Edward

The Scottish Highlander offers everything from castles to distilleries in its shore excursions

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Editor’s note: Edward Garrett and his 20-something son Will just returned from a week’s sailing on the Scottish Highlander luxury barge. His son is reporting on the trip from his perspective in a separate blog on this site. Third of three reports. The Scottish Highlander offers a number of rather good excursions by minibus on a daily basis hosted by the ships very charming tour guide Loren. Included on our cruise were beautiful Cawdor Castle immortalized in …

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All meals on the barge are set menu, and the chef prepares everything from memory

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Editors note: Edward Garrett and his 26-year-old son Will just returned from a week’s sailing on the Scottish Highlander luxury barge. His son is reporting on the trip from his perspective in a separate blog on this site. Second of three reports Our traveling companions consisted of two well-traveled couples (one from London and the other from Sydney) who showed great consideration for other guests, an absolute necessity in such close quarters. In fact, it quickly becomes …

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An in-depth look at the Scottish Highlander luxury barge

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Editors note: Edward Garrett and his 26-year-old son Will just returned from a week’s sailing on the Scottish Highlander. This is his report. His son is reporting on the trip from his perspective in a separate blog on this site. Over the past several years an emergent group of travelers have found European luxury Barge cruises a way to solve their “Been there, done that” dilemma, and few do it better than European Waterways. Established in 1974, …

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Been There Done That: My final day is spent wandering Athens

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Although many of the rooms at the Grand Bretagne have balconies, mine did not. No Coffee and Croissants overlooking the city. I did know that it would end one day. Still, breakfast at the Roof Garden Restaurant with a great view of the Parthenon is nothing to complain about; and the coffee was very good. Rather than taking today’s tour, I instead decided to walk around Athens and get a feel for the city. I spent most …

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Been There Done That: Farewells on the ship and an introduction to the historic wonders of Athens

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DAY 12 — ATHENS, GREECE Room service was not available this morning as we were up early to disembark the Aegean Odyssey for our hotel in Athens. So much for my regular three croissants and coffee on my balcony! Many of the passengers expressed regret with our departure as we all have grown accustomed to our shipboard routines and each other. About a third of the passengers leave the ship today for a two-day post cruise visit …

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Been There Done That: An analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of this cruise

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DAY 11 — NAUPLIA, GREECE ABOARD THE MV AEGEAN ODYSSEY — The view from my balcony this morning is the harbor of Nauplia, Greece, and a splendid view of Bourtzi, a beautiful Venetian castle in the middle of the harbor. We anchored out and used tenders to get into Nauplia this morning, disembarking from the Marco Polo deck. The crew handled the tenders expertly, and we were ashore in about 15 minutes. After a 45-minute drive from …

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Been There Done That: We travel to the site of the original Olympic Games

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DAY 10 — KATAKOLON ABOARD THE MV AEGEAN  ODYSSEY — This morning we arrived at the small fishing village of Katakolon (established in 1857), the gateway to the mystical site of Ancient Olympia, sacred ground to the people of the Peloponnese Peninsula as early as the 10th century B.C. This is a popular stop for cruise ships, offering passengers an opportunity to visit Olympia, and we did so after breakfast. After a 40-minute drive from the port, …

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Been There Done That: A visit in rural Greece

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DAY 9 — PREVEZA, GREECE ABOARD THE MV AEGEAN ODYSSEY — This morning we arrived in Preveza, Greece, a town in the region of Epirus, northwestern Greece, located at the mouth of the Ambracian Gulf. The ruins of the ancient city of Nikopolis lie seven kilometers north of the city. Preveza is a commercial harbor and tourist hub, with a marina, two cinemas, an open theater, many clubs, taverns, and cafes, benefiting from its proximity to the …

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Been There Done That: What a difference a day makes — we are now in Greece

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DAY 8 — CORFU, GREECE ABOARD THE MV AEGEAN ODYSSEY —What a difference a day makes. Gone are most of the beautiful tan buildings with orange tiled rooftops. Corfu, Greece, exhibits more flat-roofed buildings with off-white stained walls. Building maintenance away from the tourist center of old town seems deferred, indefinitely. Corfu city has a land area of 16 square miles and a population of about 33,000 inhabitants. It’s a much larger city than we have been …

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Been There Done That: Dubrovnik, my visit to the “Pearl of the Adriatic”

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DAY 7 — DUBROVNIK ABOARD THE MV AEGEAN ODYSSEY– Widely considered to be one of Europe’s most outstanding cities, Dubrovnik is an integrated walled city with immense visual appeal. It’s historical and architectural significance has been recognized by UNESCO, which has placed it on its list of World Heritage Sites. Dubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent …

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