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 […]
Roma, Italy Since “The Adventures of Berkeley East” is a cruising blog, we only blog about things pertaining to Berkeley East, places that BE takes us, and experiences we have while sailing around the Med. So at the end of the season, when we stop living aboard BE, we also stop blogging. While we had […]
Ponza, Italy During our college days, we were fans of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Actually, we still are. We own the DVD and soundtrack of this musical-comedy about transvestites from Transylvania. We know the words to all the songs and can’t help but jump to our feet to dance “The Time Warp,” which is […]
Umbria, Italy Berkeley East has spent more time in Italy than any other country, including the United States. Given that Italia is a fairly small land, we find ourselves revisiting places, out of both necessity, and desire. And upon planning our trips to provision BE before setting sail, Umbria (just three hours by car) came […]
