FINAL STOPS OF CRUISE

ATHENS:  We had pre-arranged a bus tour of Athens, the highlight of which was climbing the many slippery steps up to the Acropolis.  Although quite amazing that this could have been built without any modern equipment, it was a bit of a letdown after the beauty of Ephesus.

Athens, as you all know, is in financial crisis.  What we saw were piles of garbage (a strike had just ended), lots of graffiti on public buildings; the graffiti being political in nature.  Supposedly every cloud has a silver lining.  In this case the crisis has apparently solved the famous Athens traffic congestion.  Many Greeks can no longer afford to drive their cars.  On the other hand, the crisis has done nothing to improve the dreadful nature of Greek wine.

MYKONOS:  This windswept Greek island is famous for its beaches and acceptance of tourists with alternate lifestyles.   Although some were swimming it was a little late in the season for us to venture into the sea.  The main town was crammed with shops loaded with junk so after a pleasant meal of fried sardines we made an early return to the ship.

NAPOLI:  The day started very early as we left the ship to join 6 others for a tour of the Naples area.  Our first stop was Pompeii which you all know was buried in lava ash after Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD.  Pompeii is very interesting but our visit was marred when Betty took a nasty tumble.  Although nothing appears to be broken she has many bruises and a badly sprained thumb.  Perhaps if I put on a “wife beater shirt” we go as a couple to a costume party.

After Pompeii we had a compulsory visit to an olive oil place before visiting Sorrento where our group had a very nice lunch (I think at our driver’s cousin’s place, who may also be in the olive oil business).

After lunch we drove down the absolutely spectacular Amalfi coastline to the town of Postitano where we had a short stop before returning to the ship.

GOING HOME:  The day is not over as we will go to part of the early closing show in the theatre before my choir has a short performance in the grand foyer.  After that our last of the wonderful onboard dinners before catching a few hours of sleep and then starting the journey back to Antigonish.

BLOGGING:  I hope you found these blogs a little interesting.  I learned a few things on this trip:  (1) zipper pocket shirts are a great place to keep one’s passport and a credit card or two; (2) while driving in Tuscany is possible, never try the Naples area; (3) offer your wife anything if she will take 20 lbs. out of her suitcase before leaving home.