DAY 21 – Santorini

Our ship was to arrive in Santorini at 8am. But due to an accident the night before involving 2 crewmembers, one seriously injured in a fall, the captain turned the ship around, and headed back to Kusadasi at full speed (23 knots). Arriving there at 2:30am, we were consequently (but only 2 hours) late in getting to Santorini, where we were to have docked by 8am. Tour directors worked all night rearranging tours (but that did not affect us). We were supposed to leave Santorini at 5 pm, and the captain said that could not be changed because we had to be in Katakolon before 9am the next morning.

We headed to the Lido at 10am. Those on tours would leave first, being tendered to another place where buses came down to pick them up. Tender tickets for the rest of the passengers would be available beginning at about 11am. Some people were not happy, but most handled it well.

We were planning on renting a scooter here, and perhaps heading to a beach, so we took the swimsuits and left the Family Dolls.

Tender tickets were given out earlier than announced, and those present were the first to get the tickets, although there were several tenders going close together, each holding 40-60 people. When you got your tickets, you could get as many as you needed for your group. They would say that everyone had to be present, but knew that wasn’t possible. We got 2 more tickets for a couple who were going with us. Although the ship’s lifeboats were sometimes used as tenders, we had to use the ones from Santorini.

We got off the tender below Fira and walked to the cable car platform (4 € each = 8€). Went quickly, not much waiting. Up at Fira, we rented ATVs at “Ancient Thira Tours” for 20 € each (one per couple), put on our helmets (required), and headed out. (To rent the vehicle, we only needed a driver’s license for identification, as it was in Corfu, and in Poland pre-cruise). The ATV’s weren’t very powerful (could have rented ones with bigger engines, I think), so they didn’t go fast, but it was fun! We drove about 12km to Oia & parked the scooters.

Walked up some steps – quite a few, actually – past lots of shops, to the top. Found a restaurant on the main street with a nice view. I don’t have the receipt, only a napkin with a map of Santorini on it, so I don’t know the name. We had a bowl of bread with garlic & olive oil paste for it, & an order of moussaka to share. DH had a lemon drink. It was plenty of food for us, and our friends kindly shared their tomato/cucumber salad with us as well. We paid 19,50 €.

It was another sweltering day, but riding the ATVs made it seem cooler, as long as we kept moving! We drove around a while, and then headed back. Our friends wanted to do some shopping, so we parted ways and decided to explore some more.

We passed a pretty blue-domed church, so we drove up to it to check it out. It seemed to be a hotel, also. I took some photos – a lovely contrast with the white walls, blue dome and shutters, bright sky, and red bougainvilleas.

Took another road down to a beach. We decided we’d go swimming the next day. There was a café at the end of the road by the waterfront, so we stopped to have Greek coffees (Total: 5 €)

We then got back on the bikes to try to find our way back. We did not have a good map of the island – the ones provided were not detailed, and the Greek letters make signs nearly impossible to read, unless you know Greek (my review of Nafplion talks about this culture shock).

As we made our back along the coast, we turned and went up one hill that was too steep for the ATV and us combined. We slowly backed down and turned around. There were a few minutes when we weren’t sure if we were heading back the right way. No familiar landmarks. But all was well, and in a few more minutes we found the rental place.

We got in line for the cable car back to the dock at about 3:30-3:45pm. There was already a LONG line. The last tender would be leaving at 4:30pm. When we finally got to the bottom (8€), there was an equally long line. For a while we noticed about 5 Santorini tenders doing nothing – and the line, quite naturally, wasn’t moving.
Passengers in line speculated as to what the problem was. Well, at about 4:35 or so, the tenders began filling up & leaving. (Some thought that there was a contract between the ship & Santorini tender company, and that more money would be paid for overtime – after 4:30pm, and that was why the boats did nothing until after 4:30.) Never found out what the story was.

It was very hot in the full sun waiting with the couple hundred people for the tenders, so I bought a couple of ice cream bars (3€).

Total price for the day = 63,50 €, or $88.19. Only walked 2.3 miles today!

DAY 20–Ephesus

Sunday, July 26 DAY 20–Kusadasi, Turkey
7am - 7pm Ephesus
Our 40th Anniversary

We had arranged a tour with Hello Ephesus for the day.

Got up at 8am because our guide wouldn’t be here until 9am. I finished writing yesterday’s journal, as I knew I would not have time today.

After breakfast, we left and met our guide, Eylem, and proceeded to our vehicle, a black VW van with a driver. It was great that our day was arranged so well – we couldn’t have planned it quite like this. We were the only ones on a tour that usually is reserved for more people. We had a separate driver. Our personal tour guide Eylem Kurnaz, who usually does groups, is a Bible scholar who has studied all the historic places in Turkey. He recently spent 17 days as the guide with a Christian group touring throughout the country. I was not aware, until Eylem told me, that every church from the book of Revelation: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea, is situated in modern-day Turkey.

Our driver’s name was Selçuk, the same name as the town to which we were driving from Kusadasi. DH bought a hat for protection from the sun (8€) and a bottle of water (1€). We then drove on to the ruins.

Ephesus was once a harbor town, but when the harbor filled with silt, everyone moved to Selçuk. The ruins were great! Only a small percentage, probably not more than 25%, has been excavated. They are being rebuilt and have been since the 60’s – earthquakes had leveled the city – and there are numerous renovations going on. We took photos of the row of structures: the parliament buildings, followed by a temple dedicated to the current ruler at the time, and next to that, the city hall. Our guide would always show us the best spots for picture taking.

The Latrina is a bathroom area that could seat 48 men at once – with no partitions between them. In the center was an uncovered pool. The columns around it held up the wooden ceiling. The toilets were lined up along the outer edges, and had a drainage system, flushing the debris. Musicians would play there to drown out the noise.

The Terrace Houses, “houses of the rich” were next. There is a lot of work going on in there. It was the Beverly Hills of the area. The houses had hot & cold running water, intricate mosaic floors and frescoed walls. Each had an open courtyard surrounded by rooms. The three-story homes were heated with underground clay pipes that carried the hot air through the structures.

The Celsus Library, with its imposing two-story façade could hold more than 12,000 scrolls. The side columns are shorter than the center columns, an optical trick that makes the building look bigger. The builders constructed double-walled bookcases to prevent the scrolls from being damaged by heat or humidity. It was a tomb named for the provincial governor by his son. Celsus is buried in a grave below the floor. If you look closely, you can see which are original pieces of the columns and which are restorations.

We saw a couple from the ship and stopped to chat with them. They live not too far from us.

On our way out of Ephesus, I bought a camel bag purse (9€), and a coin purse for 2€.

It was now time for lunch, so we were driven to the Yüksel Hale carpet co-op / training center / restaurant. We were seated at a beautifully set table on a lawn in a lovely area, and a waiter started bringing out the food. It started with a lot of appetizers: eggplant marinade (freshly made & very good, nothing like the stuff in a jar that I tried once), fresh tomato sauce with eggplant & squash, cucumbers with yogurt, green beans, fried cheese rolls, and a salad consisting of parsley, cucumber, tomato, & dill. We chose peach & lemon teas for drinks.

The next course was the meats: skewered chicken, meatballs (oval), and bulgur. Lastly, a fruit plate with honeydew melon and watermelon. The owner also brought us a bottle of wine when he learned that it was our anniversary.

After the large fabulous lunch, we went into the carpet school. We saw a few girls working at the different areas. They are trained for 3-4 months out of the year, for 3 years. Then they return to their villages to make the carpets. They are provided with a loom and their carpets are then purchased by the factory/school. The young women are paid privately to enable them to keep the amount secret from their parents, who if they knew, might take it from them.

The carpets were really beautiful. The owner showed us a couple of award-winning ones. He was justly proud that his peers had judged his carpets as the best of the year.

We saw the silk-making process, also. The silk cocoons float in the water. The girl stirs them & lifts them up by their silk threads to determine the beginning thread. Then she spins many threads to make one stronger thread used for weaving. Even a very small rug here costs close to $1000. But they are lovely, & I can see why they are popular.

We then drove to Sirince village. Very cute, lots of small streets lined with family run shops, selling crocheted socks, table linens, oils, spices, soaps, teas, & clothing. DH bought a fake Polo shirt (5€) and 3 naturally made olive oil soaps ($5) (better than the others I bought for 1€ elsewhere).

I bought a small but lovely lace embroidered tablecloth from a peasant woman who kindly gave me a serviette/napkin as well. She charged me only 8€, when usually it was 10€. I think she spoke correctly – it was very nice workmanship with pieces of lining fabric covering the embroidery threads underneath. I also bought some natural apple tea for 3€ (a small bulk pack – better value than the bags).

Then we had coffee in a café. DH was going to pay for it for all of us, but Eylem insisted that he pay. I also bought a long-sleeved black shirt embroidered with silver thread for 10€. Bought a bottle of water for 1€.

As we still had time, we drove to St. John’s Basilica in Selçuk, where John is buried. This was not part of original paid tour, so we paid 5€ entrance fee for the two of us. The baptistry at the Basilica is in the shape of a cross with steps leading down. John’s tomb is marked with a plaque. This church is located in a very pretty area, and it was not at all crowded when we were there, which was nice. We were almost the only ones there, until a tour group showed up a while later. Made for better photos, also.

We then ended the tour with a trip to Ephesus ceramic factory. Eylem asked if we’d rather see ceramics or leather, and we chose ceramics, since I love that stuff, and was a ceramic hobbyist/addict years ago. They have a beautiful showroom. We saw an artist making a sugar bowl and lid. It’s amazing to me how someone can use a pottery wheel to make a bowl, and then make a lid that fits exactly on the bowl. (I never did any of that stuff. Just cleaned & painted greenware that came from molds.) I oohed & aahed my way around the shop. I found a beautiful teacup & saucer that I bought for 40L (credit card). It was a perfect reminder of my memorable tour and our wonderful anniversary in Ephesus. It was so hard to just pick one! (Aside: We used mostly euros for cash in the shops, having used our Turkish lire in Istanbul. Could have, but never used an ATM except for our last day in Europe, when we needed to.) Aside: The factory tours are such a snapshot of Turkish culture and are so important to them! The Turkish people love to show their crafts and skills, and are rightly proud of their accomplishments. I enjoyed these forays into their world, even though we didn’t spend much.

We finally headed back to the ship. We enjoyed our day immensely. Our most memorable day of the trip!. Eylem is a sweet guy who absolutely loves being a tour guide. I still chat with him now and then on Facebook. We did some walking today, about 4.5 miles. We spent $180 for our 7 hour tour, plus $30 &10€ in tips for guide and driver.

DAY 19– Mykonos

Saturday, July 25 DAY 19– Mykonos, Greece
1pm - 11pm

When it was time to go ashore, we got a large bottle of cold water ($2.95) for our ship’s bottle holder with strap that we bought at the exit on another day. We lined up for the port shuttle into town. It took about 20 minutes to get on, as it did not appear to be well organized.

Walked around Old Town Mykonos. A boat in front of a taverna with squid hanging from the sail lines. Narrow streets, cars going up and down the little roads of the city, vying for space among the throngs of tourists. White, boxy buildings, churches, some red domes. Doors & shutters painted dark blue, light blue, red, green, yellow, purple. Greek bell towers and stray cats. The town pelican, Petros, waddles boldly across the street into a restaurant, taking his fame for granted. (Apparently, the original Petros was hit by a car a few years ago – this one is his replacement.)
The windmills – 4 in one spot – sit upon a hill overlooking the town. A few others are located elsewhere on the island.

We stopped at a coffee café for an iced mocha and a Fanta lemonade (4.70 €). More walking. Lots of shops selling jewelry, souvenirs, Byzantine icons, and liquor bottles in shapes of questionable taste.

Many beachgoers. The famed nude partying beaches are on another shore.

We bought 2 bus tickets for the Monastery town of Ano Mera (2.80€) and located the correct bus stop. Got of in Ano Mera about 4:15pm. Stopped at Fisherman’s Café in the center plaza – there’s a large eucalyptus tree growing inside it, and a caged finch that sang prettily. Monica was our waitress. We ordered Amstel beer & another iced mocha. Had a dish of fried zucchini balls (shredded zucchini & cheese) with a cucumber dipping sauce. They brought a plate of bread, a staple of the eastern Mediterranean countries. No butter is served with bread in Greece and Turkey. Total: 16.95€.

They had Wi-Fi in the restaurant, so we asked about Internet access & the password. The owner, seeing our phone, brought over his Acer notebook and generously let us use it! So for about 45 minutes we checked our emails and sent a photo back home to the family.

After paying our bill, they asked us to wait and brought over a plate with chunks of sweet honeydew melon.

We walked to the monastery a few yards away and walked inside the pretty church.
A ship’s tour was there. I took a couple of photos before the tour guide said, “No photos!” There was no sign to that effect anywhere inside the church, but I stopped anyway. An outside sign also had no mention of camera rules.

Saw a robed Orthodox priest in the outer courtyard. I wanted to take his photo, but didn’t have the nerve to ask him, so I didn’t.

We then decided we were done here and went to the bus stop, but weren’t sure exactly when the bus was coming. We had arrived at 4:15 and the driver said the next bus leaving would be at 5:20 or 5:30, I didn’t remember which. It was already later than that. DH said he saw a bus pass at about 5:45. Well now it was almost 6pm so we just waited (hoping that there was another!). We were just about to phone for a taxi, when the bus came by at 6:40pm. It was crowded, standing room only – the beachgoers were returning. The last bus, we heard would be in one more hour. Paid 2.80€ again for the return trip.

We rode back to Old Town standing on the front stairs near the door. We walked to a waterfront café we had passed on our way into Mykonos. Dh had a snack of Greek coffee and ham & cheese toast – a pressed and grilled sandwich (7€).

We saw a passenger from the ship who sat with us for a while and chatted over a beer.

Got on a returning shuttle and went back to the ship, as there was not much else to do here. It was another very sticky hot day. We felt that 10 hours was long time for this extremely picturesque, but very small island.

Walked 5 miles & spent $50 today

DAY 18– Second Day in Istanbul

Friday, July 24 DAY 18– Istanbul, Turkey

Got up late as DH’s legs were aching, & I awoke with some muscle pain. Taking it easy today.
At 11:15am we left out of the “special exit” – when I asked a crew member outside if there was an exit to the left, by the Museum of Modern Art, and yes, there was! It’s an exit that has a couple of grocery shops and an Internet café. It was a LOT shorter than walking all the way down to the port entrance and then a couple of blocks to the tram. There is also a tram stop close to the other entrance. We paid 12L for several tram tickets & got off the tram to walk to Topkapi Palace.
We walked through a beautiful park; a Turkish family indicated that Topkapi was ahead – but they were just being “polite” as we discovered when we came to a dead end. We met a couple of Cruise Critic members there (who we had met at dinner one evening).
Outside the park area, we were directed to the road next to it, where we walked until we came to the outer wall/gate. Took photos of it – nice shots, but decided we didn’t want to spend 40-80L on it. Back outside the Palace gate we bought 3 sets of Istanbul postcards for 5L.
Somewhere along the way we lost our Rick Steves’ Istanbul book, but since it was our last day here, we didn’t really need it. Hope whoever found it enjoyed it. The ship map we got is poor, and the tourist map we got here has listings in Turkish, so it’s useless, also.
As I took more pictures, some with the Family Dolls, a couple of Muslim women were very interested. When I showed them to the women, and explained that they were my family, they wanted their photo taken with them. So they took a picture with their camera & I took one of them with my camera. Very sweet ladies. They blessed us, & we blessed them back.
Then we walked outside the grounds and raced for a tram. As it left without us, there was 5 minutes before the next tram, so I shopped! Found some cute dishes at a store right there – how convenient.
The smallest bowls were decorated in bright colors and designs. (The ship’s store had a few for $6 each, and I saw them at a store outside the Palace for 12L = $8). There was a ship’s tour meeting there; the store probably gets the ship’s business.
I checked this store out. There was a large selection inside, although the place wasn’t that big. The small bowls were only 5L! So I bought 4 of them – 20L – wanted to buy more, one of every color. I’d love a set of dishes & plates in every color – but no place to store it – oh, well, buy another hutch!
Got on the next tram to go to the Grand Bazaar. Walked down a couple of streets until DH saw it. Very old gate entrance.
Inside there was a crazy guy – really, just the sight of him was enough to warn you – I guess every city has them. He was cursing and yelling – at us – very creepy. He left, and I assured the nice shopkeepers watching that I knew it was not representative of Istanbul! They were a little concerned, but felt better after I smiled at them & told them I understood.
At the grand Bazaar, many places were selling things at prices 2-3x normal. Bargaining is expected. I asked at one store about their inexpensive pashminas (some can be very pricey – about $50-60) The seller said that all the pashminas were different prices – not true at other places. He wouldn’t list a price, but said he’d make a deal and sell the one I was looking at for a sale price – 30L! Right. I just laughed and walked away, saying that I bought several like that yesterday for 10L each! As I was walking, he shouted out, “20!” Finally, “Okay, 10L!” I didn’t want to bother at this point. I heard that the last price you are quoted as you walk away is usually the best price. There’s a whole system to bargaining, but you have to be in the mood, and I wasn’t.
We walked by places selling tea and coffee sets. Tea sets had 6 glasses and 6 saucers starting at 20-25L. Very pretty.
We decided to buy a coffee set to make Turkish/Greek coffee, and settled on a blue flowered one. The cups are copper bottom holders with handles, and ceramic insets. There are copper saucers to match. The pot is a long-handled copper bottom with a pouring spout. A copper tray holds the set. We stopped at La Tienda Gift Shop (Kazazlar Sokak No. 12-14) and Edip showed us a nice one that we got for 180L. We love it, but DH thought we might have paid too much. It was marked at 200L, but I saw the little bowls I like, which were marked 5L each, which told me that this place was not overpriced. They also sell tea sets, wine glasses, & waterpipes. (No, different than the one DH had in the 60’s!). We paid at another place (like a mall office) and they recommended a nice restaurant for lunch, showing us exactly where it was. Havuzlu, a 50-year-old Ottoman Turkish Restaurant in the Grand Bazaar. First you pick out the food in the front area, then they prepare & serve it.
We shared a stuffed chicken breast and a small salad – cucumber, tomato, parsley, & sweet chilies. They brought bottled water and a basket of bread slices. Everyone in Istanbul eats a LOT of bread. We paid 31L for lunch.
A few minutes later, a couple was seated near us at the end of the long table. The woman’s father is Turkish, so they spend a lot of vacations here with family. I asked how to pronounce Kusadasi (heard several ways – Koosh-u-da’-sə, and how to drink Turkish coffee – wait until the grounds settle and drink the 2 sips. No swirling, leave the mud at the bottom (Rick was wrong, on both counts.)
We left Havuzlu Restaurant and took the tram to the Spice Market/Egyptian Bazaar. In the underground station by the Spice Market were crowded stalls with really cheap clothing. The place for it. No bargaining here.
In the Market, DH bought a lemon granita (3L) & I picket out a pillow cover (12L). The stalls were filled with all kinds of spices and teas. A sign said 25L – for a kilogram! Everything from apple tea to saffron. They’d scoop up the teas and let you smell them: spice, cinnamon, apple, etc. Bought a set of spices, already packed – just for fun – for a few Lire, don’t remember how much, as this was the only thing we forgot to write down.
I went into Kocaoglu, a store, No. 35, to buy a couple more pashminas. I had bought most of them for gifts, but I liked them so much that I wanted more. (The first store - Sirin Giyim – had the nicest selection for the best deal, I think.) There were some very expensive ones, but I asked for ones that were 10L or less – to match my earlier purchase. The shop worker showed me the small section, and I found 3 that I liked. He was a funny guy who said he loved his job. I also bought 3 eggcups and 2 small plates (to go with the bowls I bought earlier). One eggcup was of a different but lovely design from the others. The salesman, Serkan, gave me a good price on the lot (60L), we had some black tea & I walked out happy. The whole downstairs floor is filled with ceramics! They also sell textiles & caviar. Serkan is now a facebook friend.
I asked there about small spoons for our coffee set, and a woman in the shop – a frequent tourist – directed me to a store where they were sold. I paid 5€ for 6 of them, heavyweight and very nice.
We headed back toward the ship on the tram, going through the exit by the Museum of Modern Art. We wanted to use the Internet, but no one was there. We’d have to do it tomorrow. Bought 2 large bottles of lemonade at the mini-market- 2.95L, and went to the ship. Sailed at 5pm.
Spent 326L and 5€ today, about $228, most on shopping! Only spent 12L on transportation, and 37L on food and drink. Walked another 5 miles.

DAY 17– Istanbul

Thursday, July 23 DAY 17– Istanbul, Turkey

Left the ship soon after docking at 4:30pm. Walked all the way out of the pier and to the tram stop. Bought 9L ($6) worth of tokens for 3 trips each (1.5 Lire each person, each trip) – (1L = 67 cents, so 3L = $2) and took the tram to Sultanahmet.
The taxi drivers at the port entrance were very pushy. The ship passed out landing cards for each of us – required for everyone. The stench was bad – once along the road by the pier entrance, and then getting on the tram. I had to hold my nose – smelled like dog poop or sewage. First impressions for me were not good.
Hagia Sophia was 20L each to get in, 2 for 40L – twice what it was a couple of years ago. It was huge, but nearly empty. I was expecting more, I think. It’s a museum with no displays, a few photographs hanging, and a small gift area. The building is so large that Notre Dame can fit inside it, and the Statue of Liberty - minus the torch. The ceilings are painted and chandeliers hang down. Quite beautiful. The walls have frescos. Much of it is under construction or repair.
After Hagia Sophia, we debated going to the Basilica Cistern, then crossed the street to photograph the Blue Mosque from the park & fountain in front of it. There was a couple standing right in front, where the best photos would be taken & the man was talking into a cell phone. DH noticed them and that when we moved, they also moved. As we were standing there, the woman asked us if we wanted our picture taken. We said no. As we continued walking around the walled park area, they followed, the man appearing to be talking in another language, probably Turkish, to someone on the phone, not directly looking at us, but always right there. When we stopped again, and they stopped, DH got irritated, declaring loudly that they were following us & lifting the camera to take their picture. The woman hid her face with a water bottle. They walked on, then stopped and turned around to look at us, then walked back. DH wasn’t intimidated and told them to stop following us, which they, of course, denied it, saying they were American (He had a North Carolina T-shirt). “Then go on”, said DH. “Just keep walking”, and he took their picture. As they slowly left, another man came up to us, saying that he knew the other man, and he wasn’t following us. Obviously part of the group. This was in a major tourist area, lots of people, all of them tourists – except for these types. They looked Turkish, in their mid-thirties, well-dressed.
I was not at all crazy about Istanbul at this point.
We then took the funicular subway from the eastern end of Tersane Avenue up the hill and arrived at Taksim Square at the end of Istiklal Caddesi (Independence Street) in the New Istanbul area. Much more pleasant looking and very modern. There were masses of people walking all along the wide pedestrian street that was lined with stores and cafés. As we left the station, we saw a grassy, park-like area with a large sculpture in the center, Ataturk Statue. It was then that we noticed a policeman armed with a submachine gun! Then we saw the police barriers around the area. Apparently this area is guarded heavily. It was the scene of a terrorist attack in 2003, and is still a place where protest demonstrations are held.
We bought a roasted ear of corn from one of the many carts (1.50L). They’re every block or so all down Istiklal Caddesi. The heated but non-roasted ones were 1L, while the browned ones were 1.5L. After we ate it, we thought that the cheaper ears might be better, as the roasted ones were dry and chewy – although hot.
We also noticed a lot of lottery ticket sellers at tables up and down the road. 7 or 9 Trillion was the sign, but I don’t know exactly what that meant! There were Burger Kings and Starbucks along the avenue – saw 2 of each.
I stopped to buy some pashminas – Sirin Giyim (Sweet Clothing), Istiklal #73 (7) at 10L each – 70L (really nice, I thought, different kinds on the rack – but all the same price), and then we walked to see where to eat. In Istanbul they eat late, so if we wanted dinner with music, it would begin at 9 pm. It was not yet 7pm. We stopped for a snack of 6 meatball sausages with mashed potatoes, 3 honey-soaked cakes, and a tomato/cucumber/cilantro salad. Also a can of peach nectar for me, and apple tea for DH. Total = 14L. Everyone at the cafeteria-style café would pick up the large chunks of bread at the end of the line. Lots of bread!
The streets were packed – mostly locals, it looked like. On one corner, a group of young people was crowding around, & there were posters on the ground. Looked like a rally of some sort. We were having a pleasant walk, and Istanbul was looking better.

I stopped at another grocery-type store, Ozsoy at Istiklal No. 238 and bought a small box of Turkish delight for 2.50L, and a small packet of Turkish coffee for 2L. The receipts all show what the tax would be if we were locals, but they never charge tourists.
Then we had ice cream at Mado Dondurma– teeny scoops for about a dollar each. It was probably the kid size. DH had 2 small for 3L; I had one for 1.75L. I Googled it and found that this ice cream is extraordinary – made from salep powder - powdered orchid bulbs (you can get something similar to this at the Spice Market), high fiber, low calorie, very creamy. The chocolate tastes like fudge and is stretchy. Because of this, we thought at the time that it was made with honey.
The street is really long. We had walked more than halfway down it, past the beautiful gilt and wrought-iron gates of Galatasaray Lisesi (Galata Palace School), which is a high school dating from 1481. Now we walked all the way back to the funicular station at Taksim Square (We could have gone all the way to Tünel Station). There we saw the ferry and bought 9L worth of tokens again, wanting to cross into Asia (thought it would be interesting to go to another continent), but then realized we would not be able to get back, as the last ferry was returning shortly. So we lost 3L on the planned trip (we had deposited it into the turnstile).
Found an elevator in each station for disabled travelers. Lots of people were using it, so we did, too, which made it easier than navigating all those steps.
Walked back from the tram stop to the ship. Always feels so cool as we walk in – A/C – awesome! It was sweaty hot today, even though it was evening.
Spent almost 83L = $53 (other than pashminas) and walked 5 miles today!

DAY 14 - Leave Venice, DAY 15 - At sea, DAY 16 – Athens

Monday, July 20, 10:00am DAY 14 – Leaving Venice, Italy & at Sea

Beautiful sailaway from Venice, Pinnacle Grill for lunch, read, journaled, internet, nap, formal night dinner.

Tuesday, July 21 DAY 15 – At Sea

Breakfast in Dining Room, tour of ship's galley - huge! - Microsoft Digital workshop, with blogging as the topic, to Lido for bread pudding & got recipe, journaled, Ship's talk on Athens & Mykonos - took lots of notes, Royal Dutch High Tea, Digital workshop "lab", ship stores, show with singer Cheryl Sinclair, Internet, dinner, DH did poker & I took some photos of ship.


Wednesday, July 22 DAY 16 – Piraeus, Greece
8am-5pm Athens

We got up at 7:15 am and left the ship at 8:30am. Took our ship’s free shuttle to the port entrance, then a taxi (5 €) to the Metro Station at Piraeus. Took the Green Line up and got off at the Omonia station after Monastiraki, then took the Red Line down to the Acropolis. The Metro (1 € each = 2 €) took 25 minutes and we got to the Acropolis about 9:30am. Unlike Barcelona, there are escalators in the subway station. People do follow usual procedure of standing to the right on the escalators except to pass, but few pass. No one seems to be in a hurry.
When we arrived at the entrance to the Acropolis, we paid 12 € each = 24 €. The only discounts to attractions in Italy and Greece that we saw were available only to Europeans – those in the EU. It was a climb to the top, mostly inclines with some stairs. It was slippery marble and very uneven. There were crowds – most of them at the top. Only one way in and out, so it’s slow going, with occasional stops as tour guides lecture their group.
It was quite windy, also, with dust storms at the top. The wind kept it from feeling unbearably hot, but glasses were needed to keep dust out of the eyes.
We took a lot of photos of course, being sure that DD’s “doll” was photographed in proxy, since she had returned home. We saw the Parthenon and the Erechtheum/ Erechtheion “Porch of the Maidens” with the replicas of the six caryatids. One of the originals is in the British Museum, and the other five are in the New Acropolis Museum.
We walked back down and over to the Agora. Along with the ruins was modern graffiti. Went inside the Church of the Holy Apostles, which dates to the late 10th century. Then we went over to the Roman Forum of Athens. We found our way out to the Plaka. We stopped at a café: Carte Postale Cafe-Restaurant at the most famous street of Plaka, in Andrianou Street. We shared a pork souvlaki @ € 8, two Greek coffees @ € 3 each = € 14,50 + € 2 tip. Seating was free and water was free (unbottled). Very nice waiter.
Bought a medium statue of Athena at the kiosk across the street for € 6 and a bottle of water for € 1. Walked around the shops. We needed a camera chip, since we had used up almost 8GB so far. A 4 GB chip cost € 14,50 at a camera store nearby. I bought a few souvenirs: 3 olive oil soaps at 80 cents each, a tiny bottle of ouzo & of Greek brandy, and a small box of Greek Turkish Delight (averaged € 2 each). Took the Metro back to Piraeus (2 €), and a taxi to the port (4 €). Walked about 2 ½ miles today. Total cost of our day for two in Athens (not counting the gifts or the camera chip): € 54,50 = $80.18.

NOTES: The previous day I went to the ship’s talk about this port. Here are a few things I jotted down:
*Unlicensed cab drivers will try to cheat you. Be sure there’s a meter and a photo ID visible. Negotiate HARD for cab fare.
*There may be two different fares: #1 for day, and #2 for night, so be sure the meter is on the correct mode.
*It is a 20 minute walk to the Metro station from the port entrance, or a € 5 taxi ride – about ½ mile.
*The ride from Piraeus to Athens takes 30 minutes.
* The Metro ride costs € 1, but a day bus pass is € 3.

Day 13 - Venice to Trieste

Sunday, July 19

We got up early to take DD to the airport. So we grabbed a snack & headed to Piazzale Roma. We bought aeroporto bus tickets at 2,50€ each, each way. Bought 2 round trips for us & one way for DD. Later we found out that we didn’t need to buy our tickets – we only needed to buy one for DD whose Venice Connected card had expired. The regular airport bus fares are included in our Venice Connected cards! So we wasted 10€! Well, now you know.
Aside about DD flying alone: We paid Swissair 80€ for accompanied travel for DD – she’d have to change planes in Zurich, so we felt more comfortable knowing she’d be taken care of. Youth from ages 13-17 may fly alone internationally, but parents can also pay for accompanied travel with some airlines. We paid a lot for our airfare, since we had to use Swissair. British Airways flights required changing airports! – So they didn’t have accompanied travel for minor children available.
We took the airport bus back to the Venice train station. We saw a couple from the ship who were on post cruise in Venice (we were on a back to back). They had encountered Venetian pickpockets who had opened her backpack. I don’t remember the whole story or what was taken, but you have to be careful everywhere!
At the Venice train station, we bought tickets to Trieste – 36€ for two, round trip. DH said he didn’t know much about the place, but it always sounded interesting to him, so we planned on going today, since we had seen what we wanted in Venice for this trip. In the station was a sandwich shop/buffet. You decide what you want, pay first, and then pick up your food. The sandwiches were in the case; the woman took them out and heated them- we paid € 7,20 for two. Condiments like mayo and catsup/ketchup had to be bought first, as well (0.20€). Then the “cook” would squeeze it out of the package for you. There was nowhere to sit – the sitting areas were closed off. We found an open table to stand at to eat (there were few of those).
As we had a little time before our train, we walked outside and I saw a 50% off store that I hadn’t seen before. Great prices – bought a glass pendant necklace for myself, and a bracelet and earrings for DD, as we were getting home the day before her 14th birthday.
Got on the train to Trieste.

Trieste
The train from Venice took a little over 2 hours (€ 36,80 for two tickets). On the way, we passed along the ocean. We took a photo of a castle by the sea near the town of Sistiana.
We walked around Trieste. It was Sunday, so a lot of places were closed. We took photos by the waterfront and the “Grand” Canal. No much to the canal, but the waterfront has a nice walkway. There are lots of surveillance cameras throughout the city, at every intersection – like we have here in places, but I think they can also ticket jaywalkers. Watch out, that’s next.
Had cappuccinos (€ 5 for 2, including tip) at Bar Espresso Di D’Ambrosio Nazario, 10. There was no cover charge. This is known as the “coffee city”, as all the beans arriving in Italy come through here. There is a Coffee Expo here annually. Great coffee! While we were there, I wanted to use the bathroom – and came back to get my camera. It was my only encounter with the “hole-in-the-floor” type. And it flushed! (A button on the wall.) Fascinating to figure out how to flush European toilets – many different kinds.
We walked back around the piazza and caught a tram/cable car up the hill. The car was pulled up the hill on a cable; then the cable was released at the bottom of the hill. Cost: 1,05€ each. The top has a lovely view where we took a few photos. The stop is Obelisco where we got off; a tall obelisk commemorating an educator, it appeared. After we came back down, we ate at the train station – pressed panini - € 3,50. DH bought bottled water, but failed to notice it was sparkling – He refused to drink it – so I did. Didn’t like it, especially, but I don’t like to waste things! Just me. We noticed a “church” in the train station here, also directions to a “Place of Worship” at the Venice airport.
We went to a small grocery store that was open. It had good prices, so we got food to eat on the long train ride back: fruit salad - €1,80, Trieste apricot filled cookies, about € 0.85 cents, some lemon sodas for use in the cabin - € 0.42 each, and a toy for my grandson.
Left Trieste at 5:44pm. DH sat on a backward facing seat, as he found out when we started moving – he said he was returning to Venice in “rewind” mode.
Passed fields of corn, vineyards, and large fancy houses with vegetable gardens. We returned close to 8pm. The HAL shuttle stopped running at about 6pm, so we walked back. If I hadn’t forgotten to put the extra charged battery back in the camera bag, we could have stayed in Venice, since we wanted to see it at night. So we returned the ½ mile or so from Ple. Roma to the ship (I was going to go alone and return, as I didn’t want DH to have to walk all that way, but he refused to let me go alone. We returned for the battery & the icing of the (his) knee. Went to grab something to eat on the Lido – should have gone earlier, but didn’t think – and they had just closed it. The only dinner food available after hours there is the pasta station. We like the pasta, so it wasn’t too bad that we had no choices. We (I) also got dessert, although DH said we should have dessert later – 11-12 @ the late night snack.
We trekked off the ship and walked back to Piazzale Roma and got on the Number 1 vaporetto to see Venice at night. It was beautiful, although the canals weren’t lit up as much as we thought they’d be and many of the buildings were deserted, something not noticed in the daytime. I’ve heard talk about the diminishing population of Venice. DH says that Disney should buy it and turn it into a theme park!! Some of the buildings were hotels or apartments, maybe some were offices, but it seemed a bit of a ghost town in Venice at night.
We stopped at Ple. San Marco and got off to look around the square. Most of the vendors had removed their carts, but there were still lots of people. This was the final – although anticlimactic – day of Festa Del Redentore. Many of the cafés lining the Piazzale had their awnings extended and a band or orchestra playing. The whole atmosphere was very nice, with beautiful music, rose sellers, and happy people.
A lot of romance here in Venice – kissing couples everywhere – at plazas & train stations.
Took the Number 1 vaporetto back to Piazzale Roma and walked to the ship. We were tired, but went to have coffee & dessert on the Lido – gotta do the schedule!
The next morning we took pictures of the 10:00am sailaway – always special! There’s nothing quite like Venice! We’ll have to come back.

Day 12 - Second Day in Venice

Saturday, July 18

Walked to Piazzale Roma – the shuttles weren’t running yet, as it was early. Stopped at the Post Office by the vaporetto stop to get stamps (€1,70) for my postcards & mail them.
Took the Number 1 vaporetto to St. Mark’s – we wanted to get in the cathedral early & avoid some of the crowds. The line was already long, but it moved fairly well. Walked through the cathedral. The floor was beautifully tiled with many designs. We stood in a line for a while, but got out. I don’t know – see a line, get in it. Why? Don’t want to miss something. DH later thought that maybe it was to view the partial remains of St. Mark, but looking it up, I think it was to see the jewels at the altar or to go up higher. The line was moving very slowly, so we skipped it – this time. We did walk through the Treasury, at the price of 3€ each, which included an audio tour. There were lots of beautiful things: chalices, intricate gold work, bones (well, not beautiful, but interesting.) No cameras allowed.
In the church gift shop, which had a lot of things and had long lines, also, DD bought a cross pendant for €2. Great price!
Visited the Correr Civic Museum in Piazza San Marco that details the history of the city from the 13th to the 16th centuries. Many rooms, each with an information card explaining the artifacts or paintings in several languages, including English. After reading the card, we replaced it. There are rooms with armory, ship’s instruments, coins, portraits of city fathers, and different eras from the Greco-Roman through the Middle Ages.
After that, we stopped for…. that’s right, a gelato! DD had one & DH had a limone - slushie - €2 each.
We then took the boat to Murano. It was relatively quiet there, not many tourists. Lots of glass shops, of course, about one every 20 feet! Bought a few gifts and souvenir items, mostly for DD’s gifts to bring home to family. We stayed for lunch at a sidewalk café – Ristorante DALLA MORA s.n.c. It was very nice. We paid €54 for 3 entrees, 4 cappuccinos (2,50€), a Coke (2,50€), and a beer (4,50€). - On the bill it lists 5 capp, 1 caffe?(1,60), 1 beer, 1 Coke. (Either we had more, or we didn’t check the bill carefully.) Anyway, it was still great! That’s 3 plates & 8 drinks. A good price for Europe. There was a 1€ cover charge each, and they add a 12% service charge/gratuity. It was right by the canal, and the quiet made it a nice change from the hectic pace of our days. On top of that, the weather was definitely cooler today, with a few low clouds – That right there is good!
Aside: Some of the European websites are poor. I’m talking about the Dubrovnik Restaurant and now the Murano one – lots of buttons but no working links. Well, the Della Mora has one link at the very bottom, a copyright link. I checked it out and found I could access the dinner menu from there, which brought me to the page where the home page should have taken me – this has 3 working links, one that takes me back to the home page and a dead end. They need some American computer geeks to help them!
Back to business: We wanted to go to Burano – next time!! – or Lido Island, but it was quite a distance farther and I had to get back to pack DD’s suitcase.
Tip: This was mentioned earlier, but bears repeating: The vaporetto must be boarded away from (before) St. Mark’s to avoid the crowds. Get on as close to the beginning of the route as possible. People (locals, also) seem to avoid sitting inside, so there are often seats there, but the best place is in the front sections on the left and right. There are about 10 seats in each, and the left is a little better for a clear view of everything. Awesome photos!
We got some good seats again and headed back toward Ple. Roma. There were now large crowds forming for the evening’s festivities – Festa Del Redentore, Feast of the Redeemer.
Chairs were arranged in the Piazzas with center stages for musicians by the outdoor café tables. The canals were filling up with boats, many decorated with flags and balloons. Partygoers were gathered on the boats, ready for the evening.
As we rode up the canal, the whole atmosphere was electric. Music and singing could be heard. Bridges were crowded with those establishing their viewing places. And it was only just after 6pm. Fireworks weren’t scheduled to start until 11:30pm.
As we approached our stop, one boat filled with partiers was playing “Mama-Mia” over a loudspeaker, and everyone was singing at the top of their voices. Other boats had music playing – all Italian favorites, of course! We took a lot of photos and a couple of movies of the scene.
DH wondered why some were swimming in parts of the canals. Though the canals are cleaner than years ago, still they are probably dirty. (One woman we talked to said that on her trip many years ago, the smell was awful. She saw a cat that turned out to be a rat! Then the Dutch came & showed Venetians how to clean the canals.)
We saw a view of the evening’s fireworks from the ship, but it started late, at 11:45. It was large, although a mile away. The final burst that sounded like a nuclear explosion – though I’ve never heard one - came toward 12:30am. We thought it was a little silly that people were saving chairs on the viewing deck as early as 2pm! It’s just fireworks, for goodness sake – far away - imagine spending 9 hours cruise time guarding chairs! Venetian fireworks were a little disappointing in that they were monochromatic. A lot of green, then a lot of red, with no multicolored fireworks. We took some photos, deleting some, & a movie of the finale. Heard that someone took 500 photos – of fireworks!? Hopefully they’ll delete many – or their friends will avoid them!

Packing notes: I packed our extra books in DD’s case (places we’d been), the olive oil and Polish foods amongst her clothes – zip-loc bags. We’d have a couple of post-cruise days (We’d have to lug our cases on the train), and there’s no a/c in a lot of places, so I could add some things in her tote that might then be saved (Polish chocolate gingerbread cookies!) She’s have help with the suitcase, so we packed it to the max weight, using our portable scale. It was handy having her help get our stuff safely home!

DAY 11 - Venice

Friday, July 17, 11:00am - Monday, July 20, 10:00am DAYS 11-14 – Venice, Italy


Friday, July 17

Sailed in to Venice in the morning, while the crew passed out cannoli. Everyone’s favorite sail-in! We are here for 3 full days. The ship normally docks in Split, Croatia on this leg, but because of the major holiday in Venice this weekend, Festa Del Redentore, no ships are allowed to enter or leave until Monday. Listened to some of Rick Steve’s audio tour of the Grand Canal, which I had downloaded to my mp3. Amazing views! A thrilling experience!
We left at about 11:30am. Walked to Piazzale Roma (18 minutes, 1.4 km). Searched for and found Venice Connected. We bought transportation passes online: 72-hour ones for DH & myself (31,35 € each) and a 36-hour one for DD (21,85 €), who was returning home on Sunday. It entitled us to as many trips as we needed for that time period. Saved a lot of money that way. We also bought museum passes (16,00 € for adults & 10,00 € for students under 29 – & those over 65) through Venice Connected. It includes other services such as Casino admission (which we didn’t use) and Wi-Fi. (We never we able to get online – people at Venice Connected in Venice either knew nothing or couldn’t help us).
Aside: We were spending our 40th anniversary alone – when first booking the cruise our other children encouraged us to go alone, but we wanted to take our youngest, since the rate was supposedly a lot less for the third person, and it would be a lifetime experience for her. I was fortunate enough to have been on a 2-week bus tour of Europe when I was 18, courtesy of my parents (I was an only child, so it was easier for them to do it.). When we actually booked our 13 year-old DD, HAL said we’d have to pay for the full trip – 24 day back to back – not just the 12-day. And her fare was considerably more than the “starting at $99” promo rate. But she was thrilled and had a wonderful time. She was ready to return when the time came – she missed her dog – and we promised we’d take the Family Doll we made of her – to Athens.
At Venice Connected we gave our PNR number that we received via email when we bought the tickets and then got our passes. The heat seemed okay earlier – tolerable, but later it got hotter. (After all, it was mid-July!) Took a water, but bought another for €2 – 1 ½ L.
We took the Number 1 Vaporetto that starts at Piazzale Roma, so we got good seats outside and up in the very front. Front left is slightly better than front right because of an obstruction on the right side. There is no center view, so you have to decide as you get on where the best chance is of a great seat. There are others with the same plan. But we had the most awesome ride down the Grand Canal! We were oohing and aahing all the way, taking lots of photos and movies. This vaporetto stops at every stop. We got off at the stop past St. Mark’s (less crowded) and walked to the Doge’s Palace.
Aside: We went to few museums on our vacation due to time constraints and not wanted to see things we can see in a book or online – as opposed to the sights and sounds and tastes of actually being in a different place. Museums are great, but pictures from the inside all look similar – because they’re inside. Of course, there is usually a/c!….But naah, we just got gelatos and sweated it out!
The Doge’s Palace - golden staircase, beautiful ceilings, Tintoretto art, lovely courtyard, the Bridge of Sighs; it was great. Paid € 5 for one audio guide. Didn’t want to spend a lot of time here stopping by each thing to hear a five minute talk about it, so we listened to a few of the things and walked around. DH got busted twice for taking photos (it was on museum mode- no flash, no sound), although we saw others taking photos at times & would see a flash now& then. He took a few arbitrarily pointed at the ceiling, but they didn’t come out, anyway. Postcards or the Internet are the best way to get good museum shots.
We then went on a walk through the streets of Venice. DH had a walking tour planned using the old American Express travel guides. We had used these in London & Paris years before, so I ordered Rome, Florence & Venice books from booksellers online. Paid €4.05 for drinks and 3 postcards.
BTW, we have 2 Rome books if someone wants one. One I reported missing after 6 weeks; I bought another that showed up before the first one did.
Got hotter. Saw churches and walked up and down many bridges. DD found a glassmaker’s shop – L’Albero on Calle dell’Ospealetto 6376 & bought 2 pendants - for herself & her friend, € 10 each. The artist, Giuseppe Inzerillo, said he sold his things to other dealers and shops in Venice.
Stopped at Pyramid Pizza. DH & DD had a pizza, I had gnocchi, & we bought a bottle of water. The food prices weren’t cheap but were fairly reasonable, we thought, until they charged us 2 € each for eating in! So that’s a 30% tip! Paid 28,50€ total.
DH & DD then had gelatos (2 € each) & I bought a small painted mask for €1,80. Prices were cheaper than shops in heavy tourist areas.
Went into a church – here they charge you 3 € to go into a church! - Unless there’s a mass, I think. We didn’t go in, but DD bought a rosary bracelet for 2 €.
As we walked along the narrow streets we came upon a pet store – of all things! Martin Pescatore on Cannaregio 6423 (I kept the receipts so I could see where we went.) So DD bought a toy and some treats for her/our dog, who was at home with the other family members. He was about the only one we hadn’t bought presents for yet! One large squeaky zebra bone = € 6,50 & 3 stick chew treats of different colors = € 0.35 each.
We got a little lost looking for the Rialto Bridge – but you’re supposed to get lost in Venice – part of the experience! Paid another 2,50 € for water.
Tried to find out how to use the Wi-Fi, but no one could tell us at Venice Connected how exactly to do it: what was our User Name & Password? Tried several things, checked our email confirmation for some sort of code, but never figured it out.
Found the free shuttle to our ship – the Oosterdam – it left Piazzale Roma at about 6pm.

DAY 10 – Dubrovnik

Thursday, July 16 DAY 10 – Dubrovnik, Croatia
7am-4pm

The ship was docking at 7am at Gruž harbor, but we didn’t know what would be open at that time, so we dressed and went to the Lido for breakfast. (One place I read that the wall is open after sunrise, another place says 9am.)
We disembarked at about 8:30, and didn’t see any taxis, although there was a queue waiting. We walked down to the walk-in entrance of the port & border crossing. They checked photo IDs, and wouldn’t let DD in because we had only a photocopy of her passport with us (I think we just showed them our driver’s license.) So we had to walk all the way back to the ship and pick up her passport.
It was already getting hot, although the Daily Program said the high temperature today would be 84 degrees. Turned out to be hotter than that. The maximum temperature on July 16 (I checked on wunderground - Weather Underground) was 89 degrees, with a maximum humidity of 83 percent. Oh, yeah, we lost a lot of water weight this day! Got the passport and proceeded out again, with the view that it was a “do-over”. Now would be our first impression and entrance into Croatia.
We stood in the taxi line this time – a lot of people waiting, an occasional taxi (I guess they’d drop off people and return – maybe they don’t have a large fleet.) A few passengers walked out the entrance there (there was an official there) and caught taxis on their way into the port. We decided to wait, caught a taxi after a few minutes, and were waved into the country without a passport check! (The driver asked us if we had them; we said yes.)
NOTE: The Port brochure reads that it is 2km to Old City from Gruž harbor, which takes 30 minutes walking. Buses No. 1, 1a, 1b, & 3 go from Gruž harbor to Pile Gate and cost 10kn per person, but exact change must be given when entering the bus. Bus tickets can be bought at newsstands, Libertas counters, & the Bus terminal.
The driver dropped us off at the Old City, near the Pile Gate. (5 Kuna to the dollar) – we paid 75kn = $15. Got tickets to walk the wall – 50kn for adults, 20kn for children to age 18 – so we paid 120kn for the three of us. DD & I walked the whole wall – 2km; DH walked the first half, then descended and walked the streets back to the Pile Gate. Restrooms were 3kn, though I’m not sure if all of us used them. Still much more reasonable than in Italy.
We were dripping sweat after the long walk and bought 2 gelati for 7kn each. $1.40 for one very small scoop. Paid 19kn for water – don’t remember how many. Could’ve been for one large bottle. Everything is expensive in the tourist areas, contrary to what I had heard or believed before we went.
There was a pretty church. Walked in, but they were having mass. Must be disconcerting to the churchgoers to have tourists wandering in & out all day.
We started exploring the Old Town on foot, but got lost. We were looking for a place to eat, but there were few and none in our price range where we explored. Too hot to enjoy the explorations. Clothes were wet. So we returned to the Pile Gate and took a taxi back to the port. In the port area were many souvenir shops & restaurants, and a small park. The area wasn’t especially pretty – what port is – but we found a Dalmatian restaurant just outside the Ploce gate that was on the 4th & top floor of a building. There was an elevator. (Their five-year-old website Restaurantmaestoso.hr has an index, but only one page – nothing links.) Restaurant Maestoso is a nice place with decent prices. We had two pizzas: Fruitti de Mare (DD likes seafood) and Specialty Dalmatian (Croatian) Pizza with Croatian ham. They were 40kn ($8) each. With drinks – lemonade, coffee, water – we spent 137kn / $27.50. It was nice to be able to cool down, also.
I then wanted to look at some shops. DH & DD sat in the park while I wandered around for a few minutes. I came to a market area; mostly produce with a few other things. I saw someone selling tablecloths. I didn’t want to spend much money, but decided to check it out. The woman showed me a few items, more expensive than what I wanted. (With each offer I had to divide by 5 to figure the cost in dollars and see if it was reasonable in my mind.) There was one I liked better, and the woman kept putting it into my hands as she quoted a price – which seemed to be coming down gradually. I figured that 100k ($25) would be an okay price – it was a pretty tablecloth with a lot of colorfully embroidered flowers. I mentioned the price I wanted, but didn’t think it would come down that far. I think she started at 250kn.
My humble attitude aside, it was great bargaining on my part – though I wasn’t aware of it then – as she finally said, “Okay, 100kn”! I only had 28kn in cash, so I asked if she took a card. I then reached for my wallet and couldn’t find it! Panic time! I remembered that I had my wallet open at the border earlier to show my driver’s license. I thought perhaps DH had it in his bag, so I hurriedly left. I told her I didn’t know if I was returning. Well, DH had my wallet – what a scare, hate that feeling! When I returned, I learned that the woman wouldn’t take a card – she wanted me to get cash. She pointed to a bank nearby; they were still open – thankfully! – So we got a good rate & changed some euros into the needed 72 kunas. I returned for my tablecloth. I was happy with it and saw other shops closer to the ship that were selling similar tablecloths for more. Those shops wouldn’t have wanted to bargain, I don’t think.
It was a good day, although way too hot. Favorites: The wall views were amazing; loved it and I also liked my tablecloth. I wasn’t crazy about Dalmatian food, but it was okay – just nothing special, in my opinion. Of course, we didn’t eat at a fancy place. Being on the water, they do like seafood. If I go again, I’d like to go when the weather is cooler – much more to see that we didn’t see this time.

DAY 9 – Corfu

Wednesday, July 15 DAY 9 – Corfu, Greece
8am-5pm

Awoke to gorgeous views of Corfu harbor!
Had breakfast in the Lido and disembarked by 8:30am. Took the free shuttle to the port entrance, then waited for the person from Inter-Corfu Rent a Car to arrive. We saw our car, but the representative from the rental company didn’t arrive on his scooter until almost 9:15am. (He said he’d be there at 9). While we waited, we met a taxi driver at the port who used to live in Tampa; he moved here six years ago when his grandfather died and left him some land. In Greece, expect people to be 15-20 minutes late, he said. Many people were using the cruise shuttles into Old Town (Kerkyra) at a cost of $9 per person, one way, $16 round trip. Taxis, which can hold four persons or more, can be had for €10 into town – cheaper – but people there were wanting to pay more and wait longer for the ship’s bus into Kerkyra. Our car rental receipt said €47.20 for the day.
We had a Suzuki Jimmy red 4WD - put the back roof down, opened the sunroof, and headed out. The rental company provided a map of the island. We drove up the coast a way, past Kassiopi, and then turned at Pelekio (I think) where we saw a sign that said “Old Perithia”. After a while there were no more signs; we drove around, exploring. We saw a sign on the main road indicating a restaurant. We went up the rough dirt road and came upon an old deserted church with a bell tower. Most bell towers in Greece are flat stone edifices (not more than a few feet wide) with cut out arches that hold the bells and then a stone cross on top. We got out to take photos, noticing an outdoor café area. There wasn’t anyone here, but the restaurant seemed to be open. A restaurant in a deserted area couldn’t do much business, we thought. We saw a couple more cars and parked next to them. Sat down at a very cute place – Ognistra, which means “Fireplace,” where Corfiot grandmothers cooked traditional dishes - and found that we were here at Old Perithia (There’s a New Perithia, also), the oldest village on Corfu Island. We ordered from the menu, which had traditional Corfiot food, lamb and vegetables, garlic and olive oil. Wow, we were excited to have discovered such a great place! As the food arrived at the table, we heard the sound of cars – and looked to see a string of 4x4s driving in, full of tourists! They stopped at the restaurant and sat down to have drinks and snacks. The owner said it’s like this every day. “They’ll be gone in a few minutes,” he said. And after about 20-30 minutes, they took off - back down the dirt road, and the quiet came again as we enjoyed the ambiance of this lovely place.
The owner, Nikos Chirdaris, a man in his mid to late 30s or so, told us about the town. (The older I get, the less accurate I am on age analysis. He was younger than we were, but not a young man.) There are only two people still residing in the area, an old couple that raises goats and lives nearby. Everyone else just works here during the day. There are five restaurants or tavernas here, as we found when we walked around the village, and a tourist shop or two. The owner’s mother does all the cooking at this taverna; the building was built in 1872. Everything is cooked from scratch from natural foods, and very reasonably priced.
DD had a rabbit dish, with a grape sauce and fries - €9. DH had a Greek sausage and we shared a plate of moussaka with fries. Two Sprites – called “lemonade”, two ginger beers, and a Greek coffee (like Turkish coffee, using Brazilian beans, optional sugar added, then cooked). We spent €35. Nikos was so sweet; he gave us a bottle of olive oil from his trees. He is there seven days a week in the summer, from May through October, from 10am to 12am – 14 hours! The tourists come early; the locals arrive later in the day for an evening meal. (In the winter, the taverna is open Friday through Sunday for Lunch or Dinner with a reservation. Locals are usually the only patrons then.) I noticed later when using the restroom in the restaurant, a small table with items for sale: plastic bottles of olive oil and a bakery item in small wrapped packages with a basket for coins.
We walked around the village a little – very cute, very old. I found this paragraph about the village in the restaurant brochure that I asked for & received from Nikos and it’s also on the Corfu Restaurants website:

OLD PERITHIA
A historic monument of the 13th Century, situated 700 meters high, just below the highest peak of Mt. Pantokrator. It is the oldest village on Corfu Island and also the only one, which has kept the character of the old times.
It is a living monument of natural beauty, consisting of 130 houses of Venetian style and 8 churches of the Byzantine style. The Village’s crooked roads are edged with wonderful old houses of an excellent architecture, decorated by traditional large jars with flowers, arches, cellars, lofts, canopies of marble and Byzantine style tiles on the roofs.
Set in a magnificent mountain environment with olive groves, cypresses and a wide range of wild herbs and bushes, the old village of Perithia is a visit worth any time of the year. Another reason to visit Perithia is the traditional Taverna OGNISTRA.

After lunch we drove past the old church there to try to find the monastery, the highest point on Corfu. Turned on an “adventure” road – DD loved it – gravel, bumpy and one lane, useful for a 4WD vehicle. We never found the monastery, although we saw what looked like small ruins – who knows how old. Maybe next time.
Driving along, we stopped at a house with a porch stand where I bought a jar of local honey for €4 and a bar of olive oil soap for €1.
We drove down to a beach area near Roda. DD & DH changed into swimsuits – there’s a cabana – and went into the water. Placed towels on two lounge chairs & put up a beach umbrella there. DH & DD said that the water was very salty. While they were in the water, a lady came over & told me there was a €6 fee for the chairs. I didn’t know where she came from, and she couldn’t explain where to pay the money. It seemed so “unofficial”, but I guessed she must have come from a restaurant nearby. Perhaps they own the beaches & chairs. So I removed everything & we left, driving on up the hill.
There was a traffic signal ahead (very few anywhere) so oncoming cars could pass- a very narrow road allowing only one lane of traffic through a town with a light at both ends, so we stopped. Five minutes passed, 10 minutes. No one was coming through the light. There was now a line up of up to 10 cars behind us. The light turned green, and we drove through – as we did, a large tour bus came driving up the road straight at us, having no intention of stopping. The driver had either ignored the traffic signal at the other end of the town, or had stopped for a while on the street before moving on. So since he was coming, all the cars had to back up (couldn’t turn around) far enough to find an area to stop so this inconsiderate & obnoxious driver could get by.
Found another beach – this one at the scenic area of Paleokastritsa on the west coast of the island. Parked the car along the road and followed a paved trail down to the water. It was an old road that formerly led to a hotel – now deserted and overgrown. DH & DD went into the water. Several people were there, including a young adult girl wearing only a swim thong.
Left after a few minutes as it was a way back to Kerkyra, and we didn’t want to be late returning the car and getting back to the ship.
Stopped to buy three ice creams at a small store (€1.30 each), filled the car with petrol, and headed back. When we got back, we had a few minutes to drive around Old Corfu Town, getting back on the ship just in time at 4:15pm.
Other Notes:
I observed a small amount of graffiti (more in Kerkyra than elsewhere).
Saw a grocery store in every town.
Tourist-friendly towns have signs in English – if there’s no English, it’s not for tourists!
Cicadas were humming in the lowland areas.
Passed a delivery truck/mobile grocery wagon – live chickens. People came around to buy food.
Drove around to find a castle – marked with a symbol on the map – One-way lanes, never found it.

Yes, I like this place enough to return! Next time I want to visit Old Kerkyra, go back to Old Perithia, & find the castles & monastery. Renting a car made all the difference.

DAY 8 - Olympia

Tuesday, July 14 DAY 8 – Katakolon, Greece
8am-5pm Olympia

Had breakfast delivered early & got off the ship about 8am or a little before. Walked toward the train station. The ship’s information, detailed in most respects, omitted any reference to a train station in Katakolon and there was no sign of it on the map we received.
We walked up the street, and then followed another couple that was hurrying on. DH noticed that the tracks were on the right. When we had traveled farther, a woman called out to the young couple ahead of us, directing them back the way they had come, and down a different street toward the tracks and the beach.
We backtracked a few blocks, turning down toward the water, and saw a small yellow building with a platform. A small crowd was there. (This train station can actually be seen from the ship, we later discovered, and is directly across the parking lot at the port.) Taxi drivers along the way had called to us and said that the trains were “still on strike.” A shop owner told us that the trains were on strike on Monday (the day before). We never asked them anything; they perceived we were heading for the station and volunteered the information. Whether the trains had been on strike or not, they were not on strike today. “They’re regular trains,” spoke out another taxi driver as we were approaching the platform, as if to tell us there were trains, just not the ones we wanted.
The train tickets had gone up a little in price from what we had read online before we left, from €1 to €1.5 per person, per trip. The train ticket takers on board charged us €9 total, 3 people, round trip.
The ride took about 40 minutes, quite comfortable, and I believe they were air-conditioned, as they were modern and looked almost new. It was still early and not yet hot.
We got off at Olympia. The train also stopped at Pirgos. It just ran between the three towns. Occasionally in Nafplion and near Pirgos, on our way to Olympia, we saw some gypsy families or groups. Noticeably different, dark, brooding looks, dirty, and other than the young children, either emotionless or sad. Had no interaction with any of them anywhere; they kept to themselves. Very poor.
Noticed the loud humming of cicadas all over the area, as on Nafplion.
Used a restroom at a café and walked on to the Archaeological Museum. The cost was €9 for the Museum & the Ruins, €6 for the museums only. (I think it was also €6 for the ruins only.) Our DD, 13, was free.
We took photos of the marble statues, assembled in lots of pieces, sometimes. Must have been a tremendous challenge to figure out what was what & where it went! This is a new building with high ceilings, marble floors, and good lighting.
Walked out toward the ruins. We came upon hundreds of tourists, and dozens of tours, the flags up and flying as trains of people followed. Acres of ruins, columns, pieces of columns, & walls.
Occasionally we heard a shrill whistle and looked to see an attendant frantically waving at persons standing or sitting on a column or rock where they were resting or were having their photo taken. We saw no signs with posted rules, but a tourist would find out soon enough what was and was not acceptable. We brought a Family Doll of another DD, & took a photo among the ruins, but were prevented from doing so in another area that had been a Roman church, I think. I believe our intended action was being interpreted as disrespectful or irreverent, although the attendant said it was okay for people to have their pictures taken.
Though it was still fairly early, now about 10:15am, it had grown increasingly hot. We walked back to the Archaeological Museum, stopped at the café there, and had a large lemon granita (lemonade) - €5. Pricey. I think I had asked for a small one, but once it was poured, it was too late. DD got a small cone of chocolate ice cream - €2.50.
Everyone was pleasant except for what I think was a rude American who refused to move his chair so DD could sit down in her seat. We wrestled with the chair until it was freed from its place – the chairs were armchairs which took up too much room when anyone sat in them, as they had to be pulled out far enough from the table to squeeze in.
Took the 12 noon train back to Katakolon – it was a very rocky ride this time – via Pirgos. At another place we had 2 calzones - €3.40, and two drinks - €2.
I stayed in town to shop a little while DH & DD went back on the ship.
Saw an olive wood workshop with some lovely items, although I don’t use wood very much. Beautiful chess sets, salad bowls, and cutting boards. Napkin rings were €1.90 each, but they wouldn’t get used much at our house. Most items were very expensive, but all were hand crafted, so a lot of work went into each. Each piece of wood is studied to determine what will be made from it. I settled on an olive pick for €2.90, an appropriate item to represent the area, I thought.
I found an embroidered, tasseled placemat or small table runner that I bought for €5, a good price. Also got a small sponge at the same shop. Sponges are everywhere, in all the shops in all sizes, not particularly inexpensive, either, in my opinion. This one was marked at €2.50, but I had €2 in change, so the shopkeeper okayed it. I believe that some people try to bargain here, because as I was looking at a pillow cover marked €15 the owner said she couldn’t go less than €12.
In all the stores in Greece (and Turkey) the “evil eye” amulet is very popular, on everything from jewelry & keychains, to icons & paper products. They are often glass or plastic beads with two blue circles around a black center, one a darker blue. Sometimes the Evil Eye is paired with Byzantine or Christian icons, also a popular souvenir here. They are worn as protection from evil – the stares of strangers casting magic and bad luck.
This whole area of Katakolon was quite clean and pleasant, in contrast to Nafplion, which in spite of the scenic views had a lot of graffiti (and places with litter.)
We stopped here a second time on the cruise two weeks later – the only repeated port – and went to town just to use the Internet at a “Café”. There is one very close to port. We were without DD on this leg of the cruise, and both of us used the Internet for 30 minutes at a total cost of €5. We also bought a mini book on Greek mythology for DD, as she’d be studying this topic & reading the Odyssey as a high school freshman. The rest of the time we stayed on the ship, which is nice when most passengers/”pax” are off - An unoccupied hot tub!
There’s a rocky “beach” area here at the port, but we didn’t go. DH went back on the ship & I took his photo on the balcony. There’s a Duty-Free shop here as you get off/on the ship. Prices are in dollars or euros. In addition to the cosmetics, perfumes, liquor & cigarettes, there are some toys and souvenirs of Greece.

DAY 6 – Sea Day, DAY 7– Nafplion, Greece

Sunday, July 12 DAY 6 – Sea Day
Interesting day, started good & ended bad. Church services, reading, Italian Cooking Demo, Pinnacle Grill for a great lunch, Microsoft Digital Workshop - learned how to make panorama photos with Windows Live, 3pm Tea, movie, dinner with several nice people and a nonstop talker(drunk)sitting next to me!, dessert on Lido, 11pm Indonesian show with loud, drunk, obnoxious men throwing cake - landed on me & DD. We left.

Monday, July 13 DAY 7– Nafplion, Greece
Tender - 8am-4pm

After a nice breakfast of eggs benedict & some fresh squeezed orange juice, we went to the Queen’s Lounge to get our tender tickets. We got off at about 9:00am.
Walked around town. It was quite warm. This was our first stop in Greece.
Okay, a section of caution & a digression into languages. Now I know why they say, “It’s all Greek to me.” I had major culture shock – maybe I should have been prepared – but almost everything is written in the Greek alphabet! Oh, no! And I never studied Greek and never joined a sorority – though I don’t think it helps any of them. I knew pi(π) from geometry, and I had an Omega (Ω) watch when I was young (Now that these are worth a small fortune, wouldn’t you know I can’t find mine.)
I did get a Greek language CD and book set for travelers, & even copied it to my mp3 player, but I hadn’t studied it. I had spent months learning some Polish - considered the world’s hardest language to learn, I later found out – so I could communicate a little with my relatives on my pre-cruise trip. (Thankfully they knew more English than I did Polish.) I had DH study Italian a bit – and he went through the CD once or twice, but when we got to Italy all he remembered how to say was “Dove gelateria?” I bought a Mediterranean phrase book that included Greek, Italian & Croatian, but never really used it. I don’t know if I even took a Turkish phrase book. Don’t think so. Even copied a list of Indonesian phrases, and a sign in Indonesian that said “Don’t remove, I’m getting dessert” (there are no more trays on the Lido) because some Cruise Critic members said it is nice to talk to the ship’s stewards in their language (But I left it at home). Way too much to learn. Not to scare anyone, but I felt a little intimidated & lost – and even a little irritated. No fault of the wonderful and friendly Greek people, but I was unprepared. I learned to say “thank you,” and used it in other Greek ports, but it’s too late once you’re there to acquire much in the way of survival skills.
A nice lady in a sandwich shop wrote “Hello”, “Please”, & “Thank you” on my notepad for me, but I got the feeling that the people expect visitors to have some knowledge of their alphabet, as she asked me, then had to use Roman letters. I wonder - Greeks were here before Romans, but the Romans won – and their alphabet came to become a standard worldwide – maybe that’s an issue? I don’t know. But I know what Roman letters sound like and with Greek – I can’t even tell what city I’m in! Okay, enough ranting – back to Nafplion (Navplion, Nauplion). See, it’s the Greek letter thing, or there’d be one spelling!
DD decided she wanted to walk up the hill to the fortress – 857 steps! So we made her take the 2 Family Dolls we brought for this town (her USAF brother & his wife) – that’s a whole other “thing” – and the camera. DH & I said we’d meet her at the bottom at 11:00am (It was now 9:50am). So she went up – there was also a road, we found out later, about 2 miles long, for tour buses and others to get to the top.
We (DH & I) went to get some food. He had the idea to buy some food at a grocery store and have a picnic at a park, then take the ferry to the fort on the island in the harbor. So we looked around for a grocery. We found two of them, but there were no prepared foods & we were unfamiliar with the deli & other items – couldn’t read any of them! – So we ended up at a sandwich shop (the one with the helpful lady) & bought 3 ham & cheese baguettes to take with us (€2.20 each). Bought a can of Coke for €1 in a machine. I noticed that many of the cars here seem to park anywhere – double parking is common. I don’t think people here are in a hurry, so it doesn’t matter to them if they get blocked in.
Met DD as she came down. There was a bench by a couple of stores where we sat when it was near the time she’d be back. She said when she got to the top – there was a €4 fee! Too late – she had no money with her, so she said she found a group and slipped in with them to the fortress. It was great, she said, and she took a lot of photos. Really nice ones! I wondered if we should have gone – she said there were a lot of people, so it was then we found out about the road. But we were glad that she got to see it and we didn’t want to walk all that way.
Saw lots of graffiti. Seems to be almost everywhere! – Especially in the larger towns. At times it spoils what could be great photos.
Because it was Monday, we found that the Archaeology museum was closed; the Folk Museum appeared to be closed, also, but I later heard from someone that it wasn’t. Couldn’t tell; maybe we were too early? We wanted to take the little boat to the fort on the island. That wasn’t operating either. The outdoor cafés there were open.
So we walked along the harbor and around the peninsula. Lovely views. But LOTS of graffiti all over the rocks, and litter in the area below. Further below, down the hill, was a beach area. Saw some swimmers far out in the water – perhaps the salty sea kept them afloat. We sat on a bench along the walk and ate our ham, tomato, cheese baguettes and a couple of the breakfast treats – Danish – I had brought from the ship.
Many pines, cacti, bougainvilleas, and cedars grow along the walkway. The trees along some areas were overgrowing and hanging very low. Park areas had tall grass and looked unkempt – I wondered if the gardeners were on summer break – or maybe during dry summers they just let the grass grow. Some of the walkway streetlights were missing or broken. One thing I did notice here, and subsequently at many of the Greek ports we visited: it was cicada season, and all along the walkways it was very noisy – really loud! Yet the cicadas are hard to see. I remember the sound from my childhood summers in New York State. It’s a pleasant enough, albeit voluminous sound.
After about 3 hours ashore & 5 miles of walking, we went back to the ship. There are many people who absolutely love Nafplion, and say it is one of their favorite places. For some reason, I guess I’m not one of them. Had things been open, …then maybe. Or maybe not. But it’s still Greece!

DAY 5 - Taormina

Saturday, July 11 DAY 5 – Messina, Sicily, Italy
2pm-11pm Taormina

Our port times were 2-11pm, so we got to see our entrance into Messina and the Peloritan Mountains. Our nephew & niece met us as we were getting off in port & drove us to Taormina. He is in the Navy & they moved to Sicily only two months before, so it was great for all of us. They had familiar visitors in a foreign land & we all got to see Taormina. (We asked them to hold off until we could explore it together, and in return we’d take them to dinner!) It was also so perfect that we were there on a Saturday, when he wouldn’t be working!
We parked in a lot, received the ticket – pay upon return – and took the free shuttle up to the hill town. We walked through an old stone gate – Porta Messina –at the end of town nearest Messina. The other city entrance at the other end of town is called Porta Catania. A lovely old city, extremely picturesque, many flowers, narrow steps between the buildings that reached another level, lots of cute shops with pottery and laces made in Taormina.
After looking at lots of stores on the Via Teatro Greco, I finally settled on the eggcup I wanted: €8 at Girasole (one of two artisan Manago ceramic shops in Taormina). Different artists & designs, some more intricate than others, all made in Sicily. At another shop I bought a lace-edged handkerchief/serviette. (I don’t use the word “napkin as often as I used to since there are British readers!) Cate found a painted clay holy water wall hanging – very nice - €15 (marked €18).
One upset & frustrated man in the shop was using their phone: He had gone to an ATM, got a cash withdrawal and a receipt – but no cash!! He had “withdrawn” $250. He was calling his credit card company & explaining how he was stranded. This is Saturday. Banks are closed. The phone he was using was unable to use the push button feature, for some reason - I didn’t notice if it was a rotary dial phone. Hopefully it worked out…
We walked up the road to a large plaza that had an amazing view of the coastline and small harbor below. A coin telescope was there. We did a progressive lunch thing: snack (ham/cheese pastry) & drinks at Sugar & Spice - €15, 4 gelati at Bar Capriccio - €8. There were 5 of us, but not everyone had something.
We passed a wedding taking place in the church near the plaza. So interesting seeing the local flavor of a place.
When we went to get dinner at a recommended restaurant that DH had found, it wasn’t open yet. As is customary, most of the non-tourist restaurants off the main areas did not open for dinner until 7 or 7:30pm. It was 6:45 and we needed to eat. We didn’t want to stay late, as our relatives live farther away. They had to drive us back to Messina, and they live in Catania – the opposite direction. Taormina is almost exactly halfway between the two – about 28 miles.
We found an open restaurant, Solaris, on a back hill, Via Timeo 31 – it overlooks the “small theatre” of Taormina, the Roman Odeon. (We did not go to the Greco-Roman Theatre. It was a warm day, and it would have taken too much time, since we were “hanging out” with relatives today. The cost: €6 each.) So for free, we sat at an outdoor table on the hill, took photos of this little theatre, and ate Bruschetta & pizza: €48+ €5 tip.
Had a relaxing evening with a view of the Odeon, watching local life. Poignant moments. A bird quite near us had apparently fallen and was very hurt. We couldn’t do much but pray for him and watch. A little boy, the son of the waitress, came by, & although very interested, thankfully left him alone. The bird rested and seemed to be better by the time we left. An old woman was seated near the inside doorway, with tears running down her face, and a younger woman, perhaps a daughter or friend, was crouched beside her, trying to comfort her. Things one notices when not rushing around.
We stopped at a bakery for cannelloni (€3.90) and went to Shaker café where we ordered coffee (€19). Dusk came and as we sat at the café, we saw a procession of costumed horses and carriages with musicians playing accordions and tambourines. A very nice end to a relaxing day. Shuttle back to parking lot; €9 parking. Only walked 3 ½ miles today.

DAY 4 - Rome

Friday, July 10 DAY 4 – Civitavecchia, Italy
7am-8pm Rome

Has an early breakfast in the room – ordered too much food, and our bodies are not quite awake yet! Had to call room service for the 2% milk, which was missing. Took a couple of the croissants and Danish with us for snacking; also took a couple of bottles of water. DH forgot his ship’s card and had to go back to the room to get it. There was a free shuttle from the ship to the Civitavecchia port entrance, with A/C! From there, we walked about ½ mile to the train station. BIRG tickets were €9 each for all day. We just missed the 7:33am train – it must have been the first Italian train ever that was on time! What are the chances? Our loss. The next train was at 7:59am. No A/C! Gasp! Took 1 ½ hours & arrived in Rome at 9:30am. We had to walk a long way to get out of Termini, because we were on Track 28 – the last track and farthest from the entrance!
Used the restroom - €0.70 – automatic doors, change machine, and an attendant – but very clean and well supplied. No riffraff here. But with all the money they make, they could put TVs in the stalls, or something. What do they do with all that income? Interesting to speculate.
Took the Metro Line B to Colosseo. Got off, walked up the stairs with the crowd, and there it was! The Colosseum right there across the street & staring you in the face! That was impressive! We kept left and bypassed the line, because we had prepurchased our tickets online. (Initially I got in line because we weren’t sure what the line was for – a common thing to do when you’re a tourist. What is the line for & do I need to stand here?)
Took lots of photos, of course. Next time we can take fewer. DH saw an elevator on the ground floor (he didn’t tell me!), but decided to take the stairs –not that many, compared to some places. Got to the top and viewed the levels below. We had taped Rick Steves’ online audio tours to our mp3 players, but listened to only a portion. Learned, among other things, that 2000 people plus many more animals were killed in the 100 opening days of the Colosseum, aka Flavian Amphitheater.
We walked down to Foro Romano, the Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill. Hiked up steps & ramps to the top. Wow! An incredible sight! The remains of ancient downtown Rome. We spent about an hour hiking and taking pictures. Then walked back down to the street level, hot, dripping, and exhausted!
Walked towards “Wedding Cake,” Vittorio Emmanuel Monument. Very large, hard to get it all into one photo from close up. Found a nice restaurant, Bibo, about 1-½ blocks away. Inside A/C! Yes!! Cute, friendly, good food, reasonably priced, and a singing waiter – he was just a happy guy. DH had salmon on toast with mozzarella cheese, DD had a Neapolitan pizza (anchovies), and I had chicken salad on light toast. Yum! Yum! We also got 2 L of water & a Coke. Total, including tip: €38.50. Restrooms are downstairs.
After lunch, we walked the 1-½ blocks back to the Monument, where we got a taxi (yay!) to Piazza Navona: €6, including tip. DH & DD bought gelati (€3 each), while I walked to buy postcards at a store with a couple of very sweet Italian flatterers, as it should be in Italy, where chivalry and gentility is appreciated by us “older” gals.
We sat on a bench in the Piazza, absolutely beautiful, with three fountains, street artists, and, of course, lots of people.
From there we walked to the Pantheon – whoa! – A huge old building (rebuilt in the 2nd century) with giant columns right there in the middle of the city. It’s now a church. The giant concrete center dome has a hole in it to let in the sunshine, and there are drains in the floor below to accommodate the rain. Several altars, statues, paintings. A large fountain stands outside in the Piazza Della Rotunda.
Now on to the Trevi Fountain – everyone in Rome is there today! Beautiful fountain – apparently about €3000 in coins is thrown in daily, leading to some serious fishing attempts. The money is used to help Rome’s poor.
Walked about a mile looking for another taxi stand – it was 3:30pm and the busses were jam-packed. We ended up at Bibo’s Restaurant again – the same place we got the first taxi!
Took the taxi to Termini (€8). We had to walk about a half mile to that last track! Bought 2 lemon slushies (€2.20 each); we were tired but found no place to sit. Sitting at the train station is discouraged by metal spikes sticking out of flat concrete areas that may be large enough to rest. A couple of areas had the spikes removed. Found an edge to rest a little.
Back to Civitavecchia – no air-conditioning, unbearably hot! Some windows open, so there’s a hot breeze when the train is moving quickly. One guy from the ship brought wet bandanas and mini-fans (which I had decided not to pack.) He kindly let us use a fan. I read here on the boards about bringing wet cloths in Ziploc bags, but I kept forgetting. Good idea!
Walked… no, trudged the last ½ mile to the shuttle. Staggered aboard and collapsed in the room!
DH iced his knees (did that daily – we had two buckets with ice in our room on most days, except when the steward filled them early and the ice was melted when we returned).
The pedometer indicated we had walked 6 miles today! The next day would be easier – our nephew and his wife were stationed in Sicily, so they’d bring their car. We were going to explore Taormina together.