The Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves...: October 2018

Europe 2018 Day 4 - Montenegro

The first full day of the cruise saw us hugging the eastern shore of the Adriatic, before making the turn to enter the stunning Bay of Kotor, a UNESCO World Heritage site. A boat came out to meet the ship, to deliver a local pilot to guide the Star into the long and narrow fjord. Today we would visit the tiny mountainous country of Montenegro, one of the Balkan republics arising from the former Yugoslavia.

The ship dropped anchor as we neared the town of Kotor, complete with a walled medieval Old Town and an ancient fortress looming in the mountains above. We tendered into port on small boats from a fair way out, as another cruise ship was already parked in the prime spot.

After a tour of the Old Town area with Montenegrin guide Vladimir, three of us elected to undertake the daunting "hike up the city walls", which consisted of some 1,460 rough and steep stone steps up the mountainside connecting a series of fortifications.

Jane recognized her current limitations regarding mountain-climbing, but was still determined to crutch the uneven cobblestones of the Old Town and explore rather than sit idly on the ship. This would be a harbinger of events to come!

Cats are protected in Kotor, owing to their revered status for helping to control the rat vector population during the horrible Plague that ravaged Europe in the Middle Ages. We saw many cats in the town, and even several high up the mountainside lounging along the walls of the fortress.

The hike itself was well worth the view, but was tough slogging with steep grades and loose and slippery stones. Coming down on rubbery legs was less taxing but more dangerous! Back in the Old Town, I headed towards the sound of a woman playing the "Game of Thrones" theme on a violin....and ran into Jane!

We grabbed a few souvenirs and enjoyed the medieval feel a little longer, before catching a tender boat back to the ship as darkness fell. Our ship had moved closer during our visit, after the other cruise ship departed, making a much shorter ride back to the Star. The four of us enjoyed a late dinner in the Versailles Dining Room, followed by drinks on deck as we bid farewell to Montenegro.

Definitely worth a return visit in the future!

A boat approaches to drop a local pilot on board

Stunning scenery in Montenegro

Cruising the Bay of Kotor

Welcome to Montenegro!

I'm about to climb THAT!

Church in Kotor

The climb begins....

One of the many cats of Kotor!

Pausing for the breath-taking view (and breath) partway up the hill.....

....but many more steps to go!

Up and up...and up....

The view just keeps getting better as the air gets thinner

Stunning panorama from the top!

Enjoy it all again on the (much easier) way back down

Street scenes from Old Town Kotor

Jane's view from below the walls

Winding alleys of Kotor's Old Town

Tendering back to the Norwegian Star at dusk

The ancient fortress walls lit up at night

Farewell!

Europe 2018 Day 3 - All Aboard!

We enjoyed a quiet morning exploring our Venetian neighbourhood a little more, before gathering our luggage and catching a crowded vaporetto (public water taxi) for a ride along the Grand Canal. Thankfully there are several seats reserved for the mobility-challenged and the elderly....and alert attendants ready to kick people out who should not be sitting there!

From the last stop at Piazzale Roma, we hiked it slowly overland to the port area, where our cruise would begin.The bridges and cobblestones of Venice are certainly not the easiest to negotiate on crutches, but Jane gamely soldiered on at a steady pace.

Port staff saw Jane crutching across the large parking lot, and sent a wheelchair out to meet her. Once our bags were checked with Norwegian staff, we were again whisked past several lineups to the accessibility line and ended up boarding the ship very quickly.

Quite hungry by then, we headed straight to the newly renovated O'Sheehan's Irish Pub, conveniently located on the same floor and a mere three doors down from our room! We also got our first experience with the new "drinks included" option. We also stopped at the Information Desk to pick up the wheelchair we had rented for the week, to rest Jane's knees when possible and as a contingency plan in case her condition worsened.

Before long, our rooms were ready and we headed off to check out our digs for the coming week. We lucked out and got a larger room than usual, booked long before the knee issues, where the angle of the 8th floor hallway flips a few rooms to a different configuration. John and Julie were down on the 5th floor, a little further to the rear of the vessel.

After the mandatory lifeboat drill was out of the way, the ship cast off in early evening for a slow meander through the channels of Venice on the way out into the Adriatic. Once the city was behind us, we enjoyed a great meal in the Versailles Dining Room before retiring to the deck for a few hours of fresh sea air.

Taking the vaporetto to the port

The Norwegian Star awaits!

Room 8612 - right near the pub!

Leaving port in early evening

A gorgeous night to set sail!

Meandering through Venice....

....and heading out into the Adriatic Sea

The Grand Atrium....taken from the pub!

Europe 2018 Day 1-2 - Venice

We set out for the EPIC Europe 2018 tour, driving to Toronto to catch an Air Transat Airbus 310 flying direct to Marco Polo Airport on the mainland near Venice. Along the way, we stopped to meet Jane's parents for lunch, before arriving very early to the airport to beat the rush.

With Jane still recovering from knee issues, we took advantage of the wheelchair service rather than face the long walk around Pearson Airport on double crutches. With bags checked and excitement building, we grabbed a bite to eat in the Departures lounge.

Our flight left late Friday night, arriving the next afternoon in Venice by the time the six hour time change factored into things. Once on the ground, literally, passengers are loaded into buses to deliver them to the main terminal. Jane was delivered in style in her own shuttle van and was ushered through most of the airport logjam in a wheelchair by a helpful attendant.

We caught the Alilaguna water taxi just outside the airport, for a direct and fitting trip across the lagoon to the island of Venice. John and Julie had flown in a few hours ahead of us on a different flight, and were awaiting us at the water taxi landing near our accommodation for the first night.

The four of us rented an Airbnb apartment on Calle de le Vele, very close to the action along Strada Nova and the Grand Canal. After settling in and finally dropping the luggage, we strolled (and crutched) the local neighbourhood, enjoyed some Venetian food and drink, and made a late grocery run for more drinks and snacks to take back to the apartment.

A long day of travel took hold, and we opted for a relatively early night to adjust to the time zones and pace ourselves for days ahead.