OT: I'm Leaving All Of You!

Well, I'm back, after a marathon flight from Venice, Italy!  And, needless to say, I'm exhausted!  But I had an incredible time!  The Queen Victoria is simply stunning in her elegance, just as the Queen Mary 2 is grand (yup, Patti, I did spend a month onboard her!).  I and my friend shared a small, inside stateroom (one of the few ones on the ship) but so what?  We flew to Rome via Amsterdam, stayed overnight in a brand new hotel suite at a ridiculously low price (what expedia can do, let me tell you) in the port town of Civitavecchia and boarded the ship the next day.  From there, we sailed to Naples, Italy, and then onto the Greek Isles and cities of Santorini, Samos, Athens, and Zakynthos.  We continued to Izmir, Turkey followed by Istanbul where a 50-knot gale prevented us from docking for most of the first day there (an incredible experience which kept the entire passenger and crew load glued to the panoramic windows of the public rooms - the outside decks were temporarily closed and people were asked to stay off their stateroom balconies - but the stabilizers prevented the ship from rolling as waves crashed against the hull).  There was a stop in Dubrovnik, Croatia and finally we docked in Venice where we stayed aboard overnight followed by four nights in a Venetian hotel with a blessed low price, again courtesy of expedia, that was featured on Passport to Europe with Samantha Brown on the TravelChannel.  Thank goodness for that low price because Venice is expensive!  Our cheapest meal was at McDonalds (my friend and I make it a tradition to stop once at the golden arches every time we go to Europe):  two cheeseburgers, two large fries, and two sodas cost thirty dollars!  (Save up your money, Annie, if you're going to Venice!)  Along with walking, we utilized the fairly inexpensive water bus public transportation system to get around.

Now I need to pick up the mail, tend to sorely mandatory laundry, sort through hundreds of e-mails and try to catch up on our beloved board.  It's so good to be back with all of you!

Gerard

Welcome back, Gerard! 

Welcome back. It's great to read you had such a wonderful time. And the forum will be here waiting after you've recuperated. 

What a fabulous trip! Welcome back, and thanks so much for sharing your visit with us!

Welcome back, Gerard!  Let me ask you, if you made it to Mykonos, did you happen to see Abigail Collins and the Rev. Trask, chilling out together on Super Paradise beach on that idyllic Greek isle?

Bob the Bartender , President of the Joy Behar Fan Club       

Welcome back!!  It sounds absolutely marvelous!  Thank you for telling us about it.

Welcome home

Wow $30!! That is one expensive fast food meal.  Sounds like a lovely time otherwise and I'm glad the 50 gale winds did not rock the boat too much. Welcome back!

Welcome Back Gerard and yes  i wlill save up my money..   We are going to fly thru London, Brussells and then to Florence.
                      Love Anne   Ps  Glad you are back missd u