This morning we left Verona for Venice, Italy. We took the train.
Our train track.Coming into the Venice station.
When we arrived at the Venice train station we gathered our luggage and found a water taxi to take us to our hotel.
On a water taxi in Venice.
Scroll through the slideshow below to see photos of the Grand Canal in Venice as we rode on the water taxi.
We checked into our hotel, the Hotel Saturnia and International. It was run by the fifth generation Serandrei family since 1908!
Hotel Saturnia and International
The front desk
The hotel was a historic residence that dated back to the 14th century. It blended the history of the residence along with modern conveniences. No two rooms were identical. Our room was a suite. We had plenty of space.
Closet and safebathroom sinksShower, tub, toilet, and bidet in the back roomTable and bedBed and deskSeparate sitting room
One of the sitting rooms in the hotel
After we checked in and dropped off our luggage we walked into St. Mark’s square and also found a place for some lunch!
We went back to our hotel to freshen up before our wine tasting excursion this evening. Our hotel had a solarium where we could look out at the Venetian domes and rooftops.
Our food and wine walking tour was with a local guide, named Silvia.
Silvia our local guide
There were six of us with our guide. We walked to five different bacaris. Bararis were where the locals gathered to drink wine and eat cicchetti. A cicchetti (chee-KET-tee) was a small, savory, shareable plates or snacks. It was fun trying the food and tasting the wines. We had a great time.
During our tour Silvia had us stop and go in Saint Pantalon. It was a 17th century parish church.
San Pantalon
It was known for its ceiling painting by Gian Antonio Fumiani that depicted the Martyrdom and Apotheosis of Saint Pantalon.
At the end of our tour Silvia gave us her list of other good bacaris around Venice.
Silvia’s Recommendations
Venice and its canals looked magnificent as we walked back to our hotel.
Today was a day at sea as we traveled from Greenland to Newfoundland, Canada across the Labrador Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. We left the fog and today was sunny.
Sunrise in the morning.
Besides walking outside and reading, our highlight of the day was the Premium Wine tasting. It was fun learning about these 5 unfamiliar wines and tasting all of them. Three from France, one from Spain and one from Italy. We also had a variety of cheeses, nuts, grapes, and craisons that were paired with particular wines.
Wine tasting
This evening we enjoyed the Viking vocalists show, “The Sound of the Seventies”!
The backdrop for the Seventies show.
Tuesday, August 27th, 2024
This morning we arrived at L’Anse Aux Meadows, Newfoundland, Canada. It was located at the tip of the Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland.
We were anchored around 8:00 AM and used tender boats to visit.
One of the tenders that transported us to L’Anse Aux Meadows
L’Anse Aux Meadows was the site of the first Norse settlement in the Americas. It was a national historic site and UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization) named it a World Heritage site in 1978.
By the statue of Leif Eriksson was this quote on a memorial plaque: “Son of Iceland, grandson of Norway, Ancestor of all who emigrated from the Nordic lands”
Statue of Leif Eriksson
The area was discovered in 1960 when a Norwegian explorer and writer, Helge Ingstad, came upon L’Anse Aux Meadows. A local, George Decker, took him to an overgrown area that had bumps and ridges. Ingstad and his archaeologist wife, Anne Stine Ingstad, spent the next eight years here. They had an international team of archaeologists from Norway, Iceland, Sweden, and the United States.
We visited the Visitor’s Center that had displays and artifacts that were found here.
Model of the Viking Basecamp that was discovered at L’Anse Aux Meadows.The path from the Visitor Center to the archaeology site.Moose tracks along the path.
They found the remains of an 11th century Viking basecamp and the remains of 8 buildings that were either dwellings or workshops. These buildings were built of timber as the frame and sod over it.
The area was still an active archeological site. We watched a group working in an area that was fenced off. It was interesting to watch their precision and small steps and digs that they made as they worked.
Another area we walked to was the Norstead Village.
It was a replica of a Viking port of trade and depicted what life would have been like about the same time as the discovered UNESCO site 1.2 miles away.
Selfie at Norstead Village
The village consisted of Snorri, a full scale replica of a Viking ship built in Maine. The name Snorri was the name the Vikings gave the first child born in the New World. It was transported to Greenland and then a crew sailed it to L’Anse Aux Meadows with just powered by a square sail and oars! This sailing was to simulate Lief Eriksson’s voyage here. The boat was 54 feet long, 16 feet wide, and 8 feet deep. It was stored in the boat shed at the village.
“Snorri” a Viking ship replica
There was a chieftain’s hall, a church, and a blacksmith’s shop. We saw locals portraying different Viking roles and many tools and items from that period. You could spend a lot of time here. It was an interesting open air museum and the locals made the experience authentic. They had a axe throwing, weaving and games that you could participate in doing.
Chieftain’s HallEntranceActivities inside the HallDying wool for weavingChieftain’s Chair on the left
Chieftain’s Hall
Outside the church and then inside the church
The Blacksmith shop was next. It was located near the church.
After we visited the Norstead Village we hiked the Iceberg Trail.
This was another very early morning and we were on the road before breakfast was served at the villa because we were driving to La Spezia to catch a train. We parked the van in the train station garage. We purchased our tickets for the Cinque Terre train. It was an all day pass and it allowed us to hop on and off.
Waiting in line for our Cinque Terre train tickets.One of the trains for the villages.
Cinque Terre was comprised of 5 old fishing seaside villages that sit high on the Italian Riviera. You can hike between the villages and see the scenic coastline and countryside but we opted for the train! Our time was limited and we didn’t have the gear for hiking.
In 1997 Cinque Terre was listed as an UNESCO World Heritage site and in 1999 it became a national park.
The first village we visited was the largest and the farthest village, Monterosso. It had a long sandy beach. The water was so clear!
Spiaggia Fegina Beachonly sandy beach in Cinque TerreMonterosso’s Old town
Make sure to see at the end of the beach the large sculpture of Neptune, the Sea God, or as the locals call it II Gigante, carved into the stone. It was built by a Jewish Italian sculptor, Arrigo Minerbi in 1910. It was made from concrete and steel. Monterosso was bombed during WWII and II Gigante lost his arms, trident and a giant seashell. It also suffered additional damage from rough seas and strong winds. Even with its wear and tear, it still stood tall!
II Gigante or Statue of Neptune
You also could see the Aurora Tower here. It was a 16th century fortress built by the Genovese against pirate attacks.
Aurora Tower
We went back to the train station for our next stop which was Vernazza. This small fishing village had a small port that was surrounded by typical colorful houses for the coastal Italian riviera.
The Church of Santa Margherita di Antiochia was built in the 14th century. It was said that it was constructed here after the bones of St. Margaret washed up on a beach nearby.
The Belforte Castle and tower was built to protect the village from pirates in the mid-1500′ attacks. The remains from the fortress were converted into a restaurant.
Belforte Tower and Castle
A few more photos from Vernazza and its port.
The water was very clear.
We walked back to the train station for our train ride to the next village of Corniglia. This village sat on a promontory that overlooked the sea and was the smallest. It also was the least visited because of the difficult accessibility.
As you can see in the 2 photos below, it was a minimum 30 minute hike up to the village and filled with switchbacks.
Due to only having a day to spend here, we opted to skip this village. I guess we’ll need to return some day.
We went back to the train to stop in Manarola.
Train station
This village also had a small harbor with colorful boats. It had a tiny piazza and multicolored houses that faced the sea. We found it very crowded in all of the villages. It definitely was a popular destination for tourists.
We were told to try Sciacchetrá, a sweet wine made from the grapes in Manarola. Unfortunately we didn’t try it. Another reason to make a return trip!
Looking across the harbor.People were jumping off the rocks!
The footpath Via dell’Amore – the Path of Love was closed due to a landslide and won’t open until 2024. This was listed as the easiest of the hikes between villages. It connected Manarola and Riomaggiore and was also a little over a mile long. It would have been one we could have walked. It gave us yet another reason to return!
Our selfie in Manarola
The last village to explore was Riomaggiore which was the most southern of the Cinque Terre villages. It was known for its harbor with its colorful boats and the houses looked like they were stacked one on top of the other.
Riomaggiore- stacked houses and harbor
Before we left Cinque Terre we stopped in a place in Riomaggioree for either a glass of wine or wine tastings. It was a great way to end our day here.
On our way back to our villa, we made a stop in Pisa around 8:00 PM. It was nice because the majority of the crowds were gone.
The Arno river flows near Pisa. The Piazza del Duomo was near the northwestern end of the medieval walled city. In the piazza was the cathedral, the baptistery, the campanile or Leaning Tower of Pisa and a cemetery. Of course, the most famous was the Leaning Tower of Pisa which was tilting when it was completed in 1372 because the foundation was unstable.
Pisa’s Medieval WallsBaptisteryLeaning Tower of Pisa-campanileCathedral
We arrived back to the villa at 12:45 AM. It didn’t take long to wind down and get some rest for another day of exploring Tuscany.
This morning we were down in the lobby of our hotel by 4:45 AM for our pick-up for our tour of Ballestas Islands and a visit to the Paracas National Reserve. It turned out to be a private tour with our guide, Junior, and our driver Antonio. Antonio did not speak much English but Junior spoke English very well.
Junior, our guide for the day
We’ve been looking forward to this tour because we will see Humboldt penguins. It would be our 11th out of 18 penguin species that we’ve seen in their natural habitat!
Our driver headed south for our first stop which was our boat ride out to the Ballestas Islands. It was about a four hour car ride. We traveled on the Pan American Highway for quite awhile. This road stretches and connects over 19,000 miles from Ushuaia, Argentina to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. The road was interesting in places because when we passed through a town, there would be “speed bumps” and crosswalks for people to cross the four lanes. It seemed very dangerous to us but the locals seemed to be used to it.
This is an example of the “speed bump” and crosswalk!
We arrived in Paracas where we would catch our boat that would take us to the uninhabited Ballestas Islands. It was comprised of rocky islands and the Humboldt current was great for the marine life to thrive there. Its cold current pulls up water from the ocean floor, also nutrients and lower temperatures. This made it great feeding for the marine life around there.
Paracas is on the west coast of Peru. We were on one of the first boats over to the Islands. Junior, our guide, made sure we got on the boat, in the middle, and on the left side!
Paracas BayParacas Bay
On our ride to the islands, we saw the Paracas Candelabra or it was also called the Candelabra of the Andes. This was a prehistoric geoglyph found in the Pisco Bay. Its origin is still unknown. Carbon dating was done on artifacts found near this giant geoglyph that dated back to 200 BCE but there wasn’t any clue as to why it was made. It was etched two feet into the petrified sand on the hill and stood almost 600 feet from top to bottom.
Paracas Candelabra
Our view of the Ballestas Islands as we arrived in our boat.
Approaching Ballestas Islands
All the dots you see on the hillside are birds! It was a blanket of birds.
Birds are everywhere!
Once we arrived to the islands we saw the South American Sea lions. Of the sea lions we saw there was one LARGE male! The male had a giant, maned head like a lion!
Male Sea lion
Of course, it was incredible to see all of the birds but our favorite was the Humboldt penguin! The Humboldt penguin adult was about 26 inches tall and weighed about 10 pounds. They are classified as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and in 2010 were granted protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. You can help the penguins by choosing sustainably harvested fish when you eat seafood!
Humboldt Penguins
We saw the Inca Tern. They are near threatened. They are known for their white mustaches which both the males and the females have. The Inca tern was about 16 inches long and its wing span was about 31 inches.
We saw Peruvian Boobies which were endemic to Peru. They had a white head and neck. There was some white scaling on its darker back.
Peruvian Booby
The Guanays cormorant was also found in the islands. There was a red patch around the eye and its body was black and white. The Guanays were the main producer of guano. For many years the guano found on the Ballestas Islands was used as a fertilizer for plants.
Guanays
Peruvian Pelicans were abundant around the islands. They are “near threatened”. They had a colorful bill and a big whitish upperwing area. Its size was about twice that of a brown pelican.
Peruvian Pelican
Some of the Red-legged Cormorants that we saw were nesting. They are “Near threatened”. They had a distinctive white neck patch, a brightly colored bill, and red legs.
Red-legged Cormorant
We saw a lot of the Kelp Gulls. These gulls were native to the coastlines of the Southern Hemisphere and this gull was one of 55 seagulls! They had a mostly white head and body with dark wings, and a red-tipped bill.
Kelp Gulls
Of course the Peruvian Turkey Vultures were hanging around. Their red necks were visible as they scavenged for fish, eggs, and dead birds/animals!
Peruvian Turkey Vultures
We were out viewing the wildlife around the islands for a little over two hours. When we returned to the docks our guide Junior was there to meet us. He told us that while we were out there on the water a Tsunami warning went off and it freaked him out for a few minutes until he found out that it went off by accident. We were really glad that we had no idea!
Junior walked us to where our driver and the car was located. He suggested we do lunch and our wine tasting experience before we visited the National Reserve. The winery and restaurant were located another hour south of Caracus. Nietto was where we stopped and it was located in the region of Ica. Nietto has been in operation since 1856. It was one of the most visited wineries in the city of Ika. We had a wonderful lunch with our guide and our driver.
After lunch we had a private tour of the winery and its wine making process. After the tour we sampled their wine and pisco, the national drink in Peru. For each of the 7 different wines that we tried, our host had us repeat a Spanish saying before we tried them. Pisco was the last spirit we tried and its alcohol proof was 41%! It was potent. It’s a good thing we had lunch first! The favorite drink with Pisco is the Pisco sour which we tried later in our trip!
After our wine tasting we went to Paracas National Reserve. It was a protected area and there were many archaeological sites in the reserve. It had a dramatic shore line with sculpted rocks from the constant wind and wave action. The Reserve had the desert, the Pacific ocean, and islands.
Entering Paracas National Reserve
The Yacimiento fossil area had many cone-shaped marine fossils. These snails were from about 36 million years ago! It was prohibited to take any of the fossils.
The area was desolate looking and we only saw a few people the entire time we were in the Reserve. The road was hard-packed dirt and very bumpy!
La Catedral was once a sea arch but it was destroyed in the 2007 earthquake. Just parts of the rock were left.
La Catedral
Playa Roja or Red Beach had maroon colored sand that got its color from the erosion of porphyry rocks that were igneous rocks composed of coarse-grained crystals.
Red Beach (Playa Roja)
We stopped and walked part of the beach at Playa Yumaque. During the hot summer days, this beach is popular when La Mina is crowded.
La Mina Beach Area
Playa Yumaque Beach
We saw these “Shantytowns” as we drove along the highway. They basically were made from any materials they could find to use. Some don’t have water or electricity. These had popped up everywhere.
Peru has a large poverty rate. The country was making progress and then the COVID-19 pandemic hurt their progress. Peru had one of the highest death rates due to COVID-19 and due to the lockdowns the country has nearly a third of the total population suffering from monetary poverty. Our guide discussed the impacts on the country.
Our day began in the dark and ended being dropped off at our hotel in the dark. We spent over 15 hours exploring together and we were exhausted at the end of the tour but had a fantastic day learning and seeing more of Peru on our own!
We were awake early and watched the sunrise from the balcony of our room. It was beautiful.
Our first stop today was the Prophet Elias Monastery which was located on the highest peak of Santorini. We had gorgeous views of the island. The Monastery was built in 1712. It suffered a lot of damage from an earthquake in 1956.
Prophet Elias Monastery
The views of Santorini from the summit of Mount Profitis Ilias.
Santorini produces wine and it is considered to be the best in all of Greece. They say it is because of the mineral content of the volcanic soil! Ancient grape seeds were discovered and the people of Santorini have been wine makers for at least 3,500 years.
The grapevines here are twisted into a round shape and the grapes are tucked inside to protect them. It looks like a grapevine basket. You do not see the vines growing up along fencing. It is definitely very different. This technique called kouloura protects the grapes from the wind and hot sun.
Grape vines
We walked through the village of Pyrgos which is located at the foothills of Mount Profitis Ilias. Pyrgos is the largest preserved village on Santorini and it is pretty much ignored by the tourist industry and the villagers are glad.
Pyrgos Village
Our next stop was Agios Georgios which is known for its black sandy beach along the Aegean Sea! We had lunch at the Demilmar Restaurant Beach Bar. Our lunch was very good and we enjoyed the view.
Demilmar Restaurant Beach Bar
Near the restaurant we found the ruins of an early Christian Basilica of Ayia Eirini from the 5th century AD. Ayia is the Greek word for Saint and Eirini means Irene. It is believed that Santorini’s name came from this.
Early Christian Basilica of Ayia Eirini
Our next stop was the wine museum and wine tasting at Koutsoyannopoulos Winery. We only had time to walk through the museum because part of our group was late because one of the restaurants was slow getting the food prepared and served! Below are a few pictures from the museum.
Wine Museum
Some of the oldest producing vines on the island are around 400 years old! Before we tasted each wine, one of the employees explained about each wine and its pairing with food. We tried four different varieties. The Koutsoyannopoulos Winery was founded in the late 19th century and is family owned through four generations. We enjoyed our tasting! Our first white wine was a dry wine made from the assyrtiko grape which is indigenous to the island of Santorini. The second wine was another white wine called, Experimental Orange wine. Next was a red wine aged in an oak barrel, Ambelones. Our last wine was a 2006 Dessert wine, Kamaritis.
Assyrtiko white dry wineExperimental Orange wineRed Wine, Ambelones2006 Dessert wineWine Tasting at Koutsoyannopoulos
After we left the winery our bus dropped us off in Oia to walk around and watch the sunset. The sky was displaying many colors, from pink, yellow, and orange, as we experienced another gorgeous sunset!
When we returned to the hotel we were ready for dinner. We walked close to a mile to a restaurant that was suggested for us to try but it wasn’t opened yet so we walked a little farther and found Cacio e Pepe restaurant. It was Italian cuisine and the food was delicious!
Cheers to our last night in Greece!The GF eggplant parm. was outstanding!Many names are soccer players.Casio e Pepe
After dinner it was back to the hotel to do our paperwork for “Fly Ready” with Delta. We needed to upload our negative PCR result with the QR code, our fully vaccinated card and our passport. After several tries we received an email that we were set. We did our final packing because our luggage had to be outside our room very early in the morning. We will hate to say goodbye to Greece!
