Miaminice

Sure, I still have Southeast Asia and Japan linked in my account. There are more, but I´d have to search for them. You can find some older ones on our website www.travellove.one and

Before I continue with the last part and conclude our travelogue, I‘d like to fast forward a bit to lunchtime of the last day at sea and give you a taste of the Extravaganza buffet. Mein Film 1.mov PS: the video might take a while to start

After our visit of the Tower we continued to their home right by the sea in Mellieha where we had the pleasure and privilege to enjoy a Maltesian lunch cooked by Glorian and Cori, the ladies of the house. We easily chatted the time away on their terrace and had to return to the port way too soon. Glorian, Cori and Godfrey, we can’t thank you enough for this beautiful day on Malta and for showing us parts of Malta we haven’t seen before and for showing us Maltese hospitality. Of course we spent the sailaway in the Sunset Bar again as we slowly sailed out of Valetta’s Grand Harbour. The little lighthouse on the breakwater was the last image we saw before we started to sail towards Barcelona and the end of our cruise. Fortunately we still had a day at sea to look forward to.

As mentioned this is what we did on previous visits. This time we had other plans. Some of you might know that we did a Southeast Asia cruise during the holidays a few months ago. On that cruise we toured with a lovely family from Malta. When we told them we’d be in Valletta, they kindly invited us to their home. So after a breakfast with a view of the Grand Harbour we had the privilege of our friend Godfrey picking us up at the port. IMG_1339.mov On the way to their home in Mellieha, Godfrey took us to the Dinli Cliffs and showed us the Viktoria Lines, the Ghajn Tuffieha Bay Beach and the Popeye Village. IMG_1348.mov Then we stopped at the St Agatha’s Tower (Red Tower) from which we had a nice view all the way to Comino and Gozo.

Celebrity Ascent - June 2024 - Greece, Turkey & Italy - 12 - Valletta, Malta Valletta is definitely one of the ports where getting up early really pays off. Gliding past the bastions and huge stone walls of Valletta in the morning light is unforgettable. We were able to watch it from our bed when we woke up. Exploring Valletta and Malta is easy and easily done without booking a tour. So before I tell you what we did on the day, I will give you a recommendation what you can do. When you leave the ship you’ll be led through a small terminal building at Valetta’s Waterfront. At the exit of the building you’ll run into the vendors of tickets for the HoHo buses. If you haven’t been to Malta before, the bus is a good way to see some of Malta’s main attractions. The fortified city of Mdina, the beautiful but unpronounceable fishing village of Marsaxlokk, the Blue Grotto, the over 5000 year old Megalithic Temples of Malta and the Church of Mosta are just some of them. Unless you have an overnight, you’ll not be able to see them all and you’ll need to focus on some of them. On previous visits we used the bus as a method of transport to get to Mdina, a fascinating medieval city. On the way we saw Marsaxlokk without getting off and listened to the interesting narrative. After walking through the alleys of Mdina we returned to Valletta and explored the capital city of Malta. We left the Upper Barrakka Gardens within the St. Peter & Paul Bastion to the end. From there you can take an elevator down to the port. Instead of taking the bus, you can also negotiate a price for a taxi to Mdina. Taxi drivers can also be found at the exit of the terminal.

no worries…. I am late with the next instalments 😁 As we are back to reality and work, I can’t keep up. But I will post more soon. To be continued… 😁

Travellove.one same as our website www.travellove.one. But we dont have time to work on the website anymore - unfortunately.

Thanks! Local food is an important part of our trips for us. In Italy and Greece it come especially easy because we love the cuisine. But also in other parts of the world we always find local places to try. And we really enjoy the venues also frequented by locals. It´s part of the experience and a peek into local life and culture.

Thank you! 😳 Unfortunately I am a bit behind now... we are back home and back to work. But the rest wil follow soon 🙂

We just returned from Ascent and I agree, $86 plus 20% is too much even though the food and service are very good. Which is why we didn´t book although we had a lot of OBC to burn. Rather went to Rooftop Grill and enjoyed sitting outside. Although we didn´t book Eden I checked on the app. It was sold out every evening of the cruise. So from a cruise line`s point of view they are doing the right thing. as long as people book and come, they can test and raise the charge. As a shareholder I am pretty happy, as a passenger it´s a different thing.

Celebrity Ascent - June 2024 - Greece, Turkey & Italy - 11 - At Sea The story of the day is short… we did a whole lotta nothing 😁 After our usual relaxed breakfast we went to the theater, where Captain Dimitrios talked about the construction and sea trials of Ascent. During the day Birgit worked on her tan and I sorted photos and roamed about the ship to take a few more. However, dinner stood out. We went to the Rooftop Garden Grill again. This time we were joined by our tour mates from Santorini, Julie and her dad Dave, and not only had a delicious dinner but also a fantastic time spent in great company. A time we extended in Al Bacio until the lights were turned on, telling us to leave. Thank you again for a great time, Julie and Dave!

That’s what we did. We took a tender back to Ascent and enjoyed a cool drink at the Sunset Bar. Later, after dinner, the Ascent‘s Grand Plaza was filled by passengers going wild dancing to the silent disco. Even when you don’t participate, it’s fun to watch and listen to the not so silent participants. 😁 FYI if you wanted to follow our lead and go to Ano Mera but don’t want to hire a scooter, there’s a public bus going there from near the tender/shuttle stop.

Happy about our find we returned to Chora and also entered the labyrinth of alleys. As always, we enjoyed the atmosphere at first. IMG_1249.mov IMG_1301.mov But at one point we were literally squeezed against the wall by two tour groups from Celebrity and one from MSC. Huge groups following a number. The ones in the back already panicking because the couldn’t see the guide at the front anymore, because he or she was around a corner already. It was crazy and everyone walking through the 4 feet wide alley on their own got really annoyed. Eventually Birgit said: Let’s not ruin the nice experience we had so far and let’s go back on board.

After visiting both we walked past the restaurants at the square but a little cute terrace restaurant caught our attention on the way to the scooter. The friendly owner lady invited us in and we sure did not regret our decision. We only had Tzatziki, baked feta cheese and cheese rolls with honey and sesame, but they were absolutely amazing. I wish I would’ve had some room for the Moussaka I saw on another table but I just couldn’t eat that much again.

Ano Mera has a nice little village square and is home to the Panagia Tourliani monastery. The monastery is beautiful structure from the 16th century with a marble facade and a marble bell tower. Entrance fee for the church and museum is just €2. IMG_1220.mov

From the hill of the windmills just venture out into Chora/Mykonos town. Meander through the colorful alleys, enjoy the shops, restaurants, churches, whitewashed houses and brightly painted stairs and balconies. Don’t follow a map, on the contrary! We would actually recommend you get lost in the streets and explore. Don’t be alarmed, you can’t get lost… you’ll always end up in the port‘s bay somehow. And it’s never more than 10 minutes away. As you can see by the pictures, we also did the first part of the route I suggested above. Behind the windmills we rented a scooter, because on all of our previous visits, we had never left Chora. So we took the little ride and drove to Ano Mera, a village about 8 km away.

Turn left and walk along some newly constructed restroom and you‘ll see the house with the red balconies on the left. I think it is one of the photos you can find on all of my Mykonos albums of the past years. Turn left again and you are basically right in front of the Panagia Paraportiani. Construction of the church started in 1425. You might recognize it, because it is depicted on many postcard images and commercials for the island. Go straight and follow the alleys near the waterfront while keeping to the right and you’ll find the restaurants of Little Venice. You might run into Petros the Pelican, the island’s mascot, over there 😁 Little Venice IMG_1148.mov From Little Venice you can already see the Mykonos‘ landmark, the iconic windmills Kato Milli.

Since I don’t just want to tell you what we did but also give you a little advice I included the map for your information and marked a few things. First of all, you do not need to book a tour to see Mykonos! It is as easy to explore on your own as they come! When you get to the port - by tender or shuttle from the dock - make your way along the waterfront to the small blue domed church close to the smaller pier. If you want to see the ancient ruins on Delos, you could buy tickets for the ferry and guided tours right there. The cruise lines use the same ferry.

Celebrity Ascent - June 2024 - Greece, Turkey & Italy - 10 - Mykonos We woke up to beautiful weather and the usual wind which is guaranteed on Mykonos. The only dock on Mykonos was already taken by an MSC ship, so we had to tender. Our Captain kept the Ascent closer to the entrance of the little harbor than we had ever seen it before to shorten the ride on the tenders. Giving the strong wind it was not an easy task. Cudos bridge team!

We continued driving down the road back towards Rhodes town and along the way the sound of the cicadas was so loud that we could easily hear it through our helmets and over the sound of the motor. The road was lined by colorful Oleander and lush green olive trees. And in some parts we passed through the charred remains of forests which fell victim to last year’s bad fires. Unfortunately I couldn’t take too many pictures because I was driving, but believe me, it was a very pleasant drive and scenery. Back in Rhodes we returned the scooter and since we still had plenty of time, we walked into the old town through the Marine Gate. However, it was extremely full and crowded. We didn’t want to ruin the feeling of such a relaxed and nice day, looked at each other and turned around to have a drink up in the Sunset Bar. IMG_1086.mov

In the hills we stopped at a viewpoint recommended to us by Alex from Elephant Motos. A cute little terrace with a shop selling local wine, oil and honey. When we reached Emponas, it wasn’t really what we expected. Only a few shops and restaurants and many many tourists who just arrived in two tour buses. So we continued our trip to Apollonas where we drove by a very inviting taverna. The time was right, so I turned the scooter around and we stopped for lunch. Sitting in the shade with a light breeze and enjoying the genuinely friendly service was really nice. And the food very delicious. A fact also known to the local cat which had decided to become best friends with us… 😁

We have been to Rhodes numerous times before and actually quite like it. Last year we had rented a scooter with Elephant Rent a Moto, who are just a short distance from the port exit away, and drove to Lindos. This year we stopped there once more, rented a very comfortable ride again and drove along the western coast. We stopped at Mandraki harbor for a few pictures, before we took the coastal road past the airport. Along way we enjoyed the view of secluded beaches and eventually turned uphill towards Emponas. IMG_1030.mov

Celebrity Ascent - June 2024 - Greece, Turkey & Italy - 9 - Rhodes Rhodes is a port very easy to do on your own. If you are there for the first time, you really don’t need any kind of excursion. As you can see on the fist photo, everything you need to see for a first visit is within easy walking distance. Just follow the bay at the port until the road leads through a gate, behind it continue on along the smaller Mandraki Bay. At its end, close to a big church building, there’s a small entrance to the harbor from the sea. Both sides have columns with statues on them. It is said that this is where the Colossos of Rhodes once stood. Turn back and visit the New Market before you go back through the Eleftherias Gate. You can’t miss it. It’s almost overgrown by beautiful Bougainvillea. Keep right, enter the old town and walk up the Street of the Nights to the Grandmaster’s Castle. Then just go with the flow and enjoy this city that to me feels like it takes you back in time.

The Kebab was good and tasty. However, Baydöner - which was the name - seems to be a chain. So although the service was very friendly, the restaurant lacked a bit of charm. But it was good. There are also many restaurants around the port / fish market area which also looked very good. Selda also recommended them, but when she heard that I don’t eat fish, she mentioned Baydöner. We have booked with Ephesus Shuttle a couple of times now. And they were always very good. Quite a few people followed our previous recommendations and all came back praising them. So I am sure you’ll also enjoy them.

well, we are pretty fit walkers and usually make the stairs in under 20 minutes. But we did pass many people who had to stop and rest in the little shade there was. And I definitely have to say that it was easier for us as well at other times. The heat was a real factor.