Where Has The Time Gone

Hard to believe that it has been several months since I wrote anything or even visited my blog. To say that life has kept me occupied would be a vast understatement.
Between taking my Dad and picking him up from dialysis 3 times a week, numerous other appointments for him, cooking meals, bank runs, haircut now and then, grocery shopping along with whatever else might come up...it has been hectic and busy. Thankfully Veronica has helped me out as much as humanly possible and has also given me some breaks in my duties so that I can get in a workout and some walks now and then. I owe her a big "thank you". It got to the point where my own health was starting to worry me so my dad and I worked out a system where it would free up just a bit of my time to allow me to take better care of myself than I have been. We have just started our new schedule and it won't be in full effect until after the holidays. He will be getting a ride to and from dialysis twice a week from a local organization. This will give me a little more opportunity to keep me physically and mental health wise in a better place than it has been.
And now I look at the calendar and it is almost Christmas already. Then New Years and then it is TAX time again.
Veronica and I do have a a really cool adventure coming up soon. At the end of January we will be headed to Barcelona. After spending a few days there we will be boarding the Norwegian Cruise Line Epic for an 11 day cruise that will take us to places that we have never been before... Cagliari Sardinia(Italy), Palermo, Rome, Naples, Florence/Pisa and Palma Majorca Spain and then back to Barcelona. We have some really great excursions set up during this trip.
And the travel doesn't stop there...we are planning on returning to Paris in the Fall.
We have a lot to be thankful for.
And just in case I blink again and another month has passed me by without getting or taking the time for my next blog entry....just want to wish everyone out there a very safe and Happy Holiday Season.

On Our Way To Venice Where A Return Flight Home Awaits Us

As the last hours of our 2015 Med cruise drift by we returned to where it all began...in Venice. We had a great time on our cruise and throughout our latest adventure. We have return tickets home with our names on them. I wish we could have stayed in Venice for just a few more days or maybe even weeks. So much that we have not seen, so many photographs yet to be taken and and in closing...so many slices of Antico Forno pizza yet to be eaten.

Here are some final photos of our return trip to Venice and as we were slowly cruising up the Giudecca Canal in the early morning hours shortly before we disembarked the ship, boarded a shuttle bus and made our way to Marco Polo Airport. A few hours after that we were back on a jet making our way back into reality.

I had a tough time photographing this ship which was off in the distance quite a ways

 Early morning hours coming into Venice

  

And just when I think it will be a while until Veronica and I go on our next adventure.......

January 31st - February 14th 2016

We are going to hit the high seas again but this time we will be visiting new locations...places we have never been nor seen before. 

An 11 day round trip cruise from Barcelona with a couple of pre-cruise days in Barcelona. We already have a skip the line tour set up for one of Barcelona's main attractions..La Segrada Familia. Construction of this church commenced 1882 and is still ongoing. It is expected to be completed in 2041. I have seen pictures of both the outside and inside of this special UNESCO World Heritage site and let me tell you this place is absolutely beautiful...a photographers dream.

Here is our cruise itinerary:

 

Last Port Of Call On Our 2015 Med Cruise- Katakolon, Greece Part #2

Here are more photos taken during our day in Katakolon, Greece:

You can see the piles of trash alongside the road

This is the "fun train" that we took a ride on

This was one of the most interesting buildings that I found on our trip...at least it was to me. Tango anyone???

 This must be part of the train depot

Below is a "Bear Bike" I had seen something like this once before in Copenhagen. The one in Copenhagen was round but the premise was the same. Everyone on the "bike" pedals and of course you need fuel and that's where the beer comes in. It was only 5 euros so there must have been a limit on the beer

A restaurant and musician along the water front promenade

The Beer Bike was set up right outside of the restaurant

Here is Veronica relaxing after a busy day in Katakolon

Unfortunately our cruise ends tomorrow morning. We will need to get up early and try to be in the front of the line so that we can get on the first shuttle heading to the Marco Polo Airport