Cruise to Halifax, Canda. June 23 - 27, 2026.

Background

Anne and I were part of the Cornell Chinese Bible Study Group (CBSG) during our years in Ithaca, NY in the 1970s.  Over the nine years of my being at Cornell (8 for Anne) we had come to know many other Chinese Americans; some are older than us, some are younger.  For this cruise the oldest got his/her first degree around 1970, and the youngest around 1979.

Over the years we have kept in touch.  There is a Northeast contingent that meets regularly (well, a couple of times a year), and a West coast contingent as well.  We had two prior reunions, one in 2007 - a cruise from LA area to Mexico, one in 2009 from NYC to St. John, New Brunswick.  It took 17 years for this third one to be organized.

Cruise Specifics

For this 2026 cruise, five couples flew in from the West coast, one couple form Toronto, and one individual from Hong Kong.  Altogether 36 people attended.  (I may be miscounting here and there.)

The cruise ship itinerary was simple: start Tuesday night, arrive Halifax Thursday morning, spend the day in Halifax, and return that evening to arrive at Bayonne Saturday morning.  Two full at-sea days.

We only had a few scheduled activities, Bible studies lead by two of the cruisers, and one session on health.  However, between reminiscing over old photos and general catching up we had little "free time."

To get to and from the Cape Liberty Cruise Terminal, we enlisted a couple of private cars.

While we were on a large passenger ship, that we had calm sailing was not a given.  Weather was great throughout the trip, except for some light rain during our first full day at sea.

Ship Review

Royal Caribbean Independence of the Seas was built in 2008, and refurbished in 2018.  If refurbishment is on a ten-year cycle, that would mean we are a couple of years from the next one.  While the ship shows her age, she remains highly functional, and was in great condition.

Our stateroom on the 9th deck has a balcony, and is quite roomy compared to some other cruise ships we were on recently (Disney Alaska Cruise and a couple of European River Cruises come to mind).  Considering how little time we spent in the room, even less on the balcony, I wonder if an inside stateroom, or one with portholes, wouldn't be sufficient.

A few words on the cruise ship experience.  Staff on cruise ships are always friendly, and generally know what they are doing (getting food orders correct, and the staterooms clean are prime examples), so there are no issues there.

The ship gave us a conference room that we could use for most of the cruise, which was much appreciated.  Only drawback was no food and drink were allowed.  (I suppose we could always order coffee and snack service from them.)  One result is we spent a lot of time at the Windjammers Restaurant.  It closed at 9 pm, so we had to break up by then (the last night was an exception, we were there until around 10 pm).  While there was no more food offering, we could still get coffee and tea.

Food quality on cruise ships seems to have declined considerably over the last few decades, even though as I get older I am less picky about food.  From the first evening meal on, "Sizzler" kept coming to mind.  Indeed Sizzler steaks are generally thicker than what the cruise ship offered; so "medium rare" is a concept that was seldom achieved.  Menu selections at the dining room were also limited.  I found that surprising as I thought a ship with 4,000 passengers would be able to offer more variety.  In that regard Windjammer offered a much broader variety, but that meant looking for a table during rush hour.

Some sort of entertainment is offered every evening.  We went only for a playing card show.  It was pretty impressive; the pace could be a bit faster, though.

Halifax, NS.  Anne and I drove from NJ to Nova Scotia back in 1980, when she was pregnant with our first child.  We stopped by several cities in the province, including Halifax.  What is more memorable was Peggy's Cove, and the lighthouse.  Today's Peggy's Cove is very touristy, with several shops and eateries.  The walk to the lighthouse looked treacherous enough that I decided not to walk there; instead we went to the actual Cove for which the town is named.  Our tour guide told us that the population in the winter is 29.

Given the population of Canada (about 40 million) and Nova Scotia (about 1 million), I was surprised that Halifax has over 500,000 residents.  Today was a nice day, and the drive through town was very pleasant.  Given its location next to the ocean, and the gulf stream, the weather generally isn't as harsh as one would expect.  We decided not to explore the city further, again in large part due to my back problems.

Overall.  The friendship and camaraderie fostered by the group in the 1970s remain as strong as ever.  Even though some had not seen each other for 17 (or more) years, we talked with each other without skipping a beat.  We lost a few from the 2009/2007 cruises, which makes the reunion even more precious.  There is talk we will do it again in a couple of years.  It would be nice if we could pull it off.

Below I post some of the photos taken during the trip (some are taken from the shared drive set up for photo uploads).

After (formal) dinner on June 24.

The group spent a lot of time hanging out in the Windjammer Restaurant.

The "older" group.  (Well, the younger group is approaching 70.)

The actual Peggy's Cove.

Peggy's Cove Lighthouse.

If one looks closely, on Anne's right is a puffin with spinning wings.

St. John's Anglican Church in Peggy's Cove.

More time spent in the Windjammer.  This was the last evening.

George came by to pick up Ka Shi for a tour of the Princeton area.

We met up at PF Chang in Princeton for dinner.  Ka Shi stayed at our house until 10 pm, to be picked up to go to JFK for her flight back to Hong Kong.

New England. June 15-20, 2026.

A non-profit we have been supporting for many years is hosting a lunch in Boston, so we take that as an excuse to spend a few days in the area (we have been doing that in the early summer on-and-off for many years).  We can also attend the Sunday service at the Quincy church before we return to NJ.

Car rentals were very expensive (over $1000 for a week) when I first looked.  Eventually the price dropped to about $700, by that time the plane ticket prices have gone up considerably.  So we decided to save money by driving; we have only done this once or twice since COVID.  This price surge and volatility are probably due to the World Cup.  A few matches will take place in Foxborough, everything associated with these events are expensive.

Monday 6/15/2026.  As with the last time we drove to the area we broke up the drive by stopping in the Hartford area.  This time we decided it would be Providence, Rhode Island.

We didn't leave until around 11 am, so by the time we got to the New Haven area we were ready to stop at Pepe's for pizza.  A small (12") Calabrese Pizza costs $18.25.  The ingredient list is long: tomatoes, sausage, pepperoni, chilies, and pecorino romano cheese.  In reality it was like sausage pepperoni with chilies and tomatoes.  Still quite good though.  We took the pizza to Long Wharf Drive, by the Amistad memorial, and ate there.  Meanwhile, a few ospreys were hovering over the water to try to catch dinner.

Both Sally's and Pepe's were busy at around 4:30 pm in the afternoon.

After checking into the hotel, we went to a random place along the Providence River.  It was the Salter Grove Memorial Park.  What was interesting was one could walk from the shore to a small island at low tide, but would have to wade (perhaps 2' deep) when the tide is high.  People were doing that.  We were there at around 7:45 pm, high tide for the day was around 9 pm, so still a bit to go.  Indeed the path we took was beginning to flood we we started back to the car.

View from Long Wharf Park, where we ate the pizza.

Accommodation.  Courtyard Providence Warwick, RI (1 night).

Tuesday 6/16/2026.  Newport is about 45 minutes away.  We drove there and walked around town.  This is early in the summer season, but things are starting to get busy.

Smuggler's Waterfront Bar, however, was very quiet.  We ordered fish & chips and fried shrimp for lunch while we debated if we wanted to get on the "hop on/off" boat.  It takes longer than an hour to complete the loop, so we decided against it.

Many many years ago our nephew Larry studied at St. George's School.  We attended his graduation.  We drove by this time (located on Purgatory Drive).  It has a huge campus.

We will be staying in Portsmouth for 2 nights.  For this trip we won't be venturing beyond South Maine, so Portsmouth seems a reasonable place to stay.  Also, Visa Chase Sapphire Reserve offers a rebate for 2 night stays at Holiday Inn (and other IHG properties), so I wanted to take advantage of that.

The Jamestown Verrazano Bridge crosses the Narraganset Bay.

Newport Harbor is a large harbor.

Fried shrimp and Fish & Chips at Smuggler's Waterfront Bar.

Our nephew graduated from St. George's.  We attended his graduation.

Accommodations.  Holiday Inn Portsmouth, NH (2 nights).

Wednesday 6/17/2026.  Sunapee Lake or Sunapee Harbor gets mentioned a lot in the travel brochures given out at Welcome Centers along the highways.  Our guess is it is akin to Winnipesaukee, and one would be right; other than Sunapee is much smaller than Winnipesaukee, and much quieter.  As far as I know, there are no large towns that line the lake, although we saw only a small part of it from our short visit to Sunapee Harbor.  (And I later found out Lake W is actually closer.)

It took about 90 minutes to drive to Sunapee, and we basically sat at the harbor enjoying then nice cool day, and admire at how people launch and retrieve their boats.  There was an inspector who checked boats going in and out of the water to make sure they didn't end up harboring foreign invasive plants and animals.  He also pointed out to a nearby building where the LSPA (Lake Sunapee Protective Association) offices are, and suggested that we take a lot at the displays.  The building looks quite impressive, although I must say I didn't learn a lot about the science and ecology of what they are dealing with.  They do have brochures talking about how to maintain septic tanks properly to protect the water supply.  I thought better of asking if that is indeed a problem.

Many years/decades ago, I read quite often from financial planning magazines that Portsmouth NH was one of the best towns to live in America.  That level of praise seems to have fallen off.  Enquiries to AI still affirm that is the case.  There is ample reason to agree with that sentiment, if our stroll this afternoon in town was any indication.  Of course today was sunny and pleasant, winters here must have a fair share of brutal weather.  Reasonable looking condos sell around $1.5M, per Zillow.

We visited the waterfront with a beautifully maintained garden, and walked around downtown a bit on our way to have dinner at Thai Bistro 5.

Sunapee Harbor.  There were a few boats being launched and retrieved at the boat ramp (left of photo).

It was a pleasant day.

One of the boats that can take guests for a ride on the lake.

People in this area take their water quality very seriously.

A well-maintained garden in Prescott Park along the Portsmouth waterfront.

Thursday 6/18/2026.  It's a 2-hour drive from Portsmouth NH to Boothbay Harbor, and that's what we did today.  Boothbay Lobster Wharf was quiet today because of rain.  We ordered the 3-soft shell-lobster package (about $40).  Anne wanted to go back to Bakers Way to buy some pastries - and to chat with the Vietnamese folks who work there.  We then drove to Damariscotta to take in the view of the harbor.  We saw an osprey and bald eagle fighting (probably over food, and interestingly a few smaller birds were in the mix).

Larry the Lobster claims to be the world's largest inflatable lobster.  It's 12' high and weighs over 700 pounds.

The ones we ate were considerably smaller.  At Boothbay Lobster Wharf.

On the way to and from Boothbay Harbor we passed by Red's Eats.  The lines were long.

We had dinner at an Asian Restaurant in Yarmouth after we checked into the hotel.

Accommodation.  Springhill Suites Freeport Brunswick.  (1 night)

Friday 6/19/2026.  We have visited Fort Williams Park and (the much better known) Portland Head Lighthouse on several occasions.  Since Portland is on the way back to Boston, we decided to give it another go.  It was a nice day, in fact the strong breeze made it a bit cool.  We got there at around 12:15 pm, things were still  quiet.  Bite of Maine, a lobster roll truck, has been a fixture at the park since our first visit (perhaps 15 years ago?).  I forget how much a lobster roll cost then, but today a 6" one set us back $41.  So we balanced the purchase with a grilled cheese sandwich that was $5.  Still made for a nice lunch.

We shared a 6" lobster roll and a grilled cheese sandwich at Bite into Maine.

We decided to walk around the lighthouse.

The Ram Island Ledge Light Station.  I don't recall noticing it before.  (In checking over the blog, there is another Ram Island Light further up the coast, just outside of Boothbay Harbor.)

These are most likely eider ducks.  Quite a few ducklings around the area today.

Google Maps told me it would take a bit over 3 hours to get to Somerville.  I had thought the trip should be shorter than that, but didn't think about it.  Along the way Anne looked at her phone, it showed the same routing as mine, but also had an alternate route that would take an hour less.  No idea why Google did that, and we couldn't get it to recommend such an asinine route again.  Rather than taking I95 all the way to where it connects with I93, Google did suggest we take Route 1 instead; that was a good suggestion.

 

We got to Putnam at around 4:45 pm, no one was home.  We did a load of laundry, and ordered some Ramen from Assembly Square for the two of us and Emmie when she returned from her soccer match.  I left Putnam at around 6:45 pm to go to Ember, and Anne stayed behind to wait for Emmie (that was the plan).

We met up at the hotel at around 9:30 pm for check in.  (Joe P drove Anne to the hotel.)

Accommodations: Marriott Quincy.  (2 nights)

Saturday 6/20/2026.  We had a bit of time before the celebratory lunch for ACCESS friends and supporters, so we drove to Granite Links to take in the view.  This golf club in Quincy has a great view of the Boston skyline.  It was very busy on a pleasant Saturday.

About 40 or so people were at the ACCESS lunch.  Some have been faithful supporters since the early days of the organization over 30 years ago.

Dinner was at Outback.

Granite Links provides a great view of the Boston skyline (not very visible in this photo).

Lunch with ACCESS friends and supporters at Joyful Garden.

On our way to Outback at Assembly Square.

Sunday 6/21/2026.  We attended the Sunday Service at Ember Community Church.  As the pastor was getting ready to preach, some lady had a fainting episode.  She was attended to immediately as there are a couple of nurses in the congregation.  She was still (mostly) unconscious when the ambulance drove her away.  She eventually made a full recovery, and was discharged the next day.  I was quite impressed with how everyone remained calm, and people handled the incidence as well as could be expected.  One of the nurses accompanied her to the hospital, stayed with her until the family showed up.

That meant we had a short service.

Today was Fathers' Day, and the church prepared lunch to mark the event.

We started our drive back to NJ around 4 pm.  Traffic was unexpectedly light, and we got home before it got completely dark (at 9:18 pm, per Google Timeline).

Italy and Germany. May 20 - June 1, 2026.

The anchor for this trip is Wagner's Ring Cycle at Deutsche Oper Berlin.  We actually bought our tickets in January, 2025 when they first became available.  For the two "off" days of the cycle, we also managed to get concerts tickets for Berlin Philharmonic and Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin.

Anne is eager to visit the Dolomites, so we will travel to Venice and take a one-day tour from that city.  Venice should be nice to visit anyway; we were there more than 20 years ago.

Chung Shu will be joining us.  He will extend his trip to include a visit to Amsterdam.

In front of Deutsche Oper Berlin for the conclusion of Wagner's Ring Cycle.

Wednesday 5/20/2026.  May is too early for a thunderstorm, but that's what we encountered today.  As with my last major delay, the day started off nice enough, but it was warm enough that weather became problematic just as we were ready to board.  Actually we boarded, and were asked to deplane.  We boarded again at around 8:30 pm, and then waited, and waited, and waited.  The plane started moving at 11 pm, and somehow managed to move pretty fast as wheels up was 11:35 pm.  A five hour delay, so didn't quite break my previous record.  One good thing was that the pilot tried to keep the passengers posted.

Oh, our initial delay (from a 6:35 pm departure to a 7 pm departure) was due to a maintenance issue.  United substituted another plane, but that plane wouldn't be available until past the scheduled departure time.  I wonder if we would have gotten ahead of the thunderstorm if that first delay had not happened.

Our seats were in coach, so we didn't get much sleep on the way to Venice.

It started innocently enough.  But UA170 didn't take off until 11:35 pm.

Thursday 5/21/2026.  Since our scheduled arrival was going to be early Thursday morning, we were making plans as to what we could do as hotel probably wouldn't let us check in early.  The delay meant we wouldn't have that problem any more.

Transportation seems very expensive in the Venice area.  A car ride from the airport to the hotel takes less than 20 minutes, but costs 72 euros.  (There is no X option, our Uber Black was a Tesla Y.)  Our hotel is located on Tronchetto, a man-made island acting as gateway to Venice.  It turns out to be quite convenient, and comfortable.  One could opt for a hotel in the city itself, but the logistics would be more complicated.  Since there are no cars on the main islands, one will have to haul luggage, possibly across multiple bridges.

The water ferry (called Vaporetto) terminal is a short walk from our hotel.  A 7-day ticket costs 65 euros, so we opted for that.  Since a single ride costs 9.5 euros, it's not a difficult decision to make.

Our first stop on the Vaporetto was at Rialto.  The Rialto bridge, first built in 1173, is the oldest of the four bridges that span the Grand Canal.  Naturally it's been rebuilt and modified multiple times since then.  We decided to do the tourist thing and ate at one of the restaurants next to the Grand Canal.  (Restaurant named Caffe Saraceno.)  We didn't realize it at the time, most pasta dishes are seafood, predominantly shrimp, clams, and mussels.  And food prices are generally quite reasonable.  Even at a tourist trap, the bill for 3 people came to around 150 euros.

After dinner we continued on the Vaporetto to San Marco Square and walked around a bit.  To our horror Line 2 stopped running.  We bought tickets for another boat company, but the boat(s) never showed up.  When we asked the ferries that showed up where we were waiting, the crew kept saying they were getting off work, and the next boat would be the right one.  That unhelpful attitude would end up being quite common during our stay.  We have been to a few other Italian cities before, but never felt this level of hostility (just a slight exaggeration) from people in those cities.

We eventually walked back to Rialto and took the ferry there to go back to the hotel.  We walked through some narrow alleys, and it was a pleasant experience.

After a couple of days we decided we just didn't know how to read the schedule properly.  At major stops there are different terminals, and different lines would stop at different directions.  Line 2 stops being a "loop" after 8 pm, but we could have caught another boat to Rialto and connect to Tronchetto from there.  At least that's what we think.

My back has been acting up for a while now.  So we have to be strategic about our forays so I don't end up standing still for too long.  Anne also tried to get a seat for me on these ferries.  They do reserve seats to the handicapped and those over 70 years old.

Note: we were planning on taking a gondola ride, but decided we don't need that perspective after having ridden so many Vaporetto trips.

A website we use displays a schedule like this.  It seems straightforward enough to read, but we had considerable trouble until I started using the CheBateo APP advertised in the hotel.

We rode the Vaporetto everywhere.  A gondola ride probably wouldn't provide a better view, so we skipped it.

A case could be made that some houses along the canal (Grand Canal in this photo) are slightly tilted.  One sees tilted houses along Amsterdam's canals also.

In front of the Rialto Bridge.

At the top of the Rialto Bridge.

Dining by the Grand Canal.  Seafood (different kinds) pasta is popular in Venice.

After dinner we took the Vaporetto to stroll around San Marco Piazza for a few minutes.

Indeed things look quite different at night.

Accommodations.  Hampton by Hilton on Tronchetto.  (4 nights)

Friday 5/22/2026.  Today was Dolomites day.  Anne visited this area when she was a teenager, and really wanted to take another look.  The proper way to "see" the Dolomites is to spend a few days in the area, experiencing the mountains, lakes, hike a few trails, and perhaps take a gondola into the mountains.  (People also bike, but not us :)  What we did instead was to do one of the many day-trips from Venice.

For the 10-hour trip (8 am to 6 pm, roughly) we would visit three places: Cortina d'Ampezzo, Lake Misurina, and Lago di Santa Caterina.  Well, we would also stop by a rest stop (twice) from where we could get a good view of the mountains.

Cortina will be one of the cities that host the upcoming Winter Olympics.  It's a 2 1/2 hour drive from Venice.  The city offers great views of the mountains that surround the valley, and looks like a well-tended to small town.  Lake Misurina is one of the many better-known lakes in the region (at least it's popular for tour groups); it is surprisingly small, and very quiet, probably because the summer season is not in full swing yet.  The third stop, Lago di Auronzo (di Santa Caterina on Google Maps), is a bit puzzling.  It doesn't offer particularly spectacular views.  The lake is dammed at one end with a water cascade running down one end.

Perhaps one should not expect to see much of the Dolomites in one day, especially since it takes a while to get from one place to the other; nonetheless, it was somewhat of a disappointment.  I blame this on expectations and lack of full disclosure.  The tour, run by Bea Vita Tours, and booked through Viator, is titled "From Venice: The Best of the Dolomites Mountains Day Trip."  A bit of an oversell, perhaps.  Also, it was suggested that we have lunch at Lake Misurina, which was fine, but that would mean we only had time to do a 15-minute walk along the lake.  I would have made a different choice had I been warned that it's either lunch or scenery.

For dinner we walked to the B&B Hotel next to the Hampton.  It has a good view of the sunset.  After dinner Anne and I decided to take in more night views of the city.

This area has a heavy German flavor to it.  This house reminds me of ones seen in Bavaria.

Cortina.  Surrounded by mountains.  Per Google, the mountain massif in the background is the Pomagagnon. 

Basilica Minore dei Santi Filippo e Giacomo.

Lake Misurina with Sorapiss Massif in the background.  There is a story regarding the father/daughter for whom the mountain and the lake are named; it has something to do with Misurina's death and her father Sorapiss's tears forming the lake.

We didn't have much time after having lunch at Mira Lago (Lake View).

Tre Cime (? only two peaks can be seen in this photo).

Lake Santa Caterina in town of Auronzo.

The tour bus stopped at this shop at the beginning and the end of the trip.  I had a scoop of hazelnut ice cream on the way back to Venice.

Fish & Chips and pizza at the B&B Hotel.

Ponte della Costituzione is a pedestrian bridge.

Still quite a few people out and about at 9:45 pm.

Saturday 5/23/2026.  Th morning was spent in San Marco Square where we bought tickets to visit the Doge Palace and Basilica San Marco.  The latter turns out to be a combination ticket for the basilica, the museum Loggia Cavalli (horses' lodge), and Pala d'Oro (Golden Panel).  Each has its unique history which I won't go too deeply in this blog entry.

The Doge Palace was first built in 810, rebuilt in 1340, modified and extended over the centuries.  It became a museum in 1923. Doges governed Venice for 1100 years (697 to 1797AD).  Since there were 120 in all, each governed for less than 10 years on average.  Except for the last one, doges served for life.  A prison was built across a canal (Rio di Palazzo) from the Palace in 1600, and a bridge links the two places.  People condemned to prison were taken from the Palace to the prison over a bridge named the "Bridge of Sighs."  We walked over to the prison and saw some of the prison cells.  The cells looked spacious, but I can imagine the conditions when many prisoners were housed together.

The current basilica was consecrated in 1094, the third church to be built on the site.  The first impression as one walks in would be dark, and lots of gold - paint and mosaics.  The nave is surprising small (well, it started as someone's private chapel).  Inside there are these four horses brought back from Constantinople by the Venetian crusaders in 1204.  They may date back to the period 4th century BC to 2nd century AD, and are made of nearly pure copper (not bronze); at some point they were on top of the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel Quadriga (not that Arc de Triomphe) in Paris after Napoleon's conquest of Venice.  For a 2000-year old piece of art they are in remarkably good shape.

The other noteworthy exhibit inside the basilica is the Golden Panel.  People were crowding around it to look at details and to take pictures, so I managed only to take a couple of photos from some distance.  It also has a story dating back to 976 (Byzantine period).

My back pain prevented me from spending too much time studying and viewing the exhibits.  One could also argue all churches have their specific features, and not getting them would be okay since that would mean remembering too many details.  I do wish I had looked for the relics of St. Mark, though.

Between the Palace and Basilica visits we had lunch at a nearby restaurant.

I had to rest in the afternoon.  For dinner Anne and I took the ferry to Ferrovia and ate at an Asian restaurant.

Chung Shu, meanwhile, visited Accademia.  He had to walk back to the hotel, and some seagull stole his slice of pizza along the way.

View of San Marco from the south.  One can see the domes (5) of the basilica.  The large structure in front is the Doge's Palace, and the building to its right is the prison.  The two are connected by the Bridge of Sighs.  Notice the Moorish influence in the design of the buildings, including the Doge's Palace.

Ponte dei Sospiri.  One gets only a limited view of the outside from inside the enclosed bridge.

View from Bridge of Sighs.  Looking towards the Giudecca Canal.

Courtyard.

The (self-guided) tour takes the visitor through the many different functions rooms of the palace.  This is the Grand Council Hall, where up to 2000 people gathered.

St. Mark and John the Baptist with Madonna and Child.  Of course John the Baptist was born about 6 months before Jesus.  And Doge Leonardo Loredan somehow managed to insert himself into the painting.

A lot of gold.

These (Gregorian?) chants are on large sheets so they can be shared among those singing.

This quadriga was taken from the Hippodrome (Constantinople) by the Crusaders.

Replicas of the horses guard the entrance to the basilica.

The crowd around the Golden Panel made it difficult to study closely.

For dinner we went to Oppa Ristorante by the train station.  It served reasonable Asian Food.

Sunday 5/24/2026.  It's only after we got to Venice that we found out about this annual Vogalonga regatta.  About 2300 boats participate, with over 8000 rowers involved.  If we had known about it earlier we might have planned our trip differently (exactly how? not sure) to take in the competition (which is completely "non-competitive").  As it was, it only meant we had to plan our day around the event as different parts of the waterway would be closed to Vaporetto traffic during the day.

We had designated this "Burano Day."  The CheBateo APP I downloaded basically said we could start our trip a little after noon.  When we got to the Tronchetto terminal to start our journey, our "friendly" ambassador told us Line 2 would not go all the way to San Zaccaria, she suggested another route but couldn't name one specifically.  So we decided to ignore her advice and instead follow what the APP told us to do.  And voila, Line 2 went all the way to S Zaccaria, and we caught Line 14 for the 65 minute journey to Burano.  When we had questions about ferry routing, staff was generally unhelpful or - in many cases - wrong.  The one fact this "ambassador" told us (that Line 2 wouldn't get to S Zaccaria) was wrong.  The rest she simply didn't know.

So we got to the small island of Burano.  We did the few major touristy things.  The houses along the several canals we walked along were painted quite brightly; however, there is a Potemkin feel to that as houses that don't line the canal often have dulled and even flaky paint.  The "tre-ponti" are two bridges linking up a canal T-intersection.  The two bridges were quite primitive, but offer nice views of the canals and the boats moored along their two banks.  Due to its weight, and that it was built in a lagoon, a tower next to a church started to lean soon after it was finished, today it is about 6 feet off center.  When seen up close the slant is quite noticeable.  We popped into the church Chiesa Parrocchiale di San Martino Vescovo to take a look.

The boats to Burano are relatively new, and we appreciated the people respected the seats reserved for those in need (including those over 70).  And we saw some boats that might have been involved with the regatta, including shells and dragon boats.  Some might just be people who showed up join in the fun.

It was about 6 pm that we got back to the hotel.  Dinner was again at the B&B Hotel next doors.

These boats, probably part of the Vogalonga event, were photographed near San Marco.

The Vogalonga route is 30 km in length.  Burano is at the top (northeast) end of the route.

Typical scenes on Burano.

Tre-Ponti is actually two ordinary bridges spanning a canal T-intersection.

This church tower has tilted about 6 ft since it was built.

Inside of Chiesa di San Martino.

Sunset view from Cafe in B&B Hotel.

Monday 5/25/2026.  Today we say goodbye to Venice.  But we had one more site to visit: the San Marco Bell Tower.  We bought tickets for 9:30 am entry (earliest).  We got there at around 9 am, but had to find a washroom, which took a while (turns out there was one near the Piazza).  The single elevator accommodates about 10 to 12 passengers at a time, so we didn't get to the top until about 9:50 am.  Anne and I didn't spend much time; we left early enough to catch the 10:13 am ferry to get back to the hotel.  CS stayed a little longer, he took the 10:25 am ferry.

Uber to the airport cost around 80 euros, a ride that lasts less than 20 minutes.  The Uber APP also would not let us input the hotel location, so we had to walk a few minutes to the designated pickup point.  (Meanwhile, the driver texted to ask "which hotel," but I didn't notice his incoming message.)  We did online check-in for our flight, but had to stop to drop luggage off - a rather simple process with Star Alliance Gold status.  Indeed CS piggy-backed on our extra luggage allowance to save time waiting in line.  (He paid for luggage in his ticket, but doesn't have the required status.)

We had quite a bit of time to while away, and ended up spending it in the Marco Polo Lounge.  Relatively busy, but we managed to find a place to sit.  LH327 VCE-FRA was a few minutes late.  I was somewhat surprised that police were at the disembarkation gate asking to see passports.  I don't know if they do this routinely, or just to certain flights and certain suspiciously looking passengers.  There were no other immigration or security steps to get on LH200.  We stopped by a Lufthansa Business Lounge, the receptionist suggested the Senator Lounge instead.  Indeed it was quieter, with a better selection of food.

LH327 was packed, but LH200 FRA-BER had a light load.  It was always a relief when we saw our luggage on the luggage belt.  It wasn't difficult to buy a train tickets to the hotel, at a cost of 5 euros each.

Another view of the Bridge of Tears.

No, this bell tower isn't slanted.

Photo taken from San Marco Bell Tower.  In the distance is the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore.

View of Grand Canal from the San Marco Tower.  Doge's Palace in the foreground.

The sharp point is Punta della Dogana, this is where the Grand Canal meets the Giudecca Canal.  The white domed church is Santa Maria dell Salute.

LH200 FRA-BER had a light load today.

Accommodation: Berlin Marriott (6 days).

Tuesday 5/26/2026.  We decided to do a hop on/hop off tour of Berlin.  There are (at least) four different bus companies that offer such tours, we got on the City Circle Berlin line (per credit card).  Our intention was to see the "highlights" of the city, and perhaps pick a few to visit.  Today was a nice day, a little on the warm side, so the ride was pleasant (we were in the rear of the upper deck, with shade provided by the retractable roof).  Because of my back pain, we ended up not visiting too many of these landmarks.  Which ones did we visit?  Read on.

We did get off at the Brandenburg Gate stop, walked around a bit, had a quick lunch, before catching the bus again back to the hotel.

For dinner we supplemented the hot snack provided at the Marriott Lounge with instant noodles Anne bought from a nearby Asian market.

It was then off to see Das Rheingold.

The Berlin Wall ran right through Potsdamer Platz.  These panels were about a block from our hotel.

Checkpoint Charlie.  Or rather, a replica of it.

Humboldt Forum is a museum "dedicated to human history, art, and culture" (per Wikipedia).  We didn't get a chance to visit during this trip.

Anne remembers that it was raining when we were here in 2018 (she is correct).

Gehry-designed atrium of the DZ Bank Building next to the Brandenburg Gate.

St. Nicholas Church is the oldest church in Berlin.  It was first completed in the 13th century.  It has been deconsecrated.  Marienkirche is now the oldest "working" church in Berlin.

A visit to Reichstag is free, but tickets are required.

The Cube next to the Central Station is exactly that: a cube.  The cuts in the design make for interesting reflections.

The Berlin Victory Column used to be in front of the Reichstag.  It was moved to its present location in Tiergarten in 1939.  The goddess Victoria commemorates Prussian military victories.

Interesting entrance to the Zoological Gardens.

Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church.

The Weltkugelbrunnen (World Globe Fountain).  The best AI could do is to describe it as having a theme of interconnected cultures.

Banner in front of Deutsche Oper Berlin announcing Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen.  For tonight it is Das Rheingold.

We traveled from the United States to see this set?

Wednesday 5/27/2026.  Our original thinking was to visit three museums in Berlin, and Potsdam and Wittenberg.  This ended up being too ambitious.  But today we visited the Neues Museum.  We also had lunch at the museum cafe.  We last visited in 2019.

The opera Die Walkure started at 5 pm.  There were two long breaks (around 45 minutes each) which gave us time to buy a sandwich from the REWE store across the street.  Here an egg-salad sandwich costs 2 euros.

The Berliner Dom.

The Xanten Boy dates to the 1st Century AD.  It was discovered in the Rhine River in 1858.

The Nerfertiti Bust is 3400 years old.  Discovered in Egypt in 1912.

Curtain Call for Die Walkure.

Thursday 5/28/2026.  Today's visit is to Potsdam.  A 24-hour Berlin ABC pass would cover travel to Potsdam, via train and then bus.  The bus gets one close to Sans Souci, but the rest of the sites would require considerable walking.  We did that last time, Anne with her bad hip.  Today I simply couldn't hack it.  So we just did a quick visit of Sans Souci and then returned to Berlin.

For the evening we had tickets to a concert at the Berlin Philharmonie, with Semyon Bychkov and Vikingur Olafsson.

Dinner was again snack at the Marriott Lounge.

Sans Souci Palace, Potsdam.

Berlin Philharmonie.  Olafsson and Bychkov after performance of Beethoven's Emperor Concerto.

Friday 5/29/2026.  We decided to take things slowly.  Our day's activity was to take a one-hour cruise on the Spree, something we did before.

The opera today was Siegfried.  We again had food from REWE during the intermissions.

The Spree River cruise offered up a different view of The Cube.

Curtain Call for Siegfried.

Saturday 5/30/2026.  Today was spent on visiting Wittenberg.  One can get a Berlin-Brandenburg day pass for up to 5 people for 36.5 euros for all non-ICE travel within this region.  Berlin ABC Travel is about 13 euros per person, so it was an easy decision.  Taking a regional train from Berlin to Wittenberg takes about 1:30 hours, an ICE trip takes less than 45 minutes.  We decided to do the RE (regional express) out and the ICE back.  We limited our visit to the Castle Church and the City Church.  Lunch in Europe is leisurely (that is, slow), otherwise we could have hit another site.

In our last (and only) visit back in 2018, we didn't go inside the Castle Church.  Both Luther and Melanchthon are buried in that church.

Faith, Hope and Love.

In front of the Castle Church in Wittenberg.

We didn't go inside during our 2018 visit.

Despite the statues of Peter and Paul, the church is dedicated to all saints.

Both Martin Luther and Philip Melanchthon are buried inside the Castle Church.  This is the grave marker for Luther.

Stadtkirche.  Luther often preached here.

The inside is much brighter than Castle Church.  Note the altar piece by Cranach.

You can have any dish on the menu as long as it's potato-based.

Simone Young and Christian Tetzlaff were the headliners for tonight's concert at Konzerthaus.  We were surprised at the number of empty seats.  Last time we had to sit behind the stage.

Sunday 5/31/2026.  This is our last full day for the trip.  My back problems contributed to my not wanting to do too much for the day.  We went and visited the Wilhelm Memorial Church.  Lunch was at this restaurant that serves Asian Fusion food.  We mistakenly thought it served Japanese food as it's named Umami Ku'damm.

The last opera in the Ring cycle is Gotterdammerung.  Because of labor issues, there were no special effects for the presentation.  The overall experience was great, and the tickets were (relatively) inexpensive.

This is the atrium at Deutsche Oper Berlin.  A mock up is used as a set in Gotterdammerung.  Perhaps to emphasize the "we are looking at a rehearsal" aspect of the production.  Staff shortage led to reduced "mechanical effects," so this particular setup probably lost much of its impact.

This is also Sir Donald Runnicles' last performance as music director of Deutsche Oper Berlin.

REWE closes on Sundays, so we had cake in a nearby cafe during intermission.

We received a message from United Airlines that due to equipment problems, they have to use a different plane for our flight (which comes in from Newark), and there would be a delay of about 3 hours.  United's 767-300 planes have an average age of over 30 years, so I suspect there are more maintenance issues compared to newer generation planes.  While frustrating, I accept these delays.  Nonetheless, for both the trip over and the trip back we experience significant delays.

Monday 6/1/2026.  Because of the announced delay, we had time for a leisurely breakfast before heading out to the airport.  The posted wait for immigration is 2 - 7 minutes, but the line moved a lot slower.  For some unknown reason it seems to be more difficult to leave Europe than to enter it.

Actual wheels up/touch down times for our flight.

Flight was full, we were upgraded to Premium Economy and had a decent meal.  We took an Uber to get home.