Docked in Sorrento and boarded a small 16 man coach for a drive up the Amalfi Coast to Positano. Wonderful scenery. I can see why the travel world raves about this area. A couple of hours to wander the small narrow streets. The pottery in this part of the world makes me want to ship a crateful home.
A long two hour lunch in a restaurant in Nerano. Incredible pasta and fish fresh from the Med. Tomorrow the cruise segment ends and most of the passengers leave the ship. We have a day trip to Rome, which is more travel time to get there than seeing Rome. Our big stop is the Vatican. While we are out, our butler will move us to a new room. Couldn't keep this one, as we booked the two legs separately.
More from Rome.
Another dream come true...to see the tombs of the pharaohs. For over a month, we will explore the ancient wonders of western civilization from Egypt to Britain. We will fly to Cairo and on to Luxor, then we will board Regent Voyager in Safaga, Egypt to sail on to Jordan, Israel, Turkey, Greece, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal and England.
Friday, May 17, 2013
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Sicily...Home of the Godfather
Great stop today. Taormina is a lovely town on the top of a hill about 250 meters above sea level. The cobble stone Main Street is a walking street with wonderful shops, cafes and churches. Today's photos were all about the artfully displayed shop windows with pottery, gelato, and Italian high fashion.
Jim had only one old pile of rocks to visit today and he had to pay 20 Euro to do it. There is a Greco-Roman theatre that is still in use. Seas were pretty rough and we tendered into port. We were one of the last boats back to the ship before the captain ceased the tender service. We left about 200 passengers and crew behind and sailed to the bigger port of Messina to pick them up. They had an hour bus ride to catch the ship. Glad it wasn't us.
Tomorrow we visit Positano, Italy.
Jim had only one old pile of rocks to visit today and he had to pay 20 Euro to do it. There is a Greco-Roman theatre that is still in use. Seas were pretty rough and we tendered into port. We were one of the last boats back to the ship before the captain ceased the tender service. We left about 200 passengers and crew behind and sailed to the bigger port of Messina to pick them up. They had an hour bus ride to catch the ship. Glad it wasn't us.
Tomorrow we visit Positano, Italy.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Athens, One More Ancient Marvel
We hadn't planned to take the Athens tour. Back in the 1970s, Jim worked out of Athens for four years. So he had been there, done that. We were going to Corinth & Mycenae. But we just couldn't do another 9-12 hour bus tour. So off to the Acropolis we went. Again, rain and wet shoes, and throngs of tourists. We didn't get many good shots, as the Acropolis is covered in scafeling, as they are restoring the crumbling structure.
Greece is flat broke and the guide was not shy about talking about it. No end construction date in sight, as they don't have the money for the work. We checked that box and went back to the ship for a restful day. You would know it, the sun came out in the afternoon and it was beautiful.
Today is a sea day, and I am up early ahead of the other 700 passengers with mobile devices who live on the Internet. We've had lots of trouble with this system being overloaded with users, as well as technical problems.
We will get to Rome on the last day of this leg of the voyage. The ship is doing a tour for the passengers who are staying on until Southampton.
More from Italy...
Greece is flat broke and the guide was not shy about talking about it. No end construction date in sight, as they don't have the money for the work. We checked that box and went back to the ship for a restful day. You would know it, the sun came out in the afternoon and it was beautiful.
Today is a sea day, and I am up early ahead of the other 700 passengers with mobile devices who live on the Internet. We've had lots of trouble with this system being overloaded with users, as well as technical problems.
We will get to Rome on the last day of this leg of the voyage. The ship is doing a tour for the passengers who are staying on until Southampton.
More from Italy...
Ephesus...To Walk Where The Apostle Paul Walked
We've been trying to visit Ephesus for about 4 years. It was the first rainy day of the voyage, but that didn't stop us. We donned rain gear, umbrellas and met our private car and guide. It was a great way to see this incredible archaelogical site. Even with thousands of visitors, all with umbrellas, we saw the entire site. Out of all the "old rocks", that is what Jim calls all the ancient archaeological wonders we've visited, Ephesus gives you a wonderful insight into how the people lived in the early centuries after Christ.
We made our pilgrimage to Virgin Mary's house and then on to lunch in a Turkish restaurant for an authentic Turkish meal. We've had a lot of interesting food along the way, but this was one of our favorite meals, as we got to pick the fresh fish and other assorted side dishes from cases in the kitchen. Really did love Ephesus.
We made our pilgrimage to Virgin Mary's house and then on to lunch in a Turkish restaurant for an authentic Turkish meal. We've had a lot of interesting food along the way, but this was one of our favorite meals, as we got to pick the fresh fish and other assorted side dishes from cases in the kitchen. Really did love Ephesus.
Rhodes...A beautiful island
Even though, this was a third stop in Rhodes for me and a second time for Jim, we saw some of the island that we had never visited. We toured for about 2 hours and visited the medieval castle that had been entirely reconstructed by Mussolini as a summer home. Interesting to see what Fascism could achieve in about three years with slave Greek labor.
The remainder of our visit was to sit in a taverna in the busy marketplace and watch the crowds go by. Blue skies, blue sea, beautiful sunshine, just what a day in the Greek Isles should be.
The remainder of our visit was to sit in a taverna in the busy marketplace and watch the crowds go by. Blue skies, blue sea, beautiful sunshine, just what a day in the Greek Isles should be.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
One Week Aboard Ship
The time has flown like the wind. We boarded the ship in Safaga, Egypt after a world-wind 2 1/2 days in Cairo and Luxor. Loved the tombs. The long days continued with our first stop in Jordan at Petra. Part of the new Natural Wonders of the World, this place is truely magnificent. Had a day to catch our breath then on to three days in Isarael.
9-12 hour tour days left us with just enough time to sleep and shower. Israel ia an incredible country. Shows what resilience, spirit and and hard work can produce. Tel Aviv is just like any western city, modern and vibrant. Jeruselem was fascinating with its multi-cultures and mixture of civilizations and religions. REALLY liked Israel.
Yesterday we left the desert dust, camels and Middle East behind and arrived in Cypus. If you'll recall the recent news, this is the country that tried to take over all bank accounts. You can see they are financially hurting. Lots of closed stores. But we found great shoe bargains. Mephisto and Ecco shoes were considerally less than the U.S.
This cruise is NPR at Sea. We have celebrities on board. Rode the elevator last night with Gwen Iffil of Washington Week (public television) and Victor Garber. He's an actor that you've seen in lots of films. His lastest was Argo, he played Ben Affleck's boss. He wa also in Titanic as the designer of the ship. The creator of the TV show Modern Family is also on board.
Tomorrow we tour Ephesus. We have a car and driver, which is a great reprieve from tour buses.
9-12 hour tour days left us with just enough time to sleep and shower. Israel ia an incredible country. Shows what resilience, spirit and and hard work can produce. Tel Aviv is just like any western city, modern and vibrant. Jeruselem was fascinating with its multi-cultures and mixture of civilizations and religions. REALLY liked Israel.
Yesterday we left the desert dust, camels and Middle East behind and arrived in Cypus. If you'll recall the recent news, this is the country that tried to take over all bank accounts. You can see they are financially hurting. Lots of closed stores. But we found great shoe bargains. Mephisto and Ecco shoes were considerally less than the U.S.
This cruise is NPR at Sea. We have celebrities on board. Rode the elevator last night with Gwen Iffil of Washington Week (public television) and Victor Garber. He's an actor that you've seen in lots of films. His lastest was Argo, he played Ben Affleck's boss. He wa also in Titanic as the designer of the ship. The creator of the TV show Modern Family is also on board.
Tomorrow we tour Ephesus. We have a car and driver, which is a great reprieve from tour buses.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Our First Sight of Cairo
From the air, all you can see is sand. As we made our descent into Cairo, it became clear that we had arrived in the land of the Pharaohs. In some ways Cairo is an abandoned city...abandoned by the millions of tourists who used to come each year. The huge international terminal was not crowded and there were no buses loaded with tourists at the pyramids or the Sphinx.
The city is an interesting mix of wonderful old buildings, dirt and trash, the burned out shell of the Mubarick political party building right next door to the Egyptian Museum. We felt perfectly safe walking from our hotel to the revolution square that we have all seen on television. People were friendly, so grateful we had come. The vendors were particularly aggressive..."just one dolla" was heard over and over.
Truly a dream come true to visit the Museum. I saw the King Tut exhibit in Chicago in the 1970s and became fascinated with Egyptology. So many stories to tell, but technical difficulties here.
My apologies about the blog. We have had no Internet connection for days. We thought we could blog from the iPad, but can't access photos. We have incredible shots of the tombs and temples in Luxor,as well as the natural wonders of Petra Jourdan.
The city is an interesting mix of wonderful old buildings, dirt and trash, the burned out shell of the Mubarick political party building right next door to the Egyptian Museum. We felt perfectly safe walking from our hotel to the revolution square that we have all seen on television. People were friendly, so grateful we had come. The vendors were particularly aggressive..."just one dolla" was heard over and over.
Truly a dream come true to visit the Museum. I saw the King Tut exhibit in Chicago in the 1970s and became fascinated with Egyptology. So many stories to tell, but technical difficulties here.
My apologies about the blog. We have had no Internet connection for days. We thought we could blog from the iPad, but can't access photos. We have incredible shots of the tombs and temples in Luxor,as well as the natural wonders of Petra Jourdan.
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