Day 9 - Roma

As they say, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Sadly, we couldn’t see it all in a day either but we did make a pretty nice dent in our list.

Because we docked in Civitadeccia, which is about an hour train ride from Rome, we opted to use one of the ship’s excursions to get us to the city. We walked off the ship right at 8 am, when we were cleared by customs. From the ship, we boarded a bus that took us out of the dock area (which is secure so you can’t walk in it) to a train that is used exclusively by cruise ship passengers. It was a cute little 4 car train that looked like it was from the late 60’s or early 70’s. It was very comfortable, despite its age, and we had a pleasant 60-minute ride in to Rome.

We got off the bus about a 10-minute walk from the Vatican City, where they were getting ready for a 10 am mass. After the 10 am mass, the Pope comes to the window of his residence on Sundays and waves at everyone. The piazza there was packed like Bono was going to appear! We cleverly decided to come back to see the Vatican after the crowds had cleared this afternoon.

We jumped on the bus and, in no time at all, we were at the stop for the Trevi Fountain. Legend says that if you throw a coin over your shoulder in to the fountain, you will return to Rome someday. Worked for me last time I was here, so we did it again!

From Trevi, we set of on foot to see the Capuchin Crypt. This is a small 4-room crypt in a little church where the skeletons of more than 4,000 monks from all over the world have been configured in to artful designs. Fascinating! We were not allowed to take photos in the crypts, because it is considered a burial site, so you’ll have to Google it to see for yourself.

Back on the bus to the main Rome Metro station to buy a Roma pass. This pass gives you access for 3 days to all the public transportation (which is cheap to start with). More importantly, however, it allows you free access to some of the major attractions and there is a special “no wait” line at the Coliseum for Roma pass holders. The main Metro station is only 3-stops from the Coliseum, which is a good thing because I think most of Rome was in our same car! We were among the last on to the car, and Andrew had to lean forward in to the car so that his backpack didn’t get closed in the door.

As we came up the stairs from the underground Metro platform, the Coliseum came in to view. Though I have seen it before, you can’t help but catch your breath. Built about 2000 years ago, it could hold as many as 50,000 Romans to watch the gladiators battle exotic animals (and each other) to the death. We were happy to skip the very, very long line with our Roma passes, and we were inside in less than 10 minutes. We wandered around, took a few photos and wondered at the architecture and the fact that it’s still standing after 2 millennia.

Across the street from the Coliseum is the Forum and Palatine Hill. We walked up Palatine Hill, but the line at the Forum was too long and our time was limited so we only took a few photos from outside the gates. Next time!

With only about 2.5 hours left in our day, it was time to jump on the bus back to the Vatican, which is its own county – the smallest county in the world, in fact. Here’s a photo of Andrew standing with one foot in Italy and one in the Vatican.

Inside the Vatican, the crowds had thinned in the piazza considerably. There was still a long line to get in to St. Peter’s Basilica, but it appeared to be moving quite smoothly so we jumped in. About 35 minutes later we had cleared the metal detectors (don’t want any heathens trying to get the Pope!) and headed in to the Basilica. St. Peter’s is considered the most important Catholic church in the world and is the burial site of many of the previous Popes. It also houses many great works of art, including Michelangelo’s The Pieta.

Other photos inside/outside the Basilica…

Finally, it was time to walk back to the train station and head back to Civitavecchia – whew! Once back on the ship we hit the buffet for dinner, as we were too tired to change for dinner. Now we’re back in the cabin getting organized for our day tomorrow – in my favorite Italian city, Florence!

Day 8 - Napoli (Naples)

Welcome to Naples - 3rd largest city in Italy! Naples is different in that it is much less of a tourist location, and more of a big city. Crossing the street here is like being Frogger! We got off the ship right at 8 am and grabbed the train to the Ercolano (Herculaneum). We opted to do the Ercolano instead of Pompeii, as several sources say it is better preserved (thanks to a geothermal bubble that formed during the eruption of Vesuvius), and it is also much smaller than Pompeii so easier to do in one day.

We found our way to the train station, without incident, and were on our way...

Andrew on the train.

We arrived at Ercolano and were immediately impressed by the sight of it. Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, and the city was actually established in the 6th century BC. The ruins were then discovered under the current city of Naples in about 1700. The excavation began shortly afterwards. Photos will do more justice than my words...

The original sea side. The arches are where boats would dock. They found hundreds of skeletons in this area - likely people thought they could escape the ash in the tunnels.

One of the streets.

An early "Cantina". The vessels would have held wine.

Many of the homes still have visible paintings and murals on the walls.


The entrance to a home.

One of the fountains which provided drinking water.

We're not sure what this area was but there were beautiful mosaic tiles on the floor and what looked like a small swimming pool on the opposite end. Maybe one of the bath areas?


The town grinder for grains.


The town store.

Tile mosaics - amazing colors still!

Us

After Ercolano, we were hungry so stopped for pizza...

Naples is the birth place of pizza - here's our buffalo mozzarella pizza cooking! Yum!

Last stop was the National Archeological Museum, where all the artifacts from Pompeii are housed. Again, amazing. Surviving items included pottery, glass, statues, and mosaics.

Mosaic on columns

Paintings from the walls of a home.

A casket

And now we're back at the port using the high-speed wi-fi (at a cost of 3 euro for the day - bargain!) to post. We'll board the ship shortly and will sail away in about 2 hours. Tomorrow morning we'll wake up in Roma!

Day 7 - Sea Day

Well, we are officially at the 1 week mark of our trip - with more than 2 weeks still to go! Today was our first sea day, and we were definitely ready for a nice relaxing day. We started our morning with an "ultimate balcony breakfast" courtesy of Ed & Michelle - thanks you two! This meal, delivered to your room, consists of more food than two people could eat in a week, let alone in one meal (see photo). What we were able to eat was delicious, but we had to save the champagne to enjoy another day!



After breakfast, we headed off to a Zumba! class they were offering. What a hoot! I'm officially sure that neither Andrew or I have any Latin roots, but we sure had a good time flailing around with all the old ladies who also showed up. The class was only 30 minutes long so we headed off to the gym for a good hour afterwards.

By the time we finished at the gym and showered, it was time for lunch! Today the ship was offering a British pub themed lunch in one of the bars on the ship. Andrew had fish & chips with mushy peas and I had Ploughman's lunch, which is pate, smoked meat, cheese and Branston pickles on a crusty roll. I fell in love with Branston pickles when I was in Australia so was very excited to be reunited with them again!

After lunch, we headed to the main theatre to hear a lecture on the history of Naples and Rome, our next two stops. It was very interesting and made us even more excited for the sites we are about to see! From there, we went back to the the room with two hours to spare until dinner. Andrew had a little nap and I washed out our gym clothes in the sink and hung them out on the balcony to dry. We are officially hillbilly cruisers, but I knew that rope we packed would come in handy for something! You can take the girl off the farm...


Tonight was our first formal night, so we took some extra time to get ready before heading to dinner at 5:30 pm. We like to eat relatively early so we don't have to go to bed stuffed! Dinner on the ship is a leisurely process and usually takes about 90 minutes. Tonight, Andrew had halibut and I had Cornish game hen. The food on this ship is fine, so far, but not any better than Carnival, and maybe even a little worse. Fortunately, the sheer volume tricks people in to thinking otherwise!

After dinner we had some photos taken by one of the onboard photographers. That is the first time we have done this on one of our cruises. They will be ready tomorrow, so we'll let you know how they turned out. Some of the poses were a little cheesy for our preference, but hopefully one or two will turn out nice. We also had one of our fellow passengers take a photo with our camera, which you can see here...





Finally, we capped the evening off with the Captain's Party. This is an event that they have on every ship on the first sea day where the Captain introduces himself and his senior officers/staff. They serve free champagne and appetizers and it's fun to wander around and see everyone all dressed up. Because Princess is a more formal cruise line AND this is a transatlantic cruise, people are very dressed up - most men in tuxes and most women in evening gowns.



Now, we're back in the room getting organized for our stop in Naples in the morning. Looks like it might be rainy but we packed umbrellas and will see Pompeii no matter what!

Update to sail-away

We've just returned from the muster drill and the captain has announced that we're on our way! Wind has dropped below 30 knots (about 35 mph or 55 km/hr), so it's safe to move. I suspect we'll make up the time we've lost during the night and tomorrow, and still arrive in Naples as scheduled.

Day 6- Leaving Venice

Today was our last day in Venice - we were scheduled to "shove off" at 1 pm. Currently, however, it's 2:35 pm and we're still in port. The captain reports that it is too windy for the ship to safely leave the harbor. I think it might have something to do with the fact that the water here is very shallow and they have dredged "paths" in to the harbor that are deep enough for the large ships to dock. The wind may be too strong to stay in the deep area easily.

So, until then, I'll post! We have had a pretty slow day, so far. We were up just after 6 am, had a bowl of cereal and a banana, and were ready to hit the gym when it opened at 7 am. As I've said on other trips, you have to be there right when the gym opens, or it becomes very crowded and you have to wait until later in the morning or early evening to get on to the machines. Andrew did the elliptical and I did a 4.5 mile run on the treadmill. Then we did about 40 minutes of weights. We both agreed that it felt good to get back the gym after almost a week off!

After the gym we decided we needed to make a quick run to the Co-op grocery store to get a couple of bottles of wine to have on board. At 9 am it was pouring rain and so windy that, all around, umbrellas were "popping". We bundled up and trudged off. A short ride on the people mover and then the vaporetto and we were standing in front of a lovely selection of 3 Euro bottles of wine (about $4.20) - I love Italy! Choosing two, we moved toward the register. On the way, we happened past the detergent area, and thought we should pick up a bottle of laundry soap there, rather than buy it in the launderette on the ship. Buying something like laundry soap in a non-English speaking country is a challenge. We've noted that items that would be purchased by tourists are often labeled in English, as well as Italian. Not so with the laundry detergent, however. We chose a bottle that had a picture of a towel on it (others had shirts, which we thought a closer match, but were too big for our use) and we'll hope for the best!

We then made our way back to the ship, where we arrived completely dripping wet (yes, we had an umbrella but, as I said, it was too windy to use it most of the time). We congratulated ourselves on deciding to shower AFTER we got back, rather than before!

Once we were showered and dressed, it was almost 11:30 am, and were were ready for lunch! We trotted up to the buffet, and had big salads and Andrew had fish and I had chicken. Yum! From lunch, we wandered the ship a bit. It's fairly similar to the other ships we've been on, however Princess ships are much more "elegant" in their color scheme than the Carnival ships. We then headed back to the cabin with the plan that we would watch the sail-away from our balcony. We're still waiting for that to happen! On the upside, I got in a quick nap!

Oh, gotta run! It's time for the muster drill. We have to get our lifejackets and head up to our "muster station" where we would go if there was an abandon ship order. The drills are mandatory on cruise ships and, they come looking for you if you don't check in at your station. If we ever get out of Venice, we'll have a full day at sea before reaching Naples on Saturday morning. Tonight will just be dinner in the dining room for the first time, maybe followed by some time in the piano bar.

Day 5 - San Michele, Murano, Burano & boarding the Ruby

Our last full day in Venice today and, while we've completely loved Venice, we're ready to move on to a new city. We were awake about 7 am, and packed up our things. How is it possible that our clothes multiplied by 3 in just 5 short days? Had our last breakfast with Lorenzo - I will truly miss those lovely preserve-filled croissant and that strong Venetian coffee! After breakfast, we dragged our suitcases to the vaporetto stop (good thing it was only a 5 minute walk and only one bridge to cross) and rode to the train station area. Located next to the "people mover" (as I said previously, this is like a monorail that shuttles passengers from the train & bus stations to the cruise port and the ferry crossing to the mainland) is a luggage storage facility where you can pay to "check" your bags for the day. Free of our luggage we jumped back on the vaporetto to spend our last day exploring the surrounding islands of Venice.

On the way back to the vaporetto stop, we swung by the church and the hospital that we saw on our walking tour last evening. The church (brick building) was constructed in 1333, and the hospital (white building) was built in the mid-1400's. Twenty five of Venice's doges are buried in the church, and the hospital is still the main one used in Venice today.

I just noticed Andrew in the lower right corner in this photo.

Next, on to San Michele, or Cemetery Island. Where all locals have been buried since a decree by Napoleon in 1797. It is very large there and the burials range from that early date in late 1700, to now. In fact, there was a funeral going on there as we wandered. You were not supposed to take any photos, but I am not always one to follow the rules...

After our little tour of the cemetery, we jumped back on the vaporetto to the island of Murano - famous for blown glass production. We did pick up a few souvenirs however, after days of cured meat sandwiches and pizza, Andrew was thrilled to find a cheeseburger!

Also in Murano, we saw some glass art. This round bale made of glass shards made me smile!


From Murano, it was on to Burano - famous for lace making. We didn't buy any lace here but I have to say that Burano may be about the cutest darn city in the world. Brightly colored houses line the canals creating a fairytale-like atmosphere as you wander the streets.


For those of your concerned, I am happy to report that we also solved the case of the missing Venetian cats. They have relocated to Burano! Possibly on the vaporetto or a private water taxi. They were every where you looked. Here's one little guy having a public bath...


After Burano it was time to, once again, board the vaporetto for our ride back to the cruise terminal. Even though you can see every island from where you are, the vaporettos are slow, make frequent stops, and require several transfers to reach your destination. The ride from Burano back to Venice took us over 2 hours! Exhausted, we picked up our luggage, rode the people mover, and were on the Ruby Princess in just a few short minutes. We have an extended balcony cabin, which is lovely. One of my favorite parts of getting on the cruise ship is unpacking! They have little cubbies, drawers, and hangers for everything!

Before...

After! Quite honestly, this is one of the highlights of my trip. It's a sickness, I'm sure.

Main area of the cabin.

Balcony (with Andrew on it).

Tomorrow the ship sets sail at 1 pm, leaving us with the morning free. Having spent 5 days in Venice, we are thinking that we are going to stay on the ship and hit the gym while everyone is on shore! Friday it's a sea day, then Saturday we are in Naples.

Day 4 - Dolomites

Today we had a day trip to the Dolomites; the mountain range north of Venice on the border of Austria. We met our guide and our fellow travelers (a married couple from DC & a man & his uncle from Singapore) at the Trochetto ferry station at 9 am, and were on the road shortly after. What a difference only 100 km can make! In no time at all, we were surrounded by stunning mountains and charming little Bavarian towns. If I didn't know that we were in Italy, I would have guessed we were in Austria or Switzerland. In fact, many of the folks we encountered were speaking German.

We made several stops along the way to take photos, hear about the local lore, and, of course, to eat! Our first stop was in a quaint little town that was the birthplace of Tiziano (Titan), a well-known 16th century Venetian artist. The home he was born in (about 1490) is still standing...


Today, Pieve di Cadore is known for making approximately 90% of the designer eye and sunglasses in Italy. Names like Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, and Armani glasses are made in this sleepy little town.

From Cadore it was onward & upward towards the top of the mountains. On the way, we stopped at a few scenic vistas for photos, each more stunning than the next!



We stopped for lunch just shy of the height of the mountain range that you can reach via car. It was a cute little chalet-style place with this view...


We got inside and not one of the staff spoke any English. No worries - we had a good time using charades to ask questions about the menu and place our order. I had some sort of semolina and sausage balls in a broth. Andrew had pasta in ragu sauce, also made with the same sausage that they made on site (along with several different kinds of cheese).

Photo in the parking lot of the restaurant after lunch.

A short 5 minute drive from our lunch stop and we reach the "top" of the mountain. We are at about 6,000 feet and a mere 20 km from the Austrian border. We had time to hike around a bit, which was difficult at that altitude. We both commented on how fast our hearts had to beat to keep things oxygenated after only a 10 minute hike! The view was definitely worth it, though...

Last stop on our tour was Cortina, sort of the Italian version of Vail. Our guide tells us that "anyone who is anyone" is there in the winter to ski and be seen. At this time of year, however, it's as quiet and as adorable as can be. Seriously, who wouldn't want to live here?! I would not have been surprised to see Heidi or the Von Trapp family wander by!

This statue is in one of the piazzas in Cortina. I thought I would post it as my "after" picture for when we're finished this trip - too much good food to be had!

We made it back to Venice about 6:15 pm and grabbed the vaporetto (water bus) back to our hotel. We had just enough time to grab a quick bite to eat (thank goodness I bought some cheese at that little restaurant in the Dolomites), and run back out to the Rialto bridge area to meet for our "Legends and Ghosts of Venice" tour. The tour ended up being about a 90 minute walking tour with a young guide who was born and raised in Venice. She took us to about a dozen different bridges and buildings that have either verifiable or folklore stories about murders, ghosts or superstitions associated with them. It was very enjoyable and we saw several places we had not yet seen on our hours and hours of wandering Venice on our own. Notable was the church below, which was built in the 9th century, and is still used today. It's really quite awesome how old things are here, and how well preserved.

Our guide was also able to answer many of the questions that we had about Venice architecture and history. For example, we learned that the water around Venice is fairly shallow, only about 2 meters, so the buildings are sitting on thousands of wooden footers that have to be replaced "from time to time". We also asked what happened to all the cats that Venice was overrun with and famous for (Michelle - we finally did see two cats on this particular walk, but those were the first two we have seen since we've been here). She told us that about 10 years ago, they just "disappeared" and the Venetians were very sad about it. I didn't say so but suspect the population was reaching some sort of epidemic proportion and the city decided that some poison wouldn't go awry. I can't imagine thousands of cats "disappearing" in a matter of a few months otherwise. We also learned some interesting information about how the streets were named, for the activity common on them at the time (for example "beggar's street" or "mute street") , rather than for location. This certainly helps make some sense of the "non-sensical" themes we've encountered.

So, we're back in our room for the night and it's almost 11 pm here - very late for us! Andrew is already sleeping and I am having a glass of wine while I type this post. The weather has warmed up a bit so we are able to have the window open again tonight. I enjoy hearing the people go by, speaking in their lilting Italian. Tomorrow morning we check out of our B&B, and take our luggage to a storage facility. We can board the ship sometime in the afternoon, but it doesn't set sail until Thursday at 1 pm. If the weather holds (rain is currently forecast), we're planning to take the vaporetto to San Michele/Cemetery Island, Murano & Burano before we board the ship tomorrow in the late afternoon/early evening. See you then...