After the resounding success of Mauritius, Anil Ehlence decided to ‘enhance’ the experience further by getting the NZUSI on a cruiseliner. After the initial ‘yahs” and ‘ naas ‘of folks resulted in about 50 folks signing up by Aug , the excitement built up so that some last minute entrants like N P Gupta also hopped on . We finally landed at Venice with a gang of 60 rearing to board the ship – Costa Deliziosa. This massive cruiseliner with 2000 passengers and 1000 crew was a sight to behold .
The promise of unlimited booze was just too much to resist , and kicked off no sooner than getting on board. By the time the first beer was done and plans for the first evening chalked out the ship was already on the high seas, so silent and majestic in her size and comfort. Exploring 11 decks and umpteen restraunts and bars over the fore and aft of the ship got us all rearing to start with the gluttony right off.. The news that we had a Michelin 5 star chef on board prompted us to reach out for exotic meats and fish displayed on the massive buffet spreads.
Later in the evening a dance troupe had us spell bound – At a massive theatre of 500 capacity complete with box seats and a balcony- right at midship.
The first noon saw us touch the small port of Bari in south Italy. On a beautiful sunny afternoon we strolled Old Town Bari and watched woment making fresh pastas an breads. The splendid limestone houses of Trulli of Alberobello made a perfect spot for a photoshoot of the UNESCO heritage village.
Beyong Bari , the Deli Ziosa sailed across the Adriatic sea to Greece. Our first port of call in Greece was the western port of Corfu. This beautiful town with its historic white buildings and lovely parks makes it one of the preferred destinations for Hollywood and Bollywood shoots . A stroll in the old market got many folk buying the famous Greek olive oil, Balsamic Vinegar and Green Tea.
Having rounded the Greek peninsula , we next touched port at the volcanic islands of Santorini. Having a shallow port meant the ship anchored off shore and a fleet of small boats ferried us to the town. The all white houses of Oia and Thira with the blue waters of the Aegean Sea makes Santorini the dream holiday destination of Greece- at a price – hotels at about 350- 400 euros a night for that once in a lifetime experience.
Our last stop in Greece was the small Island of Mykonos. Most of us choose to spend the day at the beautiful beech there called Paradise Beach. Meant to be the heaven for gays and nudists- Mykonos is a party town with umpteen restraunts and bars catering to the queers of the world.
Then was a whole day at sea sailing northwords towards Croatia. The time was well spent with the Para Urology Conclave being hosted by NZUSI . We had various presentations teaching us how to earn more money, invest better and retire comfortably
The last port of call was the idyllic city of Dubrovnik . This port city of Southern Croatia was devastated in the Civil Wars of the 90s. What is seen today is the amazing resurgence of the town into a popular tourist resort. The old city , the fort and Cathedral and cobbled streets are a delight to walk around.
The 6 days ended on a high – back at Venice. Having said our goodbyes- some continuning on an Italian vacation and the rest of us flying home. – all asking Anil Ehlence- ‘Yeh Dil Mange More’
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