St. Peter's Basilica

This didn't get "published" so is out of order.  Sorry.  One of the things that started our "minor mutiny" was the lack of a visit to St. Peter's.  Who would plan a tour of Rome without including it?  When we arranged Thursday in the city instead of Tivoli, we agreed to get up early Friday and spend the morning at St. Peter's Basilica before heading to Civitavecchia (where the Costa ship left from before hitting the rock!). 

The first thing to greet you are the symbols of the papacy, the keys to the church.  Next up would be Michaelangelo's Pieta.  This was our second sculpture of his to see having seen the only one outside of Italy in Bruegge, Belgium.

I would normally rent one of the audio tours but I knew I did not have enough time to listen to it and see the entire inside of the church.  Going to the crypts below was out of the question but we could see through grates in the floor.

This is an altar dedicated to Pope John XXIII.  He has been Beatified which is a step to being declared a saint.  His body is encased in a glass coffin.  I believe it said there has been wax put over his face but his body remains intact.

There is much to see and the only way to get the full effect would be to take your time and use the audio tour.  There is so much church history, artwork, sculptures, etc. to admire.  But our time was short.  And we took time to attend Mass in one of the many side chapel alcoves.  Some young boys were servers at our Mass. I imagine they will always remember the time they served Mass at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. I know I will always remember attending All Soul's Day Mass there.


Just as it was finished about five cardinals in their red hats came out following someone all in white with a white miter hat who went to another chapel where the gate was closed and no one was given access.  I was tempted to tell them my joke "I'm an important Catholic.  In case of emergency, call the bishop."  But I didn't. 
Outside was a well where people were getting drinks.  It appeared to be very old but I cannot find any information on it.  One can only imagine how many centuries ago it was dug and put into use.  If I am not mistaken, those top structures are symbols of the papacy.

 
 

The Mariner of the Seas

I wished Rome and its lack of bathrooms, ungodly traffic and rude people "arrivederci" and enjoyed my ride to the port.  Our ship was a welcome sight.

It took no time to get our baggage off the bus and into the hands of the crew who would put in on board.  If things go right, and they did for us, the luggage shows up at your stateroom before dinner.  We did learn of a couple, not in our group, whose luggage did not get put on board.  It cost them $700 to have their luggage sent to our next port.  One had insurance and one didn't.  If you are ever going to travel like this, buy the insurance.  At least one third of our group ended up with a claim for something by the trip's end.

Because we are now Platinum members with Royal Caribbean we were given a special line for check-in but the lines were not long and we didn't get through any quicker than the others.  Once on board it was right to the buffet for our lunch because it was mid-afternoon.  Finding your way around the ship takes a bit of doing.  There is some "you can't get there from here" that goes on.  One bank of elevators will go to the top, another set won't.  Some floors don't go entirely through the ship.  My biggest problem is figuring out fore and aft.  But I did notice our side of the ship had blue carpeting, the other side red.  That helped me a lot.

We had a lovely cabin mid-ship, front to back and top to bottom on Deck 6.  We turned down an upgrade that was about 4 decks up and all the way forward.  We didn't think it would be a good spot in rough seas.  If we had known how smooth the crossing was going to be we would have taken it.

There was a king size bed with luxurious linens plus a couch and coffee table.  We also had a balcony which I liked because I could determine the weather before I got dressed.  I didn't spend much time out there but it was nice having it.

Our first port of call was Ajjaccio, Corsica.  That is pronounced A-Jax-See-O.  Corsica is an island off the coast and belongs to France.  Our tour was to the very top of the island to Prunelli Gorge.  The mountains are heavy with vegetation and there were many scenic views.  When we returned we had lunch and then took a walk around Austerlitze Square to view the statue of Napoleon who was born here.

This older gentleman caught my eye and just seemed to "belong" to the landscape so well that I took his photo.

Our next stop was Palma de Mallorca, also a Mediterranean island but it belongs to Spain.  This is pronounced My-Or-Ka.  Our first stop was Belver Castle followed by a stop at the bullring.  Bullfights are not as common as they used to be but they still exist.

I was busy at the Pearl Factory across the street doing some serious damage purchasing a graduation gift.  I have jumped through all the hoops to get my VAT tax back so I'll let you know if it appears as a credit on my Visa card in the next three months!

Our third port was Cartegena, Spain (pronounced Car-Ta-Hey-Nah).  What a beautiful city.  So clean and well maintained.  We were all impressed.  We visited the excavation site of the Theater that has been uncovered just recently.  Here is what we learned.

The biggest monument in Cartagena is the Roman Theater. It was ordered built by Augustus Caesar and the construction took place between 5 and 1 A.D. and was dedicated to Lucio and Cayo Caesar, the nephews of the Emperor. The theater could hold 6000 people.


In October of 1988, the city was going to construct a new building on the site and discovered that there were remains from Byzantine, Arab, and medieval times, and below all of these they found the Roman Theater. This was one of the greatest archaeological discoveries in Spain in recent times. The reason that the theater was not discovered earlier is that its location was in a part of the city that had been continuously occupied since Roman times. The theater was built on the side of one of the town's highest hills.

The site was restored very well and it was found that 60% of the original materials were found on the site. The restoration finished in 1988, and its museum was also finished. The entrance to the Roman Theater Museum of Cartagena is located in the Pascual de Riquelme Palace, which was a Baroque looking palace built by the architect Tomas Rico. The famous architect Rafael Moneo built a tunnel underground to connect the palace with the Roman theater, which is more than a block away. When one enters the Roman Theater from the top of the stands, one is highly impressed by the theater, one of the best preserved in Spain. Towering above it are the ruins of the walls of the Cathedral of Santa Maria la Vieja, which was destroyed during the Spanish Civil War.

We walked through very updated modern streets with restored architecture and lovely promenades and parks.  A vacation here would be nice I think.

This blog is getting photo heavy so I am going to do the Canary Island stops in the next blog.  Coming right up!

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Bus Tour of Rome

Thursday was All Saint's Day and a national holiday in Rome.  There was little traffic and we were able to take a bus tour of some of the sights.  One of our first stops was at the Spanish Steps.  Just like St. Patrick's Well, some of us climbed the steps up, which is all the way to the monument, and down.  I just refuse to give in to my age and titanium hip.  I plan to keep going by "keep on going."  Getting a picture with no one on the steps is a minor miracle.

This is their Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  It is called "the wedding cake" and is not well liked by the Italians because the white marble is out of character for the city.  The photo below is their Supreme Court building.

After all the touring we had to decide if we wanted to ride back to the hotel and come back into the city for our farewell dinner or stay in town.  Taking 34 people anywhere without plans is a tough nut to crack but our guide took us to the Hard Rock Cafe.  She talked the management into opening the glass outside building up just for us.  It had started to rain so being warm and dry with some spirits to lift ours, we spent some time until dinner.

Our farewell dinner was another glass enclosed building at the top of the Spanish Steps.  The meal was fabulous and the wine kept flowing.  It was very late when we started back to the bus for our final night at our hotel before our transfer to Civitavecchia.

Seeing Rome

With everyone on board to tour the city, we headed to what was the Pope's Prison but is now a National Museum.  There is a large raised walkway that leads from the Vatican to this "castle."  The views of Rome from this vantage point were beautiful.

From there we went to the Coliseum.  The "technology" that went into the building and use of this Roman Theater is amazing.  We were taken underneath where things were staged and even saw the cages where the lions were kept!  The raised floor, use of water to flood the arena, etc. were all explained to us.  I found the hounds tooth tile flooring which is original very interesting.  I like to view things that remain as they were.

Here is a stone that had carving on it.  Something about the Theater and a date in Roman numerals.

We toured from top to bottom.  One thing in Europe is that you have to be able to walk a lot, watch for curbs and cobblestone streets and be able to climb stairs.  No American With Disabilities Act or Walt Disney to pave the way for you.

Our next stop was the Forum.  I asked to be in the first group because we were going to be split up.  I needed to use the restroom.  We didn't have enough time to make a pit stop and the smell from 20 feet away was enough to gag a maggot so I toughed it out.  Little did I know it would be three hours before I finally used a restroom in a restaurant where our guide bought the bus driver a sandwich!  There is a real serious shortage of restrooms for Rome's 30,000 daily visitors!

This is Constantine's Arch.  I found the Black Portal in Trier, Germany more interesting because it is still in use.

The second group to tour the Forum arrived late and had to scramble and split into two groups to join later tours which didn't make those tour directors happy.  Our guide just didn't have a good sense of timing when dealing with 34 people. 

I got a bit out of sync and missed some of the morning things so I will start another blog.  This one is starting to take long to upload because of all the photos in it.

Biting The Bullet

I have deleted photos and past blogs and still was getting the "Whoops you are over" message so I bit the bullet and bought more storage.  I hope everyone appreciates my blog and pictures!

We were gone for 21 days but one was traveling to Rome and 9 of those were at sea so this won't be as bad as it sounds.  Here we go!

Our first night we met Richard, the seminarian that is friends with our Pastor.  He showed us Rome from the university rooftop, had us join him for Vespers (evening prayers) and then walked us across the Tiber River to a small neighborhood restaurant where we had wonderful food and wine.  The dinner was finished with limencello, compliments of the owner.  We had hoped to get into the city before dark but didn't make it.  However, this is the only shot we have of St. Peter's after dark, the rest we took during the day from other vantage points.

The next day we traveled by bus to Orvieto.  Our first stop was to ride the funicular to the city high up.  We visited the castle that overlooked the valley and proceeded to St. Patrick's Well.  This was a circular stairway and only a few of us ventured down to the bottom and back up.  I think it was about 500 steps in all.  I was huffing and puffing a bit by the time I got done, but I did it!  We then visited the Dom (Cathedral) which was beautifully decorated inside and out.  There was no docent so it was up to us to use the brochure to appreciate the artwork and such.

After a nice lunch we went to the caves that have been under property for hundreds of years.  People dug their own spaces to use as work areas to make olive oil, escape from invasions and to raise pigeons for food and bartering.  Only two of the thousands are open to the public.  The views from some of the openings where the pigeons flew in and out provided some nice shots.

The next day didn't turn out well.  It was cool and rainy for starters.  But there is nothing anyone can do about that.  We originally had the afternoon scheduled at the Vatican but learned we were going in the morning because it was the 500th anniversary of the opening of the Sistine Chapel and the Pope was saying Mass so it was closing at 1 pm.  I don't know about you but I doubt that snuck up on anyone!

Instead of the "Front of the Line" 33 euro tickets, our tour guide stood in line alone and purchased 33 General Admission tickets for 15 euros each.  I figured she saved herself around $400 or so.  However, the guards would not let us go to the front of the line with her because she did not have the proper tickets and documentation so we ended up in a 1.5 hour line in the rain along with everyone else buying General Admission tickets.  Talk about not being a Happy Camper!  We paid for and requested Front of the Line tickets as part of our tour and I was madder than a wet hen.

This is what going through the Vatican looked like.  It reminded me of getting out of Reliant Stadium after a football game.  Here are a few photos but I can't tell you a thing about them.  It is disconcerting to be rushed passed Raphael masterpieces but that is exactly what happened.

We had lunch after our Vatican fiasco at a restaurant that was fine but it was not the one listed on our itinerary.  I've moved groups around and leading by the seat of your pants is no way to do it.  By the time we got to Trevi Fountain I was ready to push a certain someone in the fountain and was not at all interested in throwing a coin to be sure I returned!  I had promised my friend I would throw a coin for her so I had Ted do it.

It was getting late into the afternoon so our bus headed back to the hotel.  After a lot of posturing over the days events, we all decided we would not go to Tivoli outside Rome on our last day.  There was way too much in the city to see and we intended to see it.  Thursday was a bit better but not without its challenges.

Accomplishments!

We only had five days for Keith and Steve's visit.

Monday we spent doing laundry, and Keith got all my Christmas things down from the attic. This will be only the second time since 2001 that we have spent Christmas at home so most things were stuck in the attic when we moved into this house where they have remained.

Keith's goal, besides helping me decorate, was to get things organized so I could store it all in the garage and not have to climb the attic stairs. We made lots of headway on both fronts.

Tuesday we drove to Blue Bell in Brenham to visit the ice cream factory. We also had lunch at the airport diner with the waitresses in poodle skirts and did a little shopping. The fellows and we enjoyed the day.

The next day we spent in Old Town Spring and checked out every store but no one bought anything!

Thursday Keith and I continued with the garage and decorations before meeting Carol & Terry and Jody & Dave for Thanksgiving dinner. The eight of us had a delicious meal at the country club courtesy of Terry. What a nice surprise and a kind and generous gesture.

Friday Ted was fighting a cold so the three of us traveled to Lynchburg to take the ferry to the San Jacinto Monument. After our visit there we had lunch at the Monument Inn then proceeded to visit the Battleship Texas. The guys really enjoyed climbing all over the ship with me bringing up the rear. I was being very careful going up and down the very steep steps!

Their flight is around 9:00 in the morning so we will be leaving very early. Steve worked on our computers and connected our Wii to the internet and Keith's contributions are so very much appreciated too. We will be sorry to see them go.

Google has told me I have used my capacity for photos and I have been unable to publish any from our trip. I intend to print out my first year in its entirety and then delete it to make room. Hang in there!

Smooth Sailing

What a terrific crossing! We didn't have wave one crossing the Atlantic.

We spent a beautiful, sunny day in Nassau and then entered the Gulf of Mexico after rounding the Florida Keys. Disembarking was the normal chaos but our bus arrived just as the last of our 14 passengers cleared Customs. It was an easy ride home and it was great to get here.

We started laundry and popped the lasagna I had in the freezer into the oven. It didn't take long for our bedroom to look as if a bomb went off!

We all had our noses in our computers trying to get caught up. Thank goodness for wi-fi that allowed us all to be on line.

Today we ran some errands and toured a bit of the area. Tomorrow we will try to do something touristy for Keith and Steve's enjoyment.

I hope to get some photos posted tomorrow .

Land Ho!

This morning we will dock in Nassau. We had two cloudy, misty days before a gorgeous day yesterday. A great treat for Tom, Ted and me at breakfast was a spectacular full rainbow ending in the water next to the ship. It left as quickly as it came. I told them it was God saying good morning.

The pools and deck chairs were all filled when I did my five laps around the walking track. Ted was shooting hoops and played miniature golf while I walked. Later we all played two tables of Shang Hai and I won finally. All my dimes had been depleted so it was good to get some back.

I made an appointment for a pedicure between playing cards and having dinner. The spa on board is quite impressive. There is always something to fill your time. Knowing 33 people on board plus the new people we have met makes for many opportunities to just visit.

Ted and I have spent a little time in the casino. I was in the Crown and Anchor slot tournament and out of 80 people made it to the final 10 but didn't win. We each have a chit with money on it so we will play some more and use it up or maybe we can cash them in for some bug bucks!

The time has passed quickly and Sunday we will dock in Galveston. With Keith and Steve coming home with us for Thanksgiving week our busy time will continue.

I do want to post some photos so please be patient and check back..

Another Medical Emergency

I spoke of our group and their need for medical attention. We have had a kidney stone, a broken finger, a broken foot, an ear infection, infected recurring dog bite, seasickness, sore throat and two bad backs.

Last night, a young girl in our group collapsed at the dinner table. Ted and I had skipped dinner and were in the theater watching "Chicago" when we heard the code for our dining room. I was concerned about our group but was stunned to learn it WAS someone from our group and in their 20s. Last we heard she was in her cabin and doing fine. I will never travel without insurance. I have seen too many things happen from having to cancel at the last minute to getting sick or injured.

I am starting with a cold but have OTC meds with me and some ampicillin if it decides to turn into something more. We wash our hands constantly and Purell stations are all over the ship but with 5000 people in close proximity, germs are bound to be passed.

We played games yesterday and so far have a key chain, flashing ring, highlighter and a document holder for around your neck. There was a second performance of an amazing pianist in the afternoon and a hypnotist in the evening. Add our movie time in and we had to skip playing cards and eating dinner.

Even the buffet was closed when we came out of the hypnotist show so we grabbed a piece of pizza from the Cafe then listened to passengers sing with the band followed by a jazz party on the Promenade.

Today I hope to work a pedicure in. We also need to sign up for our Nassau excursion. We have had calm seas and warm weather except for a cloudy damp day yesterday.

And people worry about getting bored while at sea for six days!

Days 7-10

Our last stop before crossing the Atlantic was in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. We visited the pyramids which included a lot of info on Thor Heyerdahl's expedition to the area and his excursions to prove that man could follow the trade winds in reed boats and that pyramids found throughout the regions of Peru, Mexico, Spain, Egypt, etc. could all be connected. We also drove to overlooks to view the coastal town from high up.

Our weather has been sunny and pleasant. Thus far we have had extremely calm seas. We passed the Rock of Gibraltar in the middle of the night so we took the captain's word for it. At times we were just off the coast of Africa.

We keep ourselves busy eating, playing cards, eating, playing ship games, eating, playing miniature golf, eating, playing shuffleboard, eating, attending Mass because a priest is onboard, eating, taking Spanish lessons, eating, attending cooking classes, eating, learning origami, eating, etc. After dinner (eating again), we have had fabulous entertainment in the nightly shows.

Traveling with an older group has been challenging. A half dozen have been to the ship's doctor and I have seen many spills both in Rome and on the ship. We have both managed to stay upright so far! The ship has been met by an ambulance at several ports. I hope they all had travel insurance.

We have 3.5 more days at sea. Today we were about 900 miles south of the Azores. This evening we saw our first ship on the horizon. Not much traffic out here. We arrive in Nassau on Thursday.

I will get some photos published once we get home. I need to download my camera onto my computer to post them. We will have Steve and Keith with us until after Thanksgiving but I will try to get them posted quickly.

Days 1-6 of 16 Day Cruise

Finding our way around the ship was our first order of Day 1. There was a snafu with our dining table but by Day 2 it was fixed.

Our first stop was Ajeccio, France. We took a tour to the top of the mountainous island of Corsica to Prunelli Gorge. There were very few villages and most people live on the coast. It reminded me of the road to Highland, NC.

In town we visited the statues of Napoleon and viewed the beautiful palm trees that line the coast.

Day 3 was Palma, Mallorca, Spain. We visited a castle built to defend the city which is now in a city park. It had a terrific view of the city. Our next stop was the bullring. There are not as many bullfights anymore but they are not completely gone in Spain.

Continuing our walk we viewed the cathedral, castle and boulevards that grace the coastal area.

Day 4 found us in Categena, Spain. What a beautiful city! It's cleanliness, order and lovely people reminded me of Singapore. There wasn't a speck of paper on the ground anywhere.

We took a walking tour of the modern part of the city and then visited the Theater that was discovered by excavations about 35 years ago. It is mind boggling what has been uncovered and now open to the public. Amazing pictures to follow later.

Today's port was Lanzarote, Canary Islands. We had a great tour of this volcanic island that looks like Hawaii's Volcano National Park. We visited Jameos Del Agua, the home of the architect who returned to this island to develop it. You will have to wait for some extraordinary photos of this house built into the volcanic rock.

We are heading to our last port of Tenerife, Canary Islands before we spend six days crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

I am heartsick about the results of the election. We are developing a citizenry that is dependent on the government for the basics in life instead of feeling a sense of responsibility to provide for themselves and their family. The best helping hand is still the one at the end of your own arm. We could really help those in need if we didn't have so many who are willing to sit back with their hand out instead of trying to stand on their own two feet.

Arrivederci Roma

Our trip to Civitavecchia was uneventful and boarding the ship was quick and efficient. After a quick lunch we were allowed to proceed to our cabins. It took awhile to get unpacked and then it was time for dinner. We were too tired to attend the evening show and turned in early. Tom had arrived from Arizona. He came through Newark so we all were relieved to see him.

Our first port was Ajaccio, France on the island of Corsica. We took a bus ride to the top of the mountain to Prunelli Gorges and then spent time walking through the coastal city.

Back on board we took a nap. Our busy time in Rome and early rising had caught up with us.

After dinner we enjoyed a tremendous performance by a four man group singing Motown tunes. We have yet to hit any of the bar or music venues on the ship. Once again it was an early evening.

Today we docked and toured Mallorca, Spain. This is a beautiful tropical island and we visited the castle, cathedral and bullring. After dinner tonight we saw a lady violinist we had seen on a previous cruise. She is amazing playing Bach to Dixie.

Tomorrow is Cartagena, Spain followed by a day at sea. Then we have two stops in the Canary Islands before our six trans-Atlantic days. My wifi is spotty and I won't have it while at sea so stand by.

The 15 Hour Day

Our group ditched the trip planned for Tivoli and opted to stay in Rome and cover lots of ground. We started at 7:30 on a driving tour of the city passing the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Spanish Steps (that I climbed), the Supreme Court and stopped to tour Castle Sant' Angelo, a former prison of the Vatican but know owned by the country of Italy as a national museum. The view of the city was spectacular from this vantage point.

Next was a guided tour of the Coliseum followed by a visit to the Forum. It started to drizzle and was late afternoon so we had to make a choice; go back to the hotel and come back for our 7:30 dinner or make a cocktail stop if we could find a spot for 33 people. Our guide was able to get the glass enclosed outdoor cafe opened for us at the Hard Rock Cafe and we all rested up and unwound for a bit.

We then went to a fabulous 6-course dinner complete with wine at the top of the Spanish Steps that had an outstanding view of the Vatican.

Friday we were up early once again to be at the beginning of the line at St. Peter's Basilica. The lines at the sites in Rome are unbelievably long with an excess of 30,000 visitors a day. We timed it right and were in quickly.

It is absolutely beautiful inside and out. We were able to attend Mass in a side alcove and receive Communion. It was emotionally touching. I kept thinking of Jesus' words to Simon Peter: "Thou art Peter (which means rock) and upon this rock I will build my church."

And then it was time to leave. We bid farewell to our tour guide and our bus headed to the port of Civitavecchia and our ship.