the souks of Saudi - colourful, animated. He took us into a shop that sold oils, creams & spices and we got the “pitch.” I’ve had these before - not my things. Rose & Val bought some oils and Peter bought massage oil that’s supposed to ease pain - we’ll see

    From here we wandered into the Jewish quarter then out to the sea to our ship. Peter, Rose & I wandered further looking for the fishing port - could see it but couldn’t get right down to it.
    We walked back to the ship only to find John walking out. He’d left his backpack in the private van. The problem was how to contact Ouadie. I had his number but no cellular, but fortunately Peter’s Roger’s plan worked. He called Ouadie, who contacted the driver who was heading out of the city but returned shortly with the backpack. Happiness is
    Had dinner in The Terrace, then watched Declan Zapala, a talented guitarist with fun banter between songs.    Read more

  • Jo-Lynne SutherlandPortugal, Cruise, Italy 2025Traveler

    October 21 Almeria Spain

    October 21 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    We’d planned on biking here but when Peter chatted with the travel agent on the ship, he didn’t know where to rent bikes so we decided to walk.
    Again we needed a shuttle bus to get us off the port. It seemed weird. We got on, it stopped at another ship so it was standing room only, and we arrived back at our ship and finally headed out.
    Almeria is small - can see all the highlights by walking about. The main one is the Alcazaba Fortress - and it is impressive. The main streets are lovely with lots of parks & fountains. We hit the landmarks- Alcazaba Fortress - ran into John Madeline, then Jim & Jacqueline hiking up to it and down. Then wandered to Constitution Square, Plaza de la Catedral, then down the beautiful tree lined Avda Frederick Garcia Lorca. This was the route we should have taken to get into the heart of the city. Oh well, at least we found it later.

    We got back in time for lunch & laundry, which was an experience on its own - only 5 washers & driers for 650 people so the place was packed. Seems timing is critical. Fortunately I had some fun chats while waiting.
    For drinks we went to Horizons, not our usual Barista, but some how Rose & Val didn’t get the word. Lots of good laughs when we finally found them having dinner on the Terrace - joking about being ditched, jilted, abandoned, whatever. It was a beautiful warm night - lots of wine & laughs at our girls table.

    That night we saw a fun show - 70s music & dancing. Super high energy.    Read more

  • Jo-Lynne SutherlandPortugal, Cruise, Italy 2025Traveler

    October 22 At Sea

    October 22 in Algeria ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    It was an At Sea day today as we headed to Tunis Tunisia. Had to move the clocks back 1 hour - happy to have more sleep time.
    Filled the day nicely - breakfast in the dining hall, ping pong from 11:00-12:30 with my new friend Yan plus Mike, Sy & Val. 3:00 went for a cha cha lesson with Tori & George - main dancers in the shows. Peter, Jacqueline, Rose & Val showed up. We never quite mastered the routine but it was good fun.
    Met everyone for drinks at Baristas. Had dinner in the main dining room. Must say the quality of the food is amazing. 🤩    Read more

  • Jo-Lynne SutherlandPortugal, Cruise, Italy 2025Traveler

    October 23 Tunis

    October 23 in Tunisia ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Had a quick breakfast at The Terasses then checked in for our tour at 9:30. It was super efficient. They’d prepared entry visas for us and left them in our room. It was then a quick walk through the Nautical Lounge showing passports, getting our visa stamped and receiving a card with the number of our bus.
    There were 28 people on board - none of whom we knew. Our guide wasn’t my fav - very militaristic, trying too hard to be “liked”. Personality zero. He did give us lots of facts though, most of which I’ve forgotten.
    Our 1st stop was Carthage founded by the Phoenicians in the 9th century, it was destroyed by the Romans in 146 BC, later rebuilt it lavishly. Initially I was disappointed - masses of people all following guides with flags 😠 and nothing much to see just tiny pieces of the ancient wall.
    Next stop was a view of the ports, calm & lovely, then finally saw what I was hoping for - Antoninian Baths built in 145-162 - A world Heritage Site. Fortunately he released us to wander freely and avoid the crowds.

    Then it was on to Sidi Bou Said - known for its cobbled streets & blue & white houses that overlook the Mediterranean. Problem - masses of people. Fortunately we could break free and explore on our own. Peter got into some chats in French with a couple of the vendors. On route back we stopped at the American Cemetary - beautifully maintained.

    We got back at 2:30 in time for a light lunch at The Waves. Got some fab pics of the sunset and ship in the evening, then went for drinks in Horizons where a band was playing. We were joined by Val, Rose, Sy & Colleen. Dinner was at The Terrace - warm but windy, followed by a 2nd guitar performance by Declan - impressive.    Read more

  • Jo-Lynne SutherlandPortugal, Cruise, Italy 2025Traveler

    October 24 Malta

    October 24 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    We’re now back in Europe & delighted to have cell service again - can upload my pics & notes, get emails & texts, and use Google maps for directions. 🤩
    After being herded about yesterday, we were delighted to be wandering around on our own today. Curious to what all has changed since we were last here in 2015 with Carla & Mark.

    Nothing much has changed - except I noted a sculpture in Independenza Gardens had a new little “Cupid” on top. We found the park we always walked through to get to Triton Fountain, then through Valletta City Gate to Fort St Elmo and St Gregory Bastion.
    We arrived there at noon - just after they’d fired the cannons. Talk About chaos - every tour guide imaginable was here with their herds. We quickly exited to the side streets to Barrakka Gardens for some peace & quiet.
    After wandering 18,000 steps we paused just inside the wall for beers & people watching.

    I as Peter headed to the gym, I went to Horizons to sit quietly and enjoy a British High Tea - complete with live classical music. Delightful.

    The day before was John & Madeline’s 50th wedding anniversary - so we all celebrated it today Polo Grill , a speciality restaurant. This was certainly something to celebrate. 🥂🍾    Read more

  • Jo-Lynne SutherlandPortugal, Cruise, Italy 2025Traveler

    October 25 At Sea

    October 25, Ionian Sea ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    It’s actually really nice having a sea day - a chance to relax and enjoy doing whatever you like to do. Peter likes the gym. I like ping pong - seeing as how there’s no tennis or PB - plus any dancing they’re offering. Love it because the dancers - George & Tori - are the instructors and they both have personality plus - warm, smiley & fun. Today it was line dancing and Rose, Jacqueline & Val all showed up. This was easier than the Disco George tried to teach us - lots of laughs and soooo much fun. 🤣

    As for ping pong, we now have quite a team showing up at 11:00am and again at 4:00 - John, Mike, Sy & I are regulars, plus we’ve encouraged Val & Rose. What fun.

    In the evening the entertainment team put on a fab performance . . . . Talk about talent.    Read more

  • Jo-Lynne SutherlandPortugal, Cruise, Italy 2025Traveler

    October 26 Argostoli, Kefalonia

    October 26 in Greece ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    The ship was able to dock in the port so we headed out exploring. First destination was over the bridge. From there Peter noted small marina so we went in search of that - avoiding the puddles along the way. Peter stopped to chat to a young guy - Greg from Belgium, so I joined him. What an adventure he and his parter Julie have been on - sailing for the past 3 years. They had quite the set up, herbs growing in pots, 2 cats and a 3rd that had decided to live with them since they docked there. We learned a lot about them - have a website, that I later logged into later & learned about their travel - and life - Philosophy. its’s basically “be” enjoy the moments, go with the flow. From there we wandered to the lighthouse at the far end racking up 16,000 steps.Read more

  • Jo-Lynne SutherlandPortugal, Cruise, Italy 2025Traveler

    October 27 Castelmola & Taormina

    October 27 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    What a fab day. Once again we needed a tender to get to the island, which worked well. We used Ocean Excursions for the 1st time and really lucked out with our guide Sara from Discover Messina. She was delightful - knowledgeable, witty with personality plus.
    On the way up to Castelmola, Sara stopped the bus to pick up an elderly gentleman. He said he was 87 and climbs between Castelmola & Taormina every day. It was such fun watching her interact with him, then translating for us. Lots of laughs.

    Castelmola is historic, beautiful, tranquil, picturesque. Sara briefed us - being higher on the hills, it was the look out point protecting Taormina. She told us a lot about the history and the myths and legends about the island. One I remember is that one of the gods was so angry with her husband that she cut his head off and used it as a planter for her herbs & flowers. We saw lots planters like this. Also loved all the various faces on the vases - each depicting a different god / goddess. We then headed off to explore on our own. Loved it.

    From there we down the hill to Taormina. Also beautiful with historic buildings and amazing views of the sea - but packed with tourists. Again, after giving some history and more legends & stories, she let us wander freely so we headed off the beaten track as quickly as possible.

    That night, after another delish dinner, the entertainment team put on a fab show.
    Fortunately they finished before the ship started to really rock & roll - and did so all night. It lulled us to sleep. . . .    Read more

  • Jo-Lynne SutherlandPortugal, Cruise, Italy 2025Traveler

    October 28 Sorrento - Capri

    October 28 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Getting in the tender this morning was “exciting”. The small boat kept crashing into the ship as the staff slowly manoeuvred each passenger on board. With many older passengers, it was painfully slow. This is the 1st time I fault them. We were lined up in the gangway at least 30 minutes waiting to disembark and didn’t know what the delay was. They could / should have told us.
    Consequently we were about an hour late getting on the boat to take us to Capri. As we’d missed our scheduled ship, our guide Mena put us on another one but it meant we had to stand the whole way - 25 minutes - and it was rocky. There were 40 in our group - 1 older gentleman with a walker. Needless to say we inched slowly towards the Funicular to head half way up the mountain. The scene at the topic was chaotic - masses of people following signs.

    Finally, we were freed to do our own thing. Away from the crowds it was lovely. Needless to say we walked down the numerous stairs rather than take the crowded funicular.

    That night we arranged to meet my new best friend Charlie & his wife Linda. Turns out it was his birthday so we got to celebrate with him.
    A note about Charlie - during the Carthage tour he approached me to say I had a double, Karen, living in New Mexico. He said he was in love with her in elementary school until high school, when she dumped him.
    We were going to join Sy & Colleen for dinner - this was her first meal out in 3-4 days as she’d been really sick. In the end she decided just to have a quiet dinner with Sy, so we ate with Charlie & Linda - and learned a lot about them.    Read more

  • Jo-Lynne SutherlandPortugal, Cruise, Italy 2025Traveler

    October 29 Civitavecchia Port Rome

    October 29 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Last day of the cruise. Again they were well organized - tags for luggage, which we didn’t need, groups called 1 at time, a shuttle bus ready to take us to the train station.
    We opted for the fast train and were delighted we did as it got us there by 10am. A young Italian man then helped me get an Uber and we were at the hotel by 10:30. Super efficient. Although rain had been forecast, it was a beautiful day.

    We chose a great location - MK Hotel 1 block from the Sisto Bridge. Needless to say, we walked up and down the Tiber River hitting many of the landmarks - Vatican, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Trastevere district. At the Vatican there was a large group of Germans dressed in costumes. The young guy who spoke English well explained that they had come to play their musical instruments here at the Vatican, but were told by the police they could not. What a shame. It would have been lovely to hear them.

    After hundreds of steps we eventually wandered through a small market near our hotel and decided to come back that night for dinner.

    Dinner was good - but nothing special. Location was great, and our young waitress, Sevada was delightful - mother American indigenous, dad Italian, she’d gone to school in the states, but came to Rome for university and stayed on. She told us all about her friends & boyfriend from Guinea etc etc. She’s also a tour guide - love the name of the company “Not Boring Tours”    Read more

  • Jo-Lynne SutherlandPortugal, Cruise, Italy 2025Traveler

    October 30 Brindisi & Oria Puglia

    October 30 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    For breakfast we headed to Pimm’s Good restaurant that Sevada had recommended. There are 2 universities nearby, and this seems to be their hang out. Made for good people watching.

    The hotel arranged a taxi to the airport. We got there super early and for the first time took advantage of our Visa Airport Companion from RBC and used the Prima Vista Lounge. Loved it - delish Italian food & wine, good wifi. Will use it again on route home.

    In Brindisi we rented a car through You Do Italy. It was a stick shift - which Peter liked once he got used to it. All was fine until I put in the address for Roberto. We were supposed to meet him, and would take us to Lily’s home - her place doesn’t have an address. I put in the address Via Cairoli 4, but not the city. When we arrived, there was no #4 so I knocked on the door at #5. A tall black gentleman answered and only spoke Italian. Confused, I then called Roberto, who also doesn’t speak English, but I managed to understand that his house was #2. I found that and knocked but no one answered. By now it was totally dark. .

    I called Robert back, who kindly went out and found a friend who spoke some English. It was then that I realized we were in the wrong city - San Pietro Vernotico not Oria. Finally about 9:30pm we arrived at Roberto & Rosanna’s home. They were super friendly, but neither spoke a word of English so I pulled out my phone and by using Reverso - and lots of smiles & gestures - we were able to communicate. They were really sweet, and drove us to Lily’s. YIKES not easy to find - especially in the dark.
    They showed us how things worked - especially the alarm system that we found intimidating. Roberto said we didn’t need to set it - which was a huge relief.
    The house is lovely - white & spacious with high vaulted ceilings - and the property contains acres of olive and orange trees. She hasn't finished furnishing it yet to make it "homey" but it will be spectacular when finished, ,

    By now it was 10 pm, and we’d had no dinner, so tried to find a place that Lily had recommended - Ostia Luce in the heart of the historic district. To our luck they were still open - really needed that lovely glass of wine . . . . Getting back to Lily’s was a challenge. I had pinned it, but it kept taking us round and round in circles. Finally we found it. YIKES that was quite a day. . . .    Read more

  • Jo-Lynne SutherlandPortugal, Cruise, Italy 2025Traveler

    October 31 Oria

    October 31 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 20 °C

    Today was an explore Oria day. After taking lots pics of Lily's lovely home and property, we walked the 2K into town to find a cafe she'd recommended - Kenya Cafe. Coffee was great, but pastries were filled with cream and super sweet.
    From there we walked around Oria, mainly in the historic Center. It’s lovely, with small winding cobblestone streets and beautiful churches. It was Halloween, so lots of decorations.
    Trying to find a place for lunch was a challenge. Fortunately Il Piacere, near Cafe Kenya, was open. By now it had started to rain, so we finished our lunch and waited it out for at least an hour. Must say there was no pressure at all to leave. Everyone was just chillin.

    We walked backed home, and drove to the grocery store and picked up breakfast stuff, plus wine & cheese. As Lily’s place isn’t totally set up, we decided to eat breakfast there, have a big lunch out, then wine & cheese for dinner.

    24,285 steps later we arrived home, but there were no lights inside or outside the house. I texted Roberto in Italian - using Reverso - and we wrote back & forth in Italian. Just wish I could remember a few of the words I needed. I even emailed Lily.
    About 15 minutes later Roberto arrived - seems the lights are on a timer - all we had to do is find the fuse box and flip the switch saying "Luci." The outside lights, though, were set for summer hours so needed to be reset. Roberto said he’d arrange that.

    If it weren’t for Reverso, we wouldn’t know what was going on. Another reason the learn other languages. Must say we’re experiencing the real Italy here - no one speaks English, people are friendly and outgoing - speak loudly with lots of gestures, etc etc. Really prefer this to the touristy cities.    Read more

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