Yesterday's sea day was a chance to relax and to gather my strength for today because I am going mountain climbing this morning. We sail into Giardini Naxos, Sicily this morning and anchor not too far from the shore. We will be getting a tender in again this morning. Thank goodness there is no sign of the two humungous ships that we came across two days ago in Kotor. Mount Etna dominates the landscape and there is a cloud over the peak. Along the coastline are lines of buildi

26 July 2026 We zig-zag back across the Adriatic overnight, arriving in Kotor, Montenegro in the early morning. We had to get up very early because the way into the city was spectacular and we did not want to miss it. Fjord-like, the high rock walls of a sunken river valley sometime during or after the last ice age provides us with spectacular views. An absolutely monstrous ship, the P&O Azura, is shadowing us and anchors not too far away from us. We are using the ship's tend

25 July 2026 Overnight we cross the Adriatic Sea, landing in Bari, located on the 'heel of the boot' that is the shape of Italy. It is a later start today being 9:30 AM and our tour leaves the pier exactly on time. After a quick drive around the old and new cities, which stand side by side, our shuttle buses stop is pointed out before the bus returns to the promenade and the entrance to the old city or Bari Vecchia. We walk through an archway, which leads to a narrow laneway

24 July 2026 Another early morning and another day venturing out of the city. Today our bus will take us to the beautiful Konavle Valley to experience some aspects of traditional Croatian life. After a forty-five minute drive from the city of Dubrovnik, we arrive in Gruda, where Antonia Ruskovic has maintained the tradition of handcrafted silk production. Antonia, an artist is not in attendance today, but her assistant, an expert in wholly hand-crafted silk production provide