Cruise Review: Venice, Bari, Corfu, Athens, Mykonos, Dubrovnik - Splendour - Aug 2012

[LitaArn]

Hi,

what a terrific start and such great pictures too. Looking forward to seeing more, especially the ports we did not see in May. :)

Thanks for sharing.

Bill

 

Hi Bill,

 

Thanks so much for your comments. Like what I've said before, if this review ends up half as good as yours, I'll be very happy. I know that a few of my pics were out of focus. Oh well...

 

And I see from your signature that you and your DW Marie will be cruising to Hawaii soon. How exciting! Our family loved Hawaii (who doesn't?).

 

Take care and Happy Sailing :)

Edited September 13, 2012 by LitaArn

[LitaArn]

The hotel looks fabulous! And I always expect the bathrooms in European hotels to be tiny, tiny, tiny but that one looks really large and beautiful (like the ones at our hotel in Barcelona). Would you stay there again, Lita?

 

YES! For sure! We loved, loved Al Ponte Mocenigo! Great prices, much cheaper than Hotel 1898 in Barcelona.

 

When you, Blake, Arn, and I do the Norwegian Fjords and the Baltics, we should choose a cruise out of Copenhagen. We'll fly to Venice first, spend several days there, then take the Euro Rail to Copenhagen (Arn and I did enjoy our Rail Jet ride from Budapest to Munich and the Euro Rail from London to Paris). We'll talk more about it this weekend.

 

Hugs...

[LitaArn]

Excellent review and very nice pictures, too!

 

Waiting for more, please ;)

 

Thank You so much! I apologize that this review is not going quickly as I'd like it to be. The downloading of photos is so slow and can sometimes be frustrating. I appreciate your patience.

 

Happy Sailing :)

[LitaArn]

Lita,

Great review so far!! We were on the Splendour right after you:D I too am looking forward to seeing the ports of Dubrovink and Mykonos. Our sailing did Santorini, Katakalon, and Kusadasi.

 

 

Ali

 

Hi Ali,

 

Thank You so much! You must have enjoyed Santorini and Kusadasi tremendously like we did! Haven't had the pleasure of visiting Katakalon yet. Maybe some day...

 

Happy Sailing :)

[LitaArn]

Great review! Can't wait for more. :)

 

Thank You so much, and I do appreciate your patience...

 

Happy Sailing :)

[lauraapp]

Wow...fantastic pictures and review! Keep it coming!

[LitaArn]

Lita...Hi and thanks for posting your photos. I love seeing Venice again. We were there 4 years ago on BOS which had an overnight. We have wonderful memories of such a beautiful place. Love your hotel by the way. You got a good one. Thanks for writing your review.

 

OH by the way what a darling dog. I didn't realize you had one.

 

Mary:)

 

Hi Mary,

 

You're welcome and Thank You so much for writing in. Oh, I thought I've already mentioned our Mia to you, and I agree wholeheartedly. She is such a sweetheart :)

 

Take care...

Edited September 13, 2012 by LitaArn

[LitaArn]

hi

 

Oh poor dog and I am glad that Mia is okay...

 

and what a lovely family and I like the photo of you all..

 

Oh wonderful to show the photos of Venice...

 

I look forward to read your trip report and thank for your time to do it...

 

Scottishwee35

 

Oh my, your post was so heartwarming... Thank you so much...

 

Happy Sailing :)

[LitaArn]

We are doing a b2b on Splendour in May. I love seeing these pictures! Thanks for taking the time to post.

 

You're welcome, and Thank You for writing in.

 

Wow! A back2back! So lucky :D

 

Happy Sailing :)

[LitaArn]

Wow is all i can say ...great review Lita ...look forward to the balance of it ..can hardly wait till we sail the BOS in March with the Hurdy Gurdy Gang !

 

Cheers

Steve

 

Thank You Steve! Arn and I can't wait to see you all too :)

 

Take care...

[LitaArn]

Great review! Can't wait to read more of your adventures. You are a beautiful family.

Kathy

 

Hi Kathy,

 

What a lovely thing to say... Thank You so much...

 

Happy Sailing :)

[LitaArn]

 

 

 

 

 

 

[LitaArn]

ST. MARK’S SQUARE (or Piazza San Marco) is the principal public square of Venice. Napoleon dubbed it the 'finest drawing room in Europe'.

 

 

 

 

 

The columns of the Lion of St. Mark on the left and St. Theodore on the right

 

 

 

Lunch at GRAN CAFFE CHIOGGIA - Fast service here; food tasted, I should say average.. Arn and I each had a ham sandwich, beer for him, freshly squeezed OJ for me (which was very good!), a dessert/drink for Emily. Total bill was around 55 euros plus extra tip for our very efficient waiter. Not bad considering Arn’s beer alone was 13 euros. And the fact that it was right in St. Mark’s Square. The ambiance was quite unforgettable...

 

 

 

St. Mark's Bell Tower

 

 

 

 

Edited September 13, 2012 by LitaArn

[LitaArn]

After lunch at St. Mark’s Square, we headed towards the Royal Gardens - our meeting place for our “Venice Grand Canal Boat Tour”.

 

The walk from the columns of St. Mark’s Square to the Royal Gardens was just a little over 100 meters. Admittance to the Gardens is free. It is no more than 1 acre in size and there are plenty of benches to sit on and relax. Nice flowerbeds and foliage.*

 

About our Grand Canal Boat Tour, it was a 1 hour motor boat tour of Venice, an excellent tour that allowed us to see the neat, little canals then on to the Grand Canal. We were able to see these “out of the way” places that we would’ve never had the chance to see otherwise

 

There were 9 of us in the boat, and yet there was plenty of room for everyone to stand up and have great views and take photos.

 

Our guide (her name sounded like Joanna), was really good in what she does. Lots of historical info and some sprinkling of some pop culture too. Very enjoyable!

Edited September 13, 2012 by LitaArn

[LitaArn]

 

Emily at the Royal Gardens

 

 

 

The start of our Venice Grand Canal Boat Tour

 

 

 

 

The Bell Tower, St. Mark's Basilica, and the Doge's Palace from the lagoon

 

 

 

REDENTORE CHURCH is a 16th century Roman Catholic church built in thanksgiving for deliverance from a major outbreak of the plague that decimated the Venice population between 1575 and 1576, in which some 46,000 people (25–30% of the population) died.

 

To the left of the church is SIR ELTON JOHN’S home in Giudecca - He bought a one bedroom apartment in a 17th-century palazzo with views across the water to San Marco

 

 

 

 

[pthree]

OMG!!! I can only dream about visiting the places you have. I love these pictures. Very nice review and a beautiful family you have.

[LitaArn]

 

SANTA MARIA del ROSARIO or I Gesuati, is an 18th century Dominican church on the Giudecca canal in Venice. It was built from 1725 to 1755.

 

 

MINOR CANALS

 

 

 

 

 

 

We're back to the Grand Canal

 

 

 

SCALZI BRIDGE or Ponte dei Scalzi), is one of four bridges in Venice to span the Grand Canal

Edited September 13, 2012 by LitaArn

[shiba_girl]

What a great review so far! Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. So glad to hear that your beautiful dog, Mia, was well before you had to leave.:o

 

Looking forward to the rest of your review.

[LitaArn]

OMG!!! I can only dream about visiting the places you have. I love these pictures. Very nice review and a beautiful family you have.

 

Thank You so much for your lovely comments! Also, I would like to say that visiting Venice used to be a dream for us as well. Heartfelt wishes for your dreams to become a reality too...

 

Take care, and Happy Sailing :)

Edited September 13, 2012 by LitaArn

[pthree]

You are quite welcome. Oh I do believe in dreams. If you would have asked me 1 year ago if I would ever go on a cruise my answer would have been NEVER lol. Look at me now ;)

Thank You so much for your lovely comments! Also, I would like to say that visiting Venice used to be a dream for us as well. Heartfelt wishes for your dreams to become a reality too...

 

Take care, and Happy Sailing :)

[LitaArn]

What a great review so far! Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. So glad to hear that your beautiful dog, Mia, was well before you had to leave.:o

 

Looking forward to the rest of your review.

 

 

Yes, we're so very thankful that she was alright before we left (with Huge Thanks to our wonderful Vet and his staff, and to my amazing sisters who looked after her so well while we're away).

 

Thank You so much for writing in.

 

Take care, and Happy Sailing :)

[LitaArn]

You are quite welcome. Oh I do believe in dreams. If you would have asked me 1 year ago if I would ever go on a cruise my answer would have been NEVER lol. Look at me now ;)

 

 

Yay! So very happy for you! Here's hoping for many, many more :)

 

Thanks for writing in...

 

Take care and Happy Sailing :)

[LitaArn]

 

Our knowledgeable guide

 

 

 

 

Ca’ Pesaro - it has two museums: the Oriental Art Museum and the International Gallery of Modern Art

 

 

Prada Foundation’s new home, an 18th century palazzo (on the right).

 

 

 

Ca’ D’Oro - also called Palazzo Santa Sofia. The Palazzo was built between 1428 and 1430, home for eight Doges between 1043 and 1676. It is now open to the public as a Gallery.

 

 

 

Hotel Ca‘ Sagredo is a 13th century Venetian palazzo. The palace became a hotel in 2002 and is best known for its interior decoration.

 

 

 

Rialto Bridge - one of the main attractions of Venice. It is the oldest bridge across the Grand Canal. It started out as a pontoon bridge built in 1181, then around 1250 was replaced by a wooden bridge. The present stone bridge was completed in 1591, similar to the wooden bridge it succeeded.

[LitaArn]

 

Our guide said that Angelina Jolie and family stayed in the white palazzo in the middle on the right side, while she was filming “The Tourist”

 

 

 

Palazzo Grassi - pictured 3rd from the right

 

 

 

A better photo (from Wikipedia) of Palazzo Grassi

 

 

Palazzo Grassi was built between 1748 and 1772. Since 2006, the palace has been owned by the French entrepreneur François Pinault who exhibits his personal art collection there. He is one of the hundred biggest fortunes in the world and owns Le Monde newspaper, Gucci, Vuitton, Balenciaga, Yves Saint Laurent, Christie’s, etc.

 

The Palazzo was where his son, Francois-Henri, met actress Salma Hayek and it served as the location for the reception of their second wedding.

 

 

 

Ca' Rezzonico, a palazzo with white marble facade, completed in 1758. In the 1880s, it became the home of the painter Robert Barrett Browning, the son of poets Elizabeth Barrett Browning (author of “How Do I Love Thee”, one of my favourite sonnets) and Robert Browning. Elizabeth died in 1868, and in 1889, her husband Robert died in his apartment on the mezzanine floor of the palace. Today, it is a public art museum dedicated to 18th century Venice.

 

 

 

Ponte dell'Accademia - this bridge has a single span. Although it appears to be completely made of wood, its weight-bearing structure are made of metal, for safety’s sake.

 

 

 

Palazzo Barbarigo - built in the 16th century, distinguished by its mosaics of Murano glass applied in 1886. Today, part of this palazzo is a showroom and shop of Murano glass.

Edited September 13, 2012 by LitaArn

[LitaArn]

 

Palazzo Venier dei Leoni houses Peggy Guggenheim’s collection of Modern Art

 

 

 

Palazzo Corner, or Ca’ Corner, or Ca 'Granda (meaning “Big House) - built in 1535, now the seat of the Province of Venice and the Prefecture (branch network of the Ministry of Interior).

 

 

 

Santa Maria della Salute (or The Church of Health) is a basilica built as an offering to the Virgin Mary by the Venetians for deliverance from the plague of 1630-1631. Venice’s population in 1628 was 143,000; after the plague, it drastically dropped down to 98,000.

 

 

 

Punta della Dogana - is an area that divides the Grand Canal and Giudecca Canal, overlooking St. Mark’s Basin (the water space in front of St. Mark’s Square). It has the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute, the Seminary, and Customs House (from which the area takes its name).

 

The 17th century customs house was relaunched in 2009 as a contemporary art museum. Bureaucratic hassles in Paris convinced billionaire art collector François Pinault (father-in-law of actress Salma Hayek) to create a gallery extension at the Palazzo Grassi and transfer his world-class collection to the Punta della Dogana. On top of this building is a weathervane, and a golden globe on which supposedly means good luck.

Edited September 13, 2012 by LitaArn