Category: Port of Call

For the most diverse sightseeing options we chose a combination of historical sites for two of our days in Israel (see last weeks article) and for the other two we focused on the Biblical locations.  Although these sites are spiritual pilgrimages for many travelers, we approached them with a more academic leaning.  As a result…

One of the benefits of doing a back to back cruise is the chance to revisit a port.  When that port is in Israel, and there are two stops on each itinerary, you can really travel the country in depth.  This is not that usual on a cruise itinerary so we were excited to take advantage of…

There are two major ancient sites in Jordan close to the city of Aqaba and both are worth every moment of your time.  Many of our fellow passengers combined the two into a very tiring day.  We decided to forgo one for the other by promising ourselves we would return one day. Petra, one of…

There is an old saying, “timing is everything”, an expression which means that the “consideration of other events can greatly influence some desired outcome”.  This sums up our stop in Salalah, Oman perfectly. Our arrival in this port was on a Friday, the holy day of the week for Muslims.  As a result many of…

Fujairah is the fourth largest of the emirates.  It does not have the wealth or tourism appeal that Abu Dhabi or Dubai have, but it allowed us to see the “other” side of the United Arab Emirates.  Our drive took us through lush green landscapes along the scenic coastline, up  mountainous terrains and through villages…

Stunning architecture under brilliant blue skies, colourful foliage surrounded by encroaching desert sands and a diverse population of friendly welcoming people; this is Abu Dhabi. When the Arab countries were united in 1971 by Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Abu Dhabi was made its capital. It is remains the largest and wealthiest of the emirates….

One of the most common concerns I hear from fellow travelers is that a cruise really doesn’t give you enough time in any one port, and they are not wrong.  We started cruising in Europe in order to get a sense of what we liked and didn’t; a kind of sampler plate if you will….

Most Baltic itineraries offer stops along the north shore of Germany.  The ports themselves are summer resort destinations for German vacationers full of beaches, shops and restaurants but offer little to the adventurous traveler.  Luckily they are gateways to two of Germany’s major cities. The port of Warnemunde is a 3 hour train ride from Berlin, the…

During our Baltic adventure our cruise director Marziana  was from a small town in the southern part of Poland.  She was as excited to welcome us to her country as we were to visit it.  Before the port stop Marziana hosted an hour long introduction to common Polish words and phrases and her favourite polish food…