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Back From Vacation....Pictures From The Trip

By
Real Estate Agent with Karen Parsons-Fiddler, Broker 949-510-2395 BRE# 01494165

It's so hard to come home from vacation...I have never thought to myself "oh it will be good to get home." Not once! And I love my home, my family and my life. But there is someone magical about seeing other places and ways of life. Rather humbling.....puts things in perspective for me.

I wasn't sure that I'd like cruising....but oh I did. I went to sleep at night with the waves and winds and woke up in a different place. I was concerned about the sailing times, but really these were small, wonderful towns that we really could do in the 8 hours we had ashore, and the cruise had marvelous specialty restaurants, so even eating wasn't buffet stuff.

I've got some pictures here....needless to say for each one I have about 20 others. Just like "Hawaii at sunset" beautiful pictures everywhere. The trip started in Venice where we went over early for a few extra days, then boarded the Oceania Riviera on it's Maiden Voyage. We cruised to Dubrovnik, Croatia then Kotor, Montenegro....Corfu, Agios Nikolaos (Crete), Monemvasia, Santorini, Mykonos, Greece...Kusadasi, Turkey and then ended in Athens.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From the Rialto Bridge in Venice

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From the Academia Bridge....still in Venice, sigh!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Home away from home!! our veranda!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dubrovnik, Croatia....one of the many walled towns we visited. Most of the cities were once owned by Venice as important trade ports.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On top of the wall in Dubrovnik

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mom in her cute new hat....her sweater was really the color of that water off Montenegro. Wow

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Monemvasia, Greece....this is from a hotel at the top of the wall, Cheers!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Might need to be our Christmas Card!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oia, on Santorini. Quintessential Greece.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The best Baklava I've ever had...made with pistachios and walnuts and hazelnuts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah, it was a rough trip :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Palace of Knossos, King Minos on Crete

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Harbor of Agios Nikolaos on Crete

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The library at Ephesus, Turkey

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch in Turkey

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Mosque in Kusadasi during the "call to prayer", very loud

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mykonos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now that's a table with a view

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Parthenon, Athens

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can you see the Acropolis in the background? From the restaurant at the top of our hotel, the Inter-Continental in Athens

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments(20)

Elite Home Sales Team
Elite Home Sales Team OC - Corona del Mar, CA
A Tenacious and Skilled Real Estate Team

Looks like a great vacation.  Welcome back now I have to schedule my vacation.

May 31, 2012 02:23 AM
Barbara Todaro
RE/MAX Executive Realty - Happily Retired - Franklin, MA
Previously Affiliated with The Todaro Team

Hi Karen..... welcome back.... I love the photos and it looks like you had a wonderful time with your mother.... the baklava looks and sounds fantastic....glad you're home safely....

May 31, 2012 02:33 AM
Mary Elizabeth Allen
Lake Monticello, VA

Oooh, I am most jealous about the Croatia portion of your trip! I've always wanted to go there - I hear that it's just as beautiful as the rest of the Adriatic, but less crowded and developed. Your pictures are lovely - thanks for sharing! (Oh, yeah, and way to make me jealous with the baklava....)

May 31, 2012 02:36 AM
Karen Fiddler, Broker/Owner
Karen Parsons-Fiddler, Broker 949-510-2395 - Mission Viejo, CA
Orange County & Lake Arrowhead, CA (949)510-2395

Mark: Thanks...vacations are wonderful

Barbara: I ate Baklava every meal practically...all different, but this one was warm and incredible. Need to try the recipe

Mary: Croatia was beautiful....definitely want to go back for a week or so....just lay on the beach and eat great food.

May 31, 2012 02:44 AM
Karen Burns
Sacramento, CA

Beautiful pictures Karen. Looks like you had a lovely time with your mom. It looks so pretty there with perfect weather too. It's nice to go on a vacation trip with your mother isn't it? I just got back from vacationing with my mom at Monterey. 

May 31, 2012 03:20 AM
Steven Cook
No Longer Processing Mortgages. - Tacoma, WA

Karen -- welcome back.  Glad you got to enjoy your cruise -- it is so nice to be able to only unpack once, and then get to visit so many different places.  With all that baklava, and other good food, hope you kept up your exercising routine.

May 31, 2012 03:24 AM
Will Hamm
Hamm Homes - Aurora, CO
"Where There's a Will, There's a Way!"

Karen,  What a great trip, good to have you back, but you could of stay longer, this does not happen everyday to enjoy a trip with your mom.

May 31, 2012 03:38 AM
Kerrie La Guardia
ActiveRain, Community Manager - Kirkland, WA
Let it Rain!

Oh man your pics are amazing!!  Last June my family and I did a cruise through the Mediterranean, we sailed out of Barcelona and hit some of the same spots as you.  Isn't is just sooo hard to come back?!?  The very next day was RainCamp Seattle and our big 5th bday bash at the Hard Rock so I had no time to recover.

I want to go back again!!!  Thanks for sharing Karen.  We need an ActiveRain cruise...wouldn't that be cool!

May 31, 2012 05:31 AM
Jerry Newman
Brown Realty, 210-789-4216, - San Antonio, TX
Texas REALTOR, San Antonio Military Relocation

Hi Karen. Your photos from your trip are Great. Glad to see that you spent some nice quality time with your Mother. I know you both will have some lasting memories from this vacation trip and Cruise that you took together. Thanks for sharing, and Welcome Back!

May 31, 2012 06:26 AM
Tim Bradley
Contour Investment Properties - Jackson Hole, WY
Commercial Real Estate Expert in Jackson Hole, WY

Looks like that was a great trip! Back in my college days I spent a few months in Italy. At one point we hitchhiked from northern Italy around through (then-unified) Yugoslavia, stopping over for a couple of days in Dubrovnik, ultimately ending up in Greece. Great memories...

May 31, 2012 07:39 AM
Myrl Jeffcoat
Sacramento, CA
Greater Sacramento Realtor - Retired

Wonderful wonderful pictures, Karen!  But as much as I love those scenes, I love that bright red lacy sweater your wearing even more:-)  I thought of you when news came across about the earthquake in Italy.  I hoped you were ok!

May 31, 2012 08:28 AM
Tony & Darcy Cannon
Aubrey and Associates Realty - Layton, UT
The C Team

Karen, That looks like a wonderful vacation!  Great photos, I bet that it was a lot of fun! 

May 31, 2012 09:14 AM
Ellie McIntire
Ellicott City Clarksville Howard County Maryland Real Estate - Ellicott City, MD
Luxury service in Central Maryland

Amazing photo journal. I did a similar tour 20 years ago with a much smaller budget and a back pack on my back. Life is good!

May 31, 2012 11:33 AM
Ed Silva, 203-206-0754
Mapleridge Realty, CT 203-206-0754 - Waterbury, CT
Central CT Real Estate Broker Serving all equally

Karen, we have been to a lot of the same places. The countries along the Mediterranean have a culture and lifestyle that is so relaxing and definitely unique. Santorini is special. Welcome back

May 31, 2012 12:23 PM
Anna "Banana" Kruchten
HomeSmart Real Estate - Phoenix, AZ
602-380-4886

Karen this looks such a wonderful trip and time with your Mom.  Ahhhhh the pictures are so inviting. Thanks for the mini trip!!

May 31, 2012 01:10 PM
Karen Fiddler, Broker/Owner
Karen Parsons-Fiddler, Broker 949-510-2395 - Mission Viejo, CA
Orange County & Lake Arrowhead, CA (949)510-2395

Karen: Mom is really my best friend, and we travel well together, already working on the next trip

Steven: I'm fortunate that I never gain weight on vacations....when we walk so much. So I maintained, but didn't work out on the ship. Thought about it, but I'm not obsessive, so I laid by the pool instead...and everything fits, Getting back into my home routine, though. First run was a bit tougher than I remember....

Will: I could have stayed for a lot longer...but this is just the time to plan for the next trip

Kerrie: I remember you trip....it is a great route, next time I think we're going to include Spain.

Jerry: We will....we've been so lucky to have so much time to travel together. My dad and my hubby are not as interested and willing to "hold down the fort" for us.

Tim: Yeah...backpacks were never my thing, even in college. Mom and I started traveling then and even at that young age, I liked cushy beds. LOL

Myrl: How sweet of you to think of me....yes, we were a ways away by then. It was in Bologna, I think?

Tony: It was a great trip...thanks

Ellie: Life is very good....

I loved the perspective of Santorini...way up on top. Mykonos also, but it was a bit more of a party town and too young for me now. sigh

Anna: Thanks...I've been waking up each morning and looking for the ocean, no ocean. But it only means the next trip is that much closer.

 

Jun 01, 2012 12:04 AM
Patricia Kennedy
RLAH@properties - Washington, DC
Home in the Capital

Hey, Karen!  I included this post in Last Week's Favorites.  Have a great week.

Jun 03, 2012 01:03 AM
Linda K. Mayer
License # 01767321 - La Verne, CA
Realtor, SRES, SoCAL, A REALTOR YOU CAN TRUST

Wow, Karen, what an amazing trip you took with you Mom!  Love all the pictures, especially the one of how tough your life was...

Jun 03, 2012 03:00 AM
Robert Vegas Bob Swetz
Las Vegas, NV

Hello Karen ... Those are some very wonderful photographs, thanks for the views!

VB ;o)

Jun 03, 2012 09:54 AM
Tammie White, Broker
Franklin Homes Realty LLC - Franklin, TN
Franklin TN Homes for Sale

After a trip like that, who would ever want to come back. It looks like you had a fabulous time. Something to add to my bucket list.

Jun 03, 2012 01:38 PM