Nov 8 – Rome, Italy to CALGARY

Weather – 23º in Rome, WINDY in Calgary

Steps – 7,570

We are HOME!

Today was an extremely smooth travel day. We had no delays and no long lines. We were again expecting the worst at the Rome passport control, but it took longer to walk back and forth through the stanchions, than it did scanning our passports. This is exactly how it should be! It was pretty seamless coming into Europe with their new EES e-gates, but going out was even better.

We woke up on the ship and went to bed at home. I can’t remember a time we got off a cruise and went straight home flights rarely work out so that we can. This is great.

Thanks to everyone for coming along with us…until next time…in ANTARTICA!!!!!

Nov 7 – Naples, Italy

sunrise on Mount Vesuvius

Weather – 22º, sunny, then torrential, then

Herculaneum 

sunny

Steps – 11,882

Today was another case of ‘I’m glad we’ve done the main attraction here’ -  in Naples it is Pompeii. Pompeii is a must see, but we’ve seen it.

Today we saw the excavation site at the ancient Greek/Roman city of Herculaneum - similar to Pompeii it was buried as a result of Mount Vesuvius’ AD 79 eruption.

Different from Pompeii, much of the Herculaneum had been deserted 7 years before the eruption due to destruction from an earthquake and tsunami. There were slaves and workers who stayed after the earthquake who were buried.

Herculaneum 

frescos

The visit lasted about an hour as we followed Costa, the guide, and learned about and saw how rich people lived in the first century – Herculaneum was a town of rich folk who lived overlooking the sea. We saw preserved frescos, mosaics, the baths, stores, houses etc.

Only a fraction of the site has been uncovered, and work is on going to uncover more – maybe we will comeback some day - Herculaneum isn’t as arduous as Pompeii, it is smaller than I remember Pompeii being, but the terrain is as challenging.

We had a bit of time to kill after the tour, so we sat for a beer and a giant limoncello – the guy just kept pouring and pouring the limoncello. It was actually limoncello cream…very tasty. I’ve made this before and I’m inspired to do it

more colourful frescos

again.

frescos

After the tour we headed into town, just a 10 min walk from the ship, for a pizza. There are tons and tons of places to choose from. We finally settled on a place on a steep, narrow street (5-ish meters wide), lined with restaurants, where there were guys ‘yes, pleasing’.

‘Yes, please’ is what we call restaurant and bar staff who want you more than you want them. It started on our first time in Istanbul where that’s literally what everybody says to you to get you into their establishments.

Herculaneum street

This street was nothing but ‘pizza-pasta’ places, no other shops or businesses…all ‘pizza-pasta’ - perfect. Each place looked separate, but it seemed like the food all came from the same place.

the baths

Pizza (€10), wine (€16), bruschetta (€6), and rain! Oh, the rain…it was torrential. Torrential rain, on a steep street is a recipe for a river – and a river it was. We had to elevate our feet so as to not have them submerged – I should have taken a video. I took photos that the rain can kind of be seen. Luckily, we were under an awning, so we didn’t get wet. We sat outside of course, and the day as great for it - until the rain came. Even with the rain it was fun – an adventure to not get wet and watch everyone else try to not get wet.

floor mosaic

At the beginning, food stopped being brought out, but eventually, the rain went on for long enough that the food had to be brought out…under umbrellas. Pretty funny…food delivery under umbrellas.

food sellers - each contained different

The food was delicious. I consider myself a bit of a European pizza connoisseur, and this stuff was top tier! As it should be…Naples pizza!

And as quickly as the rain started, it ended. Perfect time for us to walk back to the ship.

I really liked the vibe of Naples - gritty, unassuming. I could see us spending a week or so here pre or post cruise. Lots of cultural things to do and food to eat.

Costa and a flour mill

Driving in Naples is serious business. Driving with motor bikes and small cars was a challenge - the

replica bones and skulls

bus driver was amazing. Most bus drivers are impressive, but this guy…wow – fast, aggressive – how you have to be I guess.

random Nampes building

The rest of the day was spent packing and enjoying the last of the ship.

ship's Fabergé egg

The Vivacce duo

Nico - our usual, with our usuals

after the rain

still raining!

RAIN!!!

excellent lunch

fountain

post Herculaneum  bevy

Nov 6 – Messina (Sicily), Italy

Weather – 16º, overcast

black madonna

Steps – 9,183

We are in Sicily again today, we were here back on Oct 22. This time we are in Messina. Many of today’s tours are off to Mount Etna – once again, we are glad we’ve been there done that.

We visited the archaeological site of Tindari about an hour away from the ship. Getting to the town and archaeological site takes us along the Tyrrhenian Sea and the northern coast of Sicily. From the bus we can see the Stromboli

Basilica of the Most Holy Mary of TIndari

volcano (an island in the sea) puffing smoke. Stromboli is one of Italy’s 4 active volcanos.

Before seeing the archelogical site, we visit the Basilica of the Most Holy Mary of Tindari church. This modern church, (built 1950s–1975) is built on the site of an ancient Greek acropolis – acropolis are built on the highest point available and that’s where churches are built too. The church is home to a black Madonna from 400AD– black because it is made from black cedar wood.

madonna at a distance

At the archaeological site we visited a Greco-Roman theater carved into a hillside, facing the sea – so that during gladiator battles and now during

mosaic of black madonna legend

concerts, the audience can see the action with the sea and volcano in the distance as a backdrop - stunning. We also saw the ruins of Roman thermal baths, each with a mosaic floor.

There was also a museum with objects found during excavations – marble statues mostly.

This location was beautiful – the Sicilian forest on one side and the sea on the other. In the middle was the church and the ruins.

church interior

arch finds

The tour description mentioned to be sure to dress appropriately for a church…knees and shoulders covered…no problem at this time of year!

At the end of the tour, we had a chance to sit in the café for a glass of Sicilian wine (€5), beer (€2.5), cannoli (€3), and a pistachio and speck arancini (€3.5). I was happy to have a cannoli. I have had these before in Calgary and have not really liked them but suspected I wasn’t having the real deal – today was the real deal and it was delicious. The outside of the ones I’ve had at home are soft, I suspect because they are prefilled. The one today was filled when I ordered it – the outside was crisp, the inside was vanilla ricotta cream sprinkled with pistachio.

cap of TIndari

Sicilian snacks

liveing quarters

archeological site

No pigeons were overtaking the place today…cats rule once again.

cats rule once again

olive harvest

Stromboil on the right

amphitheatre

Sicily symbol moasic

Chris and a Spanish Dagger plant

Nov 5 – Valletta, Malta

one of many churches

we're back!

Weather – 21º

Steps – 11,445

Malta is a very interesting place visually - it’s interesting otherwise of course, but especially visually. It is basically a rock in the middle of the sea that people decided to inhabit. This makes everywhere you look beautiful.

Over the centuries, Malta has been invaded by pirates, Ottoman Turks, Napoleon’s army. Its strategic location has made it disputed for centuries. During WWII, it allowed Allies to block Axis supplies to North Africa, but because of its location was also heavily bombed. There is still evidence of this.

view from the balcony

We are docked in Valetta – the same port we boarded the ship at 2 weeks ago. Valetta (pop. 5,233) is the capital of Malta (pop. 600,000) and is one town in a series of other small towns that blend into on another.

Our tour today started as many do, with a coach tour. Although not technically panoramic tours, we always get to know a bit about where we are en route to

we sailed through that tiny opening

where we are going through the guide’s descriptions. It was a packed tour again…about 30 today. We still get our own window seats on the bus as they typically accommodate about 50, but it’s still a big number to wangle.

After a 30 min coach ride, we were in Sliema town, where we boarded a large sightseeing boat for an hour tour of Malta’s 2 natural harbours. The water is the best way to see a view of the fortifications, shipyards, mega and super yachts, fishing boats, caves, churches (apparently Malta has over 365!) and Malta’s
rugged, rocky coast. The fortress walls bl

fortification

end seamlessly into the rock, that it’s hard to tell where one ends and the other begins.

beer & boats

Then we were back on the bus for about another half hour to get to Senglea town where we had about 45 min of free time. We wandered a bit, looked at more boats and sat at a canal side café for a Cisk beer.

The ship is docked super close to Valetta town, so after the tour we headed in for a wander and to find lunch. It is nice to have been here recently, so we have an understanding of where and what there is.

The ship of course is on the water, and the town is fortified, so somehow we need to get waaaay up to the town from the ship. Thankfully, there is an €1

more fortification

(round trip) elevator that’ll take you up the 58 meters. We were the only ship in town today and everything still seemed busy. I wouldn’t want to deal with the elevator with 8 ships in town, which apparently is what can happen in the summer months – no thank you. It is walkable, but not all people could, I’m thankful we can.

I keep telling Chris we have to train for our travels…especially Antarctica in January to keep up with the penguins! I haven’t convinced him…yet. Way back when we rode camels, I thought this is a reason to stay fit and strong…so I can continue to hoist myself onto a camel and hang on.

Valetta has a ton of places to choose from for lunch – many were Maltese cuisine, but we were in the mood for a good ol’ European pizza. The day was

sail boats

nice enough, that we wanted a busy

church

square to eat outside. We found a good spot with lots of people (and pigeon) watching. At one point a pigeon actually plopped onto our table and helped itself to our pizza. It took a bit of effort to get it to shoo.

war museum

Then at a neighbouring table at least 30 pigeons descended on the table to devour what was left of the food – with people STILL THERE. The people who were

everywhere is fortification

sitting there kind of just watched one or 2 land, and before they could do anything the entire flock were there. I have never seen anything like it. For about 5 minutes it was utter mayhem. Eventually the

Valetta by night

staff cleared the plates, but WOW. Valetta needs cats to come in and take care of the pigeons, or to at least make them a bit skittish. These pigeons were the

The Birds!

kings of the fortress, that’s for sure.

Malta by night

us and the ship

even more fortification