Wednesday October 10

I was lying in bed waiting for my body and mind to adjust to Mountain Daylight Time, and was thinking about what we had learned.
Cruises:
A wonderful way of touring. We only tasted each place, but with the tours we took, I think we got a good sampling of those areas. Coming back to the ship each night was wonderful. No bags to lug, pack and unpack for the two weeks. It was also our 'safe place' where we could relax and not deal constantly with the cultural differences. This gave us ideas of what we would want to do for more extended periods, such as exploring from Nice to Florence over a couple of weeks. Perhaps having one or two places as a base and taking day trips by train.
The food was great, but having assigned seating has both positive and negative aspects. We became good friends with our table mates and hope to continue our relationships. Open seating would make it more difficult to meet people. Celebrity had times of 6 or 8:30. 6pm is too early for the most part, especially on formal nights, but the late seating meant we didn't leave the dining room until 10:30. Going to sleep on a full stomach wasn't good for us, and yet we often had to be up and ready to go by 7:30, so we were over tired. There were other dining options, but on this ship they were not as satisfying as the main dining room. Buffets, pizza, hamburgers, etc were fine for lunch, but not great for very many suppers.
We paid our cruise well in advance (like May) so that we could book our tours. However, that prevented us from taking advantage of possible drops in pricing which others were able to do. Also, most tours were not even booked up on that day. We would have missed some that we really wanted if we hadn't done it in advance, but maybe we could have left it longer. Also, we booked too many. We could certainly have left 'Rome on Your Own' until the last minute. Others took the train in, explored and then took it back with no problems and were not locked into the bus schedule.
We carefully chose which side of the ship to be on, but it always left port in the evening (except Venice) and arrived before or near dawn. Once in a while we could see lights of cities, but it was not the scenic view we expected.
Conceirge class and a balcony are worthwhile, atleast in an area where the balcony is useable. We sat out every evening having our cheese and crackers, and every morning with our coffee. The extra level of service was much appreciated.
The big picture:
For centuries, and even millenia, man has struggled with the same things. There have always been people who wanted power over others and managed to abuse it. This was true with empires such as the Romans, but also on a smaller scale, like with the Venetian Doges or the Medici family in Florence.
Sexual lust has always been there, as represented through art and the houses of prostition right inside the city gates in Ephesus and the well marked place in Pompeii. Sex was used in pagan worship extensively. Our societies struggles are not anything new. Even in Barcelona where topless sunbathing is common, sex is used to sell products. Man's attempts at greatness tend to be for his own glory. We see how cathedrals and basilicas were built but generally not for God, but for man. In Venice, it was to honor St Mark, in Rome St Peter and then each pope. Westminster Abbey and St Pauls are centered around the men buried there.
Some shining exceptions:
Michelangelo summed in up with his unfinished prisoner series, sculpted in marble. We are captive, held by our own sin and unable to free ourselves. Yet, he shows David, strong and tall, trusting in His God. With that, David achieves greatness and yet it is not for his glory. Michelanglo also shows it with his grasp of scripture in the Sisteen Chapel and concept of what God has tried to achieve through and in man.
I was struck as well when standing on the Acropolis looking down at Mars Hill. 2000 years ago, when Paul was traveling in the area, the Parthenon was a sight to behold. Huge, beautiful and set up high on the hill. Paul was troubled in his spirit by what he saw and reached out in love, not judgement. "I see you are very religious..." he says in Acts, and then shares the truth with them. In Ephesus he also reached out to them and a riot ensued. We walked the streets he walked and wondered at the crowds yelling for his blood. We saw the prison where he was held. We were in Myletus where Paul met with the elders from Ephesus because he couldn't bear to say goodbye to the Ephesians again. We saw the markings that people made outside their home to proclaim their faith in Christ. Then we saw the island where John was held captive while he wrote Revelation, and heard how he fulfilled his promise to Jesus by bringing Mary to Ephesus and caring for her. Some people chose a better way and sought to glorify God rather than themselves and impacted their world.
Conclusions:
The stadium at Myletus has a Greek foundation with Roman arches and additions on top which are in turn covered by the poorer quality Byzantine building. Each society builds on the past one, but we need to make sure our foundation is the right one. God has been faithful throughout the millennia. He has not changed.

Tuesday, October 9

This is it. Time to go home. A year and a half of dreaming and a year of planning and three and a half weeks of sensory overload is over.
We started off the morning with getting a coffee and muffin from Starbucks and having on the roof of the hotel and watched Barcelona come to life. Our taxi arrived on time and we were at the airport in plenty of time to catch our flight. Pretty uneventful. We had to change terminals in London, but fortunately not airports. It meant going through security again and somehow that is stressful.
We had a little time in the airport before the flight to Calgary, so we wandered in the shops a bit. The flight home was very long. Only 8 1/2 hours, but seemed like twice that. Neither of us could sleep and the people in front had their seat backs fully reclined the whole trip. The flight was quite turbulent in places. Wendy didn't feel well, but I don't think it was related to the bumps.
Colin was waiting for us, and Jen, Annie and Tucker were waiting in the car. Really good to see all of them. We visited for awhile before heading for bed. The 8 hour time change really messes up one's system.
As I was taking Annie out before bed it struck me. It was cold out and everything was of course familiar, and yet we had been in such a different world for over three weeks. Only yesterday we were walking on the beach in Barcelona. That 'reality' was wonderful, but this 'reality' is the one we live in. I wouldn't want it any other way.

Monday, October 8

We slept for 8 to 9 solid hours and felt better this morning. We went to Starbucks for breakfast and then wandered around. There are miles and miles of stores. Mostly expensive. Also lots of coffee shops, gelato shops... We sampled both over our time here. We went to the market square area (apparently one of the largest in Europe) and bought some fruit and then a sandwich from a shop nearby. Lladro is made in Spain and it is something that Wendy had always liked, ever since her Mom bought a piece many years ago. We found a couple of shops that sold it and found a matching piece for her current one, even though it was discontinued years ago.
We walked to the beach and walked along the sand for awhile, sat for awhile and walked some more. I had decided not to carry my camera and bag so that we could relax about it all so I took a few pictures with Wendy's. Great place, 28c temperatures.
The buildings in the Gothic portion of town are all similar in design at about 5 or 6 stories tall and continuous. But, the fronts are all different designs, mostly with small balconies. It is a really interesting effect and makes it very different from what we saw in London, Italy or France.
We found another restaurant from Rick Steves book and had pasta. We were the only customers in the place, but the food was good. Just as we finished, more people arrived and the couple down from us was from...Calgary! We chatted a bit with them. They were just starting their 3 week vacation. he had his wallet stolen in a scam so they were a bit discouraged.
We have our bags packed, carefully weighed and ready to go. We are ready to head back, though the weather is a bit of a concern. Also, getting back to reality is going to be really hard. I guess it had to happen sometime.
Maybe we will add a summary of what we learned and enjoyed the most later.
Note to self: hello in Spanish is hola, NOT halo! The girl at Starbucks is probably still laughing.

Sunday October 7

It was like we were leaving home. The ship had become so familiar and comfortable that it felt like home. Where ever we had been, it was good to come back to it.

Disembarkation was very smooth. We had tagged our bags Saturday night and placed them outside our door, and when we got off the ship, they were waiting for us. We had arranged a private Barcelona tour with some people we had met on Cruisecritic.com. so the six of us had a four hour tour through the highlights of the city. The main road is called Las Ramblas, and is mostly cut off from traffic. It is a wide street with one lane going each way at the edge, and then the middle part for people. No matter when we went out, it was very busy. So many people that it was hard to walk at a reasonable pace. Side streets going off from it were always busy as well. This was for over 2km. We had read about the dangers of pickpockets, so were prepared with money belts and no exposed bags etc.

One of the main things that the guide showed us was work by an architect named Gaudi in the late 1800's to early 1900's. His style was very unique and way ahead of its time. His main accomplishment was a cathedral that has been under construction since 1886. They expect to have it done in the next 20-30 years. things happen at a different rate here.

Our hotel, the Pulitzer is good. A place that Carl and Amanda would really like. Very modern, in blacks and whites, square type design. Low lighting - what some might call dim.

We had a bit of scare today. We asked at the desk about lunch and they recommended a tapas bar a few blocks away. We found it and hesitantly went in. The menu was indecipherable until they brought us an English one. All of the things I was looking at were deadly. Cuttlefish, shrimp and other delights. I got a ham baguette and Wendy had something similar. Nothing else was shell fish free. We stopped at Starbucks, had a coffee and muffin and then Wendy slept for an hour. We checked Rick Steves book and found a pizza place that worked out fine.

We enjoyed watching people as we walked in the evening. There are lots of buskers who play statues with some kind of twist. fun to watch

Saturday October 6

Our last day at sea and our last day on the ship. We had a slow morning and then browsed some of the shops before getting our bags organized. We have to be ready to go by 7am. We are taking a tour with a group we met online and then they will drop us off at our hotel. In some ways it seems like a really long time since we left, and yet how could it be almost over? It has been an incredible experience and has exceeded our expectations in almost every way –the ship, the food, the service and the ports. Weather has been fantastic with it being a bit cool in London, but otherwise almost all sunshine. Just sea days have been a bit cooler and of course windier.

Friday October 5

Villefranche, France
We had to be tendered to shore here as the port can not accommodate big ships. That really didn’t create a problem and even added to the charm. I had to put aside all of the Italian I had learned and switch to French. (lol) We had a quick tour of Nice before heading up a highway first built by the Romans called the Grande Corniche. Beautiful views over the bays, including our ship. We then went to a medieval town called Eze. The fortifications had been renovated into shops and restaurants. Really fun, peaceful and beautiful. Next we drove to Monaco. It only covers 1 sq mile, but what a mile! The place just oozes money. We walked through the town and saw the palace changing of the guard, and did some looking in the shops. There were yachts in the harbor and expensive cars around the casino, including Lamborginis, Ferraris, Rolls Royce and other very expensive cars. One guy in our group estimated one car was worth over $1,000,000. We chose to walk in the gardens and around the square after a very good lunch right beside the casino while others went inside. We only had an hour and by the time we stood in line to check our cameras, stood in line to get in, took a quick look and then in line again to get our cameras, we didn’t think we would have much time left. Interesting place to visit, especially considering that not that long ago it was facing bankruptcy. The gambling and the rich tourism industry changed all of that.
We drove back along the water front and then walked through the old town before taking the shuttle back to the ship.
It was our last formal evening, so rested before showering and then dressed for dinner. Food was excellent, as always. The waiters all carried in flaming baked Alaska. After the meal we went to the show. It was really well done, with singing and dancing. Following that was the midnight buffet. This was the one with the ice sculptures, food made to look like animals, etc. Amazing amount of work, but who could eat again?

Thursday October 4

Firenza (Florence)
The ship docked at Livorno, and then we were bused into town. The ride was about 1.5 hours, but it was through Tuscany. Once we were off the coastal plain, we drove through rolling hills, with villas on top, with vineyards and olive trees. We drove past a town called Vinci, who is very proud of their home boy Leonardo.
Florence has a very different feel than Rome. At only 500,000, it is a fraction of the size. Our first stop was the Academia Museum to see works by Michelangelo. Our guide was fantastic. She talked about his life and the Medici family that ruled the area in the 1500’s. The first sculptures we saw were called the prisoners and were unfinished. It showed men partially sculpted within the marble, hunched over. He was trying to tell two things apparently. One was that he was a prisoner of the marble. He was forced to create for the Medici’s and the pope. The other was the way that these men were trapped within themselves and were struggling to get free. She didn’t use these words, but gave the idea of each being trapped by their own sin, and our inability to free ourselves. After all, they have been trying for 500 years.
The next work was David. When we signed up for this excursion, we chose this one because we would view the original one, not just the copy in the piazza, where the original stood for over 350 years. We were not sure it was worthwhile to forgo other things, like seeing Pisa or not, but was it ever the right choice. David is looking over his left shoulder, which signifies facing evil. He is naked, showing that he had nothing to hide; he was pure. He is shown as a full grown man rather than a boy, but the reason escapes us at the moment. Everything is proportioned correctly and shown in fine detail…except his head and hands. The head is larger, showing the wisdom that comes from above while the hands are showing the hand of God. Seeing in person was very moving and powerful in a way that was totally unexpected.
Next we walked around town, saw some beautiful marble buildings, the Ponte Veccio (sp?) and then for an excellent lunch. We drove up for a view over the city before heading back to the ship.
A very good day, but exhausting.