It has been a while since I updated our blog. We last wrote that we were in Rome. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay there. Rome is a vibrant city with a happy energy and so much history. The ruins are plentiful and fascinating. Our one disappointment is that we did not get the audio guide for the Roman Forum. We had expected that the Roman Forum would have the written explanations we found so prevalent at the Coliseum but alas they were few and far between at the Forum. Happily, though, yesterday we happened upon the Museum of the Imperial Fort that turned out to be the museum of the Roman Forum and there we learned exactly what we had seen at the Forum. Moreover, yesterday all the museums in the city were free so we really lucked out! We took in two more small museums with art and artifacts from the 1st century through the Renaissance. We applaud the Romans for doing such a wonderful job of preserving their history! What a gift to mankind.
Prior to leaving on our cruise, we went to the first Vatican located in San Giovanni in Laterano and the catacombs of Saint Sebastian on Appian Way while the following day we explored the Vatican and Saint Peter’s Basilica. The treasures of the Catholic Church are beyond imagination. We are indeed lucky to have so many great pieces of art so well preserved for posterity though I wonder how the leaders of the church justified such opulence when so many of their parishioner lived in abject poverty. Although it is hard to choose what I liked best at the Vatican—there is so much beauty. The Map Room mesmerized me as did the old Bibles and documents housed in the Vatican. On our last evening in Rome, we enjoyed a true Italian dinner at Restaurante del Pallarmo. Marilena, Mama treated us well.
Our cruise was amazing. We left Rome (Civitavecchia actually) and headed to Dubrovnik, Croatia. I was very excited to see this medieval walled city. Unfortunately, it was probably my least favorite port. Tourists mobbed the city and the locals charged for everything. We found it particularly disheartening when we were asked to pay 10E each (about $14.50) to walk the wall of the old city. On the upside we happened to have been there as Ana u Gradu, a Croatian musician was recording a music video. (Her music reminds me of Enya’s.) Aside from her phenomenal musical talent she had dancers in native costumes performing and invited the crowd to dance along. It made the visit to Dubrovnik truly special.
After Dubrovnik we went to Kerkira, Corfu and then to Katakolon, Greece. Corfu had the old and new forts (both old by our standards) that we explored. We enjoyed some great views and more history. We met a potter who was playing a Buzuki that reminded me of a Balalaika. I even had a quick swim in the Med. But what I found the most interesting was a discussion we had with a young university student who was explaining why the Greek students were protesting against the government. With Greece’s shaky financial situation, there have been many protests and the Greeks are extremely angry with their government. The students are in the university but have no teachers because the teachers aren’t being paid. The university is free but the government wants to start charging the students to attend. The students were quite surprised to hear that our public universities charge.
In Katakolon, Greece we took a tour to Olympia. Our tour guide Maria was well versed in Greek history and the flora of the area. We appreciated our time exploring the ruins of the first Olympic games. We wondered if the US should adopt the ancient Greek practice of placing a statute at the entrance of the Olympic stadium to the athletes who cheat. Would that be an incentive in modern times to stop using drugs that enhance their performance?
From Katakolon we headed to Santorini. I was surprised that Santorini was so arid. We lucked out by joining a local boat tour of the local volcano, a hot spring, a small fishing village and Oia, the often photographed, Santorini village. We also met a delightful newly engaged young couple: Darla and Greg. The hike up to the newest volcano in the Mediterranean was steep and very hot but interesting. We loved the hot spring visit because you had to jump off the boat and swim about 1km in the Med to get to the hot spring (which wasn’t that hot). The stop at the fishing village was boring but the hike up Oia alongside the donkeys was intense but fun. Oia was also too touristy for my taste but I enjoyed the bus ride along Santorini to Fira and the cable car from Fira back down to the waterfront. All in all, it was a great day.
Our next port call was Kusadasi, Turkey. Since we will be visiting Turkey in October, we chose to forgo the tour to Ephesus and stayed in Kusadasi taking in the shops and the fort. We learned a good deal about buying Turkish rugs and spent some time catching up on the Internet. We have been pleased to find WiFi access available at most of our locations though the speed and strength of the connections have varied.
We were back to Greece with Athens as our next stop. We were concerned when we heard that public transportation and taxis were going to be on strike the day we arrived. However, we decided that rather than taking a Holland America tour that was very costly and only stayed in the city for a few hours, we would chance finding a way to get from the port of Piraeus to Athens (7 miles) on our own. As luck would have it, we hopped on a Hop On, Hop Off bus and got to the Acropolis without difficulty. The Acropolis is awesome. The Parthenon is impressive as is the care the Greeks are taking to preserve their heritage. I loved the Erectheion, Athena’s temple. We also toured the New Acropolis Museum, which is well worth the time and inexpensive entry fee for such an impressive museum. I liked Athens and would like to return.
Our last port call was Messina, Italy on the tip of Sicily. This was a quick call but we liked visiting the church on the hill with a great view of the city and port and seeing the clock tower at noon where it comes to life with its statues twirling and music playing.
To top off a wonderful cruise, plumes of ash were rising from a volcanic island as we passed by. What a farewell!
We thoroughly enjoyed our time on the Noordam, one of Holland America’s ships. The food was delicious with small enough portions so you could really enjoy each bite, the service impeccable, the entertainment by Juan Paublo, a Cuban pianist and Duo Acrobatique, a husband and wife team formerly from Cirque de Soliel absolutely superb, and the company delightful. We met three couples whom I hope we see again: Joan and Brian from New Zealand, Hans and Maria from Holland and Hannah and Bill from New York.
We took an overnight train from Rome to Budapest where we will arrive in minutes. We are happy to report that we had a great night sleep in our four-person couchette, despite the thunderous shouting and singing of the drunken Germans in the compartment beside us. We enjoyed our cabin- mates, particularly Suzy who we hope will come visit us in Seattle.
We will be in Budapest for five days and then head to London where we will visit friends until our departure for Istanbul on October 6, our 24th Anniversary. Until our next blog, we send our best wishes.
