France and Italy 2025

  A sad goodbye to the Azamara Quest this morning after breakfast. We really had felt like it was our home for the last 12 nights! We had a driver pre-booked to take us to the Plaza Hotel in Mestre where Ian and I are staying for 1 night. Traffic was fairly heavy and it took almost an hour. It was too early to get our room, so we left Ian to read in the lobby and Karen, Aaron and I took a taxi in to Piazzale Roma. Their hotel was about a 5 minute easy walk. The Papadopoli Venezia looks to be a lovely hotel, I'll need to get a report from them later! They dropped their bags and we headed out for a walk around. We tried to stay off the busier streets, and wandered through narrow streets, over bridges and through squares getting a bit lost as one does in Venice! Again the day turned out warm and sunny despite the forecast. I've been to Venice before, and didn't feel the need to go to St Marc's square as I'm sure it would be very busy. The access fee for Venice is in ef...

  We continued north in the Adriatic this morning. It started out rather hazy, but cleared up as we neared the coast of Italy. Because Cruise ships are now barred from Venice, they are choosing other ports. Azamara is using Chioggia as an alternative. It's a town about a 45 minute drive south of Venice. We found it a very charming city, with canals and bridges like Venice, but with-out the crowds or prices. The cruise dock and terminal are quite small, and only the smaller cruise ships can dock here. We arrived just before 1pm (arrival times are governed by the tide). The Venice lagoon is quite a large area with 3 entry points. Chioggia is by the southern entry. All 3 are now protected by a tidal floodgate system (MOSE) which is activated at high tides to prevent flooding. It works, but is now causing some environmental issues. Karen, Aaron and I walked through the town to a marina where we met the small boat for our tour of Chioggia by Bosetti Tours. Our young guide was very passi...

  This was our only full day at sea on this cruise. After the party last night, most people took the day easy. We had coffee in the cabin, then Karen and I went and walked the track on deck 10. Another warm mainly sunny morning, and calm seas. There was a special brunch in the dining room, so we skipped breakfast. Lots of great options at the brunch, especially the smoked fish and the Belgian waffles. There was a saxophone player providing background music, and mimosas served. I could get used to this! I then took my laptop up on deck to catch up a bit. The wind had picked up a bit, but because we're heading into it, the temperature was a bit cool for sunbathing. We found a sheltered spot on the top deck and spent the afternoon reading. Later a hot-tub, then up to the Living Room to listen to jazz standards. An interesting conversation with a couple who are now living in northern Mexico. A delicious Indian buffet dinner, then the song and dance team with songs from the movies to to...

  White Night is one of Azamara's feature events. Weather permitting it's a barbeque dinner and party on the pool deck. Everyone tries to wear something white.  And we couldn't have had a better setting! It was a warm evening with no wind. We weren't departing until 10pm. And of course the spectacular back-drop of Kotor Bay with the surrounding mountains! A great dinner, dancing and a lot of fun.

  This is a tender port, and we anchored about 1pm. The sun has come out fully and it feels quite hot. People with tours had first dibbs on the tenders, so we waited till after 2pm to head to town.  Surprisingly there were quite a few new crew members coming off the tender we were waiting for. About a 15 minute tender ride into the dock near the old town. There is only room for 1 cruise ship at the dock - an MSC ship (one of their smallest at about 2600 passengers!).  The Old Town of Kotor is a walled city at the base of very steep cliffs. There are several fortresses guarding the city from high above. If you choose you can hike up, a zig-zag route that takes about 1 hour one-way and costs 15 Euro. (I did not choose to do this) Instead we headed through the main gate into the Old Town. The dock and the main square were very busy, but we climbed the stairs onto the ramparts and the crowds soon thinned out. This is an incredibly beautiful setting for a town. It's quite tour...

  I had heard that the approach into Kotor Montenegro is not to be missed, and I would agree! This morning the seas were very calm, and the skies slightly overcast. Slightly cooler than the past couple of days but very pleasant.  We arrived at the mouth of Kotor bay just before 11am, so had a nice relaxed morning. Most people including us watched the passing scenery from the pool deck, while the guest lecturer gave commentary. Although it looks like a fjord, it's really a river valley that sunk. The limestone mountains are steep, and small villages line the sides. The bay is almost 30 km long, very windy, and quite narrow in several places.  Most of the small towns are summer resorts, and there are some beautiful looking hotels and homes. We passed the entrance to an old submarine pen from Tito's time. There are lots of small boats cruising the waters, and also ferries that provide transportation from one side to the other. It's Easter Sunday, and we can hear the church b...