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!

September 4, 2012 - Monaco & the Cote D'Azur

Third time is a charm again!  The last 2 times we’d been to this part of the world we had miserable weather.  Last October we had rains of biblical proportions and winds to match.  Not so today!

We docked at Monte Carlo this morning with a spectacular view of the Casino to our starboard side. The ship was cleared quickly and we were off shortly thereafter.  

View of the Opera House and Casino of Monte Carlo from our balcony

With our fellow cruisers we linked up with our guide, Sylvie DiCristo, and  were on our way to St. Paul de Vence.  St. Paul is a medieval walled city dating back to the 13^th century.  The city and walls are largely intact .  In the early 20^th century it became a favorite place for artists.  One of them, Marc Chagall, lived there for many years and is buried in the cemetery.  The cobbled streets are lined with art galleries and stores selling interesting jewelry, olive oils and perfumes from the local area.   We wandered for awhile and then had a Salade Nicoise and some very nice Rose wine from the area at a restaurant with a terrace overlooking the surrounding countryside.  Before we left we stopped and bought a painting done by an artist  from whom we’d bought a painting the first time we went to St. Paul.  It’s being shipped home and may get there before we do.

A lovely square off the main street in St. Paul de Vence

Our next stop was Les Hauts de Cagnes,  another medieval town perched atop a hill closer to the sea.  This was the site of a castle belonging to the Grimaldi family (the current rulers of Monaco).  It was built in about 1306 as a defense against the Grimaldis’ western enemies.  The houses inside the walls were originally built for the Prince’s soldiers.  Today many foreign retirees have come to live in the old houses because the climate is good and there are not many tourists.  The oldest house has a plaque indicating it was built in 1315.  Unfortunately the museum in the castle was closed today so after having a nice walk through the town we headed to our next stop, Eze.

The oldest house in Les Hauts de Cagnes - 1315

Another medieval city  atop a hill overlooking the sea, Eze was built of the native stone and so, for marauders coming from the sea, it was difficult to see.  There are only 31 residents in the town which has twisting, steep streets (no cars here!).  There are two  hotels in the little village which are ranked among the best in the world.  Al found a new walking stick made of olive wood for his collection.  There are many olive trees in the area.  In fact some families who have olive trees on their property take their olives to a coop press to get olive oil for their personal use.  The stick will come in handy on some of our upcoming tours as we travel through ruins in Athens and Ephesus.

A View of Eze and the Cap Ferrat from the Moyenne Corniche

After a nice visit in Eze, we headed back to Monte Carlo on the Moyenne Corniche ( Middle coast road) .  Along the way we passed through the town of La Turbie where there is a spectacular restored Roman monument commemorating Rome’s conquest of the area.  Sylvie  also had a couple of marvelous viewpoints where we stopped to take photos.  From the first we were able to see Eze and a place called Cap Ferrat, which has some of the most expensive real estate in Europe.  From the other we looked down on Monte Carlo, all one square mile of it, with views of the Old City, the harbor and the Casino.

The Roman monument commemorating Rome's conquest and greatness. It once stood 150 high with 24 columns and topped with a staue of Octavius Augustus Caesar

Us on the Moyenne Corniche overlooking the sea

The weather held out with only a couple of sprinkles.  Now we’re headed across the Ligurian Sea at a very slow pace for our next port of call, Livorno.

September 3 - Hasta la vista Barcelona!

Another beautiful day in Barcelona. After another great breakfast we took a little walk to get some stamps for postcards and a couple of other things.  Our car and driver picked us up around 1:30 and we were off to the port.  There were only three cruise ships in today, the Queen Elizabeth, the Costa Deliziosa and us.  I must say the Queen is a very beautiful ship.  She left first, followed by the Costa ship and finally the Ruby.

The Queen Elizabeth (left) sailing away alongsige the Costa Deliziosa

The Costa ship had something we’d never seen on a ship before. Held in place on her foredeck near the bow were four massive propeller blades.  We wondered if they were from the Concordia and were being moved someplace.  Who knows. 

Propeller Blades on the Costa ship's bow

A closer view of one of these massive blades

Our cabin feels like home; we’ve been  in the same one so many times.  Captain Yeomans is in charge and Guenther is the Food and Beverage Director.  Aside from that the lead staff are new to us.  We miss Marius in Sabatinis and , of, course, Godwin and Generoso aren’t here.

Embarkation was quick and painless and our luggage came at once.  We sailed away at 7 PM and had a lovely sunset.  After we left Barcelona we met two couples we’ll be touring with tomorrow from Monte Carlo.  They seem like delightful people.  Now it’s late and the seas are calm with just enough vibration to rock us to sleep.

So until tomorrow, bon soir!

September 1 and 2 - Barcelona

After a great flight (just an hour and 35 minutes – we had a huge tail wind) we arrived in Barcelona.   Our driver was waiting for us and whisked us to our hotel, the Hotel 1898. It’s a wonderful place right on La Rambla, the main street, yet very quiet.  After checking in we set out on a walk. La Rambla was packed with people taking an afternoon stroll.  Surprisingly, we saw not a single street mime, nor did we today. We stopped at La Boqueria Market, of course, to take in the sights, sounds and smells. This was the first time we’ve been there at the end of summer, and, if anything, there seemed to be more produce than we’ve seen in the past.

After a nice walk we went back to the hotel which has a great rooftop terrace with pool. We had been sent a bottle of champagne by the hotel so we took it up to the terrace with us and they served it with strawberries. What a nice way to start our visit here and our cruise on Monday!

Champagne and strawberries on the terrace

We decided to have dinner at the tapas restaurant we like in the Gothic Quarter. It was packed and we found we didn’t enjoy it as much as we had the previous times we’d been there.  It was very rushed.  Added to that we were missing our cruise buds ( Gail & Tom and Cyndi & Ed).

La Rambla at 9 PM

Sunday we awoke to another gorgeous day.  After a delicious breakfast at the hotel buffet (we think the best we’ve ever seen), we set out to the Sagrada Familia Cathedral.  When we were in Barcelona two years ago, the Pope was here consecrating the place so now it’s a basilica not a church, despite the fact that it’s still under construction.

Our walk took us through the Placa de Catalunya and up the Passeig de Gracia. Along the way we passed  some of Gaudi’s houses and his apartment building.  They are always so interesting to see with their fantastical features.  Barcelona is a  such a lovely city to walk through. Many of the streets are tree-lined and many of the buildings have interesting ironwork balconies and intricate doorways.

Gaudi's Casa Batilo or House of Bones

The Sagrada Familia was mobbed. The line for tickets wrapped around the building.  We decided to pass, but we know now that next time we can get tickets online to avoid the crowd.  We could see that work has progressed in the last couple of years. It’s been under construction since 1882 and perhaps one day it will be completed.

Sagrada Familia Basilica

After stopping for a drink at a café and seeing a standard schnauzer who looked a lot like our Emma, we decided to head back to La Rambla.  Along the way we stopped for lunch at an outdoor restaurant. Watching the passing people was our entertainment as we ate.  We’re always amazed at the footwear.  We saw everything from 4 inch heels to flipflops.  As for hair color, we saw lavendar, green, blue and hot pink.  What more can you ask for?

We decided we hadn’t walked enough once we got back to the hotel so we did one more foray, this time to the lower end of La Rambla, the Columbus Column and then back.  A little over 8 miles today!  I think we’ll need some new trainers when we get home.

We finished our day with a couple of drinks at the rooftop terrace and a nice dinner.  Tomorrow the cruise begins.

August 31 - A Picture Postcard Day!

This morning we awoke to a glorious fall-like day.  The sun was shining brightly and the temperature was close to 70 °.  After breakfast we headed  out to see some more of London.  Our hotel is actually at Heathrow’s Terminal 5 (we don’t even have to go outside to get to and from the flights or to the underground).  It’s a lovely place and so quiet that you can’t hear the planes at all.

Our first stop today was the British Museum.  What a wonderful place it is!  We spent most of our time in the Egyptian, Assyrian and Greek galleries.  Some of the artifacts on display are as old as 5000 years and yet the carvings and workmanship are so exquisite.  Seeing the Rosetta Stone is a highlight, but unfortunately the photos didn’t turn out because of the glare from its case.  We spent a lot of time looking at the Elgin marbles that came from the Parthenon.  We’ll see that building when we go to Athens in 2 weeks.  Hopefully we’ll be able to visualize the things we saw today in their original location.

Marble Horse from the Parthenon

After visiting a few other galleries and a special exhibit it was time to move on.  We decided to try walking from the museum to Westminster Abbey (third times a charm!).  Along the way we found a pub for a pub lunch and, of course, a pint of beer.  The lovely weather had brought everyone outside and the streets  and restaurants we passed were full.

Our visit to a pub

As I said, third times a charm.  We got to the Abbey and were just in time to join a tour conducted by one of the Dean’s Vergers.  He was a wonderful guide who  gave us so much information about the history of both the Abbey and Britain. While I had been there before, I  didn’t until today have an appreciation of all there was to see.  In addition to  historic events, our guide was able to tell us about some more modern occurrences such as  William and Kate’s wedding last year.  Our guide was the clergyman who escorted Prince William and Prince Harry out from the side chapel where they were waiting to the main altar for the ceremony.  I shall have to find a video of the ceremony and see if I recognize him.

By the time we finished our tour, it was close to 5 PM so we decided to call it a day  We’ll be back for a couple of nights on our way home, so we’ll try to see some of what we missed this time around.  We decided that London is a place we could spend days in and just scratch the surface.  It has made it to our list of favorite cities.

And today we walked nearly 8 miles again.  Good thing we're flying tomorrow.  Our feet need a break!

August 29 to August 30 - First Stop London

We’ve just begun this year’s vacation and we’re behind already!  The change in time caught up with us and we just couldn’t post anything our first night in London.

Our flight from Dulles was uneventful and short (only 6 and a half hours).  Our captain was very entertaining as he made the little talk pilots give before you push away from the gate.  He told us we were embarking on this miracle of flight and waxed very poetic.  He concluded his remarks by saying “And now, let us away from Washington!”  Quite different from the usual “sit back and enjoy the flight, folks.”

Our hotel room was ready when we arrived and after getting cleaned up and taking a little nap, we were off for our trip on the underground to downtown London.  It was chilly, windy and looked like it would rain at any moment, but we set out nonetheless to Westminster Abbey.  Along the way we passed some kind of Paralympic event in Trafalgar Square.  On the opposite side of the street were demonstrators for an unknown cause.  Each time we’ve been to London there have been demonstrators of some kind.  It’s all very interesting to see.

Big Ben and the stormy sky

Last year when we were here it was a Sunday and Westminster Abbey was closed.  Well, today we got there at 3:45 and the last admissions were at 3:30. Missed it again!  At that point it was looking very threatening and we were very tired, so we walked along the Thames Embankment part of the way back to our train station.  Despite the weather there were lots of tourists strolling and boats cruising the river.  Just before we reached the station, the rain began.  Fortunately we didn’t have far to go because the umbrellas were back at the hotel. 

The London Eye just before the rain came

We ‘ll try to see more tomorrow.  For tonight,  we’re bushed.  Al has a pedometer in his pocket and since arriving at Dulles we walked  7.63 miles!