2012 - Rose Parade, Bermuda, Greece

********ROSE PARADE - January 2012********

Queen Mary

Eileen on deck enjoying the view.

New Years Eve

Float Creation Barn

Reagan Library

Catalina Island

Escorting the folks around the island.

A few floats in the parade.

Sunset in Long Beach.

Day after float display.

The floks on their way back to the bus.

A visit to Hollywood.

********* BERMUDA May 2012 ********

Leaving New York.

Arriving in Bermuda.

The white roofs of Bermuda. Used as water collection systems.

Old people on board.

Shuffleboard Losers.

Fun and games on board.

Fine dining for the entire family.

Nothing but chocolate.

The port in Bermuda.

Example of the rain water collection system.

*************TURKEY and GREECE***************

ISTANBUL

TOPKAPI Palace

Bosphorus Strait

Hagia Sophia

A stop for lunch.

A bazaar in Istanbul.

EPHESUS

PATMOS

"Abandon Ship !!!!"

Monastary of St. John. No photos in cave where St. John wrote Revelations.

Always plenty of OUZO !!

The ARATHUSA. Our home for seven nights.

SANTORINI

Probably the most photographed island in the world.

A local winery.... emptied all the glasses !

One of the many restaurants on Santorini.

Another way to enjoy the Greek Islands.

Looks like snow but really all the homes on a part of Santorini.

NAXOS

A 2,000 year old statue uncovered by local farmers.

Swimming in the Aegean Sea was the best !

A home hosted dinner.

DELOS

This island was just the site of the ancient city. No tourism.

MYKENOS

The island of the rich and famous. Most popular with tourists.

SYROS

The center of the local government for the Cyclades group of Greek Islands.

First Officer (blue) and Head Chef (female) selecting dinner.

Inside one of the many churches.

Four smiling travelers in front of Parliament Building

Local Entertainment.

"Not so local" entertainment !!

AEGINA

Amazingly Eileen met with two other Unitarians in our group.

Another beautiful seaside location.

Pistachio trees....

Sunset on the Aegean.....

ACROPOLIS

Actually still doing excavations under the Acropolis Museum.

Lunch stop in the Greek mountains.

DELPHI

A beautiful indoor-outdoor pool facing the mountains.

A local taverrna near Delphi.

TEMPLE of ATHENA

PLAIN of THESSALY (THERMOPYLAE)

MONASTARIES OF METEORA

The cliffs facing our hotel had monastaries built on the top of them.

One of the most spectacular sites on the trip.

This was Brother John. He is 93 years old !!!
He walked up almost every climb on the trip as you can see by the next picture.

This was anther home hosted dinner.

The base of the mountain forms the living room wall of the house.

Our tour guide Katia was just the best.

And Eileen and I think she really looks like Rachel.