Category: Port of Call

We have all seen pictures of Komodo dragons.  They are the stuff of legends – dinosaurs that still walk among us!  When we had the opportunity to visit Komodo National Park, and perhaps see a dragon or two in person, we leapt at the chance. The only way to access the park is on a…

From Tuscany it is a short drive into the neighbouring  Umbria, a region characterized by hills, mountains, valleys and historical towns.  Our day trip there included a visit to two of these towns; Orvieta and Assisi, along with stunning vistas of the Italian countryside. This 11 hour excursion was also booked with Ciao Florence tours. Our…

Our second foray into the countryside around Florence was a visit to the Val D’Orcia, a region of Tuscany in central Italy, and the medieval towns of Montalcino, Pienza and Montepulcino.   The Val d’Orcia was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 2004.  Its landscape has been depicted in works of art…

Even with all of amazing and iconic sites to see in Florence alone, a two week stay gave us plenty of opportunity to explore all of Tuscany and even into neighbouring Umbria.  These days trips were highlights of our time in Italy. We used Viator to book our excursions for no reason other than I…

Being so close to the second largest city in Italy and not at least spending a day visiting its most iconic sites seemed a waste, so we planned a day trip to Milan from our home base in Florence.  Two sites topped our list of must sees; Da Vinci’s The Last Supper and the Milan…

After exiting Prince Christian Sound on the morning of our third day in Greenland we made out way to our first port of call Qaqortog, the fourth largest city in Greenland, followed the next day by a visit to the much smaller Nanortalik, the country’s southern most town. Although it is rare for Norwegian Cruise…

Sometimes a disappointment can turn into the best opportunity.  Such was the case during our recent cruise. Scheduled for 3 ports after Reykjavik we ended up sailing away from Iceland after only one, Isafjordur.  The reason; a worsening storm bringing hurricane force winds that was moving between Iceland and Greenland.  Our captain made the difficult…

By far the most popular day trip from Reykjavik is the Golden Circle Tour. If you want to travel outside of the capital and see the best natural attractions in Iceland than this tour is for you. Since it is so popular you can easily find a tour offering.  Compare price and hours, the group…

One of the fastest rising travel destinations is Iceland.  For a country that has a population of only 393,396 that number will increase by well over 1.7 million visitors a year.  If you are one of those visitors, and whether you are exploring as part of a cruise or are taking an extended land tour,…