Saint-Tropez, France The first time we visited Saint-Tropez it was May, before the summer season began. The legendary town and the notorious beaches were quiet. While we enjoyed our time there, we wished we could experience the Saint-Tropez that we had heard about, the wild and crazy Saint-Tropez of the rich and famous. Just 62 […]
The French Riviera We never intended to spend nearly two weeks around the French city of Antibes, the plan was a few days at best. But one thing led to another, and we zigzagged Berkeley East from marina to anchorage, to a different anchorage and back, and so on. We settled into a routine, a […]
25 June 2018 | Nice, France We had just left the Chagall museum, and were trying to get our bearings on a confusing three-way corner, when a woman approached us speaking in French. It was clear she was trying to help us find our way, so with our best French accent, we replied very slowly, […]
Cap Ferrat, France We had been on a roll, taking Berkeley East back to favored places in Italy and finding the same wonderful locales. So it was a shock when we arrived in the Bay of Villefranche and discovered that our beloved French anchorage was no longer the utopia we once knew. The Bay of […]
Lake Como, Italy Half the year, when Berkeley East is relaxing on land, we live on a lake in North Carolina. The landlocked existence is peaceful compared with the constant movement of cruising; we love the contrasts of the two lifestyles. And while sailing around the Med is fantastic, we sometimes enjoy the luxury of […]
Bolgheri and Piedmonte, Italy We were sitting on Berkeley East watching the sun set on yet another day in the Med, glass in hand, and there came a question, “What am I drinking?” The cryptic reply was, “Laughter and flowers.” At that, we both smiled. And thus the conversation began, about our visit to the […]
We had to laugh when we saw the two ducks swimming by Berkeley East, we thought it must be a sign. The night before, we had been discussing a paradox (which one of us insisted on pronouncing as a “pair-of-ducks”). By definition, a paradox is, “a seemingly absurd statement or proposition which, when investigated, may […]
Cinque Terre, Italy On our way to the famous Cinque Terre, we discovered Portovenere, a small jewel on the Gulf of The Poets. Despite being a UNESCO World Heritage site, this lovely seaside medieval town is often missed by the millions of international tourists that visit the area. The Cinque Terre, is a historic, rugged […]
Florence, Italy It has been said that, “If Italy were the Mona Lisa, Florence would be her smile.” For centuries, poets, writers and painters have flocked to Firenze, the City of Art, to study legendary masterpieces while seeking inspiration to create new ones. And as Berkeley East passed near Italy’s cultural capital, we knew we […]
Italy Whenever we move Berkeley East from place to place, to anchorages or marinas, on the mainland or around islands, there are many things to consider. Distance, weather, depth, protection, navigational hazards are just a few. Each passage, regardless of how short, is carefully planned prior to departure. And while we have cruising guides and […]
