I know that only 78% of our visitors are Americans, but I would suggest that anyone who values self determination, freedom and universal human rights should join us in celebrating America’s founding. As a nation and people we have often stumbled and faltered but as a goal this nation has always aspired to live up to the promise of that document signed on July 4th, 1776. Happy Independenc Day!
Join us as we visit historic treasures, natural wonders and vibrant cities set against backdrops that are endlessly changing and visually magnificent.
Grenada is a Caribbean country that’s been dubbed the “Spice Isle”. This hilly island is famous for its numerous nutmeg plantations that make it one of the worlds major suppliers. The capital, St. George’s, features colorful homes, Georgian architecture and the early-18th-century Fort George standing watch over a narrow harbor.
It was also the site of an American invasion in the 80’s to remove a Cuban supported coup that had taken control of the island’ nations government.
Join us as we visit historic treasures, natural wonders and vibrant cities set against backdrops that are endlessly changing and visually magnificent.
Fall in the northern hemisphere is springtime in Antarctica and a number of cruise companies are posting new Antarctic cruise offerings. If you enjoy cruising, if you are looking for more exotic destinations, this is a cruise not to miss!
It still seems hard to believe but we can now visit Antarctica on a cruise. Each year thousands of passengers now stand in awe as the snow and ice covered mountains of Antarctica slide by while whales and penguins break the water all around their ship.
Antarctic Itineraries – The major cruise companies offer cruises to Antarctica with Buenos Aries being a favorite departure port. You can find itineraries that include several ports of call in South America like Montevideo, Porto Madryn, the Falkland Islands and Ushuaia, Argentina. Most large cruise ships going to Antarctica will sail into the peninsula region of Antarctica spending a day in Paradise Bay, along with a cruise around the famous Elephant Island.
Porto Madryn is specially noted for wildlife viewing (it’s the place where Orcas are known to chase seals up on the beach) and the Falklands are a major breeding ground for sea lions and six species of penguins. Ushuaia is a fast growing city that sits at the entrance to Tierra del Fuego and the end of the world with incredible wildlife watching found in the nearby Beagle Channel.
Ships bound for Antarctica docked at Ushuaia
Visiting Antartica is controlled by an international association setting rules for private tour operators. It seems that eight countries have made territorial claims in Antarctica and no country recognizes the claim of any other country. That leaves it very unclear what authority is in charge of the continent. As world travel and exotic destinations grew in popularity more and more businesses realized there was a serious opportunity for Antarctic tourism. This has left the Antarctic tourism industry largely self-regulated but they’re working hard at being responsible. The International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) was founded in 1991 by seven companies growing to around a hundred members today.
Elephant Island
*Under existing IAATO rules, only ships carrying fewer than 500 passengers are allowed to make landings at approved sites and only 100 people allowed ashore at a time and must be accompanied by certified guides with a ratio of 1:20. They must not bring food ashore or leave anything behind or take anything back.
An expedition ship docked in Ushuaia next to a large cruise ship
There are also hundreds of smaller expedition boats that can actually take visitors ashore to walk on the ice sheets and visit penguin colonies but be warned, they are usually expensive. The most popular departure port for the smaller expedition ships is Ushuaia, Argentina.
As an example of an average small boat expedition cruise, consider “Journey to Antarctica” for 12 days from $15,840 per person sponsored by National Geographic.
Currently there are several cruise ships that regularly cruise to Antarctica mostly in January and February, the Southern Hemisphere’s Summer. Pictured below is a recent itinerary offered by Celebrity Cruises.
It’s time to explore those Antarctic options and get ready for the cruise of your life!
Cruising Antarctica is the newest experience for travelers. Sailing on luxury ocean liners or smaller expedition boats it is an experience not to be missed.
The port of Victoria, Canada is located on Vancouver Island in southwest Canada. Victoria is a popular cruise port of call on many Alaska itineraries partly because it’s located not far from the city of Vancouver. It is a beautiful city with a number of things to see and do and is only a short ferry ride or plane trip away from the city of Vancouver.
Where Your Ship Docks
Most cruise ships now dock at the cities port facilities within walking distance of downtown. There is a terminal with public facilities and taxis are usually available. The walk is only six to ten blocks.
Wheelchair Accessibility
Disembarking – This port has a developed cruise ship pier but the ease of disembarking varies by the individual ships gangway designs. The pier features a terminal but disembarking for passengers using wheelchairs will find a moderate ramp incline to deal with.
Port City Characteristics – This port has a well developed wheelchair friendly infrastructure. The port area is flat or has few inclines. Intersection crosswalks have few issues with curbs or other wheelchair obstacles.
Transportation
Taxis are readily available and local bus service is provided by the Victoria Regional Transit System, a fleet of modern single and double-decker buses that offer frequent service to Victoria BC’s main attractions. LINK HERE. Buses accept Canadian currency but do not offer change.
Typical options for bus fares include: Cash Fare: C$2.50 Single boarding only – No Transfers. Drivers do not carry change. 10 Tickets: C$22.50 DayPass C$5.00 and are only available on buses. Again drivers do not carry change. There are also water taxis and float planes available on the cities waterfront.
Ferry Terminals
Vancouver Island is connected by a regional ferry service with frequent service to the city of Vancouver. Unfortunately the ferry terminals serving Vancouver and other areas are located almost an hour out of Victoria.
For Canadians and visitors there is also a bus service to Canada Place in Vancouver. The buses originate in downtown Victoria, and using the ferries take passengers directly to the Vancouver cruise terminal
Money
The local currency is the Canadian Dollar and unlike the cities in the east of Canada, US Dollars are not generally accepted. If they do take the US Dollar expect them to charge an additional amount in addition to current exchange rates. Most credit cards are welcome and ATMs are common.
Attractions
Butchart Gardens
The Butchart Gardens – Located in Brentwood Bay, near Victoria. The gardens receive over a million visitors each year. The gardens have been designated a National Historic Site for Canada.
Chinatown – It is the oldest Chinatown in Canada and the second oldest in North America after San Francisco’s. Victoria’s Chinatown had its beginnings in the mid-nineteenth century in the mass influx of miners from California to what is now British Columbia in 1858. It remains an active place and continues to be popular with residents and visitors.
BC Museum – Founded in 1886, the Royal British Columbia Museum consists of The Province of British Columbia’s natural and human history museum as well as the British Columbia Provincial Archives.
The Victoria Bug Zoo – This unique facility is a two-room minizoo that is located in downtown Victoria, just one block north of the Fairmont Empress Hotel.
Victoria is also home to several architectural landmarks and parks of note and offers a number of great pubs and cafes.
Wine Country
Victoria Island vineyards
Vancouver Island is now home to a very good and growing number of vineyards with a number of wine country tours available. Winemaking began on Vancouver Island in the 1920s, with fruit wine, honey wine (mead) and still and sparkling wine from grapes. A government research project in the 1980s, tasked with identifying grape varietals that could thrive in the maritime climate, that really fueled Vancouver Island’s modern wineries. Today the Island boasts around thirty wineries, from the Comox Valley on the northeast coast down to Sooke, near the southern tip.
A popular port of call on Alaska cruises, Victoria is located on Vancouver Island and features great gardens, nearby wine country, and much to see in its own right.
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A cruise port off the Adriatic Sea that’s gaining in popularity recently as much for the historic old city as for the incredible scenery.
Port of CallKotor, Montenegro
The old port of Kotor is ringed by steep limestone mountains and surrounded by fortifications built from the Roman era to the Venetian period. It is located on the Bay of Kotor deep inland from the Adriatic Sea. The bay is actually a ria, which is a filled-in river canyon. Together with picturesque towns, the nearly shear limestone cliffs of the mountains of Orjen and Lovćen, Kotor provides an impressive landscape. The current population of Kotor is under 15,000.
Where Your Ship Docks – There aren’t docking facilities that can accommodate large cruise ships so this is mostly a tender port. The tender pier is located just outside the old city providing a tourist information office and public facilities.
Transportation – Aside from the old city and the nearby town this is a reasonably isolated area hemmed in by steep mountains with its back to the bay. There are some tour buses that originate at the pier when ships are in. The old city is very walkable and if you are up for a hike there are trails up the mountain behind the city to the churches and fortifications.
Currency – The currency in Montenegro since 2002 is the Euro. One can exchange currency in banks or in numerous exchange offices and other currencies are no usually accepted in shops. Credit cards are welcome and there are some ATM’s.
In recent years Kotor has seen an explosion in tourists, with a majority coming by cruise ship. The cruising industry has greatly expanded in the Mediterranean recently requiring an expanded offering of port destinations. Kotor is the newest beneficiary offering the mild environment of the Gulf of Kotor, the spectacular natural scenery and the history of the old town.
The oldest known building in Montenegro is an early Christian basilica, dating from the 6th century, based on archaeological evidence, it was uncovered under the Church of Our Lady of Remedy.
Kotor is part of the World Heritage Site named the Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor. The fortified city of Kotor was also included in UNESCO’s World Heritage Site list as part of “the Venetian Works of Defence between 15th and 17th centuries”.
Roman Era
The town was first mentioned in Roman writings around 168 BC, and was known as Acruvium, (Ancient Greek: Ἀσκρήβιον) and was part of the Roman province of Dalmatia.
The town has been fortified since the Middle Ages, when Emperor Justinian erected a fortress above Ascrivium in 535 AD, after expelling the Ostrogoths. Ascrivium was later sacked by the Saracens in 840 AD. It was fortified with walls and castle near the peak of Saint Ivan by Constantine VII in 10th century. It was one of the more influential Dalmatian city-states throughout the early Middle Ages. The city was part of Byzantine Dalmatia in that period, and the modern name of Kotor probably originated from its Byzantine name.
Our Lady of the Rocks
Located out in the Bay of Kotor, Our Lady of the Rocks sits on a manmade islet. According to legend, the islet was made over the centuries by local Croatian seamen who kept an ancient oath after finding the icon of Madonna and Child on the rock in the sea on July 22, 1452. Upon returning from each successful voyage, they laid a rock in the Bay. Over time, the islet gradually emerged from the sea.
Another church sitting far above the old town is the Lady of Remedy, along with the Byzantine Fort St. Ivan and the Chapel of St. John. The Lady of Remedy is a Roman Catholic church belonging to the Catholic Diocese of Kotor and dates from 1518. The church is perched on the steep slope of the St. John Mountain with a commanding view of the Old Town below.
If you are in good shape you should consider taking the hike up the mountain over the stairs and trail cut into the rock of the mountain. The road (walking path) ascends from behind the Church of St. Mary Collegiate in the back of the old town.
Wines of Montenegro
In Montenegro, grapes were grown over two thousands years ago and later the Romans brought wine making knowhow to the region. With a perfect climate for vineyards, wine making has flourished in the region with two varietals of special note– dark “Vranac” and bright “Krsta”. These wines carry the names of these grapes.
The Danube flows through a magnificent gorge known as the Iron Gates separating Romania and Serbia. At the beginning of this century an interesting feature was added . The rock sculpture of Decebalus, a colossal carving of the face of the last king of Dacia (AD 87–106), who fought the Roman emperors Domitian and Trajan to preserve the independence of his kingdom that was located in present-day Romania.
The sculpture is located near the city of Orșova, in Mehedinți County. It was carved between 1994 and 2004, on a rock outcrop on the river Danube, inside the Iron Gates. It is the tallest rock relief sculpture in Europe, at 180 feet in height and 82 feet in width.
It was commissioned by Romanian businessman Iosif Constantin Drăgan and it took 10 years for twelve sculptors to complete. Under the face of Decebalus there is a Latin inscription which reads “DECEBALUS REX—DRAGAN FECIT” (“King Decebalus—Made by Drăgan”).
The carving was placed opposite an ancient memorial plaque, carved in the rock on the Serbian side of the river facing Romania. The plaque, known as the Tabula Traiana, records the completion of Trajan’s military road along the Danube commemorating the final defeat of Decebalus by Trajan in 105 AD.
Join us as we visit historic treasures, natural wonders and vibrant cities set against backdrops that are endlessly changing and visually magnificent.
The Intentional Travelers 