drron29

Their beautiful beach. The skies then opened. Now large busses are not allowed into Polignano so there is a bus parking area where yo transfer to a shuttle bus. Even though there was a shuttle bus there from the company Silversea uses there was no driver and we had to wait at least 5 minutes for the shuttle that met the first bus to return. And it was heavy rain with no shelter. Now there were 22 on this tour. The shuttle bus sans driver was a 24 seater but the returning shuttle was only a 19 seater. Dropped off also in an area with no shelter so a bit of a walk to some shelter. So we began our walk.

And I am off to Polignano and Mr Volare's white cliff. Rojaan didn't feel like going and it turned out a right decision. Weather was fine as we left on the bus.

Wednesday and we are in Bari. from our balcony we can see the unloading of a grain ship.

The wine for the night. To start Rojaan had this which I can't match with the menu. No problem with my starter. The Fasule. White bean and tomato soup. Our guide had described this dish during our tour as being from the countryside. I loved it. For mains Rojaan had the fish of the day and I had the Tave Kosi a lamb dish. We both went for the strudel dish for desserts.

We now could see the castle from our balcony. We left Albania in the late afternoon sailing towards Bari. Whilst having pre dinner drinks in the Dolce Vita when we passed the Ocean Odysey which had been alongside us a few days before in Rhodes. Then it was to the SALT restaurant for dinner with a couple from California. The SALT menu.

Another pill box beside the road. Back into Sarande with an even slower trip back to the Moon. Back on the ship for a simple lunch at the Arts cafe.

Fish farms. Corfu again.

We were now served a tasting plate of the dish. I really liked it and asked for seconds which was no problem. The local cat had obviously attended this demonstration before. Back to the bus and some shots of the canal to the sea. It has an old fashioned punt crossing it nearby.

We arrive at the restaurant which is in a National Park. The cooking demonstration was of a local mussel dish.

We now made our way to a restaurant where we would have a cooking demonstration. It continued to rain. Another pill box. The red poppy is Albania's official flower emblem. Butrint Lake where they grow mussels. It is connected to the sea by a natural canal.

This fellow appeared to be the leader and he invited some women to join in. Next came the singing. The men could make some quite unusual sounds. At this point we were invited inside for a complimentary beverage. I had a local beer which I liked. Rojaan however had a white wine which came from a Chateau collapsible which was undrinkable. The singing continued outside as it was now raining.

Now inside the walls with even better views. Corfu is very close. We are now treated to a dancing and singing show. Interesting. Wearing the old style clothing and footwear. But some not quite the old style.

The views from the castle. Lots of wildflowers around the area. And at the entrance to the castle.

Finally out of the City. Then our first stop at Lekuresi castle which was part of a military base until the end of the Communist era in the 1990s. You may notice a little structure on the right brlow the tower. It is a pill box and they are scattered all over Albania a relic of the Communist era.

The busses were all there. We were off on the Culture and flavours of Albania excursion. Getting out of Sarande was slow as the streets are narrow and Albanian drivers will stop in the middle of he road and go and do what they want completely blocking traffic. Plenty of time to get some pictures. Some Roman ruins. Albania was invaded by the Italians in WW2. They built a series of stairs from the harbour to the upper part of the town.

Tuesday and we are in Sarande, Albania. Our first visit to the country so we were interested in how it might turn out. Our first views as we sailed in. As we were docking the Seven Seas voyager steamed by. We later noticed it off Corfu. Quite a few were going on a 4WD adventure. lots of jeeps lined up.

So dinner in Atlantide, The red wine. Rojaan had the beef tataki whilst I had my little vegetable plot for starters. Then I had the tomato soup with meat balls. Formains Rojaan had the Salmon from the day's menu and I had the Argentinian Estancia. Once again I found this a little chewy.

We noticed a bit of the effects of the sea air whilst dining. And on my after noon laps noticed the Aida Blu going past in the opposite direction.

Another lunch in Atlantide. The wine. For starters Rojaan had the stuffed avocardo and I the gazpacho. For mains shae had the tamarind shrimp and I a spicy chicken korma. For desserts it was the cinnamon banana for Rojaan and passionfruit cheesecake for me.

The lights of Mykonos as we sail away. The next day was another sea day. Overcast, cold, windy and rain at times. I got in 14 laps pre lunch before it rained then 12 after lunch before it poured down. A couple of pictures. And not too far of the coast of the Peloponnese peninsula. Winners again at trivia but I have decided to give the putting a miss. 25+ people every day makes it not really enjoyable.

Back on board and it was sashimi time. Won at trivia and second in the putting. Then time for dinner at Atlantide. I had the herb ricoota tart and Rojaan the beef tartare. I then had the beetroot salad. For mains Rojaan had the king prawns and I the veal tenderloin. For dessert Rojaan had the mango trilogy and I sour cherry yoghurt with pistachio gelato. The wine tonight was the Alexander valley Merlot. I have already this cruise had their pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon.

The last of Mykonos.

This Accommodation looked good untill you realised that it was all accessible by uphill stairs.