Europe - Passports Overloaded

Valletta, Malta

July 27, 2018

Today we got a taxi to take us around Malta for 5 hours. The first stop was the fishing port called Marsaxlokk which was a cute little town with colorful boats. Then we went to the Blue Grotto which was also really lovely. The next stop was the Hagar Qim Temples. The temples were pretty amazing and unbelievably big.

The next stop on our tour was Rabat and where we visited St. Paul’s Catacombs. They were amazing we couldn’t believe how many there were and how big some of them were.

We then drove to Mdina for a panoramic view of Malta which was nice. While we were there, we took a horse and carriage ride through Mdina which was pretty cool. On the tour we found out two scenes from Game of Thrones were filmed there. The next place we visited was
The Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady also known as Rotunda of Mosta or Mosta Dome. The one thing we learned while at the church was that the church narrowly avoided destruction during World War II, since April 9, 1942, a German aerial bomb pierced the dome and fell into the church during Mass but failed to explode. This event was interpreted by the Maltese as a miracle.

The taxi dropped us off back in Valletta where we walked around a bit and got lunch in a nice outdoor restaurant. After lunch, we visited the St. John’s Cathedral which happens to be the most beautiful most elaborate church we have ever seen. It’s absolutely breathtaking.

If you would like to see what we are while in Valletta, Malta.

The Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady also known as Rotunda of Mosta or Mosta Dome

Rhodes, Greece

July 24, 2018

Today we met a friendly taxi driver named Michael (his business card is down below) who took us around the beautiful island of Rhodes. Michael took us to a beautiful place to have lunch in Haraki Bay then we drove to around to a few different beaches.

The best one we saw was called Anthony Quinn Bay. If we had a chance, we would’ve spent a few hours there. After a brief stop, we then drove to the old town where he dropped us off in one spot, and we walked through this fantastic place and met him at the main square where he picked us up to continue our tour.

Our last stop before heading back to the ship was this ceramic shop where they handmade and handpainted pottery. There’s a video of a man making something down below.

If you would like to see what we ate while in Rhodes.

Mykonos, Greece

July 25, 2018

Today John and I rented a car and drove around the island we saw the nicest homes which were located on a secluded part of the island. There was only one way in and one way out which was pretty neat. We also visited some of the cool beaches that I have heard about for many years.

Some of the beaches we saw were Ornos beach, Psarou beach, Gialos beach, Paradise beach, Elia beach, Kalo Livadi beach also visited Ano Mera village and just walked around a bit. After about 3 hours of sightseeing, we returned the car and had lunch on the ship.

Santorini, Greece

July 21, 2018

Today we took the tender boat to the cable car ride which takes you to the top of the mountain where you can walk around the town. We decided to rent a car from Hertz and drove to Oia.

While we were there, we walked around for about an hour and then drove to Perissa which is where the famous black sand beach is. We had a lovely lunch at a place called Perigos the food was delicious. After that, we drove back to Fira (Thira) and returned the rental car walked around town a little bit and then took the cable car back down to the tender boat to get back on the ship.

July 23, 2018 – Second Visit to Santorini

Today we walked around Santorini with our good friends Nano and Mariya, and since we had already rented a car and driven around the island, we decided to stay back and find a nice spot with a great view and have a cup of coffee and a glass of wine and beer. We walked with Nano and Mariya to the rental car place, and they rented a car and drove around the island.

We found a great spot overlooking the beautiful water hung out for about an hour and then went back to the ship.

If you would like to see what we drank while in Santorini, Greece.

Patmos, Greece

July 20, 2018

Today we took the tender to the port, and we rented a taxi, and the first stop was the Cave of the Apocalypse where St. John wrote the Book of Revelation.

Afterward, he drove us up to the Monastery of St. John and we walked around a bit and then we went back to the ship had lunch.

After lunch, we decided to take another cab to a little town called Kambos to have a glass of wine by the beach. Afterward, we met up with Samantha, Evan, and Frederic in town and had some coffee with them and then took the tender back to the ship.

If you would like to see what we drank in Patmos, Greece.

Image result for monastery of st. john patmos — Photo credit:http://www.monastiria.gr/monasteries/st-john-the-theologians-monastery-in-patmos/?lang=en

Limassol, Cyprus

July 18, 2018

Today we took a taxi to the Kolossi Castle and then visited the Timios Stavros Monastery in Omodos Village and then went back to the ship to have lunch.

Image result for Monastery in Omodos Village — Timios Stavros Monastery in Omodos Village – Photo Credit: Pinterest

Timios Stavros Monastery in Omodos Village

Heraklion, Crete – Greece

July 13, 2018

Today we visited the Palace of Knossos, and then we went to the Monastery of Kera, and then we had coffee at Hersonissos afterward we went to the ship had lunch and decided to take an afternoon was to the Koules Fortress with our friend Samantha.

Athens, Greece 2018

July 12, 2018

The first thing John and I always do while in Athens is walk through Plaka. We always stay at Hotel Grand Bretagne which is in the heart of the city. After grabbing a bite to eat we decided to burn off what we ate and walked to the old Panathenaic Olympic stadium and we also visited the Temple of Hephaestus, Stoa of Attalos, Zappeion and lastly the Temple of Olympian Zeus. The next day we woke up and got a transfer to the port to board the ship.

July 22, 2018 – Second time visiting Athens

Today we took a taxi to Syntagma Square with our friend Samantha and saw the official changing of the guards with the band after that we walked to Plaka which is my favorite place to visit while in Athens. We decided to have lunch and then took a taxi back to the ship.

If you would like to see the food we ate while we were in Athens click this link.

A church we saw on the way to Patra, Greece.

This is a great store. Everything sold there is made from Olive Wood.

Iceland

April 26th – May 1st, 2018

Our hotel was Konsulat in Reykjavik. The hotel was newly renovated, and it was lovely. We met our friends Avin & Lindsy who are from Indiana but live in Florida now. They stayed there three years ago for one month, so it was nice being there with them because they knew all the hot spots. The names of the towns and restaurants are very long and complicated, so I will do my best to give as many details in the photos as possible. One thing that you will find in Iceland is that there are no shortages of waterfalls. The weather seems to be dodgy you will have 50/50 chance of rain or shine. The one thing I didn’t like was how cold it was while we were there it was their summer. Our first stop which is a MUST is a visit to the Blue Lagoon. It was a great experience.

If you love food and would like to see the delicious food we ate while in Iceland click the link http://stomachsoverloaded.com/2018/05/iceland/

Lindsy, Maria and our new friend Madeline (We named her)

Sunset view of NYC – Our flight from NY to Florida

Athens, Greece (2005)

August 10th – 13th, 2005

This trip was my mom, and we visited Athens, Greece we decided to walk around the Acropolis of Athens and take pictures. I wish the pictures were better, but that was a long time ago my camera is much better now. The only problem is that there are a lot of people visiting currently, so it’s impossible to get pictures without crowds of people.

I had a great time with my mom in Greece we went to visit the rest of our family in Kalo Nero, Messinia but unfortunately, I don’t have any pictures we will have to go back so that we can have some pictures of my aunts, uncles and all my cousins.

Changing of the guards at the Acropolis of Athens

Alphabetic Links of Where We’ve Been