2016 Cruising Europe

June - July 2016

This was a double-barreled adventure, starting with a western Mediterranean cruise, and a river cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam. Both were spectacular, with food and service to die for. Ship Sirena 600 pax in the Med. Amastella on river 150 pax. Read more

122footprints
15countries
39days
487photos
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37.7kkilometers
32.2kkilometers

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Richard n Sheila Travels 2016 Cruising Europe
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- Jun 20, 2016, 8:30am
- ☀️ 10 °C
- Altitude: 15 m
- New Zealand Bay of Plenty Tauranga City Hairini -37.733149, 176.15790837°43’59” S 176°9’28” E
Day 2
Hairini
June 20, 2016 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C
Bags packed, most things done, bye little Home we'll see you soon.

Very pleased to have a great house sitter looking after the place. Many thanks Simon and Nat...
Have a fantastic trip & look forward to your photos xo
6/22/16Reply
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Richard n Sheila Travels 2016 Cruising Europe
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- Jun 20, 2016, 9:00pm
- 🌙 12 °C
- Altitude: 59 m
- New Zealand Auckland Pukekohe -37.20353, 174.9050237°12’13” S 174°54’18” E
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Day 2
Pukekohe
June 20, 2016 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌙 12 °C
A night with Mum before we leave.
Richard n Sheila Travels Mom looking very much herself. Sending us off with a Bundaberg Ginger Beer!
6/24/16Reply
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Richard n Sheila Travels 2016 Cruising Europe
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- Jun 21, 2016, 10:47am
- ☁️ 16 °C
- Altitude: 10 m
- New Zealand Auckland Auckland Airport Auckland International Airport -37.00587, 174.7825337°0’21” S 174°46’57” E
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Day 3
Departure point NZ
June 21, 2016 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
Relaxing in the Emperor Lounge at akl airport. Flight in an hour or so...
Richard n Sheila Travels Someone's pleased to be heading off on holiday!
6/24/16Reply
Richard n Sheila Travels Golly, a selfie.
6/24/16Reply
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Richard n Sheila Travels 2016 Cruising Europe
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- Jun 22, 2016, 12:00am
- ⛅ 28 °C
- Altitude: 6 m
- Singapore Kampong Ayer Gemuruh Singapore Changi Airport 1.35631, 103.985671°21’23” N 103°59’8” E
Day 4
Singapore Airport
June 22, 2016 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
Half way there ... another 5 hrs here and we leave for Istanbul.
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Richard n Sheila Travels 2016 Cruising Europe
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- Jun 22, 2016, 9:18am
- ⛅ 26 °C
- Altitude: 3 m
- Turkey Istanbul Zeytinburnu Zeytin Burnu 40.98025, 28.9015740°58’49” N 28°54’6” E
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Day 4
Istanbul
June 22, 2016 in Turkey ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C
A day and night here. Off to see the city sights now...

Caught the BigBus hop on/off and saw some city sights. Crossed the Bosphorus strait (?) which runs through Istanbul and separates the two continents it's built on ... Asia and Europe. Toured Hagia Sophia museum, which was a church from Byzantine era, now a museum. Mosaics inside amazing. It's the 3rd rebuild and many of the original ruins are visible. Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque) the mosaics and decor is fabulous. Shoes off head covering on, this is a functional Mosque and closed for prayers an hour after we went through. Minarets everywhere ... 3000 mosques nearly 2000 churches, synagogues - seems the various religions exist peacefully together here.

Huge city 20 million population, housing and buildings as far as the eye could see. Modern, old and ancient...of particular note the remains of the old sea wall all the way round the waterfront.

Everything is "$$ normal price, for you I reduce it to $$" seems bargaining is a much loved game by the locals. We probably paid too much for everything. .. ah well, kiwis not so practiced at the art eh.Read more
Watch out for p and o they are there 2.
6/25/16Reply
From j logan
6/25/16Reply
Richard n Sheila Travels Yeah we saw a post or two from O ... probably only missed them by a km or two one day. 😕
6/26/16Reply
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Richard n Sheila Travels 2016 Cruising Europe
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- Jun 23, 2016, 4:00pm
- ☀️ 34 °C
- Altitude: 71 m
- Greece Attica Athens Ioulianou 37.98963, 23.7251837°59’23” N 23°43’31” E
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Day 5
Athens
June 23, 2016 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C
2 days here. Booked an evening tour and a day tour tomorrow to see the acropolis and archeology. Can't wait.
Ross Smith Sounds like you guys are have a great time already. Hopefully you are starting to relax now and enjoying you awesome holiday. Ross
6/24/16Reply
Richard n Sheila Travels Beautiful view of the Parthenon from down below in the street we walked as part of the evening tour.
6/24/16Reply
Richard n Sheila Travels Us outside the new Acropolis Museum. Note the glass floor panels in the courtyard behind...
6/24/16Reply
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Richard n Sheila Travels 2016 Cruising Europe
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- Jun 23, 2016, 9:00pm
- 🌙 30 °C
- Altitude: 88 m
- Greece Attica Athens Acropolis Stoá tou Evménous 37.96983, 23.7262537°58’11” N 23°43’35” E
Day 5
Greek taverna in Plaka
June 23, 2016 in Greece ⋅ 🌙 30 °C
on a tour sampling melt in your mouth lamb n salads. too meek to join the dancers on stage though!
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Richard n Sheila Travels 2016 Cruising Europe
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- Jun 24, 2016, 10:00am
- ⛅ 30 °C
- Altitude: 77 m
- Greece Attica Athens Anafiotika Theatre of Dionysos 37.969416, 23.72932837°58’10” N 23°43’46” E
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Day 6
Acropolis Museum
June 24, 2016 in Greece ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C
Visited this magnificent Museum today prior to visiting the Acropolis itself. An excellent idea as we then knew what we were looking up top without having to figure it out along the way. Our Tour Guide gave us much info...

The museum starts below ground, seen through glass courtyard and walkways. Ancients ruins apparently lie beneath much of this area...

Ground floor houses items found around the base of the Acropolis, mainly items used and owned by the folk who lived in the area surrounding this huge sacred site. Photos prohibited.

Second floor houses more archeological items, statues, panels, marble structures. Photos allowed in part.

Top floor laid in the shape and size of the Parthenon, with panels and sculptures laid out in the positions they occupied around the roof of the Parthenon. Ingenious, and very engaging.

A bit sad to see the number of replicas on display (identifiable due to being white, rather than yellowed as the genuine items are...) as a result of the plundering by the Brits and others a couple hundred years back. Many items are housed in the London Museum and there's quite a push by Greece for their return.Read more
Richard n Sheila Travels White panels left (replicas of artifacts held elsewhere), yellowed panels right are the actual original artifact. Almost all of the statues at right are replicas just a few original fragments among them.
6/24/16Reply
Richard n Sheila Travels Statues from left end of the west frieze of the Parthenon.2 horse heads are actual items, white are replicas. The detail and finish of marble statues are remarkable. These are a little larger than life size.
6/24/16Reply
Richard n Sheila Travels Another look below ground...
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Richard n Sheila Travels 2016 Cruising Europe
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- Jun 24, 2016, 1:00pm
- ☀️ 33 °C
- Altitude: 127 m
- Greece Attica Athens Plaka Acropolis 37.97151, 23.7257537°58’17” N 23°43’33” E
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Day 6
Acropolis, Athens
June 24, 2016 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C
Then a walk up the Acropolis to the structures on top ... the Parthenon WOW!!!!! There's also the Erechtheion, the Temple of Nike (yep, that's where they got the name from), the Prohylaea, the Beule Gate and more. All in varying states of ruin and restoration. Views from the top are breath taking 360deg overlooking the city of Athens, where 5m people live.

Walked down to Plaka (historic old-city centre) which is a bit of a tourist trap, had lunch (beer, calamari, beer, cold nibbles, and beer. Yum.). Then walked back the hotel, only 30 min and through interesting streets and sites, but in nearly 40deg heat, so now we need more beer.Read more
Richard n Sheila Travels Odeon of Herodes Atticus. Magnificent amphitheatre used in modern times for concerts by such as Yanni & Andrea Bocelli.
6/24/16Reply
Richard n Sheila Travels The Erechtheum. Second largest structure on the Acropolis. The most sacred and mythical temple in Athens.
6/24/16Reply
Richard n Sheila Travels The Parthenon. Temple of the goddess Athena. 70m x 30m x 20m high, it's HUGE. Being lovingly restored now.
6/24/16Reply
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Richard n Sheila Travels 2016 Cruising Europe
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- Jun 25, 2016, 10:30am
- ☀️ 30 °C
- Altitude: 3 m
- Italy Latium Fiumicino Fiumicino Fiumicino International Airport 41.80094, 12.249541°48’3” N 12°14’58” E
Day 7
Rome airport
June 25, 2016 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C
Landed here 10.30 local time, onto a bus with some fellow cruisers and head to Civitivecchia to board ship. 31C. Oleanders along the highways here and in Greece are in full flower quite a spectacle.
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