Adriatic - Day Eight

Our last day was in Venice.  We had two hours before we had to leave for our flight.

If you see anything, you should see San Marcos Square.  It was a very busy place and this is at the beginning of the day.  You can see there are a lot of restorations going on as well.

No XM Radio here.  Lunch is accompanied by a string ensemble.

This Daddy (I assume) was trying to get pictures of his little girl feeding the pigeons.  Evidently it's against the law to feed the pigeons in the square.  You have to get caught, I guess.  It was cute, though.  She stayed pretty calm.  If you can tell, he's got two on his shooting arm.

The next must-see is the Rialto bridge.  This is not the pretty side, though.  There are shops that go up and down the bridge.  The bridge is all stairs.  

You can see lots of traffic in Venice.

Everywhere you look is a beautiful photo.

And of course, there are many great shops. 

Lots of beautiful Murano glass to buy.  I bought beads, not lamps.

Farewell Italy!

Adriatic - Day Seven

Okay, I'm just putting this out there.  "Lovely", I know. It was for a fun tour of the Illy Coffee Offices and Manufacturing plant in Trieste, Italy. We went to the Coffee University. I don't even like coffee, but HH does and he enjoyed it immensely. Their cappuccino wasn't too bad. I think it was the Italian guy named Darko that made it for us that was the trick.  

Evidently this amphitheater was discovered after some buildings were torn down.  I'm glad they left it.

Every street has cafes, shops and gelato.

I especially liked this statue.  I'm pretty sure she's hand sewing.  She's my kind of girl.  I've been known to take my handwork to the beach. 

This was a beautiful site off the ship during dinner. Last day of our trip is tomorrow ending in Venice, Italy. I only had two hours to see any sites before leaving for the airport. You can cram a lot into two hours!

Adriatic - Day Five and Six

Our next stop was Zadar, Croatia.  We visited a monastery and an ancient Roman church.  The most amazing thing is the Sea Organ.  Some very ingenious architect designed these steps with pipes underneath.  When the waves hit the steps, sounds come up out of the spaces and you can hear music. Literally, music.  People just sit all along these steps just to take it in.  Plus, there's an incredible view.

They also have these amazing solar panels that light up when it gets dark that reflects our solar system.  We were gone too early to see it.  I bet it's fantastic.  This Daddy was letting his little boy get out all his energy.  It was exhausting watching him run around and around and around.

You can see the organ "keys" made along the back ledge.  The music comes from the concrete steps along the water.  We had "operator error" with our camera this day, so all our pictures are from the ship. We rushed upstairs to take pictures when we figured out what we'd done wrong.  

Then on to Koper, Slovenia where we toured the Santomas Winery.

We were served a 5 course lunch!  The chefs made the risotto outside while we watched.

We had young men playing traditional music and our tour guides showed us a little dance.

Later we had yet another reception off the ship and took pictures on our way back.

The musicians were still playing as they packed up their little car.  They obviously love what they do.

Adriatic - Day Four

Next stop, Dubrovnik, Croatia.

I don't remember the main square being this empty.  It was packed later in the day.

We toured the city from the top of the walls. It was very hot and humid. This is a fountain that has been providing water for centuries.

That make a special walnut liquor that is made on windowsills.  It is not mass produced. Here are some in different stages of fermentation, I guess. 

This is Theresa.  She said it very beautifully.  I bought a little piece of crochet from her at the Farmer's Market.

Lots and lots of steps.

The Mediterranean loves their kitties.

Adriatic - Day Three

Next stop, Kotor, Montenegro.  Montenegro is a country of mountains, everywhere.  You can see our ship docked outside the Old Town.  We're on our way over to Budva for a tour.  Not too bad of a shot through a bus window.

In Budva you can tend to your garden.

Attend church. Old church in Budva.  I think 16th Century.

You can buy beautiful paintings.

You can go out for dinner.

Or sit at the town beach.

Y

You can walk over to the big beach.

Back in Kotor you can climb the city's ancient walls. 

You can gaze at the sailboat that's parked next door.

Or take an evening stroll along the pier. It was a lovely day in Montenegro.