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Alison J
Alison J

Alison J

matkusti 8 maahan. Lue lisää🇺🇸Portland
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  • Alison JAlaska CruiseAlison J

    Bon voyage!

    30. kesäkuuta 2017, Coastal Waters Of Southeast Alaska And British Columbia ⋅ 🌙 55 °F

    We boarded the ship at about 2:00 and headed straight to the Team Grill for lunch, hauling all our stuff with us because we somehow missed the luggage porter. We found Kathryn and her family on the terrace, chatted there until we were able to get in to our cabins.

    After a fun afternoon of exploring the ship and watching the sail away, we found my parents, Kathryn and Dave in the horizons lounge. Then, dinner at the Polo Grill. The boys were feeling adventurous--escargots and lobster for Ben, lobster bisque and lamb for Evan. We celebrated Kathryn and Dave's 27th anniversary with a special chocolate cake, a serenade by the wait staff, and an impromptu speech by Dave. We topped the day off by attending the show in the lounge.    Lue lisää

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  • Alison JAlaska CruiseAlison J

    Itinerary

    28. kesäkuuta 2017, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F

    This will be vastly different from my November cruise, though we're using the same cruise line.

    1) More family members!
    Kathryn and I are bringing our husbands and kids. I'm so excited to share this adventure with the whole family.

    2) More sea days
    Easy to do, since we had zero of them last time.

    3) Only 3 ports
    For this Friday to Friday cruise, we'll be off the ship on Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I imagine there'll be stuff to look at on the other days. But I think it will be more relaxation and less adventure.

    One thing that may not be different?
    The weather.
    Alaska in July is looking mighty similar to the Mediterranean in November. 60s and rain, at least for the first bit.

    So, layers, then. Time to find my rain jacket and start packing!    Lue lisää

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  • Alison JCrawford family cruiseAlison J

    JFK Airport

    11. marraskuuta 2016, Yhdysvallat ⋅ 🌙 50 °F

    I just left my sister at her gate and am eating a really salty Shake Shack burger while I wait for my flight to board.

    We had a smooth 1-hour ride from the seaport to the airport this morning, with a friendly driver who spoke excellent English. He talked about Italy, some of his favorite Italian wines, and his hope to visit America one day. Regarding Rome, he said that he's lived there all his life and, in his 60s, he still learns new things. "A lifetime isn't long enough to know Rome," he said.

    Now that I'm alone, reflecting on the trip, here are some final notes.

    My parents had several disappointments due to my mom's knee injury and my dad's cold--they were not able to do much exploring off the ship. They never once complained, so I will take a moment to complain on their behalf: no fair! We enjoyed dinner with them each night, and quite a few other meals, happy hours, and activities on board. It was lovely to have the extended time with them.

    My sister and I are well matched traveling companions and didn't get sick of each other once.

    The Oceania ship and crew were fantastic. The food was delicious and our suite stewardess, Carla, was attentive and so much fun. 10 days was a great length for a cruise and I can't wait to go again!    Lue lisää

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  • Alison JCrawford family cruiseAlison J
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    Herculaneum, near Naples

    10. marraskuuta 2016, Italia ⋅ ⛅ 57 °F

    Herculaneum is like Pompeii, except instead of being covered with ash when Mt Vesuvius erupted in AD 79, Herculaneum was buried in mudflow. The end result is that it's better preserved. A very cool site, we could have spent another hour looking around.

    We didn't end up exploring Naples at all, because we were hungry for lunch when we got back to the port from our Herculaneum tour, and then we felt like spending our last afternoon enjoying the ship. We had high tea, said some goodbyes, took care of some business, and packed. One more dinner, one more sleep, then back to reality.    Lue lisää

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  • Alison JCrawford family cruiseAlison J
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    Catania, Sicily, part 2

    9. marraskuuta 2016, Italia ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F

    As we headed north through the city in search of a restroom, I told my sister the story of how I discovered Nossa Familia espresso bar in Portland. The story is that I was in search of a restroom in Northwest Portland and decided to find a coffee house for that purpose. A little googling led me to the highly recommended Nossa Familia, and I walked in with enthusiasm, only to find that it had no tables and no restroom. I ordered a coffee anyway, and it turned out to be the best cup of coffee ever and that's how I found my favorite coffee place.

    So, I told this story to Kathryn as we were using Pee.place to find the nearest public restroom. We followed the map on my phone to the Greco Roman Theater where there was supposedly a public w/c, but when we walked in and inquired, the women at the ticket booth seemed a little perplexed by the idea. They asked (in Italian--there's much less English available here than in the other cities we've been to this trip) if we were buying admission. How Kathryn and I looked at each other, and looked at the bit of Roman ruins that we could see from the entrance, and I said, "This might be another favorite coffee shop situation. I think we should do it."

    And that's how we spent the next 1 1/2 hours exploring this fascinating, relatively recent archeological excavation. Houses had been built on top of the ruins throughout history, so the excavation was like decluttering on a grand scale, figuring out what was worth keeping and what had to go. Kept: parts of an 18th century house, walls from a 17th century house, Roman theater, Greek base structure, and artifacts found in the excavation of the site.    Lue lisää

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  • Alison JCrawford family cruiseAlison J

    Catania, Italy, part 1

    9. marraskuuta 2016, Italia ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F

    We had a fabulous day in Catania, despite the pall of the election news hovering over us throughout the day. Dad has a cold and Mom is still uneasy about walking any distance at all, unfortunately, so it was just Kathryn and I once again. After talking with the local tourist guide, we decided to walk through the outdoor fish market first. It was charmingly boisterous, with the produce sellers and fishmongers hawking their catches-of-the-day.

    Past the market was the 13th century Castello Ursino, which is now a museum. We looked at the free part, but didn't pay the 10 euros for the museum of antiquities it houses.    Lue lisää

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  • Alison JCrawford family cruiseAlison J

    Valetta, Malta

    8. marraskuuta 2016, Malta ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F

    Valetta is the port city where we arrived. We rode an open-topped bus to and from Mdina, which was slightly terrifying but with interesting views, when my eyes weren't squeezed shut against the dust and wind. We stopped at the Barrakas Garden at the top of the old city wall before heading down the lift to the port. We were treated to a gorgeous sunset as we waited for the boat to take us back to our ship.Lue lisää

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  • Alison JCrawford family cruiseAlison J
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    Mdina, Malta

    8. marraskuuta 2016, Malta ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F

    We spent most of our time on the island of Malta in the old walled city of Mdina, which is up on a hill in the center of the island.

    It's been hard to keep up with journaling because by the time I have some down time, the ship is rocking enough that I don't physically feel up to writing. So, I'll get the photos up and add comments with specifics later.Lue lisää

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  • Alison JCrawford family cruiseAlison J
    1111

    Zakynthos

    7. marraskuuta 2016, Kreikka ⋅ ☁️ 72 °F

    Great tour of family owned olive oil pressing business. View down to the sea and city of Zakinthos from a church above the city.

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  • Alison JCrawford family cruiseAlison J

    Corfu

    6. marraskuuta 2016, Kreikka ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    We didn't know if anything would be open on a Sunday, but, thanks to Saint Spyridon, Corfu was full of life today. On the first Sunday in November, the people of Corfu commemorate that one time when everyone was getting cholera and Saint Spyridon chased it away. There are processions throughout the middle of the day, and the shops that would have been closed had all opened for the occasion.

    We did a little shopping, watched some of the processions, and Google maps helped us find an excellent cafe for lunch. Eating souvlaki at an outdoor cafe in Greece, then heading across the street to buy baklava from a little bakery recommended by a local a couple tables away--there's another item to cross off my bucket list.    Lue lisää

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  • Alison JCrawford family cruiseAlison J
    1

    Grotti Castellano

    5. marraskuuta 2016, Italia ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    These caves are well used. On the way in to these caves, we noticed signs for a dance performance, and there's also a play being performed. About 1 km inside the cave structure, there is an indoor amphitheater built of stone (no photos allowed, unfortunately). Our guide told us they show scary movies in there in the summer.Lue lisää

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  • Alison JCrawford family cruiseAlison J
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    Polignano

    5. marraskuuta 2016, Italia ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    The local specialties of this town are ice cream and Caffe Speciale -- espresso, whipped cream, amaretto, and lemon rind. We sampled both. Double thumbs up!

    We only had half an hour to walk around town before we had to meet up with our bus tour group. Could have used more time to wander.

    Rumor has it that there's quite a bit of illness on board our ship. I was ill the night before last, slept for much of yesterday, and feel fine now.... so hopefully that was the end of that for my whole family.    Lue lisää

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  • Alison JCrawford family cruiseAlison J
    21

    Kotor, Montenegro

    4. marraskuuta 2016, Montenegro ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    Kotor is a beautiful walled city nestled in between the mountains and the sea inlet. There are no cars, and stray cats everywhere. We walked up the old wall to a church with a gorgeous view of the city and the bay.Lue lisää

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  • Alison JCrawford family cruiseAlison J
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    Krka National Park, Croatia

    3. marraskuuta 2016, Kroatia ⋅ 🌧 50 °F

    What a beautiful place! The rain didn't stop us from having a wonderful time. Our tour guide was a delightful companion for this five hour trip. He was 9 years old during the war in Croatia. He and his classmates went to stay in a hotel on an island off the Croatian coast, where they would be safe from the bombing. Their teachers stayed with them, while the parents stayed home with no water or electricity for 6 months. He said he was aware of the war and the fact that his parents were stressed, but there experience for him was an adventure, like a long field trip.Lue lisää

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  • Alison JCrawford family cruiseAlison J
    1
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    Slovenia

    2. marraskuuta 2016, Slovenia ⋅ 🌫 55 °F

    I woke up feeling the ship slowing as we began to back into the port of Koper. We had scheduled a short bus tour for the afternoon, so we had a relaxed morning on board that included a visit to the medical center to check on Mom's knee. After lunch, Dad, Kathryn and I disembarked and boarded a bus that took us south along the coast. Our guide told us that her grandparents lived in the same village for their entire lives. They have been citizens of four different countries in their lifetimes due to the changes in government: Italy, Austria-Hungary, Yugoslavia, and now Slovenia.

    We were dropped off in the small coastal town of Piran, where we enjoyed the old town and square as we searched for a wine bar and a restroom. With those missions accomplished, it was time to hop aboard the next bus and return to our ship in time for afternoon tea and a brief rest before the captain's party at 5:45.    Lue lisää

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  • Alison JCrawford family cruiseAlison J
    1232

    Welcome aboard, madame

    1. marraskuuta 2016, Italia ⋅ ⛅ 52 °F

    We had a nice morning in Venice, with a continental breakfast in our hotel, then a wander through the neighborhood (in which we didn't get lost). I bought a postcard, wrote it, stamped it, and mailed it--there's a first time for everything!

    We got on the cruise ship and immediately found my parents, so we all gathered in the buffet dining room for lunch. Mom needed to rest her sore knee, so we dropped her in her stateroom and explored the ship. Between that, the muster drill, and unpacking, the afternoon went quickly.

    We had a great dinner (Lobster Pad Thai for me) at the Red Ginger restaurant, then went to the Sail Away party of some new acquaintances in their ginormous suite, which spans the entire width of the ship. Alas, we didn't sail away--we were fogged in. So, Mom and Dad went to bed, and Kathryn and I went to have a drink and listen to live music in the lounge. The ship started moving right before we were about to go back to our cabin. It was still foggy but very pretty.    Lue lisää

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  • Alison JCrawford family cruiseAlison J
    2

    Venice

    31. lokakuuta 2016, Italia ⋅ ⛅ 57 °F

    I'm not going to write much because I don't have an adaptor to charge my phone with, and I want to use my phone to find our way to the ship tomorrow. We landed in Venice in the late morning. Today was spent wandering over bridges and through narrow winding streets, finding our way to Hotel dalla Moro, and then our parents' hotel. Venice is confusing and gorgeous and very crowded. Here are some unedited photos.Lue lisää

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  • Alison JCrawford family cruiseAlison J

    On my way!

    30. lokakuuta 2016, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☁️ 37 °F

    Up at 4:30 this morning to catch my 6:19 flight. The lack of a line at security threw my sleepy brain for a loop--I was counting on that time to get organized! The security agent was not amused at my inability to find my clear bag of liquid items inside my main carry-on bag. (I stuck it in my smaller bag last night to make it easier to find. How is the irony of that not hilarious to you, sir?) I guess we can't all have a sense of humor at 5 a.m. Or maybe the irony wears off after the first thousand people who've done the same.

    Here's the plan: my sister and I will meet up at JFK this afternoon to fly to Venice together. After we check in to our hotel on Monday morning, we'll head to a much fancier hotel to find my parents, who are splurging on a 5 star hotel in celebration of their 56th wedding anniversary. Kathryn and I are splurging just to be let aboard their anniversary cruise, so we're going for the cheap inn near the port. We will have a day and a sleep in Venice to acclimate ourselves to European time before boarding our ship on Tuesday.    Lue lisää

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