Category Archives: Uncategorized

Winery Tour We did a day tour to the Stellenbosch wine area which is about a 45 minute drive.  We stopped at two wineries before lunch and then two after. The first winery was Starke-Conde   Next stop was Haute … Continue reading →

We arrived at the Cape Grace hotel in Cape Town 24 hours after leaving our apartment in Canberra.  The hotel, which is in the V&A Waterfront area, is amazing – location, service and accommodation.   As it was 9pm we felt no … Continue reading →

The final stage of our cruise was on Seabourn Spirit, sister ship to Seabourn Legend.  We had the same cabin number so knew exactly where everything had to be unpacked to. Despite not having a change of clothes, we did … Continue reading →

Olympia Katakalon is a Greek port close to the archaeological site of Olympia.  Olympia is where the ancient Greeks gathered every four years for more than a millennium to celebrate the sacred games dedicated to Zeus.  These games were the genesis of … Continue reading →

After we left La Coruna, we got caught up in a frenzy of port visits that left little time to maintain this blog, so apologies for the lack of substance. We stopped at many interesting places and some we don’t … Continue reading →

We headed back into France from Barcelona to Port Vendres.  Port Vendres is a very quaint town and easy to walk around.  Again, the small boat was a major advantage as we were able to dock right in the town. … Continue reading →

Seville Seville. We sailed up the Guadalquivir River to Seville and moored the boat in the middle of the town.   One of the perks of being on a small ship.  This was a fantastic location as we could just … Continue reading →

Lisbon We were hoping to be docked in the town centre but unfortunately another cruise ship beat us to the prime spot, so we we were docked a few kilometres out of town and had to be shuttled into the … Continue reading →

      A Coruna (or La Coruna) is most famous as the gateway to Santiago de Compostella , a significant christian pilgrimage site.  We had previously visited there so took the opportunity to walk around the town itself and … Continue reading →

In Gijon we docked in the port and had a 20 minute shuttle bus ride into town. We left the ship at 10am and as it was Saturday, there was little traffic and few people.  We wandered around the old … Continue reading →

St Jean de Luz is on the border between France and Spain.  We tendered ashore to a beautiful harbour and quaint town We did our usual practice of just wandering around the town, taking in the atmosphere. We decided to … Continue reading →

We sailed up the Gironde river for about six hours to arrive in Bordeaux around 2am (not that we were awake to confirm the time).  We berthed right in the town which was very convenient, with only a short walk … Continue reading →

St Helier, Jersey We visited St Helier in Jersey.  Jersey was occupied by the Germans during the second world war, along with the other Channel Islands. We had to anchor quite a way offshore and tender in which took around … Continue reading →

We arrived at St Malo early in the morning just as the sun was rising.  The weather was perfect with a light breeze and temperature about 20C. We had a leisurely breakfast and then caught a tender to shore, where we … Continue reading →

We boarded Seabourn Legend a bit after midday and quickly settled into our temporary new home. From the ship we had a great view of the Walkie Talkie building, Tower Bridge and the Tower of London.    At about 4.15pm … Continue reading →

We flew with Singapore Airlines from Sydney to London via a short stopover in Singapore.  The first leg was in a Boeing 777  and the second leg was in an A380.  Service was definitely “first class” and I think I … Continue reading →

After leaving the Falklands we headed north to Montevideo, Uruguay. Due to some Argentinian political issues, ships cannot dock in Buenos Aires if their previous port is the Falkland Islands, due to the objection of the British occupation of the … Continue reading →

2-10 Feb 2014 We arrived in Ushuaia late afternoon after a delay in docking due to our berth being occupied by another ship that was delayed in leaving. Ushuaia is regarded as the most southern city in the world or as … Continue reading →

Saturday 25 Jan 2014 We woke up early in the morning with the intention of watching the ship sail in.  The ship was due at 7am so we set the alarm for 6am to be sure we wouldn’t miss it.  … Continue reading →

Thu 23 Jan 2014 We stayed at the hotel at aContraluz in Valparaiso.  The hotel is a boutique hotel which was originally two homes. It is set high up on a hill and has magnificent views across the city and … Continue reading →

Monday 20 Jan 2014 We arrived in Santiago at 11am after an uneventful flight but little sleep.  Getting into Chile requires paying a “reciprocity fee” which is the cost of a visa and is the equivalent of what Chileans have … Continue reading →

Venice We arrived into Venice early in the morning and stood out on deck to see the sights of this magnificent spectacle unfold as we cruised in.  Unfortunately it was overcast so the photos are not as spectacular as the … Continue reading →

30 April/1 May Croatia As we sailed into Dubrovnik we had a magnificent view of the walled city. Dubrovnik is rated as one of the best medieval walled cities in the world and is beautifully preserved. Dubrovnik was damaged during … Continue reading →

27 April Kusadasi, Turkey We arrived at Kusadasi to find that the bicycle tour/race that disrupted traffic for us in Bodrum had travelled to Kusadasi and extensive traffic diversions were in place around the town.  It was only a problem … Continue reading →

Bodrum, 26 April We spent a day in Bodrum Turkey.  There was a very big bicycle race happening in town so the shuttle bus that was meant to run from the ship to the town centre couldn’t operate.  In its … Continue reading →

April 23-24 We docked at Ashdod in Israel and disembarked for another overnight trip off the ship. Our first activity was a drive to the Dead Sea and a visit to the Masada fortress, built by King Herod. Masada is … Continue reading →

Cairo, Egypt, 21 April We docked at Sohkna in Egypt which is a three hour drive to Cairo. As in most of our excursions, the scenery on the drive was almost as interesting as the destination. The purpose of our … Continue reading →

Petra, 19 April We arrived in Aqaba Jordan on 19 April and the weather continued to be fantastic.  Temperatures started out on the low 20s and climbed to a very comfortable high 20s by midday.   Petra is a an … Continue reading →

Luxor 17 April We docked at Safaga in Egypt and then travelled by bus for three hours to Luxor, the site of the ancient city of Thebes where the Temples of Luxor and Karnak are located. The area is also … Continue reading →

Oman 9-12 April Adjacent to Dubai is the Sultanate of Oman, a 1,700 km coastal plain at the southeast tip of the Arabian Peninsula lying on the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman. It is also bordered by Saudi … Continue reading →

Dubai 7-8 April We arrived in Dubai to very hazy, overcast skies and very poor visibility. There had been a large sandstorm the day before and there was a lot of dust in the air. We went on a tour … Continue reading →

India 31 March to 3 April From Phuket we set out across the bay of Bengal to Cochin in the south of India. Arriving in Cochin a small group of eleven of us were picked up in a bus and … Continue reading →

Phuket, Tuesday 26 March 2013 The ship spent one day in Phuket and we went on a tour in the morning to Siam Niramit, Village of the Four Regions which is essentially a cultural centre which showcased Thailand’s cultures and … Continue reading →

Bangkok 19-20 March 2013 The ship docked about a two and a half hour drive from Bangkok so our tour spent a large part of our day driving on a highway. Our first stop was to the Royal Palace at … Continue reading →

Cambodia 15-17 March On our second day in Ho Chi Minh City we joined with 14 other passengers and left the ship with a small bag each and headed to the airport to catch a flight to Siem Reap in … Continue reading →

Thursday 14 March We arrived in Ho Chi Minh City in the morning of 14 March after sailing up the river. We disembarked and took a tour with a small group in a bus. We drove to the Mekong Delta … Continue reading →

Today we are in Da Nang, Vietnam. We went on a tour to Hoi An, about 45 minutes from the dock.  Hoi An, on the UNESCO World Heritage List, is a 16th Century town that has been well preserved and … Continue reading →

Today is the day we join our cruise ship.  We were up early and watched the Seabourn Quest glide into Hong Kong.  It was very hazy and smoky so it was hard to see it at first when it came … Continue reading →

We arrived in Hong Kong on Thursday evening to spend a couple of days prior to boarding the Seabourn Quest on Saturday. We spent today, Friday, walking to the ferry terminal on Hong Kong Island and catching the ferry to … Continue reading →

On the 9th of March we will start out on a 55 day cruise with Seabourn from Hong Kong to Venice on the latest Seabourn ship, the Quest The Quest is a relatively small ship with a complement of 335 … Continue reading →