Our Time in the Mediterranean

     I kept a daily journal while we were traveling the Mediterranean last month with the thought that I would transcribe it to several blog entries. After looking at all I wrote, I figure that it would be easier to go to the Library and check out a travel book. There is also the matter of the 1,000+ photos that we took while on the trip. No way I could put all the great shots online, even in an album. So, I'm going to try to hit the highlights of the trip and share what I think are some of the best photos of the bunch. Even at that, this is a LONG blog!! Here goes, I hope you enjoy.....

( If you want to skip the narrative and just go directly to the Web Photo Album then CLICK HERE )

11/13 Landed a little late, but Customs was a breeze.  All of our checked bags arrived safely.  But most importantly, our ride was waiting for us!  After a short drive we checked in at the B&B.  Small, nothing fancy, but it will do just fine.  Walked to the Coliseum (see the headline photo).  Bought a ticket for 12 euros each that included the Coliseum, the Forum, and Palatine Hill.  Walked back the long way to Trajan’s tower and the old marketplace ruins.  Nice dinner at a fancy ristorante.  Jet-lagged and footsore, but a really good first day.

The Vatican from St. Peter's Square

Pieta by Michelangelo

11/14 Started the day with a nice breakfast in our room.  Went to a Metro (subway) station and zipped to the Vatican.  The stop is a short walk from the Vatican.  Along the way, you are assailed by vendors offering tours of the Vatican museum.  Their draw is they get to avoid the long line and get you right in.  Not on our plan, but had to endure them anyway.  Toured St. Peter’s Square and the Basilica.  

Pope John Paul II

John Paul II is now enshrined in the main floor of the Basilica.  Originally he was placed in the Papal grotto beneath the Basilica.  

Castel Sant' Angelo

Walked to Castel Sant' Angelo.  Originally the burial place of Emperor Hadrian but recently had a major role in Dan Brown's book/movie "Angels and Demons".  

Fountain of the Four Rivers

Walked to Piazza Novona.  Saw the Fountain of the Four Rivers (also a key scene in "Angels and Demons").  

Roman Riot Police

On the way to the Pantheon, we saw riot police!!  Seems we had run smack dab into a major European Union protest that occurred in several cities across the continent.  Never did get to the Pantheon.  

Trevi Fountain

Spanish Steps

Did get to Trevi Fountain and then to the Spanish Steps.  Had a nice early dinner and then hopped the Metro for a quick ride home.  Before settling in for the night, we stopped for some gelato.

11/15 Walked to the Termini (the main Rail/Bus/Taxi/Metro station in downtown Rome) and checked out the train to the cruise port.  Then we bought a ticket for the hop on-hop off bus.  Saw many of the same things as yesterday, but had a narrative.  Downside was the audio hookups on the bus didn’t always work.  Upside was the bus was open topped.  

Campo de Fiori

Hopped off at Castel Sant' Angelo and walked to Campo de Fiori.  Souvenirs and lunch (bread and cheese).  

In Front of the Pantheon

Then off to the Pantheon.  Toured around town, then stopped at Santa Maria Maggiore church.  Walked home.  Walked around our area and visited San Giovanni Church (the Church of the Popes).  Had a dinner of pizza (with ham, cheese, broccoli and cauliflower!!).  Also more delicious bread and cheese.

Civitivecchia from our Ship

11/16 Left our B&B via a taxi to the Termini.  Bought a ticket to Civitivecchia (cruise port).  Confusing schedules and obnoxious pests who try to “help” you for a fee.  We got on a train that at least showed that it stopped where we wanted to go!  We did in fact get there OK.  After a short walk, we found the cruise ship shuttle busses.  Quick on and quick off, then we were in line to check in.  Very easy check in procedure and poof, we were aboard.  Buffet lunch and a quick orientation walk, then our cabin was ready.  

They have a large GRASS area on the upper deck!!  Our cabin includes a small balcony and is the best one we’ve ever had!  Lots of storage and very spacious!  Surprisingly, our luggage arrived just shortly after we got to our room!  That never happens!  Departed at 5:03 pm local time for our first port--Messina, Sicily.

11/17 Slept well and woke around 6:30 am.  Last night, the Captain said that we would pass near a volcano at sea around this time.  Not overly impressive, but interesting nonetheless.  

Port of Messina

Our tour boarded a bus and went first to Taormina.  A quaint, touristy town up a small mountain.  Parked in a garage on the first floor and the entrance to the town was on the seventh!  Toured the shops and churches.  Nothing like the ones in Rome, but ornate in their own way.  

St. Nicola Cathedral

Saint Nicola Cathedral was built around 1400.  The big wooden beams in the roof were carved with Arabic motifs.  Seems that Sicily has been conquered by many different cultures, and they all have left an influence.  One church had skulls and crossbones on the wall.  The guide said that long ago, soldiers had died there and been buried there.  The skull represents them and it is know as the Church of the Soldier.  

Saracen Castle far above the city

A Saracen castle stands opposingly on top of the cliffs above the town.  We next drove to Mt. Etna.  This is the tallest spot in Sicily and the largest active volcano in Europe.  We wandered among the craters that as recently as 2001 were actively spewing lava.  

In a Crater holding a chunk of Lava Rock

We could not see the summit as it was shrouded in clouds.  We drove through rain and clouds to get to our stop.  Saw a neat double rainbow.  

Also saw two foxes along the side of the road.  Our guide stopped to feed them some crackers.  The trip back to the ship went through more rain and, because winter is coming, it got dark by 5:00.  We got back, cleaned up and went to dinner.  Tomorrow is one of only two sea days during our cruise.

11/18 Slept in today.  Will probably be only one of two chances this trip.  Went to the enrichment talk on Greek culture.  Interesting!  Learned that the OK sign we use in America is an obscene gesture in Greece.  So is raising a hand, palm forward (like high five).  Thumbs up is fine, but thumbs down is rude!  Go figure.  There is also a glass blowing studio sponsored by Corning set up on the upper deck.  Here they show the techniques of making a variety of things in glass.  It is unique in that the ovens they use to melt the glass (at 1200 degrees) are all electric!  No combustion.  It was specially designed for this ship by the folks at Corning glass and staffed by folks from the Corning Museum of Glass.  We attended two different shows.  One show took a drawing submitted by one of the kids in the youth program and turned it into a work of glass.  It was a vase with a bear, lion and cheetah on it. The second show was the science of glass and looked at the effects of gravity and natural forces on the making of glass objects.  Things like not gradually cooling a piece (cracks as it cools, eventually collapsing).  How to make a crackled glass goblet (dip a formed piece in cold water then dip it back into molten glass). Tomorrow, it is up early for a 7:30 am tour of Athens!

The Parthenon atop Acropolis Hill

11/19 Toured the Parthenon on Acropolis hill this morning.  The hill dominates the landscape.  The Parthenon is a shrine to the goddess Athena.  There is only one way in and that is after 250 steps.  The gate at the west end is where everyone entered.  Legend has it that when Athens rose to power, the god Poseidon and goddess Athena fought over who would be patron god.  It was decided that they would each give a present to the mythical king Eric...something.  Poseidon stuck his trident in the ground and up came salt water which represented the sea with all of its bounty.  Athena presented an olive tree branch that represented the rich agriculture of the area.  Athena’s gift was determined to be the best, and thus Athens was born.  

The Parthenon from the bottom of the hill

We also toured the ruins of the temple of Zeus, which lies at the bottom of Acropolis Hill.  

Temple of Zeus. (The Parthenon is on the top of hill behind me)

We stopped briefly at the Panathenaic stadium, the site of the first of the modern Olympic games.  It is from here that the Greek marathon is run every year.  In fact, it was run just last week!  

Panathenaic Stadium

Then it was back to the ship via downtown Athens.  Another Wonder of the World viewed.  Tomorrow--Turkey (the country, not dinner).

11/20 We arrived today in Kusadasi (pronounced kush a dasi).  It is a major seaport on the west coast of Turkey.  It is a modern city and lies close to ancient historical sites like Ephesus, Didyma and Miletos (all of which we were to visit today).  

Mosaic floor in Ephesus

Celsus Library in Ephesus

The main road into the city. In ancient times, this ended at the sea.

The Grand Theater. Several of Jesus' disciples preached from here.

We drove first to Ephesus.  This is a well-excavated set of ruins.  It served as home to the likes of three Apostles (John, Paul and Luke) and Mary, mother of Jesus, lived nearby.  Ephesus was once a seaport, but due to silting, it is 6 miles from the ocean!  The Celsus Library was the third largest in antiquity.  The grand theater seats 24,000 and is still in use today.  Cleopatra spent the winter of 188 with Marc Antony here.  It is still an active archeological dig and continues to surrender its secrets.  

Theater in Miletos

Another site, Miletos, is a city older than Ephesus.  It, too, was a port city that is now far from water.  While not as large as Ephesus, it has some impressive original works.  Many of the seats in the theater are original. 

Just a part of the buffet line

We stopped for a Turkish lunch near Apollo’s temple in Didyma.  A huge buffet of all manner of fruits and vegetables was available.  The catch of the day was breaded, fried and served.  Dessert was baklava that was out of this world!  

Apollo's Temple in Didyma

Intricate carving on column in Didyma

The Temple of Apollo was another impressive ruin.  It has the tallest columns in any temple.  It was built over a span of more than 800 years and was never completed!  Due to the lack of heavy lifting equipment, progress was slow.  Eventually no one worshipped Apollo and the Greek and Roman empires and faded.  Thus, the temple was never finished.  Tomorrow, back to Greece with a visit to the island of Rhodes.

Rhodes as viewed from our balcony

11/21 The old town of Rhodes is the oldest inhabited medieval town in Europe.  It is a walled city with approx. 200 streets or lanes to wander.  But first we drove a bit south and visited the ancient town of Kamiros.  

Part of Kamiros

Kamiros was one of the three large cities on the island in the 5th century BC.  Kamiros was basically an agricultural society which produced wine, oil and figs.  It was also the first Rhodian city to cut its own coins.  Only a third of the city has been excavated.  Wonder what other discoveries lay beneath the ground?  

One of the entry gates to Rhodes

We had fun wandering the streets of medieval Rhodes.  Lots of tourist shops but the vendors weren’t too pushy.  We had lunch in a small restaurant on a corner where we could watch people and enjoy our meal.  I had the chicken gyro with pita bread.  It was very tasty!  

Stone Mosaic entry steps

All along the streets in Rhodes you come across mosaics where small rounded stones are set on their sides and arranged into intricate patterns. They are all varied and really quite fascinating to look at. 

Santorini

11/22 Today we visited the island of Santorini.  The crescent shaped island was once a large circular island.  Around 1650 BC the volcano at the center of the island erupted.  The blast was followed by a collapse of the center of the island forming a caldera filled by the Aegean Sea.  The towns on the island are at the top of the hillside above the old harbor, and can only be reached by cable car, donkey or walking up the 850 steps!  

View of the new harbor from above

Recently, a newer, larger harbor has been built and it has a long road with seven switchbacks to reach the top.  Our tour used the new harbor and its access.  The houses in the towns are square concrete buildings (many with domes roofs).  Many of them are painted a bright, white with brilliant blue roofs (and often doors and windows painted blue also).  They are tightly packed and the streets have no real discernible pattern.  In fact, they aren’t even named!!  The views, however, are amazing!  They say the sunsets in Santorini are unbelievable.  

We toured the small, picturesque town of Oia (pronounced E-ya).  Since it is the end of the season (in fact, this is the last trip here for our ship until March), many shops and restaurants are closed.  On the bright side, not as many tourists clogging up the town either.  After taking some spectacular photos, we went to a local winery co-op to taste some of the vintages.  We sampled a dry white, a dry red, and a sweet after dinner desert wine.  All were good, but I liked the red best.  The sea breeze is such a constant here that they do not stake their grape vines.  They wind them around onto the ground in a circular, basket shape, and the grapes grow within the basket, protected from wind and lack of rain.  

Grape vines waiting for next season

A tour through the main city of Santorini followed, then we were left on our own.  We went through a Christian Orthodox and a Catholic church.  

Cable Cars or...

... 850 steps. Which would you choose???

We headed back down using the cable cars.  Quite a steep ride, but much easier than walking.

The Windmills of Mykonos

11/23 Today we are in Mykonos, our last stop in Greece.  Mykonos is known for its white buildings, and its windmills.  Also nearby is the island of Delos.  By the way, our guide said that there is no “D” sound in Greek.  Though there is a letter “D”.  When a D appears, it is pronounced with a “th” sound.  Therefore Delos is pronounced “Thelos”.  On the island’s west shore are the ruins of an ancient city.  This city has been home to a number of civilizations.  

Just part of Delos

Delos is also considered the birthplace of the gods Apollo and his twin sister, Artemis.  We toured the ruins and were amazed at the quality of structures.  

Floor mosaic in a home

Floor mosaics were quite legible and many of the walls still retained some of their stucco and coloring.  Only about 10% has been excavated.  Again, one wonders what finds lie buried just beneath your feet.  The streets of both Delos and Mykonos are narrow and very disorienting.  They were designed that way for two practical reasons.  First, there is a strong, nearly constant breeze off the Aegean.  The streets off the bay make a quick 90 degree turn in order to break the wind gusts.  The continued twisting and turning was designed to slow down and confuse invaders and pirates. 

A street in Delos...

A street in Mykonos today

Residents could find shelter or lead their attackers into ambushes.  Nowadays, it is the unsuspecting tourist that gets trapped by the overwhelming number of shops selling jewelry and trinkets.  The mascot of Mykonos is Petros the pelican.  He has free run of the place, and if you see him, take a photo because he is a celebrity.  We found him preening his feathers somewhere on a back street.  We wandered up to the bank of windmills that Mykonos is known for.  Like all good tourists, we took some great pictures and enjoyed the view.  Again, we are the last ship here for the season, so many shops have closed up. Others, however, are offering deals upwards of 40-50% off on merchandise.  Tomorrow we sail towards Naples.

11/24 Today we’re at sea.  Attended an interesting seminar on how the ship sets its course and navigated to our various ports of call.  GPS is accurate to within 2 meters.  All planning is initially done with paper charts.  Paper charts are updated weekly.  250 charts are necessary for our current voyage. Ships can “crab” as much 25-30 degrees depending on currents and wind.  The ship never stops in the open ocean as it could capsize with the waves.  The stabilizers are required to be deployed if the ship rolls 2 degrees or more, but our Captain says if the bridge officers feel rolling, they deploy them.  It was fascinating the similarity between sailing and flying.  Tomorrow is our last port to visit.  We will be visiting Naples.

A Wall Mosaic from Pompeii

11/25 Today we had two excursions.  The first primarily visited the Naples Archeological Museum that houses artifacts from Pompeii and Herculaneum.  

Part of a complete silver service

An ornate pottery jug

Column mosaics

Bronze, glass, silver and mosaics along with many statues.  There was also the erotic art section (sorry, we didn't publish those photos).  The quality and excellent condition of the artifacts was most striking to me.  We stopped and had real Italian pizza (thin, chewy crust with tomato sauce and mozzarella) at a restaurant nearby.  

Entry sign to Herculaneum

The second tour was to Herculaneum, a less well-known city that was destroyed by the Vesuvius eruption of 79 AD.  

The port of Herculaneum. The ocean used to end at this port.

This was originally on the coast and now is a couple of miles from the shore and dozens of feet below the current surface, the surrounding ground all fallout from the eruption.  The city is much different from Pompeii.  

Dressing area in the Baths. Note the intricate tile floor mosaic.

It is more upper-class and more residential.  This could be the way it was or the fact that much of the city still remains hidden beneath the current residences of Naples.  

Fast food in 79 AD.

The photo above is of a corner restaurant. Fires were built under the counters and food placed in the clay pots. The heat from the fires kept the food warm. When you stopped by, the owner dished out some of the food for your enjoyment. 

So that was our adventure.  The next day we disembarked the ship and headed to the airport for our return flight.  Then it was back to reality and fighting against the effects of jet lag.