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.

TALES FROM TURKEY

ISTANBUL:  We awoke to find ourselves anchored next to the Queen Elizabeth (smaller than our ship) on the Golden Horn in central Istanbul   It was a gorgeous day and we rushed through breakfast in order to join our brief introductory tour of the city.

Although Turkey is officially a secular country there are more than 10,000 mosques serving Istanbul’s 14 million citizens.  Fortunately, our tour guide took us through only one.  After visiting several of the standard tourist spots we were dropped at a carpet shop for a demonstration and a sales pitch.  I finally got Betty away before she spent next year’s savings (see below).

At this point we left the tour and went to the Grand Bazaar.  This should not be missed as there are over 4,000 shops crowded together under one roof.  There are so many jewellery stores that I think if every woman in the world bought one item there would be no noticeable drop in inventory.

We ate a delicious lunch ordered at random down some back street and then proceeded to get quite lost as we explored the labyrinth of streets in the old part of the city.  Eventually an English speaking policeman gave us directions toward a bridge we knew we needed to cross in order to find the ship.

Istanbul seems to be a Mecca of retail, and some of the merchants are quite aggressive.  Betty enjoyed the merchant who offered to show her “something she did not need.”   I think, however that the pitch of the day came from a restaurateur who assured me that his fish was filled with natural Viagra. 

Istanbul is on three land masses, two of which are Europe and are separated by the Golden Horn.  The newer part (suburbs) is in Asia across the Straits of Bosphorus.  As our second day was only a half day we decided to explore an area nearer the ship.  We were seeking Taksim Square as well as the Galata Tower.  We found the first but got quite lost and never did find the tower.   The area we explored was obviously a low rent district containing store after store selling used furniture.  Eventually we kept working our way downhill until we came out to the water and thus were able to find our ship.

HIGHLIGHT SO FAR:  On our third morning in Turkey we docked in the beautiful port of Kusadasi in Asia Minor.  This small resort city is the jumping off point for Ephesus.  Ephesus, once the largest city in Asia, was buried in silt in the 7 century and only discovered in the 19^th.  It is the major archeological dig in Asia ever since. 

Our tour bus took us the 20 km to Ephesus, and there we were truly amazed at the beauty of the partially restored city and the advanced nature of what was built by the Greeks, after Alexander the Great conquered Asia Minor,  and then subsequently by the Romans.  We sat in the 25,000 seat amphitheatre where Saint Paul preached to the Ephesians (no bad puns about epistles forthcoming).  The weather (21C) was perfect, but one should never come here in high tourist season as temperatures frequently reach 120F.

COUNTRY RUBES:  Our tour dropped us back in Kusadasi where I hoped to have lunch.  However, Betty suggested 20 minutes of shopping.  I never did get lunch.  Going into a shop in Kusadasi is very high risk as one is first given a glass of very fine wine, served in a perfectly matching glass, and a small pastry.  After the third glass of wine they get around to discussing prices.

After purchasing a Turkish carpet, a leather jacket for Betty and an Antelope skin jacket for Ron, Betty’s credit card maxed out and we had to switch to mine.  I suppose I did save a few Turkish Lira by involuntarily skipping lunch.

LEAVING TURKEY:  Tonight we set sail for Athens; but, despite facing debtor’s prison, I am sorry to be leaving.  Turkey was never very high up on my bucket list but the past three days have been great and I recommend this country as a place everyone should visit; after all a country that has 13,000 registered tour guides must have much to offer.  My only advice is that you should feel very secure in your relationship with your significant other before venturing into a shopping area.

ROME TO SANTORINI

 

LIFE ABOARD THE CELEBRITY EQUINOX:  Although our ship is far from the world’s largest it is a goodly size.  Its length is greater than the length of the street (Wedgewood Dr.) on which we live.  To be found on its 16 decks are 3 pools, a lawn club (with natural grass for lawn bowling, etc.), 10 restaurants and 15 bar/lounges.  The main theatre/concert hall seats 1150 and has two levels of balconies.  There are two shopping areas, but so far I have managed to mostly avoid the many high-end shops.  The disappointment for some, perhaps, is that the basketball court is actually only ½ size.

On the day we boarded we went to an early floor show followed by a late dinner.  After the meal we bar hopped (not drinking, just sitting) to check out the entertainment.  Within a short time we had managed to catch snippets of a classical guitarist, a dance band, a hard rock singer, a jazz quartet, a classical string trio, and a wonderful a cappella quartet.

The second day was a “sea day”, as we were sailing directly from Rome to Santorini.  We started the day with coffee on our balcony as we sailed through the Straits of Messina (between the mainland and Sicily).  We lingered long enough to miss the served breakfast and had to make do with the smoked salmon eggs benedict in the buffet.  After breakfast one of Betty’s internet groups had a brief social.  That was followed  by a no-charge wine tasting (Wine 101) which took us up to lunch.

In the afternoon we had a quick swim before I headed off to choir practice (yes, that’s what I said). This left time for a quick glass of wine on the balcony before we dressed for our first formal dinner;  preceded by another performance of the a cappella group, and followed by the evening floor show.

Food on the ship is very good.  Dinner was crispy frogs legs, corn soup, sorbet, rack of lamb, and tart tartin, all with an excellent cabernet from Washington State.  The first day I purchased more than a few  bottles of dinner wine to be drunk with each night’s meal, thus getting a small discount.

BACKSTAGE BODY ODOR:  We were fortunate enough to be invited to join a small group for a very interesting backstage tour of the theatre (which seats 1372, not 1150 as I previously said).  The current production cast has 18 performers plus 11 technical people.  During a show there are many costume changes as well as a lot of perspiring, particularly among the dancers.  Not all costumes can be laundered so during changes the costumes and the performers are sprayed with a mixture of 3 parts water and 1 part vodka; a tip for the next time you run out of deodorant.

SANTORINI:  The weather was perfect (mid 20’s) for our first port-of-call.  Santorini is reputed to be the most beautiful of the Greek Islands.   In order to get from the tender dock to the town of Fira at thetop of the cliff Betty took a cable car.  I chose the more traditional ride on a donkey up the 600 steps.  The donkey worked his (or her) way up the steep incline such that I waited several minutes for Betty’s high tech mode of transportation.

Unfortunately we only had about three hours from arrival until dark.  Thus, we could not do much touring except to walk around the one town.  Although Fira is a bit of a tourist trap, the scenery is spectacular.  We ended the afternoon by having a beer and watching the sunset on the patio of a cliffside bar.  Fortunately the donkeys quit work at dark so I had no embarrassment in taking the cable car back down to the ship.

 

BLOG FROM THE ETERNAL CITY:  I am sending this blog a little soon after my last one as this is my last free internet before boarding our ship (where internet charges will be outrageous).

Our train left Castiglion Fiorentino exactly on time, but someone screwed up as we reached Rome 1 minute early.  As our hotel was about 12 blocks from the station we decided to hoof it.  However, with one broken wheel on my suitcase a taxi might have been a better option.

On the train we met an interesting young couple who quit their jobs in Toronto 4 years ago and emigrated to Castiglion F.  They survive on the rental income from the house they still own in TO plus he goes back for one month per year and plies his trade as a cabinet maker.

After arrival in Rome we walked to Trevi Fountain and then on to the Spanish steps.  The crowds of people were unbelievable.  We sat forever on the Spanish steps and people watched.  At one point we saw a police car take more than 20 minutes to work its way through the crowd for about one short block.

After a nice supper we were very happy to put our aching feet to bed in the hopes they would be restored for another day on the Roman paving stones.

SUNDAY IN ROMA:  Rome is a great walking city even in the rain.  I invested 3 Euros in a flimsy umbrella which needs to last only through this evening.  Tomorrow our cruise ship will provide each passenger with sturdier implements. 

We started our day with a 45 minute walk to the Pantheon, which was well worth it.  The dome is spectacular and has survived for more than 2000 years.  After all, the dome at St. Peters is simply a copy.  We then kept walking from one Piazza to another until our feet gave out. 

We are now recuperating back at our hotel before a half hour walk to a hole-in-the-wall where we have an early reservation.  After dinner we are going to Teatro Salone Margherita (a small opera house) for a concerto of “enchanting arias” to be performed by an assembly of “the most accomplished virtuosos” of Venice.

Assuming our feet get us home tonight we shall be very happy to board our ship tomorrow for the two-day sail to Santorini.

TUSCANY REDUX

Wednesday began with drizzle, which turned to light rain, then heavy rain, which lasted all day and all night.  We drove to Cortona where we parked in a free lot and took the escalator up into the city.  Cortona has very steep streets which makes walking on wet stones very treacherous.  After moving from doorway to doorway we eventually took refuge in a large Etruscan Museum where I learned much more about burial practices in the 7^th century B.C. than I had ever wanted to know.  However, it was dry inside as was the little restaurant where we had lovely lunch of pasta and pizza washed down with an unknown wine.

After a quiet afternoon of reading we turned to the problem of dinner.  Both Castiglion and Cortona (the two nearest towns) require that one park outside the walls and venture on foot along the narrow and sometimes very steep streets.  Not wishing to risk breaking a hip or tearing up a knee on the very rough street surface we decided to try a restaurant (the only one) that was along the road to Cortona.  The parking area was in total darkness and we were not certain the place was even open.  However, the sign offered ``carne e pesce`` so we dashed through the rain from the car to the door.

We were seated in a dining room with two large fireplaces, each of which had a blazing fire.  In front of one was a grill fueled by embers from one of the fireplaces, a case containing very large joints of beef, and a butcher’s table.

In my best phrase book Italian I asked for “la lista dei vini”.  The waiter shook his head and then proceeded to place a selection of bottles on our table.  I choose a Rosso di Montepulciano (which is a cheaper version of the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano that I mentioned earlier).  The waiter said that this was “home made”, which I eventually figured out to mean that it was the house wine.

While Betty ordered a steak, I choose the squid and shrimp.  As the room filled with other diners we noticed that most ordered steaks.  The waiter used his cleaver to cut steaks the size of which I haven’t seen since we were in Argentina.  Clearly one was not given a choice as to how the steak should be prepared but each one came perfectly medium rare.  We lingered while enjoying the ambiance and chatting occasionally with a woman at the next table who was most interested in how we cooked meat in America.

After we had finished our espressos the waiter placed a bottle of chilled limoncino on the table.  I watched as Betty downed several shot glasses as I steeled myself for the wet drive home, where my pokey driving aroused road rage among the Italian tailgaters.

ALL SAINTS DAY:  November 1 is a holiday and we were awakened at 7:00 a.m. by the ringing of church bells.  Apparently the day is to be spent visiting the graves of long dead relatives.  As we are not aware of any dead relatives in Italy we decided to drive to Lucignano, a small medieval town with the traditional layout of streets in concentric circles.  Later we drove to Arezzo, a much larger town with streets seemingly designed to totally confuse us old farts.  It took an hour just to find our way out of the city.  However, the sun had come out and the temperature had reached the high teens so not all was lost.

In the evening we drove back to Cortona for dinner.  The first two restaurants we tried (both recommended by Trip Advisor) had no room for us so we walked into the first place that had empty tables.  Once seated we were served glasses of sparkling wine and then presented with the menus.  The wine list had over 500 items.  The food was superb (Tuscan soup, chicken livers, guinea hen, potato flan) and with dessert came a glass of chilled muscat.   At the end of the evening we were given a small bottle of olive oil to take away and a note asking us to send our comments to Trip Advisor once we had reached home.  Obviously Trip Advisor is playing a significant role in the success or failure of restaurants.  Tonight we are going to return to the same restaurant so we should be able to comment twice.

LAST DAY IN TUSCANY:    Today we drove to Montalcino, another walled hilltop town.  Montalcino is the home of the famous, but expensive wine Brunello di Montalcino.    The town’s streets are lined with Enotecas, which are shops where you can taste and purchase.  Needlesstosay we could not get near any of the large number of parking lots, but eventually found a precarious spot some distance from the town’s walls.  I was restricted in my purchases by how many bottles I could comfortably carry back to the car. 

As we take the train to Rome in the morning I’ll end my notes on Tuscany with a bit of advice for any of you who might visit here someday:  Bring three things:  an empty stomach; a dry throat, and a functioning GPS.

 

 

ANTIGONISH TO CASTIGLION FIORENTINO

 

Travelling is never without a little anxiety and as we were flying to Rome via Philadelphia we worried that “Frankenstorm” might get in the way.  Our flight out of Halifax was delayed by 1.5 hours making for a tight connection in Philly.  However, we did make our flight just before the airport was closed indefinitely.

Arriving at Fiumicino Airport we caught a train to Termini where we switched  (with only a few moments to spare) to a regional train for our 2-hour trip to Castiglion Fiorentino.    Filipo, the owner of our villa, met the train and we were soon at our beautiful spot where our tiny rental car as well as a bottle of the neighbour’s wine awaited us.

The trains in Italy seem to be very efficient, running exactly on time (Mussolini’s heritage?) but I wish the stations provided coin operated fork lifts, or some other device, to aid in getting Betty’s suitcase up and into the 2^nd class railcar.

Upon arrival we drove into the very pretty walled hillside town, where without GPS we immediately got totally lost.  We do have these things called maps but I cannot remember how they are used.  Our intention had been to find a nice Trattoria for our first night in Italy.  However, we were too tired after the 25-hour trip so we picked up pizza and pastries as well as a bottle of Vino Nobile de Montepulciano and returned to our villa.  By the way Vino Nobile de Montepulciano (not available in Nova Scotia) is a very famous wine not to be confused with Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, but I’ll save that for a WineWhine.

DRIVING IN TUSCANY:   Yesterday we visited the beautiful towns Montepulciano and Pienza.  Getting there was, however, more than half the fun.  As I mentioned above we do not have GPS in our rental so our process is for Betty to read the map and for me to avoid being driven off the road by Italian drivers.  The problem is that the map gives route numbers but none of the signs do the same.  Thus as we approach an intersection Betty suggests we turn on route something or other.   As I circle the roundabout the signs suggest going to this or that town.   By the time Betty has located the town on the map (which may be 30 or 300 kms away) I have already driven 15 kms on the wrong road.  I don’t know if the Italians copied this stupid system from the French or whether the French copied the Italians, but these two countries seem to compete on who can confuse the most tourists.

Italian drivers have perfected the art of tailgating.  Driving the speed limit or slightly above leads to one seeming like an engine on a many car train; each car vying for being the closest to the one ahead.  Sometimes I think a match could be lit by my rear bumper and the front bumper of the guy behind.

FOOD AND WINE:   So far the food has been excellent, even when it seems that we are ordering at random from the Italian menus.  Last night, for example, I got an appetizer of cheese served with honey, which was much better than it sounds.  Wine lists are a little easier, although here the problem is too many bottles and too little time.  We have learned, however,  that if we skip going into the 13^th century churches there is more time to spend in the wine tasting shops.

LAST BLOG FROM ASIA

MARCH 23:  Our ship docked this morning at Tianjin Port.  We left immediately on a lengthy bus trip to see the Yellow Teeth section of the Great Wall.  It certainly was worth the trip.  We enjoyed walking and mostly climbing.  When I finally reached a target tower I was totally winded but very happy to see cold beer for sale.  However, it was being sold by an ancient woman, who I assume had to have carried the stuff there, probably without being winded at all.

For our last night on board we had reservations at 8:00 at the Polo Grill (our favorite eating spot).  Our bus got back at 8:10 but the Maître-D’ kindly let us switch to 8:30.  He found us a table for two (see advice on cruising below) and we enjoyed our crab cakes, lobster bisque and prime rib.   I was discussing with my favorite sommelier whether to order an expensive wine from Napa or a cheap wine from Mendoza when he said he would simply discount the more expensive wine for us; a final nice gesture from the incredible staff of the good ship Nautica.

MARCH 24:  We departed the Nautica for the last time taking a 3-hour bus ride to Beijing.  Beijing is a city of 20 million, with 5 million cars.  The traffic is constant gridlock.  In an attempt to control the increase in traffic, licenses to own a car are given by lottery.    Depending on one’s licence number car owners are not allowed to use their cars on one of the five days from Monday to Friday.

 Once we reached the center of Beijing we walked across Tiananmen Square to the Forbidden City.  As we were on our way to the airport our guide speed marched us through (4 km from the South to the North Gate).  Somehow we found the buildings to be less luxurious than we expected.   Perhaps the Emperor was too busy with his 3000 concubines to worry about décor.   I have, however, sent a picture of Betty’s favorite spot in the City.

After leaving the city we stopped for one last mystery meal before facing the flight home.

ADVICE TO CRUISERS:  As we have now taken 5 cruises, I recommend this form of travel.  I do think, however, that we have learned a little bit about cruising.  Here are my 5 rules to follow:

1.        As you can only book through a travel agent, choose the right agent.  Do not rely on your local agent.  Only a couple of companies that specialize in cruises can get you discounts and onboard credits.

2.       Choose the cruise line that matches your demographics (travelling with young children, swinging singles, old farts).

3.       Choose a smaller ship.  Larger ships cannot reach the better piers, especially if the city is on a river.  Frequently large ships must dock an hour or two away from everything.

4.       Do not book shore excursions with your cruise line.  Cruise lines make their exorbitant profits on excursions and the casino.  Become familiar with websites such as cruisecritic.com, and use them to arrange private tours.

5.       At the evening meal always ask for a “sharing table.”  Your spouse becomes much more interesting after an evening with political idiots.

ROMANTIC CRUSING:   Some like to cruise because they find it romantic.  Therefore, let me thus leave you with this story:

The old man decided to take his wife on a cruise for their 50^th anniversary.   The first evening, as they sailed on the moonlit sea, they enjoyed a meal in the grand dining room.  Everything from caviar to crème brule, from cocktail to cabernet, was excellent.  After dinner they skipped the floor show and opted to go to the 10^th deck to have a nightcap and watch the lights from the shoreline.

Eventually they returned to their stateroom and retired.  The old man then placed his hand on his wife’s leg.  She responded by moving closer and putting her hand on his chest.  He then slid his hand up onto her hip.  She drew lines down his chest with her manicured nails.

At this point he removed his hand and rolled the other way.  “Why did you stop?” she uttered.

“I found the remote” were his final words.