Page 17 - December 2023 Gears and Ears

Rotarians on the Road

By Matt Durfee

December 2023

Matt & Denise Durfee Sail the Mediterranean

Intent on checking off of some key “bucket list” items, Matt & Denise
Durfee sailed the Mediterranean Sea with stops in Rome, Tivoli,
Santorini, Mykonos, Athens, Malta, Sorento and Naples. Arriving two
th
days early to visit Rome, their travels commenced on October 10 and
concluded on the 24 . Booked directly with Norwegian Cruise Line on
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the ship Breakaway that included airfare, the couple splurged with a last
st
minute upgrade to 1 class seats on the red-eye flight from Montreal to
Rome where they arrived rested and ready to see the local sites including
the Colosseum, Forum and Hadrian’s Villa and Ville de Este in Tivoli.

Highlights of the ports of call included land excursions to the ruins of
Pompeii and Olympia, wine tasting in Santorini, lunch at a vineyard in
Tuscany, shopping in Mykonos and spending an afternoon at the hilltop
village of San Gimignano. Disappointedly, however, high winds
prevented the ship from docking in Sicily.

A particularly fascinating tour took them to the ruins of the prehistoric
town of Akrotiri in Santorini where excavations revealed plumbing
that included running-water toilets inside individual homes from
at least 2,000 B.C.!

Durfee’s Travel Tip: “While cruise packages bundled with airfare
are appealing due to their low cost, they are often not direct to your
destination and can result in longer overall flight times, lengthy
layovers and very poor seat assignments, including seats not
assigned together – as happened to us. While more costly, you may
be able to save time and money and experience a much more
enjoyable trip by booking airfare separately.”

Kevin & Marcie Shendok in N. Carolina

North Carolina is a favorite travel destination for Kevin and Marcie
Shendok. So much so that they have been visiting the Tar Heel state for
over 30 years! Staying in Franklin in a
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cabin with family members over the October 13 weekend, it was a great
place to see the leaves change and visit the Lazy Hiker Brewery – a Rotary-
owned Brewery. It has been a while since the Shendoks visited Franklin and
the brewery, which
opened in 2015, was a
must-visit destination.

Kevin’s Travel Tip: “Stay
close to the Great Smoky
Mountains National Park.
If you like the outdoors,
you will love Franklin!”

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