Portofino ~ the Yachting Capital of the Italian Riviera

I'm excited about this one, I won't lie to you.  

It's the "Italian Riviera".  Portofino, Italy.

I don't even know what to expect.  

Except I expect to be impressed.  

I always love a town that's situated on the water.  From the start, I'm not disappointed.

Portofino is charming.  Utterly charming.

It's said that Portofino is the most photographed port in the world.  

Partially because of the very photogenic colors of the buildings on the town square. 

I must say, I think I agree.

For those cruising the French and Italian Riviera, Portofino is a must.  

There are but a handful of yacht berths in the center of town; the rest are delegated to anchorage in the Bay or just a couple of miles south in the little town of Santa Marghertia.

But this is where the action is.  Here in Portofino.

So that's where we want to be.

There are very few places to stay overnight here ~ there are only (8) lodgings listed, total (we didn't really "get it" before we "got here"); and all are extremely expensive.  Hotel Splendido is ranked #1, and while it's lovely (it's a Belmond, after all); it's also huge, and not the "vibe" we are looking for.  And it's $1600 per night.  You heard me.

We end up, instead, at Hotel 8.  Just 18 rooms, nicely appointed ~ still expensive.  Everything is.

It's a cute little town to wander.  Indeed, there are barely any roads for cars ~ we basically had the hotel park our car and then went about on foot.  'Cause we didn't have "Special Permissions"

We joked about finding these brass manhole covers about.  They certainly wouldn't last in California!

Of course there's a Catholic church, though it's rather humble.   

Charming nooks & crannies abound.  I'm always tempted to follow the path, climb the stairs, navigate through (or over) the gates to see what's on the other side.  Sometimes I just have to resist, as it's probably not appropriate.  Who's anchor is this, I wonder?  Why is it here?  Is it someone who used to sail the seven seas?  Was it a White Elephant gift at an office Christmas party? Did they buy it at a decor shop?  What?!?

Setting Sail for the Galapagos

Today we left lovely Quito, Ecuador, and flew to the Baltra airport on the Galapagos Island of Santa Cruz.   We are excited to begin this adventure, and we are pleased to meet our bunk-mates for the week. 

We are a small group of 14, and we feel fortunate that some of those we've met along the way (old, grumpy, and bossy!), both in our Quito hotel and in the Quito airport, are blessing another boat with their presence instead of ours.  

We have a darling young couple from Melbourne, Australia aboard; a very nice Canadian family, with daughter who has spent some time in Ecuador with a host family; an interesting, intelligent couple from Belgium, although she's quick to point out that she's French!; and whom are relocating to the US very soon;  a very warm wonderful couple from Sydney, Australia (she has a delightful sense of humor); and a guide from South Africa who's also an Ornithologist.  So what are the odds of having a bird expert aboard??  Oh, wait.  It's the Galapagos ~~ it's like bird heaven.  So I guess the odds are actually pretty high. (In case you're wondering, an Ornithologist is somebody who studies the branch of science devoted to birds; including bird songs and flight patterns, as well as physical appearance.  I think he's gonna' be a handy guy to have around this week). 

All-in-all, an intelligent, stimulating, well-educated, and well traveled group.  And terribly pleasant.  We could not be more pleased.

I'm wondering how any of the (mostly uninhabited) islands have an airport ~~ and then they tell us it was a US airbase back in the day, 'cause we thought we needed it positioned there to protect the Panama Canal back during WWII.   God bless the USofA.   

Our boat is the Cormorant, named after a species of bird that's native to the Galapagos, and is unique because it has, through time, lost the ability to fly.  We will see them this week, they look more like a penguin than a bird.  Our guide says they spent more time diving (for fish) than flying ~~ and it's a good example of "use it or lose it!"

 

We are tendered out from the dock to the yacht on the "Panga's".  Otherwise known as  Zodiac's, Rubber Boats, Rubber Dinghy's, Tenders.  We will spend allot of time on these little wonders over the next week.  (The life jackets are mandatory in Ecuador.  At least they match the Panga.)  We're not the only boat in the bay, you might notice.

And the yacht is beautiful, even if she has lost her ability to fly.

The table is set and beckons to us ~ just like at my house.

Our cabin is lovely ~ but this is the best part ~ 

The door that leads to our balcony.

It looks to be a fabulous week ahead.

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