September 17 - Impressions and Comments about the cruise on the Ruby Princess

As we sit here in the Virgin Clubhouse at Heathrow, I thought I’d write some observations about our cruise.  The Ruby Princess is in great shape and the staff provided us with excellent service.  Captain Yeoman is as charming as ever and kept us well-informed about weather conditions, port arrival times and any relevant information.

The itinerary from Barcelona to Venice is a very interesting one but tiring, especially if you want to see and do things every day.  While we had been to several of the ports already, there were new things we wanted to visit.  Thus we were on the go every day.  We took several Princess tours and were happy with them.  The ones we did were all elite tours so we didn’t travel with a large group.  I think the maximum we had was 22.  We did three private tours, one with two other couples who were very nice people and whose company we enjoyed.  The other two were with just us and a driver/guide.  Those offered us the most flexibility to do what we wished and we felt they were worth the additional expense.

On the whole the food was good on the ship.  We didn’t find the dining room menus very inspiring so we ate most nights at the Crown Grill and Sabatinis.  The food there was quite good, but it would be nice if they could vary their menu occasionally.  For example, we think perhaps they could offer one or two specials each night in addition to the traditional menu for each venue.

We are untraditional cruisers in that we never go to shows or to the casino.  There seemed to be quite a variety listed in the Patter but that’s just not our thing.

We were booked on the maiden transatlantic of the new Royal Princess next October, but after this cruise on the Ruby we are more convinced than ever that we will do something different instead.  There are a number of reasons.  First, the cabins.  We really enjoy the aft  corner cabin on Aloha Deck  we’ve had on the Ruby and her sisters.  On the new Royal it appears that those cabins will be substantially smaller and will not have the same kind of  access doors directly to the aft, rather they’ll be on the side.  I spoke with Lindsay, the Future Cruise Consultant, and her read of the plans seemed to be the same as ours. In the space where there are now four cabins across the stern there will be eight on the new Royal.  Second, they have eliminated the Adagio Lounge, the one we like best for a pre-dinner drink.  There is no lounge up at the top of the ship other than the seaview bar which will no doubt be packed due to the novelty of it.  Skywalkers will be gone as well.  That was a nice place to go during the day for a quiet  game of Scrabble or just a good place to curl up with a book.

Whereas the Ruby has five swimming  pools, the Royal will have two.  We noticed on this cruise that in the Sanctuary, which on prior cruises has been quiet, we could hear the music from the middle pool and even the sound track from MUTS occasionally.  With the new design, we think perhaps one will be able to hear MUTS everywhere on the upper deck and we don’t find that appealing. Also the second, adult pool on the Royal will be surrounded by cabanas  (we assume to rent) with TVs inside.  Again this makes us think the adult pool area and adjoining Sanctuary will not be as quiet and relaxing on those many days at sea during the crossing.

When our concerns with the ship design are combined with the fact that with the exception of one port (Messina) on the Royal transatlantic, we ‘ve been to the others many times, it ‘s time for us to look elsewhere. So for these and a few other reasons we’re going to try something different.  We have no doubt we’ll go back to Princess again at some future time. They do offer a very nice cruise experience.

September 16 - London

We had a great flight yesterday on British Airways from Venice to London’s Heathrow.  By the time we arrived and checked into our hotel, it was mid-afternoon so we had tea and played Scrabble in the tea room of the hotel and had a nice dinner at one of the restaurants.

This morning we set forth into town on a quest to visit Harrod’s.  I’d been there but Al never had and I wanted him to see it.  We got off the Tube at Knightsbridge and arrived at the store just as it opened at 11:30.  Clearly it’s a destination for many of our fellow tourists because the place was mobbed. We wandered through the Food Halls on the ground floor and bought some exotic teas and coffee.  We resisted the chocolates and other goodies.  We rode the Egyptian Escalator to every floor and checked out a number of them.  I can only imagine what it must be like in the store during the holidays.

The Pharaoh at the top of the Egyptian Escalator in Harrod's

The concierge at our hotel  had recommended a place called the Wolseley for lunch or a proper English tea and that was our next destination.  Along the way we walked past Hyde Park Corner and  Green Park.  It was a nice day and there must have been some kind of ceremony at the RAF Memorial of the Battle of Britain because there were lots of people around, many in RAF uniforms.

The RAF Memorial honoring airmen who fought in the Battle of Britain.  It was dedicated this summer during the Queen's Jubilee 

We found the café-restaurant on Piccadilly right next door to the Ritz Hotel.  It was crowded but we waited and had a drink at the bar.  The place is an old-fashioned European café like ones I remember from my childhood years living in Europe.  It was too early for tea so we had a late lunch.  It was absolutely delicious!  I’ve heard for years that British food isn’t good, but I have to say that in our experience that isn’t true.  We have several really good meals in our days here on this trip.

After a leisurely meal, some wine, and finally a couple of really strong espressos to wake us up, we headed back toward Knightsbridge.  This time we walked through the park and it was delightful.  Families were strolling along enjoying  the great weather. After logging in another 8 mile day, we took the tube back to the hotel.  There’s a very nice club lounge here so we ended our day with some drinks and canapés.  Tomorrow we’ll be homeward bound.  We’ve had a great time but we’re looking forward to seeing Emma and getting back to our normal routine.  Next year we’ll be off on another transatlantic adventure, this time to Rio.

September 14 - Venice

After another much needed sea day yesterday  we arrived around midday in Venice.  Overnight we must have passed through a front in the Adriatic because during the night we had some big bumps and a few little things fell over.  But this morning as we sailed through the Moses Project into the lagoon the air was wonderfully clear and the temperature was in the high 70’s.

A picture perfect day to sail into Venice

After the ship was cleared we went ashore and walked to the People Mover.  The ship was tied up at the furthest dock from it, so it is a pretty decent walk there.  From Piazzale Roma we bought our vaporetto tickets and took the boat to the Rialto Bridge.  We had decided to eat lunch at one of the restaurants we like, the Barababao, which is not far from the bridge.  We had a really nice meal and a house wine.  As we ate,  Al  noticed that the waiter kept looking at him strangely.  When we paid our bill, the waiter said, “You have a twin in Venice.”  Evidently there is a mathematics professor who looks just like Al and the waiters were confused at first.

Our next stop was Murano.  We wanted to go to the glass factory where we’d previously bought some things.  Per haps we shouldn’t have gone there, but we did find a bowl that will look really nice on the dining room table. It was getting late in the afternoon and we were getting tired so it was back to Venice proper for us.  We got a little lost on our way back to the Rialto area, but eventually found our way.  We stopped for some gelato (at one of the places that Katie and I had found in July) and we bought some wine at the shop we like near the bridge. Then it was back to the ship for our last night aboard.

It was such a nice evening that after a small bite to eat at the buffet, we brought a bottle of wine back to our cabin and sat on the balcony enjoying the breeze and the view.  It was a nice day and a nice end to the cruise.  Tomorrow it’s back to London for a couple of nights before our return home on Monday.

A five-masted tall ship we saw in the early morning as we ate breakfast on the balcony just before disembarkation

September 12 - Athens

September 12  - Athens

Another early morning!  We arrived in Piraeus, the port for Athens at 4:45 AM.  Thankfully we got to sleep a little later.  By 7:30 we were off and on our way.  First stop was the Acropolis Museum completed in 2009 and very close to the foot of the Acropolis.  Many of the marble sculptures (known as the Elgin Marbles) have wound up in the British Museum in London.  Greece built the Acropolis Museum hoping to convince other countries that had some of their antiquities to return them to a suitable repository.  There is some disagreement about how the marbles wound up in London.  On the one hand the Greeks believe them to have been stolen.  On the other hand in the British Museum there is on display a copy of the letter from the Ottoman Sultan who controlled Greece at the time giving permission to take the marbles.  It’s difficult to know who’s right.

In any event the Acropolis Museum is a state of the art and magnificent place with many artifacts found on the Acropolis.  There are a number of to scale replicas which give you the idea of what was originally there.  It also is built atop ruins of the ancient city.  To preserve those the museum was constructed on pilings above the ruins and one can look down through glass floors at them.  They are being excavated and studied today ( we saw some archaeologists working).

Ruins beneath the Acropolis Museum

The new Acropolis Museum as seen from the Acropolis - a stunning contrast between ancient and modern

Our next stop was the Acropolis and Parthenon.  What a difference 2 months make! When I visited with Katie in July the temperature was 108°.  Today it was closer to 85°.   We began our ascent with our guide Maria stopping along the way to give us information about the place.  The Acropolis was originally a fortress to which women, children and old people could retreat when the city was under attack.  It rises some 500 feet above the city with a commanding view of the surrounding area.  Even today there are no high-rise buildings to block the view of the sea from the Acropolis.

The Parthenon  is a temple honoring the goddess Athena who is the patron of Athens. In mythology Poseidon, the god of the sea, and Athena, the goddess of wisdom, competed for the naming rights to the city.  Poseidon struck his triton down and a fountain of water sprang forth.  Athena produced an olive branch from which she said olive trees would grow.  The Greeks chose Athena and olives.  (As an aside today some 500 varieties of olives grow in the country.)  Anyway, the Parthenon’s construction to honor her was begun in 447 BC and completed in 439 BC, although decoration continued to 432 BC.  The building is immense with a base of nearly 230 feet and width of more than 100 ft.  Interestingly, though it appears otherwise, there are no straight lines in the building.  The base and columns all have some curvature that is only visible from a few points at the corners.  Were the columns to be extended upwards they would form a massive pyramid.  It is truly remarkable to think of the construction of such an edifice in such a short time period.

Al by the Parthenon

The theater at the foot of the Acropolis - concerts are held there to this day

During the control of the Ottoman Empire at one point the Parthenon was used as an ammunition storage facility.  While at war with the Ottomans, the Venetians bombarded the place and caused a massive explosion destroying much of the building.  Today restoration is going on but it will soon be over.  In order to maintain some historic integrity, no more than 10% will be replaced.

On the north side of the Acropolis is the Erectheion, which was a  temple honoring Athena.  This temple is notable for its Porch of the Caryatids or the Porch of the Maidens.  It has six female figures instead of traditional columns supporting the weight of the porch roof.  Between the Erectheion and the Parthenon are remnants of the older or pre- Parthenon which was destroyed by the Persians around 480 BC when they sacked the city and essentially razed everything on the Acropolis.  According to our guide, the Athenians decided to leave the ruined stones there as a reminder of their defeat.

The Erectheion with the Porch of the Caryatids. In the foreground are the remaining stones of the pre-Parthenon structure

After our visit to the Acropolis it was time for lunch and we had a very interesting one.  We went to an old restaurant that serves food cooked in the manner and using the ingredients of the ancient Greeks.  There were no forks on the table, only spoons and knives.  We had several small plates with dishes  made with a variety of cheese and vegetables.  The main dish was a grilled chicken with barley and mashed peas.  Almost everything was seasoned with lemon juice, dill and parsley.  While we ate a young woman dressed in various Greek gowns performed some dances.  We have no clue how authentic they were, but the setting and the food helped to make it seem as if they were.

The old restaurant at which we had lunch

The Greek dancer who entertained us at lunch

Our last stop was a visit to the Plaka, the old city.  It’s an area filled with little shops selling all sorts of souvenirs and lots of little cafes and restaurants.  Our visit was short because a demonstration was going on in downtown Athens and the driver had to divert around it. As we made our way back to the ship we saw some buses loading up the protestors who had evidently finished for the day.

It was a nice visit and we saw some things that everyone should try to see and learned something about Greek history.  We probably won’t climb the Acropolis again though.

Next we get to have a day at sea.  Our feet will welcome that!

September 11 - Kusadasi, Turkey

Around noon today we arrived in Kusadasi, our second port in Turkey.  Kusadasi (pronounced koosh-ah-dash- ih) is located on the Aegean coast of Turkey.  It’s a resort city with a residential population of a little over 60,000. In the summer months it grows to close to 500,000 as tourists come to stay in the hotels and enjoy the beaches and relatively inexpensive prices.

For cruise ships the port is the stepping off place for a visit to Ephesus, which was our destination for the afternoon.  Ephesus  dates back to the classical Greek period when it was one of 12 cities forming the Ionian League.  Later around the first century BC it became an important Roman city with a population as large as 250,000 making it one of the largest cities in the Roman Mediterranean world.  It had a large harbor that could accommodate a couple of hundred ships.  There was a thriving commercial community and a large library.  As time passed the river silt filled in the harbor and today Ephesus is several kilometers from the sea.  Between the end of the port and a large earthquake in the early 7^th century that destroyed a large part of the city, the population moved away and the city fell into ruins, large parts of it covered by dirt from geologic events, and it was forgotten.

In the mid-19^th century a British archaeologist sponsored by the British Museum came looking for the Temple of Artemis which had been one of the wonders of the ancient Greek world.  It was he who rediscovered the city, and excavations began.  Today we can see only about 18 % of the original city.  Among the more notable things to be seen is the large theater which could seat 25,000.  It was in that theater that St. Paul preached to the population in the 1^st century AD and was arrested and jailed after his speech.  From jail he wrote his Letters to the Ephesians.

Also notable sights are the remnants of the façade of the library and on a very human note the remains of the men’s latrine.  Here  Roman men of means would sit side by side and discuss news and trade as they took care of other business.  If it was a cold day, slaves would sit on the marble to warm it up first, and if it was hot, slaves would fan the men as they sat.

The Men's Latrine

I had been to Ephesus in July with Katie and either they weren’t open or not offered as an option but this time we visited the Terrace Houses which lie on the hillside.  These five homes of wealthy Romans are a very active archaeological site.  The hillside has been covered with a Teflon roof so that the structures are protected and work can proceed year round.  These were truly fantastic to see.  The homes had as many as three stories and were evidently covered with elaborate frescoes and beautiful mosaics.  A catwalk with platforms and steps has been built within so that we could see the various levels.  On the lowest floor were huge tables with literally thousands of little pieces of marble and terra cotta and other materials which some very patient people are trying to put together.  It’s a giant puzzle, but unlike a jigsaw puzzle, the people doing it don’t know if they have all the pieces or what the finished product might look like.

Tables with thousands of pieces to be put together!

Some frescoes in the Terrace Houses

Incredible mosaics on the third level of the Terrace Houses

The remains of the facade of the library

After our very interesting but too short visit to Ephesus we drove back to Kusadasi and made the obligatory stop in a Turkish rug shop.  After a demonstration of silk spinning and hand weaving and knotting, we looked at some rugs.  We found one beautiful silk rug that we really liked and a little almost antique one that also caught our eye.  So they will be flying carpets as they get shipped back to Virginia.  As we left we stopped at the jewelry store on the first floor and a Byzantine style gold emerald and ruby ring and pendant had my name on them. 

One of our new flying carpets

We had a wonderful day here at our last Turkish port.  

September 10 - Istanbul

We docked in Istanbul around 7 AM having gone through the Sea of Marmara through the night.  What a view as we came in with the minarets of the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque on the port or European side and the high rises on the Asian side!

Today we had a Princess tour with just 20 people.  We were very lucky with the guide who accompanied us.  His name is Sinan and Travel & Leisure has written about him as one of the 5 best tour guides in the world.  He has accompanied presidents, prime ministers, and kings and,  today, little old us.  The man had so much knowledge to share with us about the history, culture and religion that it was almost overwhelming. There is so much history in this place that it makes our 400 year Virginia history seem small.  There is evidence that people were settled in the area of Istanbul as early as 7000 BC.  Because of its location straddling the two continents of Europe and Asia, Istanbul has been an important place throughout much of history.

In 340 AD the Roman Emperor Constantine declared the city to be his capital and renamed it Constantinius (after himself) from its previous name of Byzantium.  Constantine was a Christian and 2 of the buildings we saw on our tour were built during the Roman Christian era.  The older one was Hagiya Irene Basilica and the other was the Hagiya Sophia, known by many as St. Sophia.  I was very  interested to learn that neither is really named for a saint.  Hagiya (pronounced Ayah) means divine or holy.  Sophia means wisdom and Irene means peace.  So the two buildings are literally Divine Peace and Divine Wisdom.

Entrance to Topkapi Palace

The first building we toured was the Topkapi  Palace, home to the Ottoman Sultans from their conquest of Constantinople in 1453 until the mid 1800’s when the Sultans built a more modern palace.  Despite its age the palace had running water, hundreds of rooms and was home to as many as 4000 people.  Today it includes the repository of the Ottoman crown jewels, which are absolutely magnificent.  There is an interesting story about one of the principal jewels, an 83 carat diamond.  It disappeared and was missing for years.  A merchant found it in a rubbish bin outside his shop and thought it was a piece of glass.  He traded it to someone else for three wooden spoons.  Someone realized what it was and recovered it for the Turkish people and now it’s referred to as the "wooden spoon diamond."  No photos could be taken in these rooms so unfortunately we can’t show you what it looked like, but trust me, it was magnificent.

Some of the beautiful mosaics we saw in the harem of the Topkapi Palace

Our tour included visits to both the Sultan Ahmed I Mosque ( popularly known as the Blue Mosque) and the Hagiya Sophia.  I’ll tell you more about that because it has such an interesting history.  The building was commissioned by the Emperor Justinianus and was constructed in just five  years from 532 to 537 AD.  It took several more years for the decorations to be completed but the structure was done and it was consecrated as a church in 537 AD.  For nearly 1000 years it was the largest church in the world until the cathedral in Seville was completed in 1520.  It is still considered to be the finest example of Orthodox Christian architecture.  It remained a church with its rich mosaics and paintings until the conquest of Constantinople in 1453 by Sultan Mehmed II.  Supposedly the Sultan was so impressed with the building that he didn’t order its destruction.  Instead, he had the mosaics and frescoes covered with plaster, ordered the addition of four minarets at the four corners, and the building began a new life as a mosques.  It continued in that capacity until 1935 when it became a museum.  Over the years much of the plaster has been removed and the beautiful mosaics and frescoes are once again visible.  An interesting little fact we learned from Sinan relates to the orientation of the building.  Since Hagiya Sophia began its life as a Christian church it’s laid out in the traditional east to west orientation with the altar at the eastern end of the nave.  Mosques are laid out so that the worshippers are facing toward Mecca.  Mecca lies a little south of east from Istanbul.  Therefore when it was converted to a mosque and the gallery for the muezzins  and the lectern for the Imam were added they were situated slightly off kilter so that the people praying would be facing in the proper direction.  The Hagiya Sophia is also the only place in the world where one can see over the area that would have been the main altar the signs of Allah, Mohammed and a painting of Jesus and Maryall together.

Hagiya Sophia

Hard to see, but on the left is the symbol for Mohammad, on the right the symbol for Allah, and in the middle frescoes of Jesus and Mary

There is so much more that we saw and could write about but perhaps another time.  Just one another thing I should mention since we’re adding a picture of it and that is the Grand Bazaar.  With the sights, sounds, colors and smells of its more than 4000 shops, it was a case of sensory overload for us. This will give you just a taste of our visit.  Istanbul was a city that we would like to visit again some time. 

The Bizarre Grand Bazaar!

September 9 - An unexpected sea day

Today we were supposed to arrive in Mykonos around 7 AM.  Unfortunately the wind didn’t cooperate.  It was blowing between 45 and 60 knots so docking was impossible.  Instead we had another leisurely, sunny day at sea.  We continued our scrabble tournament and generally took it easy.

Around sunset we arrived at the Dardenelles Straits to begin our passage to Istanbul.  This was our first time  here and we hadn’t realized how narrow the straits are in places.  As we sailed past the shoreline we could see lots of windfarms on the Asian side of the straits.

Wind farms on the Asian side of the Turkish coast

A freighter in front of the setting sun in the Dardenelles

We’re due in early tomorrow morning to Istanbul so we’ve set an early wake-up call to watch our arrival.

September 8 - A Day at Sea

Today was our first sea day and one that was well needed!  We slept later and had a leisurely breakfast in Sabatinis.  I finished writing my blog posts for the last two days and selected some pictures to upload.  The internet is very slow here on the ship so uploading photos takes a long time.

This afternoon we had reserved two chairs in the Sanctuary so we went up and played a couple of games of Scrabble.  It was very pleasant sitting up there because there was a nice fresh breeze blowing.  We didn’t have lunch but around 4 PM the staff of the Sanctuary came around with a cart of canapés, little sandwiches, and cookies for tea time.  It was all delicious and not as heavy as having a big lunch.

Today was our first formal night.  After getting my hair done in the spa, we got all dressed up and went out for a drink before dinner.  It was interesting to see the other passengers.  On this cruise they didn’t seem nearly as dressed up as the passengers on the eastern Mediterranean cruise I did with Katie in July.  A few people were all decked out, but for the most part, this group seems much more low key.

After a nice dinner at Sabatinis, it was time to call it a night.

Today I’m posting some random photos from the last couple of days.  A couple are for Katie and Stan because they love cats.

A lucky cat at the mozzarella farm eating the leftover fresh bufalo mozzarella - she knew precisely where to be and when

We really liked this old car and its occupant (he had something to do with the farm). The car had antique Italian license plates

Al tossing his requisite coins in the Trevi Fountain - one for love, one for luck, and one to return to Rome!

A lazy Ravello cat

September 7 - Bufalo di Mozzarella at Paestum & Ravello

This morning we arrived in Naples as the sun crept up past the edge of Mt. Vesuvius.  After the ship was cleared we went ashore to meet our driver Nicola Caputo for our journey today.  I was pleased that Nicola was our driver since he had done such an excellent job when I was here with Katie in July.

Since we have been to Naples a few times we decided to do something completely different today, so we headed out on the Autostrada south to Paestum.  Our destination was the Bufalo  di Mozzarella farm Vanulo.  What an incredible experience!  This is the only organic Bufalo Mozzarella place and it sells only to private individuals – no restaurants, stores or shipments other places.  People call them, place an order and pick it up there.  If you read on you will learn more about bufalo mozzarella than you may ever want to know,  but it was so fascinating I must describe it.

The farm has 200 hectares of land and grows their own feed for the animals.  There are 8 bulls (happy ones as our guide Stefania said) and 300 females.  The bufalo are housed in a large covered  barn open on the sides.  It is divided into 4 areas, each of which  is divided into 3 sections.  These are some pampered and happy critters!  The first section is a relaxation one where the buffalo listen to classical music (Mozart) for two hours each morning.  Also in there are automated massage machines which the buffalo go to and get their personal massages – kind of a buffalo spa.  The females know when they are ready to be milked and they move into a waiting room where they hang out until they can move into  a high tech milking machine made in Sweden.  (All of this is done without any humans moving them along or being around.)  Each animal has a microchip and as it enters the machine, a laser reads the data and knows which cow has entered.  The machine milks her automatically and analyzes the milk for lactose, fat, vitamins, etc and determines if the milk is good.  From there the animals move to a feeding area where they eat what they need and rest.

One of the eight happy bulls

One of the beautiful girls

The girls waiting patiently in the waiting room

The laser guided milking machine

There's nothing like a massage with a nice big brush!

Each animal produces 7 liters of milk per day ( a dairy cow can produce as much as 30 liters).  It takes 4 liters to make one kilo of buffalo mozzarella.  The females produce milk for ten months and then are put to pasture for 2 while they calf.  While the process of acquiring the milk is all done untouched by human hands, not so the production of the cheese.

Working the cheese by hand

Once the machine has milked the cows, the milk is poured into large, traditional shaped milk cans and carried by hand to the place where the cheese is made.  A natural whey is added to allow the milk to coagulate.  Once that has occurred it’s placed into large pans to allow some of the moisture to dissipate.  Next the dryer mass is placed in boiling water where it is stirred with a large wooden paddle.  As it reaches the right consistency, the man paddling begins to break off chunks in various sizes from a few hundred grams each to a kilo and tosses them to other men who place the hot cheese into cold water where they work it by hand into either molds or large balls.  These men move so quickly that it’s hard to follow what’s going on.  The shaped or molded cheese is then placed on tables where it finishes it’s cooling off and is ready for use.  The milk is not pasteurized nor does it have any preservatives added.  Stefania told us it should not be refrigerated and should be used within 4 days.  If it’s put into the fridge, the taste is completely changed and it can no longer be used for things like salads but instead should be cooked as in lasagna.  The leftover little chunks produced during the process are taken and made into ricotta cheese.  After watching this process and touring the little museum which had  equipment from days prior to automation, we had an opportunity to sample the cheese.  It was the most delicious mozzarella we’d ever tasted.  It had a very distinct and tangy flavor that will make anything we taste at home seem bland and boring.  The farm produces 400 kg of cheese per day (all sold privately by order), yogurt and yummy gelato among other things.

After our wonderful visit, we headed back to the Amalfi Coast.  We’ve always started our visits to the coast road from the west.  This time Nicola began our drive at the eastern end through Vietri sul Mare, famous for its ceramics.  This end of the coastline is as spectacular as the region around Positano and Amalfi and less crowded.  We stopped for lunch at a family-owned restaurant in Pontone di Scala, the  Ristorante S. Giovanni.  Pontone is just below Ravello overlooking the beautiful coast with its cliffs and gorgeous vistas of the blue sea.  We sat on a covered terrace and had an outstanding lunch and some local wine from Paestum.

Nicola & Al near the restaurant in Pontone

After lunch we wound our way up to Ravello.  What a lovely town!  We found it to be as charming and certainly less crowded than Positano and Amalfi.  The views from so high up are as great as those from Positano .  I love ceramics and there were lots of shops.  In one we found some things we liked so they’re being shipped home for us.

View of the Amalfi Coast from Ravello

Beautiful Ravello

After a too brief stop, Nicola began our drive back to Naples and the ship.  He’s from the Amalfi Coast (the little village of Praiano) so he knows the shortcut roads to avoid traffic.  We wound over the mountains passing through some municipal forests full of chestnut trees.  We’ve never seen so many chestnuts!

Our ride back was uneventful and we set sail having spent a wonderful day seeing something completely different from anything we’d previously experienced in our visits to Naples. 

September 6 - Rome

The wake-up call at 5:30 AM came way too early this morning!  (We have a sea day coming up on Saturday and we will surely need it.)  We arrived at Civitavecchia, the port for Rome, around dawn and by 7:15 we were on our way to Rome.  Our first stop was the Colosseum.  Thank goodness for group tickets; the place was packed.  We made our way in and walked through marveling at the place.  Since we were last here more of the underground where the animals were kept was visible.  Also a lot more restoration has been done.  The building could seat 56,000 people when it was in use and it took only 8 years to build.  We find that remarkable given it was built in the 2^nd century AD.  It’s also interesting that much of the disrepair of the building is due to  “recyclers.”  After the fall of the Roman Empire, people came and began stripping the marble façade and iron that supported the inner and outer walls to use in other building projects. 

After leaving the Colosseum we drove past  the Palatine Hill, the Forum and  the  Circus Maximus (where chariot races were held with 300,000 spectators) which is now just a grassy oval .  Our next stop was the Trvei Fountain.  It was packed as it has been whenever we’ve been there.  We had to push our way down to the fountain’s edge to toss our three coins in for luck.  We learned today that once a week the fountain is turned off and a large vacuum is used to collect the money that’s been thrown in.  It goes to the Italian Red Cross for their charitable works.

After leaving the Trevi Fountain we walked to our bus and along the way we saw this very well-dressed horse, but what caught our eye was the bus behind and its destination.  It seems like it would be a long ride!  We also noted the manhole covers which are all labeled with SPQR, which stands for Senatus Populusque Romanum. This was the symbol on the standards of all Roman Legions and it was tattooed on Roman soldiers. Originally it meant that all things and all power flowed from the people of Rome.  That changed as the Empire emerged and the Emperor became the absolute ruler. Today it pays tribute to the ingenuity of the ancient Romans who developed a fairly sophisticated water system for that era. Lunch  was at a very nice restaurant on the Via Veneto.

The bus may have a long drive to Washington!

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Our last stop of the day was the Vatican. We entered through the Museum and passed through several galleries including 500 year old tapestries, maps of Italy and some sculpture.  When we got to the Sistine Chapel it was absolutely packed.  I’m glad that we had seen it before because this time there was no possibility of sitting along the perimeter and looking up at the ceiling.  From there we progressed to St. Peter’s Basilica.  The scale of the church and the works of art contained therein are always awesome. On the way out we passed one of the gates of the Vatican which is guarded by the Swiss Guards.  These young men must be Swiss citizens who have served in the military, are single , and between the ages of 19 and 30.  They must be at least 5’ 8” tall.  They wear a traditional uniform from the middle ages.

A member of the Swiss Guard at a Vatican Gate

Then it was back to Civitavecchia and the ship.  We were exhausted.  We walked another 7 miles today and spent a lot of time on our feet listening to information.  We called it an early night and the blog post will have to wait until another day. 

September 5 - San Gimignano, Tenuta Torciano Vineyard, and Volterra

Our weather luck is holding out.  Today was another beautiful one.  We had a passing sprinkle as we went in for lunch and then it cleared off again.

As we disembarked this morning in Livorno our wonderful guide and driver Heliana Vogli was waiting for us.  We sped off on our way to our first stop San Gimignano.  Last year this was our last stop on our tour and we didn’t have nearly enough time so we decided to go back.

San Gimignano is a walled medieval city whose earliest history dates back to the 3^rd century BC and the Etruscans.  The earliest records date to the 10^th century AD when the city defended itself against the Huns after the fall of the Roman Empire.  There was a colorful history during the time that the Guelphs  and Ghibelinos  of Florence were fighting and the conflict spilled over to San Gimignano.

The city is known for its towers.  At one time it had as many as 72 which could be seem from several kms away.  They were built as families tried to show people their wealth and surpass their neighbors.  Today about 14 remain.  Today the city which is enclosed by its walls has lovely streets with shops and cafes and many interesting architectural features.  It is a microcosm of styles from the surrounding cities and these are reflected in the shape of the windows and other architectural features.  The influences of Pisa and Florence can be seen. It's also noted for the wild boar in the area so many stores sell prosciutto, salame, and sausage made from the wild boar.

A fine fellow in the doorway of a butcher shop

A few of the towers of San Gimignano

Al and Heliana on the new ramparts of San Gimignano built after the arrival of cannon and gunpowder

After several lovely hours exploring this city we left to go to the Tenuta Torciana winery which we had visited last year.  The patriarch of the family, Pier Luigi, greeted us and ushered us into a room filled with casks of olive oil.  We  had the room to ourselves and we proceeded to have a fantastic lunch and wine-tasting.  They presented 10 wines ranging from the white unique to the area Vernaccia and several chiantis, a brunello de Montepulciano and three super Tuscans.  They were all wonderful.  Despite the fact that we usually don’t like dessert wines, the one we tasted with almond biscotti dipped in it was fantastic!

A fabulous wine-tasting and lunch at Tenuta Torciano  

After lunch we could have used a siesta, but it was time to drive to our next stop Volterra.  This is another walled city even older than San Gimignano.  It sits atop a high hill and excavations have found remnants of a neolitihic settlement predating even the Etruscan town of  Velathri.. In the Roman era it was occupied and after the decline of the Roman Empire it eventually came under the influence of the Florentines.  Once again we had too little time, but we now have another place to return to on our next visit to the area.

A municipal building in Volterra with many different shapes of windows reflective of the influence of surrounding towns and cities

Heliana provided us with so much information.  We learned a great deal about the history of the area of Tuscany in addition to its art and architecture.  I cannot recommend highly enough the value of someone with her knowledge guiding us on our visit. For example, as we sat in the Baptistery outside the Duomo in Volterra she explained the function of a baptistery to us.  In medieval times, people who were not baptized into the Catholic Church were not supposed to go into the church.  Hence, the Baptistery was apart from the church and after people were fully immersed and baptized they could go into the nearby church.  Baptisteries are usually octagonal because a circle is supposed to represent the perfection of God and an octagon is as close to a circle as one could get without being one.  Also, according to Scripture God created the heavens and the Earth in six days, rested on the seventh and on the eight humankind began their lives, another connection to the 8 - sided building where people were baptized and began their new lives.

After a too brief visit, we’re off to Civitavecchia and Rome tomorrow.  Ciao for now!