Malaga, Spain: Monday May 13, 2013

Our day in Malaga started fairly early as we were meeting a walking tour at a specific location which we had to find.  Jessie worked as our navigator using maps I had printed out previously.  She did a great job and even found an unintentional shortcut which brought us to the location in record time.

Our tour started and our guide Mariam was giggly and bubbly.  While she was interesting to listen to, Hildy wasn’t particularly thrilled with the fact that she was so giggly when discussing wars and deaths; she felt that she lacked some respect when it came to talking about such heavy topics.  Luckily, Mariam’s friend Marco, who is also a tour guide came along and offered a substantial wealth of knowledge. 

We began in front of Teatro Cervants, a local theater, where Man of La Mancha was written.  This is also where Antonio Banderas was inspired to become an actor.  From there, we moved onto Picasso’s Square and saw where Picasso was born, in the corner house of the square. 

At the forefront of the square, we saw a monument depicting the death of 49 men who fought for Spain (this included one Irish man, who was a pirate). 

We walked up the hill and saw a Muslim castle which was later taken over by the Christians when they took over Spain.  There were plenty of beautiful flowers which Oma appreciated.  As we walked through the promenade, we saw ABC buildings (Academy, Bank, Post Office—Carte). 

Walking into town, we approached the Roman Theater, but opted for a pee break instead (we knew we’d come back later) and then moved onto the cathedral called the “One Arm Lady”.  It was named this because it only has one tower.  The cathedral took over 300 years to build, but was never actually completed because the citizens liked it the way it was, and didn’t want to change anything.

As we walked along the main shopping promenade, we noticed many large brand name stores that we have back home.  Finally, we found the Constitution Square, commemorating Spanish freedom and liberty.  It displayed newspaper spreads on the ground which showed the actual newspaper headlines from that time of independence.  Jessie and I both thought this was a great way to display history. 

We entered the Botanical Gardens and walked through the beautiful smelling paths.  Our guides gave us a bit more history and talked about Spanish life, and then our tour ended.  We said goodbye to our guides,  gave them a tip and then headed back to the Roman Theater and Picasso Square. 

Here, we had lunch, which consisted of sangria and tapas.  It was very enjoyable, especially since street musicians would come up and play beautiful music while we were dining.  The only downside of this was that during our short lunch, we had half a dozen people come by us asking for tips.  You could go broke in this city just by tipping everyone who asked. 

As we walked back to port, we took time to see the roses and gardens.  Jessie and I found a little park and took the opportunity to ride the see-saws… you’re never too old right?!  We visited a nearby beach to put our feet in the water, which was still quite cold and finally we spent some time watching the many cats that inhabited the beach.  Many of them were black and looked like Dilly which made Jessie quite nostalgic. 

After we boarded the ship and had supper, we came back to the room and ordered a movie: Legally Blonde.  Surprisingly, Hildy enjoyed the movie (more than I did anyways).  

Cartagena, Spain: Sunday May 12, 2013

Today was our first stop in Spain.  We decided to start the day off right and had lunch at the Tamarind restaurant.  Lunch is complimentary but is only offered on select days, so we made sure to book a reservation ahead of time to reserve our seats. 

It was quite delicious.  We had a Hot and Sour Soup (which was actually spicy), followed by Fried Rice, Dim Sum and Spring Rolls.  To finish, we had deserts consisting of Mango Ice Cream, Green Tea Tiramisu, and Coconut Ice Cream.  Although lunch wasn’t nearly as good as the first dinner we had, it was still very nice and I’m hoping to return. 

Once we left the ship, we began walking around in the town of Cartagena, which was right off the pier.  The weather was quite chilly in the late morning and required a jacket and scarf.  While we were walking, we noticed quite a lot of people biking around with the same t-shirts.  We later found out that there was a bike marathon occurring. 

Throughout the town were beautiful flowers, which Hildy really enjoyed.  Flowers are one of the few things she’ll actually stop to take a picture of with her camera.  An aspect which Hildy didn’t appreciate, but that Jessie and I did, was the graffiti.  It was quite artistic and displayed beautifully. 

One of our first stops was the Modern Art Museum.  This was housed in a colloquial building which was transformed from a 19^th century home into the museum.  We only had about an hour before the museum closed, which meant that we couldn’t see the whole thing.  As it was, Hildy and I could quickly browse through the exhibits, but Jessie needed time to appreciate each piece and felt rather rushed. 

Following the museum, we bought drinks at a local halal shop and then walked along the adjacent promenade to view the beautiful gardens.  We came across the old bull fighting ring but were only able to look at the exterior, because it was closed for reconstruction. 

As we continued walking throughout the town, we stumbled upon a building designed by one of Gaudi’s students.  It was set in a lovely square with huge tropical trees.  We spent some time just sitting here and observing the great architecture and beautiful surroundings. 

A little while later we came to an archeological site filled with ancient roman baths.  Hildy didn’t want to go into this exhibit because she was worried that we wouldn’t get back to this ship in time. 

As we continued walking we came across a shoe store and Jessie found a pair of shoes. Hildy wasn’t too thrilled to be spending time in a shoe store and this made tensions rise a bit, but things settled down again once we found the Euro Store and we all found some things to buy.

After shopping, we called home to wish mom a Happy Mother’s Day, but the reception was horrible.  We continued walking towards the pier and saw some beautiful fountains.  Further on, we saw a huge sculpture of a naked man.  I decided to have some fun and pose with the sculpture.  We later learned that this was a monument commemorating the victims of past terrorist attacks.  This information made me feel a little guilty of my slightly inappropriate poses. 

The walk back to the ship was scenic and it was lovely to gaze at our huge cruise ship amongst all of the little boat in the marina. 

Once we were back onboard, we went for dinner and were surprised with beautiful red roses in honour of Mother’s Day.  One of the servers inquired about my rose and said that it’s for my future children.  I shocked him by replying that I have six kids at home… he wasn’t sure how to respond to that.  I love to “press buttons!”

Following dinner we went to ShowTime and then headed to bed.

Sea Day: Saturday May 11, 2013

Today was my designated recovery day.  I was still quite under the weather so I used the sea day as an excuse to do nothing.  Jessie and Oma were more than happy to comply and we took books and read in various spots throughout the ship. 

During the afternoon, there was a Royal Tea onboard.  We went and were impressed by the immaculate display of goodies prepared for the event.  I took a plateful with the hope that I would be able to taste them, but unfortunately I couldn’t, so my plate was given to Jessie. 

At the tea, we met some lovely people from Vancouver and got to know them.  Hildy was a bit more talkative here, but still allowed Jessie and I to carry most of the conversation.  I didn’t’ mind though; since I couldn’t enjoy my food, at least I could enjoy some conversation. 

Following the tea, we made our way to the Lido deck for an Ice Sculpting Demonstration.  It was quite impressive to watch as the sculptor created a beautiful eagle out of a block of ice.  We learned that there are various types of ice blocks and an average size costs about $80 USD just for the ice. 

Later in the day, I still wasn’t feeling that well, so we decided to go to the Lido for dinner, rather than the dining room.  This is much more informal and for someone with a constant runny nose, it isn’t quite as problematic. 

Afterwards, we headed to the grand stage where there was champagne and a captain’s toast commemorating the second part of the cruise.  The show for the evening was themed Romantic Hits, and was put on by the singers and dancers.  It was very well done and even Hildy was grooving along. 

Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy: Friday May 10, 2013

Jessie is taking over this blog today. This morning, we had an early wake up, and as we got ready we could watch both the sky get light with morning and our ship’s arrival into Civitavecchia. We prepared for our tour and did some last minute cleaning in our cabin for the sanitation happening later that evening. Laura was miserable. Her cold prevented her sleeping much, and she couldn’t breathe. Yesterday, we purchased some Italian cold meds, and even they didn’t seem to touch her symptoms today. She was very conflicted on going on the trip or resting, but seeing as the ship needed to be empty of passengers, she had to go. Therefore, she packed up her boxes of tissues and cough candies and tried to be eager to go.

We had a quick breakfast in the Lido buffet this morning with Laura and I eating Japanese Congee (like a porridge made with chicken broth and rice). Laura topped hers with Jalapanoe peppers, and those had a fiery reaction to her sinuses. After breakfast, we ambled over to the main stage, from where our tour would commence.  It is nice to think that we will have one tour from the ship, and not all externally booked. It is even nicer to think that it is FREE! J

We got on the bus, and Laura luckily seemed to get a corner of the bus all to herself, so she didn’t have to worry too much about her cold symptoms. For much of the tour she took it easy and relaxed and Hildy and I paid more attention to the guide’s informative lecture. The tour was going to be entirely on the bus with a little free time by the Vatican, finishing off with a provided lunch.

As we travelled the 75 minute trip into Rome, our tour guide told us about the lovely country side that we were passing through.  The rolling hills, lush farmland and trees were so picturesque and it was pleasant watching the scenery drift by. We learned that Civitavecchia means “Old City” and aptly because it has been in use as the main port city for Rome for over 2000 years. Unlike the port city where the Tiber river flows into the ocean, Civitavecchia is rocky and deep so large ships may dock. The mouth of the Tiber River (whose Port name means Ox’s mouth – though I don’t recall the actual name) is sandy and not functional for this purpose. Roman troops would port in Civitavecchia and then travel a few days to Rome. On route, there were some healing springs in which they would wash. These springs are located in the Italian countryside and are still in use today and free to the public. They heal(ed) skin irritations and other maladies, and were very valuable to the ancient world in a time of much less advanced medical capabilities.

Our guide’s name was Massimo or Max, and he told us that the countryside was full of tombs belonging to the Etruscans, the ruling power before the Romans. I believe he said that these tombs dated around 800BC. He also pointed out castles that belonged to one of the ruling families (not quite as renowned as the Medici, but the Roman equivalent) who had seven castles and owned most of the countryside. They would collect taxes, etc, from whoever farmed their lands. When Italy was unified over a century ago, they gave the land back to the country, but kept the castles. Apparently Tom Cruise was married in one of them.

Arriving in Rome we had to drive quite some time still to get to the original city center. We saw the original walls of the city, back from Roman antiquity. Massimo even showed us the Etruscan walls a little further in, which were in further disrepair, but it was very interesting to see the development of Rome and how it has grown over time. We also saw a beautiful church, with stunning colonnades and a breathtaking mosaic piece along the façade of the building. The church is one of the seven  most prominent of Rome (there are many more than seven, but there are seven main ones, apparently). The mosaic was predominantly bright gold, and stunning against the grey morning.

We drove by many of the sights that we had walked on our previous time in Rome. It was nice to get to hear the history of all the places we had already perused. First we saw the Roman Forum, or palaces of the past Emperors. Right beside it was the chariot race track – the Hippodrome, I believe. Apparently each Emperor wanted to add a personal touch to the palaces, so they became massive over 900 years.

Though we only quickly drove by it, Hildy was entranced by the Royal Rose garden of Rome, which holds 20000 varieties of roses. The colours as we passed by were phenomenal.

We also drove by the Coliseum. Like a modern stadium, it could hold 55,000 spectators at once. It was well organized, as each visitor had a number to a corresponding arch from which to enter. This meant that the full theatre could be emptied within ten minutes! Furthermore, it was free to go in, but the seats where sectioned by class and gender, women only permitted in the top of the stadium. The stadium was built around Nero’s personal swimming pool (about the size of a lake). I don’t recall, but perhaps this is why it could be filled to reenact naval warfare. The outer wall of the coliseum is destroyed on one side, due to an earthquake. It is also called the “Swiss Cheese Ruin” because the stone is pock marked. This is because there used to be metal rods decorating and supporting the structure, but they were removed by vandals.

Other sites we saw included the Arch of Constantine, the ruin of the first shopping mall ever, and then the center square where the large victory monument stands. What we thought was the parliament building previously is actually a victory monument, which today hosts two separate museums. The belly of the bronze horse in front of the monument is actually the size of a bus! Massive! This square was also the site of Mussolini’s apartments and Michelangelo.  He stayed in this square for much of his life, and even died there, though his body rests in Florence.

Afterwards, we drove around some of the ritzy areas of town, which host outdoor eating venues and the most expensive hotels. Then we drove around the Borghese Gardens, where we were told about the impressive gallery therein. Someday I would love to spend some time there because, amongst other things, they have the biggest Raphael collection. The Borghese grounds are mostly open to the public today, and are very expansive, even holding a zoo. The family still exists and have a (lovely, I’m sure) private home on the grounds. Just a peak into the wealth of the Catholic church, but one of the Popes (was there a Borghese Pope?) gave the entire park, all decorated, to his nephew as a gift. Incredible!

After a little more driving around, the bus let us off near St. Peter’s Basilica. The church is massive, and I think that nothing in Rome can tower over it in height. The dome was created by Michelangelo, and holds over 400 steps to get up. The church can hold 65,000 people. The line was far too long to go in, but this is where Michelangelo’s Pieta is. We thought this was the line for the museum last time we were here, but it is just to get into the church. Hildy was sad that we didn’t have enough free time during our visit this time to go in.    

Before we were left to our own devices, Massimo showed us mosaics close up. The fine work put into them was incredible. Then we went off on our own. We searched for a farmacia (Pharmacy) for Laura to buy herself more meds, then did what we do best – a little souvenir shopping! Our free time was quickly over after our casual strolling, so we headed with our tour group to lunch.

Our lunch was good for the fact it was free, but it wasn’t stellar food in the end. The free wine was good, but I was sorely disappointed by the Tiramisu that tasted like chewy foam and fake whip cream. Way to ruin my favourite cake! I had more wine instead of dessert.  The best part of the meal was Hildy’s reaction to Espresso – I caught it on film!

 The trip back to the ship was pleasant, and we headed back to our (now sanitized) rooms. Laura immediately got into her PJs to try and sleep off her cold, but we realized that there was a mandatory safety drill occurring shortly and Laura had to get dressed again. Afterwards, we had a laid back night, having dinner in the Lido. We got Hildy another book from the ship’s library to read, and enjoyed a pleasant time just in our stateroom that evening.

 Jessie, logging off!

Naples (Sorrento) Italy: Thursday May 9, 2013

Thursday morning I woke up very congested and unable to breathe properly.   We were scheduled to take a shuttle into Sorrento that day, but I wanted to be in top shape, so I headed down to the medical office after breakfast to buy some pills.  The nurse practitioner informed me that I couldn’t purchase any more decongestants unless I booked an appointment with the doctor.  In my opinion, this was quite ridiculous, because I only had a cold, but I wasn’t about to waste time arguing.  I just decided to find a pharmacy in Sorrento.

When we boarded our shuttle bus, a father with a young baby sat directly in front of me.  The baby was only 10months old and very cute.  Ironically, the tour company had sent a large 60 person bus, but there were only 8 passengers on board, so it was very spacious.

Jessie tapped me on the shoulder and suggested I move further to the back of the bus, so as not to infect the baby.  While this was a very thoughtful and practical suggestion, I teased her about sending her own sister off to be quarantined. 

The ride from Naples to Sorrento took about 1h 15mins.  The journey along the coast was winding, but extremely beautiful.  When we arrived, we were given 6 hours of free time to walk around and be tourists before the bus picked us up again. 

We spent most of that time walking around and shopping.  Even Hildy was finding her inner-tourist and bought four beautiful scarves.  We all bought some jewelry and various trinket items. 

Nearing noon, we began looking for a Wi-fi connection and found a gelato café which advertised internet.  This turned out to be the best gelato we’ve ever tasted; it was made right on site with fresh, local ingredients.  What’s even better was that they gave us the upstairs room to use which featured cute café tables and a verandah window which overlooked the street below.  This provided a nice, private place for us to call home and get updates on life back in KW. 

Following the gelato, we continued shopping and found a cat peering out from his balcony above us.  Hildy loved this sight and we took many pictures.  We eventually made our way back to the bus pick-up location with plenty of time to ensure we weren’t late.

I slept on the journey back to the ship and when we arrived, we were hungry! We went to the salad bar and Hildy grabbed a Bratwurst (which she shared) as a snack before dinner.  We found a notice in our room about a mandatory meeting at 5:15 so we made sure we attended. 

During the meeting, we were informed about the “Code Red” in affect on the ship.  There had been several GI (Gastro-intestinal) illnesses on board during the last few days and the crew were doing everything possible to stop the transmission of bacteria.  In an effort to be extra-thorough, they wanted to clean the entire ship from top to bottom the following day, which meant that all passengers must be off the vessel.  That was disembarkation day for most guests, who were ending their cruise in Rome, but for us, we were registered for back-to-back cruises, so we were planning on staying on board.

In an effort to keep everyone happy, while ensuring maximum health and safety, the cruise line offered us a complimentary tour in Rome, complete with transportation, guide and lunch.  The only catch was that EVERYONE must take the tour, so that the crew could sanitize the ship. 

We were quite thrilled with this news because it gave us a free tour, when we didn’t really have a plan for the day to begin with.  Part of me was slightly disappointed because I was under the weather and thought it would be beneficial to spend a day in bed, but the perceived value of a complimentary tour won me over. 

We went to dinner afterwards and had a lovely meal.  We were told by Titto that both he and Purna would be moved to closed dining the following day, so it would be the last time we would be dining with them, which was unfortunate.  However, I’m sure we’ll still see them around the ship.

During the end of our meal, Hildy reminded us that today would have been Opa’s 80^th birthday.  Jessie and I had both neglected to remember this day and we felt horrible for not trying to do something special for Hildy in remembrance of him. 

After dinner, we decided to take a walk around the deck.  I asked Hildy if she was sad today and she said that yes, she was.  I wasn’t quite sure what to say to comfort her, so I told her that I’m sure that if Opa could see her, he’d be happy that she was traveling around the world and making memories with her granddaughters.  Of course, I couldn’t get that all out without blubbering, so we were all standing around crying for a little bit.  Then it got cold and we went inside.  In the room, Jessie and I hugged Hildy into a ‘Hildy Sandwich’ which got her giggling. 

Our last task for the evening was to clean our room immaculately so that all of the surfaces could be sanitized.  This is not an easy task for three people crammed into a stateroom—we had so much stuff!  Finally, however we managed to pack everything up and clear off all of our surfaces.  We went to bed and prepared for the day in Rome tomorrow.  

Messina, Sicily, Italy: Wednesday May 8, 2013

Today we grabbed a quick brekky and set out fairly early to explore the coastal city of Messina.  It was located right at the pier, so we didn’t have to walk far to begin seeing the sights.

We opted to do this day ourselves instead of joining a tour because we thought it would be fairly easy to navigate throughout the city.  We began in a small church right across the street from the ship.  It was called Chiesa SS. Annunziata dei Catalani, which had stunning flowers surrounding it—a huge selling feature for Hildy. 

Afterwards, we went to one of the biggest attractions, the Bell Tower and Astronomical Clock, also known as Orologio Astronomico.  Jessie of course spent a significant amount of time here absorbing the details and workmanship that went into building the magnificent structure.  Unlike Hildy and I, who looked at it, were impressed and moved on, Jessie could have spent hours admiring it.

We began walking through various streets looking for attractions and soon became lost.  A couple of elderly Italian men seemed to notice our unease and came up to us and tried to offer us assistance.  Although there was a large language barrier between us, they communicated simple directions for finding a fountain.  We weren’t sure which fountain this was, but decided to walk there anyways.

We soon found the fountain and noticed steps leading up to a large church.  After climbing half of the steps, Hildy exclaimed that she had climbed enough and would wait for Jessie and I to come down after we went to the top.  It took a bit of persuasion, but we were able to get her to climb the rest of the steps.  The reward was well worth it… a spectacular view of the cityscape and harbor and even our cruise ship from a distance. 

We enjoyed the outside views for a while and then headed into the church to sit for a while.  There were some employees in the back of the sanctuary selling various trinkets to tourists and negotiating prices which impeded some of the ambiance, but overall it was lovely.

On the way back, we decided to take the back road, instead of the steps.   There were no sidewalks because everyone parked their tiny cars on them, so we had to be cautious for oncoming traffic, but it provided us with a different view.  We encountered a couple malnourished cats along the way who struck sympathetic chords in Hildy’s heart… she wished she had some food for them, but alas, the cat treats were long gone. 

Once we got back to the regular streets in town, we found the flea market.  We walked up and down a long street which had various vendors and cafes.  Hildy loved all of the flowers and fruit stands, especially the strawberries.  Jessie and I were quite shocked by this, because she had wanted to go to the flea market all day; we assumed to buy some souvenirs, but really, she was taken with the strawberries!  We told her she should buy some, but she declined because there was no water to wash them, so instead we just looked at them and committed them to memory. 

Jessie found an art store and a few clothing shops to browse through.  Unfortunately she didn’t find anything for herself, but I bought a dress and two purses, so I was quite pleased. 

On our way back, there had been an accident on the sidewalk and the ambulance was just arriving.  In an effort to avoid the chaos, we decided to take a side street, which led us to a supermarket.  Browsing through supermarkets holds much joy for both Hildy and myself.  I love to look at the various foods and goods for sale, and see the differences between the countries.  Jessie does not share this fascination with us.  Nevertheless, we spent a good 20 minutes browsing the aisles and picked up two bottles of wine, a bottle of coffee liqueur and some throat lozenges. 

Following the supermarket, we were in search of a café with Wi-fi.  This was no easy task and proved to be one of the most difficult locations to find an internet signal.  We finally stumbled upon a pizzeria which advertised free Wi-fi.  After we ordered a very cheesy Italian pizza, we connected to the internet, but the signal was so weak we couldn’t call home.  One of the most surprising aspects of this trip is how much Hildy needs to be connected.  She’s almost always the one asking about internet and calling home.  I assumed that since she hasn’t used a computer in her life, she wouldn’t care about staying connected with home, but she loves to call home and get updates about her cat and flowers.  It’s charming!  And she never complains about stopping to check email, which is nice. 

After our slightly disappointing pizza, we headed back to the ship where we cleaned up and went for dinner, which was superb, as usual.  For dessert, they served a poached pear which was drizzled with a dark chocolate ganache… it was so fantastic!

Hildy went to bed after dinner, but Jessie and I stayed up to catch the show.  Performing tonight was Lance Ringwald, a USA Olympic Gymnast who showed us various acrobatic techniques using a walker and silks.  He was quite impressive as he was showing his skills (especially in his tight spandex uniform), but the most impressive aspect was when he informed us he was 42… I would have thought 28…. Oh, the benefits of a healthy lifestyle!

Jessie and I had our eye candy for the night, so it was off to bed for sweet dreams!

Sea Day: Tuesday May 7, 2013

Today was very uneventful.  Hildy and Jessie were both suffering with their heat rashes, and I came down with a cold (sore throat, sneezing, and headache).  We decided to take it easy today and try to recuperate for the upcoming ports of call. 

Hildy woke us saying that we needed to clean up the room (it was warranted, as our room looked as if a bomb went off) and then we had a late breakfast.  After breakfast, we spent some time reading in the Crow’s Nest, and then had lunch.  Following lunch, we went for an ice sculpting demonstration, and Jessie and I napped outdoors, while Hildy retired to the room.  At 3pm we met for Afternoon Tea and then we all went outside to do some more reading.

Tonight was a formal night, but none of us wanted to dress up, so we decided to forego our formal dinner, and eat in the buffet area instead.  We had a simple dinner and then came back to the room to watch Remember the Titans with big cups of lemon tea. 

At 10:30pm, there was a Dessert Extravaganza onboard.  We decided to go with the intention of observing with our eyes only.  Of course, willpower only goes so far.  Hildy was impressed with the magnitude of sweets on display.