BostonGirl88

Hi all

We are family of 4 planed to visit Mendenhall, please suggest should we take a taxi or take the Blue Bus? Any idea how much the taxi will cost for around trip and how much the blue bus will cost? After the blue bus stop, how far that we have to walk to the glacier?

WOW! you are one of the best photographers, I love all the pictures you took, they made me really excite to go on my trip. Thank you for all your help, answering questions to me and to all the cruisers. I am very sure that I will have more questions and need a lot of your guide on port of Venice, Messina, Naples and Capri too. :)

Hello TLCOHIO

Thank you very much, I think I will take a taxi ride, may be I will be able to find someone to join us. By the way, I would like to see your review about other ports, How to follow your blogs? Thank you

Hello,

I am cruising the Breeze in October, I wonder do Carnival offers any shuttle to the downtown near the gate? If so, how much it will cost.

Next question, How to follow your recent ports review with the Breeze? I believe you have each port review. Thank you

You are a very good photographer. Beautiful pictures. Thanks for sharing.

Yes, Paul/Aquahound, Venice is wonderful!! We also so love your Key West, too the capital of the Conch Republic, right?

 

For BostonGirl88, our room balcony was on the starboard or right side, BUT, we and most people were up on the top deck. That way you better see the various sights on both sides of the ship during the sail in. If we were on the balcony, we would not have the full flexibility to see more, enjoy the other people there, etc. Below are a few more during the sail-in and sail-out that I had not posted previously on this thread.

 

THANKS for the nice comments and follow-up! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 91,280 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

 

On our sail-out (also a great must see and do) in Venice, this was the view as passengers were on the top deck seeing the various churches and historic buildings.:

 

 

 

Here is Punta della Dogana, the former Venetian Republic Customs House, sitting at one of the city’s most prominent spots. The 1676-built building stand on a triangular footprint next to the domed basilica of Santa Maria della Salute. It is at the eastern tip of Dorsoduro Island where the Grand Canal and the Lagoon converge. For hundreds of years, the Dogana received precious cargo from distant lands. At the top, front corner, it was originally a watchtower and has a statue of Fortune catching the wind was a weathervane and stands atop the golden globe/ball. It was reopened in 2009 as a contemporary art center. Second is a tighter view of the statute, golden globe, etc.:

 

 

 

 

 

On the sail-in on the Canale della Giudecca, this was the view from the top on the ship's port/left side. Lots of interesting sights and architecture on this side of the ship, too! This view shows the tower and a side of the San Giorgio Maggiore, one of the most impressive Venetian buildings by famed architect Andrea Palladio. Its first stone was laid in 1566. It contains a number of paintings by various artists, including Tintoretto.:

 

 

 

During the sail-in, here we are making the turn towards where our ship did its docking You can see some of the distant oil refinery structures in the areas much farther from the historic city.:

 

 

 

On the sail-out from Venice, here is a little more "arty" shot/scene through the glass on the top deck as people line up to see the various buildings and these historic sights!:

 

Hi, The pictures are beautiful. When you were sailing into Venice, were you on the left or the right side of the ship? :cool:

Appreciate much the nice and kind comments from our Scottish friend with such good taste and judgement.

 

Thanks for your nice comments on my pictures! On the camera, I now have a Nikon D3100 that does a great, 14mp file size to allow lots of quality and editing, plus Nikon 18-55mm, 55-300mm lenses and a 10-20mm Sigma wide angle. That camera also has 1080HD video capability that works well with our new grandson and another grandchild due August 1. In most cases, I shoot in the program or auto setting, letting the camera do the work on settings and focus so that I can be more concerned on framing and subject options. Some of the earlier Venice pictures were taken going back to 1989 and 1970 visits to Venice when I had one of the "old-fashioned" film cameras, also Nikon at that time.

 

In part, it's the camera. BUT, just like with an artist, it's not exactly the paintbrush that does the "magic". It is, more so, involving some basics, key photography secrets such as:

 

1. Shooting lots of pictures. That easier with digital to do, learning as you are taking pictures. Show people only the "good ones!" and not boring them with the average and poor ones.

2. Move closer! Zoom in, fill up the frame, try different angles.

3. Involve people. Make it interesting. Get that human element when possible.

4. Hold things steady. Gently squeeze. Use door frames, walls to lessen the blurs in lower-light situations.

5. Editing: Fine-tune your pictures on your lap-top, brighten when needed, level it out, improve the croppings, etc. Narrow down to your "best of the best" picture before sharing.

 

See more details and ideas at: Baltics/Picture Secrets! Key Tips, Ideas, etc.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=977864

 

Have just booked another "adventure". It will be a first for this part of the world. It will be on the Celebrity Solstice, again! This time, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, for Sydney, Australia to Auckland, New Zealand. Have to wait until early 2014 as my wife's school schedule had made travel at this time not possible. After her retirement in June, 2013, we'll have more flexibility for travel timing and places. Also have China and SE Asia on the future "bucket lists".

 

Am getting ready to post some here on this board about some of the many other and super, wonderful churches in Venice. Below are just a couple of samples for what's coming. Will post more here as I get it all pull together. There is much more for great history and architecture in Venice than just St. Mark's.

 

It's been fun sharing these travel experiences. Appreciate those who have tune-in, asked questions, made comments! Keep it coming!! Don't be shy.

 

Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 74,533 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 66,910 views.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

As we sailed in, here is one of the churches we saw along the Giudecca canal after passing San Marco Piazza. It is the Santa Maria del Rosario or St Mary of the Rosary. It is commonly known as I Gesuati and is an 18th century Dominican church in the Dorsoduro. The Dominicans built to celebrate the glories of their order and to encourage devotion to the rosary. Built in a classical style with Rococo decoration, it is exceptional preserved in its original form and with key decoration intact. The architecture and almost all the sculpture and paintings were created within the same thirty year between starting in 1725 and consecrated in 1743. To support the weight of the facade, 270 piles had to be driven into the soil. Giant Corinthian pillars support a heavy triangular pediment. The main entrance door is surmounted by a curved pediment, is surrounded by four niches with large statues of the four cardinal virtues of Prudence, Justice, Fortitude and Temperance. The smaller, white stone-faced church that is shown on the left is Sta Maria della Visitazione that goes back its construction starting in 1493.:

 

 

 

San Barnaba is on a campo or square in Venice and is a neighborhood church. It was featured in numerous films including Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, serving as the exterior of a library in the famed movie. The original, early medieval church of St. Barnabas was built in 809 by the Adorni family. This church was destroyed by fire in 1105, rebuilt by local parishioners and finally consecrated in 1350. Falling down from age, it was completely renovated in Neoclassical style in 1776. The church's façade from Istrian white marble is designed as Greek temple front with Corinthian style columns and triangular pediment.