{"id":724,"date":"2015-11-21T18:13:03","date_gmt":"2015-11-21T22:13:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sarcastic-travels.com\/?p=724"},"modified":"2015-11-21T18:13:03","modified_gmt":"2015-11-21T22:13:03","slug":"beginnings-atlanta-to-venice-croatia-and-albania","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sarcastic-travels.com\/beginnings-atlanta-to-venice-croatia-and-albania\/","title":{"rendered":"Beginnings – Atlanta to Venice, Croatia, and Albania"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Our latest, and by some measures our greatest, adventure, is highly likely to be the last of such magnitude in our lifetimes. The lack of a desire to repeat the adventure does not, however, diminish the joy, discovery, and pleasure we had in the experience. We journeyed 9,024 miles by sea and 15,157 by air, completely circumnavigating the planet over the course of 35 days. We fell only slightly short, by 720 miles to be exact, of the actual circumference of the Earth, which is 24,901 miles, due to aircraft flying the “Great Circle” as opposed to directly point to point. Regardless, our journey of 24,181 miles is still significant and one for our record books to be sure.<\/p>\n
As is almost always the case, our adventure started at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airpor<\/a>t in Atlanta<\/a>, consistently the world’s busiest, as measured by passenger traffic. Yes, it is a mouthful of a name, but there has been a recent kerfuffle over folks not saying the ENTIRE name of the airport, so far be it for me to be “disrespectful” by shortening it. We met my parents in the Delta Sky Club on the new and relatively luxurious F concourse, by name the “international” terminal, but make no mistake, plenty a flight to quite domestic destinations, “Kansas City now boarding at gate F3,” are served from this half-length addition. We greatly enjoyed the upgraded food now provided in the Sky Club and eagerly discussed the hurdles of getting to the starting point, which for us consisted of picking up last minute medications on the way to the airport, as well as the adventures ahead.<\/p>\n We boarded our Delta Boeing 747<\/a>, an aircraft we both adore but which is headed the way of the dinosaur due to the massive fuel consumption required to run the four engines as opposed to aircraft with equal, and even greater, range that operate with half the engines and which take advantage of new composite materials, much lighter and stronger than traditional aluminum and titanium, that further reduce fuel costs and therefore maximize profits. While Mom and Dad prefer the lower deck to avoid the stairs, we greatly enjoy the seclusion and privacy of the upper deck, with only 14 seats and two flight attendants. In addition, in my opinion, the Delta One<\/a> seats on the 747, unique in the fleet, are the most comfortable of all the options, so I was delighted to have this equipment for the first leg of the trip, Atlanta to Amsterdam Schiphol International Airport<\/a>.<\/p>\n We’ve been through this airport more times than I can count and it was a simple lay-over waiting for the short flight to Venice. The airport is huge and very busy all the time but it is so large and well laid out that you never really notice how packed it is, except when jockeying for a seat in the lounge! Our flight was late departing because we had no pilots as their incoming flight was late. No pilots, no flight, so no choice but to wait. When we did depart, the flight was under two hours, which is a great thing about intra-Europe flights, about the longest it is even possible for it to be is 4 hours and that only if headed into Moscow. Otherwise most every destination is 2 hours or less.<\/p>\n Landing in Venice <\/a>was uneventful but it was my first time in a water taxi! I had arranged for a pick-up at the airport but of course didn’t check to see what that involved. I had originally moved away from the Hilton property because it was on an outer island and I didn’t fancy trying to carry a month’s worth of cruise luggage, including formal wear, on and off a small boat. I had mistakenly assumed that an airport pick-up meant a car. I should have checked on this because I was soon to discover that there just aren’t any cars in the center of Venice<\/a>.<\/p>\n We went out to the water-taxi stand, vaperettos <\/a>I believe they are called, and we waited while our pick-up person negotiated something, seemingly endlessly. Welcome to Italy where very little happens quickly. Eventually we did all get on the small speed boat, somehow including all of our assorted baggage with nothing taking an unexpected dip in the lagoon. The trip into the hotel, which was located immediately adjacent to St. Mark’s Square<\/a>, the center of town, was quick and the views couldn’t be beaten. I didn’t really understand the concept of Venice I guess until I arrived by boat. The city is built on islands, a few of them connected by bridges, so boats are just a fact of life to get most anywhere. Yes, there are gondolas but they are clearly only for tourists as residents use small motor boats to move about. We were lucky in our visit in that it wasn’t high tide nor had there been a storm so nothing was flooded.<\/p>\n Our hotel, Hotel Concordia<\/a>, was a delight. It was very close to the water taxi landing station and literally behind St. Mark’s Square such that the back windows overlooked the Square. While we didn’t have one of those rooms, and I am glad we didn’t just for noise reasons, it was truly a matter of less than 2 minutes to get out to the Square. St. Mark’s Square and the cathedral are a huge draw for every visitor to Venice but we just used it as a transit way to the post office more than anything else. Yes, the cathedral is stunning, even just from the outside, but honestly at this point I have seen a lot of cathedrals and I find that I am much more interested in the small side streets and the unexpected finds as opposed to the thing, or things, that everyone is there to see. Somehow I found it charming in a weird way that even in 2015 in Venice people are still hanging their clothes out on lines that stretch from building to building, ensuring conversation with real people out of windows instead of with relative strangers through Windows courtesy of MicroSoft.<\/p>\n We wandered the small, very small, streets at total random figuring that eventually we would end up back somewhere we recognized or needed to be by default since at some point you will fall in the water if you go too far. We wandered over foot bridges, although not the Bridge of Sighs<\/a>, and looked in normal everyday stores as opposed to those selling Murano glass<\/a> and other items intended strictly for tourists. The only thing I bought in Venice was a postage stamp for a letter on hotel stationery to a friend and three sticks of sealing wax and a wax stamper with the initial M. I have come to find out that the Venetian wax, which has no wick, is a great deal easier to use than the wicked version although it does dry quickly, requiring quick sealing action. And the wax embossing stamp is incredible with very deep cut engravings that create a nice high relief seal, much better than most anything I have found in the United States. Spoiler alert: I have additional Venetian wax arriving tomorrow via UPS from Venice<\/a>. Yeah, I like it that much.<\/p>\n Our day in Venice happened to be Tim’s 49th<\/sup> birthday. He turned 49 somewhere over the North Atlantic in flight. To honor the day we had a nice dinner at a small quiet place in Venice, although honestly, Italian food can be a bit of a challenge for a guy who hasn’t eaten more than 20 grams of carbohydrates in one day in about five or so years. That sort of discipline, however, is why Tim is in better shape than either one of has been since maybe our respective 20-something days, and I wouldn’t count on that being true of either of us for all of our twenties. For 49, Tim looks pretty darn amazing, and no, I am not a bit biased!<\/p>\n My birthday gift for Tim was late as it was coming, unknown to me, from the United Kingdom. It is a customized world map jigsaw puzzle<\/a> that portrays the world as it was in 2004, our year of courtship (February to November, I moved in December). The only difference I noted was that South Sudan<\/a> didn’t officially exist yet. But around the border it lists significant happenings of the year, including the South Asian tsunami (we watched in on TV in a Texas truck stop Subway on the way driving my belongings from California to Georgia) and the introduction of Facebook. I was stunned that something as ubiquitous today as Facebook, even though I don’t and won’t get near it, is no older than our relationship. Maybe we have been together longer than it feels to me. As I am generally pretty happy in my life it seems like only days ago that we started out together. I can live with that.<\/p>\n To get to the ship the following day we had to take a boat again to another landing station where we met a pre-arranged mini-van. Honestly, four adults with luggage for 35 days, and remember the formal wear which alone fills a medium Briggs-Riley<\/a> suitcase, barely fit into any car on the road in Europe. When American car makers tell you they can’t make a small car that is stylish and that people want to drive, they are counting on you not going to Europe to see the contrary for yourself. Of course, when GM and Ford say they can’t make a car or truck that runs on natural gas, they are also counting on you not going to Brazil where such vehicles are the norm. Given that less than half of all United States citizens eligible for a passport have one, it seems like maybe a safe bet.<\/p>\n We really were gouged though. The trip to the cruise terminal lasted maybe five minutes in the car but we were charged a full €100! Yes, it was robbery but we couldn’t find anyone who would do it for less. Realistically, everyone knows when a ship with over a thousand passengers is arriving or leaving and they know they can command the moon and the stars from people who have no other options.<\/p>\n Most of the passengers were already on board when we arrived but we still had the distinct pleasure of making people waiting in line quite angry, along with provoking questions of “Who the hell are those people?” when we whisked past everyone to the front of the line due to our priority boarding privileges associated with being in a Neptune Suite<\/a>, the top of the line cabin on the ship. Oddly, when we checked in we were asked if we were contractors. No, we are just passengers, promise.<\/p>\n This question would come up again and again from fellow passengers, but we eventually learned what was happening. Granted, we are firmly middle-aged and to a teenager no doubt we are the dictionary definition of “old.” However, on a 28 day cruise on Holland America, we are quite young indeed. And we have very short hair. And our ship was sailing through the waters off the Horn of Africa<\/a>, which translates to Somalia (actually Puntland <\/a>is the issue here but I don’t expect most people to be that up-to-date on African political geography so Somalia for sake of common understanding) and that means the very remote potential of piracy<\/a>. We would also come to find out about surface to air rocket attacks against ships in the Suez Canal, which we also transited. The point is that the ship had hired security contractors and to other passengers, and again this was a question for the entire cruise, we resembled their idea of security consultants. It has to be the hair, really it has to be. Granted Tim is in trim fighting shape, but I am most certainly not. Short hair and under 70 creates suspicion. We were also asked more than once if we were brothers, and we hear that enough at home that it doesn’t surprise us. I think the assumption was furthered because of traveling with Mom and Dad so one could easily assume a family group, and we were. We just occasionally had to clarify that Tim was the son-in-law, which prompted one person to ask where the wife was, presumably the daughter who wasn’t with us and who doesn’t exist in relation to being married to Tim at least. My actual sister, decidedly NOT married to Tim, was at home working just to be clear. We did clarify a couple of times what the relationship was, and while the Australian couple didn’t bat an eye, I have to imagine some of the Fox News crowd was less than thrilled, but I do love a controversy. And it was kind of fun being mistaken for a mercenary soldier. That doesn’t happen every day.<\/p>\n The cabin was huge as expected and the concierge services in the Neptune Lounge impeccable as always. And yes, it can be fun to play the snob, my Dad especially enjoys doing this all the while laughing at himself uproariously, and the ship makes that easy since your keycard, your passport for everything on board, is a distinct golden color as opposed to everyone else whose card is blue. I especially love that Mom and Dad can do most anything they want because I know how hard they had to work for it. It isn’t just every couple who starts out their married life living in County subsidized housing projects that ends up with the lifestyle they have now. And nobody gave them anything; they pursued their educations, worked hard, saved, invested, and can now enjoy the rewards of their efforts. Bravo to them.<\/p>\n One of the benefits of the Neptune class of cabin is free laundry service, which Tim and I have anyway in any cabin because we are what Holland America refers to as “4-Star Mariners.” The Mariner program is Holland America’s loyalty rewards system<\/a> and goes from 1-Star which is everyone after the first cruise up to 5-Star which requires 500 cruise day credits. We achieved 4-Star status upon the completion of 200 cruise days. Mom and Dad crossed the threshold while on the cruise as well although the benefits won’t kick in until their next cruise, which they booked on-board, a Baltic cruise very similar to the one Tim and I did a few years ago. Specialty dinners and wine packages are 50% discounted so it really does provide actual value once you reach it. At any rate, with the free laundry we, of course, had too many clothes, but in part we had to account for having clean underwear during the forced lay-over in Singapore, so while we didn’t need it all on the ship we would need it eventually.<\/p>\n Ship board life is a very seductive routine of doing exactly as much or as little as you want, especially on sea days. We travel with Mom and Dad but we are also all very independent. On many days we only saw each other, except for accidental run-ins in what is ultimately a large but still confined and defined space, for pre-dinner cocktails in the Ocean Bar. And even Tim and I don’t have to be attached at the hip if there is something one of us wants to do, or not do, that the other doesn’t care to do. The best example of that is Tim’s insistence on working out in the shipboard gym to “earn his dinner.” Honestly, he works out more regularly while on vacation than he ever does at home. I find it odd but it makes him happy and that’s all that matters.<\/p>\n Unlike the Atlantic Ocean crossings that we do fairly frequently, this cruise had almost 50% port days which was good in the sense that most of the ports were places I wanted to see but on the down side it requires a level of day to day effort that can really exhaust me and drive incredible pain levels. Fortunately for me, there were never more than three port days in a row and I have to say that the third day was always a challenge.<\/p>\n The first port was one I was completely unfamiliar with, Split<\/a>, Croatia<\/a>. Unlike what it looks like it should sound like in American English, the name of the city bears no real resemblance to cutting anything in half. Rather it sounds more like “shplit.” The major draw for tourists, aside from the stunning natural geographic location on the amazing blue of the Adriatic frequently coupled with white sandy beaches and lots of sunshine, is Diocletian’s Palace<\/a>. Information about this complex abounds elsewhere so suffice it to say that Diocletian <\/a>was an Emperor of Rome in the 4th<\/sup> century of the common era, in other words in the 300s, and he had this palace built for his pleasure. Today it has been largely converted into a shopping mall for tourists complete with college age guys dressed up in Roman centurion outfits, which I must say would only require a very slight breeze to expose whatever the Roman’s theoretically wore as underwear. Once you pass through this tourist part however there are other historical ruins including temples and such to help create the illusion of another time and place. Again, we wandered more of the side-streets, managed to become a bit lost, but re-emerged eventually. Split is a city of white limestone buildings with red-tile roofs that make a very fetching visual combination. We had a delightful lunch of fresh seafood, as in the entire fish on the plate as opposed to mystery filets, well outside the tourist core area of kitschy bars and such.<\/p>\nAmsterdam<\/h2>\n
Venice<\/h2>\n
To the Ship, MS Ryndam<\/h2>\n
On-Board the MS Ryndam<\/h2>\n
Split, Croatia<\/h2>\n