Month: April 2019

Monday, April 22, 2019

This is my last port of call in Portugal, and my last on the Iberian peninsula. Spain and Portugal are places I would like to see in more detail in the future! Now, if I could just find a few friends who would care to join me…

Where am I?

What did I see, first thing this morning?

We’re moored at the quiet cruise ship port at the Port of Porto, Portugal, the place where tourist are imported and port wine is exported. Our gangplank is on the port side (appropriately, I’m happy to report) and I’m ready to pass through the ship’s portal and explore the city of Port!

What’s been happening?

It’s another shore excursion day, but this one does not involve a beach. Instead, I’ll enjoy a river cruise on the Duoro River.

As usual, the busses are all lined up and ready for us first thing in the morning. On the way out to meet them we pass through the Porto cruise terminal which is a stunning work in tiles. Over one million of these oddly-shaped tiles line every passageway and room in the terminal.

Today, it is cold outside. It’s completely overcast, a bit windy and our high temperature should be in the upper fifties. There is a chance of rain. I’m all bundled up and hoping that the bus will be warm. Looks like I didn’t pick the best day for a river cruise.

As our bus pulls out of the terminal and heads into the city, our tour guide reminds us that we’re actually in the town of Leixoes and that Porto, proper, is a few miles away. On the way to Porto we drive through some nice neighborhoods and past some interesting sights.

The first thing that catches everybody’s eye is something that was designed to catch fish! This huge monument is a fishing net of the type traditionally used by Portuguese fishermen. It sits in a park near the fishing port and is a memorial to the fishermen who have lost their lives in the industry.

There are also some very nice (and very old) houses that face the ocean in the town of Foz (pronounced fosh) like this one:

It soon becomes clear that Porto, unlike Lisbon, has never suffered a devastating earthquake and still has many edifices that are very old, indeed. For example, still in Foz, we passed the fortress of Santa Catarina that was built in the 1500s to discourage pirate attacks.

As we enter Porto, the houses look very much older and the neighborhoods not so resort-like.

Not very long after, we turn the corner where the Duoro River meets the Atlantic Ocean. The Duoro River is huge! It drains much of the northern Iberian peninsula and meets the sea right here. Just a few blocks up the river and we can see a sight that people have been admiring for many hundreds of years.

At this point we’re headed to our riverboat to enjoy a cruise up and down the river’s port area, but first we take a scenic drive around town. I’ll show you some of the views that I found interesting, even though I don’t really have much of a story about any of the sights in particular.

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So many of these buildings look not only old but also run down and vacant. As it turns out, there’s a reason for this. In Porto old buildings are protected by conservation laws. These laws state (among other things) that the styling and construction of the outside of a building may not be altered and must be preserved. This presents a problem for somebody who wants to open a business in the downtown area. If you are a “ma and pa” type of business you will likely find that the cost of refurbishment for any of these old buildings is far beyond your reach. This is especially true for the buildings that are, today, little more than windowless exterior walls with collapsed roofs.

It seems as though the only way these buildings are getting refurbished and reused is if some deep-pocketed corporation is willing to invest the money to make it happen. This has been the case in downtown Porto as huge hotel corporations have stepped in to buy a building, clean it up, add modern amenities and open a new hotel. Also, there is a McDonald’s fast-food restaurant in town in a refurbished building and it is the only McDonald’s (to my knowledge) that has massive chandeliers hanging from the ceiling that are a good match to the historic appearance of the outside of the building. McDonald’s can afford it. Others cannot.

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The good news here is that Porto has been able to preserve its architectural heritage, at least to some degree. The bad news is that small businesses like shops, cafés, and craft beer breweries cannot afford to open in the downtown area, and these are the things that people who might frequent that area want to see. Also, I was told by our tour guide that many feel there are already too many hotels downtown. It’s a conundrum.

At some point the bus stops and we exit. But, we’re still not at the place where we board the boat for the river cruise. First, a short walk down Rua da Riboleira. This narrow street and several of the buildings that line it, were all created in the late middle ages. Look at the size of the street! I might add that while we were walking down this street happily snapping photos, a car actually tried (and succeeded) to pass through us. Sometimes, when modern meets ancient, people can get hurt!

At long last we come upon our river cruiser. I’m expecting something long, low, and luxurious. I find something short, squat, and scruffy. Furthermore, the boat you see in the following photo is not our boat. Our boat is the one behind the boat you see and so we had to cross one floating vessel to reach the other. Once again, I’m very happy I did not need the use of a walker as one or two in our group did.

Once our bus group and one other had filled our boat to capacity, we were ready to set sail. The boat had a loudspeaker system that played a recording that was intended to point out the various attractions that we would see on our boat ride. But, there were two problems with that system: 1) The announced sights were out of sync with our actual location, and 2) with the wind and the splashing of the bow (which was where I was seated) it was nearly impossible to hear the announcements anyway.

So, I have prepared for you a little video to help you experience what I experienced, only perhaps with some nice enhancements. First, you don’t have to be out boating in the cold wind. Second, you can listen to some very nice music instead of the droning wind. The video is almost exactly three minutes long, so I strongly advise you to take the full three minutes, try to relax, control your breathing, and live in my moment.

Now, if you don’t have time for meditation and just can’t sit through that long, three minute video, here’s a few photos so you don’t go away feeling empty handed.

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Clearly visible throughout our tour was the amount of graffiti. It is truly everywhere. It’s a blight on this otherwise stately historic town. However, If one is going to create graffiti, one should, at least, do it with some humor and artistic flair. Like this:

Once our boat ride was complete, we tied up on the opposite side of the river in Gaia in order to continue our tour. Now, everybody should know that Porto is famous for the port wine produced here. But, there are a couple of things that you might not know about port wine. (I took a tour, so I’m now writing as an expert! <grin>)

One: Port wine made Porto famous, but the Portuguese did little to initially develop the port wine trade. Ya know who did? The English!

The English were used to getting their wines from France, but sometimes the English and the French didn’t get along. This was true in 1703 when a new treaty between England and Portugal was signed. Part of that treaty allowed port wine to be imported into England with very low duties. Suddenly, port wine had a new and very lucrative opportunity in the world, and the rest is history. Doubt that the English had much to do with the popularization of port? Just look at these names long associated with fine port wine: Broadbent, Cockburn, Croft, Dow, Gould Campbell, Graham, Osborne, Offley, Sandeman, Taylor, and Warre. Not a lot of Portuguese names in that list.

Two: Port wines don’t really come from Porto. The wine is created upriver in the Duoro valley. Then it is warehoused and aged in the chalk caves of the town of Gaia, across the river from Porto. And, that’s why we tied up across the river from Porto. We’re now in Gaia and we’re off to taste some port wine!

Our wine tasting was hosted by the Poças company, a wine producing and distributing company in Gaia. The company has been family owned for four generations and their wines are available worldwide.

Inside the building are barrels upon barrels of aging port wine. Literally, I mean barrels upon barrels!

And, in the very back of the stored wines were lurking a few prized barrels of fine vintage going back to the beginning of Poças in 1918! I have no idea what a 100 year old port might taste like, but I did find a vintage that interested me. A wine of nearly the same vintage as I. Although no amount of this wine was available for sale and no tasting was offered, I’m sure that this vintage and I share many traits. Oh yes, I’m sure that it is sweet, properly aged, and highly desirable to those who know a good thing. Wouldn’t you agree?

Wait. Why not?

On to the tasting. There were so many options for tasting that I found it difficult to decide what might be best. I mean, they offered two white ports (sweet and semi-sweet), a rosé port, a ruby (sweet and semi-sweet) and a tawny (sweet and semi-sweet.) However, we were allowed to taste only two of them. I felt some pressure was I tried to decide which ones I really wanted to try. For example, I really love tawny ports, but there was a white port and I’ve never tried that. Would it be good? The rosé port is one that is expected to be consumed early after production. Would that be best? Dunno. At that point I thought about the cold cloudy weather outside and the 70% chance of rain in the forecast. I found myself wishing that the sky would just open up and really give us a good dowsing. You may be asking yourself what the weather has to do with choosing a wine. Well, while I could not make up my mind about which wine to try under the current circumstances, I knew that I’d be willing to try any port…

…in a storm.

After our tasting, it was time to return to the ship. On the way out, however, I did select a bottle to take back to the ship and share with my dinner table-mates over dessert. Here’s the one I picked, even though I never sampled it.

I had our wine stewart open and serve this to everybody with their dessert tonight. It was wonderful!

So, what’s coming up?

Tomorrow we have a day at sea. Yay!

G’night.

Easter Sunday, April 21, 2019

This day started off on a very somber note. Hundreds of people were killed today in Sri Lanka as the result of a terrorist attack aimed against the Christian residents and visitors of Colombo, Negombo, and other towns and cities. Having just recently visited Negombo, I felt particularly affected by the incidents. I’ve seen so many parts of the world on this trip, and as a result, I see that we are all more alike than different. I wish that more people would see their worlds the same way.

Where am I?

What did I see, first thing this morning?

It’s always fun to wake up in the morning and step outside to see what was not there the night before. This morning, I sailed under the Golden Gate bridge and into the open arms of Christ the Redeemer.

Or, maybe not.

What’s been happening?

Today, I booked another shore excursion. This might sound a little repetitive but the tour is in two parts. The first part is a quick trip around town to see some of the attractions, and the second part is a drive out to the beach for a look around the countryside. Yeah, I know. That’s what I did yesterday, but it sounds like so much fun, huh? I just never really get tired of beaches.

Look at this line up of ships! I expect things are gonna be crowded today!

So, I left the ship and marched out to my waiting bus. With everybody on board, the bus pulled out and we started exploring the city of Lisbon. And, what a beautiful city it is!

From my perception as somebody that grew up in the United Sates, the city feels old (just like Cadíz, Barcelona, and Napoli) but it feels younger than those places at the same time. This is entirely possible owing to the major earthquake that Lisbon experienced in 1755. In that temblor, the entire downtown part of the city either collapsed, was washed away in a series of tsunamis, or burned. The area was rebuilt, but as a result, all of the buildings are post-1755 and therefore look “modern.”

Near the Port of Lisbon, there are a number of large plazas that invite people to come and play, shop, dine, or just enjoy the day.

Below are some photos of the plazas we drove by. Take a close look and tell me what you see.

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Did you tell me? I couldn’t hear you, so I’ll just tell you.

• All of the plazas make extensive use of tile.
• All of the tiles are black and white
• No two plazas have the same design

In fact, Lisbon is a town full of tiles. Colorful tiles called azulejos adorn many of the houses, especially those that are 100 years old or more. So many styles and so many patterns. If there is a single cultural item that defines the look of Lisbon, it is its array and display of tiles.

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The bus then headed for the highlands. We turned onto La Avenida da Libertade which looks like this: a broad street with a beautiful central promenade accented with shade trees. Notice, once again, that the sidewalks are made from black and white tiles in a pattern that is distinct to this avenue.

At the top of the avenue there is a roundabout with a statue of the Marques de Pombal at the center. It is at an intersection of several of the most important roads in Lisbon. This is no accident.

I found this guy’s story to be quite interesting. He was the King’s Prime Minister starting in 1750. Please recall that there was a devastating earthquake in Lisbon in 1755. During that earthquake, King Joseph I narrowly escaped with his life. After that time he refused to be in any building with walls and proceeded to conduct the King’s business from a tent! And he did so until his death. To me, it sounds like the King developed a severe case of PTSD.

So, in the mean time, Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, the First Marques de Pombal essentially took over. He was not the King, but many believed he had more power than the King at that time. It’s hard to see it in the photo above, but standing next to the Marques at the top of the statue is a lion, and the lion is a symbol of power. And there you have it!

The Marques de Pompal implemented many social and economic reforms at a time when Portugal needed them most, and for that he is still recognized and remembered.

Anywaty, back to the tour. The roundabout is also at the bottom of one of the major parks in Lisbon, the Parque Eduardo VII.

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This park was once called Parque da Libertade (just like the name of the avenue) but when Eduard VII of England visited Lisbon in 1902 on a mission to improve relations with Portugal, the park was renamed in his honor. Here’s an aerial view of this part of the city to help put these pieces (the avenue, the statue, and the park) together.

The Parque Eduardo VII was our last stop in the city. After we all snapped our photos of this place we headed out to the beach. Here’s a map of where we went. Look to the west of Lisbon along the southern coast for the little town of Estoril. That’s where we headed.

Estoril is a beach resort town with all of the amenities that anybody might want in a resort. Ancient castles, a clean beach, an abundance of restaurants, and a huge casino. Beach fun during the day, followed by James Bond-like nightlife.

What can I say about Estoril that I haven’t said about so many other beautiful beach towns on this trip? If you like quiet, beach resort towns, you’d love this place. It didn’t have the Grecian island look of Conil (see yesterday’s post) and it didn’t have narrow little cobblestone streets like Conil, but it had its own kind of charm. And, perhaps most importantly, it had a clean and beautiful beach. Here are a few more photos of Estoril. You decide if you’d like to hang out for a while and have a beer with me.

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On the ride back to the ship we stayed along the coastal road and I’m glad that we did. On this entire trip I have not seen anything nearly so reminiscent of driving along the coast highway through North San Diego County. This ride brought back memories of Leucadia, Carlsbad, and Del Mar, except add in some forts and castles that California does not have. For me, it was breathtaking!

Just outside of Lisbon, we stopped at a park for a rest break and for photos. The area is call Belém (in English, Bethlehem) where these is a big park and the Torre de Belém (Bethlehem Tower) is a big attraction for local and tourists alike. This ancient tower stands in the river (this is just where the Tagus River meets the Atlantic Ocean) on a rocky point. It was originally created to stand guard against pirates!

And, the Torre de Belém was not the only attraction to be seen here. Looking down the Tagus River one can clearly see the Golden Gate Bridge.

Now, you know that we’re in Lisbon, so this can’t be San Francisco’s historic Golden Gate bridge. And it isn’t. But, it is styled after that famous northern California bridge. And, here’s another Bay Area connection: it was constructed in 1966 by the same company that built the Oakland-Bay Bridge that connects Oakland, California with San Francisco! I’m starting to feel more at home all the time!

So, with an ancient fort to one side of me and the Golden Gate Bridge’s doppelgänger on the other side, I would love nothing more than to sit on a bench with a nice glass of wine and (literally) drink it all in.

And, hey! What’s that?

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Why, it’s Wine with a View, the traveling, portable wine bar! How very convenient!

There is so much to see in this huge park. After one finishes a glass of wine or two, what’s a good way to get around town to see the other sights? Well, here’s one way:

Yes, it’s BIRD electric scooters. (And, several other brands, too.) The scourge of cities everywhere can also be found right here in Lisbon. And so, there you have it. Everything from modern electric scooters, to wine-on-the-run to ancient fortresses, Lisbon has it all. Don’t forget the California weather, either!

Anyway, we were out of time and had to get back to the Amsterdam. So, is Lisbon on my “I’d do it again” list? You’re damn straight it is!

So, anything else?

Well, maybe just one more little thing.

One of my favorite things to do after a shore excursion is to come back to the ship, head to the Sea View Bar at the back of the ship, open a beer or pour a glass of wine, and watch another ship sail away into the sunset. Here, a Costa Lines ship makes its afternoon exodus from Lisbon. I wonder where they’re going next? Will their adventures be as spectacular as my own?

I hope so. Cheers!

So, what’s coming up?

Yesterday was Cadíz. Today was Lisbon. Shall we make it three in a row?

Ok. Tomorrow is Porto, Portugal!

Saturday, April 20, 2019

We’re in the Atlantic Ocean now. This is our last port in Spain.

Where am I?

What did I see, first thing this morning?

It’s always fun to wake up in the morning and step outside to see what was not there the night before. This morning, the dramatically lit cathedral in Cadíz greets me.

What’s been happening?

I’ve booked a tour for today and that tour comes in two parts. The first part is a brief drive around Cadíz to see some of the highlights of the city, and the second part is a visit to a little beach town called Conil de la Frontera.

The city of Cadíz is relatively small. It was built on the end of a small peninsula and walled in (more on that in a couple of paragraphs.) Therefore, seeing the “sights of Cadíz” does not take much time.

Driving around Cadíz, my impression is that this is an old city where many parts look similar to colonial-style cities in Mexico. Cadíz seems to be a clean place, even in the downtown area and around the port where other cities show a dirtier side.

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Leaving Cadíz, we pass through the ancient walls that once contained the city. Cadíz is built on a peninsula. Centuries ago, it was protected by fortresses from attacks by sea, and owing to its position on a peninsula, there was only one access to the city by land. It was protected by massive stone walls and gates that could be closed to protect the city.

Although they are no longer gated (having been converted to portals long ago), the stone walls still stand and our bus passes through them as we leave the city and venture out into the world beyond.

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We left the city through the “gates” and headed south to see the sights of the countryside. The map here shows where we visited. We headed south out of Cadíz on the main highway and down to the town of Barbate, then up the coastal road, through Conil de la Frontera, and then back to Cadíz.

On our way to the beach, our guide tells us about the industries that fuel the economy of the greater Cadíz area. One of those industries is supplying prized bulls for the various bullfighting events around Spain. Bulls from the ranch pictured here (which was near Barbate) are also sent to Pamplona for the famous annual “Running of the Bulls.” As it turns out there is a local Running of the Bulls event near Cadíz, too, but it is clearly not as well known globally. Want to start a Running of the Bulls in your town? Bulls from this ranch, which are prized for their beauty, strength, and endurance, start at about US$6,000 each. The best ones go for twice that amount.

Following our visit to the ranch lands, our tour emerged along the coast and one of our first stops was at Cape Trafalgar. The photo below is of the Cape Trafalgar Lighthouse.

Cape Trafalgar was the place of a fierce battle between the English and the French/Spanish in 1805. During the Battle of Trafalgar, the British Royal Navy, commanded by Horatio, Lord Nelson very soundly defeated the combined French and Spanish navies of Napoleon. Though he was victorious, Lord Nelson lost his life here.

For us, this was simply a beautiful stop on a lovely beach. There was absolutely no indication that a violent battle had ever occurred.

Here are some other photos of this lovely location. Oh, and, BTW that hard-to-see mountain way in the background of the last photo is Africa!

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Just down the road from Cape Trafalgar is the little town of Conil de la Frontera. If you paid any attention at all to the map above you may have noticed that many towns in this area have “de la Frontera” as part of their name. “de la Frontera” is Spanish and means “of the border.” However, it should be plainly clear that there are no borders anywhere near here.

Centuries ago, much of the southern part of Spain was under the control of the Moors. As the Spanish fought to drive out the Moors the border between the two civilizations was slowly moving to the south. As a town was “liberated” (a very Spanish point of view) it became the new edge of the Spanish realm and therefor was now “on the border.” After the Moors were driven completely out of the Iberian Peninsula, many of these towns retained their “de la Fontera” moniker, and so we see it today.

So back to Conil de la Frontera.

Conil is a very cute little beach town built on a hill south of Cadíz and north of Cape Trafalgar. It is a resort town with a nice white sand beach, cozy and narrow streets (with very little automobile traffic), restaurants, bars, and souvenir shops.

The beach area, all by itself, has a few attractions of its own, like an amusement park and a couple of restaurant/bars.

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I walked around in town for about an hour just soaking in the experience.

Desafortunatamente (that’s Spanish for unfortunately), our tour could only stay in Conil for about an hour. I could have stayed for a month! Anyway, it was back to the bus for the ride “home.” But that doesn’t mean that my sightseeing was over for the day. Not at all!

After we returned to the ship I still had a couple of hours before we were scheduled to depart, so I visited the central plaza which was just a short walk from where the ship was parked.

The plaza was a large, outdoor area that contained within its boundaries centers for religion, politics, and commerce. Package all of that up and then add restaurants and shops, pepper the place with stately palm trees, and a few thousand people and, abracadabra, you have a very lively place to hang out.

And, I did.

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All in all, it was a very fun, exciting, and educational day! After enjoying a local beer in the plaza, I made the short walk back to the ship so as to not become an accidental citizen of Cadíz.

So, anything else?

I just knew you would ask!

Yes, there was one more little piece of excitement for us, even after the gangplank had been removed.

Today is the day before Easter and this is a very Catholic country. As part of a loooooong standing tradition, there is an Easter procession held today. In this procession, many members of the local Ku Klux Klan parade around in their hoods.

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No, that’s a lie.

There is a procession, and there are people parading around in their hoods (known as capriotes), but this has nothing to do with the Klan. The hooded people in the procession are very religious people who express their devotion to this holy day by wearing their special and traditional garb.

The procession carries a float containing religious icons around the plaza area and, for a brief time, in view of the port area where we are parked. These are the best photos I could take since I was aboard ship already and the gangplank was gone. However, if you can imagine a brass band playing music as the procession slowly, um, proceeded then you might have the full experience in your mind as completely as it was in mine.

And so, it was the end of the day in Cadíz, but not the end of my curiosity. I would love to return to Cadíz, visit Seville, and especially spend some time in Madrid. Hey “next time”! Please come soon!

So, what’s coming up?

There is no restful day at sea tomorrow. Next stop, Lisbon, Portugal!

G’night!

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

I’m starting to feel a little closer to home now. I’m in Europe, and most exciting to me, I’m in Italy!

Where am I?

I’m enjoying the Bay of Napoli. We’re moored near that red pin in the map, and my travels took me all the way around the bay to Sorrento which is that purple pin in the map. Of special note, that’s Mt. Vesuvius to the southeast of Naples (Napoli), about half way to Sorrento.

What did I see, first thing this morning?

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It’s always fun to wake up in the morning and step outside to see what was not there the night before.

What’s been happening?

This is only my second time to Italy, and the last time I visited it was my trip to Venice. I came away from that visit with many, many warm memories. Was it Italy that captured my heart, or was it the wonderful people who traveled with me who made it so? I don’t know. Do you (Robin, Marilyn, Elease, Joe)?

So, today, I wanted to see more of Italy to see if I merely had a “crush” on Italy, or a full-blown love affair. My plan was to explore two very different areas around Napoli: Sorrento and Pompeii.

Napoli, itself, struck me as a very industrial and commercial town. Positioned on a beautiful bay, Napoli is a natural harbor and has been a trading post for more than two thousand years. I can’t see everything on a one day stopover, so I chose to explore outside of Napoli, itself.

My first stop was Sorrento. (Please refer to the map above.) As I mentioned, I’d never been there before but I knew of the place owing to my years of accordion studies. (Look up the song “Return to Sorrento.”)

The drive from Napoli to Sorrento was magnificent! We drove along the main highway (A3, see map above) for much of the drive and what I could see from that highway was not too stunning. But then, we started to ascend into the mountains that separate the greater Napoli area from the Sorrento coast, and that’s where the view started to become eye candy.

Our tour through Sorrento was amazing. It is largely a tourist town with little shops and antique stores. One of the main shopping areas was this gorgeous little alleyway with no automobile traffic; only pedestrians were allowed. There, I found a mixture of high-end shops selling goods from well known Italian (and other) designers, restaurants, antique shops, pubs, and general stores. In total, a little bit of everything was offered to those willing to take the time to shop around.

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Along the way I found this cute little English pub with a boisterously outgoing owner that was half the fun of the visit to this cool little place. (A good IPA was the other half of the fun.) As an example of the proprietor’s sense of humor, this cocktail menu was posted quite prominently outside his establishment.

Our tour included a stop at a place that made fine woodworks with hand-crafted wood inlays. We were shown the process for making this stuff and it is incredibly time consuming. They made everything from chess boards and music boxes to tables and other furniture. Here’s an example of a hand-made inlaid gaming table with multiple games. Price? Well, the prices start at about US$6,500.

After a morning of shopping (and a pint of IPA) we were treated to lunch at a very nice little restaurant tucked away down a narrow alley where you’d think nobody would ever find it. And if you thought that, you’d be wrong as the place was packed. We were served some stuffed garden hose (locally known as cannelloni) that was filled with a tasty ricotta mixture. That was followed by ensalata caprese, and that was followed by some delicious chicken piccata and veggies. All of this was accompanied by an ample amount of Italian wine. It was more than a meal and I did skip dinner tonight.

We left Sorrento and headed back in the direction of Napoli, but our destination was Pompeii. If you look on the map above, Pompeii lies just east of Torre Annunziata, not far off of the main road.

My fascination with Pompeii stems from learning about the place in school. I was always impressed with the fact that archeologists had found people just as they were when they died, and that they had died very suddenly in a rain of ashes.

First and foremost, the ruins at Pompeii are a shining example of life in the days of the Roman empire, at the time that Pompeii was buried in volcanic ash in 79AD. Here’s what it looks like today.

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The ruins of Pompeii are amazing enough, but I really wanted to see those people, frozen in time and positioned as they died. I know, it’s a bit macabre, but that’s what caught my attention as a child when I was first learning about this amazing place. So, here’s what I saw on our tour.

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What I didn’t know before I visited this place is how these images of the dead were made. When the bodies were discovered, they were wrapped in the ashes. Inside the wrapping were the bones of the dead. The skin and organs had all disintegrated leaving a hollow where the complete body had been. One of the archeologists suggested pouring plaster inside of one of the hollows. When this was done and the ash was removed, there was a nearly perfect cast of the body that once filled the void and through that cast we can see what happened to that person (or animal.) The plaster cast accurately takes us back to 79AD and shows us the victims at the moment they died.

On a slightly lighter topic, there are some other “important” remains to be viewed. The following photos shows an ancient grain mill where wheat could be ground between two heavy volcanic stones. The ground wheat would be made into bread dough and cooked in a brick oven. That brick oven from 79AD looks just like the brick ovens used today to make pizza in its classic form. Some things never (and shouldn’t) change.

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Also interesting was to have discovered that there were ancient roman soldiers, still walking around.

I have so many more photos of Pompeii! But I can’t leave this post before showing you what kind of gifts were available at the tourist market in Pompeii. I understand, from talking with the vendors, that these items represented “good luck” in the days of ancient Pompeii. Sure, if they say so.

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So, that was my day in Napoli in a nutshell. I still have more stories to tell, but I can’t fit it all in a single post, so you’ll have to wait for my return if you’d like to hear more about my experiences in this wonderful part of the world.

I do have one small regret. I’m sorry that I missed a chance to visit the Amalfi Coast, but now I have something saved for my next visit! And as for that love affair with Italy, I’m sure now that it’s not just a flirtation. I really love this place!

Anything else?

But, of course!

As the Amsterdam left Napoli, some of the ship’s crew had prepared another night of entertainment in the Sea View bar. This was much like the prior performance except this time the singers and the musicians were even more practiced and professional. There was a big turnout for the event that lasted about an hour and a half. It’s always fun to watch these eager young people perform for our benefit, and we let them know how much we enjoyed it! I was sorry to hear that tonight was their “farewell” performance.

So, what’s coming up?

Another day at sea, and then Barcelona!

G’night!

Friday, April 12, 2019
Saturday, April 13, 2019
Sunday, April 14, 2019
Monday, April 15, 2019

Not just four simple days at sea, but a trip through the Suez Canal!

Where am I?

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SO, WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING

During these days I enjoyed sailing through two stunning areas: The Suez Canal and the Strait of Messina.

To get to the Suez Canal we had to sail around the Sinai Peninsula. All along that peninsula I saw sights like this.

Yes, there’s oil everywhere around here. It’s so precious to us and our economies, even though the ways in which we use it is slowly killing us all. But, it’s not my turn to be a Debbie Downer.

OK, let’s proceed to the Suez Canal. The Suez is not like the Panama Canal inasmuch as it has no locks. The relatively flat terrain and the relatively small difference in sea level at each end allows for a lock-less transit.

The Suez Canal is much like the Panama Canal inasmuch as you must wait your turn to pass through and you must pass through slowly. Our ship arrived just south of the entrance to the canal on Friday, April 12. We anchored and spent the night at that spot while we waited for our turn to enter.

Ships enter either end in convoys, usually led by cruise ships if there are any in the convoy. At about 5:30am our convoy was formed up by the canal authorities and the Amsterdam was placed in the lead. Behind us were two more cruise ships and some number of other commercial carriers.

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You know immediately when you’ve entered the canal as things start to get rather tight. The canal is not very wide.

I mentioned that ships must pass slowly through the canal. Just how slow does a ship move when it’s transiting the canal? Well, it looks like this:

For much of the transit, we didn’t see any traffic moving in the other direction (north to south.) However, about halfway through the trip we started to see the other convoy approaching from the north. At this point there are two canals. We are in the south-to-north canal (east side) and the oncoming convoy was in the north-to-south canal (west side) which, at times, is very close to the canal we’re in and you can see the southbound ships “sailing” through the desert.

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I mentioned that, at times, the canals are not separated by much land. In fact, sometimes the two canals are this close:

I was told that, eventually, there is a plan to develop the central land that lies between the two canals and turn it into a commercial and touristic area. We’ll see how long it takes to accomplish that.

I was surprised to see small fishing boats in the canal. However, if one looks around, both banks of both canals are open to the world. They are not fenced in (though I did see a few guard stations along the way.) So, perhaps I should not have been surprised to see these guys out there trying to earn a living.

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Most of the time (it took about 8 hours to complete the transit) I just cruised along slowly, with a beer in my hand, watching the world go slowly by and thinking about being on a ship, sailing through the desert.

Once we reached the Mediterranean side of the canal, the weather changed immediately and drastically. Very quickly, the wind came up and the air temperature dropped at least ten degrees. Furthermore, from this point all the way to Naples (our next stop) we had cold, cloudy, and windy weather. I’m very glad that I packed some long-sleeve shirts, sweatshirts, and a wool coat. I really needed them!

We sailed along, mostly uneventfully, until we reached the Strait of Messina. The Strait of Messina is a narrow waterway that separates the “toe” of the “boot” of Italy from the island of Sicily. The passage is so narrow and fraught with dangers that there are ancient greek myths about the perils of making this transit.

The scenery through this strait, though, is breathtaking. Allow me to share what I could see from my balcony.

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Not long after I took those photos, the sun set and the day was over. This was our last at sea day. Tomorrow we’ll be on dry land again.

Anything else?

Of course! There’s always a little something else. Do you remember my post about the King Neptune Celebration? Remember when we crossed the equator and all first-timers (known as pollywogs) had to endure the wrath of King Neptune? You may remember that I posted a video showing some of the activities performed on the Amsterdam, including the kissing of the fish.

Well, I just came across this little bit of footage that shows that event from the perspective of the pollywogs and it’s just to hilarious not to share it with you. So, want a better idea of what it is like to be a pollywog? Here you go!

What’s coming up?

Tomorrow, I’m in Napoli, Italy. I plan to visit Pompeii.

Wednesday, April 10, 2019
Thursday, April 11, 2019

After many days at sea, we arrive in Aqaba, Jordan. This is an unusual part of the world where four countries lie within visual distance of each other.

Where am I?

What did I see, first thing this morning?

What’s been happening?

Today, I woke up to my third day of fever, coughing, runny nose, and a general malaise. If I was smart I would have stayed in bed all day (again) but today was the day I was booked to go to Petra. I simply could not pass on this trip. So, I stumbled out of bed and got myself ready to go.

On day 1 of Aqaba, before we left the ship, the people I had arranged to visit Petra with told me that I didn’t look very healthy. Then, on day 2 of Aqaba they told me about having this discussion with me. I was surprised to hear about it because it was all news to me. Why? I guess I was so feverish and out of it that I didn’t (and still don’t) remember even greeting them before we departed. As I write this, I’m very happy that I didn’t decide to go it alone for that trip as I needed to be watched over. Thank goodness for friends!

We left the ship at about 8:30 and jumped on the bus to Petra. Petra was an almost two hour ride from Aqaba, which included a brief stop at a Bedouin-owned store/soda fountain/Hookah café/museum/general store.

On the way into the “store” I passed by this display. Can you see why it caught my eye?

Our stop was brief, thankfully, as the day was to be a long one and we were just getting started. Already I was wishing it was over.

Before much longer, we were at the main gate to the ancient city of Petra. The following photo was not taken by me and does not reflect the crowds that were present on the day I was there. Honestly, there was a huge crowd.

Once inside, a visitor must decide how they prefer to get to the ruins. The path leads downhill into the city, so the trip down to the city is not too tough, even though it is just over a one mile walk. So, obviously, walking down is your first choice.

Another choice is going down (and back up again, if you like) by horseback. The cost of this is actually included in your price of admission, so it is “free.” However, the guys with the horses are all expecting a $20-30 tip for their services, so horseback is not really free.

Another choice is to take a horse-drawn carriage. The cost for this is about $50-60. The “jockeys” really drive these horses hard, likely because they get paid by the trip. The ride is very jostling and one person that I know said that on the ride back “they could feel every nail in the seat!”

Finally, there were a couple of 6-passenger golf carts that would allow you to travel in relative style and comfort for just $180 a cartload. That means you’re only paying that shrewd Beduin about $90 a mile! But, in order to really experience the beauty and wonder of the trip down, one needs to walk and I’m so glad that I did.

The first signs of the ancient Nabatean people (the people who built Petra) are the djinn blocks. Each djinn block is a cube-like stone carving that (I’m told) were homes to spirits. Some others say they are unfinished tombs, although no bodies have ever been found inside of a block.

Near the djinn blocks are some of the unfinished ancient tombs carved out of the sandstone. Sandstone is a very soft substance and is relatively easy to carve out. These tombs (and, in fact, all of the stone carvings of Petra) were started at the top and then the work proceeded to the bottom. In the photo below you can see the start of one of these tombs near the top of the hill. If you look closely you can see a stair-step design that represented the path to heaven.

About half way through the walk to the city you enter the siq. The siq is a narrow passage between the rocks. It is about a half mile long and very dramatic!

The siq is carved with alters, images of the gods and more unfinished tombs. Although each of the squares cut into the walls used to contain an image of a god, the Byzantines took over Petra at one time and defaced (quite literally) each of the gods so that they would not be recognizable. To the Byzantines, there was only one God.

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One of my favorite carvings in the siq is the one below. Click on it to enlarge the image then study it for a moment. Can you tell what it depicts (or, at least, used to depict?)

Let’s talk about this one. You can most certainly see the feet of a man wearing a robe. To the left you can also see something else. If you were clever you may have determined that those are the front feet of a camel. OK, that is the easy part.

I’ll bet you missed the part of the carving on the wall above the camel feet. If you look very carefully, you can see the entire camel! This particular carving was found buried in sand up to the waist of the man. The top part was exposed to the elements. Therefore, the top part weathered away while the bottom part was more protected. I hope you can see the whole thing now!

Once you reach the end of the siq, the passageway opens up to one of the greatest sand carvings ever created. It is called “the Treasury.” It was never used as an actual treasury, though. Many believe it was used for burial rights and other forms of worship. Its location certainly indicates that it was created to inspire awe in anybody visiting the city.

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The Treasury is, for many, the point of the trip. Some people, especially those who have mobility issues, turn around here and go back to the main gate after a brief time to take in the majesty of this one carving. Some folks take in some of the other amusements to be found here, like taking a camel ride.

For those willing to walk another mile or so, there are many more sights to behold. Here are just a couple.

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At this point in the trip I was starting to feel very weak and a bit light headed. My hiking partner, Mollie, and I started back for the top where the main gate is. I made it back safely and without passing out, but I did require a few rest stops along the way.

Oddly enough, my camera must have been infected with the same virus that was attacking me because it captured a picture exactly the way I was seeing it with my own feverish eyes.

Once we reached the top of the hill and exited the main gate, we were treated to a nice buffet lunch and a cold beer at the Mövenpick Resort Petra.

The trip back home was uneventful and I’m pretty sure I slept through most of the ride.

I have so many more photos of Petra. When I get home I’ll be happy to show them to anybody that might ask.

What about the second day?

Although I had visited Petra, I had not really seen much of Aqaba, so I took the shuttle bus into town the next day. I was feeling a bit better (after 13 hours of sleep) but still had not gained my full strength back.

One of our guests lecturers on the ship had recommended an English pub in town where one could pull a nice pint of beer and enjoy good wi-fi service. That sounded like just what I needed so I sought it out.

I found the place she told us about but it was a major disappointment. They only had three beers available, none of them English and none of them of the craft variety. Also, the wi-fi sucked. After a single pint of Heineken, I left disappointed.

When I returned to the ship, I was told that the hot wings place three doors away had great food, lots of beers, and fast wi-fi. I’m starting to ask myself where I fell off of the train to Good Karma.

So, what’s coming up?

Lots of days at sea, and the Suez Canal.

G’night!