Italy Trip - October 26 - November 9, 2015

Italy & The Dalmatian Coast

We finally visit Italy, and cruise to several countries along the Adriatic Sea.

Introduction

Many people, when they start to travel to Europe, always seem to pick Italy.  The history, the food, the scenery, and ancestral roots are often a big allure.  In all our years of world traveling, somehow, we have always managed to skip Italy.  This trip, booked spur of the moment, was our attempt to rectify this situation.

Sunday/Monday, October 25/26

Late today, we left home for Sky Harbor, and stayed at an airport hotel.  They had a "stay and store" program.  So we decided to drive down and leave car this time rather than have friends pick us up.  It was a short night, as we had to catch the 4 AM shuttle to the airport.  After a four and a half hour flight to Newark, we then had a 3 hour layover and an eight and a half hour ride to Rome, arriving 7:15 AM on Tuesday.  It was the standard airplane flight.  All I can say is that the movies were good, the food adequate, and the legroom to small (even in economy plus.)  Eventhough the flight was not full, it was still tough to get any sleep.  So we arrived as zombies.

Tuesday, October 27

Arrived at the hotel around 9 AM.  Rome is large, and traffic is miserable.  We cleaned up a bit, and - probably unwisely - took a nap.  Once we came back down to the lobby, we were greeted by Max, the concierge.  This gentleman would prove invaluable during our short stay.  He asked to see our itinerary, and immediately started changing things to work around the weather forecast.  He said that the outdoor things which were scheduled for Wednesday, would be better today, as rain was expected.  He contacted the tour company, and was apprently quite a handful, but managed to get things rearranged.  And he was spot on, as today was just overcast.  But Wednesday?  It rained.  We were just not in the mood to walk the streets, so we headed for the hotel's rooftop restaurant.  The view was great.  We had a VERY expensive ham and cheese sandwich, and then killed some time waiting for our tour guide.  Of course, later we found that we could have done much better on the street. 








Our driver picked us up at 2 and off we went to meet our guide at the Coliseum.  We came around a corner, and there it was.  We've all seen images of the place before, but it was rather cool to be driving past it.  As we had advance tickets, we got right into the place, and climbed up to the level where you could see the whole building.  Some of it is original, and some has been restored 


Part of the floor has been replaced, as the Passion Play is performed here, as well as a few other events.  Of great interest to us was the center pit, which is where all the backstage work and action took place.  The animals, workers, slaves, whomever, woulkd be lifted to appear through traps in the wooden floor of the building.  So it was just like a modern stage, but done with ropes, pulley, wooden lifts and the technology of the time.  Much of it has been excavated, so you could get a grasp of what things must have been like back in the day. 
The carved wall reliefs were pretty spectacular, and when you think about the fact that they were done about 2,000 years ago, it is amazing that they have held up so well.  Eventhough this was the end of the season, there were still loads of people.  And all with the damn selfie sticks.  I think I am going to hate those things.  I’d hate to be here in high tourist season. 





We then moved on to Circus Maximus, which was a big open field at this point.  This was the ventue for chariot races and the like. 






Next up were the ruins of the Parthenon and what remains of the Roman Forum.  While it is a ruin, you can still get a grasp of what things were like over 2,000 years ago.  We stopped in a small park, which had an adjoining school, and a compound that was for the Malta Knights.  If you looked through the keyhole, you saw a image of the dome of St. Paul.  While many tried to take a picture, none succeeded.  So you’ll just have to take my word for the fact that it was pretty cool. 



Note that we actually were here!









The tour continued with a stop at Capitoline Hill.  Everywhere you turned there were statues.  Here we find Castor and Pollux, as well as Marcus Aurelius, and the ever presernt "SPQR" which is the Latin abbreviation of the "The Senate and People of Rome." 






Our final stop was the Pantheon.  It was dark, so you could only really see the interior.  Note the inset of the "Roman Legionares" with whom you have your photo taken.  For a price. 








We are tired, although are starting to feel better.  We have early dinner scheduled (7:30 is the earliest that places open) and then we plan to be off to bed.  Our new best bud Max was correct.  It is supposed to rain tomorrow.  The restaurant was Tullio, which is now on it’s

Wednesday, October 28

Today dawned grey and as promised, with rain; which was actually rather nice.  The grey skies and rain washed streets gave a really soft look to Rome.  Traffic here is pretty bad.  While not as chaotic as India or Egypt, it is still pretty much, go fast, stop, and edge in whenever you can.  They do stop for pedestrians, but like China, as a person afoot, you just have to keep your head down and have faith that the drivers will think you don’t see them and stop.  I would not want to drive here.  OK, that said, we have been many places all over the world.  I do not remember ever – EVER – seeing as many tourists as there seem to be here.  And this is the end of the season.  You know how you always see St. Peter’s Square filled with people?  That’s because it is ALWAYS FILLED WITH PEOPLE.  Yikes.  It just gets to be a bit much.  And those stupid, stupid selfie sticks.  What a bunch of narcissists we have become.  All right, then.  Because we feared the rain, I mentioned that Max had taken it upon himself to change the schedule for today to be pretty much All Vatican, All the Time.  

We started with the Vatican Museum, and saw a lot of statues, tapestries, and artifacts. 

The ceilings were amazing in themselves, all painted, or carved, and very colorful and detailed.

The tapestries were actually drawn here, and then woven in Belgium, as they had the best weaving technology of the time. 

There were also painted maps of Italy, which we all found quite interesting.  We did the museum shuffle for a couple of hours, before hitting the Sistine Chapel.  Smaller than we had thought, the place of course has the ceiling by Michelangelo, and the side frescos by notables such as Bottecelli, Donato, and others of the time.  The ceiling depicts the Book of Genesis, and is quite something.  It was cleaned back in the 2000 (I think) and really sparkles.  There were no photos allowed, so you will have to look in books or get internet material to show.  We did not get to see the pope, as we were inside, warm (emphasis on warm) and dry while the rest of the folks stayed outside in the rain for a glimpse. 

The final tour was St. Paul’s Cathedral, which is – well, large.  The frontal lighting makes for tough shooting, which encourages you to purchase the books.  But there are plenty of statues and reliefs on which to gaze.  The Pieta statue, done by Michelangelo is a highlight of the place.  Our guide, Maria Teresa, left us at this point, and we wandered just a bit in the rain to find a pizza restaurant, which was marginal.  On the other hand, it was dry, comfortable, and had good coffee.  Did I mention that it was dry?  That killed enough time so that by mid afternoon, we headed back to the Vatican for the Scavi Tour.  The word simply means “excavation.” 

As a side note, the Vatican has it’s own large scale remote van complete with pushouts and all in 1080p.  Nice.  Another side note.  The Vatican State is a separate entity.  So it has its own pharmacy, rules, etc.  In fact, some medicines are put on the market much faster here, as there is less paperwork.  When you think about it, they have to have their own food standards, etc.  Do I know how much they have adopted from the Italians?  No, but they can pretty much do what they want.  I wonder if they can generate their own nuclear power? 

And of course, they have their own ceremonial police force, the Swiss Guards.  Why Swiss Guards.  Because when the popes started to hire protection forces, all the militaries in Europe were mercenaries.  And the Swiss were the cheapest.  I seem to have read that while they are “ceremonial,” they are actually highly trained with good combat skills.  Of course, those are the guys you don’t see.  Anyway, on to the Scavi Tour.  Excavations under St. Peter’s Cathedral have revealed vast necropolises.  In addition to St. Peter’s Tomb, rich Roman families buried their dead in [essentially] mausoleums to be close to Peter.  Peter's tomb has 18 human bones (the 19th is in the Pope's private chapel) that are visible behind glass protection.  The tour was rather interesting, and about right at 90 minutes.  We were held up a bit by, what else, a French group, about whom our guide has less than kind words.  As did we.  No photos were allowed, so again, you'll have to take my word for what it looked like.  Back to the hotel, home, home, home, and then off to Rinaldies, a fish restaurant.  Dinner was as good as last night.  Oh yeah.  If you ever come to Rome, try the Rinaldi restaurant.  Oh boy.  Great fish, excellent risotto, generally another great experience.  And a weird thing called seaside mushrooms.  They were strange, but good.  And we lived to tell of them.  I think if we lived here, we would weigh a lot more than we do now.  And so the evening comes to an end.  We are walked out, satiated with good food,wine and limoncello.  Off to bed.

Thursday, October 29

We took off early this morning, only to find that our driver had forgotten us.  So we took a cab to the train station.  Yes, that’s right.  Today, we rode The TRAIN.  It was an interregional which went up to Milan, stopping at Florence on the way.  Our traveling companion was a crab fisherman from Canada, who regaled us with tales of his 28 years on the sea. 

So after about 90 minutes of a super smooth ride, through mostly tunnels, we arrived to meet our day guide, Alexandra. 

Florence was one of the power houses of the Italian peninsula, and this is where the Medici family was located.  Starting as wool merchants, they eventually parlayed their wealth into banking and were one of the most powerful families in Italy.   While we did not take the tour, we were able to glimpse the inner courtyard.  Further evidence of the family's power is to be found all over the city in the form orm art and statuary.

The town itself is quite charming, with narrow winding streets. 

The narrow, winding streets make for some interesting vehicles.  Note the Renault Twizy, an all electric NEV about the size of our golf cart. 

The rich families of Florence decided to build a church, and they wanted something that represented their power and status.  The result is the Church of Santa Maria de Fiora (St. Mary of the Lily) and the whole thing is fronted in marble.  The dome took 14 years to build and was constructed after the rest of the church was complete because the technology for building such a large dome was not quite there.  The problem was eventually solved with a double dome, with the smaller inner one supporting the larger, lighter outer dome. 

A separate structure, the Bapistry was pretty remarkable with its three dimensional bronze door.  The casting of the three dimensional bronze panels took years to perfect.  There was a huge flood here in 1966, and a lot of stuff has been cleaned and refurbished.  The current pope is visiting in the spring, so things are even more spruced up. 

Next on the list was the Academy which housed the Michelangelo statue of David.  Of course, the photo is one picture that everyone who comes here has in their collection.  And we are no exception.  A part of the statude was destroyed some years back, by a wacko weilding a hammer.  He managed to damage a toe, but that's about it.

Michelangelo was one of those artists that could see the figure in the stone.  So rather than make a plaster model, and then take exact measurements in carving the marble, he just picked a block, and cut away anything that didn’t look like his subject.  There were some unfinished blocks that really demonstrated how the figure seemed to leap out of the stone. 

 On to the Pont de Vecchio Bridge.  The structures built out from the sides all all shops.

Close by, is the U shaped Uffizi art gallery, home to works by Da Vinci, Bottacelli, Caravaggio, and other notables of the time.  The subject was mostly the Madonna and child, which was the religious theme du jour.  I must say, no matter where you turned, it was art work - statudes, painting, ceilings.  It is too much to take in.

After a while, I did sort of glaze over.  There was some remarkable material, though, and one painting featured just a single figure painted by Da Vinci.  The original artist threw down his brushes and never painted again, becoming famous in sculpture. 

Off to the main square, with another marble fronted church.  We stopped at a leather store, and then had a coffee in a café.  We are both dead tired.  We took an expensive cab ride back to the train station, and caught the 1519 back to Rome. 

Our driver Marco was there to meet us, and we were off for dinner to a very crowded, but very good Tullio again.  A short walk after dinner and a photo op in front of the fountain in the square.  What a great way to spend our last night in Rome.

Friday, October 30

We slept in this morning, and had a leisurely breakfast.  After that it was a matter of pulling all our stuff together, going down the street to buy a bottle of Jameson’s, and waiting for Marco, our driver.  Tips for Max and staff were left.  Again, without the assistance and "take charge" attitude of Max, the concierge, things would have been much less pleasent during our whirlwind tour of Rome.  Marco showed up right on time and detoured so that we could see the Trevi Fountain.  This has been made famous in countless films, such as Fellini’s “La Dolce Vita” but more so by “Roman Holiday.”  Unfortunately, like the Spanish Steps, the fountain is closed and being cleaned.  Just our luck.  So we were not able to throw a coin in it.  So we don’t know if we will return to Rome. 

The closure, though, did not seem to lessen the number of tourists.  Off we went to Civitavecchia and the MS Riviera, our Oceana cruise ship, and home for the next 8 nights.  And so the eating contest has started.  We are on the concierge level, and have our own lounge, which I have yet to try.  I did start a load of laundry, figuring that no one else would be dumb enough to wash at the beginning of a cruise.  Au contrare.  There was a other couple doing the same thing.  Dave and Sandy are a really nice couple from San Diego, and we chatted for a bit. 

We watched the sun slip slowly into the Mediterranean and cracked opn our smuggled in bottle of booze.  We had the obligatory lifeboat drill, and there is the late show for entertainment.  At dinner we had a shared table, with a couple from London (Andrew and Marge).  We was a retired British surveyor, which in his case was a combination of home appraiser and building inspector.  He specialized in older homes, say 100-300 years old, so knew all about older construction methods.  The other couple (Linda/Linni & Jim?) were retired primary school teachers from California.  The dinner was lovely, and a Temperanillo wine was good.  The late show, was a string quartet.  Really?  I was out like a light.

Saturday, October 31

It was smooth sailing last night, but rather windy.  We could hear the wind whistling around the balcony door.  So it was rather nice to be bundled under the comforter, snug and warm. 

The wind did not abate, so we were forced to bypass our intended destination, which was Sorrento, the jewel of the Amalfi Coast/Peninsula.  The wind was too strong (30 knots) and the seas to rough for us to safely tender in to the shore.  So this is about as much of Sorrento we will see.  Just up the coast, and better protected, though, lies Naples. 

There is a harbor and piers there, so off we went.  The tours that were supposed to go from Sorrento, instead were quickly repositioned in Naples.  Things started about an hour later, after a tug helped us turn around and shoved us up against the pier for mooring. 

Our tour today was to Pompeii.  This was a Roman city and port of around 15,000 people, until 79AD.  On that day, Mt. Vesuvius erupted.  Drawings depict lava inundating the town, but if that had been the case, all would have been melted.  Instead, a rolling cloud of sulfur dioxide rolled down the mountainside and suffocated the inhabitants.  It happened pretty quickly, so life was pretty much stopped at that instant.  The following ash cloud buried the city in up to 30 meters of ash, which hardened over time.  The city was completely buried, and the result was an archeological treasure and UNESCO World Heritage site.  The whole thing was discovered in the early 1700s by peasants who were digging a well.  Scavengers and looters followed, but eventually the government stepped in and contained the place.  Digging has been going on ever since.  What has been exposed is an amazing ruin of streets, houses, shops, baths, the other elements of Roman life in 79AD. 

Shops are easy to spot, as there was always a groove in the stone in front of the shop.  This was for a sliding wooden door to close the place.  We were told that stores sold primarily grains and oils, although I would guess that other things such as leather goods and textiles were available.  And of course, someone had to sell chariot repair material. 

The houses had beautiful frescos, wall paintings, interior baths and gardens.  The whole thing is really something to see.  It is remarkable to see the figures of people and animals which were painted around 2,000 years ago.  The color is still vibrant and detailed.  There were flowers, and hunting scenes;.  This place must have been remarkable when it was new.  There were two theaters, one holding around 2,000 people, the other a smaller one. 

Prostitution was legal at the time, and a brothel survived, complete with a street marker providing direction.  However, while legal, the owners of such establishments were not held in particularly high regard.  Apparently this shop owner got tired of being asked for sirections, and chiseled mthis marker in front of his shop. 

The stone streets had worn grooves made by the wagons, and every so often, you would find a set of stepping stones for pedestrians, so that they did not have to walk in the street.  The baths were elaborate, and some featured steam heating.  The ritual was a hot bath, followed by a cold plunge. 

Water was brought in by aqueduct, although lead pipes were used.  No wonder people had visions, after the exposure to lead.  Some of the pipes are still visible. 

There were preserved bodies, but the only thing on display were the figures of a man, a small child and a dog.  There were stores of bowls and amphora to been seen, all removed from the site.  We had the obligatory visit to a local endeavor, this time a cameo shop, and of course, there were the usual shops of trinkets and the like. 

Around 50% of Italy’s economy depends on tourism.  There were plenty of people here, but nowhere near as many as in Rome.  By mid afternoon we were back on the ship.  Did I mention that our AC did not work yesterday?  The maintenance guy came and got it working, and today, it is freezing in here.  We have reservations at one of the special dining rooms tonight – French.  I hope it isn’t bad meat disguised with sauce.  The dinner at Jacques was quite good.  Our dinner companions were a couple from Belgium & Denmark (Luk & Anne) and a couple from Spokane (Bill & Joan).  Bill was an electrical engineer, and did some computer programming on the side.  Sound familiar?  Luk & Anne had an interesting story.  Married for 55 years, they first met when she was but 13 ½ when both were on holiday in Italy.  He was a little older, and said to his brother, “That’s the girl I’m going to marry.”  They corresponded for several years, and eventually married.  Pretty cool, hum?  And if you look up the phrase "classy couple" in the dictionary, their photo will be there.  We had a nice dinner discussion, and then it was off to bed for what some though a rough passage to Sicily.  Barb and I just found it to be a rather nice rocking motion.  And our liquor bottle stayed put.

Sunday, November 1

So here we are in Messina, Sicily.  Carmelo?  Messina?  Sicily is a volcanic area, quite prone to earthquakes, and produces the majority of the citrus for Italy.  The tourist trade, and resort areas are also wonderful, with great beaches, and sunny weather.  However, that was NOT the case today, as it rained.  All day it rained.  Messina itself was just a drive through, with a nice church and great bell towner.  The figures move with the bell strikes.  The city itself has about a quarter of a million people.  As previously mentioned, it is earthquake prone, and a big one in 1908 killed 60,000 of the towns then 120,000 inhabitants.  Being Sunday, things were a little slow, with closed shops, and no traffic. 

We hopped on the autostrada and headed to Taormina.  The road was quite an engineering feat.  The terrain is volcanic basalt, with steep valleys and cliffs.  There were a lot of cantilevered road and approach sections, and a multitude of tunnels.  This was not an inexpensive engineering project. 

It really stated to rain once we reached Taormina.  There was an open Roman theater that is still in use, as well as a nice little church that was built on Roman ruins.  The town was charming, with narrow winding streets.  But it really was not a lot of fun in the rain.  Plus we were encouraged to shop (Free Time!) and that was not so much fun in the rain either.  Barb was the smartest of all.  After the bus dropped us off, and it really started to rain, she bolted for a coffee shop, and had a cappuccino and a wonderful pistachio filled croissant.  It looked gross, but it was delicious.  I joined her after the theater visit, and we were joined by a fellow passenger, Bill, whose wife wisely stayed aboard ship.  There was a band contest of some sort, and a group played right in the town square.  That did sort of liven things up for the end of our visit.  To see an impression of this lovely little town, please click on the photo.

We dutifully filed back on the bus, on our way up to Mt. Etna and the crater.  The volcano is still active, but is closely monitored.  But is is raining (did I mention that?) and foggy, and we have yet to see the mountain.  We had lunch in the little town of Cavatina?, where we discovered that the road to the mountain had been blocked with a landslide due to the rain.  So that was off the agenda.  Instead we had an opportunity to go to a tasting of olive oil and local produce.  Can you say, “More shopping?”  We did succumb to some olive oil for kid’s gifts.  The town itself was dead.  D E A D.  It is Sunday, and raining.  So there was no one about.  Places were locked up tight.  Even the petrol stations were closed.  Back on the bus and a snoozy ride back to Messina.  Dinner tonight is at the Polo Grill.  Sounds like meat.  Actually, no.  The grill turned out to have swordfish, oysters Rockefeller, and other yummy delictebles.  The ride was a big rough, as we were crossing the bottom of the Aegean Sea, and it was a dark and stormy night – complete with lots of lightening.  The restaurant was on deck 14, so the motion was exacerbated by the height.  Which made for some interesting wine pouring by the staff.  We dined alone, and had a lovely time.  The show was a high performance song and dance revue by the staff.  I love those things, so was quite entertained.  We staggered to bed, after setting the clocks ahead an hour because of a new time zone.  We rocked ad rolled all night long, and it was quite comforting.

Monday, November 2

The didn’t dock this morning until 11 AM, and it was bright and sunny, unlike the last two days.  So the blue sky offset the green shores of the island.  What a change.  We are on the largest of the Ionian Islands, Cephalonia.  It apparently has a lot of wildlife, and great beaches.  Argostoli is the largest city on the island, which has a current population of around 55,000.  We have a Noon tour of the town and some caves.  Ok, this was a much better day than yesterday.  After a hearty breakfast, we traipsed off the boat, onto buses, which took us on a very winding switchback road to our first destination.  The island has the third largest mountain in Greece, and is very steep, with deep ravines, and shear cliffs.  It is a great tourist spot for beaches, diving, and just relaxing.  It is quite beautiful, but as our guide said, quite hot.  Last year it was 42 degrees for several days, and humid.  She said it was miserable.  Apparently the islanders are known as the “Crazy Cephadonians.” as they have their own unique style.  The guide told us of the reason, but I missed it, and no amount of internet searching can find anything definitive.  The first stop was the Drogarati Cave, which required many steps to go into.  The cave itself wasn’t too bad, but it was a cave in the limestone rock with run of the mill stalagtites and stalagmites.  And those steps that it took to descend into the cave?  They required climbing to get out of the cave.  But still, it was an entertaining stop. 

The next cave was better.  This was the subterranean Melissani Lake.  This is technically a cave, with an open top, as the roof caved in about 300 years ago due to an earthquake.  The acoustics in the place are so good that opera singer Maria Callas once wanted to sing in the place.  The water is a mixture of salt water and fresh water from the island and is crystal clear.  Explorers found several pagan idols inside, so the place was known to ancient people as a temple. 

Note the olives.  But they have no pimento stuffing?  How can this be?  And they look better in a martini.

We returned via a different road, that allowed us additional looks at the island and the rugged landscape.  The island is quite earthquake prone, but fortunately, we did not experience one.

The trip back also allowed us a look at the causeway which was built across the lagoon.  Originally built as a wooden structure, storms kept washing it away.  In 1823 the British Protectorate built a stone bridge and causeway that linked Argostoli to the mainland.  Now it is just a scenic walkway. 

The return also allowed a good look at the MS Riviera.  At 1200 passengers, it is a largest ship in the Oceana fleet.  We had a brief lunch and a drink with Sandy and Dave Cox, new acquaintenances from San Diego. 

And then it was time for a late dinner at the Italian specialty restaurant, which turned out to be just so so.  On the upside of the day, the island of Cephadonia was really beautiful.

Tuesday, November 3

This morning we sailed up the Bay of Kotor, into Montenegro.  The Bay is considered to be one of the most beautiful fjords in the world.  Technically, it isn’t a fjord, but a submerged river canyon.  No matter what it is called, it is a beautiful way to get into a protected area, which has the town of Kotor at the end. 

The country of Montenegro only has a population of around 650,000, and Kotor has around 13,500+ of that.  The city has a distinctive Venetian feel to it, as there was a great deal of influence from that area. The Venetian Republic did build the city wall.  All along the passage are clustered little towns, all with a resort feel.  The country is also about 70% mountain, so there is not a great deal of agriculture.  Rather than just hang around the town, we opted for the Scenic Montenegro drive. 

Our bus driver took us up a VERY steep series of switchbacks (29 in all) that offered amazing views of the Kotor Bay, the mountains, and the vegetation.  The sights were spectacular.  The road was a strictly a one lane affair, and the locals must avoid it during the tourist time.  We did meet a few cars, but this was strictly a one way, scenic drive. 

We had a tourist stop, and a short (questionable) lunch at a tourist restaurant.  Proscuito is a featured item, and we were told that the people here make it in a slightly different manner than in other places. 

Of course, there were plenty of opportunities to purchase things.  I confess to a short nap.  Hey.  I had a beer with lunch.  Some local swill, which was ctually pretty good. 

I don't know what it is about local beers.  They are pretty much all good.  Well, except for that nasty stuff in the Falklands.  Our bus went as far as Cetinje, which was once the government center of the country. 

We toured the Museum of Nicholas the First, though no photos were allowed.  This is a chapel on the grounds, and not the museum itself. 

We were then back on the bus, headed down the mountains to Kotor, past the Budva Riviera and some great beaches. 

Of course, everything is pretty much closed, as this is the end of the season.  It definitely is a resort area, with prices commensurate with such.  It was dark by the time we returned to Kotor, and we just headed back to the ship rather than walk about the town.  If you want beautiful scenery with a mountain flair, then this is the place.  Grey, craggy mountains and autumn colors made for a very beautiful impression.  Dinner was with two couples we have met, in the general dining room.

Wednesday, November 4

We slept late again today, as the ship sailed into the waters off Croatia.  We docked around 11 AM, at the port of Zadar, the fifth largest city (75,000) in the country.  The economy of Croatia is driven primarily by tourism, but around 8% is agriculture (wine, olives), and about 23 % industrial (salt, fish farms, and boat building).  About 80% of the population are Croates, and mostly Catholic.  Zadar was heavily damaged in the war between rebel Serbs in 1991-1995, but after twenty years, it has mostly been rebuilt.  There was little evidence of war, other than pretty much all new buildings. 

We drove to the small town of Nin and were greeted with the oldest preserved monument depicting a Croatian medieval ruler.  Duke Branimir ruled Croatia from 879-892 and this statue was originaly part of a church he built. 

The old town itself is on an island, and contained a church and foundations dating back to the Roman era.  There was a nice little archeological museum.  Many of the relics dated back to Roman times, as would be expected. 

On the way out, I found a universal sign.

One of the main industries here is salt.  So naturally we visited the salt museum.  They use evaporation, after the seawater is filtered through 18 meters of mineral laden mud.  The plant is seasonal, running primarily in the summer months.  So all we really saw were ponds and bags being filled.  Still, we learned about regular table salt and salt flowers, which is the skim off the top and quite different.  And of course, there was a train so I just had to include a photo.

Then it was back on the bus and into Zadar.  The first stop was an art project called the Greeting of the Sun, at the harbor point.  Next to it was the Sea Organ, which was another art project, featuring 35 pipes that are driven by the sea.  The sound is then generated by the air pressure differential.  Someone actually asked if it could be turned off.  Initially, that sounded like a bogus question, but upon reflection, it is actually sa sensible query.  Because after about 2 minutes of this, it gets pretty annoying.  Click on the picture above to see what I mean.

We walked down the promenade, through the old 16^th century city walls, and into the old town.  There were more churches, but were left to free time for a bit to explore the narrow streets which were laid out by the Romans.  This was again a very pretty city.  Then back to the ship.  Dinner tonight was in the main dining room with new friends.  The evenings entertainment was the cruise director who did a one man show, which was a great deal of fun.

Thursday, November 5

Our ship docked in Slovania this slightly foggy morning.  It’s about half the size of Switzerland, and has a population of around 2 million people.  It is small enough, that at the most, it will take you about three hours to drive across.  The economy hinges on tourism, and aluminum smelting.  In fact, we saw lots of aluminum roll, billet and ingot on the dock.  And there is a big container shipping port here as well.  We are right on the Italian and Austrian borders, so you can get by with a mix of German, Slovakian, and Italian.  The Bosnian War bypassed this place, and as of 2007, the country has been a full-fledged member of the EU.  You could tell, as things were looking pretty prosperous. 

We were up early for our hop on, hop off bus tour.  Ah, but not so fast.  The tour was not the traditional hop on hop off, but rather a hop on, taste, and get back on.  There were four little cities involved here:  Koer, Izola, Portoros, and Piran.  We took the bus to Piran, which was a charming, picturesque town.  Obviously, sailing is a major activity here.

The door indicates that Napoleon slept here, or so they think.  And the lion with his paw on an open book indicates that peace was attained here through treaties and other peaceful means.  A closed book would indicate fighting.

The main square at Piran was picturesque, and we actually saw some school children.  I think that is a first on this trip.  The mermain sculpture at the end of the town offered a lovely view into the sea.

We wandered for a bit, had a cup of coffee, and departed for Portoros.  We did not stop there, as it looked to be pretty much a resort area.  So we moved on to Izola.  We had a yummy piece of chocolate cake (the tasting, remember?) and wandered a bit.  The colorful market was not as much of a draw.  Better to sit in a local bar and have a Lazko, one of the local beers.  Again, there weren’t any shops open, other than the standard small department stores.  So on we went to Koper.  Again, there was nothing other than some scenery.  Everything appears to be well maintained, and everything looked fairly prosperous.  The cars were all fairly new.  We skipped the church.  After walking through town, it was back to the ship.  Dinner is at Polo again this evening.  That is one of four specialty restaurants on board.  The French one is good, Polo is excellent, the Thai infusion place is being skipped, and the Italian one was not to our liking.  It’s a shared table tonight.  We have been lucky twice, so let’s see what this event brings.  Later.  We were lucky again, having dinner with two other couples.  One was retired from ConEd in NewYork, living in Florida.  His wife was a perky, bouncy Sicilian woman (Shirley & Rich) who reminded me of Barb C.  She was quite the chatterbox.  The other couple (Bruce & Mary Jo) had both worked for AmEx, and he was fluent in Chinese.  He had helped out with the Chinese table tennis thing back in the 70’s and had met Nixon.  He had lived quite an interesting life.  His wife was from San Francisco on the 60’s/70’s and was equally as interesting.  A good time was had by all.  Or, at least we would like to think so.

Friday, November 6

We sailed ino a very hazy Venice this morning.  We were up and about and ready for our 10 AM tour.  This was of course, by boat.  An aside here.  Who in their right mind decides to build a major city on a bunch of islands and a swamp, and then doesn’t fill it in? 

Be that as it may, Venice is quite something.  The canels and the buildings seemingly immersed in water are a sight to behold.  In fact, I'd recommend seeing it before rising sea levels inundate the place.

We first headed to Murano Glass works.  We had the usual glassmaking demo wherein a master craftsman started with a bunch of silica, rolled it in colored sand and elements, and then proceeded to blow a vase.  I guess you just have to remember never to inhale!

Then we had – shopping time.  There were some absolutely beautiful pieces the purchase.  And the prices were commensurate with one of a kind items.  One of the chandeliers came in at 100,100 Euros.  We did find much less expensive items in the bargain basement, and again helped the Italian economy. 

We were then off for a brief stop at San Giorgio Maggiore Island, and yet another church.The church was lovely, and while some merely turned their backs on the place for a scenic view of St. Marks and the belltower, one other individual just seemed to take it all in.  The bell tower is a copy, as the original collapsed in 1902.

We returned via St. Marks Square.  I guess I was expecting something more, but we will return again tomorrow, so perhaps I will be more impressed.  The square was relatively empty, but the walkway along the Grand Canal was loaded with vendors and tourists.  Again, we are amazed at the crowds.

We did see a lot of bridges over the small canals that thread the city.  The Bridge of Sighs is right there, a block off the waterfront. 

We had a gondola ride and did the usual tourist thing there.  The gondoliers were a bit less than enthusiastic about all this, as it was a frequent sight to see them poling and texting at the same time.  They are primarily used in the small waterways between the islands, although they do venture into the Grand Canal.  Our friends took a class in how to propel one of these things.  Standing and poling.  They said it was tricky, but I guess if you do it enough times, it becomse easy.  Oh.  Our gondelier did not sing.  But he did whistle a few bars of "Que Sera."

You are right up close to the buildings.  On close inspection, they look to be in pretty poor repair, at least in my opinion.  There are broken drain pipes, crumbling mortar and huge lag bolts holding things together.  I would think of them as a maintenance nightmare.  I kept thinking of the Bond movie where the house has the airbags, and then collapses.  And I would not have wanted to fall into the canal water, or to even touch it.  The gondolas were ornate, and it really was a bit of a thrill to get a ride.  You could imagine a dark night, smoky torches, late evening assignations, etc. 

The gondolas are all sleek and brightly painted, although black seems to be the standard hull color.  We did pass a boatyard that repairs and builds these things.  The yearly use does take an amount of wear and tear.  And some of the fitting are polished and intricate.

We again had some free time for what else, shopping.  Then it was back to the boat to pack.  We leave tomorrow.  Our farewell dinner was with Dave & Sandy, and as we saw Doug & Julie Moore, included them as well.  We again had way more food than we needed, and had a great time.  While we turned in right on time, I think the lack of boat motion made us uneasy, as we awoke several times.

Saturday, November 7

Today we left to good ship MS Riviera, and met our guide at the disembarkation point.  Our luggage was transferred to a water taxi, which took us to the Hotel San Angelo, right on the Grand Canal. 

Venice was built on 118 small swampy islands.  Each island was it’s own little neighborhood.  Each had its own square, water supply (collected rainwater, until an aqueduct brought in water) and a church.  And all are connected by some 400 bridges.  When Napoleon conquered the place, some of the churches were destroyed, but most remain intact.  As our room was not yet ready, we wandered a bit, and stopped at a coffee shop and sat.  The map of this place looks like one of those newspaper puzzle mazes.  There are tons of little alleys and walkways.  Everyone says that it is easy to get lost here, and I can see how.  You really do need a map until you learn the city.  And I can't image how long that takes. 

As you cross the bridges from one island to the next, you constantly see gondoliers in their striped shirts providing high priced boat rides on the inside canals. 

The shops sell many, many paper mache masks.  This is because Carnival (Mardi Gras) started here.  Originally the period was supposed to be 40 days of fun, prior to the 40 days of Lent.  So there were parties, drinking, all sorts of riotous activities.  And because people didn’t want others to recognize who they were, doing particular things, gowns and masks became a tradition.  So male or female, who knew who was who?  Eventually, the 40 days stretched into five months.  That’s a lot of partying!  We met our guide, Christine, at 2 PM. 

Along the walk to St. Mark's Square, we passed one of the restored homes.  In this case the rear fencing had been removed, which exposed the inner courtyard.  These places had their own cisterns for water, and had a wonderful rear staircase.

It was but a short continuing walk to St. Mark’s Square.  The square is well known, and filled with both tourists and pigeons.  I don’t know which are more annoying.  The plan was to see St. Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace, both if which are pretty amazing.  The basilica was first.  The original building was all brick, but once the Venetians conquered Constantinople, they pirated tons of marble and artifacts from there, and brought it here to face out the brick of the church.  Why St. Mark's?  Because the city either bought or stole the body and tomb of St. Mark from Alexandria, Egypt.  The tomb is in the sacristy of the church, as well as an amazing alter piece of gold and precious gems.  The only reason that Napoleon didn’t steal the piece for the Louvre, is that the Venetians wisely covered it with a fax panel.

The ceiling is all gold and colored glass mosaic, and pretty spectacular.  There were no photos allowed, so you will have to see for yourself. 

Next stop on the square was the Doge’s Palace.  Venice was a republic, and was administered by 2,000 senators, who were elected every year.  They appointed a figurehead of the Republic: the Doge.  He had no power, and was often on committees, just to provide the tie breaking vote.  That did not stop some of the Doge’s from trying to gain total power over the republic.  When caught, the perpetrator was beheaded on the palace steps.  We saw some of the meeting rooms, some decorated with gold leaf, and paintings by masters such as Titian and Bellini.  The republic had it’s own secret police, the Council of Ten.  They looked after the security of the republic, and stemmed any attempts by senators or the doge at insurrection.  We saw the prison, and crossed the Bridge of Sighs, so named because that was the last glimpse of freedom that prisoners saw.  Or the first glimpse, if they were found innocent and released.  By the time we got to the golden Staircase, we were pretty whipped. 

We wandered back to Sant Angelo Square, had wine in the same coffee shop as this morning, and a light dinner someplace along the way.  The pasta and wine here are really good.  I ordered a full liter of the house wine, and we just had to finish it.  We are in the hotel room, and will be here all night.  I don’t care if Italians don’t eat until 8.  We are done.

Sunday, November 8

This was our final day in Venice.  And that really is about as long as we wish to stay.  Truthfully, there really isn’t a great deal to do here except, eat, shop, and wander about.  And of course you need to marvel that the place is still standing after all these years.  After all, it’s a whole city, sitting on millions of wooden pilings, hand driven into the earth three hundred years ago.  Things are uneven and tilting as a result.  In my opinion, like New Orleans, it is a city worth seeing once. 

We started the day with a walk up to the Rialto Bridge.  As usual, every available space is filled with shops, be they high end or souvenier, and tons of people.  We bought passes on the local water bus system, the vaporetto, and rode all the way to the end of the line on in both directions. 

The far end is at the train station, the other at Lido Island.  Along the way there were plenty of examples of gothic and Moorish influence in the buildings. 

There were plenty of water taxi’s about, as well as the gondolas.  The water taxis are sleek craft, that look like a reproduction of an old Garwood or somesuch.  They are quite plush inside, and comfortable.  Several we rode in featured LED lighting and ample speakers for that "serenade in Venice" feel.

It is amazing that there are not any collisions, as the watercraft pass very close to each other.  It really was quite relaxing just sitting and watching the traffic pass us by. 

We will get cleaned up, repacked and ready for the long flights home.  We have had a fun two weeks.  We are glad we have finally been able to check Italy off our list of places.  And we have managed to add several other countries (Slovakia, Croatia, Montenegro) to our roster –We have an early out tomorrow, so will leave here by water taxi at a little past 4 AM.  I’ll feel better when our bags are checked in at the airport.  It’s been fun, but it’s now time to get back to reality.

 Monday, November 9

Of course, we both got little sleep last night.  So we were up at 3 AM, with the water taxi arriving at 4:15.  The night manager was really talkative, and fixed us up with a go bag of snacks and coffee, after informing us that the taxi would not be able to deliver us to the airport due to fog.  So he took us as far as a taxi stand, and we got a cab to rest of the way.  That necessitated a final trip to an ATM to pay the guy, as I was out of Euros.  The fog really was thick.  Takeoff for Munich as slightly delayed because of it, and Barb was amazed that we launched at all.  We got out and up into the sunlight, and then proceeded to chase the sun west for the rest of the day.  We had three hours to kill in the Houston airport, which was made painful by the fact that some woman had purchased a whistle for her young daughter.  She then blew the damn thing for two hours. Memo to self – never buy Logan a whistle.  So we finally got to Phoenix, arriving home about 10:30.  It was a great trip, but it certainly is nice to be back in our own beds.  Even if we do have to make them ourselves.  Caio.