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Japan, UK & Europe 2026
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Japan, UK & Europe 2026

A 90-day adventure by The Shifting Spanners Read more
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    The Shifting SpannersJapan, UK & Europe 2026The Shifting Spanners
    Parthenon
    ParthenonChanging of the guardChurch of Panagia KapnikareaHadrian's LibraryStoa of Attalos1AcropolisAcropolisOdeon of Herodes AtticusOdeon of Herodes AtticusParthenonErechtheumParthenonErechtheumErechtheumParthenonParthenonParthenonView from AcropolisPanathenaic StadiumPanathenaic StadiumPanathenaic StadiumPanathenaic StadiumThrones at Panathenaic StadiumPanathenaic StadiumPanathenaic Stadium tunnel to museumTemple of Olympian ZeusAcropolisMetropolitan Cathedral of AthensPlaka

    Athens

    October 3 in Greece ⋅ 🌙 17 °C

    Well, despite our best efforts, we both picked up colds from the cruise. Had a rest day in Athens before we ventured too far...our AirBnB was very well positioned in an upmarket area full of designer shops etc, and only 5 minute walk to Syntagma Square.

    Very busy city is Athens...lots of police and army around our area due to its proximity to the Hellenic Parliament where we were lucky enough to observe the changing of the guard ceremony.

    Loved the Acropolis, & Parthenon, Acropolis Museum, Ancient Agora, Panathenaic Stadium, and strolling around Monastiraki, Plaka and Athens National Gardens. All these were within a 20 minute walk from our apartment so there was no need to catch trains or buses which was great.

    Onwards to Chania, Crete for 12 days now...hopefully this beautiful weather holds.    Read more

  • The Shifting SpannersJapan, UK & Europe 2026The Shifting Spanners
    Cihat, our private driver
    Cihat, our private driver1Nusretiye MosqueOrtakoy MosqueGalata TowerGalata TowerBalat Antik CafeChora ChurchChora ChurchImperial Gate, entrance to Topkapi PalaceHagia Irene ChurchGate of Salutation, Topkapi PalaceBlue MosqueBlue MosqueBlue MosqueBlue Mosque2Blue Mosque

    Istanbul

    September 30 in Turkey ⋅ 🌬 20 °C

    We spent 2 days in the very large city of Istanbul. Did a 2 hour HAL tour on the first afternoon which amounted to a bus ride offering very little value.

    We had booked a private all day tour the next day with a local driver who was highly recommend by someone on our Europe tour, and turned out to be fantastic. He picked us up in a nice Mercedes van from the cruise port and we hit up all the spots we could until he dropped us back to port at 5 pm.

    We visited Nusretiye Mosque, Ortakoy Mosque, Galata Tower and square, Balat historic quarter, Chora Church, Topkapi Palace, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia Mosque and the Harasta Carsisi Bazaar. We only entered the free of charge Blue Mosque as the others were very expensive, or closed due to prayer time. Nevertheless, we had a great day and the private tour was the best $150 we ever spent!

    This cruise has been fantastic...probably on par with the Viking Europe river cruise in 2019. The itinerary has been great, and the food, service, quality overall top notch. We will definately be booking Holland America cruises in the future.    Read more

  • The Shifting SpannersJapan, UK & Europe 2026The Shifting Spanners
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    Ephesus

    September 29 in Turkey ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

    Marg woke up a bit under the weather today, so decided to stay onboard whilst I went on the Ephesus tour.

    Ephesus ancient city is a 30 minute bus ride from the Port town of Kusadasi. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable as he walked us through the ruins, from the Terrace Houses, the Great Theatre and the Library of Celsus. Great ruins and interesting that we are still permitted to walk through them and in most cases, touch them.

    Finished the tour with a Turkish rug weaving demonstration and the opportunity to purchase of course. Some of these ornate silk rugs take 4 years to make, so the 6 figure price tag is quite understandable. Needless to say, there will be no Turkish rugs being delivered home anytime soon...    Read more

  • The Shifting SpannersJapan, UK & Europe 2026The Shifting Spanners

    Bodrum

    September 28 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Again we awoke in a new port and a new country, this time Bodrum, Turkey.

    After a quick brekky, we walked into town and were presented with a beautiful promenade which stretches 2 km along the harbour to the Castle of St. Peter. Beautiful beach settings with umbrellas and tables made way for waterside restaurants, bistros and a large bazaar full of clothes, jewellery, and other shops.

    A lot of very expensive boats and yachts in the harbour with plenty offering day trips.

    Made our way back to our ship for a late lunch and nap before enjoying some cocktails for sailaway.

    We'll have to have an early night tonight as we have a 7.30 am tour of Ephesus booked in the morning...    Read more

  • The Shifting SpannersJapan, UK & Europe 2026The Shifting Spanners
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    Santorini

    September 27 in Greece ⋅ 🌧 20 °C

    Wowee!

    We awoke already moored off Santorini, and what a beautiful sight it was. We had booked a HAL tour of Santorini so after gathering onboard, were ushered onto tenders which took us to shore and straight onto our bus. A quick windy climb to the top of the cliffs and we were off to Akrotiri to check out the ancient Aegean ruins. Often called the "Greek Pompeii" these ruins represent about 5% of the city buried beneath the volcanic ash of nearby Thera volcano approx 1620 BC.

    After Akrotiri, we drove to Oia the most famous and beautiful city in Santorini. We had a couple of hours free time here...very, very beautiful.

    Off to Fira the bustling capital of Santorini where, after a bit of free time, we decided to catch the cable car back down the cliffs to the waiting tenders which took us back to our ship.

    After a quick shower, we enjoyed a couple of cocktails as we watched Santorini slowly disappear as we cruised off...a perfect ending to a great day!    Read more

  • The Shifting SpannersJapan, UK & Europe 2026The Shifting Spanners
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    Split

    September 25 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    Had a bit of a sleep in this morning, due in part to a late night at the Rolling Stone Lounge last night.

    We've arrived at our first two ports at 7 am each morning, and we haven't felt a thing...no movement at all.

    A beautiful vista awaited us as we walked into Split, Croatia. We went straight to the Diocletian Palace built in the third century AD as the Emperor's retirement residence. Wandered through the huge fortress complex full of ruins, alleys, restaurants, and shops.

    Found the underground cellars from the Peristyle where Game of Thrones filmed their dragons being kept...apparently.

    The Riva (esplanade) is beautiful here in Split...we lingered along the Riva and people watched for a while before venturing onboard for lunch and another afternoon nap.

    Sail away was 3.30 pm again (although we didn't feel it) and we chose the Ocean Bar for a few Daiquiris before dinner at our usual table...again, beautiful.

    We have our first sea day tomorrow as we sail to Santorini...very much looking forward to our tour we've booked here.    Read more

  • The Shifting SpannersJapan, UK & Europe 2026The Shifting Spanners

    Rijeka

    September 24 in Croatia ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Our first night onboard was fantastic. We have the drinks package for this cruise, which allows up to 15 drinks, specialty coffees and cocktails per person per day....should be plenty for us lol.

    We found a few very nice bars and sampled quite a few cocktails before viewing the sail away from the Captains deck...very nice.

    We had pre booked dinner at 7.30 pm each night at the same table for 2 and the same waiters throughout the cruise. This restaurant is swish! Beautiful food and wines, pianist and violinist playing most nights...we could get very used to this.

    Our first port of call was the beautiful town of Rijeka, Croatia. The breakwater jetty here (Molo Longo) is nearly 2km long so was a good walk into town. We wandered around the Old Town of Rijeka exploring the Cathedral of St. Vitus, Kobler Square, City Market and TunelRi...the 330m tunnel built by the Italian military at the beginning of WW2.

    Back on board for a late lunch and a nap before sail away at 3.30 pm.

    Another beautiful dinner at our table, before we enjoyed a Broadway show at the ship's theatre...very talented singers and dancers.

    Found a great nightclub where we enjoyed a live band till late.

    Luckily, the weather is great and the oceans are very calm...we can barely feel any movement.    Read more

  • The Shifting SpannersJapan, UK & Europe 2026The Shifting Spanners

    Trieste

    September 23 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    We were a tad nervous about travelling from our AirBnB apartment in Venice to our cruise port in Trieste. We'd done all the planning, but the consequences of something going wrong were pretty dire considering we had a cruise to catch. Thankfully it all went according to plan...Vaporetto (Water bus) from our nearest dock to San Lucia train Station (Venice) via tap on Wise card, then a two hour direct train to Trieste Centrale (tickets purchased online), followed by a 1km walk with suitcases to the port where our beautiful Holland America Oosterdam was waiting for us.

    Embarkation was very easy...they had luggage tags for us and we were onboard in half an hour or so.

    Very much looking forward to our 10 day Adriatic cruise...    Read more

  • The Shifting SpannersJapan, UK & Europe 2026The Shifting Spanners
    Our AirBnB entranceNarrowest streetOur AirBnB directly above the Gondola1

    Venice

    September 19 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    We've had a great few days back in Venice. Stayed four nights in an AirBnB just a few minutes from San Marco Square. The host met us at the nearest dock which was only a short walk to the apartment. As per usual, we'd booked an apartment with laundry facilities so we were able to wash and dry all our dirty clothes from our Europe tour.

    We enjoyed a trip to Murano and Burano which we missed on our tour visit. Particularly liked Burano with all the brightly coloured houses and market stalls...very picturesque.

    We ate at the same restaurant all four nights as we loved the pasta and they didn't charge table service like most.

    Visiting Venice requires a LOT of walking, and we clocked up 15000 - 20000 steps most days. It's great just to wander the back alleys of Venice...its amazing some of the architecture, restaurants, wine bars, and shops you find.

    Venice is just a feast for the eyes. We commented several times that our brains couldn't quite comprehend what our eyes were seeing...just beautiful.    Read more

  • The Shifting SpannersJapan, UK & Europe 2026The Shifting Spanners
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    Rhine Valley - Amsterdam

    September 17 in the Netherlands ⋅ 🌧 16 °C

    First up today was a cruise on the Rhine River at Boppard. We had actually cruised past here in 2019 on our Riverboat cruise so very familiar.

    Did some beautiful wine tastings before grabbing lunch and some shopping and headed off to Amsterdam for 2 nights.

    The inluded canal cruise was great to start off our Amsterdam stay. Having previously visited Amsterdam, we skipped the usual attractions we've seen before and headed to the Jordaan and Nine Streets districts...full of canals, boutiques, restaurants and cafes.

    We then headed by train out of town to Haarlem and explored the beautiful canals, windmills etc.

    We said our goodbyes at our last group dinner before hopping on the bus for the last trip back to our hotel. Our flight back to Venice is not until 3 pm tomorrow, so very glad to have a sleep in before we go.

    It's been a great 18 day tour. We ticked off a large part of Europe that we haven't seen before and made some great friends. We're very much looking forward to Venice for 4 days, followed by our 10 day Mediterranean cruise    Read more

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    Black Forest

    September 16 in Germany ⋅ 🌧 19 °C

    Largely a travel day today as we drove from Switzerland, briefly into France and finished in Germany.

    Stopped in at Lake Titisee in the Black Forest region for a quick photo opportunity and lucky enough to find a bratwurst sausage...yummo.

    Lunch stop was Triberg, Germany, home of the worlds largest cuckoo clock. I also highly rate their pork knuckle which Marg and I demolished at a very nice German pub.

    Spent the night at Bretten for a penultimate group dinner. Hard to believe we arrive back at Amsterdam tomorrow.    Read more

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    Swiss Alps

    September 14 in Switzerland ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Well the Swiss Alps was always going to be a highlight on this tour, and it delivered in spades!

    Our lunch stop was in Lucerne...a beautiful city on the banks of Lake Lucerne. Here, the Chapel Bridge spans the river Reuss and is the oldest truss bridge in the world.

    Our lodgings for two nights was a quaint hotel in the small village of Wilderswil at the foot of the Swiss Alps and a short distance to our major day trip to Jungfraujoch. We travelled via coach, cable car, and train to the "Top of Europe" and what an experience! Snow and ice greeted us at the top of the mountain as we made our way through the various facilities including the Ice Palace, Sphinx viewing platform and out onto the snow at the very top of the mountain. At 3500 metres above sea level, the oxygen is a bit thin and several people felt tired and nauseous from the extreme altitude. We knew that this might be an issue, so we had some chocolate and water with us, which seemed to help.

    The train station at Jungfraujoch is the highest in Europe and was a brilliant trip through several tunnels and mountain tops...amazing views!

    We will definately have to return and spend more time at this part of the world.    Read more

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    Venice

    September 12 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Wow, Wow, Wow!!!

    We stopped at the beautiful Tuscan city of Siena on our way to Venice. Siena hosts the crazy, crazy horse race Palio di Siena twice each year. The town goes bonkers for this race and the place is booked out years ahead. Had a beaut Pici al Ragu for lunch in Siena as recommended by Sam a tour guide....bloody beautiful!

    Stayed just over the bridge from Venice in Mestre for 2 days. 30 minute tram ride into Venice, and it's a different world. We had pre-booked a Gondola ride and it was so good...another one of those pinch me moments.

    We chose to wander around Venice and see what we stumbled upon. We're returning to Venice for 4 nights after the tour, so will see Murano and Burano then. Found a little bar in the evening and settled in for spritzes, wine and cicchetti...bellissima!

    We met up with Georgia's best friend Emma and her husband Jayden who coincidentally were in Venice at the same time...very nice to catch up with them.    Read more

  • The Shifting SpannersJapan, UK & Europe 2026The Shifting Spanners

    Rome

    September 10 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    Bella Roma!

    Our second time in beautiful Roma. This time we decided to do our own thing as we have visited all the usual sites previously.

    Sam gave us some recommendations around the Jewish Ghetto which proved to be spot on. We stumbled across some beautiful ruins, the highlight being Portico of Octavia, and settled in for a lingering lunch at a beaut bistro.

    Ventured back to our hotel by 3pm and caught up on some sleep before the second leg of our tour tomorrow.    Read more

  • The Shifting SpannersJapan, UK & Europe 2026The Shifting Spanners

    Florence

    September 9 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    Wow! We had a great day today as we drove through what seemed like 100 tunnels into Italia. Had a couple of hours in Pisa to check out the leaning tower and wander through the market stalls and restaurants. The street hawkers were very aggressive here trying to sell their wares.

    We had some thunder storms and rain as we drove in to Florence, but thankfully it cleared as we arrived. A beautiful Tuscan city is Florence...we had a guided walking tour with Sam around the hot spots, before our optional dinner which was beautiful. Florentine steak was the star of the dinner, but was preceded by 3 courses including bruschetta, risotto, and carbonara and followed by tiramisu and sweet wine. Absolutely beautiful!    Read more

  • The Shifting SpannersJapan, UK & Europe 2026The Shifting Spanners

    French Riviera

    September 8 in France ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    A beautiful driving day today as we made our way from Avignon into the French Riviera cities of Monaco and Nice.

    Monaco was all we imagined. Thankfully crowds weren't bad at all, but in summer it can be packed.

    Next stop was Fragonards Perfumery, where we were treated to a tour of the factory, Marg created her own perfume of some sort, and several gift packs made their way onto the bus. Thankfully I made it out unscathed once again haha.

    Onwards to Nice which is a beaut town on the Mediterranean coast. Marvelled at the Promenade where the beaches are filled with large stones instead of sand and you have to pay for the privilege of laying on the beach.

    Had a fantastic seafood spaghetti dinner and a Rose` before hitting the pillow by 10pm.    Read more

  • The Shifting SpannersJapan, UK & Europe 2026The Shifting Spanners

    Avignon

    September 7 in France ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    After leaving Barcelona, we arrived at our lunch stop at Sete, a beaut little village on the Mediterranean coast.

    Next stop was Pont du Gard, an ancient aquaduct built by the Romans in the 1st century AD to carry water over 50km. Amazingly the fall of the aquaduct is only 1cm over 184m. Incredible engineering for the times!

    Stayed 1 night in the beautiful medieval town of Avignon in a great hotel in the middle of town adjacent to the Palais des Papes an ancient palace built for the popes in the 1300's.

    We wandered the streets and found a little bistro where we enjoyed a few local brews, before heading into the town square where we discovered a restaurant serving $6 mojitos. Needless to say, we took advantage of the happy hour pricing, and enjoyed a nice sirloin steak, and pasta.    Read more

  • The Shifting SpannersJapan, UK & Europe 2026The Shifting Spanners
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    Barcelona

    September 5 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Viva Barcelona!

    The drive from Toulouse to Barcelona was beautiful. Stopped at a beaut little village...Canillo, before heading up and over the Pyrenees mountains through Andorra. Wandered through the shopping district of Andorra which is popular due to very favourable tax rates. Fortunately, I managed to came away unscathed haha.

    Had a great couple of days in Barcelona. The main item of significance was of course the Segrada Familia...Gaudi's greatest creation.

    We embarked on a guided tour of Barcelona which was led by a local Spaniard who was extremely passionate about his city. Highlights included Segrada Familia, Barcelona Old Town and Palau Guell...an original palace built by Gaudi the famous architect.    Read more

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    Toulouse

    September 4 in France ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    A huge 15 hour day today. Started earlier than usual at 7 am on the bus, and eventually back at the hotel at 10 pm. Everyone is very tired.

    Stopped at a winery at Cahors and tasted some nice wines.

    On our arrival into Toulouse, we embarked on a walking tour for an hour, then finished with a nice dinner in town. Another unexpected 30 minute walk back to the hotel saw everyone very weary at 10 pm.    Read more

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    Paris

    September 2 in France ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    We loved La Ville Lumière!
    Spent 2 days exploring as much of Paris as we possibly could and ticked off many of our bucket list items.

    After ticking off the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Avenue des Champs-Élysées, The Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral, etc we cruised the River Seine to gain a different perspective of one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

    We ventured on a steep walking tour to Montmartre via the Moulin Rouge, exploring the small alleys to the top of the hill which opened up to a bustling area full of shops, restaurants and street entertainers. The Sacre-Coeur Basilica at the very top was beautiful. Our group had a great dinner at a flash restaurant before heading home...exhausted. No problem getting our steps in here haha.    Read more

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    Amsterdam

    September 1 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    A quick 2.5 hour flight to Amsterdam today. Mostly uneventful until we attempted to travel from Amsterdam airport to the hotel.

    We got stuck at the exit gates at the train station because we hadn't "tapped on" properly at the departing station (airport). After a stressful 45 mins at the gate we eventually were able to purchase tickets online and scan them to get out...very difficult and stressful.

    After escaping the confines of the train station, we had a 700m walk to the hotel...simple we thought. No such luck. The path that Google Maps took us ended up being a dead end due to roadworks, so we had to take a detour which made the trip closer to 1 km. Needless to say we were buggered by the time we arrived at the hotel after dragging the suitcases over some very rough pavements...amazed the suitcase wheels survived the journey!

    Looking forward to our 18 day tour of Europe which starts at the hotel in the morning...    Read more

  • The Shifting SpannersJapan, UK & Europe 2026The Shifting Spanners

    Lisbon

    August 23 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Wow what a beautiful city is Lisbon!
    We had 9 days staying in a great apartment in the old town, just 2 blocks to Praca Do Comercio, the River Tagus and all the glittering lights, restaurants and bistros.

    Loved all the cobblestone streets, the back alleys full of life after dark, the Fado music and of course the food and wine. The local seafood was beautiful as was the copious amount of Sangria and Pastel De Nata we managed to inhale. 😁

    Travelled down to Cascais and marvelled at the beachside wonderland that it is. So many Mercedes, Alfa Romeo's, BMW'S driving around the "Portugese Riviera"

    We will definately return one day to explore Porto and Algarve regions...    Read more

  • The Shifting SpannersJapan, UK & Europe 2026The Shifting Spanners

    London

    August 22 in England ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    The last day!

    We stopped at Cambridge on the way back to London, and after a short orientation tour, we embarked on our included punting on the river Cam. This is a university town and the magnificent colleges line the banks of the river. A beautiful place.

    Had another 2 hours to explore High Street and the markets before having a pint at a pub by the river.

    We've really had a great couple of weeks on this tour and look forward now to Lisbon, Portugal tomorrow. I must admit it will be good not having to pack/unpack suitcases for a couple of weeks...    Read more

  • The Shifting SpannersJapan, UK & Europe 2026The Shifting Spanners

    York

    August 21 in England ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    First stop today was Alnwick Castle...where Harry Potter and Downton Abbey were filmed. Did a guided historical tour where we heard about the sometimes grim early history of the region and castle.

    Arrived at our hotel outside York, where we quickly checked in then back on the bus for our tour of York. Brando took us for a walk through the town pointing out historical buildings etc before leaving us to our own devices for a couple of hours. We walked though the beautiful alleys and streets before ascending the very narrow steps to the top of the city walls. A very intact city wall here, so we were able to walk around to the front gates before meeting Brando and a few others for a pint at The Fat Badger.    Read more

  • The Shifting SpannersJapan, UK & Europe 2026The Shifting Spanners

    Edinburgh

    August 19 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    We travelled along the huge Loch Lomond as we negotiated the Scottish Highlands, before stopping at a bus rest stop where our tour guide had organised a fellow to play bagpipes exclusively for us. Absolutely beautiful spot and to be greeted with the bagpipes was fantastic!

    We then called in to Loch Ness. Marg & I opted out of the boat ride on the lake and just wandered around the town, had coffee and some fish and chips. No reported sighting of Nessie haha.

    Another couple of stops at the Commandos Memorial and to see some Highland Cows before finally reaching our destination...Edinburgh. A quick tour through town passing some Harry Potter significant landmarks and of course Edinbugh Castle. Included dinner at a pub and checked in to a very nice Novatel for a couple of days.

    We visited Stirling township on our free day in Edinbugh. On the way we called in to The Kelpies statues and climbed the 249 stairs of the William Wallace Monument...a great day.

    On the last night in Edinbugh, we were taken to a quaint little pub in Torphichen where the owners put on a great dinner and show. The best haggis in Scotland!    Read more