Aegean Sea Cruise on 22.6 -3.7.2015

I flew on June 21. to Istanbul to start next day an 11 nights cruise with "Rhapsody of the Seas" owned by Royal Caribbean. There is nothing very special to report of the ports. I knew them all from my previous visits. In Kusadasi / Turkey, two shop owners did remember me, and of course I did buy some shirts with "Very Special" price as an old friend. In next ports Bodrum / Turkey and Rhodes, Santorini /Greece I did concentrate to visit nice bars for good local wines. In Piraeus I did not even bother to leave the ship because I do consider Piraeus as a boring city, and in Athens I only am interested in the night life at Plaka, and we had to be back onboard at 17.00. In Mykonos ( my favorite place) I was strolling around and looking unsuccessfully for the pelicans, with some stops for a glass or two.
The next day in Chania / Crete / Greece my program was very similar to previous days.  We then had a day and night at sea in the sun shine and moon light, on the way back to Istanbul.
The life onboard was fun and I got some friends especially from both Irelands.  I shall always remember a wonderful Belfast beauty Rachel, 22 for her friendship.  

ALBANIA, MACEDONIA and KOSOVO , May 11. -17.

Very interesting round trip with a group of 20 by bus. Even those people in these poorest countries of Europe were very friendly but proud. Beggars I did not see many. Landscapes were very beautiful with snowy mountains over 2000 meters high and partly idyllic villages or towns from medieval times.
There were strange things to see like those tiny round bunkers all over in Albania, more than 700 000 all together. The former Albanian dictator Mr. Enver Hoxha used to see enemies allover, Sovjetunion, Yugoslavia, Rumania, Italy, Greece, Turkey and USA. Now the Albanians are great friends of Americans, and NATO- members since 2008. In a small town of Fier you could find in a park a statue of Mr. George W. Bush !
In Macedonia on third day we overnighted in a very beautiful city of Ohrid at the lake Ohrid , which lake is one of the oldest in the world, and famous tourist destination for the locals in Summer. The late Yugoslavian leader  Tito used to have his Summer palace here.
We then continued to the capital of Skopje, which was over 80% destroyed by a terrible earth quake, killing over 1000 people in 1963.
In Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, we found the statue of Mr. Bill Clinton and a huge wall painting of him. It was our next stop to overnight, but not at all so charming place as Prizren, where we stayed for few hours on a way back to Albania. Back in Tirana, in the same 5star Hotel Rogner, where we had spent our first night already. It was nicely situated near city's night bar and disco areas in former "forbidden zone" during Hoxha's regime.
During the trip we enjoyed good food and nice wine with very inexpensive prices. Astonishing beautiful weather during whole week with different experiences made my stay unforgettable.

Capadocia / Turkey March 10.-17.2015

There was a very inexpensive offer to fly to Antalya and to continue to central Turkey, to Capadocia by bus tour. I decided to participate and could convince an old good friend Mr Seppo Panhelainen to join the trip. Our group around 40 persons did spend the first and the last days in a couple of 4-5 Star hotels on the Antalyan cost enjoying the Spring sun in the terraces. On the second day we crossed the surrounding snowy Taurus-mountains in over 1800 meters height and could see most fantastic views before arriving to Konya (ancient Christian colony of Ikonion). We then continued to Capadocia  where we stayed for three nights, having every day different programs visiting ancient underground cities , cave churches and homes carved into those strange rocks and pylons in Göreme (Unesco's World Heritage Site). The most exciting experience however was an one-hour-flight with a hot-air balloon early in the morning, up to one kilometer over these magnificent landscapes. To fly there up and down with some 90 other colorful balloons was a remembrance for lifetime .
At last the trip was not so cheap. I bought a beautiful leather Winter jacket and a great Turkish carpet 2x3m. But I am happy and satisfied.

Overview of my trips in year 2014

I've got somehow lazy, not to travel but to keep this diary. Due several contacts from my friends I decided to continue writing to show that I still am alive.

ALICANTE / Spain, April 9.-16. I visited this interesting city to study if I would like to spend a longer time there sometime in future. No decision made, but I did love the Barrio and the harbor site. 

ROSKILDE / Denmark, July 24.-28. My younger son Tomas has been together with a lovely Danish young lady Cecilie for some time. And how it happens, she gave a birth to a handsome baby boy last April 12. (my second grand child). Her home town is this tiny beautiful Roskilde, better known for it's rock festivals than it's ancient viking ship skeletons. There was a big and happy name giving party with lots of people from Denmark and Finland, and the little boy got the name Oskar.

BALKAN TOUR, September 5.- 22. I only had visited this area some 38 years ago in Opatija, then in Yugoslavia, and a couple years ago on a cruise in Dubrovnik, Croatia . Now I found in a catalogue a bus roundtrip for Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro starting from Dubrovnik on 5th.to 10th., and another starting from Ljubljana / Slovenia from 17th.to 22nd.including Slovenia and Northern Croatia. I contacted the travel agent that I want to participate on both round trips, but that I would stay on my own somewhere there between Sept.10.-17. I got a reasonable discount, and we made a deal. So, on 5th we, a group of 14, were in Dubrovnik from where we made daily sigth-seings to Mostar in Herzegovina, Kotor and Budva in Montenegro and Cavtat ,Korcula and Peljesac in Croatia. In Cavtat I preferred to stay by myself after the group left, and took then a boat back to Dubrovnik. If ever in Croatia again with somebody, those places would be very romantic to stay. I then, after the party left, flew to Beograd, where I had booked Zira Hotel for 3 days.The hotel was very good and pleasant but… the city. What a big difference with Croatian and Slovenian cities to be seen. I then flew to Ljubljana where I spent beautifully my four days on the street bars at the river banks in this fantastic city. I then was picked up to join the new group of 17 with an old friend of mine Mr. Seppo Panhelainen, who by the way was with me in Opatija years ago. We then drove to Koper and Piran at Mediterranean, where we stayed for 3 days with daily trips to Porec, Buzet and Portoroz, from where I heroically walked with Seppo back to Piran, which was an old but very pleasant Venetian city. After those incredible caves in Postojna and two days in charming Bled we had a few hours stop in Ljubljana, where I introduced the best bars of the city to Seppo,. when the group visited some museums. At midnight I satisfied slept in my own bed in Helsinki.

 EMIRATES, BAHREIN and OMAN Nov.28.- Dec.15. I have been earlier on American, British and Finnish cruise ships, now a German ship was in turn. I had heard positive comments of TUI-cruises with MEIN SCHIFFs. I flew first for three days to Dubai before on board of Mein Schiff2. The most interesting places with Dubai where Abu Dhabi and Muscat in Oman. When back in Dubai I visited the worlds highest building Burj Khalifa. An experience. The ship was very pleasant and informal, free drinks and tips included, some romance too.

Winter in Blanes Jan.2 - April 1. 2014

As last year I decided to spend the Winter months in Costa Brava, Catalunya / Northern Spain. I had reserved the same apartment with the nice balcony and beautiful view over the harbor to the sea. Of course I had my best friend, the Bichon frise " Niki" with me. Days went fast by, having long walks with the dog, sipping vino tinto in my favorite bars and enjoying those mostly sunny days. I met most local friends from last year, young and old, and got many new ones. Three good friends from Helsinki did visit me for five to ten days. One of them Mr.Kari Partio with his 3 years old son Urho had rented a car, and we made several excursions to the surroundings of which the small town Cadaques, famous of Salvador Dali's home (museum today), was most charming. My only problem there was the language. Most people did speak well Spanish with me, which I can manage quite well, but when a group together, they spoke Catalonian and I mostly did not understand anything. Now for future I consider to go more South as example to Alicante in Costa Blanca. Anyhow I have not yet decided anything. We'll see!

Mediterranean cruise with Celebrity Constellation, Nov.12.-24.13

I flew to Istanbul/Turkey on Nov.10, a couple of days before the start of the cruise. I enjoyed the city more than ever before staying at Historia Hotel, which was a cozy, friendly place in historic surroundings. After a day at sea we arrived Kusadasi, then Bodrum and Marmaris. In those cities I enjoyed the late Autumn days in nice street cafes facing the sea,and also using the good shopping possibilities, which is not normal for me. On the sixth day we were at Rhodes/Greece for me first time in 40 years, which city after the tourist season was over, looked totally dead. I made by bus a tour partly outside the city, and returned to the ship. Next day saw us in Santorini/Greece, where shops and bars were specially opened for us to be closed again until late February, when the next cruise ship would arrive. The white village on the top of the hill is extremely beautiful and enjoyable. I spent my day there with a young Mexican couple, who I had met onboard. They were in a two months honeymoon tour in Europe, and were ready to spend money a lot. I advised them to squeeze prices just to get more, and helped them to select gold and jewelry. I had a favorite shop there, and how strange it was, the lady owner of this gold boutique was a Mexican too. When leaving the shop laughing at the overwhelmingly happy bride, the lady gave to all of us a bottle of good Santorini white wine. A couple of days later I was a tourist guide for two Canadian couples at Mykonos/Greece, which island I knew quite well from my previous visits. Our last stop before Civitavecchia/Italy was Naples/Italy where I made a tour with those same Canadians round the old part of the city and finishing it with pizza Margharita in its original place. Next day I already flew to Venice to meet my long time friend Peter Gloystein with his family and to celebrate my birthday with them. But as he had his birthday next day, we then at midnight finished mine and started his. In the following evening Peter, a lady friend of him and me had a dinner in the famous Harry's Bar. Next morning I supposed to fly home but the airport of Venice was striking, and I had to take a train to Milan, where I spent a pleasant evening with Italian red wine, flying at noon next day Nov.26. back home.

Florence and surroundings , Italy Oct.12 -16. 13

For a long time I had wanted to visit beautiful Florence ( Firenze ). I joyned a Finnish group for five days, but was mostly studying alone this marvelous city of about 300,000 inhabitants.It really was an incredible experience to go around the small streets especially in the medieval areas, and stop for a glass of wine or two on tiny piazzas. I joined the group mostly for the prepaid meals which were very good or even excellent in various ristorantes or tavernas. On the fourth day a bus took us on a route about 200 km in Tuscany ( Toscana ). We drove trough the famous wine areas to stay for few hours in amazing Arezzo and further in tiny Cortona with it's Etruscan museum. It was quite a climb to reach the top of the hill as well as it was on the first day to climb to Fiesol hill to visit Franciscan monastery and museum with the awesome view over the valley of Arno river and Florence. On the last day we still had the magnificent Uffici Gallery with its early medieval to baroque paintings including many of those by Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci. This trip was a great experience.