2012 - (Part III) Mediterranean Cruise - Seabourn Quest

June 6, 2012 – Hvar, Croatia

Hvar is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea, located off the Dalmatian coast, lying between the islands of Brac, Vis and Korcula. Approximately 42.25 miles long, with a high east-west ridge of Mesozoic limestone and dolomite, the island of Hvar is unusual in the area for having a large fertile coastal plain, and fresh water springs. Its hillsides are covered in pine forests, with vineyards, olive groves, fruit orchards and lavender fields in the agricultural areas. The climate here is characterized by mild winters, and warm summers with many hours of sunshine. The island has approximately eleven thousand residents, making it the fourth most populated of the Croatian islands.

Another exquisite port with a beautiful harbor, quaint shops, a beautiful square with an old Franciscan Catholic Church – St. Stephen’s, and here again the buildings are constructed of beige stone, and the roofs boast traditional red tiles.

Took the tender in and decided on a walk around the town. The first thing that assailed us as we alighted the tender was the pervasive aroma of dried lavender. Everywhere, there are lavender stands, which you can buy in the form of sachets, oil to dab on the body, or oil in spray form to renew sachets, or scent linens. The port has that wonderful smell almost everywhere!

After a bit of exploration, we were back to the ship for lunch with Cheryl and Denise. Cheryl had picked up a pretty necklace that I liked and she reported that the store had lots of different things than we’d been seeing. So I dashed back into town on the tender and did a bit of investigating and an eventual purchase.

First, during the cocktail hour this evening was another concert by the pianist who was once again, good and not so good. Then we had dinner with Tammy, the Social Hostess. She’d put together a table with two other couples from Australia. We always have so much fun with Aussies. Then an after dinner show by a comedian, Jeff Nease, who had us all laughing a lot. He was pretty good.

Have given up the Casino after dinner for a few days, in the hope that a particular gentleman guest (shouldn’t really use the word “gentleman” in this case – it’s not deserved) will be getting off the ship in Venice tomorrow. This guy is so inappropriate, crude and rude – it’s not a good way to end an otherwise perfect day so will hope that he is shortly GONE!!

June 7, 2012 – Ravenna, Italy

Back in Ravenna and we’re pretending to have a day at sea. Last we were here, Adolfo went up to the Republic of San Marino and spent the entire day on a tour. I checked out the city of Ravenna and even though it boasts not one, but eight UNESCO sites, I will remember it forever for the fact that I discovered one Guido da Polenta, Lord of Ravenna from 1275 until his death.

All but 70 in transit passengers re madly packing their bags in preparation for departing the ship in Venice tomorrow. That will include the two Aussies, Cheryl and Denise. We will miss them so much – they are real, funny, warm and charming.

We will have a farewell dinner with them tonight.

We did play Trivia this afternoon, and our team is stuck always finishing up second place.

June 8, 2012 – Venice, Italy

After staying out on our veranda to wave goodbye to new friends, I got ready for a trek into the Jewish Quarter of Venice. I’d done my homework on the ship and found that it is fairly close and won’t require any water taxi’s or public water transport.

After leaving the ship at about 9:20 a.m., I walked about a quarter mile to the People Mover – the same sort of train that you see in large airports like Atlanta. This one has three stops – the Tronchetto (which for the life of me I can’t figure out the meaning!), the Maritima, which is where the ships dock, and Piazzola Roma, the end of the line.

What I didn’t find out is that the use of the People Mover required 1 Euro, put into a machine so you can get your ticket. Had no Euros – I know – stupid! So I tried my credit card, which was useless. Tried it upside down, sideways, the other way, the other side, and it kept telling me in Italian that the transaction was incomplete. A lovely English gentleman, just off our ship, asked to buy my ticket. I wanted to give him American dollars, but he refused, saying he would do it for his son-in-law, whom I’m assuming is American. Wasn’t that nice?

So with ticket in hand, off I went up the stairs to await the People Mover – I guess there’s no name for People Mover in Italian, because big letters on the side of the facility both here and at the end of the line state “People Mover”. At the end of the line I climbed down the stairs and out into the Piazzola Roma to find a horde of people, a political demonstration of some sort with everyone trying to hand out literature, waving banners, and many looking just plain bored.

This is a very busy place! Dodged taxis, motor scooters, buses, pedestrians, and found the rather large bridge over a canal that went in the general direction of Jewish Quarter. In my usual fashion, when I walk by myself, I was tearing up the pavement when I suddenly realized that I was wringing wet! It was not only quite warm, but very humid. And clouds were building up.

At the top of the bridge, I spotted the train station, so knew I was heading in the right direction. Just past the train station, I knew was the beginning of the Jewish Quarter. Because I was alone, I stayed to the periphery of the Quarter so that I wouldn’t get lost like I’d done in Venice six weeks ago. The two churches I visited on the way to the shops were both Roman Catholic. Santa Maria de la Nazareth, such a beautiful old church where I lit a candle for the friend's wedding, to take place today. Then in and out of shops displaying tons of small things and jewelry made of Murano glass.

Never did find the store recommended by a passenger, called David’s, where she’d found lovely Murano rings at a very good price. Then suddenly after a loud clap of thunder, there was rain – I was not prepared. Decided to make purchases quickly and head back to the ship. One of the purchases, paid for in American dollars got Euros as change so I’d have a Euro to put into the machine on my way back.

Met an Italian couple from Ancona on the People Mover who were going to an Italian ship in the Maritima. The man assured me it was not a Costa ship! In my halting Italian I made some conversation. Lord only knows what I said because after a total of ten minutes visiting on the People Mover and walking to the harbor, this woman hugged and kissed me as we parted and wished me Buon Viaggio - very surprising, but sweet.

Back on board, showing Adolfo my Venetian purchases, mostly small things for gifts, then lunch, a pedicure, another safety drill, and the sail away from Venice, with band playing on deck and drinks flowing. Must find the bartender some time tomorrow and have a chat with him, for he spiked my second drink! Not really too far gone, but I did give Adolfo a most interesting commentary as we stood at our veranda, sipping, and watching Venice recede into the sunset, as we headed to Opatija, Croatia.

Time to meet new people at dinner, so we started a table and were joined by a couple from Southern California and another couple from Florida. All four were traveling together, and the two gentlemen were also of Italian ancestry. We got on very well, and will plan to spend some time together during this next week. This was a very good table!

June 9, 2012 - Opatija, Croatia

Back in Opatija! Adolfo is going on a tour today to visit a cave, a lake and into the mountains - am staying behind for a quiet day. Time to go through paper again – we do accumulate a ton of it!

Worked a bit on Foundation stuff this a.m., then some on the journal, then some knitting and lunch out on deck – a nice big salad with a bit of chicken in it. Trying to begin weaning myself away (once again!) from the French fries!

Adolfo had a wonderful day on the tour, visiting the “Croatian Hinterland”. He enjoyed a one-hour scenic drive from Opatija up into the mountains. The first stop was a the popular Vrelo Cave, estimated to be more than 3-1/2 million year old – then the bus drove on to Bajer Lake and the picturesque village of Fuzine, located in the Mountain District. From there he took the scenic drive that lead through the countryside to a traditional Vagabund mountain home to sample Croatian Gorski Kotar cuisine for lunch, accompanied by local entertainment. Said he had a good time, but it was very cold inside the cave – which must have been a welcome respite from the muggy, sticky weather outside. It also rained a bit today – poured while I was eating lunch under cover out on Deck 8.

I spent the afternoon knitting and watching a Russian movie called “Le Concert”, which had English subtitles. My eyes got great exercise trying to keep track of the movie, the subtitles and the knitting. Really enjoyed this movie – might even watch it again – music terrific as the movie ends with a beautiful performance of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto.

Prior to getting ready for a formal dinner tonight, we attended Trivia. Our team this week is known as Californians plus Two. There were only two teams today and ours was smoking! We are in the lead by 100 points – WOW!!! Can you name the five countries that were once Yugoslavia?

Tonight we were invited to dine with Handre, the Cruise Director, who has his cousin, Marlene, aboard for the week. She is a lovely lady. We were joined by two Aussies, John and Kay, (JLP – there you are again!!!) whom we’ve enjoyed at other dinner tables. A perfect combo of serious and funny dinner conversation.

A successful night in the Casino which is a pleasant change after the last week. Perhaps am on the upswing again! My nightly allotment for chance is getting smaller and smaller. Only spent about 45 minutes there and as soon as I was ahead, headed for bed!!!

Answer to Trivia question: Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzokovena (sp?).

June 10, 2012 – Split, Croatia

Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian, and its bay and port. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 349,314, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and the second largest city of Croatia. Spread over the central peninsula and its surroundings, Split’s greater area includes the surrounding seaside towns as well. An intraregional transport hub, the city is a link to numerous Adriatic islands and the Apennine peninsula, as well as a popular tourist destination.

Split is also one of the oldest cities in the area. While it is traditionally considered just over 1,700 years old counting from the construction of Diocletian’s Palace in AD 305, archeological research relating to the original founding of the city as the Greek colony of Aspalathos in the 6th century BC, establishes the urban tradition of the area as being several centuries older.

At the beginning of our cruise we were in Dubrovnik and took a bus tour to Split to climb through Diocletian’s Palace with a guide (earlier reported in this journal). Now our ship is actually here in the port, so we can get off the ship and walk the harbor and do the Palace again. Adolfo demurs, and the weather is such that I’m not certain I want to do it either. Very cloudy, grey skies, angrily spitting water at us while the temperature is pretty warm and muggy, but not quite as humid as yesterday.

There is another Seabourn ship moored here, the Spirit, which we’ve cruised on many times. The Spirit is one of the original smaller ships carrying 208 passengers, and while we really like the smaller ships and the intimacy they afford, we like the amenities aboard the three larger ships like the Quest – just a little bit more!

Had my coffee and muffin this morning at Seabourn Square this a.m. and we were joined for about 45 minutes by Murat, the ship’s Guest Services Officer. He is a real delight – a Turkish Delight!!

Now sitting on Deck 8. It’s almost 11:30 and I’ve caught up my journal for now. Will go back to my knitting and finish up scarf #5. We still have lunch, a nap, Trivia, and dinner with the Italian-American contingent. Will report more later.

Our team won Trivia today. We had a couple of correct answers that the other two teams answered incorrectly. When that happens, the correct answer gets double points. Today we rocked!

Dinner tonight with the Italian-American contingent and their wives - we get on very well! Tom has an interesting background. His father was concertmaster for the LA Philharmonic for 40 years, and ended his career under the baton of Zubin Mehta. He grew up having great musicians in his home. As a young man, Tom’s dearest wish was to someday be a symphony orchestra conductor. However, as he tells it, he wound up in a class with Michael Tilson Thomas (current conductor of San Francisco Symphony). When the teacher realized the difference in the innate talent of MTT and Tom, the teacher told Tom that he would no doubt be very successful, but not as a conductor! So after steeping himself in music for most of his life, he quit cold turkey, Tom has been very successful in the handheld game industry, also with his good friend, David. Tom and Chris, and David and Anita are wonderful dinner companions. Between the six of us there is never an awkward silence – conversation, along with wine, just continues to flow!

June 11, 2012 – Dubrovnik, Croatia

We will shortly be anchoring once again off Dubrovnik – and before we start our day, must get my skinny latte and my bran muffin. Today we are taking a bus tour to the city of Cavtat and a motorboat cruise along the Dalmatian coast in this area. Should be an interesting morning. This is the last “repeat” port before we tackle Italy, Malta and Sicily, a bit of backing and forthing, and then one stop in Valencia, Spain prior to coming home from Barcelona. More later . . .

Well, the “more later” turned out quite different than a tour to Cavtat. We were five minutes from leaving the cabin when Adolfo had a severe nosebleed – worst I’ve ever seen. If the blood had been oil, we’d now be a part of OPEC!

Cancelled the tour, called in an emergency (all in one phone call) because I couldn’t control the bleeding with pressure and ice. The nurse arrived within a few minutes and began ministrations. Poor Adolfo – when he’s in the cabin, must have a huge white clamp on his upper nose and the right nostril is packed with gauze – think she used a whole package of gauze. He must have an “easy” day (isn’t that what we have been enjoying?!?!?), and at 5:00 this afternoon he’ll go down to the doctor to have the packing removed. Hopefully that will be the end of it. Hope to include a photo of the Italian nose with this journal.

Meanwhile all of the towels in the bathroom are – well, you know what they are. The carpet needs to be sanitized, the bedding must all be changed and even though I cleaned up as well as I could, most needs to be redone with proper cleaning supplies. Have washed Adolfo’s clothing, rinsed out all towels so that stains wouldn’t set and we’re now trying to calm down with a light breakfast at Seabourn Square. So, Cavtat will have to wait for our fourth trip to Dubrovnik.

Today is a beautiful day. We have blue skies, light breezes, temperatures in the mid 70’s, and are anchored off the old city of Dubrovnik. Because we are at anchor the ship constantly moves very slowly in a circle. If you stay in one place, like out on your veranda (which sounds like a good idea today!) the view is ever changing. One is never without some scenic ruin – these are BIG ruins – beige stone houses, huge walls, red roofs, dramatic backdrops of the mountains and the beautiful Adriatic Sea in the foreground – and beneath us. So even not getting off the ship is an okay experience.

Adolfo is getting lots of attention here at Seabourn Square – and how he loves it. Word gets around the ship when something is not quite right for a guest, so everyone is stopping by to commiserate with him, give him lots of love and kind words and want to know if there is ANYTHING they can do for him. If there was anything more they could do for us, they’d be spoon feeding us every meal!

We had dinner tonight for the second time this cruise, with the Staff Captain, Stoyan, who is from Bulgaria - such a very nice man. The dinner conversation was only marred by an English “gentlemen”, and I use the term loosely, who before the dinner ended had proceeded to tell me everything that was wrong with America in the way of our lack of health care. Do I have a sign on my forehead that says I’d like to listen to what’s wrong with my country?!?!?!? And, would I presume to ever tell someone from another country what I felt about anything in a foreign country, unless asked to give an opinion which I might tender very carefully?

I listened very politely to the Brit and then asked, also very politely, where he’d gotten his information. He said it all came from the newspapers. Aaaaah! Here was my opening – but could I deliver it with a kind attitude and with honey dripping from my words? So I said: “With all due respect, Henry, I have also read in our newspapers, very troubling things about the healthcare in the UK, but since I don’t believe much of what I read in most newspapers, I won’t bore you with what is no doubt pure drivel.” While he sputtered a bit, I smiled at him benignly and turned my attention to a very nice Aussie lady at my left and we had a great chat about family, our cruise activities – lovely conversation that aided the digestion!

June 12, 2012 – Brindisi, Italy

Brindisi (with the accent on the first syllable) is a city in the Apulia region of Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Historically, the city has played an important role in commerce and culture, due to its position on the Italian Peninsula, and its natural port on the Adriatic Sea. The city is a major port for trade with Greece and the Middle East. Brindisi has an active industry in agriculture, chemical and energy production.

Viva Italia!!! It’s always fun for us to come back to Italy where we can at least understand every third word – much easier than Turkey, Croatia, Romania, etc. Today we are on a tour to Alberobello to view the Trullo Houses. Here are some facts about the region of Apulia that we learned about the region of Apulia on our way to Alberobello.

· The lush crops and greenness here is because of the subterranean water supplies throughout the region, and of course the minerals that come from the eruptions of Mt. Etna.

· Mt. Etna is the highest European active volcano, rising to approximately 11,000 feet.

· Last year, 2011, the volcano erupted nineteen times, not doing much damage.

· There is always smoke/steam coming from the top of Mt. Etna.

· 60,000,000 – that’s sixty million olive trees grow in this region.

· Of those 60,000,000 olive trees, about 1,000,000 (one million) of them are over 1000 years old.

· Of those 1,000,000 olive trees that are over 1000 years old, there are some that are as old as 3000 years old – isn’t that amazing.

· The old olive trees have very twisted and beautiful tree trunks with huge circumferences. In order to span the trunk of one old olive tree requires five people standing hand-to-hand around it.

Coming in to the harbor at Brindisi, the scene is dominated by the huge Mt. Etna in the background, with whisps of steam emanating from its top – this is constant. One can visit the volcano and reach about 8,000 feet, but I understand it is very cold there, even at this time of year. In fact, there is lots of snow on Etna during the winter and locals enjoy two very nice ski resorts during thoses winter months.

The trip to Alberobello on a very nice bus, traveled a fast freeway with three long tunnels cut through the rambling hills – one tunnel seemed several miles long. There are olive groves everywhere, along with orchards of cherry, peach, and other fruit trees. Arriving at our destination, we were transferred from the large bus to small, eight passenger vans to travel some 500 meters up hill to the Trullo village. Guess buses are not allowed closer to the UNESCO site.

The one down side to our day was our guide, a lady who no doubt loves her land, but began the talking with a clear reference to the differences between North and South of Italy, and although everyone thinks that the region of Tuscany is the most beautiful in Italy, her region is definitely better, and on and on. Having now seen both, am not certain that comparing the two regions isn’t like trying to compare apples and oranges! And in this regard, we are still meeting people on the ship who don’t consider Sicily (tomorrow’s port) to be a part of Italy – when do all of these regional stereotypes disappear?!?!?

The Trullo Houses of Alberobello comprise a community that is famous all over the world for its unique cone-shaped buildings with rounded, whitewashed walls and stone roofs. Alberobello is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site – yep, another UNESCO site!!!

The houses are small, often with two or more cone roofs attached by a sloping curve to create larger living spaces. In this region during WWII, false ceilings were installed in the Trullo houses where residents were able to hide refugee Jews on their way to Israel. The Germans looking at the outside of the houses never believed that the cones were anything but solid – good trick –many lives were saved.

Dinner again with the Italian-American connection - always lots of fun. We’ll miss them when they get off the ship on Friday.

June 13, 2012 – Catania, Sicily

Catania is an Italian city on the east coast of Sicily facing the Ionian Sea, between Messina and Syracuse. It is the capital of the homonymous (What does that mean?) province, and is the second largest city in Sicily ad the tenth in Italy.

Catania is known for its seismic history, having been destroyed by a catastrophic earthquake in 1169, another in 1693, and several volcanic eruptions from the neighboring Mount Etna volcano, the most violent of which was in 1669.

Catania has had a long and eventful history, having been founded in the 8th century BC. In the 14th century and the Renaissance, Catania was one of Italy’s most important and flourishing cultural, artistic, an political centers, having witnessed the opening in 1434 of the first university in Sicily. Today Catania is one of the main economic, touristic, and educational centers in the island, being an important hub of industry, thus gaining the nickname, “European Silicon Valley”.

We’d looked forward to today and our visit to ancient Syracuse – or in Italian, Siracusa.

We would visit the Old Town on the island of Ortygia and the archeological sites outside the city. A brief drive would bring us to the archaeological area, then a guided walk to visit the Roman amphitheatre of Augustus. We’d also see the 2nd century BC Altar of Hieron, the huge Latomie Caverns once used as prisons, the enormous Ear of Dionysius grotto with its extraordinary echo, and the Greek Theatre.

Then after a short bus ride, we walk to the center of Ortygia for a walking tour through the Old Town, taking care not to miss the Piazza Pancali which is in fact the ruins of the 6th century Temple of Apollo, the Corso Matteotti, Archimede’s Place, and the Piazza Duomo. On to the 7th century cathedral, which was built over the ruins of the Doric Temple of Minerva, its interior with the original and undamaged Doric columns. The Piazza Duomo, lined with Baroque Palaces, was once the Greek Acropolis. We’d see Arethusa Fountain, a natural freshwater spring where the Greeks claimed a nymph was turned into a fountain by the goddess Diana.

But, alas and alack, it was not to be!!!

6:15 a.m. and Adolfo was hit with another nosebleed – this one also severe, but we knew how to slow it this time and I pinched the top of his nose (my pinch was more like a death grip!), put ice on the back of his neck, and confined him to the bathroom. We weren’t going to cause our poor stewardess another extra cleaning day!

Called the nurse again and she came up, packed the nose and admonished Adolfo for once again using the nose spray – he won’t listen to me or to anyone else. His blood pressure is also too high, partly because of the anxiety caused by the nosebleed, but also because . . . well because he’s Adolfo, and he just won’t listen! I know, I said that already.

When I knew he was under control, nose clamped and packed, and he felt okay and would be looked after during the day, I cancelled his ticket for the tour and went by myself on a tour to Siracusa. What a great day, but a very strenuous one!

We bused to Siracusa, under the guidance of Nunzio, perhaps the very best guide we’ve ever had. He had such joy in every bit of information he imparted to us. At one point the bus was pulled over by the local police. One policeman entered the bus and began to question the driver who immediately began pulling out paperwork. Then they removed him from the bus for more questioning. Nunzio didn’t miss a beat. He pulled out some books he had on Siracusa and the local region and announced that he would now begin the virtual tour of Siracusa! - which he did! After about 15 minutes, the driver was back on board and we were on our way – never to find out what caused the stop.

Siracusa is very unique, compared with many ruins we’ve seen thus far on this trip. Rather than rising up in front of the viewer, parts of this ruin have been dug out of the earth and one is often walking down into the ruin.

There are two theaters here, one of which is still in use, but only during the summer months. Rather than this huge theater having been created by piling rock upon rock, this one was actually carved out of a granite mountain, so it is fairly solid. Right now, because there are classic dramas and comedies being performed, most of the stone work is covered with wood, there is a revolving stage down in the center, and there are many lighting and theatrical fittings all over the facility. We climbed up into the amphiteater, and then on up the rocky path at the side to the top of the seats where once there were tombs occupying the natural caves in the rock. There is also a water grotto there which was very refreshing after our hot climb to the top.

Then on down some wooden stairs, through beautiful gardens, under archways carved out of the stone and finally to the huge cavern that was also carved out of the rock to make amplification for the actors and performers in the stage area. Nunzio ran on ahead and asked us to remain near the entrance of the cavern. He then sang out some beautiful notes that reverberated and echoed through the cavern. Sounded like the best Bose system ever heard!

As Nunzio stated, this large theater was to entertain and challenge the mind. Then there was a small amphitheater where performers were there to take away the cares of life. In this smaller space, the gladiators performed, animals were sacrificed – positively pagan! YUCK!

Back to buses for a short trip to Ortygia, an island city connected by a series of short bridges, where we began our walking marathon. As if Siracusa was not enough of a tour de force, we now set off at march pace, walking through a neighborhood to view old architecture of different styles, saw the picturesque waterfront, and walked almost a half mile in a beautifully planned arbor (lovely shady respite from the heat) of carefully placed trees. Finally out the other end and to the ocean on the right and a huge pond populated by black and white ducks on the left – a short walk and we were in the main piazza where we visited the newly cleaned up church of Madonna of the Pillars, a gorgeous limestone facade - Apostles Peter and Paul standing guard on the outside. Lit candles there for Michelle and Elaine McC., Vyvien and Mama and the “ladies of Nazareth House”. Was able to take some photos in this beautiful cathedral.

A short walk away is the Church of Santa Lucia which boasts a beautiful and very large Caravaggio painting over the altar depicting the death of Santa Lucia and those who will dig her grave. Apparently, Caravaggio spent some time here in Ortygia, and when he departed, left the painting to the town. In the right foreground of the painting is the huge, white clad, backside of someone, with Santa Lucia lying very small in the background - found it rather an odd altar piece – my opinion. Had difficulty getting past the large backside! No photos were allowed here, even without flash.

Then another forced march back to the bus through another section of the city of Ortygia, and we finally all collapsed into our seats for the ride back to our home away from home – the Seabourn Quest. Am thinking that as awful as it was, Adolfo’s nosebleed saved him from this tour – he couldn’t have done it. Believe we walked between three and four miles today.

This tour was five and a half hours, so got back to ship close to 3:00. Hadn’t eaten anything since my bran muffin in the morning, so went to Seabourn Square and got a couple of mini sandwiches, took them to the cabin, added a weak vodka / tonic and collapsed on to the bed.

Awoke in time to shower and dress for dinner with the Italian American couples. Nice evening.

In a few days we will be back in Catania, and are signed up to go shopping with the Chef in the morning. Can’t wait for that – so much fun.

June 14, 2012 – Sorrento, Italy

Today we are having a very easy day. The ship is very quiet as most passengers have gone out on tours to the Amalfi Coast, to Capri, to Sorrento, and to Pompei. Having done all of these at one time or another, and my still being worn out from yesterday, and Adolfo wanting to take it easy, we have had a most pleasant day out on the pool deck – knitting, eating, computing, and then back to the room for a very long nap.

Yesterday in Catania, our Chef bought a 50 kilo swordfish at the market – one very huge fish! At 11:30 this a.m., Chef and sous chefs, with assorted help, set up a very long table out on deck under umbrellas. First the two foot portion of the head of the fish, with additional measurement of the sword bill, came to the table, and the mouth was propped open so that the sworn bill pointed upward – a great display. Then the middle portion was brought up for filleting. Additionally, on the table were yellow tail tuna, also purchased in Catania. These were also skinned and filleted for our lunch.

We were treated to a wonderful exhibition of how to trim and filet these fish. As needed, the filets were grilled to order – so delicious. This was a real treat and an unforgettable lunch.

Dinner tonight is our last night with the Carbone’s and the Frisina’s and they’ve elected to go to Restaurant 2 for the exceptional tasting menu. Though we were not excited about our first experience there this trip, we did agree to go again because of the dinner company! Dinner was a very nice surprise – so it must have been that we just didn’t like the menu the last time.

We had a lovely dinner, said our goodbyes, sadly, and again we will miss people who have played such an important part of our wonderful vacation. We hope to see both couples once we get home, as they are often in the Bay Area.

June 15, 2012 – Civitavecchia, Italy

Civitavecchia, the name means “old city”, and here is the closest port to Rome. We were in this port many years ago, and I remember something less modern than what is here now. Looks like they’ve done lots of work to update and modernize the port facilities.

All but 50 passengers have gotten off the ship this morning. So, if we’re full up for the final leg of our cruise ending in Barcelona, that means that 400 new people will be boarding today. I always get nervous the first night after we’ve had a huge influx of new passengers as we have to start all over again in the dining room. However, this particular “first night”, we’ve been saved. Have been invited to the table of Steve Stephens, a comedian who performed three nights ago and is still on board to perform again. We’ve accepted – and are looking forward to an entertaining evening.

Many passengers who are in transit to Barcelona have taken the bus into Rome, where they’ll have all of 2-1/2 hours before having to come back to the ship which departs at 5:00 p.m. For me, that’s not nearly enough time in Rome, added to which would be the anxiety of wondering if you were going to make it back to the ship on time.

So guess what – we’re having another restful day. Tomorrow we’ll be back in Sorrento, so we plan to rediscover the city on foot. We’ll be well rested for that foray.

Just attended our seventh safety drill. Can now conduct them blindfolded, if the need ever arises. The passenger list this leg looks very diverse – especially the young girl with two rings through the middle of her nose!! Why do beautiful young people do that?!?!? Because school vacations have now begun, we are also seeing lots more families with young children boarding the ship. Adolfo has just gone up to the sail-away party on Deck 8 – have a feeling this party is going on a very long time and we won’t be leaving at 5:45 because at the time of the safety drill, there were still 12 passengers who hadn’t boarded.

June 16, 2012 – Sorrento, Italy

Sorrento is a small town in Campania, southern Italy, with some 16,500 inhabitants. It is a popular tourist destination that can be reached easily from Naples and Pompeii, as it lies at the southeastern end of the Circumvesuviana rail line. The town overlooks the Bay of Naples as the key place of the Sorrentine Peninsula, and many viewpoints allow sight of Naples itself, Vesuvius and the Isle of Capri.

Sorrento is famous for the production of limoncello, a digestivo made from lemon rinds, alcohol, water and sugar. Other agricultural production includes citrus fruit, wine, nuts and olives. Wood craftsmanship is also developed.

Last evening we dined with Steve Stephens, a comedian on board for two shows.

Went to his first show and laughed myself silly. He has his second show on Monday evening.

At any rate, I had the privilege of sitting to Steve’s right at a table of ten – he’s very funny off the stage, and smart, too! To my right was a funny, slightly too sloshed Kiwi. He really was annoying, but I just couldn’t get cross with him! Across from me a very tall man sat, all 6’10” of him, from Scottsdale, Arizona. His wife was Adolfo’s dinner partner at the other end of the table. There were others there from Britain and Australia.

In the course of dinner conversation, the tall man across from me mentioned his athletic career, very understated it in his reference. We were having dinner with the great left-handed pitcher who once played for the SF Giants, Randy Johnson. See below for more on Randy.

Randall David "Randy" Johnson (born September 10, 1963), nicknamed "The Big Unit", is a former American Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 22-year career, he pitched for six different teams.

The 6-foot-10-inch Johnson was celebrated for having one of the most dominant fastballs in the game. He regularly approached, and occasionally exceeded, 100 miles per hour during his prime. He also threw a hard, biting slider. Johnson won the Cy Young Award five times, second only to Roger Clemens' seven.

Johnson finished his career first in strikeouts per nine innings pitched among starting pitchers (10.67), second all-time in total strikeouts (4,875; first among left-handed pitchers), third in hit batsmen (188), tenth in fewest hits allowed per nine innings pitched (7.24), 22nd in wins (303), and 57th in shutouts (37). He pitched two no-hitters, the second of which was the 17th perfect game in baseball history.

It’s another beautiful day on the Mediterranean. Out on the water, there are sail and power boats, eagerly zipping their way from Capri to Sorrento, carrying an assortment of body types in bikinis and standard swim suits, all soaking up Vitamin D, and seemingly not giving a care to how the sun is damaging their skin.

It’s that way here on the ship, as well. One woman who got off in Civitavecchia, was no longer bronze, but black – not even pretty at that point. But she did not stop – even as she debarked the ship, she was wearing something skimpy so that her sun experience would continue.

When we go out during the day am totally covered up, albeit with light cotton clothing, and even then, am getting some color right through my clothing.

Today we went up to Sorrento to walk around the wonderful city. I say “up” because from the water, one must tender ashore, and then either climb interminable stairs/walkway, or take a shuttle. We opted for the shuttle. It’s been 32 years since we were here last and our first stop was to be the Excelsior Vittoria Hotel, where we stayed in 1980. I really don’t remember this hotel being so grand in 1980, but in my memory, it was that wonderful old elegant, very slightly shabby ambience that one often finds in Europe. Now it is absolutely gorgeous! Potted orchids are in every room, with smaller arrangements tucked away in the least suspecting corners. It’s clean as a whistle and very fresh. I can only surmise that the dollar was very strong when we were here last, for now, it seems a very pricey accommodation!

The gardens are exquisite, and carefully tended striking that perfect balance between old and established and just the right amount of order to keep it intresting. Colorful flowers are everywhere, bowers and towers of bougainville in their vivid purple are blooming around every corner, lemon and orange trees are full of fruit ready for the picking – really pretty grounds.

We walked through the public rooms, and out on to the terrace, where we could see the beautiful bay, Mount Vesuvius and Capri, and of course, the Seabourn Quest anchored off shore. Then we window-shopped and enjoyed the orange trees loaded with fruit on some of the sidewalks. Found a couple of stores that had a few small things that we acquired, and spent some time in a store that featured the lovely inlaid marquetry work in furniture, boxes, etc. - that artisanship is so popular in this region. We might have bought something there, had the staff been in the least bit interested. They were all so rude and could have cared less to answer our questions.

In the evening we spoke with comedian, Steve Stephens, who we’d joined for dinner the night before. We had no plans and he seemed not to be committed, so we asked him to join us – which he did. We had a nice quiet table for three, right next to the window with the ship plowing through the sea while we chatted, drank good wine and ate our dinner.

Thus ends another perfect day in our floating paradise – only ten days to go. When we began this journey, nine weeks seemed a very long time, but now that we can see the end am thinking I must find a way to stow away so we can continue!!!

June 17, 2012 – Lipari, Italy

Lipari is the largest of the Aeolian Islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the north coast of Sicily, and the name of the island’s main town. It has a permanent population of 11,231. During the May-September tourist season, its population may reach up to 20,000.

It is generally accepted that the island was created by a succession of four volcanic movements, the most important of which was the third one, presumable lasting from 20,000 BC to 13,000 BC. A further important phenomenon should have happened around 9000 BC.

The last recorded eruptions occurred in the 5th Century AD when the airborne pumice covered Roman villages on the island. The volcanoes are considered active, though steaming fumaroles may be seen and hydrothermal activity is evident.

As a result of the volcanic originas, the island is covered with pumice ad obsidian. Pumice mining has become a large industry on Lipari, and the pale pumice from Lipri is shipped internationally.

Nii-jima of Izu Islands, Japan is another locality where the pumice of the same components occur in the world. It is called Koga Stone there.

We tendered ashore to walk around the small, but picturesque town of Lipari, and hoped to find a church for Mass. We could see three churches from the ship, one small one on the harbor, one very large one up the hill at the top of the ancient fortress, and another a short walk to the left of our entry with the tender.

With chose the short walk and would up at St. Joseph’s Church, Mass was just past half way, but we got there for Holy Communion and lit candles, for the McCarthy girls, for all of the Sciutti and Capurro family members, both present and past.

The church was very small and very beautiful, carefully kept and quite clean. We find that in many of these small and large towns in this area, where there is constant volcanic activity, inhabitants just give up on their residences and public buildings, for the constant smoking of nearly volcanoes like Stromboli just cause the soot to build and build. Am thinking that it might be the volcanic debris that holds some of these buildings together!

Was much too hot to take too long ashore. The heat and humidity is quite high and difficult for Adolfo. So we returned to the ship in the hope of lunching out on the Grill deck, but it was too hot there as well. So we opted for the Colonnade and the lovely air con. Today it was very tasty Mexican food – darn – am so weak!

A nice long nap in the afternoon followed by a round of trivia, and then the best time of day – had to get ready for dinner on deck. We left Lipari around 6:00 p.m., with steam arising from a couple of local volcanoes. There is often a smell of burning air in the wind.

We were joined for dinner on deck by Russell and Penny from Australia – lots of fun. We were treated to an incredible sunset of vivid oranges and reds, tempered by the smoky horizon – just gorgeous!

Then a quick jaunt to the Casino where I won $50, and then to bed because we had an early morning rising tomorrow and something special.

June 18, 2012 – Catania, Sicily

We are back in Catania. The last time we were here, Adolfo’s nose wasn’t behaving, so I went alone on a 5-1/5 hour tour of Syracuse (Siracusa) and the city of Ortygia. This morning we have signed up for with about a dozen passengers. Out to a waiting van and then to the fish market.

Don’t know whether the fish, or the sales people, were of most interest. There were fish of every kind, color and description from the tiniest white fish to giant swordfish, many still alive squirting and wiggling in tubs of water. There was a very long, skinny fish wound into a neat circle, not an eel, about which I asked in my best Italian for the name of the fish. The answer was “Spagnolo”. “In Inglesa”, I responded – you guessed it – “Spagnolo”. So still don’t know what it will be called in English.

I asked Chef Niels if he had a budget each morning he went to market, and he said “Yes, when the pocket is empty!” I like that!

We bought yellow tail tuna again (but very small ones this time), another 50+ Kilo swordfish (from tail to tip of sword perhaps 6 feet long), sardines, about three inches long. The sales person, proved how fresh they were by eating one whole sardine, raw, head to tail! GULP! Offered the same to the Chef, but he declined, as did I. However, later when we were looking at beautiful small shrimp, the Chef did eat one raw, and looked at me challengingly – of course, I took the bait! Made a quick Sign of the Cross and chewed it up. Can’t believe how sweet that was – a bit slimy, but the taste was not at all fishy – just beautifully fresh and light. After I demonstrated I could do it without gagging, others in the group followed suit – all agreed it was quite good.

Then we bought three different clams, and some fish for which the Chef has great plans – have no idea what they were. Saw some very tiny sea snails - I managed to ask one Italian man how they were prepared. He said they were tossed in a hot fry pan (I guess with olive oil and garlic), then the snail is picked out and eaten – they were about one-quarter the size of escargots. We didn’t buy any of those!

Almost everyone handling the fish had either a cigarette or a cigar in his mouth, and a HUGE knife in the other hand. Such large knives I’ve never seen. The gesticulating, the wonderful rhythm of the Sicilian language (not at all understood by us!), the sales styles of different vendors – all make a feast for the eyes and ears, and anticipatory for the feast that will follow at lunch and dinner.

Then we moved on to fresh fruit – the largest figs that I’ve ever seen, and so sweet; tiny delicious peaches which are often referred to in Washington State as Donut Peaches; and, some very nice cherries. At one point, one of the fish mongers threw in two huge bunches of Italian parsley – so healthy and green!

We also bought four kilos each of green and black olives marinated in olive oil, garlic and parsley, with some hot red chilies thrown in. Am looking forward to those at lunchtime.

We saw a different species of zucchini, long and skinny, smooth skinned, light green – AND over two feel long, measuring from maybe 2 inches at the top, tapering to nothing at the other end - very weird looking.

Today is our 52nd Wedding Anniversary. Handre, the Cruise Director, wanted to know if we wanted to do anything special to celebrate the occasion. We decided that since our family is so far away, we’d like to have dinner with the four special people who’ve been our family aboard ship – they’ve made this trip even more special by their warmth and care. So tonight, Handre, Heidi (Asst Cruise Director), Tammy (Social Hostess), and Sara (Cruise Sales) will be joining us for dinner. We turned down a special menu, because all of them are special, but did request Baked Alaska for dessert. We just got an invitation summoning us to Seabourn Square at 6:45 tonight, so guess Handre has something up his sleeve. Will report more later . . .

As I write this journal, there is such a strong smell of smoke in the air, and the city and surrounding countryside has a pall of smoke over it. We can see Mt. Etna in the distance, puffing merrily away. As long as the eruption wouldn’t be too big, it might be fun to see that happen while we are here – don’t panic – it’s really far away.

In this city, as well as yesterday, and perhaps more in this locale, the buildings are positively black with soot. Some are so beautiful architecturally, but so dirty – guess it’s just a losing battle trying to keep everything clean. Even the sidewalks are black with soot! Am also wondering with all of this matter in the air all of the time, what is the percentage of lung cancer in this area – I know, not a lovely subject, but something I’ve been thinking about.

Of interest, I have a new (old) nickname aboard ship. Now three people are calling me “Sunshine”. How funny that this name should resurface in my life when the last time I heard it was in the late 1950’s.

After a little lunch and a nap it was time to get ready for our special evening. We arrived at Seabourn Square to find Maitre’d Marco waiting for us. Handre soon followed and they both ushered us to the elevators where we were whisked up to Deck 9 and the spa – the spa? Into the spa and up a curved flight of stairs, we entered an area that we’d never investigated previously, and then to a small area at the aft of the ship. This area of the spa has some private spa suites which one can rent on an hourly basis. Here a passenger or two together, can have massages, enjoy the outdoors in privacy or a special Jacuzzi, sip champagne, order caviar, etc. – whatever your heart desires!

As the door opened to one of these suites, I spotted the Jacuzzi, which was filled with sudsy water, and had rose petals floating on it – of course, my comment was – “I’m not getting in there!” There was laughter not ony from Marco and Handre, but an assortment of people gather there to help us celebrate our special evening. Not only were those people who would have dinner with us, but Captain Magnus, and other officers, entertainers, a few of our favorite waiters, Karl, the Hotel Manager, Andrea (who has taken the place of Murat), the Guest Services Manager – all had come to help us celebrate our anniversary.

Champagne poured, hors d’oeuvres were eaten, and we all enjoyed the view of Mt. Etna, puffing away in the distance as the ship sailed away from Catania, Sicily.

After 45 minutes, we all adjourned to the dining room where Marco had our table for six waiting. It was decorated with a beautiful bouquet of orchids, tapered candles and rose petals sprinkled over the tablecloth. While we ordered from the regular menu, there was a surprise first course of breaded fresh mussels (which we’d purchased that morning) – very delicious – and a sweet finish of a beautiful Baked Alaska. Karl, the Hotel Manager, also sent over to the table a special bottle of Far Niente chardonnay which we all enjoyed.

After dinner we attended Steve Stephens’ last comedy show – fun! Then back to our room where we found that Natalie, with the help of Tejana from the beauty salon, had decorated our room with balloons, more rose petals on the bed, a very sweet note from Natalie, a bucket of champagne waiting – we couldn’t drink one more drop of anything!!

A really lovely day, from start to finish!

June 19, 2012 – Valletta, Malta

Valletta is the capital of Malta and is located in the central-eastern portion of the island of Malta. The historical city has a population of approximately 7000. The name “Valletta” is traditionally reserved for the historic walled citadel that serves as Malta’s principal administrative district. However, Valletta, like any historical city centers, forms part of a larger continuous urban agglomeration, which is often referred to as “Greater Malta”.

Valletta contains buildings from the 16th century onwards, built during the rule of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, also known as Knights Hospitaller. The city is essentially Baroque in character, with elements of Mannerist, Neo-Classical and Modern architecture in selected areas, though World War II left major scars on the city.

The City of Valletta was officially recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO (Another One!) in 1980, and is named for Jean Parisot de la Valette, who succeeded in defending the island from an Ottoman invasion in 1565. The official name given by the Order of Saint John was Humilissima Civitas Valletta – The Most Humble City of Valletta, or Citta Umilissima in Italian. The bastions, curtains, and ravelins along with the beauty of its Baroque palaces, gardens and churches, led the ruling houses of Europe to give the city its nickname Superbissima – “Most Proud”.

The weather is so very hot and oppressive – with extremely high humidity. Tours in this part of the world require a certain level of fitness – the difficulties of climbing around, plus the weather means that Adolfo is having a difficult time. All of the tours that are interesting have cautions if you are not fit, so we have decided today to get a taxi and do a quick car run.

After a bit of negotiating with a lovely Maltese man, who is hard of hearing – Elia – we set off for St. Anton’s Gardens and the Presidential Palace, where Elia waited for us to do a tour on foot. There was ample shade in the park gardens and the walkways were level, so we spent about 45 minutes there, looking at the beautiful flowers and old trees. Of particularly interest to me were the mothers and nannies who were in the park with children. This park is in the midst of a very prestigious neighborhood where only the affluent can afford to live – some very pretty houses.

Then back to the taxi cab for a ride out to the city of Mdina, a walled city up on a hill. Once again Elia waited for us to take a walk around the old city and visit the Church of St. Paul of the Shipwrecked. This was a very beautiful church with the floor covered with petra dura work (inlaid marble) all over the floors where these unique art pieces designated graves for those buried within the church – a mixture of lay and high order within the Roman Catholic Church. The walls of this church were covered with beautiful red silk panels, trimmed out in gold. The Church well preserved frescoes inside the large dome, and lots of gilt and gold – plus ornate, sterling silver, very large candlesticks – perhaps over four feet tall. One side altar has eight of these candlesticks on it.

Then back to the city of Valletta, where we would walk to St. John’s Co-Cathedral, while Elia waited to take us back to the ship. We had a little trouble finding the entrance to the church, but finally did and were surprised to see a church so ornate that it was difficult to wrap one’s head around it. Every single wall and ceiling is done in bas relief, sculpted out to form design after design and there are tons of frescoes on the ceilings. On the floors are once again tombs marked by those wonderful petra dura panels. Because of the high foot traffic here, there is a walkway with rug on the surface of the floor so that the constant wear will not reduce the beauty of this stonework.

St. John’s Co-Cathedral is a unique monument of international importance. It owes its rich history and artistic heritage to the fact that for over 200 years it was the conventual church of the Order of the Knights of St. John. The Grand Masters and Knights donated gifts of high artistic value and made enormous contributions to enrich it with only the best works of art by the leading artists available to them.

As a result it is a most glorious and magnificent artistic expression of the High Baroque era.

The knights were noblemen from the most important families of Europe and they had a mission – that is to protect the Catholic faith and Europe from the attacks of the Ottoman Turks. After the attack known as the Great Siege in 1565 it seems that the Knights vowed to turn Malta into a fortress that befitted a military Order with a capital city worthy of so illustrious a group of noblemen. Pride of place in the center of the new city Valetta was reserved for their Church. The building was completed in 1577 and dedicated to St. John the Baptist, the patron saint of the Order.

The plain façade flanked by two large bell towers is severe and has the character of a fortress reflecting the sober mood of the Order after the Great Siege.

The interior of the Church, which consists of a wide nave with a barrel vault and two aisles divided into side chapels, was originally equally simple. However, in the 17th C. Grand Master Cotoner ordered the redecoration of the interior. The dawn of the 17th C. ushered in the new Baroque style and its flamboyant and demonstrative character provided ample material. The Calabrian artist, Mattia Preti, who was commissioned the work, transformed the interior into a celebration of Baroque art. It is the contract between the simple and sober façade and the festive mood of the interior that makes St. John’s a unique monument.

Preti was one of the most outstanding artists of the “seicento”. Starting with the vault, he depicted episodes from the life of St. John the Baptist. With his perfect draftsmanship and skillful use of color, a masterpiece of illusionistic effects emerged. On designs prepared by Preti, the plain walls of the nave and chapels were carved with elaborate motifs characteristic of baroque ornamentation transforming the walls into a riot of gilded foliage, flowers and angels.

The side chapels were designated to the eight langues of the Order. Several contain some of the most impressive funerary monuments of the Grand Masters in marble and bronze and are works of art in their own right. Several of the altarpieces are also by Preti. Most worthy of note is the chapel of the Langue of Aragon with the monument of Grand Master Cotoner which is a declaration of his chivalry and military prowess.

The splendid inlaid marble floor of St. John’s consists of a collection of tombstones. The imaginative use of symbols and heraldic devices makes this floor a unique treasure. Several reveal the individual stories of important Knights, their acts of chivalry, religious ardor and their desire to be remembered.

The sanctuary, which is the focal point of the Church, is adorned with a large sculptural group representing the Baptism of Christ by Giuseppe Mazzuoli, a leading sculptor of the High Baroque era and it displays a strong influence by the renowned sculptor, Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

The Oratory was built as a place for private devotion. However today its main attractions are the paintings by the renowned artist Michelangelo Merisi (1573-1610) known as Caravaggio. The altarpiece, which depicts the “Beheading of St. John the Baptist” is the largest painting he produced and the only one known to be signed. It is exemplary of his harsh realism and chiaroscuro technique. The other work depicts “St. Jerome” a masterpiece in its own right.

The museum is a treasure house in itself. It holds vast collections of sacred vestments in silk profusely embroidered with gold and silver threads. It also holds a magnificent collection of Flemish tapestries woven on the cartoons of Peter Paul Rubens and Nicolas Poussin. Part of the collection is the gilt bronze monstrance by Ciro Ferri, intended to hold the relic of the St. John’s forearm, and an important collection of illuminated choral books and other objet d’art.

Adolfo was hitting the wall, so we didn’t spend nearly enough time here, but getting back to the ship for him was imperative, so we found Elia and sought the cool air con of the ship.

We must be very close to the gateway to hell, because I don’t believe we’ve ever felt heat and humidity like this. The air is so heavy that it is difficult to breathe.

We spent the afternoon recuperating. Tomorrow is another day – will hope for some respite from this heat.

June 20, 2012 – Gozo, Malta

Gozo is a small island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Southern European country of Malta, and after the island of Malta itself it is the second-largest island in the archipelago. Compared to its southeastern neighbor, Gozo is more rural and known for its scenic hills, which are featured on its coat of arms. The island of Gozo has long been identified as Ogygia, the domain of the numph Calypso in Homer’s Odyssey. Calypso, possessed of great supernatural powers, holds Odysseus captive for a number of years because of her love for him, before leasing him to continue his journey home.

Gozo is rich in historical locations such as the gantija temples, which, along with the Megalithic Temples of Malta, are the world’s oldest free-standing structures and also among the world’s oldest religious structures. For such a small island, Gozo has a high concentration of churches (22 in all). The Xewkija Church has a capacity of 3000, enough for the entire population of Xewkija village, its dome being larger than that of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. The church bells are rung daily for the canonical hours Matins, Lauds, Terce, Sext, None and Vespers.

Last night we came to our cabin to find an invitation to meet in the spa at 8:00 a.m. – “not what!” was our first thought. So at 8:00 a.m. we were up on Deck 9 again where we’d had our lovely surprise cocktail party on our anniversary.

This time, in the same space, there was a beautiful breakfast setup, as we sailed away from Valletta to Gozo. A table was set for five people – the criteria for this breakfast was for travelers on this journey who’d been on the ship for one month or more. One woman came alone in gym clothes, thinking it was going to be a special morning workout. Because she did assume that, her husband turned down the invite – little did he know that it would be another Seabourn Experience.

The staff had gone to so much trouble for just the five of us. We had two sous chefs preparing crepes, waffles or omelets – whatever your heart desired. Once again the Jacuzzi tub was filled with bubbles and a huge plate was floating in the center on a life ring. The plate was filled with chocolate dipped fresh strawberries and cherries. Unfortunately, even at 8:00 in the morning, it was already so hot, that the chocolate began to melt.

There was also tons of fresh fruit, and assorted pastries, freshly baked that morning. I had my first mini jelly donut on the trip AND my first waffle covered with fresh berries, powdered sugar and a bit of syrup. Well, after all, they’d gone to so much trouble, it would have been so rude not to partake of what was offered!!!

Champagne or Mimosas flowed generously – now let me tell you that this is a truly wonderful way to begin one’s day!!! Today I left breakfast and went back to the room for a nap in the morning!!!!

If you can believe it, the day turned out to be even hotter than the previous day. Adolfo could not manage a tour – and I’d probably have some difficulty as well. We opted to stay aboard ship – in the cool!

June 21, 2012 – Trapani, Sicily, Italy

Trapani is a city and commune on the west coast of Sicily in Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Trapani. Founded by Elymians, the city is still an important fishing port and the main gateway to the nearby Egadi Islands. Much of the old city of Trapani dates from the later medieval or early modern periods – there are no extant remains of the ancient city.

Many of the city’s historic buildings are designed in the Baroque style. Notable monuments include:

· The Church of Sant’Agostino (14th century, with the splendid rose window;

· The Church of Santa Maria di Gesu (15th-16th centuries);

· The magnificent Basilica Sanctuary of Maria Santissima Annunciata (also called “Madonna di Trapani”) originally built in 1315 – 1332 and rebuilt in 1760 - it houses a marble statue of the Madonna of Trapani which might be the work of Nino Pisano, and with the museum Agostino Pepoli;

· Fontana di Tritone (“Triton’s Fountain”);

· The Baroque Palazzo della Giudecca or Casa Ciambra;

· The Cathedral built in 1421, but restored to the current appearance in the 18h century by Gioanni Biagio Amico, includes an Annunciation attributed to Anthony van Dyck;

· Church of Maria SS dell-Intria, another notable example of Sicilian Baroque;

· Church of Badia Nuova, a small Baroque church.

From Monte Erica which you reach by cable car, on clear days one can see views of Tunisia and Africa. There are several beaches running along the coast of Trapani, the best of which are at Marausa, about 9 kilometers south of the city.

When will this heat abate?!?!? We are definitely approaching Hell – the heat is unbearable. Adolfo wanted to go see Ancient Segesta, but this trip would required a one-half mile walk up hill to the ruins, and then the return trip down to the bus. We opted not to do it – the temperatures are over 100 degrees and the humidity is high.

Turned out that we were rather smart because those who did the trip – much younger than us and very fit, said the going was rough, and the cobble stones coming down from the ruin were very slippery.

As it turned out, the Seabourn Legend is also in port today. David E. Green is Cruise Director on the Legend. He was also an entertainer on our very first cruise and subsequently, an assistant cruise director on another cruise. Tammy said she was going to get him around noontime, and would we like to have lunch with them in the Colonnade. We thought that would be great so it was my job to get a table for six at 12:00 and await their arrival – which I did.

It was wonderful to see David after so many years. He’d been to the flat in SF for dinner several years ago, but we’d not seen him since that time. He’s not changed at all, is still a handsome black man, with a mellifluous voice and a keen sense of humor. We all enjoyed an Italian lunch while we listened to David and Tammy recount their Seabourn stories from the early days – such fun!

It turned out that we were really happy that we’d not gone on the tour, for we’d have missed this fabulous lunch and visit.

We opted for a quiet dinner, just the two of us, up in the Colonnade. It was still too sticky to go out on to the veranda, or the Grill Deck.

Am thinking of getting out one suitcase and packing up all of the formal wear which we won’t need for the rest of the trip – at least then I’d be one suitcase ahead of schedule.

Tomorrow we have a day at sea, only our third full day at sea this cruise – there really have not been enough for my taste! Then we stop in Ciudadela, Menorca, Spain, and then Valencia, and then on Monday we are in to Barcelona. On Tuesday we get off the ship and head home.

In Ciudadela and Valencia, there are some functions going on in the cities that may override any attempts to get out and see the area. In Ciudadela, believe there is a giant festival which may tie up traffic throughout the city. In Valencia, there is a huge Formula One race that will pass by the ship where we are berthed. That may be more fun to watch than to do more touring – our ultimate decision will no doubt be tempered by the weather.

June 22, 2012 – At Sea

Had a very nice day today, with rolling seas, making us really feel as though we are on a ship – just enough motion to make it fun!

Today Chef Niels held another famous Galley Market Lunch. The main kitchen is turned into a large buffet and there is more food than one can logically tolerate after this many days on the Seabourn Quest. At one end of the dining room is the starter buffet and in the center of the dining room is an enormous dessert tale. Don’t know how or why most people in the dining room feel they must eat everything. Personally, we have it down to a science and just go for the mains in the kitchen. There are always some lovely prawns sautéed in garlic, oil, parsley and a bit of white wine, and there’s always pasta fresh cooked to order – and with a bit of Bolognese sauce, I’m good to go. Then I’m tempted just for a little portion of panna cotta. A glass of white wine and good dining companions – then it’s time for a nap. How in the world am I going to stay awake in the afternoon when I get home?!?!?

My favorite current wine is Wingspan Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand – really lovely – and now that I’ve written it down will look for it at BevMo next week.

Very nice but light dinner in the Colonnade with a Thai theme, with Handre, Heidi and Maureen.

When we got back to our room, we had a visitor – one “Stanley”. And, he was introduced in a note left by our Stewardess, Natalie, stating that he’d come for a drink, had one too many, and would now spend the night with us. As I looked further into the cabin, I saw a couple cans of beer. Looked like they’d been dropped on the carpet. As I rounded the end of the bed found “Stanley” – half under and half out from under the bed.

Natalie had taken Adolfo’s tennis shoes, a pair of my jeans with the legs stuffed with bath towels, and made it look like – well, here’s a photo!

June 23, 2012 – Ciutadella de Menorca, Spain

Ciutadella de Menorca is a town and municipality in the western end of Menorca, one of the Balearic Islands of Spain. The name means “citadel”. It is one of the two main cities in the island, along with Mahon.

We’ve been here before on a Seabourn cruise, so have decided to take out the first suit case and begin packing. Perhaps if I stretch this chore over three days, leaving won’t be too traumatic!

Adolfo decided that he’d go ashore via tender to just do a walk about town, but after waiting for 45 minutes in a huge crowd (that never happens on these ships!), he just gave up and came back to the chaos in our cabin – or as our stewardess calls it – “organized chaos”!! I believe everyone wanted to go ashore early this morning because there is a huge festival this afternoon.

From a cruise bulletin: Ciutadella De Menorca will e celebrating a fiesta today. Crowds are due to arrive at approximately 12:00 noon.

The main celebrations start on 23, June, St. John’s Eve. At 2:00 pm at the palace of the Caixer Senyor the flabioler (flautist) (for a minute, thought they were describing me – “flabby – older”) requests permission to begin the withdrawal of the horses and their riders. At this point, the horses are in the street and they commence the caragols (What’s a caragol?). The caragols involve circling three times around street blocks and squares. The horses do the rounds in various places in the old town of Ciutadella to the rhythm of the Jaleo. (What’s a “Jaleo”?). The streets are crowded with people, the most daring of whom go up to the horses to touch their chests as the horses rear up on their hind legs. In the afternoon, there is the hazelnut war and a Mass is said at the Shrine of Sant Joan (John) de Missa.

I have lots of questions about this last paragraph, and will certainly Google this fiesta when I return home. My first thought is that anyone who goes under a rearing horse to touch his chest for good luck, and tries to get out of the way prior to those hard hooves cracking open one’s skull, is as out of touch with reality as those Spaniards who run with the bulls in Pamplona!!!

. . . and a “hazelnut war”? Those little suckers could really sting!

Packed up one suitcase, crammed full of clothing and bits and pieces from our travels tucked in between – four more to go!

Dinner in the main Restaurant with the new Guest Services Officer, Andrea Zanchi, from Apuglia - he’s very nice but a bit shy. He’s had a most interesting career, some on other cruise lines, restaurants, a dude ranch in Phoenix, Arizona, and now with Seabourn.

June 24, 2012 - Valencia, Spain

Valencia is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third largest city in Spain after Madrid and Barcelona, with around 809,000 inhabitants in the administrative center. It is the 15th most populous municipality in the European Union. Valencia is also Spain’s third largest metropolitan area, with a population ranging from 1.7 to 2.3 million. The Port of Valencia is the fifth busiest container port in Europe and the largest on the Mediterranean ea, with a trade volume of 4.21 million TEU’s. (What’s a TEU?)

Valencia was founded as a Roman colony in 138 BC. The city is situated on the banks of the Turia, on the east coast of the Iberian Peninsula, fronting the Gulf of Valencia on the Mediterranean Sea. Its historical center is one of the largest in Spain, with approximately 169 acres; this heritage of ancient monuments, views and cultural attractions makes Valencia one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations. Major monuments include Valencia Cathedral, the Torres de Serranos, the Torres de Quart, the Llotja de la Seda (declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996), and the Ciutat de les Arts I les Ciences (City of Arts and Sciences, an entertainment-based cultural and architectural complex designed by Santiago Calatrava and Felix Candela. The Museu de Belles Arts de Valencia houses a large collection of paintings from the 14th to 18th centuries, including works by Velazquez, El Greco, and Goya, as well as an important series of engravings by Piranesi. The Institut Valencia d’Art Modern (Valencian Institute of Modern Art) houses both permanent collection and temporary exhibitions of contemporary art and photography.

Valencia is integrated into an industrial area on the Costa del Azahar (Orange Blossom Coast). Valencia’s main festival is the Falles. The traditional Spanish dish, paella, originated in Valencia.

With one suitcase packed, and Adolfo off on a tour to see the Calatrava center, am catching up with my journal. The bed is covered with more clothing and “stuff” to sort through and pack into the second suitcase. With luck I can do two cases today.

From the ship we can see the Calatrava buildings in the distance. Isn’t Calatrava the designer of St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco? Can’t get on to the St. Mary’s website to confirm, but maybe my memory is working! Adolfo’s tour is scheduled for three and a half hours and he left the ship at 10:00 a.m. HOWEVER, at 2:00 today there is a major Formula 1 race scheduled to start and run near the ship. This means that many streets to and from the ship will be cordoned off. Who knows what time Adolfo will get back to the ship.

Forgot to tell you that four days ago, had my hair colored, highlighted and cut. I’ve gotten really wonderful service in the salon from Tijana (from Serbia), but she really went nuts with the highlights! When I first highlighted my hair many years ago, my dear friend, Vyvien, nicknamed me “La Blonda”! Well, this was “La Blonda” in the extreme – Vyvie would have had a good laugh! I did live with it for several days, but didn’t really like it at all – neither did Adolfo – not that I wouldn’t have kept it had I enjoyed the new me!

Yesterday I returned to the salon for lowlights, and am now more back to my usual self. Got a really interesting cut – long near my face and shorter towards the back – think I like it. Also treated myself to mani and pedi, so I’m coming home with red toes. Have decided that I rather like my toes painted – must put this on my schedule to keep up the feet when I get home.

More later . . . after I’ve stowed away another suitcase.

Adolfo is just back from his jaunt into Valencia and a tour of the Calatrava center. He’s so happy that he made the effort and has taken wonderful photos. I’m on my third suitcase, and as I pack, the Formula 1 race is fully underway. All one heard is screeching cars going around the dock area. Many passengers are up on Decks 10 and 11 standing at the rails where they can see portions of the race. For me it’s way too loud after about three minutes, and the sun is very hot.

So, I’ll get on with my packing. Two suitcases to go – the questions is: Will I get it all into the cases?!?!?!

June 25, 2012 – Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona, the city of Antoni Gaude, and his beautifully designed architecture, including the staggering Sagrada Familia Cathedral.

More particularly, the Cathedral is known as The Basilica I Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia or Basilica and Expiatory Church of the Holy Family.

Construction of the Sagrada Familia becan in 1882. Gaudi became involved in 1883, taking over the project and transforming it with his architectural and engineering style – combining Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau forms. At the time of his death in 1926, the cathedral was not yet finished – and as far as I can determine from what I read, it is still not finished today. But what is there is awesome.

The spires in the distance remind me of the modern day American Indian Hopi Kachina carvings. Have included a photo taken from the internet.

Adolfo and I did not go ashore to visit the city of Barcelona because we’d spent four days there several years ago, and once again, the weather was hot, hot, hot!!!

I crammed and fitted way too much stuff into the remaining suitcases. The four big ones would be off loaded tomorrow morning and then picked up by Luggage Forwarders, but could even the strongest man among them lift these cases?!?!?

We spent much of our afternoon on the Pool Deck, saying our goodbyes, especially to staff, and watching the workmen on the ship scramble around the smoke stacks/funnels of the ship to scrub and paint them. Then at 6:30 p.m. a very special dance troupe came on board and danced, sang and played flamenco – Tablao de Carmen. They were so very good! The 45-minute show went by like lightning, while all of us swayed and tapped our feet to the rhythms.

One guest thought he was not only a musician, but obviously also thought he had the flamenco clapping down – he was nothing if not annoying and very loud. I was caught between his noise and the beauty of the performers. The flamenco music to the novice (me!), even with musical training, is so complicated. I could easily hear the lamenting voice of the lady vocalist, and beauty of the flamenco guitar, but the three dancers, when they clapped to contribute to the beat, each took a different pattern to make the complete sound. Trying to deconstruct that and make sense of it left me exhausted!!! And the dancing – oh my – such dancing! This art of flamenco is certainly in need of athletic prowess, along with the very necessary musicality. This performance was a fabulous way to end our trip.

We then remained on deck for a grill dinner in the company of Penny and Russell from Australia, and then back to the room to finish the very last suitcase, and have it out in the hallway, duly tagged, for pickup by 11:00 a.m.

Natalie, our stewardess, left us another surprise in the form of Stanley’s cousin, and we found him sitting on our sofa watching television. Here’s a photo of our other guest.

June 26, 2012 – Barcelona to Home

The time has come to debark. After my last coffee and muffin, we cleared our cabin by 8:00, so Natalie could begin taking down the room to prepare it for new passengers who would be arriving within four or five hours. In my haste to get out of the room on time, left my iPod charging and Natalie came looking for us about 30 ninutes later, just before we left the ship. God Bless her! What would I do without my books on the iPod?

We left to lots of hugs from Handre, Tammy, Sara and Captain Magnus - all so dear, and unforgettable. Took a taxi to the airport. When we asked the taxi driver for air con – his answer was “no comprehende”, so Adolfo pointed to the air con buttons, and he cheerfully turned them on, but it was the HEAT!!! Good Grief – more heat in this climate?!?

Got to the airport in plenty of time, spent a couple of hours in the Lufthansa Business Lounge where we ran into others from the ship, each taking different flights - then on to Munich where we would connect to our flight to SFO.

The lounge in Munich was very far away from our departing gate, so Adolfo asked for a cart. Instead of a cart, they came with two wheelchairs! I declined, but Adolfo sat and was pushed, while I trotted behind with the roll cases. The only good thing about this was at the first security/passport check there were tons and tons of people. Because of the wheel chair, we crashed the line to the side and went on through. That part was good!

Again because of the wheel chair, we were the second people seated on the plane and Adolfo had time to settle in before the hordes came on. Flight was good, food was even good, movies were terrific. I watched three or four movies and knitted the flight away. Pretty smooth flying and an on-time landing. Passport entry was a breeze, as was customs and we were soon being picked up by “Tony from Costa Rica” to drive us home.

Before I finish up this journal, want to rededicate my scribblings to my dear late friend, Vyvien Gear. Without you dear Vyvien, and your encouragement, I wouldn’t have this and other memories down on paper. Thank you for this gift, and the many ways you enriched us during your life. You will be sorely missed.

So, here we are after the first night back in our own bed. It’s good to be home. Adolfo got up early and has already been to the grocery store to get staples – what a guy! Guess I’m cooking tonight!!! Oh No!!!

We’ve had a wonderful trip. Will always remember:

· The Seabourn Quest, and the Staff and Crew, from Captain Magnus to the men below decks - their care of us and all guests on the ship made this trip absolutely the most enjoyable sailing we’ve ever done.

· New friends we made along the way, many of whom are already sending emails and a couple who are making plans to join us in San Francisco.

· What not to do with your iPhone settings when traveling abroad!

· The wonderful food we’ve eaten, to say nothing of the gallons of wine we’ve drunk! . . . and the new wines we’ve discovered from South Africa.

· The extremely smooth seas this entire trip. Wouldn’t have minded a bit more motion!

· The very special surprise cocktail party for our anniversary, following two mornings later by a special breakfast.

· The weather extremes – from hail in Venice at the beginning of our trip, to being near the Gates of Hell with the heat in Malta and Sicily. Adolfo calls Malta “one hot rock”!!

· The warmth when hearing from friends at home who spurred me on to write this journal.

· And, just so you’ll know the answer when you ask me “What was your favorite place?” – Why, of course, it was the ship!!

Well, dear family and friends, guess it’s time to get back to reality. Have to now make my own bed, fire up the washer and dryer, and be thinking about what’s for dinner – Oh Lord! - who will print my daily menus?!?!?!