q is for quandie, unplugged.

Published on by Quandie

Oh my goodness, I can hardly believe it’s finally here!  Mr. Q and I are off on an adventure.  Way back in June I posted about booking a cruise on the Adriatic Sea.  It felt like it was a long way off then, and I didn’t want to wish the summer away being too excited for our trip.  But as we all know, time flies … and here we are in November!

Our itinerary mainly features smaller ports that we haven’t been to like Valletta (Malta) and Kotor (Montenegro).  Plus a couple of favorites that we are happy to return to, Venice and Monte Carlo.

The day in Venice also just happens to be my birthday.  Who wouldn’t want to spend their birthday in Venice?  Even if it is just a tad flooded at the moment.

This is the off-season for travel in Europe, so that made the trip much more affordable.  Plus not as many crowds, and definitely cooler weather.  Hopefully those things will work in our favor, but if you’ve been following the news you’ll know that the weather has been a bit crazy lately in Italy.  So we’ve packed our umbrellas and are just hoping for the best.

Here are the ports we will visit.

Genoa, Italy where we have booked a street food tour and we also plan to visit the aquarium.

Monte Carlo, Monaco where we’ve booked a side trip to Eze, France.

Naples, Italy where we’ll visit Herculaneum.

Messina, Italy  where we’ve booked a Godfather themed tour.  We’re not really big Godfather fans, but the tour itself goes to some small hillside towns that look really charming.

In Malta we’ve hired a private guide for the entire day.  It looks like such a fascinating place and we really want to see it all.  We had such an amazing time with the private guide we hired in Scotland, so we’re going to splurge this time as well.

We’ll see the famous balconies of Valletta …

Hagar Qim, a megalithic temple complex dating to 3,600 – 3,200 B.C.  How in the world did they move those huge stones back then?  I hope we’ll learn more about that …

Marsaxlokk, a small fishing village known for its colorful boats …

And Mdina, a medieval fortified city.

Mr. Q is looking forward to Kotor, Montenegro where we plan to do some exploring on our own.

But we also plan to take a boat over to Our Lady of the Rocks …

Split, Croatia is another spot that will be easy to navigate on our own …

Ravenna, Italy is famous for its Byzantine mosaics so we plan to take a look at them.  Just look at those beautiful colors!

And finally, our cruise ends in Venice, Italy.  We’ve spent time in Venice before, so we’ve seen all of the major sites.  This time I want to do something special, plus since it’s my birthday I get to choose what we do!  So we’ve hired another private guide who will take us to some unique spots in Venice that are off the beaten path.  Hopefully we won’t have to wade through too much water to get to them.

We’ll be back home just in time for my 5th blogiversary!  I’m planning an amazing giveaway after we return to celebrate five years of blogging.  I’ll be giving away a bunch of my favorite products plus I hope to find a few goodies to include while on my trip.  So be sure to check back for that in two weeks.

In the meantime, I’m going to take a bit of a blogging break.  I tend to mostly ‘unplug’ when I’m on a cruise.  I definitely won’t splurge and pay for the expensive WiFi on the ship.  My sister Debbie will be in charge of everything while we’re gone.  She’ll be house sitting and watching over our cat Lucy, and maybe I can convince her to occasionally check for blog comments too.  But I doubt I can get her to paint any furniture or write any blog posts for me 😉

I do plan on posting the occasional quick picture or two to Instagram on the fly though (when I have cell service), so if you don’t already follow me on Instagram be sure to do it now!  Otherwise, I’ll be back in a couple of weeks, so be sure to check back then!

43 thoughts on “q is for quandie, unplugged.”

  1. Oh. You will have so many amazing adventures. I wish I could stow away in your bags. Just take good waterproof boots for your birthday in Venice. Safe travels and have a wonderful birthday trip. We’ll somehow muddle through our weeks without Q tips and inspiration. Bon Voyage.

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    1. There is no space at all in the luggage for boots! But that’s OK, I emailed our Venetian guide to ask about conditions there and she said “It all is back to normality, no worry!” So hopefully we won’t need them, fingers crossed 😉

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  3. Sounds like an amazing trip!! I hope that you and Mr Q have a wonderful time. Have a very “Happy Birthday” in Venice! I will be on a cruise to the Caribbean during your 5yr Blogversary! Congratulations! I enjoy everything that you share with us. Your talent is amazing! Thank you Linda for all that you do for us ❤️

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    1. Thank you so much Monica! I hope you’ll be able to find some WiFi in one of your Caribbean ports so you can leave a comment on my blogiversary giveaway post. Make a mental note to look for it on Nov 26. I’ll leave the end date open a little longer so hopefully you can put your name in the hat!

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  5. Such an adventure! You need to completely unplug to relax and enjoy yourself. Travelling in the off-season and putting up with a bit of chill and damp is a good exchange for avoiding heat and crowds. I hope both Qs have a wonderful time!

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  8. Wow you are covering a lot of territory. Does your mom help you plan these adventures abroad? So you basically lay down the paint brush and pick up your camera huh? You don’t just rely on your phone for photos if I remember correctly. Enjoy and happy birthday.

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    1. Well, yes and no. I picked this cruise online based on the itinerary, timing and price. Then my mom took care of booking it, selecting a good cabin for us (she knows the best cabin locations!), setting up our airfare and transfers and so on. And yep, you’ve got it exactly right, I’m exchanging my paint brush for the camera! This time I’m just bringing my Olympus. I still feel like I can get better pics with it than with my phone, although I do plan to do some Instagram stuff using my phone.

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  9. Have a fab trip- we’ve done it ourselves and so much historical eye candy to see. Enjoy! Enjoy! Kim North

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

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  10. I wish I was going but the home front will be good. Lucy will have fun with her Aunt Debbie. Hopefully no more snow until you get back. Can’t wait to see the pictures when you get back. Have fun!

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    1. Lucy LOVES her Aunt Debbie 😉 (seriously other readers, she comes running when she hears Debbie’s voice and she demands to be picked up and carried around by her). She will be in good hands! Thanks sis!!

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  12. Wow! What an itinerary!! Have a wonderfully fabulous time! I hope you gave yourself a couple of vacation recovery days upon your return! We’ll be looking forward to hearing all the details!! Vicki in CO!

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  19. Have a fantastic and safe trip! We will all be here when you return. Unplug, recharge and live in the moment with Mr. Q. We’ll all be patiently awaiting your return.

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  20. So excited for you Linda!!! Have a wonderful trip, I’ve got to say, you take THE MOST amazing trips!! I’m showing this to Zach for inspiration for SOMEDAY😉 maybe you can check on MY Lucy while you’re in Venice!!!😊

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