Random thoughts from the sea
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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Days 86-90, 2025 European Odyssey Monday to Friday, Sept. 22-26, 2025; Valletta, Malta, and Alexandria, Egypt. I’m not sure I can say I went to Egypt on this cruise. Yes, we had an overnight call in Alexandria, where more than 1,700 passengers lined up before sunrise for Holland America excursions.
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Days 82-84, 2025 European Odyssey Thursday to Saturday, Sept. 18-20, 2025; Alicante, Valencia and Barcelona, Spain. I may be spending about 10 months a year cruising, but in between I go back to the United States, to visit family, catch up on doctors’ appointments, enjoy real Tex-Mex food and repack.
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Days 78-80, 2025 European Odyssey Sunday to Tuesday, Sept. 14-16, 2025; Lisbon, Portugal, and Màlaga, Spain While the quick pace of ports continues, with the odd sea day here and there, my pace seems to have slowed a bit. Perhaps because the days are hot and sunny, or because I
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Days 76-77, 2025 European Odyssey Friday and Saturday, Sept. 12-13, 2025; A Coruña/Santiago de Compostela, Spain, and Leixõs/Porto, Portugal. I stood silently watching as pilgrims passed through the archway, past the lone Galician piper, and into the Plaza del Obraduiro in front of the Cathedral of Santiago. If they were
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