Home Sweet Home

It's getting close, I will be home in 5 days now! Bethany and I have been apart for more than 6 weeks and I have been out of the US for almost 10 months. It's going to be bitter sweet, maybe more sweet than bitter. It's also going to be the end of employment and back to fun-employment and the job hunt. Hopefully a job will open up once we're back in Florida but it might take a few months. Now just to get through this week and make it home safe! This picture reminds me of home and my first stop back in the states.


-A

Genoa

Today I had a chance to explore Genoa a bit. The city is massive and one could spend a week here and not see it all. As we traveled much of Greece and the east coast of Italy, I have gotten accustomed to the smaller towns based around fishing or the coast. Today, was a great reminder of the culture and history that Italy possess. It's also great to be out of the tourist season and just see Italians live their normal lives, such as Christmas shopping. The Christmas hype doesn't seem near as big as it is in the States, but there are constant reminders sprinkled in all the stores. It was a great day to enjoy some real Italian pizza, coffee, and watch some great street performers.
A

Hauled Out

I thought it would interesting for you to see a 186 ton vessel being hoisted out of the water. The dock guys at the marina must have done this hundreds of times, since it only took about an hour to get from the water to its final resting spot. It has been awhile since the bottom haul has been protected with a special paint so that needs to be redone along with a full body wax and polish. I've seen this done dozens of times but it seems a little different when its the boat I am working on.
-A

Bonjourno...

Well, I finally made it to Italy. After some amazing days/nights at sea and some not so amazing days we made it. It took us about 5 days stopping twice and 945 nautical miles. I got some great night experience at the helm, and it was a little overwhelming to know I was responsible for a machine worth more than my allowance would cover! We got a chance to venture out in Genoa (even though we haven't checked through immigration) and enjoyed some REAL Italian pizza and the prosecco was just as good as I remembered. One things is for sure though, a good day at sea makes you forget about any past bad days at sea.
-A

Day One, The Corinth Canal

On day one of our trip to Genoa, we traveled once again through the Corinth Canal. The canal bridges the Ionian Sea to the Aegean Sea with a length of nearly 4 miles, the canal cuts nearly 430 miles of travel distance. The base has a distance of 70 feet from wall to wall and the rock walls reach more than 300 feet from sea level. It dates back to 1893 and its quite an experience traveling the modern marvel. More than 11,000 boats travel the canal each year making it a popular route for tourist and also a BIG income for the government. The canal is a crucial time saver and also a once in a lifetime opportunity, well make that twice now for me.
-A

Ciao, Italia.

We're all fueled up and ready to make our 80 hour trip from Athens to Genoa, Italy. We're tossing off lines tomorrow at 0600. If all goes smooth we should being sipping Italian Prosecco and eating Margarita pizza by Sunday or Monday. After 3 weeks of delays it has been decided that we have finally had enough of Greece! Actually I had enough of Greece 2 months ago. Although I am ready to come home I can't think of a better country to spend my last month on the job. Hopefully I'll back home Dec. 21st, if all goes well. Praying for good weather and calm seas! It's going to be a long trip with each of us taking a 3 hour watch followed by 6 hours off. Ciao!
-A

Greek Cuisine

Tonight I went out for a traditional Greek meal, the gyro. As I sat enjoying my gyro with some dirt cheap house white wine, I wondered where the gyro came from and how long have the Greeks been enjoying this simple but delicious meal. The gyro, pronounced like euro was brought to Greece over 100 years ago. Throughout the Mediterranean and other parts of the world the gyro has taken many different forms. The way I and many Greeks enjoy this dish is with pork, tzatziki sauce, tomatoes, onion, fried potatoes, all wrapped in pita bread. The gyro to Greece is like the hamburger to America, cheap, fast, and tasty.
-A

"Simply Scenic"

I couldn't help but make another picture video. These days it seems I have an endless amount of time on my hands, so I figured it would kill some time. The pictures are some of my favorite scenic pictures, and with out people in them. The video includes pictures of Greece, Italy, & Croatia. I'll let you figure out where each picture was taken ;) Enjoy!
-A

Yacht Path

A lot of people ask, "How do you get a 100ft, 160ton boat across the Atlantic?" For this particular trip we are traveling with Yacht Path International. The process of loading the boat is almost the same as hauling the boat out for the winter. We will place several straps under the boat at a precise location so the boat is level. Then, once in the air the boat will be placed on "stilts," or metal risers keeping the haul off the big ship. The ship is capable of loading up to 180ft and 250 ton boats! It should make for an interesting day when we finally load! And many pictures to follow.

Bored out of my mind.

Since Bethany has left almost 4 days ago, things have got increasingly boring. I try to fill my days by listening to podcast such as This American Life or The Dave Ramsey Show, things I find to bring at least a little bit of joy to each day. The marina here (just east of Athens), is almost completely deserted except for the yard guys hauling out boats for the winter, which almost asks the question, "What are we still doing here?!" But, we were told we will be loading up and ship across on Nov. 3rd. With two possible stops in Italy and Spain before venturing on to St. Thomas. I am told it's about a 20 day journey from here. With the weather looking better and the hours counting down, I am one step closer to being the Caribbean sun and not to mention seeing my wife again!
-A

Part 2 of our Video/Picture Collection

We just added part 2 of our European Adventure. Part 2 is comprised of entirely Greece. We have spent the last 4 months cruising the many Greek islands. We hope you enjoy our video and music, it was a lot of fun putting it all together. Our next film will hopefully include my (Andrew) travels from Greece to St. Thomas while shipping the boat across the pond, and also our time spent at home!
-A

Ghost Town...

It seems every town we have been going to lately looks like a ghost town. The streets are dead, stores are closed, only a few people wondering the streets. About mid-October the tourist season in the Greek islands end. Also with the recession and stress on the Greek economy things have come to look even more gloom. With the weather turning more towards winter, boats will soon be seeking the warmth of the sun. And as far as I am concerned it couldn't come fast enough. One more stop and this ship's getting ready to sail!
-A

It's all about the video...

This week we have a short video of our travels thus far. It is only part one of two so be looking for the other half soon. Its about 6 months worth of some of our favorite pictures along with some of our favorite songs. Hope you enjoy it and just watch it above! Questions, comments, hate, or love it let us know! Enjoy!
-A

Top Five...

As a deckhand on a private yacht, I am the prime suspect for answering many questions from tourists with too much time on their hands. And it's always the tourist. So I have collaborated a short list of a very long list of task-delaying questions I get asked almost every other day.
1. Who owns this boat? I answer them, "Sorry it's a private boat I can't say," and they follow with question 2.
2. Is it anyone famous?  answer, "It's still a private yacht even if it was owned by someone famous." 
3. (my favorite) Do you own it? answer, "No."
4. How much is the boat worth? answer, "Alot!"
5. Did that come all the way from America?!" answer, "Yes, yes it did."
These are just a few of the many questions I get to answer about my job, quite often. 
-A

"I've had rougher days tied to the dock!"

Last summer while we were cruising the Mediterranean, we had a set of guests come on that would have not made the greatest seamen and didn't quite have their "sea legs" on yet. While we were out for a pretty calm nice and easy boat ride some of the guests got sea sick. It's always fun to joke around about it because every one has been there before or hasn't felt the best at sea. So when the guests got sick one of the engineers says, "I've had rougher days tied to the dock!" At the time I didn't know if it was possible, but last night proved it for sure. We were docked in Rhodes and the swell and wind was coming in so strong we had to secure everything as if we were out at sea. The only way I could sleep was laying on my back. I figured that out after nearly falling off the top buck 2 or 3 times. We also had boat docked 3 feet away from us which caused for some very close calls. After a restless night of sleep and long day it will definitely an experience I won't soon forget.
-A

On the Rhodes again...

So far we have been in Kos town for over two weeks, but now its time to get on the Rhodes again. Our next stop is Rhodes, about a 60 mile journey from Kos. As we travel the Dodecanese islands (12 Greek islands near Turkey) we'll travel to Rhodes, Patmos, Kasos, and many others. So far its been pretty uneventful but I'm not complaining. About a month from now Bethany and mine travels will split as B goes home and I continue on with the boat to St. Thomas! We're looking forward to see what the month of October brings, should be fun and busy!
-A

Sun, Beaches, & Relaxation

This past weekend we had a three day weekend in Tigaki, Kos. A small island of Greece near Turkey. We decided against a 45 min. boat ride to Bodrum, Turkey and had a great time in Tigaki. We were planning to escape the upper age group of our co-workers and boss but it seemed we arrived to an empty-nester's resort town. We had a great time any way and met some really great people, predominately from England. It was mostly 4 days of laying out, great meals, and great company. We were able to rent a tiny four-wheeler after being turned down twice since our drivers licenses aren't international. We rode around from town to town trying to discover something exciting, needless to say there wasn't much to discover. Most people who come to Tigaki plan on doing nothing but get a tan. Even though I saw enough topless grandma's to last me a life time, we had a great and relaxing time!

Our first wine tasting experience...

Today we took a wine tasting tour to three of Santorini, Greece's 16 wine distilleries. Much of the island is covered in sand/volcanic rock from a volcano eruption 3600 years ago. They have created a special way for the grape vines to grow in a basket-like shape in order to withstand the lack of rain, strong wind, and different soil. Some of the vines have been growing for 150 to 200 years! Old vines produce a better wine but often get replaced because they don't produce as many grapes as a young vine. If you own 1 hectare of land (2.5 acres) on this island you mostly like own some type of grape. Much like beans or corn in the Midwest, grapes cover any livable space on Santorini.  White wines dominate the island due to the fact that they need less water then red grapes. 80% of the wines produced are white wines, followed by reds and also their dessert wine called, "Vinsanto," which smells and tastes much like a raisin. We experienced some of the old bottling techniques along with some 21st intervention. We ended the day with a slight headache and a beautiful sunset dinner at, "Dimitris, Ammovdi Taverna."
-A

35 knot winds...

Today we're anchored off the coast of Paros, a little island south of Mykonos where we were yesterday. Since we arrived we have been stuck in a little bay at anchor due to wind. The wind has been blowing 35 knots or roughly 40 mph. We haven't snapped any mooring lines like last summer when gust's reached 40 to 45 kt. It will be blowing like this until 6 p.m. tomorrow night, so someone will be on anchor watch throughout the night (something I haven't done since last summer on Bacarella). With only one anchor out the boat swings from side to side jerking and swaying the boat like a little toy boat in a bath tub. We attempted putting a stern anchor out but after 4 or 5 failed attempts, losing our line and diving 25 feet to retrieve it, we finally said enough is enough. The weather has forced us to change some of our plans but the guests don't seem to mind to much. We're heading to Santorini in a few days so we're hoping to get there safe and in one piece!
-A

Goodbye to Athens

We've had 5 weeks all together here in Athens. Once before the guests came and once after they left. We've taken the bus and trams into the heart of the city and seen all the sights there. After we checked that off the list, and took all the photos the only thing we wanted to do was hit the beach. We've spent quite a few days there and our tans are improving ;) To be nude or topless at the beach is apparently illegal but from what we've seen these laws are not enforced. (Don't worry Mom I kept things covered)
With 4 guests coming on tomorrow night we say goodbye to our slack schedule. When we have a couple weeks between guest trips we will wake up around 8 or 8:30 and work until 3 or 4. Taking weekends off and occasionally random days through the week. This sounds really cruisy but when we're working 7 days a week for 3 to 8 weeks it feels good to get that time. This is different than working on a larger boat, when guests are off there is much more to do. It's actually a time to catch up on the cleaning and maintenance that is impossible to do when the owners are on board.
  I'm actually really looking forward to the owners coming back. They are a great couple and have really great friends aboard the boat. They really appreciate all that Andrew and I do for them. It's great to work for people that appreciate our service instead of expecting and abusing it. I tend to get a bit stir crazy with too much time on my hands, so I'm sure Andrew is looking forward to me being busier too!
-B

Birra, Cola, Peanuts, Nail Polish?

Bethany and I had a day off yesterday so we decided we would do one of our favorite pastimes, beach day. We brought everything we would need for the day, towels, sunscreen, books, etc. It turns out that if you forget anything to have a perfect beach day there were hundreds of vendors walking up and down the beach selling just about anything imaginable. Many of these men were from the Middle East, or Africa, and their merchandise included, beverages, peanuts, umbrellas, jewelry, doughnuts, bananas, swimsuits, water floaties, pirated movies/cds  dresses and our favorite nail polish and fly swatters. These men would walk up and down the beach in the blistering sun, covered with whatever they were trying to sell. Sometimes you couldn't even see a man behind all of the blown inflatable toys! We were very thankful at times that we didn't even have to leave our spot to enjoy an ice cold beverage but at times it was a bit annoying and almost harassing. We found a couple of men from the Middle East very thankful that the USA took care of Osama Bin Laden. After a long day at the beach, we came back a bit pink but a great day none-the-less. After a great beach day we were craving some good American food. So we headed to the local TGI Friday's. It was the perfect meal to top off a perfect day. 

Why "When in Rome"?

We were wondering if any one asked why we picked the name, "When In Rome." The idea came to us last summer when we were working on another private yacht. For us it was a summer of many firsts. Like my first experience with Nutella. Once I learned a chocolate topping on toast was acceptable for breakfast, I was hooked. Or our first experience with true Italian pizza while in Naples. Needless to say our crew found it interesting and sometimes comical about how many things we have yet to experience. So, last summer when we had a few days off in Naples, we were trying to figure out what we should do and I said, "When In Rome." The next day we took a train to Rome and that saying pretty much summed up our summer. We find ourselves repeating that saying more and more as new first experiences come up. We love diving into a new culture or, "...do as the Romans do." It's the best way to explore different cultures. Although we are not in Rome or even Italy the saying has stuck with us. 
We're still cruising the Greek islands. There are over 6,000 Greek islands and if we saw a new one every day we would be sailing for 16.5 years but only 227 of them are inhabited. We will be back in Pireaus (near Athens) in a little over a week.
A&B

Week off in Turkey

Last week we were able to have a week off while the boat was docked in Athens. We decided to take an over night ferry to Rhodes, Greece and then an hour ferry to Marmaris, Turkey. Little did we know our $320 overnight ferry ticket did not include a cabin. We were basically sleeping in a cafe/airport. We were lucky enough to find some sofas so we did catch some sleep, but not until after 11 p.m. If we tried to lay down before that the cafe waiters would come around and lecture us (in Greek.) After our 14 hour ferry we had a few hours to walk around Rhodes. It was a pretty interesting city but much like all the other old cities we have already visited. Finally we got to Turkey and all we needed was two 15 euro visas to enter the country. Well all we had was 20 euros, but no problem because there was an ATM right outside. Apparently there has been some credit card fraud in Europe and once we entered Turkey our cards were blocked!(Something that wasn't suppose to happen because we disabled all blocks on our cards) So there we were stuck in customs in Turkey with a little credit on a phone and no internet access. To make a long story short, we were able to contact our banker, unblock our cards, stamp our passport and finally enjoy our vacation.
Our vacation went really fast but we were able to see and do a lot. We booked an apartment to stay for 5 nights. It cost around 100 Turkish Lira or $60. Turns out Marmaris is one of England's little vacation paradise. I think we met more people from the UK then Turkish people, and that's how it is from May through October. One day we went on a boat excursion to the Turkish mud baths, King's Tombs, and also to swim around a bit. There was so much to do in Marmaris and Armutulan where we stayed. We also went to a water park. It was so hot and the beach was basically unbearable so fresh water and slides was a perfect solution. We ate some excellent meals and got hassled by every single restaurant. Many of the hosts are on commission so they try to rope in every person, using the same lines as the other place! If I had a lira for every time we were called, "Nice couple,(come look at our menu)," I would have never left Turkey. Our favorite restaurant was Jan de Wit and we will definitely be visiting them again some day. The vacation was a great time to relax, lay by the pool, and enjoy yet another culture.

Delphi...the major worship place for the Greek god Apollo

While in the port of Galaxidi, we were able to take a half hour car ride to the town of Delphi. Delphi is home to some of the most ancient and incredible ruins still around in Greece. The city was built around and for the worshiping of the Greek god Apollo, son of Zeus. Apollo was said to have the power to bring healing, medicine and also plague for ill-health. Cities on the main-land as well as other islands in the Greek world would set up temples or treasuries as a source of offering or tithe. If a battle or war was won, Apollo would get a 10th of the winnings to thank the oracles or gods for direction and victory. Not only did Delphi serve as a place of worship, it was also home to the second most important athletic event next to the games at Olympia. The event was called the Pythian Games, named in remembrance of Apollo's slewing of the Python. The games were open to the greatest athletes of the Greek world. Some of our pictures include the stadium were the games were held, the temple of Apollo, treasuries, and the theatre. The views were amazing and well worth the 9 euro admission. It is a piece of history unlike anything we have ever seen and something that wouldn't even exist in the States. There was also a museum which has a collection of statues and other gifts that were once housed in the treasuries. It's amazing how well preserved some of the statues and columns remain after thousands of years and hard to imagine the site of white marble covering every column, statue, or building. I definitely would recommend taking a trip to Delphi.
Andrew

Living the Greek life...

We made it to Greece almost 5 days ago and I forgot to update. So far Greece has been a sail boats paradise, making this boat stick out a bit. All the islands make anchoring a great choice but coming into town is a different story. A lot of the possible places to dock are tailored to sail boats and I think the sail boats get a little fed up with us at times. A lot of the places don't have shore power or water so we are constantly running a generator causing exhaust and sometimes unhappy neighbors. We are also making a lot water from the sea and can generate about 60 gallons an hour. So far its been a nice change and a lot of great beaches, but I think its safe to say we miss Croatia a bit. I'm sure things will change over the next 4 months that we are here.

You may be in Europe if...

I thought I would start this blog out with a list of funny but pretty true observations we have made while being in Europe. (Hopefully we dont offend any of European followers :s
1. You may be in Europe if you see more 2 guys riding on 1 scooter than a guy and girl.
2. You might be in Europe if your table neighbor at a cafe can smoke about a pack of cigarettes in the amount of time it takes to drink a one ounce espresso.
3. ...if you see just as many guys carrying purses as women.
4. ...if every other person you talk to has a dream of one day coming to America (consider yourself luck!)
Last and my personal favorite which also happened to me,
You might be in Europe if you are the only male at the beach not wearing a speedo.
Some of you may be happy to hear I havent taken up any of these habits, although the speedo is pretty tempting when trying to avoid tan lines ;)

A little update, we left Croatia yesterday after a 6 week trip. We are now in Tivat, Montenegro, more or less a pit stop to fuel up before heading to Greece. Croatia was great and I would recommend it to any one thinking of traveling the Med. Bethany and I are doing great and really enjoying our time abroad. Time has really gone by fast and its hard to believe we have been on board for almost 4 months! Hope all is well and we miss every one back home!
Andrew

Guest Trip Over!

We have come to the end of our 1 month long guest trip time for some R&R. We'll almost done anyway, the owner is still on for 3 more weeks. We're currently in Dubrovnik, Croatia and it is one of Croatia's biggest tourist cities and loaded with thousands of cruise ship tourists. So far we have been here for 3 nights and I have gone as far as across the street to get the International Herald Tribune for the guests. Hopefully tonight we will have some time to get out and explore and eat at a nice restaurant. We came from Korcula the birth place of the great explorer Marco Polo. Well that's it for this issue.
Andrew

The Blue Grotto

We took a trip to see one of the world's natural beauty spots on the Adriatic. We were sailing near the Vis islands and heard about this blue grotto. For those unfamiliar with the term, a blue grotto is a water-logged sea cave, and during certain times of the day light reflects from the cave floor illuminating the water and cave bright blue. The light comes in through a hole in the wall caused by years of erosion from the constant crashing of the waves. At one point this underwater hole was the only entrance until 1884 when they made another entrance big enough for little boats. As we entered the cave we all had to sit on the boat floor and duck to avoid hitting our heads. The boat driver even had to time the wave just right so we could fit through the man made hole. Once inside the cave the water was about 30ft. deep and walls extended 45ft high. It was really cool and an experience we won't soon forget.
Andrew

It's easier to fit a camel through the eye of a needle...

Well we are about a month away from our next big destination, Greece. We just left the city of Split. It was filled with history and culture and a city definitely worth visiting. Like many ancient cities, Split dates back thousands of years. The old town had 4 large walls to defend from enemies. One of the walls was built on the water and the only way to enter was from boat, once in the main gate there were many umderground tunnels, which was another way to escape from the enemy. With 4 main walls and gates there was some one always on guard, so they would shut the 4 giant gates at night and reopen them in the morning for traders and the market. The biblical reference, "It's easier for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven" comes from these 4 main gates. Once the gates were closed people still needed a way in and out. The "eye of the needle" was a small gate big enough for one man to go through at a time, also reducing the amount of guards needed to keep the city safe. The eye of the needle left many people with the decision, take what they could in to the city or stay outside the city with their camel and much heavier and expensive possesions and risk getting robbed or killed. Once again we got to see a great city, with great culture, history and of course coffee.
Andrew

Krka National Park

Today we took a little boat ride to visit the Krka national park waterfalls. It cost 80 kuna (about $16) and the views were pretty amazing. The park is located pretty close to a major tourist destination, Sibenik. They had a pretty impressive power plant that is no longer in use but dates back to 1895 and was operating 2 days after Niagra Falls electric plant was opened. The park has 17 waterfalls and seems to be endless. Bethany described it to be similar to The Road to Hana in Hawaii. The largest fall is around 150ft. The Krka river also provided energy for a mill. Dating back to the 19th century the mills grind grain, wash and tread cloth, etc. Our pictures will show some of the beauty along with the functionality of the falls. Thanks for all the anniversary wishes, we had a great day and received gifts from both the crew and the owners! Life is good, God is good :)
Andrew

Nautical Info

Bethany here and I haven't blogged in a while so I thought I would check in. When the guests are on Andrew is a little less busy than I am and when the guests are off there's not a whole lot to blog about.
As we speak Magic Days is going through a very narrow channel. Croatia is made up of "main land" and many many islands. This creates a lot of channels and bays. This channel gets as narrow as 35 ft. The boat has a beam of 23ft. (A beam is how wide the boat is.) So this makes for some tight sailing! Looking at the depth finder we made it through shallow water, 10 ft deep! Our draft is 5ft 5 inches. (Draft is how much of the boat us underwater, from water level to the bottom of the boat.)Needless to say we are cruising VERY slowly. Bacarella, the 200ft boat we were on last year had a draft of over 12ft. Big boats can not go through channels and get to small islands the way this boat can because of their large draft. Luckily our owners love to be underway so we can take our time getting to the next destination. Just left Zadar, Croatia and I'm not even sure where we're headed, I guess I'll figure it out when we get there. The famous director Alfred Hitchcock said that the most beautiful sunset in the world can be seen from Zadar.
Well, I better go check on my guests! -Bethany

Wakeboarding

So Bethany and I had some time off this past Sunday and wanted to do something fun, something we did back home, something to just make us feel normal for a bit. So we went to a wakeboard park but it was unlike anything we had ever seen or experienced. Instead of being pulled behind a boat we were pulled by a system of cables that was suspended 40ft above the water. The cable was in the shape of a rectangle and from one end to the other was 300ft or more feet. Its kind of hard to explain but it reminded me of a ski chair lift going round'n'round. If you fall, you just swim back. It was pretty convenient and efficient, we could keep going around until we wanted to stop and 10 or more people could go at once. Germany is really big into wakeboard parks and has 80 throughout the country, Croatia has just 3.

We are now getting ready for another owners trip. We are still in Croatia and should be here at least through the month of May. We have had some good time off and now we're gearing up for a 3 week (or more) trip. Hope all the Mum's had a great Mother's day! ;) That's it for now!
Andrew

Little update

Well the boat is almost empty again as the guests are getting ready to leave. We are currently in Trieste, Italy. We will be staying here for a week or so before heading back to Croatia. Its been a pretty busy few weeks and we are looking forward to some down time. We had a day off for Easter and the captain gave a little Easter sermon for the crew and guests. Other than that nothing much is new or has changed. Hope everyone had a great Easter!
Andrew

Hrvatska (Croatia)

We are currently in Croatia. The guests are on for about another week and today Bethany and I will have some time to explore, take some pictures, and just relax. We haven't seen to much yet but Croatia seems like a beautiful county and it's no wonder why it is tourist destination. Everything is going well and we are enjoying the travels, sites, and guests. It looks like we will be here for a couple weeks once the guests leave before heading south. Hope everyone is well. (Sorry for the lacking blog, not much new, yet).
Andrew

Venice!

Well folks we finally made it to Venice. A month and a half and nearly 900 nautical miles later and we are sitting just a minute walk from St. Mark's Square. We arrived a few days ago and have had a chance to walk the narrow street-ways and crossed some of the 409 bridges in the city. Venice is truly a city by water. No cars, no bikes, just boats and walkers. Everything is transported by boat, food, garbage, police, ambulance, taxi, etc. The narrow canals are so unique (some of our pictures show everyday life here). One draw back that I have found here is that there are so many people! I have heard more English spoken here then my whole time in Italy. But if one can get past the mass of people, it truly is a great city. One thing we would like to do before we leave is go on a gondola ride, we still have time so we may fit it in ;) Since it is a tourist destination everything is a little more spendy. My precious cappuccinos run about 4.5 euros so I have to get them sparingly, (I don't think my mother-in-law would let that fly in her old coffee shop ;) We still have a few more days here so we will probably get some more site seeing in. Hope you enjoy the new pictures!
Andrew 

San Marino

So we took a trip to the Republic of San Marino yesterday. It is an independent country landlocked by Italy. It was about an hour drive from Fano, which we are staying at now. The city was really neat and over looked the Italian country. The city had a med-evil feel but updated to meet modern needs. The city had 3 old castles, the whole city was duty free and reminded me of an Indian reservation. They could sell weapons such as knives, and guns that weren't legal to sell in Italy and also everything was tax free. The new pictures on Flickr show the land scape and us just having fun! Hope you enjoy, does any one even read this?
Andrew

R & R in Bari

The owners left the boat yesterday. I've never been disappointed to see guests leave but they are such great people that it is really enjoyable to be able to work for them. Andrew washed down the boat yesterday (with a little of my help) in record time. This meant that we could have today and tomorrow off! We're now in Bari, Italy for a couple days then continuing toward Venice.

We took a day trip to Matera, 40 minutes inland, which is where they filmed Passion of the Christ. We saw the hill top where the cross was hung and the caves that people have lived in for thousands of years, up until the 1950's. They moved out because of poor living conditions, the caves humidity rose to 90% at times. Now 70% of the cave homes are owned by the government. There are bed and breakfasts all over this area. You can pay to sleep in a cave that overlooks canyons and a city built into the mountains called Sassi. (Pictures to come tomorrow.) It's a bit crazy to be looking through these cave homes and see for sale signs outside. Not sure that would be my 1st choice at real estate but whatever floats your boat. We had lunch in a restaurant that was half carved into stone and half was added on.

We're off to get some more of the great Italian pizza! Bon Appetit

A & B

Sea Sick

The question everybody asks so I thought I would just answer it now. Yup, we both got sea sick. Thankfully we were both able to perform our duties even though we weren't 100%. We traveled about 70 nautical miles up the east coast of Italy (Riposto to Crotone, Italy), which took us about 5 hours. The seas were a little more rough than we have been used to. Thankfully nothing broke, although glasses were chattering and the refrigerator door flew open spilling some of its containment's. We are off again tomorrow and heading about the same distance. We are praying for some calm seas and light wind. We had some time to walk around the town today nothing much to talk about, just another pit-stop on our journey. Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery.
A

We'll get to Venice... Someday

We left Riposto this morning to stop in a town on the east coast of Italy. Not even sure what the name of it is.. A pit stop on the way to Venice. The captain likes to break the trip up, so instead of saililng for 2 or 3 days straight we stop in ports each day along the way. Since we're not sailing at night this makes the trip longer, allows us to see more cities but Andrew would rather be out at sea for longer periods of time. He's getting quite a bit of experience behind the wheel! I watch him in the captain's chair hitting the buttons and knobs that I'm deathly afraid of hitting each day when I dust in the pilot house. It looks easy enough but I still have no interest in taking on watches on my own. Pretty sure I could find something to run into even in the middle of the ocean.

Oh, back in Riposto the owners took the crew along with them to see Mount Etna, an active volcano. Jacque drove a huge van with the 6 of us up the mountain. The roads here are windy and make NO sense to a tourist like me so we rely on GPS most of the time, but with 6 people in the car there are so many opinions flying around as to which road to take. Left! Right! No another right! It was nuts. But we made it and it was one of the most awesome things. The temperature was at least 30 degrees colder at the top, lots of snow, and actually a pretty large ski resort. We climbed the volcano and took a sled with us to sled to the bottom.

Well, that's all for tonight, off to bed.
B

The Holy Grail of Owners

Today we took a tour with our owners! We took a tour in Syracuse and got to see some ancient ruins dating back 500 B.C. Some of the ruins were completed by Greeks and 600 hundred years later some by the Romans. The pictures we took show the Theater where dramatic or comedic plays were performed. The other theater was an Amphitheater where gladiators and other fights took place. Our owners are so down to earth, and great people. It was the first time we have had an experience with owners outside the work place let alone go on a tour with them! We all got into a taxi van and had a private tour for the afternoon. The guide was great and knew so much of the history. We have really come to like our jobs and enjoy the many new sights we see. Many prayers have been answered and just goes to show God wants the best for us. :) Another thing we saw was a huge Church shaped like a teardrop for mythical or factual meaning. Almost everyone here is Catholic which requires many churches, which are all very extravagant. Hope all is well!
A

Syracuse, Italy

We made our first trip from Birgu, Malta to Syracuse, Italy. The trip took about 5.5 hours and we had a relatively smooth ride with calm seas. The size of the boat is about half the size that we are used to sailing with. Neither Bethany or I got sick, which we were a little nervous about. The ride was pretty enjoyable. I got my first experience on the wheel as I took watch for 2 hours while the Captain rested. It was stressful at time dealing with some boat traffic but also very fun! We had some troubles docking, getting lines, the anchor and everything else just right (that's an understatement). Tonight we are heading out for some real Italian pizza, something I haven't had since last summer, and something I haven't particularly missed all the much. We are looking forward to exploring Italy as we will probably be here for a while. The people are friendly and it gives us a chance to brush up on some Italian! The culture and historic feel is something we don't have back in the States. Also the coffee is great! It's not just a drink here, it's a lifestyle. We will post some pictures soon but as of now we haven't had a chance to take any. Hope all in well on the home front!
Andrew

Malta Festival and Market

Last night Andrew and I went to a local festival with Jacques (Captain) and Sherrie (Chef) in the town of Valletta. Even though we only drove for 20 min I knew I knew I couldn't lose my ride home because the roads here are extremely hard to learn and I wouldn't have made it home on my own. Besides the fact that we're driving on the left side of the road from the right side of the car, about every 10 blocks you come to a round-a-bout or fork in the road. But with our excellent navigation skills ;) and mainly "Google Maps" we made it to the festival and home safely. Andrew has posted pictures of the incredible floats we saw at the parade. I believe the festival is similar to Marti Gras because it is right before Lent begins. Today we went with Sherrie to a local market to get fruits and veg, Andrew, my little photographer, took the opportunity to get lots of shots of small sailboats in a marina nearby. He'll post them soon. Tomorrow is our 1st day of work! Andrew's 1st day as permanent crew on a yacht, so it's very exciting. We hope that this boat will allow us to get some longevity on a boat. We're leaving Malta sometime next week, weather permitting, and picking up the owners soon! Take care everyone, B

We Made it to Europe

Our flights, although we were separated, turned out to be shorter than we thought. We arrived at 10:30 a.m. to Dublin, Ireland. We took a bus to the city center where our hotel was (Harding hotel). After lunch and a quick nap we decided to go walking and see the sights. Some of our pictures show the old buildings and a church that was right across the street from our hotel. Andrew would have liked to tour the Guinness distilleries, but we were unable to find it. The next morning we woke at 4:15 a.m. and flew out at 7:15. Sherrie, the chef of Magic Days, picked us up from the Malta airport at noon. We lost another hour making the time difference 7 hours ahead of Central time. The boat is a little bit smaller than we are used to and the swell from the ocean has created quite a rock to the boat (good for sleeping, not on the head and stomach). Bethany got a little sea sick but a few hours later she feels a lot better. Although we haven't left the dock yet, Malta seems like a very historic country and still has many dis-trot buildings from World War Two. We took some pictures from the Grand Harbor Marina, at which we are staying at. We hope to get some sight seeing in tomorrow. Even though the country has its own language for the most part everyone speaks English. That's it for now!