Sochi, Russia

Winter Olympics 2014 Sochi Russia

Sochi is in Russia and therefore has restricted entry.  You can get off the ship if you are on an organized tour and the company has filed the correct paper work or if you have a Russian Visa.  Getting through the customs officials is the worst part when visiting Russia.  This takes a long time and you have to sign a temporary visa slip which you need when leaving.



You can tell that Sochi is a popular location for rich Russians to holiday.  There were beautiful yachts in the harbour and private beach clubs along the water.

Water Fall

Sochi was the host city for the 2014 Winter Olympics so a lot of money has been put into developing roads and the rail system.  The city was also fixed up to look good for the visitors for the Olympics.


We took a tour that allowed us to get into a national park and walk to a waterfall.  It was great getting off the ship but the waterfall was nothing special.  When choosing a tour don't have high expectations regarding what you are going to see.

What we did notice this time was that there were no undercover police shadowing our tour like we had in the past when touring in Russia.  Maybe things a getting a little less restrictive or because of the Olympics there are more freedoms in this city.

Hiking to the Waterfall

Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul what an experience.  We certainly did not do enough planning before we arrived.  Our flight arrived at around 11:30 PM so by the time we were ready to catch the hotel shuttle it was a few minutes after midnight.  By the time we found the stop and sign for the Holiday Inn we discovered that the last shuttle departed at midnight and did not start again until 7 AM.  Next time we book a hotel we will check to see when the shuttle runs. 

Our next plan was to change money so we could take a taxi.  You could not just walk back into the arrivals terminal.  Because of security you had to go through the whole process.  We ended up lining up in the cue to get a taxi.  The driver could not speak English which I had expected so we should him the address of the hotel. 

Holiday Inn Airport Hotel is not close to the airport and is located in an industrial area with a huge freeway on the north side.  The hotel is very new and has a great pool area.  We decided to have breakfast at the hotel since there is nothing around and you can't even walk to the Istanbul Mall because the freeway is between the hotel and mall.

 

When it was time to leave we took the free hotel shuttle to the city centre and got off on the waterfront below the Sophia which is located across the harbour to where our cruise was docked.  I had to check in the morning where the ship was located because it could be a two possible locations.  Thank goodness it was the closer location.  We caught a taxi immediately exiting the van and he drove us to the port entrance.

Our next challenge was getting through the port because I did not have a ticket or boarding card.  We dropped off our luggage and proceeded to check in.  Our timing was excellent there was no bus dropping off passengers so we did not have to line up to get our boarding cards.

We spent the rest of the time exploring the ship.  Getting organized in our room, Bill was in the hot tub and of course eating.  We departed at 8:00 PM which was wonderful as the lights in Istanbul along the Bosphorus River are beautiful and the bridge was sparkling with lights.

Dubrovnik Croatia

Palace Hotel

Dubrovnik was certainly the highlight of our tour.  We stayed at the Palace Hotel on the edge of town.  This resort hotel offered beautiful pools and easy access to the clean, clear Adriatic Sea.  The water temperature was only 25 Celsius but for us it was not that cold.  Every morning we would go for a swim in the sea as other sunbathers would watch from the sun decks.  There is no beach as we think of a sand beach instead you enter the water from cement platforms.



Look how clear the Adriatic Sea is for swimming.

We have really enjoyed the coast along the Adriatic Sea.  There is no tide here and the water on the Croatian side is clean.  It would be wonderful to sail down this coast and stop along the way to swim in the sea or snorkel.

We had a brief tour of old town Dubrovnik and a sunset cruise on a small boat.  It was very nice to see the coast from the sea and sunset was beautiful.

The next day we toured to Kotor in Montenegro.   See blog post for more information.

Old Town Walls at Night from the Harbour

After the tour ended we made our way into the old town of Dubrovnik to stay for two nights.  We did not realize when we booked the apartment that the main street the side streets went up to the walls with steep stairs.  We were so lucky that the apartment we rented was just before the stairs started.  My suitcase would have been horrendous to carry up the narrow steep stairs.

The apartment was very modern and we could have cooked meals if we had wanted.  It was great being in the old town when it started to rain we could run back to our room for shelter.



Gondola above Old Town

The next days were spent walking the town walls and going up the gondola.  Dubrovnik has almost all be rebuilt since the Serb/Croatia war  that started in 1991.  The Serbs destroyed the city even though in was designated a UNESCO Heritage Site.  There has been a lot of money put into rebuilding this area and it is a huge tourist site with over 9,000 visitors a day during the tourist season in the summer.

In a year the old town gets about 900,000 visitors.  This happens because there are often two or three cruise ships visiting during the summer.

Once the cruise passengers leave the town is magical at night with oil lamps burning and the soft lighting on the buildings.  What a magical experience and one I am glad we did not miss.



Old Town Dubrovnik at Night from the top of the Gondola

What a wonderful trip through Croatia with Insight Tours.  We were well taken care of and stayed in top hotels through out the 15 days.  We met wounderful people and had great experience that will always be remembered.



Good bye Croatia



Kotor in Montenegro

Montenegro is a small country just south of Croatia.  We took a day trip into the country to see the fiord and the town of Kotor.    At the narrowest part of the fiord they would put a chain across the water that would prevent travel up the fiord and help to protect the town of Kotor.  The grey on the map in the country of Montenegro with Croatia on the left and Albania on the right.  Bosnia boarders Montenegro on the north.  Montenegro was part of Yugoslavia.

The drive around the fiord takes about 45 minutes to get to Kotor depending on the amount of traffic.  If you do not want to drive around you can take a vehicle ferry across to save you the time.  On the bus tour we drove to Kotor and then took the ferry back.

The old town of Kotor is an interesting area with a protected harbour area.  The walled city is well kept and easy to find your way around.  Their are several entrances into the old town.  The clock is an excellent landmark to find your way around the town.

We had a great tour here and spent time walking around the marina before returning to the coach for our drive back to Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Korcula Island

We took the ferry back to the mainland and drove down to the peninsula of Peljesac.

This area is known for their wine production.  The best wine in Croatia comes from the valley between two mountain ranges on this peninsula.  From the port we took a ferry to the island of Korcula pronounced Kor CHOO la. 

 



Korcula claims that Marco Polo comes from this town.  They can not prove that he did live on Korcula but they are establishing a museum to honor his discoveries.  The old town has many narrow streets and is set up to catch the winds to allow for ventilation.  The main street runs through the centre of town with side streets branching off in both directions like the bones of a fish.  Like most of the old towns there are lots of stairs and cobblestones made from the limestone.

Island of Brac

The island of Brac was accessible by car ferry.  Brac is famous for the stone masons school.  Here students learn to work with the limestone from the area to create beautiful sculptures, windows and other items.  Students from this school can get jobs throughout Europe as their skills are exceptional.

Working the Stone

You can see the fossils in the limestone


We had two nights on Brac at the Hotel Bluesun, Elaphusa.  This area was great to walk along the promenade into town and go for a swim off the pebble beach.  Bill managed to get into the water but the pebbles and slope of the spit was very challenging.  It was great relaxing around the pool for a day.

The beach is made up of small pebbles.

Postojna Caves in Solvenia

On our way to Opatija we took a small detour into Solvenia to see the Postojna Caves.  We have seen these caves before.  You take a small train 2km into the cave system and then walk around the largest cavern.  I enjoyed this experience and was able to capture a few pictures this time.