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.

Wednesday, October 3

Citavecchia. We were supposed to take a ‘Rome on your own’ tour today, but decided not to. Wendy still didn’t feel good and I was tired as well. Our plan was to take the bus in and then walk to Trevi Fountain, Spanish steps etc, but as Wendy said, do we really want to return? Somehow 4 hours of bus to spend 6 hours walking around wasn’t real appealing after Tuesday. Instead we went into the port town and found the morning markets. Vegetables, fruit, flowers, fish, jeans, handbags and everything else you could imagine, for several blocks. People were friendly and polite. So different from Rome. We decided that we liked the small town/country better than the big city.
Tomorrow is Florence. We have a long bus ride into town from the port Laverno, and then probably the same kind of tour again to view more of Michelangelo’s work. At least we know what to expect.
Had a really good chat with Carl and Colin!!!

Tuesday, October 2

Roma: 2 hour bus ride from the port. One hour was on a freeway but the last part was in horrendous traffic. Our tour was called ‘Eternal Rome’ but I think it referred to the traffic. Traffic signs and rules are viewed as suggestions, not absolute. Our guide was difficult to understand. We had earphones so that we could hear her, but with the background noise and her accent, it was hard. We started off with Vatican City. We stood in line for half an hour, compared to the two hours for non group people. First was the museum with statues of various gods and things and then huge tapestries that told Biblical stories. We couldn’t hear our guide, so just moved through this hallway with the items on the sides. Volume of people is such that you can’t stop to look at things, but you also can’t walk at a normal rate. Very tiring. We then went into the Sistine Chapel for about 15 minutes. You have to stand and are not supposed to talk. Hard to believe one man painted those 500 years ago. I had seen pictures of panels of some of the fresco, but seeing it all at once was surprising. He obviously knew his bible. The lighting is dim and the ceiling too high to see much detail, but it is very impressive. Next we went to St Peters Basilica. The Pope was busy, so we just showed ourselves around. It is so…catholic. The design and the art are awesome and very hard to put into words. As we noticed in Westminster Abbey, whose glory was all this for?
We went for the compulsory shopping stop and watched a group of scam artists selling handbags. When a cop appeared, they grabbed their stuff and fled, only to reappear after he left. This was followed by a very long lunch in a restaurant.
We drove around town to the Coliseum. We saw the Forum, Pantheon and other land marks from the bus. After standing in line for awhile, we had free time to explore it. Amazing building – 2000 years old. It was built in 10 years. Much has been removed or destroyed, but still a lot to see and appreciate. Unfortunately Wendy was not feeling very well. It is something that had been building since Turkey. Head ache, upset tummy and the like. That, plus the 30c and the crowds, and rude Italians made for unpleasant impression. I really liked the Coliseum, but I think in part because the crowds were bearable and we were able to explore on our own. We snoozed on the way back, but Wendy really felt awful.

Monday, October 1

Napoli, that is NAH pole e. Not Naples. We didn’t actually see much of the city, but from what we did see, I don’t think we missed much. The pre tour briefing warned us our friendly the Neapolitans are, and how willing they are to share, that is, share what you have. Our tour was a long one, but just incredible. Our guide was a 34 year old vivacious lady named Manuella, but she referred to herself as Momma and we were her bambinos. What made her so entertaining was we got to learn something of life there and what the people are like rather than just facts. For instance, how a ‘good mamma’ hung her clothes on the railing so that the more personal items were covered by towels or sheets, and everything hung according to lengths. Naughty women did not consider such things.
We drove through Sorrento, with a quick pit stop. Then, we drove along the coast to Amalfi where we had a stop for wandering around the streets before lunch. How do you describe the Amalfi Coast? It holds the record in Guinness Book for most curves at 1091 in just a few miles. In places the road is so narrow and the curves so sharp that the buildings on either side are damaged, We could see the scrape marks where less experienced bus drivers had timed things wrong. The road did not allow us to stop, but we were on the right side of the bus and I was able to take a ‘few’ pictures out the window. When the area was settled, they terraced the hill side or just built into the rock, resulting in towns built down the cliffs. The result is incredibly beautiful, with red roofs, blue sky and blue-green water. In one town the houses are all pastels while another they were all white.
We stopped in Amalfi for a stroll up the narrow streets. Really charming. Then to a hotel for lunch. After lunch we drove to Pompeii. Good time for a little snooze.
Pompeii is much larger than I expected. The town of 20,000 people had been covered with 30 feet of ash when Mt Vesuvius erupted in 89AD. People were killed where on the spot by poisonous gases and then the hot ash. All organic material was vaporized, but left cavities. They filled many of these with plaster and made moulds of the people, wooden doors and things. They have excavated much of the town, but a lot remains. We went into a beautiful villa with colored walls, courtyard and various rooms. All the roofs were gone, as they collapsed with the weight of the ash. She pointed out the house of prostitution where they had diagrams on the walls describing the services offered. Some things never change. Interspersed throughout were fountains. Each was unique and was the means they used to identify locations, rather than street names.
We were exhausted, but had a great time. We opted for the alternate dining so we could get to bed early in preparation for Roma.