Random thoughts from the sea
Days 120-123, 2025 European Odyssey Sunday to Wednesday, Oct. 26-29, 2025; Marmaris and Kusadasi, Turkey, and Rhodes, Greece. Something festive was in the air as I circled the yacht harbor in Marmaris, Turkey. Restaurants and shops lined the promenade surrounding the harbor, but the action was to my left. Banners
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Days 116-119, 2025 European Odyssey Wednesday to Saturday, Oct. 22-25, 2025; Palermo and Messina, Sicily, and Mykonos, Greece. Some people might be growing tired of the Mediterranean after a couple of months, especially revisiting ports a second and even third time. But it also brings no need to plan for
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Days 114-115, 2025 European Odyssey Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 20-21, 2025; Valletta, Malta, and Tunis, Tunisia. Of the 146 port calls I’ve made in the last year of cruising (110 if I eliminate duplicate visits), I think my favorite may have been Malta. I can’t quite put my finger on
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Days 111-112, 2025 European Odyssey Friday and Saturday, Oct. 17-18, 2025; Mykonos and Athens, Greece. Writing and sketching are engaged in a battle, and for the last week sketching seems to be winning. It might be a matter of timing – I do my best writing in the morning, and
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Day 108, 2025 European Odyssey Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025; Istanbul, Turkey. There are 3,113 mosques in Istanbul. I’m guessing most tourists visit two: Hagia Sophia Mosque and the Blue (or Sultan Ahmed) Mosque. That’s exactly what I did on my first visit here, a couple of weeks ago. Being close
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Days 105-106, 2025 European Odyssey Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 11-12, 2025; Rhodes, Greece, and Kusadasi, Turkey. Rhodes is an easy port to explore on your own. It takes about five minutes to walk from the ship to the Virgin Mary Gate, the closest opening in the massive walls that surround
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Days 101-103, 2025 European Odyssey Tuesday to Thursday, Oct. 7-9, 2025; Taormina, Sicily, and Valletta, Malta. Sometimes I just need to rest. At least, that’s what my body told me during our second stop this fall in Valletta. I wasn’t in pain or sick, but just tired and feeling more-than-the-occasional
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Days 98-100, 2025 European Odyssey Saturday to Monday, Oct. 4-6, 2025; Piraeus and Katakolon, Greece. Sometimes when I wing it, I don’t end up where I thought I was going. Saturday I thought I was heading to Athens. I ended up still in Piraeus. In retrospect – serendipity. I had
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Days 95-96, 2025 European Odyssey Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 1-2, 2025; Istanbul, Turkey. I had no idea what to expect of Istanbul. I knew its name used to be Constantinople (thanks to They Might Be Giants). But not a lot more. My brief foray over the past two days was
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Days 91-93, 2025 European Odyssey Saturday to Monday, Sept. 27-29, 2025; Limassol, Cypress; Rhodes, Greece; and Bodrum, Turkey. Limassol, Cypress, taught me that even when I haven’t planned ahead, wearing comfortable shoes and carrying a sketchpad can add up to an enjoyable day in port. By the time I turned
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