Mediterranean Cruise May 2003
MEDITERRANEAN
CRUISE, MAY 2003
(Long journal!)
Cruising
the Mediterranean on Celebrity's Millennium to:
Barcelona, Villefranche - Monaco,
Florence, Rome,
the AmalfiCoast,
Santorini, Athens, Dubrovnik,
and Venice
Our
flight to France
was called and the last group of rows were announced, which included mom
(Dorothy) and me. As we were waiting in line, a man pushing an old woman
in a wheel chair, said, "excuse me." We moved out of the way
and as he walked by, he looked at Mom and said, "Follow me!" As
we did, everyone moved out of our way and we walked straight up to the counter
to give our boarding pass. We were the first few on board. Mom
said, "Why did he call us?" I jokingly said, "You're
old!" So our trip to Europe began!
Mom
and I were supposed to travel to China on 2 May, but with the
ongoing problems with SARS, the tour company (Smartours) cancelled it only 2
weeks before the trip. I was actually happy that someone else made the
decision for us to not go to China.
We were still planning to go, but friends and family begged us not to. China will
still be around for a future trip. Fortunately, we received a full refund
from Smartours.
I
had to quickly plan a new trip and did so within 48 hours. I collapsed by
the time I was done. I first thought of doing an Italy trip,
similar to my last one, but decided that would be too much planning in such a
short timeframe: contacting multiple hotels, car rental, train schedules,
etc. I thought, "how about a cruise?" This would eliminate
making multiple reservations and less packing/unpacking. Of course, this
whole change also meant a completely different wardrobe: bathing suit for
the pool, formal wear, shorts, several pairs of shoes, etc. At least we'd
be packing and unpacking only 3 times.
I
booked our trip with Cruises Only to sail on Celebrity Cruises. This
would be my 7th cruise (8 if you count Greek island hopping). After
reviewing different itineraries, we picked one in particular based on two
ports: VeniceItaly
and DubrovnikCroatia. Another cruise
included Istanbul,
which I would have loved to visit again, but not at this time with the ongoing
war. I had problems getting a room with a window, but after several phone
calls and emails to the supervisor at Cruises Only, was able to work things
out.
8
May 2003 Thursday:
Mom arrived to Maryland
on May 1st. I was able to change her airline tickets to fly here instead
of LA (for the China
trip) and actually got her a $24 credit. I purchased our tickets through
Delta, but flew on Air France.
I know, it was not the right company to travel with while the war is ongoing
and the damn French not being cooperative, but frequent flyer miles have to be
earned!
We
had a great flight. We've always had good service on Air France. I
slept a little, but never as much as I would like. I even tried an
over-the-counter sleeping pill, which didn't really help me. I had gotten
window seats for the both of us so that we could lean against the window and
try to sleep. However, Mom sat in the last row and that seat was several
inches away from the window...too far to lean against and sleep. So much
for careful planning. Mom sat next to a young woman whose family was from
Dubrovnik.
Mom said she would send a postcard to her new friend.
9
May 2003 Friday:
Barcelona!
We arrived early in the morning via Paris.
Fortunately the connection was fairly short and we didn't have a long wait for
our flight. I picked up some Euros at an ATM machine. I also
brought some travelers checks and some cash. We had a tasty, fresh
croissant while waiting for our connecting flight.
Exiting
the Barcelona
airport, we didn't even go through customs - no stamp in our passport!
Since our luggage was heavier than other trips, we decided to take a taxi to
the old Gothic Quarter to our hotel instead of a bus or train/metro. We
arrived on a sunny day and traffic was fairly light. We arrived at our
hotel (HostalLevante) about 30 minutes later. The taxi driver didn't give
me the correct change. I was angry with myself for not counting the
change slowly assuming he gave me the correct amount. Oh well, I'll have
to be careful the next time.
Rooms
are never ready before 1pm, so we dropped off our bags, grabbed our cameras and
headed out for a while. The port was close by, so we walked over to see
the area. I wanted to see if we could walk to the ship with our luggage,
but we determined it wasn't doable since the port was huge and we didn't know
where the ship would be docked.
We
walked up Las Ramblas, a wonderful pedestrian street filled with kiosks, flower
stalls, a bird market and touristy shops. Also, there were several
"statues," men dressed up as statues. Our favorite was the
cowboy and Indian: They would pose as statues waiting for someone to add
money to the pot before performing. If someone tried to take their
picture without adding any money, they would cover their faces, whistle and
point to the pot. One "statue" was of a man reading the
newspaper while sitting on the toilet, while another looked like a head on a
platter. They were very interesting and part of the ambiance of Las
Ramblas. I wondered what their real jobs were?
In
our room, we unpacked our things. Our room was very basic: twin
beds, small reading lights, a small closet (very few clothes hangers, so we
doubled up), desk, chair and a nice sized bathroom with tile floors and large
shower. For 60 Euros, it was a deal! The location was great as
well, right in the heart of the Gothic Quarter.
For
lunch, we found a little restaurant, Garduna, on the back side of the Boqueria,
the wonderful Barcelona
market place, filled with various food stalls: fresh fish and seafood,
fruits, vegetables, dried fruits, nuts, olives, etc. Our lunch was
delicious! We both enjoyed the broad beans stew with sausage, a tossed
salad (the tomatoes were horrible and here we were dining next to a fabulous
market), and local house wine. It was very filling, but I finished every
bite.
We
walked up Las Ramblas to the top end and shopped in the department store, El
Corte Ingles. There is a grocery store with a variety of Spanish
foods. I purchased Choriso, that delicious spicy Spanish sausage, for
Tony.
For
dinner we found a great tapas restaurant near our hotel called MikelEtxea on C.
Ferran #15 just off Las Ramblas. It was filled with hungry diners by the
time we arrived at 8pm. We waited 15 minutes for a table. We shared
one with a group of men from Sweden.
Our meal started with house red wine and a plate of cooked pulpo - octopus
cooked in a spicy paprika sauce. We also tried several other tapas, which
were delicious. I decided this is where we'll bring our new friends the
next evening.
10
May 2003 Saturday: This
day we visited the SagradaFamalia, the famous Barcelona Cathedral still being
worked on since Gaudi died. I don't think this Cathedral will ever be
completed in my lifetime. The morning started with breakfast at a nearby
pastry shop. Then we walked around the area looking at ceramics in a
couple of stores. I purchased a ceramic toothbrush holder. I wanted
to collect different ceramic pieces for my bathroom. We dropped off our
purchases and headed to the nearest metro to SagradaFamalia. We walked to
one far end of a park to take a photo of the whole building. The area was
crowded with tourists.
It
was a warm day, so we found a small grocery store and purchased bottled water,
then sat in the shade near the lake in front of the church. We took the
metro back to the gothic quarter and visited the museum of Barcelona
history, which included an underground area that had been excavated. It
was very interesting and reminded me of the one in Naples, Italy.
We
had plans to meet some new friends on Las Ramblas at 7pm near the Liceu metro.
I met Jeff and others on line at http://www.cruisecritic.com. It was a great web site to get
cruise information and to meet other fellow passengers in advance. One
nice thing is that Celebrity Cruises hosts a party if more than 25 people
register on line. Jeff and I corresponded (along with others) about
tours, which we booked on two, and travel suggestions. I decided to get a
group together for drinks and maybe dinner so we could meet in person before
the cruise.
Next
to the Liceu metro, the midway point of Las Ramblas, there is a mosaic pavement
design by Joan Miro. This is where everyone would meet. At 7pm we
waited to see who would show up. By the time I had left for Barcelona, I had about 12
responses for the evening get together. Jeff and Robin arrived
first. He recognized me from my web site, which I had also added their
photos along with a few others. Phil and Edith also showed up. We
chatted while waiting to see if anyone else would arrive. No one else
did. Getting hungry, I led everyone to the tapas place. We got
there early enough to grab seats at the bar. Tapas were placed all along
the bar and they looked inviting. We drank, munched on the various tapas,
and had a good time talking with each other.
After
our tapas and wine, we headed to the port to find a restaurant for
dinner. It was probably a 20-minute walk but the evening was
lovely. Our meal at El Port Vell wasn't the best of our trip but we
enjoyed dining outdoors. Next time we'll stick to tapas and other typical
Spanish dishes. We all split up saying good-night knowing we'd meet many
times again on the cruise.
OFF
ON OUR CELEBRITY CRUISE
11
May 2003 Sunday:
Since we had plans to board the cruise ship around 1pm, we didn't make any
plans for the morning. We had a light breakfast around the corner, then
packed our suitcases, stored them in the lounge and headed out for a walk
around Las Ramblas. It seemed like all of Barcelona was out enjoying the sunny
day. I picked up some souvenirs to use as Christmas ornaments.
Being anxious to get to the ship, we headed back to the hotel where the woman
at the desk called a taxi for us. Saying our goodbyes, we waited outside
for the taxi. It was a short ride to the port and I became very excited
seeing the beautiful Millennium. The taxi driver was impressed with its
size and I explained with my little bit of Spanish that there were other ships
much larger than the Millennium.
At
the port, a cruise ship employee tagged our luggage and had them whisked
away. Checking in seemed easy until we had to fill out some forms that
had been left out of the ticket packet I received in the mail. While
waiting in line, we quickly filled out the forms. At the counter, we
received our plastic on-board credit cards. No cash for drinks and
shopping - we pay with the credit card, which gets charged against our Visa at
the end of the trip. It was also used to get on and off the ship through
security. All passports were handed in and would be given back at then
end of the trip.
We
went through security without any problems, had our first souviner cruise photo
taken, and boarded the ship. Another photo was taken at the security
point, which would identify us each time we boarded the ship. It actually
took only 15 minutes from arrival to the port to walking on board the
ship. We were greeted by several crewmembers all dressed in their black
suits, including two who each held a tray of champagne-filled glasses. It
was a joy starting a cruise with a glass of bubbly.
We
were escorted to our room, #2131, and were left to finish our champagne and
check out the room. Our cabin was lovely with a large round window;
mirrors on one wall; light wood paneling, a queen bed, and a small couch which
folds out for a third guest; small desk with glasses, a pitcher of water, and
an ice-filled bucket, chair, a nice size port window, and a small but decent
bathroom with plenty room for our cosmetics. The closet was quite large
with an in-room safe, plenty of hangers, and 5 or 6 drawers. There was
also a mini bar, which was pricey, but we used it to store fruit and cream
since I brought a few mini bottles of kahlua and vodka for my White Russians.
There was a t.v., which showed the various ships tours and entertainment on
board. Our room was located on the 2nd level, center and low on the
ship. It was a good location for us. I found the room to be larger
than my previous sailings with other companies. One luxury on board was the
twice-daily changing of the bathroom linens. Every time we returned to
our room, the bathroom had been cleaned, as well as our bucket of ice refilled.
The
ship is beautifully decorated with lovely exotic flowers and plants. The
grand foyer had an onyx staircase with backlit yellow lighting and full-length
(2 stories) draperies. Each lounge or sitting area was tastefully
decorated. The ship had an elegant atmosphere, not stuffy. Smoking
was allowed in certain (port side only) areas of the ship. Mom always smoked
either on the pool deck or the Rendezvous Lounge.
A
buffet lunch was being served on the 10th deck, so we rode in one of the
exterior glass elevators to the top, which provided dramatic views as we
sailed. Looking at the spread of food, I knew immediately I would have to
take the stairs as often as possible and work out at the gym. There were
4 serving areas so the wait in line was very short. Several waiters stood
ready to take our trays and escort us to a table. During breakfast,
waiters would come along with extra pastries and rolls. This dining area
had large floor to ceiling windows to enjoy the scenery of the ocean, including
large port windows on the floor where you could look straight down to the
water. The glass was a few inches thick and bolted well. We ran
into Jeff and Robin at lunch. He had changed rooms and needed to make
dining reservations. Deciding that we'd all dine together, we headed to
the lounge where we could make new table arrangements. It took a while,
but we were assigned to table 561. We asked for a table for 6 and hoped
that the 3rd couple would be good tablemates.
Back
in the room, our luggage had been delivered. We quickly unpacked since
most of our "cruise" clothes had been in the luggage for a few
days. There was ample closet and drawer space, which was a nice change to
our normal pensions and hotels.
Mom
and I spent the rest of the afternoon checking the various places on the ship
and writing in our journals. At 7pm we went to the Rendezvous Lounge for
a martini-tasting event. We tried 5 different martini's, small portions,
for about $6. They were very tasty, varying from the traditional to
lemon, to Chambord flavor. Surprisingly,
it was just the two of us as well as four others enjoying the drinks.
Drinks on board were reasonably priced, but watch out! The bill can rise
quickly using the on-board credit card.
We
saw Jeff and Robin on deck while waiting for the ship to leave port, which
turned out to be a daily routine. Mom was very excited about her first
cruise. The only other "cruise" was in 1958 when she first
traveled to Europe. In those days,
traveling by ship was the basic means of transportation, as are airplanes
today. God, that sounds ancient! I had smuggled a bottle of white
wine on the ship while Mom brought a bottle of red wine. We had the
bottles double wrapped in zip lock bags. I wasn't going to take the
chance my clothes. We had a glass of wine while we watched Barcelona disappear from
view.
We
had the late dining schedule: 8:45pm. I wish it had been a little
earlier, but we managed every evening. Our waiter was Frankie (from India) and our assistant waiter was Niel (from
the Philippines).
Both provided excellent service throughout the cruise. They also went out
of their way to make an evening extra special or fun. This cruise had 3
formal nights, 3 informal nights and the rest casual. Our first night was
casual. Our table was next to a large window on the second level of the
restaurant. The third couple at the table was Anne and Lauren. Jeff
entertained us throughout the trip, so much that after the second night, Anne
and Lauren dined elsewhere. Now, we don't know if Jeff was the reason
they left (they were a little on the stuffy side, at least Lauren was) or they
just changed their dinner plans.
Since
our dinner usually ended around 10:30pm, we never went to an evening
show. It was just too late for us, especially since we had early arrival
times at the ports (7am). Most evenings we'd have a drink at the
Rendezvous lounge or to a place where Mom could have her smoke. Other
times I left her to her smoking while I walk around the ship and stairs to work
off some of the calories I ate.
Each
evening ended with our bed turned down with a chocolate on our pillows, along
with the daily Celebrity Today newspaper. It listed all the activities
and events for the next day, the daily dining choices, bar hours, drinks of the
day and other shipboard information. I usually skimmed through it and
figured out the next day's events. Steve, our room steward, also made Mom's
nightshirt into a design on the bed. I kept mine out of sight. I
didn't want Steve "playing" with my nightshirt!
12
May 2003 Monday:
A day at sea. We had a very relaxing day at sea, sleeping in a little,
sitting on the deck enjoying the sun and enjoying the food on board. Our
Cruise Critic party was schedule for the late morning where we met many of our
fellow passengers (about 55 others). It was great putting faces to names
Inew from my email correspondence. Soft drinks and cookies were served.
I chatted with Mark and Darlene about sharing a taxi to the train station in Rome and maybe touring
together. At the end of the party, a group photo was taken in the grand
foyer on the stairs. I didn't purchase any of the photos taken on board
as I felt they were very expensive.
Following
a delicious Thai lunch in the dining room, we attended a wine tasting
lecture. I received an invitation in our room from the Captain's
Club. I wasn't even a member! However, the card was in my name
with the correct room number, so we went. We were served about eight
different wines and champagne. Thank goodness we didn't pay for
this. The samples were very small and the host was quite boring. He
seemed pleased with himself every time he told a joke.
I
must write about the food on board the ship. The dining options were
amazing: Breakfast can be had in the main dining room (the Metropolitan
restaurant), the ocean café, the AquaSpa (all heath foods), and the ocean grill
(aft of the ship). Lunch choices were hot dogs, burgers, or pizza and
pasta at the Riviera grill, a full menu at the Metropolitan, a buffet at the
Ocean café (such as Mexican, Italian, or Chinese buffet); soups, sandwiches and
salads at the Ocean grill; healthy choice all day in the AquSpa. There
was ice cream throughout the day, sushi 6-10pm, pizza and pasta 6pm to 1am,
pastries in the Cova Café di Milano room, and gourmet bites served in all
lounges between 11:30pm and 12:30am. Coffee and tea was available 24
hours a day. But if you don't want to leave your room, there is room
service. For dinner, we dined in the Mtropolitan restaurant. Every
menu was great with three to four choices of appetizers, soups, salads, and
entrées. Dessert choices were brought on a tray to select. One
option for dinner is the Alternate Dining, where you make reservations and pay
a small fee. Jeff and Robin ate there one evening and felt it was not
worth it. The last option for dinner is the beautiful, luxurious Olympic
Restaurant. There is a $25 fee and reservations must be made in
advance. It was the highlight of many cruisers, but we chose to save our
money for a special dinner in Venice.
Some said the food was fabulous while others said it was just as good as in the
Metropolitan dining room. The extras were really the service and the way
the food was prepared and served (usually at the table), along with a beautiful
setting.
The
afternoon was relaxing: Sitting in the sun and listening to the music on
deck. Mom found her smoking area on the port side in the shade and that
became her usual spot. Waiters came around taking drink orders, while
another one passed out chilled cold washcloths to cool off. I even worked
out at the gym for almost an hour. There are classes throughout the day
and other special events (such as pilates, which is an extra fee).
I
was feeling a little hungry, so after showering and getting ready for our first
formal night, we headed to the Sushi bar. I sampled a few varieties of
sushi, all well made and very fresh. I didn't want too much since dinner
was in a couple of hours. Jeff stopped by and we talked about our first
port of call: Villefranche and Monaco.
We had heard that there was a French transportation strike. We hoped to
take a local bus or train to Monaco,
but would have to wait after disembarking to figure out the
transportation.
Prior
to dinner, there was a Captain's welcome cocktail party. We were served
wine, champagne and other drinks. It was a relaxing evening with good
food and service.
13
May 2003 Tuesday:
Villefranche. I woke up early and quickly opened the drapes to a
beautiful scene of the port town. I couldn't wait to see the town as well
as Monaco.
We had a full breakfast at the Ocean café. It was the same food as the
other morning buffets. There is a large assortment of fresh fruits, eggs,
sausages, pancakes, hash browns, potatoes, smoked salmon or smoked herring,
rolls, biscuits, bagels, yogurt, etc. We invited Julie and James to join
us, one of cruise critic party couples. After they left, Phil and Edith
joined us and we all decided to spend the day together.
We
were tendered to port and as we went along, I took several photos of
Villefranche. It's an absolutely beautiful port town with colorful old
buildings and villas along with sailboats and beautiful yachts in the
harbor. A young man approached Phil who told us yes, the strike was on in
France,
but that we could take his bus to Eze to see his perfume factory. From
there we could take a local bus to Monaco. Apparently busses
were not running from Villefranche. It was a lovely trip to Eze as the
young woman on board explained some of the sights. She even pointed out
the area where Elton John and Tina Turner have homes. The tour of the
perfume factory was interesting. We learned that perfume bottles should
be kept in a cool, dark place and that the bathroom is one of the worse spots
to store them. Also, aluminum bottles are better than glass. I
didn't purchase anything, but Mom purchased some soaps for her mother.
Edith purchased a bottle of perfume.
We
had drinks at a café while waiting to see when the next bus would arrive.
The woman at the tourist office didn't know when the next bus would arrive, if
it arrived at all. I wanted to tour Eze, but was afraid we'd miss the
only bus to Monaco.
After a while, we decided to take a taxi. For the four of us, it was 35
Euros, which wasn't too bad compared to others that took a taxi to either Monaco or Nice
and were charged 60 Euros to 80 Euros for two people! The ride was
spectacular as we headed to Monaco:
mountains on one side and beautiful ocean scenes on the other.
Monaco was
fascinating! Money was oozing everywhere in cars, yachts, villas,
clothing. I was amazed at the size of some of the yachts. Flowers
were everywhere in gardens, along sidewalks, and cascading over
balconies. Our group was dropped off near the MonacoPalace,
but unfortunately, it was closed until June. We just missed seeing the
changing of the guards. We walked around the area and found a very good
restaurant for lunch. In the afternoon, we took a local bus to the
JardinExotique (http://www.monte-carlo.mc/jardinexotique/presentation_en.html) where we saw many
varieties of cactus. Prince Louis II had created this unique garden just
over 100 years ago. It sits on the side of a cliff and the walkways lead
you down in a zigzag sidewalk. From this area, there are great views of Monaco.
Taking
a local bus back to the center of town, we transferred to one back to
Villefranche. Although the ship didn't leave port till 11pm, we decided
not to visit Nice. I found a small store where Edith and I picked up wine
for our rooms. We headed to the port and found an outdoor café, Les
Palmiers, and had a round of drinks. Jeff and Robin arrived and joined
us. We had a fun time there. Edith and I were able to smuggle our
bottles on board without any problems.
14
May 2003 Wednesday: Jeff
had organized a tour for Tuscany.
He made arrangements with Carla's company, who drove us (Jeff and Robin, Shaun
and Toni, Mark and Chris, and Mom and me) to San Gimignano, Florence,
and Pisa.
Carla picked us up at 8am and we hopped in her 8-passenger van. It was
about an hours drive to San Gimignano. I was looking forward to returning
there. She would let us off so that we had time on our own. It was
nice because we didn't feel "stuck" to a tour guide, but she did
provide information as we drove along on our day trip. We walked around
the town and window-shopped. A few of us climbed Torre Grossa for some
spectacular countryside views. I felt uncomfortable climbing the "open"
stairs, but the views were worth it.
Carla
stopped the van at the edge of town where we could take photos of the town with
its dozen remaining towers. We also had a group photo taken.
Our
next stop was Florence. It was about 1.5 hours drive, but we all enjoyed
the countryside views. We saw farm homes, vineyards, and small towns dotting
the hills. Our first stop was at a church (forgot the name but it's above
the Piazza Michelangelo) then drove to the Piazza Michelangelo for great
Florence city views, including the famous Ponte Veccio Bridge.
In
town, Carla dropped Mom and me off near the Ponte Veccio so I could do some
damage to my wallet at the jewelry stores on the bridge. Yes Tony, I
shopped till you dropped! I ended up with a beautiful necklace and
bracelet for my charms. We headed to the center of town, stopping along
the way at the outdoor markets. I purchased a silk tie for Tony and Mom
purchased an address book covered with a typical Florentine print. Lunch
was a simple panini sandwich with mozzarella and eggplant, and a glass of red
wine. We walked to the Duomo, visited inside, and then surrounding
area. The façade of the Duomo is built of green, red, and white
marble. The entryway has tall doors. I am always amazed at the size
of the European Cathedrals and wondered how they were built so long ago.
Our
time was running out, so we headed back across the ArnoRiver
to our meeting point. The last stop of the day was Pisa. I was there in 1990 just before
the scaffolding had been put up for repairs and now the repairs have been
completed. People can now tour the top of the tower. I wouldn't!
To me it still leans pretty far over for my comfort. It was a beautiful
sight, but the many trashy kiosks along the side of
the road really made for a disappointing visit. I couldn't believe all
the junk they sold, from mini leaning tower of Pisa's
to leaning coffee mugs. Real tacky stuff. I think most were
disappointed in Pisa.
I've been there twice now and have no plans to return there again.
Back
at the port, Carla got lost. The port is huge and we circled around a bit
before finding our ship. We arrived in time, paid Carla (50 Euros per
person), and had our group photo taken. It was a great day, but we all
would have liked more time in San Gimignano and Florence. Pisa can be left off anyone's itinerary.
Anne
and Lauren apparently decided to dine elsewhere, so Shaun and Toni joined the
rest of the group. We had a fun evening. Dinner was
delicious. I had their pasta with shrimp and vegetables. After dinner,
we all sat in the Rendezvous lounge for a drink and a smoke (Mom and
Toni).
15
May 2003 Thursday: Livorno.
An early morning wake up call, we had a light breakfast in our room. Room
service was pretty good, but by the time the meal arrived, the eggs were
cold. We met up with Mark and Darlene and shared a taxi to the train
station (a total of 10 Euros); and then took the local train to Rome. The ride was
about 1 hour, 15 minutes long. Most travelers were commuters heading to
work. At the metro, we had a hard time getting tickets from the
machines. After 10 minutes of putting coins in and coming back out, we
found a kiosk that sold tickets. We took the metro to the Spanish Steps,
while Mark and Darlene continued on to the Vatican. We decided to meet
back at the train station later in the late afternoon. At the Spanish
steps, I met an older Italian man. With my limited Italian, we had an
enjoyable conversation. He was visiting with family from Calabria and I tried to
explain we were on a ship, not an albergo. I didn't know the Italian word
for 'ship'. I was thrilled to be able to converse with him even though we
couldn't understand everything. He was sweet and Mom took a photo of the
two of us.
Not
too far from the Trevi fountain, we stopped for coffee and tea at an outdoor
café. We enjoyed the morning watching people come and go. The Trevi
fountain was crowded with tourists. It was a sunny day and all the steps
were filled with people. We chatted with one couple for a few minutes.
They were touring various areas of Italy.
For
lunch we had excellent pizzas at Gio Mia. My pizza included ham,
artichokes, olives, and cheese. Mom's consisted of sausage, capers,
mushrooms and cheese. House wine rounded our delicious lunch. There
was a table displaying a wide variety of antipasti, which would have been a
meal in itself. If we ever go back, I'd like to share a pizza and a plate
of the antipasti. Nearby was the Barbarini metro, so we continued our
tour to the Colosseum. I enjoyed seeing the Italian men in their
Gladiator uniforms with their helmets and short skirts. We also walked to
the Forum, but didn't go in. Mom purchased a couple of cheap t-shirts on
the street. I told her not to wash them, they'll probably fall apart.
Back
at the station, we met up with Mark and Darlene, took the train back to the
port in Livorno, and headed back to the ship
in a taxi. We could have walked it, but it might have been too far for
Mom. On deck we had drinks while we left port.
16
May 2003 Friday:Naples was our 4th port
(four ports in 4 days). Jeff organized a tour to the Amalfi coast.
I was looking forward to seeing the Amalfi coast again and shop for some
ceramics. It would have been nice to see Tony's relatives, but they would
have expected a 2-3 day visit by me. The group met at 8am: Jeff,
Robin, Tony, Marie, Shaun, Toni, Mom and me. Our tour guide, Adriano, was
very entertaining and funny! I sat up front with Marie, who recently had
knee surgery. I also asked Adriano to take it easy while driving around
the coast. He complied; however, did he talk with his hands! I was
quite nervous. Typical Italian. He reminded me of Peppino, Tony's
cousin.
The
first of several stops was in Sorrento.
We all split up and walked around the town. Mom and I bought a few
ceramic bottle stoppers. They were very inexpensive. I bought a
soap pump for my bathroom ceramic collection. I also saw some gold
bracelets, which were much less than the one I bought in Florence. Oh well, I loved what I
bought. Sorrento
is famous for its inlaid wood designs. I purchased a jewelry box for my
friend June for her birthday. I have one along with 3 inlaid pictures
hanging in the living room. They are beautiful pieces of work.
Although
it was a sunny day, it was hazy in the distance. Mom and I tasted
lemoncello at a small store. The man there was bottling the lemon liquor
right on the premises. It's a tasty drink and is refreshing to have in
the summer.
Our
tour continued onto Positano. Along the way we stopped at two lookout
points along the Amalfi coast. We had a group photo taken with the town
in the background. The town seems to just hang on the side of the
mountain. One slip and it could fall into the ocean. We enjoyed a
delicious lunch at Ristorante La Cambusa on the beach. It was a steep,
windy walk to the water area. Mom and I shared a plate of marinated
octopus; then I had their pasta with white clam sauce, which was the best I've
ever had.
Mom
and I both picked up a few ceramics in Amalfi, another lovely town on the
coast. By now, the towns were starting to look alike: they all had
beautiful ceramics on display, small shops selling lemoncello and other local
products. Some day I would love to purchase a very large ceramic platter
to hang on my wall in the dining room. They are very expensive and are
wonderful pieces of art.
The
final stop was in Ravello. Adriano pointed out Roger Moore's house.
He had also pointed out Sofia Loren's house on the coast. I wondered if
she was home. It was a steep climb up into the mountains, which had
spectacular views of the coast. I was a little disappointed in this town
as there wasn't much to see, but I loved all the ceramic shops. I think
my favorite town was Positano. We had to drive over the mountain to
return to Naples.
I was beginning to worry we wouldn't get back in time. It was a long,
windy drive and Adriano kept talking with his hands. I definitely needed
a glass of wine by the time we got back to the ship. It was a great day
and all wished we had more time in each of the towns.
Dinner
was quiet as Jeff and Robin made reservations in the elegant Olympic
restaurant. Franky and Niel took good care of us. I was even served
two entrees: pasta with scallops and shrimp scamp and fillet mignon. I
ate the entire seafood dish and a few bites of the steak, which was perfectly
done. Franky was all smiles and I smiled back telling him not to do that
again. It was just too much food for me.
After
dinner, we joined Julie and James and their friends in the Cosmos nightclub
where they played bingo. My "good luck" of a bird crapping on
my head at the Trevi fountain in Rome
helped Dave (and Karen) win one round of bingo. He wanted to split his
share with me, but I said, no thanks. However, he bought me a glass of
wine. Mom had already gone to bed by that time as it was getting
late. That night the clocks were moved one hour forward and I ended up in
bed at "1:30am." Thank goodness the next day was at sea.
17
May 2003 Saturday: Mom
slept in while I went up for breakfast, then headed to the Rendezvous lounge to
listen to Joyce Adamidis talk about her book. She's the wife of the
captain of the ship and has been at sea for at least 20 years. She's had
an interesting life and was quite interesting to listen to, especially her
stories about passengers and crewmates. After the lecture, I spoke with
Joyce for a few minutes. She was very nice and willing to talk to
passengers. I told her I would love to buy her book, as I'm sure my
Mom would too. I asked if she would autograph the books. Yes!
She said we could bring them to the Captain's cocktail party that evening.
In
the early afternoon, we listened to Dick Morris (political consultant and ex Clinton aide), who was a
very good speaker and quite funny. He even enjoyed his own humor.
Dick had three lectures on the cruise. We didn't attend the first one
(about Bush and Gore); the other two were on the Clintons, and the Presidential election
2004. During the lecture, he asked if there were any Britt's in the
audience. Several raised their hands. He said, "Let's give
them a nice round of applause" thanking them for their participation in
the war with the US against Iraq.
Then he said, "I won't ask if there are any French." We all
laughed. After, I headed to the deck and sat in the sun for an
hour. An hour is enough since the Mediterranean sun is quite hot.
On
the ship, there were jewelry sales. One day they had assorted inexpensive
watches for sale, while another day they sold costume jewelry, and yet another
day of Greek - silver and gold - jewelry. Mom purchased a pair of gold
earrings at a very good price.
I
received another invitation in the room from the Captain's Club to attend the
Captain's private cocktail party. I was beginning to enjoy these little
extras on board. I also received a packet of information with a letter
stating "Welcome to the Captain's Club. We had a nice time and sat
with Mark and Chris enjoying some wine or champagne. This was our second
formal evening. After the toast, people started to leave for
dinner. I searched for Joyce and she almost ran up to us seeing we were
looking for her. She brought us to meet the Captain and chatted for about
10 minutes while the books were autographed. That was a special
moment. She was very friendly while the Captain was quiet.
Shaun
and Toni joined us for dinner. Lauren and Anne still hadn't dined with us
after the first two nights. Jeff was in full swing that night. He
had learned that Toni must have plenty of ice in her drinks, so he arranged for
Franky to bring her a glass of ice when he brought out a dish. The finale
was a silver bucket of ice. That was very entertaining and we all got a
kick out that.
I
could barely finish my meal. For dessert, which I didn't ask for any, I
received a plate with the word "Nothing" written in chocolate.
I thought the covered dish was for Toni with more ice. It was cute.
A woman at the next table received the same "dessert." The food
was great, but too much to enjoy. I went to the room and wrote in my
journal before going to sleep.
18
May 2003 Sunday:
Santorini. This is one of my favorite islands in Greece and I
was looking forward to returning there. We had a long day, as the ship
didn't leave the port until 11pm. I would have preferred longer stops in Florence and Rome,
instead of Villefranche and Santorini. After a leisurely breakfast, the
group headed to the island on tenders. There are three ways to get to the
top of Fira: cable car, walking, or donkey. Toni, Mom and I headed
via the cable car while Shaun, Jeff and Robin went the animal route. They
got to the top a lot faster than we did since most people opted for the 3 Euro
cable car ride. I wouldn't recommend walking since it's very steep and
I'm sure there are souvenirs from the donkeys. Fira is small enough for a
quick visit seeing all the beautiful jewelry shops and other stores. I
wanted to have a gyro at Lucky's but I was still full from breakfast. I
should have skipped breakfast!
There
are two museums in town, which were free of charge this particular
Sunday. Various Greek artifacts were on display. We had drinks at a
café near the local bus stop while waiting for the bus to Ia. The bus
filled quickly and the ride took about 20 minutes. I loved Ia!!
It's a lot quieter than Fira and less crowded. It was quaint with its
white washed buildings and blue church domes. We had lunch at Thomas
Grill, recommended by the liquor storeowner (where I purchased a bottle of
Ouzo) next to the bus stop. The food was excellent and inexpensive.
It seem that the entire family cooked the meals in the kitchen. One even
showed a few of us the fresh fish available for lunch. Shaun and Jeff were
amazed at the total bill. The mousaka was excellent, as well as the
Taramasalata (a fish roe dip). The house wine was tasty and the total
bill for the six of us was 60 Euros. The owner treated us to a shot of
Ouzo.
The
town was small so we arrived at the end pretty quickly. We could see Fira
in the distance, as well as the ship. I had a problem with my camera, so
I opened thinking it had never advanced. I was wrong! I was
actually a roll of 36. At least I could load another roll and take all
the photos again. We ran into Mark and Chris, who found a nice little
spot for lunch along with a fabulous view of the caldera. Prices were
higher than our restaurant, but I'm sure it was worth every penny.
Back
at the bus stop, we ran into Albert and his group of friends. They had
rented a car and were driving to the various areas of the island. In
Fira, we split up. Mom and I walked up one area where we could take some
great photos of the town; then we had wine and fried calamari at Zafora's while
watching the sunset. This corner of the town had many people with their
cameras ready for the sunset. I didn't find the sunsets as spectacular as
the ones in Hawaii.
I also heard they were prettier in Ia. While we were enjoying our drinks
and calamari, we watched the men with their donkeys walk up the street in a
row. It was the end of their workday. Across the way at Kastros, we
joined Julie, James, Dave, Karen, and two other couples for a glass of
wine. I was getting cold as the sun disappeared, so I went to a nearby
store and purchased a sweatshirt. We left the group and went
window-shopping. Mom purchased a beautiful gold pendant. She kept
asking me if I liked it since I would inherit it.
A
quick cable car ride to the port, we headed back to the ship in time for
dinner. Again, it was just the two of us. It was an excellent
dinner of escargots; cream of mushroom soup; salad; ossobucco with
risotto. I didn't always have dessert and when I did, it was usually a
sorbet. One evening they served a mango sorbet that was divine!
The
ship left at 11pm and Mom and I had drinks while we watched the lights of
Santorini disappear. There was a lovely fruit buffet at the pool
deck. The people in line for the food were like scavengers. It was a
crazy scene. It was as if they hadn't had a bite to eat all day!
19
May 2003 Monday: This
was my third, and last, visit to Athens.
I've seen enough! From the deck of the ship I saw a protest going on at
the port. I couldn't tell what it was about, but they were holding
signs. Our usual group walked all the way from the port to the metro,
about 45 minutes. The metro is located near the JVC building and to the
left of the tallest building in that area. A taxi would have been much faster,
but the cars only held 4 passengers and we were a party of 6. We all
split up once we got to Athens.
Since Mom and I had been to the Acropolis, we headed to the outdoor
market. The market is a great place to take photographs. The FDA
would shut this place down in a heartbeat. Meats hung on hooks, including
pigs heads, whole lamb, and other delicacies. It smelled of meat and
those with a weak stomach should skip this sight.
Mom
and I walked over to Syntagma
Square and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
It was a hot day, so we took our time walking. We found a shady spot and
stopped for a few minutes. We planned to meet up at 1pm with the
rest, but that didn't work out. They had too much to see. We had
lunch near the metro stop and enjoyed delicious donar kebabs. After, we
toured the Agora and walked around the flea market. All kinds of junk
were on display for sell, but nothing worth buying and bringing home.
After
a short stop for a Greek iced coffee, we shopped in the Placa. I
purchased a beautiful gold Greek pendent. Toni said she loved when she
saw it, better than my winged lion of Venice
pendant. We took the metro back and walked to the ship. This time
it took only 35 minutes as we "hugged" the closer side of the
port. The port area was very busy with traffic and quite noisy.
I
had a terrible time with one of the security men when returning on board the
ship. All previous days I requested a hand check of my camera so my film
wouldn't be x-rayed. Normally after a couple times saying "please!"
they would look at the camera and let me go. I know that after 5-6
x-rays, the film can become damaged. This time the security man wouldn't
let me hand check my camera. He was very rude and made the situation
uncomfortable. I told him that all other days I had no problem getting my
camera hand checked. He finally told me to take my lens off and take a
picture. That was impossible without the lens being on the camera.
So I put it back on after struggling with it and exposed a shot. The
idiot didn't look as I did it and had to take another shot. As I did so,
I stated, "You're wasting my film!" Finally I could go
through. Mom had already given up asking for a hand check. I went
to Guest Relations to complain, but they didn't do anything. At least I
told them about the rude behavior.
Again
for dinner, Shaun and Toni joined us. Where were Anne and Lauren?
That turned into a joke for the rest of the cruise. Jeff decided he
wanted to collect all his utensils for souvenirs. Franky went along with
the joke and brought him a plate full of utensils. It was another fun
dinner. That night we all set our clocks back an hour.
20
May 2003 Tuesday:
A day at sea. Mom slept in and I had breakfast with Phil and Edith.
Jeff joined us with his coffee. I planned to listen to the disembarkation
lecture along with the Dubrovnik
lecture. That was one port we were really looking forward to
visiting. We passed two islands while at sea.
We
went to the lectures, but walked out of the Dubrovnik lecture since it was about
shopping. We did listen to Dick Morris in the afternoon, though his
lecture wasn't as entertaining as the last one. Since it was our last day
at sea, I laid in the sun for an hour. It was a great afternoon of
relaxing. The pool deck was crowded with sunbathers.
Just
before 7pm and heading to the top deck to see Corfu,
there was a knock on the door. Steve, our room steward and a waitress
brought in a tray with a bottle of champagne and a basket of fruit. The
card simply stated, "From Guest Relations." I suppose that was
their apology for yesterday's harassment. I opened the bottle and we had
a glass while on deck.
21
May 2003 Wednesday: Dubrovnik was a beautiful
port. Our ship docked in the area of the new town close to a modern
bridge that reminded me of a sail. Complimentary shuttle busses took
passengers to the main entrance of the old town. The town is enclosed
with very thick walls, which we walked 2/3rds until Mom got tired. From
the top of the walls, we had clear views of the town with its red tile roofs
and ocean. The town was impressively clean with granite or marble streets
and had been re-built very quickly after the war damaged most of the city in
the early 1990's. There was a war memorial, which we
visited. Inside, many photos of men who died in the war defending their
town were on display. Many were quite young.
We
had an excellent lunch at a restaurant called Narona on UlicaKuniceva, probably
one of our best meals while touring. We met a woman in the street passing
out fliers to the restaurant. There were several side streets, which had
restaurants, but unless you walked those streets you wouldn't know about
them. A typical meal starts with an aperitif. We were served a
plate of goat cheese and fresh baked bread, followed by large seafood plates consisting of grilled squid, shrimp, a small
whole fish (bass?), mussels, potatoes and spinach. We had their house red
wine, which we liked. The total bill came to 244 Kunas, $38. The
restaurant accepts credit cards. Everyone we met was quite friendly.
I think tourism is really growing strong in Dubrovnik. Euros are accepted, so we
were glad that we didn't have to exchange any money for their Kuna. I
purchased a Dubrovnik
charm for my bracelet, while mom purchased a pair of earrings. They were
of a typical Dubrovnik
design.
When
we got back on board, we met a few friends on the 10th deck, aft. There's
a nice bar there with tables and umbrellas. We enjoyed afternoon drinks
while watching the ship leave the port
of Dubrovnik.
Fluffy,
white terrycloth robes were provided to all the passengers to wear while in the
cabin and/or to purchase them. Many passengers started wearing them
between cabin and pool. After a few days there was an announcement in our
daily newsletter reiterating that the robes be worn only in the cabin.
Jeff decided to have some fun and came up with a plan to challenge the
"rule." He thought we should wear our robes to dinner on the
most formal evening, the Captains gala. I agreed as long as I saw him and
everyone else with their robes. I told him he'd have to convince Mom to
participate. I put her on the phone and he explained the "plan"
stating she was the only hold out. Without hesitation, she said,
"sure!" What a good sport! The funny thing was he also
called Toni telling her she was the only hold out.
Our
evening started by dropping our robes off in Jeff's room, then we went to the
Captain's cocktail/farewell party. We enjoyed champagne and music along
with the Captain giving a toast in many languages. After, we met everyone
in Jeff's room. There was a problem. Mom and I had run into Anne
and Lauren earlier in the day and they stated they would be dining with
us. Jeff promptly went to the dining room to "remove" them from
our table so that Shaun and Toni could dine with us. He returned and said
"Anne and Lauren won't be dining with us." They hadn't dined
with us for nine nights! Why now? He made arrangements to have them
sit at a table next to us.
We
donned our robes and upon seeing everyone else's, Mom and I realized our robes
weren't fluffy after all. I took a few photos, and then everyone headed
to the dining room. Jeff wanted to walk by the Captain's table on the
bottom level (4th deck) but I felt that was a little to much since I met the
Captain and his wife the other night. Our table was close to the entrance
on the port side. We marched in together hearing several giggles and
gasps (from those that couldn't appreciate the humor or were snobs who expected
nothing but refinement on this cruise) from the other diners. I tossed my
camera to Niel, who had an ear-to-ear grin, and had him take some photos.
The plan was disrobe in unison and sit down. That didn't work out
smoothly, but the whole thing only lasted a minute. We all laughed and
had a great evening. We could see Lauren didn't like what we did and
later said to Jeff he appreciated being moved. He must have been one of
those who gasped at the sight. Franky was worried that he would get in
trouble for moving Anne and Lauren so Jeff talked to the host to explain that
it was our idea, not Franky's. We certainly didn't want him in trouble
for our fun.
We
had a delicious dinner. Dinner ended with the usual Baked Alaska
parade. All waiters, including Niel and Franky marched in with the
dessert. I was stuffed from dinner, but had a small bite of the
dessert. It was very good. The grand buffet was at midnight.
Mom and I went but didn't have a bite to eat since dinner had ended around
10:30pm. We took a few photos of the fabulous displays of foods with all
assortments of meats, seafood, fish, fruits, breads, etc. Everything was
beautifully displayed along with several ice sculptures.
22
May 2003 Thursday:
Venice! Arrival time in Venice
was at noon, so we slept in a little, had breakfast and packed most of our
clothes. Up on deck at 11:00am, we waited to watch our arrival in Venice. That was an
experience! We quietly and slowly entered the lagoon of Venice, with everyone on deck shooting away
with his or her cameras. A tugboat escorted the ship to port.
People in small boats waved to the passengers. Jeff later told me he shot
about 300 (or more) with his digital camera, went back to his room to upload
them on his laptop computer, and back on deck for more photos. He also
told me that rumours were spreading on the boat our "robe"
event. However, people were saying there were more than the six of
us. We were famous! It was great to be back in Venice, my favorite Italian city, and seeing
it from above on the ship was fabulous. It was a beautiful sunny day and
the canals were busy with vaporettos and other boats.
The
gang (Jeff, Robin, Shaun, Toni, Mom and me) headed out and took a courtesy
vaporetto to the Piazza San Marco. The Piazza was crowded with people and
pigeons. Everyone except I went to the top of the Campanile. I had
been up there twice before, so I sat and wrote in my journal. We walked
around the area and ended up at the RialtoBridge. It was Jeff and Robin's
first visit to Venice
and I think they really loved the city. We had lunch nearby, which wasn't
too bad, but not the greatest. I purchased a small gondola pendent for my
charm bracelet and a couple of Murano glass candies to add to my
collection. We headed south to the AcademiaBridge
and then split up. We ran into Niel, who had about 3 hours of free time,
at the vaporetto. We returned to the ship at 5:30pm for the last evening
on board. Our passports were at the Customer Relations desk and we had to
pick them up before 8pm.
Back
in the room, we finished packing our bags, then headed to the sushi bar for a
few yummy bites. Dinner was just the two of us, but Franky and Niel kept
us company. The rest dined in town. We had our photo taken with
them as they stood behind us looking like James Bond characters with arms
folded and carrying a "gun." We chatted with Niel who would be
returning to the Philippines
in a few weeks to see his new born baby. He hadn't seen his baby
yet. Most workers on the cruise have contracts that last 4 to 6 months
without any days off. I couldn't imagine that kind of life, but hopefully
they made a decent salary with the tips they received from the
passengers. We gave Franky and Niel our envelopes with the tips, hugged
them both and said our goodbyes. We certainly enjoyed their services and
company.
We
both had a martini on deck before heading back to the room for our final
packing. Everyone's luggage needed to be out in the hallways by 11pm to
be picked up, tagged, and delivered the next morning to the terminal. The
gang dropped by to say their goodbye. We certainly had a great time with
them.
23
May 2003 Friday:
Time to leave our beautiful Millennium. It was a sad morning as our
cruise ended after 12 wonderful nights on board with 9 terrific ports that we
visited. We were scheduled to depart very early, which I didn't want
since I knew our hotel room wouldn't be ready for us until noon. The
woman at Guest Relations stated we could depart anytime. We got up at 7am
and after breakfast in the dining room, we said our goodbyes to Steve, our room
steward, and departed around 8:45am.
A
shuttle bus took us to the terminal. Our luggage was easy to find since
most had picked their up already. We had waited in the wrong line to take
a bus to the vaporetto stop at the Piazzale Roma. We found the correct
bus and hopped on board. The ride was only a few minutes. We caught
the #1 vaporetto after purchasing our 3-day vaporetto pass. Our hotel was
near the RialtoBridge. It was a short 5-minute
walk with only one bridge to cross (thank goodness!) to our hotel and down tiny
streets. We dropped off our luggage, took our cameras, and headed out to
check out the area. I took Mom to the RialtoBridge
and the vegetable and fish market. We saw beautiful white asparagus on
display, a man peeling artichoke hearts, and other perfectly grown
vegetables. I held back in taking photos since I have several from my
last trips.
We
had a nice lunch not too far from the hotel on CalledeiFabbri. The
restaurant had a variety of Cicchetti, which is similar to Spanish Tapas.
The place was very small and we were the only tourists.
This
restaurant can be easily missed with its small entrance and red drapes covering
the windows into the dining room. A man at the table next to us stated
there was a larger selection of Cicchetti in the evenings.
Mom
and I went back to the room and unpacked our things. Our room faced a
small canal and was simply furnished with twin beds facing head-to-head with a
table and lamp in between and the sink in one corner next to the window.
The floor was crooked, so we had to make sure the closet door was shut tight so
it wouldn't swing open. There was a step up to the bathroom, which had an
enclosed glass shower stall along with tile on the walls and floor. There
was also a small t.v. in the corner. It wasn't the prettiest room I've
been in, but for 90 Euros, the place was fine for us.
In
the early evening we met Gary, Mike, Betty and Sam at the RialtoBridge.
They were Fodorites I met on line. Gary
had already posted a message to meet others in Venice for a fodorite get together. We
made plans to meet for drinks and possibly dinner. In the afternoon, I
made reservations for six at a restaurant near the fish market. The menu
looked very good and reasonably priced. I had peeked inside and saw some
delicious Cicchetti at the bar along with men having their lunch.
Gary spotted me
first. I saw him, but didn't recognize him from the photo he emailed
me. The rest arrived, including another couple, Tom and Teresa. Uh
oh, I only made reservations for six. We headed to a café near the
restaurant for drinks and had an enjoyable time together sitting
outdoors. Tom and Teresa left as they had other dinner plans. That
worked out well for us. The rest of us went to OstariaSora al
Ponte. The food was very good, but Gary
was very disappointed with his scallop appetizer. He was served only
one!! He said it was excellent, but one? My dish was good (shrimp
with polenta), but I had to peel them and that was a mess since they were in a
thick red sauce. I thought it came with pasta, but it didn't, so I
ordered a side dish of pasta. Mom had an excellent seafood dish.
After
dinner, we went our separate ways and Mom and I walked around for a bit.
We window-shopped on the RialtoBridge, purchased watches with a Murano
glass face, and then we walked in our area. The city certainly quiets
down in the early evening.
24
May 2002 Saturday:
I wanted Mom to see the island
of Burano, a fishing
village, which has very colorful buildings. First we stopped at the post
office, which is just around the corner from the RialtoBridge.
We walked to the FondamenteNuove and took a Vaporetto to Burano, passing
cemetery island, Murano, and other small islands. Burano is famous for
its vivid colored buildings and for lace making. We window-shopped,
purchased some small items, and took photos. A wedding was taking place
in the main church, so we hung around the large square with the wedding guests
until the bride and groom walked out. They were greeted with rice and
cheers from all directions. Continuing on, we walked around the small
streets and alleys taking more photos.
It
was a very hot day. In the center of town, we had lunch outdoors. I
had penne arrabiata and Mom had gnocchi with a meat sauce. Most, if not
all, of the restaurants were filled with tourists. I would have preferred
a local place. While eating, we saw the bride and groom walking down the
street kissing those who wished them well. Since it is a small island,
I'm sure everyone knew each other, like one big family.
On
the way to the vaporetto to go to Torcello, we stopped in a glass shop.
A man was making a small glass fish to be used as magnets. I asked if I
could purchase it once it was completed and cooled down. Tony and I had
purchased a large glass candy on our trip together in 1998. He let it
cool down, wrapped it, and we left. It was warm for quite a while.
The
island of Torcello is a small and very quiet
island with a very old Byzantine church. I went inside (small fee) and
listened to a recording while walking around the church. It's quite
beautiful, especially one wall which is covered with a wonderful Byzantine
mosaic. The island itself is inhabited by only 100 residents and is
located about 6 miles north of Venice.
On
the way back to Venice in the late afternoon, we
could see the Millennium leave Venice.
The ship is so large that we could see it above the buildings in the distance.
New passengers were heading out for a wonderful 12-night cruise. I'd like
to be on board again!
We
took a vaporetto to the train station to check on tickets/schedules for
Padua/Padova. Back at the room, we freshened up and had some wine.
I had purchased a bottle (airline size) of white wine from Dubrovnik. After one taste, the rest
went down the drain. It was horrible!
At
dinner near our hotel, we ran into Bryan and Traci who were also on the
cruise. Their dinner table was across ours. We sat out on the
terrace enjoying our meal. I love to dine outdoors. I wish more
restaurants in the United
States had outdoor dining. It just
makes the evening more enjoyable. We walked to the Piazza San Marco to
listen to the bands play for a while. The Basilica of San Marco was lit
in lights along with a dark indigo blue sky. Mom love it...no
pigeons.
25
May 2003 Sunday:
Time for a day trip to Padua. Mom and I headed out in the morning to the Rialtovaporetto stop only
to discover none were running (we found out later there was a huge (3,000) boat
race, which we would have loved to see). We walked 40 minutes to the
train station. I was worried we'd miss the train I wanted to take, but
got there with 12 minutes to spare. The ride to Padua was very short, about 15-18
minutes. At the train station, we purchased bus tickets and took a local
bus to Basilica of St. Anthony. We visited the Basilica where we saw St.
Anthony's remains (he's the Saint of lost things), and then headed to the
center of town. It was a fairly quiet and warm day and not much to see
compared to visiting Verona
or other towns. We planned to visit the main museum after lunch. I
found a self-service cafeteria-style restaurant, which we decided to try.
There were a variety of choices from pasta made fresh on the spot to steaks to
a large salad bar. There's also an area with wine, which included 2 sizes
of carafes: ¼ and ½ liter. And the price was very reasonable, about $8
for a meal with wine.
After
lunch, we walked to the museum and capella, but found it wouldn't open until
7pm. That would be too late for us since we wanted to take a late
afternoon train back to Venice.
We walked back to the train station after walking through the botanical gardens
and took an earlier train back. I was a little disappointed with Padua since we didn't see
much.
On
the way back to the hotel, we stopped at the corner where faux purses were
being sold. I purchased a Fendi bag. The man started his bid at 45
Euros. I kept walking away and he kept lowering his price. We
finally agreed with 15 Euros, which was a good deal.
We
had a great dinner and had a nice chat with four lawyers who sat next to
us. The room was small and tables were very close together, but that made
the evening fun. We both enjoyed the pasta with fresh crabmeat, and then
we shared a plate of fried calamari. Both were excellent. The house
wine was very good too. We walked back to our hotel via San Marco.
26
May 2003 Monday: I
have always wanted to visit the Accademia museum and I was determined to see it
on this trip. After breakfast at the hotel, we took the vaporetto to the
Accademia museum. We toured the museum for about 1.5 hours and really
enjoyed what was on display. We saw fabulous masterpieces by Tintoretto,
Bellini, Veronese, and other Venetian artists.
The
Peggy Guggenheim museum was another story. Although the PG museum holds
many important 20th century art work, (including Cubism, geometric designs,
Surrealism, collages, etc), I don't care for modern art at all except for a few
pieces, including one by Gino Severini titled Sea Dancer (1914) (http://www.guggenheimcollection.org/site/artist_work_lg_146_2.html). I'll take
Impressionism any day with works by Monet, Renoir, Cézanne, and Degas, even van
Gogh.
Mom
and I continued our day with a quick visit to the floating market located on
the Rio di San Barnaba in Dorsoduro. There was a small Cicchetti
restaurant on the same Rio, which I later
regretted not trying as the display of Cicchetti looked wonderful!
However, we did have an excellent lunch near the Frari church called
AnticaOsteria al Pantalon. This was another place where we were the only
tourists. I always feel good when I can find a non-touristy
restaurant. In those cases, we've had excellent food.
It
was a long day of museums and walking, so we took a short nap in the late
afternoon. Before dinner at Alla Madonna in San Palo, we had a glass of
wine at a Chinese restaurant. We had our drinks outside and people
watched. We saw a little dog on his own wandering around and then
disappear down a street. A few minutes later a woman was calling for her
dog. Mom went up to her and pointed out the direction of the dog.
He couldn't go to far!! We had a very good meal at Alla Madonna.
The place filled up quickly. We both had an excellent seafood risotto as
our first plate. I would have been happy with a second portion, but ate a
Milanese cutlet along with some wine. Our waiter flirted with us
throughout the evening. He was entertaining.
27
May 2003 Tuesday:
This was our last day in Venice
and before flying home. After our usual hotel breakfast (juice, coffee,
tea, biscuits, fruit, cheese), we went to Piazza San Marco and toured the DogesPalace.
We also purchased tickets for the SecretPalace tour. I had been on that
tour the last time I was in Venice.
It was very interesting and thought Mom would enjoy it. However, there is
lots of walking, including 3 flights of stairs. We were told once the
tour started, no one could walk out. Everyone had to stay together.
At one point, up in the attic, one couple was missing. I guess one had
gotten tired or wasn't feeling well. The tour guide had to convince them
to stay with the group. The best room in the palace is the Great Council
Hall, which I believe is the largest room in Europe
that has no columns to support the ceiling above. Above in the attic,
many trusses hold up the ceiling with huge nut, bolts, and wires. Both
the room and attic is quite impressive. The most entertaining part of
the tour was listening to the story of Casanova and his escape from the Palace.
I
wanted to have lunch at Pizzeria Al Vecio Canton, but when we got there, it had
just closed. I was there in 2001 and loved the pizza. It was just
like the pizza in Naples.
We ended up dining at a touristy place, which was a big mistake. The
pizza dough was pre-made/frozen and it was tough like cardboard. I should
have ordered the mussels, which looked very good. But I wanted pizza.
On
the way to our hotel, Mom purchased a Venetian mask. She had been pricing
them at various shops. She had the salesman double wrap the mask in
bubble wrap so it could be carried home safely.
At
the hotel, we packed most of our luggage while having a glass of wine.
For dinner, we went to a restaurant recommended by the hotel manager. It
was in an area I hadn't been to before and realized there is more of Venice to discover.
The area was more residential than the areas near San Marco and the RialtoBridge.
The hotel manager said he dined there a lot, the food was very good and reasonably
priced, and there were no tourists. He was wrong about the
tourists. I didn't see any locals until the end of our meal when a couple
walked in. The food was very good. I started with antipasto di
pesco, then delicious ravioli with salmon, while Mom had pasta with a white
clam sauce and a mixed salad. For dessert, we had their biscotti cookies
with Vin Santo.
28
May 2003 Wednesday: It
was time to go home after a wonderful 3-week vacation. We got up very
early since we had to be at the airport around 10am. I previously planned
to take an Alilaguna boat to the airport, but decided to take the Vaporetto to
the Piazzale Roma and an Actv bus (#5) ride to the airport, which takes only 20
minutes. I figured it would be easier than trying to get to Piazza San
Marco with our heavy suitcases.
Heading
to the RialtoBridge, we were practically the only
people in the streets. The boat ride was quiet and I took the last few
shots to finish my roll of film (my 28th?). It was a very short walk to
the bus stop. I had Mom watch our bags while I purchase our
tickets. I was quite shocked at the price, 1 Euro, as I expected it to be
at least 5 Euros per person.
We
were at the airport earlier than planned since the trip there was very fast and
without any complications. The check-in counter wasn't even open for our
flight. I was hungry, so we had a snack at one of the restaurants
there. Lousy sandwich, but I needed something. We finally got in
line to check in and at one point a woman asked if we would be willing to give
up our seats and take the next flight 2 hours later. The flight was
overbooked. We were told we would get 70 Euros if we didn't' get on board
that flight or 35 Euros if they were able to put us on our flight and for
volunteering. We said yes. It didn't matter if we waited 2 more
hours here or in Paris.
We were given a voucher for 35 Euros to be credited on our charge cards.
We still checked in and our luggage was stored at the counter. We waited
until everyone checked in. The woman came by and said we could
board. So for hanging around for our original flight, we got a little
money back on our tickets. Not bad!
The
flight to Paris
was fine. We did have a long wait at CDG. I looked in the shops and
bought a few small items, including a mouse pad with a photo of Notre-Dame and
a bottle of perfume. We had a light lunch at one of the
restaurants. The nicer restaurants were very expensive and the cheaper
ones had lousy food. It was very bumpy flying over the Atlantic.
It was quite uncomfortable, but I knew it was only turbulence. We were
very tired by the time we got home. Tony picked us up and had left Lucy
at home. Mom went to bed early and I stayed up for a while unpacking my
shopping goodies and telling Tony about our trip..
This
was an excellent trip combining a cruise with several days on our own. We
met a lot of nice people on the cruise, which made the trip more memorable.
I can't wait to cruise again! And despite the security problems
with my camera, I would certainly choose Celebrity again. They are a
first class company. The only compliant about any cruise is the limited
time at each port. For a first time traveler, it's a great experience to
get a taste of a city or country.
USEFUL
WEB SITES:
http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/
http://www.guggenheim-venice.it/english/
http://www.hostallevante.com/eng/index.htmHostalLevante, Barcelona
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/moreaccom.cfm?h_id=1936 Frommer's
review of HostalLevante
http://www.hotelcaneva.com/eng/albergo.html Hotel Caneva, Venice
http://www.celebrity.com/
Celebrity
Cruises
http://www.cruisesonly.com/travel.dll/travel/cruises/default.jsp?type=4
Cruises
Only
http://www.dubrovnik-online.com/
Dubrovnik Tourism
http://www.villefranche-sur-mer.com/ Villefranche Tourism
http://www.visitmonaco.com/
Monaco Tourism
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