It's already Friday and we are on our first sea day as we sail from Sicily to Israel.  But the blog goes back a few days to . . .

Rome Airport
Tuesday, 7 November 2017

When I last landed at FCO one year ago, it was, happily, a small airport with short walking distances from the gates to luggage to the exit.  This year, however, we are landing at the newly-opened International Terminal, with a walk almost as long as the distance to Rome itself.  And, of course, I had dismissed the wheelchair, based on previous experience.

We survive the walk through baggage and customs very quickly and our driver is waiting in the arrivals hall with my name on his iPad.  Anita, as you recall, spent the night here at the airport, but she arrive  shortly to meet us and we are off for the one-hour ride, through lovely Lazio countryside, to Civitevecchia.  Our driver takes us right to the cruise port entrance, our luggage is magically whisked away and we are soon on board having lunch at the outdoor Waves Grill (my favorite lobster and filet mignon sandwich).  Our suite is soon ready and off we go to find our luggage and our personal Butler, Manikirana (Manny), from southern India, waiting to greet us.

 

 

The rest of the afternoon-it’s only 1:00pm now—goes in a blur until its time for the safety drill and the sail-away at 6pm.  One difference of sailing in the Fall (rather than Spring or Summer) is that it is usually dark by the time we sail from each port.

Anita (she’s on deck 9, we are on deck 11), joins us in our suite for pre-dinner hors d’ouerves before our 6:30 reservation at Toscana, the specialty northern Italian restaurant (there are no extra charges for the four specialty dining venues).  We all eat wonderful things—no boring details about food this trip—and the olive-oil sommelier tells us, soto voce, that the ship is not nearly full.  Nice for us.

We are then ready for a good night’s sleep as we smoothly sail toward our first port, Naples.  If you have been paying attention you will realize that this is a change in plan.  We were supposed to head for Sorrento, but the Captain informs us that heavy sea swells will make using the tenders in Sorrento too dangerous (only the very smallest ships can dock in Sorrento).  Will and I had arranged a private car and driver tour of the Amalfi coast from Sorrento, but we are able to cancel without any penalty (the tour people didn’t even ask for a deposit).  So we will have to wait for another opportunity to see Sorrento, Amalfi and Positano.

Naples
Wednesday, 8 November 2017 

 

 

I am always happy to return to Naples, even on short notice like this.  Although the city remains as crowded and raucous as ever, the quality of life has changed dramatically since our first visit here in 1990, when we felt we were risking our life and property every time we stepped out of the hotel.  This is my fourth visit and I feel completely safe walking the streets.  I believe the younger generation of Neapolitans are no longer interested in the life of petty crime of their ancestors.  It is still dangerous to cross the street in traffic, but we feel safe riding a crowded bus from the cruise port to the Garibaldi train station, where we begin our walk through SpaccaNapoli, the most colorful and authentic part of the old city.   Back in 1990 the Michelin guidebook advised tourists to enter this area only at their own risk, hiding cameras and jewelry and being as inconspicuous as possible.  Today, it is the most heavily-visited area of the city.

Anita is on a half-day tour to Herculaneum this morning, while we plan to wander on our own. After a leisurely breakfast in the Grand Dining Room, we head off into bright sunshine and perfectly regulated temperature.  Just getting out of the port area is an adventure, trying to avoid the long line of touts selling tours to everywhere.  It’s a five-minute walk to the Metro stop.  We buy our tickets from the machine (instructions in several languages) and take the elevator down to train level.  At the turnstile, however, we are turned away because the metro line has just ceased operation (for the time being, we assume), but a service employee tells us which buses go to Garibaldi.  The tickets, which cost E 1,20 for a single ride (about $1.35 US) is good on both the metro and the bus.

The bus is crowded but we find seats and get good views of street life as we ride to the station.  There are other tourists on the bus, since the train to Pompeii leaves from Garibaldi (we have been to both Pompei and Herculaneum on previous visits).
 

Our walk takes us past a brand-new underground shopping mall, with an open-air roof, several derelict churches, the cathedral, and the Via Sant Biaggio dei Librai, the main street of the area, a narrow cobblestone street lined with shops, restaurants, bars, and museums all along the way.  We plan to visit two outstanding churches--Santa Chiara and the Jesu, but both are closed between noon and 4pm, so we are shut out.  But the cloister of the church of Santa Chiara is open, with its magnificent collection of frescoes and a brightly colored majolica pillars and benches.

Underground shopping mall



Morning cappuccino

Santa Chiara Cloister

 

Then it is time for my favorite restaurant, where we share a lovely Marguerita pizza with fresh tomatoes and basil.  We are ready to head back to the ship; we have been out about four hours and decide to take a taxi since their isn’t much to see along the way.

Tonight we have dinner in the informal Terrace Cafe and head off for a good night’s rest before Messina in the morning.