Barcelona, Spain
We started our journey in Barcelona, a city we know fairly well. This time we explored the waterfront towards Barceloneta. No museums but quite a bit of walking in a “real” neighbourhood. And it started out the way we went on – very hot!
Livorno, Itlay
A lazy day in Livorno. We decided to just explore the city where we are docked rather than race into Florence, Lucca or Pisa. We have visited all of them before and for longer than just part of a day.
Livorno is a workaday city with pedestrianized shopping areas, some large squares, old canal area (“little Venice”), a couple of forts and lots of churches. It was market day with shopping possibilities inside the market hall and in the streets around. We bought ourselves a small package of dried porcini mushrooms – a cheap and very lightweight souvenir.
We even explored the industrial outskirts when we took the city bus to an electronics “superstore” to purchase a camera cable that we left at home attached to a computer. Couldn’t get it since the cable has a very small end but staff were friendly. We wandered the small canals but it was too hot to do much. On our walk back to the ship, we celebrated being in Italy by getting gelati.
Rome,Italy
Train from Civitavecchia to Termini and the Metro to Barbarini to see the Pantheon, one of Richard’s favs. It is also a Catholic Church and mass was in progress and we couldn’t enter. We decided instead to walk to Giolitti’s for gelato. Yummy! Richard’s caramelized fig was exceptional. We also saw Hadrian’s temple en route to the Pantheon
We also visited two churches – Gesu and St Louis of France, piazzas with statues, the Trevi fountain with no water (being renovated) and margherita pizza for lunch.
We were pleased to see the Ara Coeli ruins on an insula – a Roman apartment building. Not a lot left but still neat to see. Nearby, we recommend the wonderful view of the Forum from Piazza del Campidoglio.
Amalfi, Italy
Another hot day in paradise! We spent the day touring with Mei and her husband Vincent. Mei and I have booked tours together in other locations.
We took the local bus to Ravello and visited the gardens of a Villa Ruffino It has a good view of the bay, but not as spectacular, I think as Villa Cimbrone. The bus was crowded and the driver tooted his horn at every bend.
In Amalfi Town we visited the cathedral, its crypt and museum and its Islamic style cloister. Some fine items in the museum including early statues and wall paintings. In the crypt you can see a sarcophagus with the bones of St Andrew. Worthwhile.
Taormina, Italy
We were in Taormina today, our first time in Sicily. Richard managed to get some photos of Mount Etna before the humidity made it more challenging. And there were two plumes of gases or steam escaping.
As usual, we tendered to Giardini Naxos and then went to Taormina by taxi, after negotiating a reasonable price.
Highlights today – the Greek theatre which dates from the third century BC and was renovated by the Romans to make it more suitable for their own productions. And it is still in use today.
And the very atmospheric town with alleyways and stairs, especially Piazza IX Aprile which has a balustraded lookout over the sea.
We also visited the public gardens which was developed by an English lady in the 19th century. Very relaxing with interesting follies and sea views. Free too! We went into the duomo which is very plain, but it was cool!
Valletta, Malta
A lovely hot day in Malta! We didn’t take the new elevators to Upper Baraka Gardens (costs a euro to go up, free for down) because of the long queue. Instead we climbed the stairs beside the elevator. Takes a lot of puff though!
Next visit, you must go to see the Co-Cathedral of St. John. We saw it some years ago but it has been restored. This cathedral is sumptuous, with chapels for each of language groups who were participating in the administration of Malta and who chose the Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller of St. John (aka Knights of Malta). The exterior of the church is very plain but later on, they each did up the interior with baroque exuberance.
We also wandered through the town and admired the buildings. Many of them were Auberges (headquarters) for each group in the Knights of Malta. Joining the EU has been good for Malta. Many euros have been spent on rejuvenating the buildings in the town. As can be imagined, with three cruise ships in port (MSC and Princess), it was busy. But there are enough streets to get away from the tourist crowd.
We stopped for cappuccino and little savoury pastries called pastizzo. And then later we got Kinnie soft drinks from a small shop. If you like bitter lemon, you will like this refreshing bitter orange drink.
Rhodes, Greece
We managed to go ashore early so we had several good hours there. Rhodes is atmospheric, with narrow streets, small irregular courtyards, roofed sections of walkways, and arches marking street entrances. We spent about an hour in the Grand Masters’ Palace. The architecture is massive and impressive, but evidently Mussolini renovated the building in the 1930’s when Italy occupied the island. The lecturer yesterday said that he took liberties in the redesign and brought in antiquities from other islands.
The historical avenue “Ippoton” has been well maintained and we went into the front entrances of two “auberges”, one for France and one for Italy. (Same deal as Malta.)
We followed the walking trail around the old part of the city, seeing the mosques and churches (and ruins). We stopped at a small distillery to taste and buy delicious coffee-flavoured ouzo.
Limassol, Cyprus
We had a busy but great day today from our port, Limassol, Cyprus. We visited Kurion, Paphos, and Kolossi (a crusader fortress).
Our first stop, Kurion – the old city overlooking the sea, with a Greek theatre (Romanized later for gladiator fights) and a house with a full bathhouse complex. The theatre is still in use and they were setting up for a production today.
We stopped to see the Aphrodite rock which has local legends – swim around three times and you get long life. We stopped for fresh orange juice nearby.
Paphos has several large buildings sheltering the most amazing mosaic floors. At least one was pre-Christian era and some dated from the first or second century AD. The colours and designs were fabulous and Andreas was able to retell the mythological stories that were depicted.
We also visited a necropolis – buildings cut into the limestone and were designed like homes with an atrium. The tomb / grave goods were gone – to the Metropolitan museum in NYC.
Our last stop was the crusader fort of Kolossi – a formidable bastion. We drove back through the city of Limassol with its beaches and posh hotels.
Haifa and Jerusalem, Israel
We had a day and a half at the port of Haifa. On the first day, our privately-arranged tour guide picked up our small group at the ship. Haifa is over two hours by highway to Jerusalem, especially with traffic. We took the highway by the Med sea at first. In the distance we could see many towns, Jewish and Muslim and settlements and the towers of Tel Aviv.
We stopped at the top of the Mount of Olives for a view of the city. Walls surround the city and the golden gate that will open when the messiah comes. (BTW it isn’t actually gold ) In front of the gate you see a Jewish cemetery where plots are expensive because they will be awoken first when he comes. We could see the gold dome of Temple Mount.
We visited Gethsemene and the century-old church with wonderful windows made of alabaster. While we were there we heard church bells and then a little later the muezzin sang out over the city.
We drove to the new city for a delicious falafel lunch at a small neighbourhood place before visiting the Israel Museum to see the Dead Sea Scrolls.
The highlight of our visit was Old Jerusalem. We went in through one gate, past the Christian Armenian section, the Roman remains (cardo) and Into the Muslim section. This area was lively and extremely colourful. Since it is Sunday, the Armenian shops were closed.
We paused before the Dome of the Rock and the Western Wall. (Our guide says she doesn’t like the name “wailing wall”) The women went to the women’s section while the men in our group visited the men’s section.
We went through a labyrinthine walk and then joined the Via Dolorosa for several stations of the cross. It is atmospheric but it is and was a narrow shopping street. We saw the stairs though where Christ stumbled. We ended up at very crowded church of the Holy Sepulchre. There was a Mass going on upstairs and downstairs the Franciscan hurried us along a bit because there was going to be a procession.
In the morning we took a taxi to the top of the Bahai Gardens to look out at the vista. Unfortunately, the gardens were closed for their annual maintenance but we could see how beautifully designed and manicured they are.