msc cruises Blog

If you think Europe’s best ports of call are all dotted around the Mediterranean, then you’re in for a surprise – a nice surprise, but something of a revelation too, as Hamburg is simply brilliant fun and a significant city that holds its head up in the most exalted company. It’s not just one of the best Baltic ports, Hamburg has to rate as one of Europe’s finest port cities!

There aren’t many Greek islands that are as immediately impressive as Santorini, particularly for those arriving by ship. Indeed, cruise ships often linger in the great caldera (or crater) as the views of to the island and its capital, Thira, are simply, stunning. The cliffs are, of course, pumice and form the edge of the volcanic crater than made the islands. Thira (sometimes Firá and also Hóra) sit’s on top of these cliffs sporting her famous crown of blue and white stucco houses and churches that have adorned countless postcards of the Greek islands.

Our, by and large, comfortable 21st century lifestyles still come with their own stresses and uncertainties. Indeed, it’s becoming difficult to know whether technology is working for us, or whether it’s the other way round. Scientists and science fiction writers have, for years, suggested we’ll soon be sitting back and letting robots and computers do our work for us. However, many of us are likely to be working even longer hours than either our parents or our grand-parents!
Fortunately, most of us agree with the maxim ‘All work and no play….’ and that it does, indeed, make us dull, whilst a break from the everyday makes us happier, healthier and more productive too. Therefore, faced with life’s uncertainties and day-to-day worries, it’s little wonder that the vast majority of us like to take a break, to pause a moment, hit the reset button and re-energise ourselves.
In the name of God, stop a moment, cease your work, look around you.
― Leo Tolstoy

If you’ve been organising everyone else’s Christmas for longer than you care to remember, then perhaps it’s time to let someone take over, whilst you slip away with your significant other for Christmas à deux? After all, no one can pretend that you’ve not done your bit, and, let’s be honest, for once it’s you that deserves a little quality time!