Rhodes, Greece

We are so lucky-- the weather continues to be glorious.  We are in Rhodes today for our third visit and are excited about going to Lindos.  I have written extensively about Greece in previous blogs so I will be very brief with the history and such.  The name of the island comes from Rhoda, Poseidon's daughter, who bore seven sons to the Sun God.  Ancient civilizations have inhabited Rhodes for thousands of years, each one leaving their mark:  Hellenistic, Byzantine, medieval, Roman, Italian, and Turkish. To name just a few.  So much mythology is intertwined in its history making for interesting reading.  Such tall tales!

The medieval Old Town is fascinating.  It was built during the 14th century but was seriously damaged by an explosion in 1846.  It was restored in 1939.  Beautifully decorated cobblestone streets wind through impressive buildings that today house tourist shops, administration buildings, museums, and a Jewish synagogue that was established in 1557, making it the oldest synagogue in Greece.  It is still in use today.  I wrote about it and posted pictures of it.  Please click on this link for detailed information and pictures:  http://worldsojourn2014.blogspot.com

Most of the tour Michael and I were on was driving around the island and stopping for a few photo opportunities.  Yawn.  It was pretty nice just getting to sit on the bus and not have to schlep the backpack everywhere.  As the cruise winds down for us, I find that my energy level is non-existent.  I am running on fumes.  I'm saving up what little gas I have for our tour in Istanbul. 

We did cross the island and finally got to see the other side (just like the chicken).  The ancient city of Lindos boasts a classical acropolis with preserved walls and ruins of the Temple of Athena Lindian.  The city was built by the Dorians to provide a nautical base of operations.  I don't have a lot of information about the ruins as I never actually went there.  We were on an overlook to view it.  And I am glad about that because you had to walk up a steep hill to get to it.  People that I talked to who did take the walk up to the Acropolis said it was pretty darn strenuous, but worth it.  Oh well, I have seen enough ruins so I can cross another one off my bucket list.  I must be getting pretty darn jaded when I cannot get excited over some historical ruined.   

We then went to the town of Stegna for ouzo and snacks at a seaside restaurant.  Such a lovely location.  The tour involved three busloads of people, many of whom had walking difficulties and used canes or walkers.   That is why they were on a panorama tour; remember, panorama means little or no walking.  So who was the bright one who came up with the restaurant where the guests had to walk 1/3 of a mile from the bus to the restaurant because the driver said it was a one way street and the big bussie couldn't negotiate the street.  We heard plenty of grumbling. And then they had to walk back.  And guess what?!  It was a two-way street after all and there was no reason why the big bussie couldn't make it!

Anyway, the ouzo was nice.  They served a small portion because this stuff is really potent.   It has a black licorice taste, and I love good black licorice.  Yum!  Haha coming from the girl who doesn't drink.   We had crusty bread and a Greek salad. It was quite nice. 

Santorini, Greece

We are back in this most beautiful of places and had the worst tour you can imagine.  It was a three hour panorama that lasted only two hours and we saw nothing worthwhile.  Here are a few pictures:

The only interesting item to report is that our refreshment stop was where I was several years ago on a Crystal ship. I had my picture taken then and used it on my blog address cards. Now I have a new picture in the same spot only I am several years older and can't fit into the outfit I wore in the original picture.  Boo hoo!

We had decent weather today, breezy and not too hot. After our not tour, Michael and I met up at the bus stop and went about exploring the town.  Walking was difficult because there were no sidewalks and had to dodge traffic. The cobblestone streets were very uneven and it was uphill; and my balance was off because I was carrying the useless heavy $&@!/ backpack the ship requires escorts to tote. 

We got off the main street and found our way through a maze of steep and narrow "streets" lined with souvenir shops.  I was in no mood to shop carrying the monster on my back. Michael had one too.  He wanted to show me an excellent viewing point high up a hill, but I was not interested in climbing up steep stairs as my knees were begging for relief. I was able to take a few decent pictures from the restaurant where we split a Greek salad and a gyros. 

I do have a surprise for you. Santorini sits atop the rim of a volcanic crater and hugs its sheer walls. From a distance, it looks like snow on the rim. In the old days, there was only a very steep walking path from the sea to town; it is still in use for the athletic, the brave, and those that have the time and wind to climb it -- or, you can ride a donkey up or down. Today, there is a cable car that ascends/decends the steep and rocky mountain face. I took a video of our descent, and you can see the footpath and the donkeys. I hope you enjoy watching it. Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rh4qj76O5L8 

Malta

Here is a new stop for us -- Malta. So what comes to mind when you hear Malta?  I thought so-- me neither. I drew a complete blank. This is a tiny island nation situated almost in the center of the Mediterranean Sea. Due to its strategic location, it has always been a magnet for mariners of all nationalities. First inhabited in 4,000 BC, it has changed hands many times.  Most recently, the capital city of Valleta owes its history to the Knights of St. John who planned the city as a refuge to care for injured soldiers and pilgrims during the 16th century crusades.  

Today, it is a modern and bustling city. Look at this fabulous view from where we docked. 

Isn't it awesome?  At night, it turns into a promenade filled with cafes and restaurants. 

I am now officially tired and my knees hurt.  The port intensive itinerary is taking its toll on me.  I am now escorting panoramic tours, you know the kind -- that's where you sit on a bus most of the day.  I made an appointment with the Ortho doc to see what is what; I'm thinking the time has come to seriously think about getting them fixed.  I am scheduled to have my right hand operated on again on June 25. Getting old is not for sissies!  If I was a car, I would have traded myself in on a new one years ago!  Oh well, my motto is:  keep truckin' no matter how much it hurts.  Plenty of time to sit in a rocking chair when I am old and gray. Wait a minute, I am old and gray!  Hahaha. LOL. A good sense of humor always helps. 

Anyway, on my less strenuous tour, I got to go olive oil tasting. That cracks me up because being the great cook that I am [big eye roll here], who cares?  (No offense to my culinary talented friends).  We drove through the city and into the mountains (that's being generous, they are really hills) to Bidnija Olive Grove. The owner, Sam Cremona, showed us his various trees and told us about how the oil is made. This is a totally organic farm. There were ducks, peacocks, chickens, and other assorted fowl everywhere. 

This is what I learned:

*They keep wasps around because they eat the eggs of other bugs

*Herbs planted around the olive trees create a microclimate around the trees

*The ideal temperature to process extra virgin olive oil is between 75-82 degrees 

*In the old days, only young children and young maidens processed the olives -- that is why it is called extra virgin olive oil. 😁

For the tasting, you don't dip the bread into the oil, you soak it. Then you suck the oil out of the bread. Even my non-discriminating palate could taste the fruitiness of fresh olive oil. Then Mrs. Cremona made a mixture of chopped tomatoes and what not. Bread, in the shape of a large flat bagel was toasted.  Then olive oil was spread over the bread -- saturated would be a better description -- then topped with the tomatoes and then fresh herbs sprinkled on top with more oil drizzled over the entire thing. It was delicious and my hands got a nice oil job, too. 

Then came the best part of the tour.  We stopped at Mdina, Malta's former capital, a medieval fortified city that looks like Disney created it. I have seen lots of medieval cities, but for some reason, I really liked this one.  It is just beautiful.  People actually still live here and car traffic is limited to the Main Street. There is no way a car could go down the side streets. I liked the clean lines, the wall-hanging lanterns, and all the balconies.  This is a place you want to say to the crowds, shhhh, talk softly. The baroque and medieval architecture has been virtually untouched by modern development. The view over the wall is spectacular. Here a picture is worth a thousand words. 

Michael also toured Mdina and thought it beautiful. He also toured Valleta on foot and had a swell time. He went to the St. John's cathedral and was duly impressed with the Caravaggio masterpieces.  Sorry, no pictures from this place. He also saw the Mosta Dome, a church that is known for a miraculous event that took place in 1942 -- During a church service, a bomb fell through the dome, but it did not explode and no one was injured. 

We overnighted here and on the second day, I gave Michael a break and ran the duplicate game. At least I think I did. All the days are starting to run into each other.  

On to the next port.............

Sicily

Sicily, the home of the American mafia. Things were very quiet here today.  Just three miles and the Strait of Messina separates the island of Sicily from the mainland.  Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and its geographical location made the island vulnerable to foreign invasion.  As a result, each civilization for the past 6,000 years has left its mark on the culture.  In more recent times, the Romans and Saracens left their mark as grand cities flourished, and the hills became dotted with citrus and date palms. The Normans followed and built palaces and elaborate churches.  Then came the Spaniards bringing art with them. In 1860, Sicily became Italian. 

In 1693, there was a huge earthquake that destroyed almost everything, so much of what we saw has been rebuilt since then. On my tour today, we drove through small villages driving on narrow roads lined with homes that had their foundations made from lava rock.  Colorful flowers adorned the wrought iron balconies.  

Houses were in shades of red, pink, yellow and gray making for a very scenic drive.  As we ascended the winding road, we saw fences and walls made from volcanic rocks that are used to terrace the hills to prevent erosion.  Picturesque orchards and lemon trees abound.  Sicily is famous for it limoncello. 

Sicily is also home to the 11,000 foot high Mt. Etna. It is the largest active volcano in Europe. It has four active craters and last erupted in 2001-2002.  This was my destination today; the Silvestri Crater at 6,200 feet elevation.  One could see recent evidence of lava flows.  It is erie how a forest stands right next to the scarred earth. 

You can tell how long ago a lava flow occurred by the type and amount of vegetation growing in the area. Lava comes in different colors; it depends on how fast the lava cools.  If you recall, I got altitude sickness when driving over the Rockies on the way to Colorado.  So being prudent, I decided to sit out climbing to the crater.  Occasionally, I use good judgment. 

    Mt. Etna

On the way back to the ship, we stopped at Parco dei Principi, a 19th century villa situated in the middle of a century old park.  We had refreshments of blood orange juice (much more favorable than regular orange juice) or coffee, and a selection of sweets made using lemons -- lemon bars, lemon cake, lemon filled puffs. The use lemons in just about everything!

Michael led an excursion to the medieval village of Castelmola, and then on to the very charming town of Taormina.  Castelmola is home to only 400 people and hasn't changed much in hundreds of years.  

Taormina, on the other hand is all about the tourist.  Shopping, shopping, shopping!  He had lunch, and raved about it, at La Baronessa Taormina.  

Everything was good, but the desert, a cannola (see picture) was heavenly.

The Amalfi Coast

The trip along the Amalfi Coast is not for the faint at heart!  I have driven on numerous windy, twisty, narrow roads with a dangerous drop to the sea, but nothing can prepare you for this adventure.  It is a stretch of coastline on the southern coast of the Sorrentine Peninsula.  In 1997, the Amalfi Coast was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as a cultural landscape.  It is a producer of lemons, and thus, the Amalfi Coast is known for its limoncello liqueur.  And for the hordes of tourists.

The magnificent 25-mile Amalfi Drive is a roadway that is etched into the side of towering white cliffs that drop precipitously to the sea below.  Villages and seaside towns are perched precariously along the side of the mountains.  

We rode in a mini-bus instead of a regular size bus; the ancient roadway was not designed for cars. It is a driving nightmare.  The roadway has been adapted for the modern world, but two large buses can barely pass each other; they must fold in their sideview mirrors.  Since it was a national Italian holiday, the traffic was horrible.  People parked on the side of the road, leaving cars, buses, people, and motorbikes to "thread the needle" without taking out the other guy.  The guide had to get out and stop oncoming traffic to make room for our bus to pass. Cars would pull in their sideview mirrors and backup and pull so close to the wall that you were sure that a pice of paper wouldn't fit between the rock wall and the hard place of the car. Our driver was amazing, only scraping the right sideview mirror once.  The motorbikes were like kamikazies; I seriously think the drivers had a death wish.  In any event, I must get over the traffic issue, but boy, it was some adventure.

Throughout the area, one could see old steep stone staircases criss-crossing the mountains, great for real hikers.  Many of the homes on the steep hillsides had no road to them, so people park their cars where the roads ends and walk the rest of the way to their home.  We saw homes with white rounded roof tops so they could collect rainwater in cisterns under the home.  There was no electricity or running water to many of these homes until the 1940s.  Some of these places are really remote and it seems as civilization has passed them by.  

At each turn, the steep and winding road revealed one incredible sight after another. The area has been occupied for 2,000 years by a variety of peoples. We saw watch towers, ancient churches, and old castles that have been converted into hotels that need elevators to reach them. We drove up to the quaint village of Ravello, which is perched on a 350 foot high cliff overlooking the Gulf of Naples. The church in the town piazza was built in 1086. We then visited the garden of Villa Rufolo that was still well preserved.  With a little free time, I perused the shops selling exquisite ceramics.  I found a few three foot tall flower vases that would look smashing on my patio; too bad they wouldn't fit in my suitcase. 

After our visit to Ravello, it was time to go back down the mountain, having fun negotiating the steep and sharp switchbacks.  Our destination was Positano and lunch. The traffic nightmare continued as it took almost 2-1/2 hours to reach the San Pietro Hotel where lunch awaited. Positano is a seaside vacation retreat with small boats bobbing around in the clear blue water and a pebble beach.  Homes and hotels are built hanging from the steep cliffs.  Flowers were everywhere.  Shopping is expensive but interesting, with beautiful laces and linen clothing.  

This picture is the hotel entrance. All that is here topside is an elevator to take you down to the hotel and dining room. The meal was fantastic, with three courses and dessert plus wine.  Needless to say, with a full belly and some wine I was ready for a siesta.  

On the way back to the ship, we had a brief tour of Sorrento before heading back to the ship.  

Sorrento and Isle of Capri, Italy

I have been to Sorrento, but have no recollection of it.  I have recently been to Sorrento and have no recollection of it because I never left the pier!  Instead, my excursion took me on a jetfoil boat to the Isle of Capri, an island paradise for SHOPPING!  I am sure there are other things to see.......

The Sorrento pier was crammed with vacationers, tourists, and guides all jockying for position.  The day started out with "hurry up and wait" as our guide bought tickets for the 30 minute ride across the Gulf of Naples.  The jetfoil holds hundreds of people, and since it was an Italian holiday weekend with incredible weather, everyone wanted to go for some sun and fun.  Mass pandemonium.  

We finally reached the harbor on Capri and first waited in line to redeem a ticket for a bottle of water.  

Then we walked up the hill to find our mini-bus.  The streets are very narrow and there are nasty switchbacks to get up the hill to the mountain top village of Anacapri.  Add to that the horrible traffic jams as buses try to make the hairpin turns.  Upon arrival, our guide Giovanni, informed us that we could not leave anything on the bus.  Drat!!!! I had to carry the ship's backpack all day.  With that in mind, I opted to do as little walking up and down hills as possible.  We stopped in front of a department store where we were able to use the toilets.  I can't understand why people drink so much coffee before a long excursion.  

We then went to visit the Villa San Michele, the former home of Axel Munthe, a Swedish author and physician.  It is a lovely place with some beautiful art and gardens.  What a view from there of Capri Town down below.  It is also Swedish territory, not Italian.  Go figure how they managed to do that.

We walked back from where we came to board another bus to go and explore Capri Town.  As we got off the bus, the guide said to meet back at 3:40pm at another bus stop UP the hill.  The description of the tour says, "to follow your guide on the SHORT walk to visit Augustus Gardens.  By this time, everyone was hungry and wanted lunch.  The short walk was downhill, where we paused to view the Piazzetta (eeeehhhh, not much there to see), and then we turned the corner and it was REALLY DOWNHILL as we walked past every highend designer shop known to man.  It was warm and I was carrying all this extra weight on my back (not to mention my butt), but a few of us peeled off and went to lunch at a nice place that the guide recommended instead of going to the gardens.  We had pizza (the ship makes better) and I paid about $27 for an individual pizza and a diet coke.  Expensive! 

After lunch, I slowly trudged up the cobblestone street back to the Piazzetta, made a left and continued up the hill toward the bus stop.  I found a bench and waited until the appropriate time to gather the group.  The wait to get a bus to take us back to the pier was almost as bad as the wait to get on the jetfoil, except it was now hot and there was very little shade.  Giovanni was arguing with the bus owner to try and get a bus for us.  He was concerned we would miss the 4:20 pm sailing back to Sorrento.  

We finally got a bus, it dropped us off somewhere near the pier and we had to walk at least 3/4 mile to get the jetfoil going to Sorrento as it was located at the last slip before you would fall into the Gulf of Naples.  I swear, I had the heaviest backpack I have ever used.  To sum up the day, if you like to shop, this was the tour for you.

*******

Michael went to Pompeii.  I had been there previously and wrote about it, but I will add a short description.  In AD 79, Mt. Vesuvius erupted and covered Pompeii in volcanic ash preserving the city.  A black cloud of lethal sulfur fumes enveloped the city forcing citizens to take shelter inside, suffocating all. 

Here is Mt. Vesuvius today:

Buried for 1,700 years, it has been resurrected where you can see the temples, porticos, law court, the house of ill repute, private homes, and the ghostly casts of bodies that were encased and incinerated when the ash covered the city.  He said is was so crowded, you could barely see anything.