Sorry it has been a few days...it has been hard to fit in a blog post with our busy schedule of eating and laying beside the pool. This is one of the first times we've remembered to use data while on shore since we aren't sure our cell service works with 'Cellular at Sea'!

We have spent the last two days touring our first couple of ports - Dubrovnik, Croatia and Corfu, Greece. Both were beautiful and we have enjoyed the transition to the summer climate, so much so that we got up and ran a couple of miles on the deck track. Running is much more enjoyable with a view of the Adriatic Sea (not at all what our gym view looks like from home). We weren't sure what to expect of Dubrovnik, but had a fantastic tour guide, Ivo - a native Croatian, to show us his city. We took cable cars up to the top of the hill and got to hear Ivo's stories about the early nineties when Dubrovnik was attacked by Serbia during the wars in the Balkans. The view of the small town (only 40,000 people) was great from the top of the hills. We learned about Dubrovnik's history as an independent republic and their long story of trying to defend themselves against attack since they are so small.

We took a walking tour of the city and happened to be on tour with Catherine and Dillon, last night's dinner mates. Walking through the windy streets was beautiful and the view of the sea from any high point in he city was impressive. We rested at a cafe for a bit and then caught the coach back to the boat. We had dinner in the big dining room again and sat this time with another Australian couple (Paula and Martin), a young British couple (Fiona and Ben) and Fiona's grandmother, nana (Mona) and again with Dillon and Catherine. We have really enjoyed our dinner company and are surprised every night at how long dinner lasts. Tonight, we watched the sun set from our table and were amazed to see it go from decently high to below the horizon within a few minutes. After dinner we went to the evening production - a ballroom dancing show.

The next day, we got up early to head into Corfu, an island on the west side of Greece. We didn't book an excursion, so we took our own walking your of the old fort, built to defend the island from attack. It was incredibly hot climbing up to the highest point in the fort. However, there was a bride making the climb in high heels over the rocky cobblestone path, so we couldn't complain too much.

Maybe the best part of our hot hike up to the summit of the old fort was gaining a vantage point from which to spot a beach where we could jump in the crystal clear water and cool ourselves down. Well, we didn't quite jump in, but we put our Keens (sandals) to work and waded in...it was refreshing!

Once we were sufficiently cool, we walked into Corfu town and did some shopping while on our way to their Orthodox Cathedral. The cathedral was small, but had ornately decorated ceilings. Just down the street from the church were shops selling Byzantine icons. Jon struck up a conversation (the best he could with the Greek owner) and when the transaction was finished, Jon had an icon for his classroom and Sarah was given a bracelet for free!

We finished our afternoon and evening by relaxing poolside then dressing up (to the best of our ability from our backpacks) for the formal dinner. Sure the family with the father & two sons in tuxedos stared at Jon's flip-flop dress shoes, but the fanciness of their attire couldn't hold a candle to his 5 Euro neck tie purchased in a Venetian thrift store before departing. It was probably stolen or infected with fleas, but it looks nice.

So far we're really enjoying our time aboard the ship and the locations we've docked. Tomorrow, we're off to Santorini, Greece and couldn't be more excited! All the crew aboard the ship says that this volcanic island is their favorite of all the ports of call. We hope that each of you is well, and can't wait to see you again soon (to see our 1000+ photo slideshow!)