Cow Pie

Look what I found on the menu at Tony's Table in Edinburgh, Cow Pie! I've stepped in it a few times but never ate it. I'm always a sucker to try something new and if it's on a menu, I figure somebody likes it. This was a pie filled with beef, potatoes, and gravy with some mild chili beans and veggies on the side. It was darn tasty but didn't smell anything like the cow pies I remember. I don't know what the pig was doing hanging overhead. Maybe Pig Pie is next on the menu.

Melville Castle

Still in Scotland we had to pack and move Sunday night to Melvill Castle. About 20 minutes from Edinburgh, Julie had a 2 day meeting here. This is a very romantic three story Gothic mansion that was rebuilt in 1786. It has had many owners and was recently restored in fine style as a hotel. There are 30 rooms all with different elegant furnishings. They cater to small business gatherings and weddings. Since I was not on the agenda for the 2 day business meeting, I was fed in the basement dungeon with the pesants and sent home early Monday morning. The food by the way, was outstanding.

The British Open

This is the 150 th year of the Open Championship. Joined by great UK friends, Julie and I attended the Open Golf Tournament last weekend. We shared the cost of a driver each day to take us 1 hour 15 minutes, from Edinburgh to the St. Andrews golf course. Cell phones, and cameras weren't allowed on the course. I pleaded my case of how important blog pictures were to our readers. Officials suspended play until they got a ruling on my request. It was decided that they just couldn't change the 150 year old tradition for my blog. We were blessed with almost perfect weather both days, with only a few minutes of rain. Scotland is where golf started in 1552 and St. Andrews is still a public course on public land. It is closed to golfers on Sundays and the locals are allowed to come out and enjoy the course, just like a park. What an honor to see this historic clubhouse and walk the course.

Edinburgh, Scotland

We finally made it to Scotland and didn't even get rained on, to much. Only an hour flight out of the London City Airport, got us to the capitol city of Edinburgh. This is a city of 500,000 which is small for a capitol city. They boast that they have the most beautiful city in Europe and I believe it. We got checked in to the Caledonian Hotel on Friday night and started checking out the Scottish pubs. I couldn't resist a pitcure of this classy pub. I think you should wash your hands before you leave. I took this last shot of the famous Edinburgh Castle, from our hotel.

Captain's Party

Most Cruise lines will have a formal night for any who want to attend. This is a great time to meet the ships officers and highlights a fun week. We are shown here with the Greek Captain Ioannis Notarakis. These cruises are all about customer service and bringing people back. We have found that we don't like our holidays run by the clock with schedules for us each day. On a ship it's all about schedules and deadlines so it has to be very structured. After taking 3 cruises I have found that what I like the most on a cruise, is having the time to really get to know other people. Evening meals are usually with the same people each night and the food is the best. We were very lucky to get to know a wonderful British couple who we will visit soon. Calm seas and lots of sun made it fun. You gotta try it once.

Barcelona, Spain

This was our first visit to Barcelona and what a wonderful city. We could have spent a week here and not seen it all. This is a shot of the most popular attraction in Spain. The Sagrada Familia, is a private funded Catholic Church which has been under construction since 1852 and will be finished in 2026. Julie and I enjoyed the city center with thousands of tourists. I was really lucky when one of the locals pointed out this warning sign to me just in the nick of time.

Cannes, France

Cannes, Pronounced (Can), is famous for the annual Cannes Film Festival. We were here in 2008 but now had a chance to spend time in the city. Here we had lunch in a local outside pub. During a visit to the festival site I got a photo with George Clooney on the red carpet. We did an earlier visit to Ajaccio, on the Island of Corsica. I'm having trouble remembering all of these ports.

Pompeii, Italy

Pompeii was a thriving coastal city built around the 7th and 8th century BC. Again this Mediterranean city showed much Roman and Greek influence, architecture and lifestyles. In 79 AD Pompeii was totally buried under a mountain of volcanic ash with the fatal eruption of the volcano Vesuvius. Today we see this city, completely uncovered, just as it was 2,000 years ago. The positions of bodies uncovered showed that they were completely unprepared for the disaster. Here are a few of the many pictures I took. Look at how the roads were built, with stepping stones to cross on when rain and sewage ran down them. The stones were spaced so that horses and carts could pass through.

Naples, Italy

Our third day we docked in Italy's most beautiful port city, Naples. This is the third largest city in Italy and here we had a full day with a tour of Naples, Sorrento and Pompeii. All of these Mediterranean coastal cities depend on the tourist trade as their largest source of income. Here are photos of us coming into port and shopping in the city.

Trapani, Sicily

After being under sail for over 30 hours we made our first stop at the port city of Trapani, on the Italian island of Sicily. This fishing village was first settled about 1000 BC, with much Roman and Greek influence. We toured the historic old town as we spent a sunny day here. Always watching the clock we had strict deadlines when to be back on board each day. If you were even 1 minute late you would be beaten senseless and locked in your cabin without food. Night life on board was the best with formal dining, evening stage shows, gambling and dancing. They aim to please so there is fun for everyone.

Mediterranean Holiday Cruise

Last Saturday Julie and I flew to Palma, on the Spanish island of Majorca. We got up at 3 in the morning to catch a 6 AM flight out of London Gatwick. After a 2 hour flight we arrived in Palma and boarded our cruise ship beginning a 7 day Mediterranean cruise. The ship was of Greek registry called the Thompson Destiny. Length 218 meters, width 29 meters, tonnage 38,000, 18 Knots cruising speed, 11 decks, 725 cabins, 1450 passengers, 540 crew, and powered by four 5,600 HP Diesel engines. The ship had 2 pools, 2 restaurants, 5 bars, 2 lounges and 7 lifts. Everyone on the ship was required to participate in the emergency procedures as they take safety very serious. We got to the pool bar very quickly and started working on our sea legs and a proper holiday attitude.