Sunday Morning, 31 October 2010: Disembarkation in Venice
This may be my last posting for a few days, as we leave the ship and I don't know what the computer facilities will be like our Venice hotel. However, I will continue the narration of the trip when I return to the US and have access to electricity again.
Friday, 29 October, 2010: Dubrovnik
We dock at the new port of Dubrovnik and do not have to use tenders to go ashore. We have only tendered once, in Monte Carlo. The bus takes us to a panorama high over the old city and harbor, surrounded by its miles of walls and four corners of fortifications. Much of the city was unfortunately destroyed or damaged during the wars of 1991-1997--you can still see shrapnel marks on the sides of buildings. However, through international aid, the entire city was rebuilt in just a few years and now looks exactly as it has for several centuries. We explore the highlights of architecture and interior decoration, but most enjoy strolling the old streets and alleyways, some just long flights of stairs, that wind through the city. The shops are filled with luxury goods---and the prices are the cheapest of all the places we have visited. We stop in one shop that sells only locally produced goods and enjoy a conversation with the young owners about returning and spending a month in a rented villa or apartment. Sounds like a good idea,
But we spend most of the morning sitting in a cafe watching the world go by. We don't do the walk along the upper rims of the walls, because there are just too many stairs to get up to reach them (oh for the days of my youth).
Our ship leaves in the early evening as the sun is setting and we back up under the suspension bridge to make the turn out into the harbor and the Adriatic Sea, on our way to Venice.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
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At home in Tucson, AZ, since 2005, I live with my partner of over 47 years--and husband of six years--Will Feathers. I grew up in New York City (1947-67), earned my BA from CUNY in 1967 and my PhD in English from Indiana University/ Bloomington in 1974. I served on the full-time faculty of the English Department at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, from 1971 to 2004 (33 years), when I accepted an offer for early retirement. Last year (April 2022), we sold our house and moved into an Independent Living Senior Retirement Community in Tucson, where we have made many new friends.
Thursday, 28 October 2010: Kotolokon and Olympia
Kotolokon is the port for the ruins of Olympia in the west central portion of the Peloponnese, the peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean south of Athens. It is much quieter and more picturesque than the busy commercial port at Pireaus. A 30-minute bus ride over the hills takes us to the small modern town of Olympia and its magnificent archaeological site. In the Greece of the 5th Century B.C., this was a religious precinct containing major temples to Zeus and Hera. Every fifth year sporting competitions were held in honor of the gods—which eventually gave rise to the Olympic Games, both classical and modern. The ruins are set among green lawns and evergreen trees. There is also a huge grove of Judas trees which bloom in vibrant shades of purple and pink in the spring. Although it is October now, I was lucky enough to have been here in late April 1993 when everything was in spectacular bloom. Today there is light misty rain (the only rain of the trip so far), which adds a veneer of soft silver light to the scene of the ruins.
There are two museums that are alone worth the trip here: the new Olympic History Museum and the older Archaeological Museum. The first contains sculpture and artifacts illustrating the history of the sporting and religious aspects of the games. Much of what we know about this period in history comes from the wealth of information in the sculptures and in the implements of sport and worship used at the time. The two most important and beautiful works are the Nike (“Wingless Victory”) and Praxitales’ Hermes, a work that matches Michelangelo’s David in its depiction of the youthful male form.
The Archaeological Museum is built around a room that matches exactly the dimensions of the temple of Zeus, located nearby in the ruins. While the base and some of the pillars of the original temple are still in place outside, this room contains original sculptures that lined the friezes of the temple, each statue placed exactly where it would have stood on the original building.
After visiting the ruins and the museums, we are ready for a relaxed lunch at a resort hotel just outside the city. In the late afternoon we return to the ship, worn out physically, but rejuvenated in spirit. We decide to skip the dining room tonight, and opt for pizza cooked to order in the Lido. We turn in early looking forward to the extra hour of sleep we gain tonight as we turn back the clock on our way to Dubrovnik.
Kotolokon is the port for the ruins of Olympia in the west central portion of the Peloponnese, the peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean south of Athens. It is much quieter and more picturesque than the busy commercial port at Pireaus. A 30-minute bus ride over the hills takes us to the small modern town of Olympia and its magnificent archaeological site. In the Greece of the 5th Century B.C., this was a religious precinct containing major temples to Zeus and Hera. Every fifth year sporting competitions were held in honor of the gods—which eventually gave rise to the Olympic Games, both classical and modern. The ruins are set among green lawns and evergreen trees. There is also a huge grove of Judas trees which bloom in vibrant shades of purple and pink in the spring. Although it is October now, I was lucky enough to have been here in late April 1993 when everything was in spectacular bloom. Today there is light misty rain (the only rain of the trip so far), which adds a veneer of soft silver light to the scene of the ruins.
There are two museums that are alone worth the trip here: the new Olympic History Museum and the older Archaeological Museum. The first contains sculpture and artifacts illustrating the history of the sporting and religious aspects of the games. Much of what we know about this period in history comes from the wealth of information in the sculptures and in the implements of sport and worship used at the time. The two most important and beautiful works are the Nike (“Wingless Victory”) and Praxitales’ Hermes, a work that matches Michelangelo’s David in its depiction of the youthful male form.
The Archaeological Museum is built around a room that matches exactly the dimensions of the temple of Zeus, located nearby in the ruins. While the base and some of the pillars of the original temple are still in place outside, this room contains original sculptures that lined the friezes of the temple, each statue placed exactly where it would have stood on the original building.
After visiting the ruins and the museums, we are ready for a relaxed lunch at a resort hotel just outside the city. In the late afternoon we return to the ship, worn out physically, but rejuvenated in spirit. We decide to skip the dining room tonight, and opt for pizza cooked to order in the Lido. We turn in early looking forward to the extra hour of sleep we gain tonight as we turn back the clock on our way to Dubrovnik.
At home in Tucson, AZ, since 2005, I live with my partner of over 47 years--and husband of six years--Will Feathers. I grew up in New York City (1947-67), earned my BA from CUNY in 1967 and my PhD in English from Indiana University/ Bloomington in 1974. I served on the full-time faculty of the English Department at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, from 1971 to 2004 (33 years), when I accepted an offer for early retirement. Last year (April 2022), we sold our house and moved into an Independent Living Senior Retirement Community in Tucson, where we have made many new friends.
Wednesday, 27 October 2010: Athens
As we dock in Piraeus, the port of Athens, now connected to that city by a half-hour Metro ride, we are among five other large cruise ships—so much for quiet, off-season travel. There are lots of crowds and the temperature is quite warm, but nothing can spoil the excitement of being in Athens on a beautiful day.
The Plaká
Today’s tour is supposed to begin at the Akropolis, so that we can walk the steps and stand on the hill in the cool morning. But this is Greece, and there is an economic crisis, and all the guards at public monuments are on strike—but only until noon. So we will spend our morning time in the Plaká, the oldest part of the city, with small streets lined by two- and three-story buildings with shops, bars, and restaurants, the Cathedral (deconsecrated and closed due to recent earthquake damage) and several small, much older brick chapels and churches. There are extraordinary views of the Akropolis, with the Parthenon clearly visible in the sunlight. The best part of the morning is an early lunch at a tavern, under cool shade trees. We share a tomato, cucumber platter in olive oil and local herbs (why can’t we get tomatoes like that in Arizona? I guess I know why!). Will has a large casserole of moussaka and I have chicken and peppers souvlaki.
The Akropolis
After lunch we return to the main square for the trip to and trek up the Akropolis. The bus can only take us so far and then it's marble steps the rest of the way. Our tour guide today—the only one we can complain about—keeps us standing in the sun while she drones on with facts and figures that we’ve already read in the guide books and that we won’t remember anyway, while all we want to do is be in the presence of the monuments ourselves. So we escape her clutches, climb the remaining treacherous steps and finally reach the breathtaking sights of the Parthenon and the Ereictheon shining in the bright afternoon light. Unfortunately, we don’t have time today for the new Akropolis museum, opened just last year, but we can see the building on the hillside below us, along with the Odeon of Apollo, and a series of Roman-Syrian pillars across the way behind Hadrian’s Arch. On the other side of the hill, in the near distance, are the restored Agora and several other original temples. It really is wonderful to be here, even among the crowds, but we kind of long for the peace and quiet of the Greek temples in Agrigento, Sicily, which are much larger and more completely preserved (I’ll stop quibbling now).
Dinner and Goodnight
As the Queen Victoria sails out of Piraeus in the early evening we are treated to a spectacular show of thunder and lightning. The rain continues most of the night as we sail to Kotolokon, but the ship is securely built—and very quiet—and we hardly feel the sea at all. For dinner we finally have an offering of escargot, but the rest of the meal, like most of the food, is adequate but not very interesting. At least our servers, Jane and Merwin, from the Philippines, are very good and make the meals pleasant.
As we dock in Piraeus, the port of Athens, now connected to that city by a half-hour Metro ride, we are among five other large cruise ships—so much for quiet, off-season travel. There are lots of crowds and the temperature is quite warm, but nothing can spoil the excitement of being in Athens on a beautiful day.
The Plaká
Today’s tour is supposed to begin at the Akropolis, so that we can walk the steps and stand on the hill in the cool morning. But this is Greece, and there is an economic crisis, and all the guards at public monuments are on strike—but only until noon. So we will spend our morning time in the Plaká, the oldest part of the city, with small streets lined by two- and three-story buildings with shops, bars, and restaurants, the Cathedral (deconsecrated and closed due to recent earthquake damage) and several small, much older brick chapels and churches. There are extraordinary views of the Akropolis, with the Parthenon clearly visible in the sunlight. The best part of the morning is an early lunch at a tavern, under cool shade trees. We share a tomato, cucumber platter in olive oil and local herbs (why can’t we get tomatoes like that in Arizona? I guess I know why!). Will has a large casserole of moussaka and I have chicken and peppers souvlaki.
The Akropolis
After lunch we return to the main square for the trip to and trek up the Akropolis. The bus can only take us so far and then it's marble steps the rest of the way. Our tour guide today—the only one we can complain about—keeps us standing in the sun while she drones on with facts and figures that we’ve already read in the guide books and that we won’t remember anyway, while all we want to do is be in the presence of the monuments ourselves. So we escape her clutches, climb the remaining treacherous steps and finally reach the breathtaking sights of the Parthenon and the Ereictheon shining in the bright afternoon light. Unfortunately, we don’t have time today for the new Akropolis museum, opened just last year, but we can see the building on the hillside below us, along with the Odeon of Apollo, and a series of Roman-Syrian pillars across the way behind Hadrian’s Arch. On the other side of the hill, in the near distance, are the restored Agora and several other original temples. It really is wonderful to be here, even among the crowds, but we kind of long for the peace and quiet of the Greek temples in Agrigento, Sicily, which are much larger and more completely preserved (I’ll stop quibbling now).
Dinner and Goodnight
As the Queen Victoria sails out of Piraeus in the early evening we are treated to a spectacular show of thunder and lightning. The rain continues most of the night as we sail to Kotolokon, but the ship is securely built—and very quiet—and we hardly feel the sea at all. For dinner we finally have an offering of escargot, but the rest of the meal, like most of the food, is adequate but not very interesting. At least our servers, Jane and Merwin, from the Philippines, are very good and make the meals pleasant.
At home in Tucson, AZ, since 2005, I live with my partner of over 47 years--and husband of six years--Will Feathers. I grew up in New York City (1947-67), earned my BA from CUNY in 1967 and my PhD in English from Indiana University/ Bloomington in 1974. I served on the full-time faculty of the English Department at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, from 1971 to 2004 (33 years), when I accepted an offer for early retirement. Last year (April 2022), we sold our house and moved into an Independent Living Senior Retirement Community in Tucson, where we have made many new friends.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Monday, 25 October 2010: Malta
The weather continues to be spectacular, kindly providing us with bright, clear mornings and afternoons, and evening sunsets that streak the sky and sea with a palette of reds and golds. This is my first visit to the island nation of Malta and its companion island of Gozo, so I am eager and excited about the all-day tour which takes us to Valletta (the capital city), Mdina (the “quiet city” of the Middle Ages), and a number of viewpoints around the island.
Valletta and Mdina
We enter the port of Valletta just as the sun is rising and are treated to views of fortifications on each side of the harbor and the city rising on the hills above. The buildings are bathed in the rosy light of the morning as small fishing boats and larger sailboats begin to ply the waters.
Valletta, home to the Knights of Malta, is surrounded by its medieval walls; we stop in gardens outside of the walls for a view over the harbor before entering the gates of the city. St John’s co-Cathedral (shared by Roman and Eastern Orthodox Catholics) is a fairyland of wild baroque decoration, much of it marble, and the rest gilded wood and stucco. The aisles surrounding the nave contain eight chapels, each dedicated to one of the languages spoken on the island (don’t ask). The highlight of the cathedral is Caravaggio’s “Beheading of St John”; the dark vitality of the original puts all the copies to shame. Valletta itself is a charming town with many architectural relics from the Medieval to the Baroque. After strolling through the older parts of the city we leave through an old city gate (of no particular historical or artistic interest) that is being replaced by a municipal structure designed by Renzo Piano, that will contain visitor center, auditorium, concert hall, and meeting rooms—as well as providing a new gateway to the old city.
After leaving Valletta, we ride through small prosperous-looking town surrounded by olive trees and long grasses waving in the breezes. Next are the ruins of the Tarxian Temples, built of local limestone in 3000 BC, probably by refugees from nearby Sicily. The site overlooks the sea and the ruins sit amidst wild clover and cypress trees. The nearby streams are swollen and muddy—we have just missed intense rains over the past several days (but today the sun is shining). We stop for a leisurely lunch at Razzett L-Antik, housed in a building dating from 1743, and famous for its home-baked bread (crusty on the outside, soft on the inside, with the aroma of the fields and the mill still adhering). We also make a brief stop at a “crafts village,” but the good pieces on display are too large and too fragile to transport (rugs and modern art glass, for example), and the smaller pieces are just the usual tourist trinkets.
Our last visit of the day is the best: the “quiet” city of Mdina, the oldest city on the island, with only 300 inhabitants. This is another walled city with so many quaint alleyways, picturesque doorways, and fascinating architectural detail, that my camera just takes pictures (far too many) by itself—I don’t even have to look. The prize of Mdina is the Cellini silver altarpiece in its Cathedral, the most beautiful and valuable one in all of Europe.
Cunard Tours
All of the shore excursions have local guides, most of whom are quite knowledgeable and helpful (at least up to this point in our trip). Additionally, a person from Cunard accompanies each tour to evaluate the local guides and drivers, as well as to assist passengers. We were lucky to connect with Elizabeth (Mexican by birth but living most of her life in Toronto) on a number of these tours. She is sort of half passenger-half Cunarder, as she helps out with the tours. In addition, her 28-year-old son (the oldest of five children) is the production director for all the electronics and entertainment on board the Queen Victoria. She is a lively and charming companion and we have enjoyed her company at a number of street-side cafes.
Tonight’s Dinner
- Gazpacho; leaf lettuce with tomato and shaved fennel in vinaigrette dressing; rack of lamb, potato roti, roasted vegetables; strawberry ice cream (L).
- Minestrone soup; Norfolk turkey slices with cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, stuffing, sausage; sticky toffee pudding (W)—Thanksgiving a little early.
At home in Tucson, AZ, since 2005, I live with my partner of over 47 years--and husband of six years--Will Feathers. I grew up in New York City (1947-67), earned my BA from CUNY in 1967 and my PhD in English from Indiana University/ Bloomington in 1974. I served on the full-time faculty of the English Department at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, from 1971 to 2004 (33 years), when I accepted an offer for early retirement. Last year (April 2022), we sold our house and moved into an Independent Living Senior Retirement Community in Tucson, where we have made many new friends.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Sunday, 24 October 2010: Tunis
The opportunity to visit North Africa, if only for one day, was one of the deciding factors in choosing this particular cruise (in addition to the fact that Cunard owed me a rather large credit for having missed the sailing of the Queen Mary 2 back in April). Will and I had spent two wonderful weeks in Egypt in 1993 and we were interested in seeing another aspect of Arab culture. We gained extra sleep last night as clocks were set back one hour (we will lose that hour again on our way to Greece).
The ship docks in the harbor of La Goulette, the port suburb of Tunis. The first part of our tour takes us by coach over the salt lake separating Tunis from La Goulette, originally providing access for fishing, but now largely silted up. Tunis lies about ten miles to the southeast of the port and the cities of Carthage and Sidi Abou Said lie ten miles to the west. There is good rail service connecting all these points for those wishing to visit on their own.
The opportunity to visit North Africa, if only for one day, was one of the deciding factors in choosing this particular cruise (in addition to the fact that Cunard owed me a rather large credit for having missed the sailing of the Queen Mary 2 back in April). Will and I had spent two wonderful weeks in Egypt in 1993 and we were interested in seeing another aspect of Arab culture. We gained extra sleep last night as clocks were set back one hour (we will lose that hour again on our way to Greece).
The ship docks in the harbor of La Goulette, the port suburb of Tunis. The first part of our tour takes us by coach over the salt lake separating Tunis from La Goulette, originally providing access for fishing, but now largely silted up. Tunis lies about ten miles to the southeast of the port and the cities of Carthage and Sidi Abou Said lie ten miles to the west. There is good rail service connecting all these points for those wishing to visit on their own.
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| Welcome to Tunisia |
The old city (Tunis Medina) is a very large warren of interconnecting streets and alleyways, each turn providing another picturesque view (and the opportunity for too many photographs). The Medina contains a variety of souks (bazaars), mosques, public service buildings, and many private residences. It was the heart of the medieval city and modern Tunis grew up around its walls. Our guide takes us into the maze and provides some tips for shopping and for finding our way back to the Kasbah (castle fortification) on our own, where the bus waits for us. We visit a carpet and art shop with a second floor balcony providing views over the roofs of the Medina and the whole city of Tunis. From here we can see how far the Medina extends, remembering that it is possible to spend an entire life in its environs; there are shops for every physical and material need, mosques for spiritual succor, cafes with hookahs for entertainment and relaxation, and the gardens of private homes for family and friends. Of particular interest are the vividly painted wooden doors and window frames.
Before leaving the shop we are regaled with (or subjected to, depending on your point of view) a display of hand-made rugs in a rainbow of colors and textures—all very beautiful and all ready for sale and shipment overseas. We have free time to wander through the streets, some covered and some open to the skies, as we work our way back out to meet the tour bus . . . and we are off to . . .
Sidi Abou Said and the Ruins of Carthage
We have chosen not to visit the ruins of Carthage because we had such a marvelous afternoon at Herculaneum while visiting Naples and I know from the guidebooks that the site itself is rather small and limited. But our bus takes us by the main site as we drive 20 minutes on the other side of Tunis to Sidi Abou Said, a charming small town painted entirely in white and blue (except for the few buildings that aren’t). There are no great monuments, mosques, or churches, but the town sits on the side of a hill overlooking the Mediterranean. There is only one street going up and down so we can wander without fear of getting lost. This is a place for sitting in cafes, shopping for crafts and souvenirs, and watching other tourists do the usual tourist-dance. It is obviously a place with a more well-to-do population, as the homes and cars we pass are quite elegant and new. The Presidential Palace (one of them) is situated on the road back to Tunis as is a 150-year-old cedar tree, cut and shaped like a very large Japanese bonsai.
At home in Tucson, AZ, since 2005, I live with my partner of over 47 years--and husband of six years--Will Feathers. I grew up in New York City (1947-67), earned my BA from CUNY in 1967 and my PhD in English from Indiana University/ Bloomington in 1974. I served on the full-time faculty of the English Department at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, from 1971 to 2004 (33 years), when I accepted an offer for early retirement. Last year (April 2022), we sold our house and moved into an Independent Living Senior Retirement Community in Tucson, where we have made many new friends.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Welcome to Greece
We arrive in Athens this morning for the first of two days and two ports in Greece. We continue to outwit the weather, bringing bright skies with us wherever we go. But first it’s back to Italy and our visit to Naples.
Saturday, 23 October 2010: Naples
We arrive in Athens this morning for the first of two days and two ports in Greece. We continue to outwit the weather, bringing bright skies with us wherever we go. But first it’s back to Italy and our visit to Naples.
Saturday, 23 October 2010: Naples
We have a leisurely morning exploring the heart of Naples on our own, before this afternoon’s tour to the ruins of Herculaneum. We have been to Naples before and know to take extra precautions with our belongings and to avoid busy crowds as much as possible. And just as twenty years ago, Naples is in the midst of a garbage collectors’ strike (déjà vu). There is a collection of historic monuments within easy reach of the pier: The New Fortress, the Piazza Plebescito, the Galleria Umberto II, and the Basilica of San Francisco de Paolo. Add to these, of course, the spectacular view of the bay, the Amalfi Peninsula and Mt Vesuvius. And whatever one thinks of Naples, one has to admire the pizza—so we enjoy our share at an outdoor café near the harbor. During our wandering, we come upon two weddings, one with a rather harrid-looking bride.
In the afternoon we head for the ruins of Herculaneum, a Roman resort town buried by the eruption of Mt Vesuvius. The site is much smaller than Pompeii, but the ruins are better preserved because the town was buried in the thick mud of the eruption rather than the hot rocks and burning lava that destroyed much of Pompeii. The vivid red and blue wall paintings and mosaics are still as vivid as when they were created. The wooden beams framing the one- and two-story buildings are still in place—more than slightly charred. The entire site gives a realistic impression of life for the leisure classes a very long ago time.
Back on the Queen Victoria, before dinner we have drinks at one of the ship’s many bars with the Drakes from New Zealand, a couple celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary and their retirement from a hard life on a dairy farm--we also learn that he is a direct descendent of the famous English explorer. We had met them yesterday during our lunch in the Tuscan hills. The highlights of dinner are salmon rilletes, radicchio and shaved fennel salad, and medallions of beef (for me); lobster bisque and chicken tikhal mahshala with poppadums and riaté sauce (for Will). Dessert for Will is treacle pudding with cream sauce. And I’ve neglected to describe the variety of dessert truffles that are served every night with coffee.
At home in Tucson, AZ, since 2005, I live with my partner of over 47 years--and husband of six years--Will Feathers. I grew up in New York City (1947-67), earned my BA from CUNY in 1967 and my PhD in English from Indiana University/ Bloomington in 1974. I served on the full-time faculty of the English Department at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, from 1971 to 2004 (33 years), when I accepted an offer for early retirement. Last year (April 2022), we sold our house and moved into an Independent Living Senior Retirement Community in Tucson, where we have made many new friends.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
A Day at Sea
A quiet day at sea today. The weather continues to be spectacular (in Malta the rains seemed to have ended just as we entered each town): the seas are calm, the temperature in the upper 70s, and we are sailing at a leisurely pace to cover the 500 miles between Malta and Piraeus/Athens in 36 hours. I have become so used to spending a week at sea crossing the Atlantic that the new-port-every-day itinerary of this trip seems a bit grueling. Additionally, there were even some sea days between ports on those cruises. But you want to see all you can in the limited time you have—so onward we push. But today I have time to catch up on the blog, so I may do several entries. Keep checking back.
Friday, 22 October 2010
Arrival in Livorno
Livorno is a busy commercial port on the northwest side of Italy’s “leg,” within short distances of several important places to see. It is most familiar to us from its connections with the Romantic poets, particularly Lord Byron and Percy Shelley (who drowned just off the coast). We have previously visited Lucca, Pisa and Firenze (a number of times, in fact), so today we join an all-day, nine-hour tour of the Tuscan countryside, stopping in Volterra and San Gemignano. I’m particularly excited because these are towns that cannot be reached by train and I have never visited in all my trips to Italy.
Tuscan Adventures: Volterra and Lunch
The bus takes us through the gentle hills of Tuscany, covered with the fall colors of the recently harvested vineyards and olive trees. The season for the first pressings of extra-virgin olive oil has just begun, and there are tasting sites and buying opportunities all across the landscape. Soft greens alternate with pale browns of land freshly tilled and waiting for the planting of winter wheat. Small villages and hilltop fortresses greet us on every side. We are soon off the motorway and driving on narrow roads that curve and glide with the terrain. In the distance we can see Volterra atop its own outcropping—and we’re very glad that someone else is doing the driving.
After a guided tour of Volterra, we have time to wander the streets and find a café for that second cup of morning latte. I even find a small shop selling fine leather goods (while Will is looking the other way). Then the bus takes us back down the hill to a farmhouse restaurant for a leisurely family-style meal. Although the surroundings are quite rustic, with a multitude of dogs, cats, and even a donkey named “Honoria” wandering the grounds, this is really a country inn with rooms to rent, a swimming pool, and views of the Tuscan countryside. Over the years, the owners—earning a great deal of money from the tourist trade—have encouraged contemporary artists to create monumental sculptures at various points on the hillsides and to decorate the gardens of the inn with a variety of abstract and intriguing pieces.
Tuscan Adventures: San Gemignano
San Gemignano—the city of towers—also stands on its own hilltop, two hilltops over from Volterra. The city is surrounded by its medieval walls, but is most famous for the towers attached to private homes (rather than public buildings as in other Italian cities). Each tower symbolizes the wealth of the family living in the house—some families even have two towers. Sometimes height was added when the family was particularly successful; sometimes the towers were taken down a height or two when they lost wealth and favor. San Gemignano is also noted for the best gelato shop in Italy—but we are so full from lunch that we decide to forgo a taste.
Each of these towns really deserves a day (or two) of its own, but the sea calls and we are back on the bus for the return ride to Livorno in the remarkable late afternoon Tuscan light that so enchanted and stimulated the artists of the Renaissance.
Evening and Dinner
We return to the Queen Victoria exhausted in body but exhilarated in spirit to watch another spectacular sunset as we dress for dinner. Tonight is casual and we can give the tuxedos a rest for a few days. For dinner I enjoy terrine of duck with pear confit, frisee and mixed green salad, and rack of pork (really a very thick chop) with a ragout of wild mushrooms, roasted vegetables, and fondant potatoes—and Bailey’s crème brulé for dessert. Will has clam chowder, the salad, and red snapper—with strawberry flambé and vanilla ice cream.
Tonight we sail for Naples and another busy day tomorrow.
A quiet day at sea today. The weather continues to be spectacular (in Malta the rains seemed to have ended just as we entered each town): the seas are calm, the temperature in the upper 70s, and we are sailing at a leisurely pace to cover the 500 miles between Malta and Piraeus/Athens in 36 hours. I have become so used to spending a week at sea crossing the Atlantic that the new-port-every-day itinerary of this trip seems a bit grueling. Additionally, there were even some sea days between ports on those cruises. But you want to see all you can in the limited time you have—so onward we push. But today I have time to catch up on the blog, so I may do several entries. Keep checking back.
Friday, 22 October 2010
Arrival in Livorno
Livorno is a busy commercial port on the northwest side of Italy’s “leg,” within short distances of several important places to see. It is most familiar to us from its connections with the Romantic poets, particularly Lord Byron and Percy Shelley (who drowned just off the coast). We have previously visited Lucca, Pisa and Firenze (a number of times, in fact), so today we join an all-day, nine-hour tour of the Tuscan countryside, stopping in Volterra and San Gemignano. I’m particularly excited because these are towns that cannot be reached by train and I have never visited in all my trips to Italy.
Tuscan Adventures: Volterra and Lunch
The bus takes us through the gentle hills of Tuscany, covered with the fall colors of the recently harvested vineyards and olive trees. The season for the first pressings of extra-virgin olive oil has just begun, and there are tasting sites and buying opportunities all across the landscape. Soft greens alternate with pale browns of land freshly tilled and waiting for the planting of winter wheat. Small villages and hilltop fortresses greet us on every side. We are soon off the motorway and driving on narrow roads that curve and glide with the terrain. In the distance we can see Volterra atop its own outcropping—and we’re very glad that someone else is doing the driving.
After a guided tour of Volterra, we have time to wander the streets and find a café for that second cup of morning latte. I even find a small shop selling fine leather goods (while Will is looking the other way). Then the bus takes us back down the hill to a farmhouse restaurant for a leisurely family-style meal. Although the surroundings are quite rustic, with a multitude of dogs, cats, and even a donkey named “Honoria” wandering the grounds, this is really a country inn with rooms to rent, a swimming pool, and views of the Tuscan countryside. Over the years, the owners—earning a great deal of money from the tourist trade—have encouraged contemporary artists to create monumental sculptures at various points on the hillsides and to decorate the gardens of the inn with a variety of abstract and intriguing pieces.
Tuscan Adventures: San Gemignano
San Gemignano—the city of towers—also stands on its own hilltop, two hilltops over from Volterra. The city is surrounded by its medieval walls, but is most famous for the towers attached to private homes (rather than public buildings as in other Italian cities). Each tower symbolizes the wealth of the family living in the house—some families even have two towers. Sometimes height was added when the family was particularly successful; sometimes the towers were taken down a height or two when they lost wealth and favor. San Gemignano is also noted for the best gelato shop in Italy—but we are so full from lunch that we decide to forgo a taste.
Each of these towns really deserves a day (or two) of its own, but the sea calls and we are back on the bus for the return ride to Livorno in the remarkable late afternoon Tuscan light that so enchanted and stimulated the artists of the Renaissance.
Evening and Dinner
We return to the Queen Victoria exhausted in body but exhilarated in spirit to watch another spectacular sunset as we dress for dinner. Tonight is casual and we can give the tuxedos a rest for a few days. For dinner I enjoy terrine of duck with pear confit, frisee and mixed green salad, and rack of pork (really a very thick chop) with a ragout of wild mushrooms, roasted vegetables, and fondant potatoes—and Bailey’s crème brulé for dessert. Will has clam chowder, the salad, and red snapper—with strawberry flambé and vanilla ice cream.
Tonight we sail for Naples and another busy day tomorrow.
At home in Tucson, AZ, since 2005, I live with my partner of over 47 years--and husband of six years--Will Feathers. I grew up in New York City (1947-67), earned my BA from CUNY in 1967 and my PhD in English from Indiana University/ Bloomington in 1974. I served on the full-time faculty of the English Department at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, from 1971 to 2004 (33 years), when I accepted an offer for early retirement. Last year (April 2022), we sold our house and moved into an Independent Living Senior Retirement Community in Tucson, where we have made many new friends.
Tunis, Tunisia
Today we visit Tunis, the capital of Tunisia—the most westernized country in North Africa, with a government that is a democratic republic and a population that is 80% Christian. Native Tunisians are descended from the Berbers, but the populace today is mostly Arabic. We dock in La Goutlette, a port suburb of Tunis, and will join a tour that takes us to both the historical heart of the Tunis Medina and the seaside artist’s colony of Sidi Abou Said.
But first back to our last day in Barcelona and our sail away to Monte Carlo.
Wednesday, 20 October 2010
The Morning in Barcelona
The Queen Victoria remained docked overnight in Barcelona, and this morning we have the opportunity for some more exploration. We take the free shuttle bus from the pier to the World Trade Center at the foot of Las Ramblas, and then a short walk to the funicular that will take us up the hill to Parc Montjuic and the Joan Miro Foundation and Museum. Barcelona has a great integrated transportation system of metro, buses, funiculars, and cable cars—all of which accept our 3-day Barcelona card.
The Miro Foundation is a highlight of any visit to Barcelona—and beats the Picasso Museum by a hundred heartbeats. The museum contains major examples of every medium that Miro worked in, some monumental in size, and all vibrant in color and texture (no indoor photos allowed). The white walls and natural light bring out the feelings of joy and exuberance in all the works. The roof of the museum is literally littered with a series of Miro’s most amusing sculptures and also provides a fine view over all of Barcelona. Then it’s back down the funicular and a short walk to the shuttle bus that takes us back to the ship.
Today we visit Tunis, the capital of Tunisia—the most westernized country in North Africa, with a government that is a democratic republic and a population that is 80% Christian. Native Tunisians are descended from the Berbers, but the populace today is mostly Arabic. We dock in La Goutlette, a port suburb of Tunis, and will join a tour that takes us to both the historical heart of the Tunis Medina and the seaside artist’s colony of Sidi Abou Said.
But first back to our last day in Barcelona and our sail away to Monte Carlo.
Wednesday, 20 October 2010
The Morning in Barcelona
The Queen Victoria remained docked overnight in Barcelona, and this morning we have the opportunity for some more exploration. We take the free shuttle bus from the pier to the World Trade Center at the foot of Las Ramblas, and then a short walk to the funicular that will take us up the hill to Parc Montjuic and the Joan Miro Foundation and Museum. Barcelona has a great integrated transportation system of metro, buses, funiculars, and cable cars—all of which accept our 3-day Barcelona card.
The Miro Foundation is a highlight of any visit to Barcelona—and beats the Picasso Museum by a hundred heartbeats. The museum contains major examples of every medium that Miro worked in, some monumental in size, and all vibrant in color and texture (no indoor photos allowed). The white walls and natural light bring out the feelings of joy and exuberance in all the works. The roof of the museum is literally littered with a series of Miro’s most amusing sculptures and also provides a fine view over all of Barcelona. Then it’s back down the funicular and a short walk to the shuttle bus that takes us back to the ship.
Sailing to Monte Carlo and the First Formal Night
We sail away at one in the afternoon while having lunch in the Britannia Restaurant: chilled sweet red pepper soup, really excellent boeuf Bourguignon (Larry), a club sandwich with the crusts trimmed (Will), Irish coffee mousse with pistachio cream (L), and walnut and chocolate chip ice cream (W). The only afternoon activities are the obligatory life vest drill (in the Royal Court Theatre), followed by a lecture about the first three ports: Monaco, Livorno, and Naples.
Ironic note: The Cunard Line is noted for its refined service and conservative atmosphere, but they have named the entertainment center, “The Royal Court Theatre,” in honor of the place that was a hotbed of revolutionary theatre in 1950’s London and saw the premiers of agitprop political theatre and the plays of the generation of England’s “Angry Young Men.”
Tonight is the first formal dinner and the “Black and White Ball.” We dress up in our finery and look mighty impressive (we decided after all the indecision to bring our tuxedoes). The highlight of my dinner is the Buffalo mozzarella, plum tomato, and basil pesto caprese—with wonderful tasty tomatoes that we just don’t see very much in Tucson. Will enjoys his fresh spinach ricotta ravioli with melted cherry tomatoes in a creamy cheese sauce. And, of course, there is authentic warm apple strudel with vanilla ice cream. We share a bottle of 2006 Wente Cabaret Sauvignon from coastal California, sent to us by our travel agent, Elaine (thanks, Elaine!).
Thursday, 22 October 2010
Arrival and Touring in Monte Carlo
We arrive at Monaco just before dawn and drop anchor about six tenths of a mile out. It’s only a brief ride on the tender right into the center of the port, docking among the largest and most ostentation yachts and sailboats on display anywhere in the Mediterranean. Since I was here just last April, we don’t need a tour today; Monaco is so compact that the highlights can be seen in several hours.
We start with a short walk along the rocky coast into the base of a large rock outcropping atop of which sits the Old City. Fortunately for tourists, the Monegasques have installed a series of elevators and escalators that take us from the shore to the top. It’s not far—a lovely walk through the St Martin Gardens with views in every direction over the sea—to reach the Romanesque Cathedral, where Princess Grace (among others) is buried, and the Palace Square.
We take a walking tour through the Royal Apartments, but somehow the audio on the earphones never seems to correspond to the rooms we are in. There are a few nice pieces of Italian and French furniture (if you like ornate rococo), but the art, including all the family portraits, is not very good.
A city bus takes us down the hill into the commercial center of town, closed to automobiles, and we have a light lunch and wonderful coffee at a very popular and busy café. After some window shopping there is another bus up another hillside to the more fashionable part of town, site of the Casino, the Opera House, the most serious selection of well-known designer shops, and an indoor, three-story shopping center with the most incredible crystal chandeliers. In mid-afternoon we head back to the tenders to the ship.
Sunset Sail Away and Second Formal Dinner
We watch a lovely sunset from our verandah as the Queen Victoria slowly slips away from the coast and we head for Livorno and Tuscany. We are amidships on Deck 5 and can’t believe how smooth and quiet she is, even as she makes the 90-degree turn out of the harbor. We don our fancy dress for another formal dinner followed by the “Masquerade Ball”—don’t ask what the balls are all about since we only take a quick look from the balcony of the Ballroom. We have champagne on the verandah before dinner.
I will report about the food and service later in more detail. Our servers, Jane and Wilmer, are friendly and efficient (all you can ask for), and the portions are very large. Food is well prepared and always at the right temperature—but this is a British ship and the chef’s staff could use a little more imagination.
We long forward to a long day in Tuscany tomorrow, so for now it’s good night—and good sailing.
At home in Tucson, AZ, since 2005, I live with my partner of over 47 years--and husband of six years--Will Feathers. I grew up in New York City (1947-67), earned my BA from CUNY in 1967 and my PhD in English from Indiana University/ Bloomington in 1974. I served on the full-time faculty of the English Department at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, from 1971 to 2004 (33 years), when I accepted an offer for early retirement. Last year (April 2022), we sold our house and moved into an Independent Living Senior Retirement Community in Tucson, where we have made many new friends.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Naples, Italy
It’s hard to believe that it is already Saturday and I am way behind in blog entries—so please be patient as I try to catch up. But we have been so busy it’s hard to find a free moment. We have just arrived in Naples and plan to spend the morning touring on our own in the heart of the city. This afternoon we have an excursion to the Roman city of Herculaneum, destroyed during the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, but conveniently open to tourists today.
Tuesday, 19 October 2010
A Visit to the US Consulate
We have a busy morning today, but the sun is shining and the temperature is warming as we check out of our hotel and store our luggage for pickup later this afternoon. The hotel staff is especially helpful; they even have photocopies of our passports that they give us—this will speed up the process at the Consulate. After coffee and croissants at the corner coffee shop we taxi to the Consulate, located in the hills overlooking the central city. Not the best circumstances for getting a panoramic tour, but we take advantage of what we have.
Although there is a slight hitch when the photo machine at the consulate breaks down (after taking Will’s four €s, and we have to find a photo shop four blocks away for Will to take new headshots, the whole process goes quite smoothly and we leave the Consulate, new passport in hand, in about two hours.
Back to Being Tourists
We spend the rest of the morning at Guadi’s exuberant fantasy, La Sagrada Familia, still under construction after one hundred years. You can easily tell the difference between the parts of the structure built under the architect’s direct supervision: although the decoration is flamboyantly 20th century, the basic structure is in harmony with most Gothic cathedrals across Europe. The stone is splayed with myriad decorative wild shapes and forms in bright Iberian colors. You may recognize many traditional Christian symbols in the decoration, but you will also find a good number of very puzzling fruit- and animal-like constructions. The new parts are built with smoother stone and more angular stylizations. For some reason (is today a Catalan holiday?). The line to get inside stretches completely around the building and moves very slowly, so we opt for just the outside (the most interesting part anyway).
After lunch (an excellent pizza margherita), we head back to the Barrio Gotico and the Picasso Museum, a collection of the master’s early works. The museum does not contain many of his major paintings, but does give a good sense of his early works and sources. Some early small watercolors of the villages surrounding Barcelona are especially charming. The museum also has a very fine gift shop (in case you want to make plans).
We walk back to the hotel to collect our luggage and taxi to the dock (it’s a really walkable distance—if you don’t have any luggage). All goes smoothly: we have our passports and other worldly positions and are ready to start anew. Our stateroom is very tasteful—amidships on deck 5, starboard—and surprisingly room. There is enough closet space for all our belongings. And I can use my laptop and access the web directly from the room (for a very un-modest fee, of course).
With two people eating on this cruise there will be just too much food to describe it all, so I will only mention the highlights: prosciutto and melon with fig chutney; cream of vegetable soup with Parmesan croutons; traditional roast beef with Yorkshire pudding and horseradish sauce (this is a British ship); Bailey’s chocolate trifle with strawberry coulis for dessert. Our servers, Jane and Wilmer, are very British (via the colonies), and are efficient and pleasant.
We look forward to a good night sleep and another day of touring in Barcelona tomorrow morning.
It’s hard to believe that it is already Saturday and I am way behind in blog entries—so please be patient as I try to catch up. But we have been so busy it’s hard to find a free moment. We have just arrived in Naples and plan to spend the morning touring on our own in the heart of the city. This afternoon we have an excursion to the Roman city of Herculaneum, destroyed during the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, but conveniently open to tourists today.
Tuesday, 19 October 2010
A Visit to the US Consulate
We have a busy morning today, but the sun is shining and the temperature is warming as we check out of our hotel and store our luggage for pickup later this afternoon. The hotel staff is especially helpful; they even have photocopies of our passports that they give us—this will speed up the process at the Consulate. After coffee and croissants at the corner coffee shop we taxi to the Consulate, located in the hills overlooking the central city. Not the best circumstances for getting a panoramic tour, but we take advantage of what we have.
Although there is a slight hitch when the photo machine at the consulate breaks down (after taking Will’s four €s, and we have to find a photo shop four blocks away for Will to take new headshots, the whole process goes quite smoothly and we leave the Consulate, new passport in hand, in about two hours.
Back to Being Tourists
We spend the rest of the morning at Guadi’s exuberant fantasy, La Sagrada Familia, still under construction after one hundred years. You can easily tell the difference between the parts of the structure built under the architect’s direct supervision: although the decoration is flamboyantly 20th century, the basic structure is in harmony with most Gothic cathedrals across Europe. The stone is splayed with myriad decorative wild shapes and forms in bright Iberian colors. You may recognize many traditional Christian symbols in the decoration, but you will also find a good number of very puzzling fruit- and animal-like constructions. The new parts are built with smoother stone and more angular stylizations. For some reason (is today a Catalan holiday?). The line to get inside stretches completely around the building and moves very slowly, so we opt for just the outside (the most interesting part anyway).
After lunch (an excellent pizza margherita), we head back to the Barrio Gotico and the Picasso Museum, a collection of the master’s early works. The museum does not contain many of his major paintings, but does give a good sense of his early works and sources. Some early small watercolors of the villages surrounding Barcelona are especially charming. The museum also has a very fine gift shop (in case you want to make plans).
We walk back to the hotel to collect our luggage and taxi to the dock (it’s a really walkable distance—if you don’t have any luggage). All goes smoothly: we have our passports and other worldly positions and are ready to start anew. Our stateroom is very tasteful—amidships on deck 5, starboard—and surprisingly room. There is enough closet space for all our belongings. And I can use my laptop and access the web directly from the room (for a very un-modest fee, of course).
With two people eating on this cruise there will be just too much food to describe it all, so I will only mention the highlights: prosciutto and melon with fig chutney; cream of vegetable soup with Parmesan croutons; traditional roast beef with Yorkshire pudding and horseradish sauce (this is a British ship); Bailey’s chocolate trifle with strawberry coulis for dessert. Our servers, Jane and Wilmer, are very British (via the colonies), and are efficient and pleasant.
We look forward to a good night sleep and another day of touring in Barcelona tomorrow morning.
At home in Tucson, AZ, since 2005, I live with my partner of over 47 years--and husband of six years--Will Feathers. I grew up in New York City (1947-67), earned my BA from CUNY in 1967 and my PhD in English from Indiana University/ Bloomington in 1974. I served on the full-time faculty of the English Department at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, from 1971 to 2004 (33 years), when I accepted an offer for early retirement. Last year (April 2022), we sold our house and moved into an Independent Living Senior Retirement Community in Tucson, where we have made many new friends.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Monte Carlo, Monaco
Just as the sun is rising today, Thursday, October 21, the Queen Victoria sails into the blue-green waters of Monaco and drops anchor just over one-half mile from shore. Last April the Eurodam (about the same size as the QV), was able to dock right at the pier at Port Hercule, but today two other ships have beat us to it and our passengers will have to tender in. But before I can get to the wonders of Monaco, I will go back to our time in Barcelona.
Just as the sun is rising today, Thursday, October 21, the Queen Victoria sails into the blue-green waters of Monaco and drops anchor just over one-half mile from shore. Last April the Eurodam (about the same size as the QV), was able to dock right at the pier at Port Hercule, but today two other ships have beat us to it and our passengers will have to tender in. But before I can get to the wonders of Monaco, I will go back to our time in Barcelona.
Monday, 18 October 2010
We land on time at the Barcelona airport, but spend more than a few minutes looking for our car driver who is not waiting at the appointed place. She does arrive about a half hour late, speaking no English (which is odd for Barcelona), looking a little haggard, and driving a taxi with a meter rather than a private car. But she doesn’t set the meter so everything is fine as we make the short drive into the center of the city and the Laietana Palace Hotel, where our room is ready for us even though it is still early morning.
Our room on the fifth floor overlooks the Roman Wall that surrounds Barcelona Cathedral. We are ideally located only one block from a Metro station and in the heart of the Gothic Barrio or Old City. The highlights of the morning are café con leche and fresh croissants at a café directly opposite the cathedral; the cathedral itself, known as the darkest major church in Europe; and a walking tour of the narrow streets of the medieval heart of the city, leading to a local market recently reconstructed with undulating tile roofs and interior wooden ships' ceilings.
After a long afternoon siesta we venture out again by metro to Plaça Catalunya, the heart of downtown Barcelona and site of the major Spanish department store, El Corte Ingles; then on to Las Ramblas, a series of continuous boulevards that is the central artery of Catelan life. There is nothing that cannot be found along these streets, from plush hotels and fine restaurants to the St. Josep food market to street performers and gelato stands. We have dinner at a Barcelona version of a restaurant like Ruby Tuesdays and then stop for gelato on the street. We are ready to head back to our hotel—but then . . .
The Unfortunate Adventure of Will’s Pocket
On our metro ride back to the hotel Will is the victim of very wily pickpockets who get his wallet out of his velcroed side pocket just as the train doors are closing and we are on the outside on the station. Inside the train are the criminals with his passport, credit cards, driver’s license, medical cards, etc. Fortunately they didn’t get any money and there was no violence.
We do keep our heads and take a taxi to the central police station, where a member of the Barcelona Tourist Board is available as translator and helps us through the whole process of cancelling credit cards and filing a police report. Without his help I am sure we would have both been in tears. He guided Will through a series of free phone calls to his credits card companies and filled out all the police forms for him. The whole process took a little over an hour.
Both numbed and exhausted we taxi back to the hotel to prepare for tomorrow’s early morning trip to the American Consulate to get a new passport. I will continue with the details of this adventure in the next blog entry, but everything did work out: Will got his new passport and we boarded the ship on schedule. We even had enough spare time to have lunch and to visit Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia and the Picasso Museum.
So as we sail on tonight, we will continue the adventures tomorrow.
At home in Tucson, AZ, since 2005, I live with my partner of over 47 years--and husband of six years--Will Feathers. I grew up in New York City (1947-67), earned my BA from CUNY in 1967 and my PhD in English from Indiana University/ Bloomington in 1974. I served on the full-time faculty of the English Department at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, from 1971 to 2004 (33 years), when I accepted an offer for early retirement. Last year (April 2022), we sold our house and moved into an Independent Living Senior Retirement Community in Tucson, where we have made many new friends.
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